Online Privacy Policy of Merck Frosst
Summary
Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. ("Merck Frosst") is committed to ensuring the protection of Personal Information that you provide to us. ("Personal Information" is any information about an identifiable individual.) This commitment is more than simply a legal requirement; it is an ethical and business responsibility that we take seriously. For over one hundred years, respecting the confidentiality of individuals has been one of the cornerstones of our business philosophy. Our philosophy, based on this foundation of integrity and trust, has helped us build the enduring relationship that we have today with people inside and outside of our organization.
The Online Privacy Policy ("Policy") applies to Personal Information collected from Merck Frosst online resources and communications (such as Web sites, e-mail, and other online tools) that display a link to this Policy. This Policy does not apply to Personal Information collected from offline resources and communications, except in cases where such Personal Information is consolidated with Personal Information collected by Merck Frosst online. This Policy also does not apply to third-party online resources to which the Web sites of Merck Frosst may link, where Merck Frosst does not control the content or the privacy practices of such resources.
Below is a summary of the principles which highlight our Policy.
BY ACCESSING THE WEB SITE YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS SET OUT BELOW. Please read this Policy carefully. If we decide to change this Policy, we will post those changes at this site so you always will know what information we gather, how we might use that information, and whether we will disclose it to anyone.
- Accountability: At Merck Frosst, accountability for compliance with the privacy principles rests with our Chief Privacy Officer, even though other individuals within Merck Frosst may be responsible for the day-to-day collection and processing of Personal Information about you. At Merck Frosst, we ensure that our employees and Agents (as defined in the Policy) respect your privacy through corporate policies, guidelines and formal and informal training.
- Identifying purposes: Merck Frosst will identify the purposes for which Personal Information about you is collected at or before the time it is collected. Merck Frosst collects the Personal Information that is necessary for its business functions or services. Unless required by law, Merck Frosst shall not use or disclose, for any new or other purpose, the Personal Information that has been collected without first identifying and documenting the new or other purpose and obtaining your consent.
- Consent: Your knowledge and consent are required for the collection, use or disclosure of Personal Information about you. If you provide Personal Information in forms or data fields on our Web sites, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of information about you according to the terms of the Policy.
- Limiting Collection: Merck Frosst will limit the collection and use of Personal Information to that which is needed for the identified purposes or to comply with applicable law, and any such information will be obtained only by lawful and fair means.
- Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention:
Limiting Use: Merck Frosst uses Personal Information about you only for the identified purposes for which it was collected or for a related purpose one would reasonably expect.
Limiting Disclosure: In general Merck Frosst does not reveal specific information about an individual's records or other Personal Information to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use without the individual's consent except in certain limited circumstances when provided by law or when such third parties act as Agents (as defined in the Policy) of Merck Frosst.
Limiting Retention: Personal Information shall be retained only as long as necessary to fulfill the identified purposes or in accordance with applicable laws or corporate policies.
- Accuracy: Merck Frosst will strive to maintain Personal Information accurate, complete and up-to-date. In general, Merck Frosst will rely upon you to provide accurate and complete information and to advise Merck Frosst if circumstances change over time.
- Safeguards: Personal Information about you shall be protected by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. Merck Frosst will take appropriate steps to ensure that Personal Information about you is protected from unauthorized access and disclosure, including limiting access to such information only to those who have a business need to know.
- Openness: Upon your written request, Merck Frosst will provide you with information about its policies and practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information about you. Personal Information about you is mainly located at the offices of Merck Frosst in Montréal, Québec. However, Personal Information about you may also be located with the Affiliates (as defined in the Policy) of Merck Frosst (including Merck & Co., Inc.) so that they can process Personal Information about you to meet the identified purposes or for back-up purposes.
- Individual Access: You are entitled to challenge the accuracy and completeness of the Personal Information and have it amended as appropriate, subject to some exceptions as prescribed by law. Upon your written request, we will inform you of the existence, use and disclosure of Personal Information about you, and you shall be given access to that information. A reply will be provided to you within thirty (30) days after the written request for access or rectification has been received.
