Here at Cost Charts (“CostCharts.com,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) we care about being transparent with our visitors and users. Effective as of January 1, 2019, we have updated our Privacy Policy to clarify (in plain English and with a lot of bullets) what information we collect and how we use that information when you visit our Websites (defined herein) and use our products or services (collectively, “Services”). For purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Website” collectively refers to costcharts.com and other websites that we operate or that link to this Privacy Policy.
Any information which is provided by you to CostCharts.com via this website or otherwise will be treated in accordance with the terms of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) (the “Act”) and/or such amending or replacement legislation as may be adopted in Canada from time to time.
Why and how do we collect information?
Our main purpose for collecting data is to provide you the Website, Services, and features that best meet your compensation information and management needs. We collect information through various ways. Below are the most common circumstances of how we collect information:
- Signing up for a CostCharts account: If you sign-up for a CostCharts account, we will ask for your email address and to create a password. After you create a CostCharts account and log-in to our Services, you are no longer anonymous to us.
- Completing a pricing submission: If you complete a submission, we will ask for detailed information about that product/service that’s used to generate cost reports and charts. Certain portions of that data will be included in our anonymous and aggregated pricing database called Crowdsourced Data. You can choose to submit pricing data anonymously.
- Browsing our Website: We automatically receive and record information on our server logs from your browser, including your IP address, CostCharts cookie information, and the page you requested.
What information do we collect?
Below are examples of the types of information we collect to deliver our Website and Services and operate our business. The information collected will vary depending on what Website or Service you visit or use and how you choose to use the Website or Service.
- Contact information such as name and email address when you sign-up for a CostCharts account or contact us for support;
- Price, cost, date, product/service, company, city, country and other information you choose to provide when you submit an invoice, receipt or other pricing information;
- If you are a business using a purchased Service, your services, products, prices, fees, and other cost-related information you choose to provide;
- Billing information if a Service requires payment;
- Social media or email information if you choose to connect our Website or Services with a third-party social media or email provider;
- Usage data, such as information collected by cookies about the pages viewed, links clicked, and other actions taken when accessing our Website or Services;
- Activities, interactions, transactional information, and other computer and connection information (such as IP address) relating to use of our Website and Services.
How do we use the information we collect?
CostCharts uses information for the following purposes:
- to provide the Website and Services to you, and our other users;
- aggregate data and average cost information to generate reports for our users and an anonymous crowdsourced cost database;
- to provide information about our Services, offers, and events;
- to personalize the content and experience on our Websites and Services;
- to secure the Website and Services, and prevent abuse or fraud;
- to communicate with our partners regarding business matters;
- undertake related tasks for legitimate business purposes; and
- other purposes disclosed at the time of collection.
Below are common situations describing how we use collected information:
- Develop Crowdsourced Data: If you choose to pricing information through our Website, the data you input will be used to develop an anonymous and aggregated cost database we call Crowdsourced Data.
- Service communications: Service-related announcements will be sent to you when necessary. For instance, we might send you an email if a Service is temporarily suspended for maintenance. You may not opt-out of these communications because they’re not promotional in nature.
- Promotional messages: You may receive marketing communications from us about our Services, practical guidance about pricing, products/services, or our events. For example, if you sign-up for a CostCharts account but do not wish to receive any marketing emails from us, you can subscribe or unsubscribe from receiving certain types of emails through the email settings of your PayScale account. You may also opt-out of receiving these communications by clicking the unsubscribe link provided in each communication and following the instructions provided.
- Comments to posts: If you post a comment, any information submitted may be removed by us in our discretion, but we do not guarantee that any information you choose to post will be removed. While we do not publish personal information such as names and email addresses, information you post in the comment field may be viewed, collected, or used by other users or visitors, and could be used to send you unsolicited messages. We are not responsible for the information you or other users or visitors choose to post on a Website or Service.
When do we share information?
We occasionally share information collected from individuals or their employers with the following:
- subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, contractors, and third-party service providers who access, use, store, or process relevant data on our behalf to provide the Website and Services;
- third-party social media, email, or other similar providers, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, where a user consents and agrees to the third-party’s privacy policy and terms of use.
- other companies if we consider, experience, or prepare for a business transaction, such as a merger with or an acquisition by another company, receive funding, or sell all or a portion of our assets.
Here are some common situations describing when and why we share information:
- Other CostCharts users: We share non-personally identifiable information in an anonymous and de-identified form with other CostCharts users and our customers. For example, you may see an anonymous profile that includes the type of product or service, city and cost information of another CostCharts user with a similar profile as you.
