Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Website Privacy Policy

Westwood Professional Services, Inc. (“we,” “us,” and “our”) understands the importance of the privacy of your personal information. We are providing this Privacy Policy so you are informed of our online information practices and understand how we treat the information we receive about you from your use of the westwoodps.com website (the “Site”). By using, browsing, or accessing this Site, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

If you do not agree to this Site’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, you must immediately leave and discontinue your use of this Site.

Consent to Processing Your Personal Information in the United States

WE HOST THIS SITE ON SERVERS LOCATED WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, AND THIS SITE IS INTENDED FOR USE BY RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. BY SUBMITTING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION TO US, YOU ARE CONSENTING TO THE COLLECTION AND PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION IN THE UNITED STATES AND OUR USE OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AND ANY RELATED INFORMATION IN THE MANNER DESCRIBED IN THIS PRIVACY POLICY. IF YOU ARE SUBMITTING PERSONAL INFORMATION OF THIRD PARTIES TO US, YOU WARRANT AND REPRESENT THAT YOU HAVE THEIR CONSENT TO PROVIDE THEIR PERSONAL INFORMATION TO US, AND YOU WILL HOLD US HARMLESS FROM AND AGAINST CLAIMS BY SUCH INDIVIDUALS RELATING TO OUR PROCESSING AND USE OF SUCH PERSONAL INFORMATION WITHIN THE TERMS OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY.

1. The Information We Collect

Anonymous Electronic Information. In general, you can browse this Site without telling us who you are or revealing any personal information about yourself. However, we collect your computer’s or mobile device’s IP address, which you necessarily disclose when you visit this Site, so that data (such as the web pages you request) can be sent to your computer or device. This Site utilizes “cookies,” which are anonymous, unique identifiers that web pages on this Site may use to store data on your computer or send data to our web server. We may use cookie data to “recognize” you when you visit this Site in the future, to troubleshoot how this Site operates, and for internal analysis of how people use this Site. Should you decide not to accept cookies from this Site, you will limit the functionality we can provide when you visit and use this Site. We may use standard Internet technology, such as web beacons and other similar technologies, to track your use of this Site. Additionally, we use Google Signals to collect and process aggregated personal data such as gender, age, and interests.

Participating in Activities.
We may ask you to provide personal and other information when you engage in certain activities on this Site, such as, for example, sending messages to us via a “Contact Us” or. In order to engage in such activities, you will be required to provide information about yourself, such as your first name, last name, telephone, and email address. It is optional for you to engage in these activities. Depending upon the activity, some of the information we ask you to provide is identified as mandatory, and some is voluntary. If you do not provide the mandatory data with respect to a particular activity, you will not be able to engage in that activity.

2. The Way We Use Information Collected on this Site

We may use your IP address to, among other things: (i) help diagnose problems with this Site, administer and improve this Site and measure and evaluate the use of this Site; (ii) identify the type of web browsers used, the pages viewed, the web sites from which a visitor found this Site and the search terms and search engines used to find this Site; and (iii) gather other web analytics and information relating to visitors’ use and navigation of this Site. This information does not identify you personally. On occasion, we may aggregate this data with data on the pages visited by other users to track overall visitor traffic patterns and provide this aggregate information to vendors, business partners, affiliates, or other parties to demonstrate the amount of interest in this Site or to help us plan for technical infrastructure requirements.

The information we obtain using standard Internet technology, such as tags and web beacons, enables us to customize the services we offer visitors to our Site, deliver targeted content and advertisements, and measure the overall effectiveness of our online advertising, content, programming, and other activities.

We may use your personal information for activities, including, without limitation, responding to your inquiries, customer service, processing your subscription orders, marketing and research, developing and displaying content tailored to your interests, and providing product, promotional, and other information to you and contact you regarding administrative notices. We may share this information with our related entities, marketing partners, advertisers, and other parties e collaborate with. If we use service providers, these service providers may be granted access to your personal information to perform contractually specified services on our behalf.

We may always use the information you provide in an anonymous or aggregated format that does not identify you personally, which might include, without limitation: (i) evaluating existing products, services, and systems; (ii) assisting in the development of new products or services; (iii) researching; (iv) advertising; and (v) identifying trends and changes.

We may disclose personal information in any of the following circumstances: (i) in response to a subpoena, search warrant, court order, or other legal process or request or as may otherwise be required by applicable law or regulation; (ii) to protect and defend our rights or property or those of its affiliates, business partners or others; or (iii) as we, in our sole discretion, believe is appropriate under exigent circumstances in response to a perceived threat to the personal safety, property, or rights of any person or organization.

In addition, since our database is a business asset, in the event we are reorganized or become part of another organization, you consent to the sale, assignment, and transfer of your personal information to a successor that acquires all or substantially all of our business assets, or to an affiliate, as applicable.