- Challenging Compliance: At Merck Frosst, we want you to understand our commitment to privacy. For any request or complaint related to the Policy or Personal Information about you, please contact in writing the Chief Privacy Officer at:
Chief Privacy Officer
Phone : (514) 428-2625
Facsimile: (514) 428-8529
E-mail: Canada_Privacy@merck.com
When you contact the Chief Privacy Officer, please note the name of the Web site or other online resource to which you provided the information, as well as the nature of the information that you provided
This Policy may be updated from time to time. Please consult http://www.merckfrosst.ca/mfcl/en/global/policy_terms/policy/home.html for the most up-to-date version. If there are any inconsistencies between this summary and the Policy, the terms of the Policy shall prevail.
ONLINE PRIVACY COMMITMENT TO YOU
We understand and respect that your privacy is important to you. We use and share Personal Information that you provide online only in ways that we tell you about. We secure Personal Information that you provide online to prevent it from being used and shared for other purposes. For more details, please contact us at the address below.
Respect for the privacy of Personal Information about you is very important to us. Merck Frosst Web sites that display this Policy are committed to collecting, maintaining, and securing Personal Information about you in accordance with this Policy, as well as applicable laws, rules and regulations. This Policy applies to Personal Information collected from Merck Frosst online resources and communications (such as Web sites, e-mail, and other online tools) that display a link to this Policy. This Policy does not apply to Personal Information collected from offline resources and communications, except in cases where such Personal Information is consolidated with Personal Information collected by Merck Frosst online. This Policy also does not apply to third-party online resources to which the Web sites of Merck Frosst may link, where Merck Frosst does not control the content or the privacy practices of such resources.
BY ACCESSING THE WEB SITE YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS SET OUT BELOW. Please read this Policy carefully. Should you have any questions about this Policy or our data collection, use and disclosure practices, please contact us at the address below.
*"Merck Frosst" means Merck Frosst Canada Ltd.
"Affiliates" means Merck & Co., Inc., and any legal person related to Merck Frosst including without limitation: its subsidiaries, successors, sister companies, parent companies, divisions and groups worldwide and joint ventures to which it is a party
"Agent" means any third party that collects, uses or retains Personal Information under the instructions of, and solely for, Merck Frosst or to which Merck Frosst discloses Personal Information for use on its behalf (e.g., a contract research organization or stock option administrator).
Copyright © 2006 Merck Frosst Canada Ltd.
All rights reserved.
This Policy is effective as of January 1st, 2004.
- How does this Privacy Policy define "Personal Information"?
The term "Personal Information" as used throughout this Policy, applies to any information that identifies an individual.
Examples of Personal Information include but are not limited to: contact information of an identifiable individual (such as personal postal address, personal email address, personal telephone number) date of birth of an identifiable individual, professional credentials of an identifiable individual, marital and family status of an identifiable individual, hobbies and interests of an identifiable individual.
- How does Merck Frosst collect Personal Information online?
Merck Frosst collects Personal Information online through Web sites and other online resources. Merck Frosst also offers online resources in collaboration with other online service providers, from which Merck Frosst may receive Personal Information about users of such resources. These online collaborations are governed by contracts that require Personal Information to be protected appropriately. Individuals may access many parts of our Web sites without disclosing any Personal Information. There are two methods that Merck Frosst uses to collect Personal Information online:
2.1 Information that you provide:
Merck Frosst collects Personal Information and other data that you may enter into forms or data fields on our Web sites. Such information may include, but not be limited to, contact information (such as your name, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, user ID and password), date of birth, professional credentials, hobbies and interests. Merck Frosst may also collect health information about you that you provide by responding to our questions and surveys.
2.2 Information collected from your computer or other electronic device:
2.2.1 Some of our Web sites and other online resources use tracking technologies, such as cookies, to provide additional functionality that enables you to use these resources more effectively. Merck Frosst uses tracking technologies in ways that do not identify you personally, such as to track accurately numbers of users or referring sites to our online resources, or to remember whether you have identified yourself as a health care professional or a resident of a particular country.
2.2.2 Merck Frosst may use other companies to delivery e-mail communications on our behalf or to place Merck Frosst advertisements on other web sites. Merck Frosst does not control the tracking technologies used by these other companies. If you want to limit anonymous data collection through tracking technologies, please refer to your choices as described below.
