Mercedes-Benz

Protection and respect of your privacy on the Canoe Network

The Canoe Network appreciates the concerns you may have with respect to the circulation of personal information on the Internet and, with your collaboration, wishes to address these issues. This is why we feel it is important that you fully understand the type of information we collect from you when visiting our Web sites along with its intended use. Please read the following sections carefully. We also strongly suggest that you refer to this section periodically for changes or updates. Please be assured that the Canoe Network will not collect any personal information without your prior consent.

The collection and processing of personal information

When?

The collection and processing of personal information takes place under very precise conditions and at specific times. When registering for our various personalized e-mail services, or for participating in online contests, the Canoe Network requests that you enter your name, postal address, e-mail and other personal information by filling out an online form. At these very specific times, and prior to entry, the Canoe Network will explicitly advise you that the information that you are about to submit will be processed and be subject to a host of data collection practices including saving, storing, editing, detailing, archiving and destruction. The Canoe Network also provides, within reasonable limits, means to verify the accuracy and to update your personal information. As well, on certain online forms, the Canoe Network asks you if you wish to receive information on other services, contests or news about the Canoe Network and its partners. You are always given the option to decline such offers or to end your subscription to a previously requested service.

Why?

The collection of personal information allows the Canoe Network to provide services relevant to your needs and, in the event that you win one of our contests, it allows us to reach you. It also allows us to send you, from time to time, requested information by e-mail.

The length of time the CANOE Network retains your personal information will vary depending upon the rules and requirements of each individual contest, promotion, or activity.

Who?

It is important to note that the CANOE Network will never disclose your personal information with sponsors, advertisers, partners and other clients. Your personal information can only be accessed by the CANOE Network. If ever we request information for another purpose, you will be automatically and explicitly informed at the time such information is requested.

We will never disclose any personal information to parties outside of the CANOE Network without your explicit prior consent. Furthermore, please be advised that all personal information collected by the CANOE Network is stored in server sectors that are inaccessible to the public.

Despite the above, at any time, you may request that the CANOE Network end its use or planned use of your personal information.

In summary, the following are the only times at which the CANOE Network may disclose your personal information: upon request by a legal authority or in good faith when such action is deemed necessary (a) in order to abide by applicable laws or regulations or to intervene in a lawsuit against the CANOE Network, (b) in order to protect or defend the legal or property rights of the CANOE Network or those of its users, and (c) to intervene, under extreme circumstances, in order to protect the personal safety of CANOE Network users or the safety of the general public.

Opting-out

You can opt-out of providing personal information and from receiving information on CANOE Network updates and new services, as well as direct email offers from selected CANOE Network partners and sponsors. This is done at the point of initial collection of information and during the editing or updating process. The process to opt out of most CANOE Network email materials is the same as the process for updating user information profiles described above. In addition, all such email materials have easy-to-follow unsubscribe directions posted at the bottom of the email. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

Be careful!

The CANOE Network contains links to third-party Web sites, these are provided solely for your convenience. Clicking on these links will take you outside of the CANOE Network. Please be advised that the CANOE Network has no control over these third-party sites and, while the CANOE Network may feature such links, the CANOE Network will not, at any time, accept liability for these sites. Consequently, personal information that you provide to a Web site outside of the CANOE Network is subject to the privacy protection policies of the given third-party site. In the event of abuse by such sites, the CANOE Network cannot, at any time, be held responsible. Therefore, we strongly urge you to carefully read the privacy protection policies of all third-party sites you choose to enter.

We also wish to inform you that the risks associated with the supplying of personal information in a chat room, via e-mail or on a Web-based message board are not covered by our privacy protection policy, thus, you must be extremely careful if you choose to supply personal information through these means. You are submitting this information at your own risk. Indeed, this information may be collected and used by third parties without your prior consent. In other words, if you choose to provide personal information online and this information is available to the public, you may, eventually, receive unsolicited e-mail from third parties. The CANOE Network declines all responsibility in this regard. We urge you to remain cautious and vigilant, at all times, on the Internet.

Security

The CANOE Network has set up security measures to protect you from the loss or unauthorized use of your supplied personal information. As well, our CANOE Network servers are equipped with firewall technology. Despite these measures, and given that no technology is foolproof, we must advise you that there will always remain a certain amount of risk and that your personal information may be disclosed, without your consent, unintentionally, and without fault on the part of the CANOE Network. The CANOE Network declines any responsibility in the event that such confidential information is disclosed, unless caused by negligence on the part of the CANOE Network.

Protection of children and teens on the Internet

Children and teenagers are increasingly using the Internet and discovering its many advantages. However, as is the case in many other environments, their greater vulnerability may be targeted for crime and exploitation. This is why we urge you to monitor the Internet use of your children and teenagers and provide them with advice on security and recommendations based on common sense. Such measures will often prevent your children and teenagers from being exposed to offensive content, or from becoming victims of harassment or other criminal acts.

To reduce these risks, as a parent, you should exercise a reasonable amount of supervision of Internet use by your children and teenagers. They should be told to never give out their personal information, such as their name, address or phone number, on any Internet forum.

It is also important that children and teenagers be encouraged to share their concerns with you in the event that they receive disturbing or provocative messages.

These recommendations will help your children and teenagers surf the Internet in an informed fashion and allow you to ensure that they fully benefit from the learning and development possibilities that exist online.

"Cookies"

What is a cookie?

"Cookies" are little bits of information that are sent to your computer when you visit a Web site. They are saved, either temporarily or permanently, on your hard drive, leaving a trace of your passage. The information can include such things as the date and time of your last visit, a given answer to an online question, personal information, etc. Cookies can also enhance your Web experience by recording your navigation preferences for a given Web site.

The use of cookies on the Web has become standard practice. Most Internet browsers will accept them by default. If you so choose, you may, at any time, change your parameters to disallow the use of cookies. However, in doing so, you will be unable to access the full features of certain sites.

It should be noted that the actual cookie files stored on your hard drive are harmless. They may be read and deleted at any time. Thus, you always have complete control.

The use of cookies on the CANOE Network

On the one hand, the CANOE Network uses cookies to monitor traffic, anonymously, on its Web sites. It allows us to estimate the size of our audience.

Each visitor is assigned a unique cookie, for a temporary period of six (6) hours that allows us to determine the total number of repeat visits to the CANOE Network.

While the information cannot be used to identify a visitor, cookies provide important data for our marketing department. Indeed, this information enables us to inform our sponsors of the total number of visitors for each of our sites and the length of each visit. In turn, it allows our sponsors to estimate or measure the probable or actual impact of their ads. It also allows us to determine our ad rates. While this information helps our sponsors buy ad space, it does not allow them to identify you individually.

On the other hand, the CANOE Network uses cookies to offer you personalized services such as speciality content, personalized bulletins, etc. To access these services, the CANOE Network asks that you complete an online form, supplying certain personal information along with your online content preferences. Upon registration, and by allowing us to remember your password, a cookie file is created and stored on your computer, enabling us to "recognize" you every time you visit one of our sites.

Personal information collected by the CANOE Network is used for the sole purpose of offering you relevant content, tools and advertising based on your indicated preferences, allowing you to make the most of our services each time you visit one of our sites. Your information stays exclusively within the CANOE Network and is, at no time, shared with clients, partners, sponsors or other outside parties.

We hope that this information has provided you with a better understanding of our strict privacy protection policies. Please note that the CANOE Network reserves the right to modify these policies at any time. Thus, we invite you to periodically consult this section for possible updates and changes.