We will never request your password, user name, credit card information, or other personal information through email. This practice called “phishing,” is a scam designed to steal your personal information. If you receive an email that looks like it is from us asking you for your personal information, do not respond.

3. Our Relationship to Other Sites that can be Accessed Through this Site

This Site may contain links to other websites. If you visit one of these other websites, we encourage you to review the privacy policy on those websites. We do not review or monitor these websites and are not responsible for the contents or privacy policies related to any other websites.

We may have functionality on this Site that is provided, in whole or in part, by a third-party service provider, such as our job application functionality. In that case, when you use the functionality, you become subject to the terms of use and privacy policy of this third party in addition to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use of our Site. In some cases, you may need to visit that party’s website and locate the terms of use and privacy policy. You can sometimes identify such third-party functionality by the use of a trademark not owned by us on or near the functionality.

4. Security of Your Personal Information

We take what we believe to be reasonable precautions and have implemented certain safeguards to protect the security of data and personal information. However, we cannot guarantee against loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration, or destruction of data or personal information. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to or receive from this Site, by email or otherwise, and you provide such information at your own risk. You acknowledge that: (a) there are security and privacy limitations in computer systems and on the Internet which are beyond our control; (b) the security, integrity, and privacy of any information and data exchanged between you and us through this Site, including personal information, cannot be guaranteed; and (c) any such information and data may be viewed or tampered with by a third party while such information or data is being used, transmitted, processed, or stored.

5. Retention of Your Personal Information

We keep your personal information only if we need it for purposes for which it was initially collected (or to which you have subsequently consented), other legitimate purposes (such as regulatory compliance), or as permitted by applicable law.

You may have rights under applicable laws concerning personal information we have collected about you, which may include the right to access your personal information, to ask us to delete, correct, or restrict the use of your personal information, to withdraw your consent to our use of your personal information, to ask how we have used your personal information, and to ask whether we have shared your personal information. We will honor your rights under any such laws as applicable to us or as we may agree to honor them at our sole discretion.

Privacy requests related to access to, the rectification of, restriction of, processing of, sharing of, or objection to the processing of your personal information, withdrawal of consent to handle your personal information, or the right to be forgotten should be sent by mail to Westwood Professional Services, Inc., Attention: Chief Privacy Officer, 12701 Whitewater Drive, Suite 300, Minnetonka, MN 55343 USA, or by email at web_privacy_ps@westwoodps.com.

6. Your Consent

By using this Site, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information and any related information in the manner described in this Privacy Policy.

7. Changes to the Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy, in whole or in part, at any time without your notice. You expressly waive any right to receive notification of any changes to this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy regularly in your use of this Site to ensure you are aware of current practices. Any use of this Site following the date we implement changes to this Privacy Policy shall constitute your acceptance of all such changes.

Canada-Specific Privacy Notices

Accountability.

We are responsible for the personal information under our control. We have appointed a Chief Privacy Officer accountable for our compliance with this Privacy Policy.

Purposes.

We collect personal information for the purposes listed above, and we may share your personal information with the third parties listed above under The Information We Collect.” We will post notices outlining any new purpose for using your personal information. Your failure to object to such uses shall be deemed your consent to using your personal information for the new purposes so indicated. If we intend to use your personal information for a purpose unique to you; we will obtain your specific consent for using personal information for that purpose.

Consent.

When you access this Site or request or use products or services from us, whether directly or through our representatives or affiliates, we will deem you to have consented to using and processing your personal information for the purposes set forth above. If we wish to utilize your personal information for purposes unique to you, other than those listed above under the section entitled The Information We Collect,” we will obtain your consent as identified in the section entitled “Purposes” immediately above.

Disclosure and Retention.

We will collect and use your personal information only in the manner and for the uses set forth above in the section entitled “Purposes” and only for so long as may be set forth under the heading “Retention of Your Personal Information.”

Accuracy.

We strive to maintain the accuracy and completeness of your personal information. You may ask us to correct the information contained within our records. Request for correction must be made in writing by mail to Westwood Professional Services, Inc., Attention: Chief Privacy Officer, 12701 Whitewater Drive, Suite 300, Minnetonka, MN 55343 U.S.A.

Safeguards.

We take reasonable precautions to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction as set forth above under “Security of Your Personal Information.”

Individual Access.

Upon your request, we will disclose whether we have any of your personal information in our possession. We will provide you with a written response explaining the use of your personal information and the organizations to which we disclosed it. You may correct or amend any personal information if you believe it is inaccurate or incomplete. We specifically reserve the right to deny you access to your personal information if that would likely reveal personal information about a third party or otherwise believe that the disclosure of your personal information would be objectionable under Section 9 of PIPEDA. We will either provide you with access to your personal information or object to your access within thirty(30) days of our receipt of your request.

Amendments to Our Privacy Policy.

