Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes Merritt Group’s data collection and usage practices in connection with our website located at www.merrittgrp.com (the “Website”). The Website is owned by Merritt Group (“Merritt Group,” “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). By using the Website, you consent to the data practices described in this statement. 

Information Collection

Personal Information: Your provision of your Personal Information to us is completely voluntary. “Personal Information” is information that can specifically identify you. Categories of Personal Information we collect include:

• Identity Data, which includes name or other similar identifiers.
• Contact Data, which includes address, email address and telephone numbers. 

Additionally, we may also collect certain other types of information that, along with Identity Data and Contact Data, may be considered and specifically defined as “personal data” in certain jurisdictions, including the European Union (“EU”), such as:

• Technical Data, which includes internet protocol (IP) address, your browser type, or referring websites.
• Usage Data, which includes information about how you use our Website, the pages you visited, your browser type, access times and referring website addresses.
• Marketing and Communications Data, which includes your preferences in receiving marketing materials from us.
• Profile Data, which includes your job title and company name.

Non-Personal Information: In addition, we may also collect information that is not Personal Information (“Non-Personal Information”) including demographic information such as your age and gender.  Because Non-Personal Information does not personally identify you, we may collect, use and disclose Non-Personal Information for any purpose permitted by law and subject to the section titled “Additional EU Disclosures”.  In some instances, we may combine Non-Personal Information with Personal Information.  If we combine any Non-Personal Information with Personal Information, the combined information will be treated by us as Personal Information.

Methods of Collection: We use different methods to collect data from and about you including through:

Direct interactions: You may give us your information by registering or contacting us. This includes information you provide when you:

• subscribe to our newsletter;
• request marketing materials to be sent to you; 
• request our services; or
• contact us through our contact form.

Automated technologies or interactions: As you interact with our website, we may automatically collect Technical Data and Usage Data about you including through the use of cookies and similar technologies, as described further below.

Use of Cookies and Other Technologies

The Website may use “cookies” to help you personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web page server (if you allow) that enables the site or service provider systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. 

One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. The purpose of a cookie is to tell the web server that you have returned to a specific page. For example, if you personalize pages on the Website a cookie helps Merritt Group recall your specific information on subsequent visits. This simplifies the process of recording your Personal Information. When you return to the same page on the Website, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use the Merritt Group features that you customized. We use session ID cookies and persistent cookies. A session ID cookie expires when you close your browser. Our persistent cookie remains active on your hard drive until they expire or are deleted.

The Website may also use other similar technologies (including, without limitation, tracking pixels, as described further below, and other anonymous identifiers) to gather information about you, such as IP addresses and location data, to customize your visit, to enable us to enhance our Website, or for other purposes.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the Website. 

More information about some of the cookies, tags and trackers we use can be found in the chart below:

COOKIE	DURATION/TYPE	PURPOSE	MORE INFORMATION
Google Analytics	Persistent, first & third party	Used to collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the site. The cookies collect certain information, including the number of visitors to the site, where visitors have come to the site from and the pages they visited.	Click here for more information on Google Analytics: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245
Tracking Pixels (DoubleClick, AdRoll, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, Yahoo Ad Exchange, AppNexus, Bidswitch, OpenX, Facebook Custom Audiences)	Session and Persistent, first & third party	Used to collect non-personal information to serve relevant advertising on social media sites and website that are part of ad networks. These tracking pixels collect information, including technical data, usage data, marketing and communications data and profile data.	Click here for more information tracking pixels: https://en.ryte.com/wiki/Tracking_Pixel

 

Use of your Information and Disclosures

Merritt Group collects and uses your Personal Information to operate its Website and deliver the services you have requested. Merritt Group may also use your  Personal Information to inform you of other products or services available from Merritt Group and its affiliates.

Besides using your information ourselves, we may send your information to other companies, affiliates and third parties to help us process your information for the purposes set out in this policy.

Subject to the section titled “Additional EU Disclosures,” we use your information as described herein: 

• Create an account on our Website; 
• To personalize your experience (your information helps us to better respond to your individual needs);
• To improve our Website (we continually strive to improve our Website offerings based on the information and feedback we receive from you);
• To improve customer service and respond to your inquiries (your information helps us to more effectively respond to your customer service requests and support needs);
• To administer a contest, promotion, survey or other site feature;
• To send periodic emails.

Merritt Group does not sell, rent or lease its customer lists to third parties without your consent, except in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding or the sale, merger or change of control of the Company or the division responsible for the services with which your information is associated. 

Subject to the section entitled “Additional EU Disclosures,” Merritt Group may share data with third parties to help perform statistical analysis, for website hosting, to send you email or postal mail, provide customer support or similar services. All such third parties are prohibited from using your Personal Information except to provide these services to Merritt Group, and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information. 

Merritt Group may disclose your Personal Information, without notice, if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law (including laws outside your country of residence) or comply with legal process served on Merritt Group or the Website; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of Merritt Group including to investigate suspected fraud, harassment or other violations of any law, rule or regulation, or the policies for the Website; (c) to respond to requests from public and government authorities including public and government authorities outside your country of residence; (d)  to allow us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain; (e) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of Merritt Group, or the public; and/or (f) for legitimate business interests. 