- Service providers: We use third-party products and services for a variety of reasons, such as for data analytics, marketing, accounting, and legal services. If we share information with a service provider, the information shared is limited to what’s relevant to such provider’s service, such provider’s use of the information must follow our obligations under this Privacy Policy or our agreement with you, such provider must agree to appropriate confidentiality obligations in our contracts with them, and we are responsible for such provider’s failure to do so unless we can show we are not responsible.
- Sharing Website content through social media or email: If you share content from a Website or Service to others through a third-party operated social media or email service (including, through Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter plugins), you understand that we track when our content is shared and that your sharing is subject to the terms of use and privacy policy of the third-party provider of such service.
- Sale of our business or bankruptcy: If we sell our assets to or merge with another company or file for bankruptcy, information we receive from you from our Website and Services is a CostCharts asset and may be transferred. If another company buys us or a part of our business, we will have the right to continue to use your data and information in the manner set out in this Privacy Policy unless you agree otherwise.
- Legal Disclosures: We reserve the right to disclose your personal data and other information solely to the extent required by applicable laws and when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights (including, but not limited to, intellectual property rights) or to comply with our legal obligations, a judicial proceeding, court order, or other legal process.
Does CostCharts use cookies and similar technologies?
Yes, we do. Cookies and similar technologies help us deliver our Website and Services so that they work correctly and are delivered in a way that is valuable to our visitors and users. Cookies are small text files that are automatically placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a web site. They are stored by your Internet browser. Cookies contain basic information about your Internet use, but they do not normally identify you personally. Your browser sends these cookies back to a web site every time you revisit it, so it can recognize your computer or mobile device and personalize your experience. To learn about the types of cookies we use and why we use them, go here. If you want to learn more about cookies, or how to control, disable, or delete them, check out www.aboutcookies.org. For Google Analytics Advertising Features, you can opt-out through Google Ads Settings. In addition, there are various popular products that provide privacy plugins such as Ghostery and AdBlock Plus. Note that if you choose to delete or disable any cookies, our Website or Services may not function properly and your access to some parts of our Website or Services may be degraded or restricted.
Are you located outside of Canada?
CostCharts is located and headquartered in Canada and our Website and Services are hosted in the U.S. If you are visiting or providing information from a country outside of Canada with laws governing data protection, collection, or use that may differ from Canadian laws, note that you are transferring your data to the U.S., which may have different data protection laws.
By providing us your personal data through your use of a Website or Service, you consent to:
- use of your personal data as described in this Privacy Policy;
- your personal data being transferred to the U.S.;
- the access, use, storage, and other processing of your personal data in the U.S.; and
- jurisdiction for any data issues shall be settled in the courts located in the Province of Ontario, Canada.
How does CostCharts protect personally identifiable information in aggregate reporting?
To protect the privacy and rights of individuals or a company, we only display data that has been rendered anonymous by removing various combinations of information, such as presenting an average or aggregate of multiple data points, limiting the base number of price reports in any analysis to five or more, and pulling back from a local search to a broader geographic area.
Can I change my account information and preferences?
Yes, you can edit your CostCharts account information and preferences at any time. If your information changes, you may delete, correct, or update it by making the change in your CostCharts account settings on your own. We retain the personal data you provide while your CostCharts account is in existence or as required to provide you the Website and Services.
How do I deactivate my CostCharts account?
If you wish to deactivate your CostCharts account, you may do so by emailing our support team at [email protected]. After your account has been deactivated, you will no longer be able to access your CostCharts account, but we will continue to retain certain portions of your data even after you have closed your account if reasonably necessary to comply with our legal obligations, meet regulatory requirements, resolve disputes, maintain security, prevent fraud and abuse, enforce our agreement with you, or fulfill your request to “unsubscribe” from further messages from us. Also, even after your CostCharts account is closed, we retain de-personalized information you have provided such as de-personalized information included in our anonymized and aggregated pricing database.
Can CostCharts make changes to this Privacy Policy?
Yes, we may make changes to this Privacy Policy to align with our operations and evolving laws. If we make changes to this Privacy Policy, we will post those changes here and other appropriate places. We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please review it regularly. If we make significant changes, we will notify you here, by email, or by other reasonable means. Your continued use of our Website and Services constitutes your agreement to this Privacy Policy and any updates to this Privacy Policy.
Have additional questions?
If you have a privacy question or concern, you can contact us at:
[email protected]