Effective Date: March 22, 2019
TracFone Wireless, Inc. ("TracFone") has instituted a comprehensive set of privacy policies and procedures to ensure that its customers and website visitors' privacy is never compromised and is kept private at all times. The purpose of this privacy notice is to inform our customers, website visitors, and mobile application users of the type of information that TracFone, or a credit card processing partner or other vendor acting on our behalf, collects, how the information is gathered, how it is utilized, how long it is retained, how it is secured and how customers and visitors can restrict its use or disclosure. This privacy notice also describes your choices regarding use, access and correction of your personal information.
Types of Personal Information we collect:
All of the following categories constitute Personal Information.
Customer Identifiable Information – As the term suggests, "customer identifiable information" is a portion of the personal information which can be associated with a specific individual, entity or device. Examples include customer name, date of birth, address, telephone number, e-mail address, partial or full social security number, device ID and geolocation. The collection of customer identifiable information is a critical element in TracFone's day-to-day operations in order to conduct business and offer services and to maintain the highest level of customer service for all customers and website visitors. TracFone endeavors to safeguard the customer identifiable information obtained from its website users and visitors (collectively, "customers") from any unauthorized intrusions.
Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) – This information is a subset of the personal Information that is generated in connection with the telecommunications services we provide to you. CPNI includes, for example, call details, call location information, and certain information about your rate plans and features. CPNI does not include your name, address, and phone number.
Financial Information – TracFone collects credit card information, including account number, card holder name and address for payment of products and services purchased by customers.
Health Information – For those customers qualifying for the federal LifeLine Assistance Program, personal information may be appended with information obtained through third party sources, such as Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO), for the purpose of corroborating a potential customer’s enrollment eligibility. TracFone will share the mobile number with the HMO providers associated with those customers. If a child or other beneficiary is the qualifying recipient for the Lifeline Assistance Program, we will also collect the child’s or other beneficiary’s name, date of birth, and partial social security number to verify their eligibility in the program.
Network and Device Information – We may collect information about your use of your device and our network, how you use or access our service or website, WiFi usage, and performance information. Some examples of this type of information include internet protocol (IP) addresses the type of Internet browser you are using, the type of operating system you have configured on your computer or phone, the domain name of the website and/or Internet Service Provider (ISP) from which you are linked to our website, the model of phone that you are using, device identifier (“UDID”), web browsing and wireless application use information, as well as date/time stamp, and/or clickstream data to analyze trends in aggregate and administer our website. TracFone may also collect anonymized aggregated network strength data. This data may combine geolocation information, signal data and other information to help TracFone monitor the strength and reliability of the services we provide to our customers.
Children – TracFone websites are not structured to attract children under the age of 13. TracFone believes there is no information on its websites which are inappropriate or objectionable for viewing by children. TracFone does not knowingly, directly or passively collect information from children under the age of 13. Ordering online products and services from TracFone is limited to adults (ages 18+). Of course, wireless devices and services purchased for family use may be used by minors without the knowledge of TracFone. If that happens, any information collected from the usage will appear to be the personal information of the actual adult subscriber and treated as such under this Policy.
Note: TracFone does not have access to the content of private e-mail communications and text messages that are transmitted using TracFone services.
How information is collected:
We collect personal and non-personal information from customers based upon our business relationship and the nature of the products and services we provide. You supply information to us when you use our products and services, when you visit our web site, make a purchase from us, or when you establish or modify an online account. Additionally, you may also provide us with information when you interact with our customer service representatives or participate in online surveys.
We also automatically collect information associated with your use of your device and our products and services. When you visit our website, we may store information on your computer that allows us to identify you immediately. This process is often referred to as "cookie" technology. More specifically, a cookie is a commonly used Internet standard which stores, in a very small text file on the customer's hard disk, information specific to the customer. We and our partners use cookies or similar technologies to analyze trends, administer the website, track users’ movements around the website, and to gather demographic information about our user base as a whole. TracFone and its partners also use web beacons, widgets and server log files, in addition to cookies, to collect and or store demographic information about our user base as a whole. You can control the use of cookies at the individual browser level but if you choose to disable cookies, it may limit your use of certain features or functions on our website or service.
How information is used:
TracFone uses your information for various purposes, including but not limited to, billing purposes such as the auto-refill program, to provide or change service, to anticipate and resolve problems with your service, or to inform you of products and services that better meet your needs. This means that TracFone may use your information in conjunction with information available from other sources, to market new services that may be of interest to you. We also use your information for market research, and for optimizing our systems in order to deliver the best customer experience possible.
We and our authorized advertising partners use cookies and other similar technologies to collect information to help tailor the ads you see on our sites and to help make decisions about ads you see on other sites. We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads on our behalf. These companies employ cookies and action tags to measure advertising effectiveness. Any information that these third parties collect via cookies and action tags is completely anonymous. If you wish to not have this information used for the purpose of serving you targeted ads, you may opt-out by clicking here. Please note that by "opting out" you will no longer receive targeted advertising. You will, however, continue to receive general advertising in the form of generic ads.
TracFone uses mobile analytics software to allow us to better understand the functionality of our Mobile Software on your phone. This software may record information such as how often you use the application, the events that occur within the application, aggregated usage, performance data, and where the application was downloaded from. We do not link the information we store within the analytics software to any personally identifiable information you submit within the mobile application.