Please note that if you specifically consent to additional uses of your information, we may use your information in a manner consistent with that consent. Finally, we reserve the right to supplement your information with information we gather from other sources which may include information we gather from online and offline sources.

Security of your Personal Information

We attempt to provide appropriate security measures to protect against unauthorized access to or alteration of your Personal Information. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet or any wireless network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your Personal Information, you acknowledge that: (a) there are security and privacy limitations inherent to the Internet which are beyond our control; and (b) security, integrity, and privacy of any and all information and data exchanged between you and us through this Website cannot be guaranteed. 

Data Retention

We will retain your information for as long as your account or inquiry is active or as needed to provide you with the Website and for a reasonable time thereafter in accordance with our standard procedures or as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. Even if we delete some or all of your information, we may continue to retain and use anonymous or aggregated data previously collected. Please note that we will not be liable for disclosures of your data due to errors or unauthorized acts of third parties.

Other Websites and Social Networking Services

Our Website may contain links to other websites not maintained by us. Other websites may also reference or link to our Website.  The inclusion of a link on the Website does not imply endorsement of the linked site by us.  We are not responsible for the privacy practices of websites operated by third parties that are linked to or integrated with our Website, or for the privacy practices of third party Internet advertising companies.  We encourage you to be aware when you leave our Website, or surf the Internet, and to read the privacy statements of each and every website that you visit.

The Website may integrate with social networking services.  You understand that we do not control such services and are not liable for the manner in which they operate.  While we may provide you with the ability to use such services in connection with our Website, we are doing so merely as an accommodation and, like you, are relying upon those third party services to operate properly and fairly.

Information Relating to Children

Our Website is intended for ages 18 and over. Merritt Group does not knowingly collect Personal Information from children. When we become aware that Personal Information (or other information that is protected under applicable law) from a child under 13 (or such other age as may be restricted under local law) has been collected, we will use all reasonable efforts to delete such information from our database. If you are under the age of eighteen, you must ask your parent or guardian for permission to use this Website. 

E-mail Communications

From time to time, Merritt Group may contact you via email for the purpose of providing announcements, promotional offers, alerts, confirmations, surveys, and/or other general communication. In order to improve our Website, we may receive a notification when you open an email from Merritt Group or click on a link therein. 

If you would like to stop receiving marketing or promotional communications via email from Merritt Group, you may opt out of such communications by clicking on the UNSUBSCRIBE button included at the bottom of the email. 

Additional EU Disclosures

Data controller: Merritt Group is the data controller of all personal data collected through our Website. To contact us, please see the section titled “Contact Information”. 

Legal Basis: We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data when we have one of the following legal bases for doing so:

• Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.
• Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
• Where you have consented to a certain use of your personal data.
• Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.

To the extent permitted under applicable laws, we will also process, transfer, disclose and preserve personal data when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary. 

Provision of personal data and failure to provide personal data: Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract we have with you and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract we have or are trying to enter into with you (for example, to provide you with our services). In this case, we may not be able to provide certain services to you.

Collection of personal data from third party sources:

Withdrawing your consent: If we are relying on your consent to process your personal data, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at info@merrittgrp.com.

Data Transfer: We may transfer personal data from the EU to the USA and other countries, some of which have not been determined by the European Commission to have an adequate level of data protection. If we transfer personal data outside the EU to a processor, such transfer will be in compliance with the requirements of the GDPR. Please contact us for more information about our data transfer methods. 

Use of your personal data for marketing purposes: We strive to provide you with choices regarding certain personal data uses, particularly around marketing and advertising:

• Promotional offers from us: We may use your personal data to form a view on what we think you may want or need, or what may be of interest to you. This is how we decide which products, services and offers may be relevant for you (we call this marketing). You will receive marketing communications from us if you have requested information from us or used our services and, in each case, you have not opted out of receiving that marketing.
• Third-party marketing: We will get your express opt-in consent before we share your personal data with any company outside our company for marketing purposes.

To see how you can opt out of marketing communications, please see the section titled “Opt-Out”.

Data Subject Rights: If you are a situated in the EU, under the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), as a data subject, you have the right to:

• Request access to your personal data (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). 
• Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you. 
• Request erasure of your personal data. 
• Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground as you feel it impacts on your fundamental rights and freedoms. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes. In some cases, we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms.
• Request restriction of processing of your personal data in certain situations. 
• Request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party in certain situations. 
• Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data. 

To exercise your rights under the GDPR, please contact us at info@merrittgrp.com.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Merritt Group reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you about significant changes in the way we treat Personal Information by sending a notice to the primary email address specified in your account, by placing a prominent notice on our site, and/or by updating any privacy information on this page. Your continued use of the Website after such modifications will constitute your: (a) acknowledgment of the modified Privacy Policy; and (b) agreement to abide and be bound by that Privacy Policy. 

Contact Information

Merritt Group welcomes your questions or comments regarding this Privacy Policy. If you believe that Merritt Group has not adhered to this Policy, please contact Merritt Group at: 

Merritt Group 

8251 Greensboro Drive 

Suite 600

McLean, Virginia 22102 

 Email Address: 

info@merrittgrp.com 

Telephone number: 

703-390-1500 

Our privacy manager can be contacted here: info@merrittgrp.com   

Effective as of: October 23, 2018