2.2.3 In some cases, Merck Frosst may use tracking technologies in ways that identify you personally, but only after you have entered Personal Information into a form or data field on our Web sites, or where we have registered you to use our online resources by providing a user ID and password based on information validated through other offline interactions with you. We may use tracking technologies to remember your personal preferences and selections, such as Personal Information that you have entered into data fields on our Web sites, answers that you have provided in response to our surveys, or sections of our Web sites that you visit frequently. You may choose whether or not you want Merck Frosst to use tracking technologies to remember you, and/or to provide additional personalized services to you. If you want to limit data collection through tracking technologies, please refer to your choices as described below.
2.2.4 What are cookies?
A cookie is a small data file that is sent by Web servers to your computer's hard drive, where your Internet browser files are kept. Cookies enable Web sites to store small bits of information on your computer and retrieve that information at a later time. Merck Frosst uses two types of cookies: session cookies, which are temporary cookies that are erased from your computer's memory when you close your Internet browser or turn your computer off, and persistent cookies, which exist on your computer's hard drive until they expire, unless you delete them at an earlier time.
2.2.5 What are single-pixel tags?
Single-pixel tags, also known as web beacons or web tags, are graphics that function similar to cookies. Single-pixel tags are not visible because of their small size. They are used to collect information in web logs that do not identify you personally such as web pages viewed, the web site you came from, the advertisement you clicked on to visit our web sites, and whether promotional or other commercial e-mail messages we send are opened.
- Why does Merck Frosst collect, use and disclose Personal Information?
Merck Frosst collects Personal Information online as necessary to enable individuals to register for, customize and personalize certain online resources and communications of Merck Frosst. Merck Frosst uses Personal Information collected online to provide products, services and features that individuals have requested; for example, educational literature and related information about pharmaceutical business, e-mail programs, tools, quizzes, questionnaires, and surveys of Merck Frosst. Merck Frosst analyzes Personal Information collected online to identify and offer additional services and promotions that we believe you might find interesting. Merck Frosst evaluates use of some online resources and communications with non-identifiable information only. Merck Frosst also may use Personal Information to audit its online resources for authorized access and security.
- Does Merck Frosst consolidate Personal Information?
Consistent with the purposes identified and standards set within this Policy and other applicable privacy notices that have been provided, in some cases Merck Frosst consolidates and uses Personal Information that individuals share with Merck Frosst through various services and channels, such as the telephone, surveys, Web sites and other online resources and communications, in order to enhance the quality of services that we offer.
- What choices do I have about how Merck Frosst collects, uses and discloses Personal Information about me?
You have three categories of choices. These include:
5.1 No Personal Information collection: You may choose not to provide any Personal Information to Merck Frosst online by electing not to enter any Personal Information into a form or data field on our Web sites, and by not using any personalized services provided by our online resources. However, some of our online resources are available only to individuals who provide Personal Information or who use personalized services.
5.2 Limitations and options regarding uses and disclosures for other purposes: Some Merck Frosst online resources may request your permission to use and disclose Personal Information about you in order to add you to our contact lists, and to identify and offer additional services and promotions that we believe you might find interesting. You can limit the use of Personal Information about you by checking or un-checking options provided at the time that you enter that information.
5.3 Limitations and options on tracking: Merck Frosst online resources that use tracking technologies, such as cookies, to remember your personal preferences and selections, enable you to choose whether you want Merck Frosst to use such technologies to remember you, or to provide additional services to you, by checking or un-checking options provided during registration, or at the time that you enter Personal Information into forms or data fields. Our online resources do not limit non-identifiable uses of tracking technologies for individual users. Individual users can control the use of certain tracking technologies, such as cookies, through most Internet browsers. Some Internet browsers enable you to limit or disable the use of cookies for individual Web sites. Other browsers allow you to select cookie settings for all Web sites that you visit. If you are concerned about the use of cookie technology, please read our section above on "Information collected from your computer or other electronic device " to understand the ways that Merck Frosst uses tracking technologies. If you limit or disable cookies, certain functions of our Web sites may not work properly, including access to some of our registration-based Web sites.
If you would like to opt-out of the cookies set by other companies who deliver e-mail communications on our behalf or place Merck Frosst advertisements on other web sites, you may do so by following the options provided by the Network Advertising Initiative at:
http://www.networkadvertising.org/optout_nonppii.asp
- Who will have access to Personal Information about me?