We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time as set forth under “ Changes to Privacy Policy.”

Contact Us.

If you have a request, question, comment, or complaint concerning our collection or use of your personal information,  please contact us by mail at Westwood Professional Services, Inc., Attention: Chief Privacy Officer, 12701 Whitewater Drive, Suite 300, Minnetonka, MN 55343 USA, or by email at web_privacy_ps@westwoodps.com. We will attempt to respond to and resolve any issues or complaints to your satisfaction.

State-Specific Privacy Disclosures

Last Updated June 28, 2023

California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) Disclosure

This additional state-specific privacy disclosure (“Disclosure”) supplements the Westwood Privacy Policy and is effective as of June 28, 2023. The Westwood Privacy Policy describes the personal information we collect, the way we use the information collected, the security of personal information, and the retention of personal information. These additional disclosures are required by the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”).

If you are a California resident, you may have certain rights under the CCPA regarding your personal information, including:

  • The right to request:
    • whether we collect and use your personal information;
    • the categories of personal information we collect;
    • the purposes for which the collected personal information is used;
    • whether we sell your personal information to third parties;
    • the categories of personal information that we sold or disclosed for a business purpose;
    • the categories of third parties to whom the personal information was sold or disclosed for a business purpose; and
    • the business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling personal information.
  • The right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions provided by law
  • The right to request that we opt you out of the sale of personal information
  • The right to non-discrimination for the exercise of a consumer’s privacy rights

To exercise one or more of your rights, you may call us at 1-888-937-5150 or contact us at web_privacy_ps@westwoodps.com.

The following information shows the types of personal information we may collect about California residents who are subject to the CCPA, the sources from which we collect it, and the ways in which we use it and disclose it (if any).

1. Categories of Personal Information

  • Anonymous Electronic Information—such as the IP address of your computer or mobile device and information regarding your interaction with our website
  • Personal Identifiers—such as first and last name, telephone number, and email address

2. Sources of Personal Information

  • We obtain your personal information when you provide it to us (e.g., when you contact us, subscribe to a newsletter, or some other form of periodic communication)
  • We collect personal information via standard Internet technology (e.g., tags, web beacons, “cookies,” and other similar technologies)

3. Business and Commercial Purpose for Use of Personal Information

  • IT operations—such as helping with diagnosing problems with the Site, administering and improving the Site, measuring and evaluating the Site
  • Improving services—such as enabling us to customize the services we offer our visitors to the Site; deliver targeted content and advertisements; and measure the overall effectiveness of our online advertising, content, programming, and other activities.
  • Operation of our Site—such as responding to your inquires; customer service; processing your subscription notices; marketing; research; developing and displaying content tailored to your interest; providing product, promotional, and other information to contact you, and contacting you regarding administrative notices.
  • Research—such as evaluating existing products, services, and systems; assisting in the development of new products or services; advertising; and identifying trends and changes

4. Categories of Third Parties to Whom Personal Information is Disclosed

  • Business partners
  • Affiliates and relates entities
  • Vendors
  • Marketing Partners
  • Advertisers
  • Service Providers
  • Governmental, legal, regulatory, or other similar authorities, in response to a subpoena, search warrant, court order, or other legal process, upon request or where required
  • Any relevant third party, in the event that we are reorganized, become part of another organization, or we sell or transfer all or any relevant portion of our business or assets.
  • Other third parties, if there is a perceived threat to personal safety, property, or rights of any person or organization or to protect and defend our rights or property or those of an affiliate(s), business partners, or others

5. Sale of Personal Information

Westwood does not offer an opt-out from the sale of information because Westwood does not engage in the sale of personal information as contemplated by the CCPA. As noted elsewhere in this disclosure, we disclose personal information to other businesses for a variety of reasons. While we may benefit from such disclosure, we do not disclose personal information for the sole purpose of receiving compensation for that information.

6. Retention of Personal Information

We will keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this disclosure unless a longer retention period is required by law. When we no longer have a legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize such information, or if not possible (e.g., your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information until deletion is possible.

7. Changes to Disclosure

We may update this disclosure from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated “revised” date, and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is accessible. We encourage you to review this privacy notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information.

Nevada Privacy Disclosure

State consumer privacy laws may provide their residents with additional rights regarding our use of their personal information. To learn more about Nevada residents’ privacy rights, please visit https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-603a.html. Nevada’s privacy law (N.R.S.§ 603A.300 to 603A.360) provides its residents with a limited right to opt out of certain personal information sales. Residents who wish to exercise this sale opt-out right may submit a request to web_privacy_ps@westwoodps.com or contact us at 1-888-937-5150. However, please know we do not currently sell any data which would trigger the statute’s opt-out requirements.

Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (“VCDPA”) Disclosure

State consumer privacy laws may provide their residents with additional rights regarding our use of their personal information. To learn more about Virginia residents’ privacy rights, please visit https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title59.1/chapter53/. Virginia’s privacy law (VA Code Ann. § 59.1-577) provides its residents with the following rights:

  • The right to confirm whether or not a controller is processing the consumer’s personal data and to access such personal data;
  • The right to correct inaccuracies in consumer’s personal data;
  • The right to delete personal data provided or obtained about the consumer;
  • The right to obtain a copy of the consumer’s personal data that the consumer previously provided to the controller; and
  • The right to opt-out of the processing of personal data for purposes of (i) targeted advertising, (ii) the sale of personal data, or (iii) profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning the consumer.

Residents who wish to exercise any of the foregoing rights may submit a request to web_privacy_ps@westwoodps.com or contact us at 1-888-937-5150. To appeal a decision regarding a consumer rights request, please contact us at legal@westwoodps.com with the subject line shown as “Consumer Rights Appeal” and provide us with your name, contact information, and a detailed description of the basis for your appeal.

Colorado Privacy Act (“CPA”) Disclosure

State consumer privacy laws may provide their resident with additional rights regarding our use of their personal information. To learn more about Colorado residents’ privacy rights, please visit Colorado Revised Statutes | Part 13 - [Effective 7/1/2023] COLORADO PRIVACY ACT | Casetext. Colorando’s privacy law (C.R.S.A. § 6-1-1306) provides its residents with the following rights:

  • The right to opt out of the processing of personal data concerning the consumer for purposes of (i) targeted advertising, (ii) the sale of personal data, and (iii) profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning a consumer;
  • The right to access and confirm whether a controller is processing personal data concerning the consumer;
  • The right to delete personal data concerning the consumer; and
  • The right to obtain the personal data in a portable and readily usable format that allows the consumer to transmit the data to another entity without hindrance;

Residents who wish to exercise any of the foregoing rights may submit a request to web_privacy_ps@westwoodps.com or contact us at 1-888-937-5150. To appeal a decision regarding a consumer rights request, please contact us at legal@westwoodps.com with the subject line shown as “Consumer Rights Appeal” and provide us with your name, contact information, and a detailed description of the basis for your appeal.

Utah Consumer Privacy Act (“UCPA”) Disclosures

State consumer privacy laws may provide their residents with additional rights regarding our use of their personal information. To learn more about Utah residents’ privacy rights, please visit https://le.utah.gov/~2021/bills/sbillint/SB0200.pdf. Utah’s privacy law (U.C.A. 1953 § 13-58-202) provides its residents with the following rights:

  • The right to confirm whether a controller is processing personal data concerning the consumer and obtain information regarding the categories of personal data concerning the consumer collected;
  • The right to correct inaccurate personal data concerning the consumer;
  • The right to delete the consumer’s personal data that the consumer provided to the controller;
  • The right to obtain a copy of the consumer’s personal data that the consumer previously provided to the controller in a format that is (i) portable, (ii) to the extent practicable, is readily-usable, and (iii) allows the consumer to transmit the data to another controller without impediment where the processing is carried out by automated means;
  • The right to opt out of the processing of the consumer’s personal data for purposes of: (a) targeted advertising, (b) the sale of personal data, (c) profiling in furtherance of decisions regarding: (i) enrollment in an educational institution; (ii) criminal justice, (iii) employment opportunities, (iv) health care services, or (v) access to basic necessities.

Residents who wish to exercise any of the foregoing rights may submit a request to web_privacy_ps@westwoodps.com or contact us at 1-888-937-5150.

Connecticut Data Privacy Act (“CDPA”) Disclosures

State consumer privacy laws may provide their resident with additional rights regarding our use of their personal information. To learn more about Connecticut residents’ privacy right, please visit https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Sections/Privacy/The-Connecticut-Data-Privacy-Act. Connecticut’s privacy law (P.A. No.22-15, S.B. No.6) provides its residents with the following rights:

  • The right to confirm whether or not a controller is processing the consumer’s personal data and accessing such personal data;
  • The right to correct inaccuracies in the consumer’s personal data;
  • The right to delete personal data provided by or obtained about the consumer;
  • The right to obtain a copy of the consumer’s personal data processed by the controller in a portable and, to the extent feasible, readily usable format that allows the consumer to transmit the data to another controller without hindrance;
  • The right to opt out of the processing of the personal data for purposes of (a) targeted advertising, (b) the sale of personal data, or (c) profiling in furtherance of solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning the consumer.

Residents who wish to exercise any of the foregoing rights may submit a request to web_privacy_ps@westwoodps.com or contact us at 1-888-937-5150. To appeal a decision regarding a consumer rights request, please contact us at legal@westwoodps.com with the subject line shown as “Consumer Rights Appeal” and provide us with your name, contact information, and a detailed description of the basis for your appeal.