Personal Information about you will be accessible to Merck Frosst, including its Affiliates, and to individuals and organizations that use Personal Information solely for and at the direction of Merck Frosst. Uses and disclosures of Personal Information by external individuals and organizations acting on the behalf of Merck Frosst are governed by contracts that require Personal Information to be protected appropriately. Personal Information about you will only be used by Merck Frosst and individuals and organizations working on its behalf and disclosed by Merck Frosst to individuals and organizations working on its behalf, in a manner consistent with this Policy, other applicable privacy notices, and as explicitly permitted or required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. Furthermore, use of Personal Information is limited to those employees of Merck Frosst and its Agents who have an identified "need-to-know".
- Does Merck Frosst share Personal Information with third parties?
In general, Merck Frosst does not reveal specific information about an individual's records or other Personal Information to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use without the individual's consent except in certain limited circumstances when provided by law or when such third parties act as Agents (as defined in the Policy) of Merck Frosst. If you do not wish Merck Frosst to provide your Personal Information to Agents please advise in writing the Chief Privacy Officer at the address stated below.
- How does Merck Frosst secure Personal Information?
Merck Frosst will take reasonable steps to protect Personal Information as it is transmitted from your computer to our online resources and servers located in Montréal, Québec, as well as to protect Personal Information in its possession from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration or destruction. It is your personal responsibility to secure your own copies of your passwords and related access codes for our online resources.
- How does Merck Frosst protect the privacy of children?
In general, Merck Frosst Web sites are not directed at children and most of the online services that we offer are designed for individuals who are 18 years of age or older. Where requests for information about a medication are permitted by law, individuals requesting information about a medication that is indicated for use in children must be 18 years of age or older.
This subsection of our Policy only applies to Merck Frosst Web sites that provide optional features for children. It is not applicable to our other Web sites and online resources.
9.1 For Kids Only
9.1.1 In some cases, Merck Frosst Web sites provide options for children under the age of 13. Most of these optional services do not collect Personal Information. Where these optional services do collect Personal Information about children, we require parental consent for children to participate in these optional services. Requests for parental consent explain how we collect, use and disclose Personal Information about children, and include an opportunity for parents to prevent collection, use and disclosure of information about their children.
9.1.2 Merck Frosst collects only necessary Personal Information from children, and uses Personal Information about children only to provide requested services. Unless we have prior parental permission, we do not use or disclose Personal Information about any child to third parties that are not working on the behalf of Merck Frosst. If, at any time, a parent withdraws his or her consent to our use or disclosure of Personal Information collected from his or her child, we will use reasonable efforts to promptly remove such information from our database.
9.1.3 We do not request that children under the age of 13 disclose more Personal Information than is necessary in order to participate in any online service. Should a child whom we know to be under 13 send Personal Information to us, we will use that information only to respond directly to that child to inform him or her that we must have parental consent before receiving information about him or her.
- How may I access and correct Personal Information about me?
To gain access to Personal Information about you collected online, and to keep it accurate, complete and current, you may contact in writing the Chief Privacy Officer at the address below. You also may update Personal Information about you online by modifying information that you previously have entered into forms or data fields on our Web sites. A reply will be provided to you within thirty (30) days after the written request for access or rectification has been received. Where permitted by law, your ability to access and correct Personal Information will be limited where access and correction would for example: inhibit the ability of Merck Frosst to comply with a legal obligation, inhibit its ability to investigate, make or defend legal claims or result in disclosure of Personal Information about a third party.
- What is the contact address at Merck Frosst for privacy questions?
Should you have questions about this Policy or the information collection, use and disclosure practices of Merck Frosst, you may contact in writing the Chief Privacy Officer at:
Chief Privacy Officer
Phone : (514) 428-2625
Facsimile: (514) 428-8529
E-mail: Canada_Privacy@merck.com
When you contact the Chief Privacy Officer, please note the name of the Web site or other online resource to which you provided the information, as well as the nature of the information that you provided. The Chief Privacy Officer will use reasonable efforts to respond promptly to requests, questions or concerns you may have regarding our use of Personal Information about you. Except where required by law, Merck Frosst cannot ensure a response to questions or comments regarding topics unrelated to your Personal Information, to this Policy or its privacy practices.
- How will I know whether Merck Frosst has updated this Policy?
Merck Frosst may update this Policy periodically. Merck Frosst reserves the right to modify, add or remove portions of this privacy statement at its discretion. If we decide to change this Policy, we will post those changes at this site so you always will know what information we gather and our practices and procedures with respect to Personal Information. This Policy was last updated on February 2006.