Information Sharing
Your wireless number may be appended in the context of text messaging services operated by third party vendors. These vendors directly contact customers on behalf of TracFone, via text messages, with a series of marketing materials, reminders, etc. An opt-out mechanism is provided in these messages in compliance with applicable laws.
When TracFone uses third parties to perform services on its behalf, such as marketing, fulfillment services and shipping to customers, TracFone will request that such third parties protect your customer identifiable information consistently with this privacy policy. TracFone will not, however, disclose your customer identifiable information to third parties who want to market products to you without your express, written or equivalent electronic consent. TracFone will not sell, trade, or disclose to third parties any customer identifiable information derived from the registration for, or use of, a TracFone product or service -- including customer names and addresses -- without the consent of the customer.
TracFone may, however, use and/or disclose customer identifiable information, which may include personal information, to a third party:
· to investigate and help prevent potential fraud, other unlawful activity or activity that threatens a service network;
· as required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena, request by public authorities for meeting national security or law enforcement requirements, or other similar legal process;
· when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request;
· if TracFone is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of its assets.
Cobranding
If you are a Walmart Family Mobile customer, TracFone has partnered with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ("Walmart®") to offer the Walmart Family Mobile service. You should be aware that any information you provide directly to Walmart will be subject to Walmart's Privacy Policy. This includes information you provide to Walmart in connection with your device purchase, upgrade, return, or replacement, whether in its stores, by phone or online, including but not limited to, if you purchase a Family Mobile device or obtain technical support for the device at or from Walmart or its agents. In addition, if you activate Family Mobile communications services at a Walmart store, Walmart may request personal information from you that is passed to TracFone as part of the activation process, but which may also be retained by Walmart. For information on Walmart's privacy policy and practices, see Walmart Privacy Policy .
TracFone also partners with other companies who supply software applications for use on our website. The software is used to collect survey or feedback information or support real-time chat sessions from customers who visit our website and utilize these tools. Information from your web session, including your device serial number, phone number, and account email may be associated with your responses when utilizing these tools. This information is used by TracFone exclusively for analysis of survey or feedback results and will not be shared with any third parties for any other purposes.
How long your information is retained:
We will retain your information only as long as needed for business, tax and/or legal purposes. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements. We will destroy your information once it is no longer needed.
How Customers and Visitors can restrict and protect information use:
Declining e-mail offers
TracFone will only send our customers e-mail regarding promotional offers or other news if a customer grants us permission to do so and provides an email address. A customer has the right to choose not to receive TracFone e-mail direct marketing communications by opting-out or unsubscribing. A customer can opt-out or unsubscribe from our e-mail list by clicking on the unsubscribe link found at the bottom of every message or promotion delivered electronically to our customers. Upon such election, TracFone (a) will not contact that customer directly with TracFone promotional messages, and (b) will not use customer identifiable information obtained from that customer's registration to contact that customer with TracFone product or service messages.
Security
TracFone has gone to great lengths to implement technology and security features to safeguard the privacy of your customer identifiable information from unauthorized access or improper use. When you enter sensitive information (such as a credit card number) on our order forms, we encrypt the transmission of that information using secure socket layer technology (SSL). TracFone, based on its judgment, will continue to enhance its security procedures as new technology becomes readily available. However, since there is no such thing as "perfect Internet security," TracFone cannot guarantee 100% security. If you have any questions about security on our website, you can contact us at privacy@tracfone.com.
Other Websites
TracFone's websites may contain links to other websites that are not owned or controlled by TracFone. Any personal information collected by such third party websites is not governed by this Privacy Policy. We recommend that you examine the privacy policies of such third party websites prior to submitting any personal information.
In some instances, our website content is also featured on other websites with differing or non-existent privacy policies. These websites may collect personal information from website visitors that may or may not be used in conjunction with our website information. Prior to supplying personal information to any third party company linking to our website, please read and understand the privacy policy of such third party company.
Advertisements
Advertisements may appear on pages throughout our website. Some advertisements may request information directly from our customers or take our customers to websites that may request personal information. TracFone has no control over its advertisers' privacy policies, so please examine the privacy policy of any company advertising on our website prior to submitting any personal information.
Public Forums/Blogs
Our website offers publicly accessible blogs or community forums. You should be aware that any information you provide in these areas may be read, collected, and used by others who access them. You should not provide personally identifiable information in any publicly accessible blog or community forum. To request removal of your personal information from our blogs and forums contact us at privacy@tracfone.com. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your personal information, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.
Refer A Friend
If you choose to use our referral service to tell a friend about our site, we will ask you for your friend's name and email address and automatically generate a one-time email to send your friend inviting him or her to visit the site. If you use the “Import Contacts” feature, we may collect your friends’ names and addresses in order to administer TracFone’s Refer-A-Friend program. TracFone does not store your friend's information or use it for any other purpose.
Gift Purchases
If you purchase a gift, we will ask you for the recipient’s name, and mailing address in order to ship product to the individual. TracFone does not retain the recipient’s information or use it for any other purpose.
Social Media Features
Our website includes Social Media Features and Widgets, such as the "Share This" button or other interactive mini-programs that run on our site. These Features may collect your IP address, which page you are visiting on our site, and may set a cookie to enable the Feature to function properly. Social Media Features and Widgets are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on our Site. Your interactions with these Features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing the Feature or Widget.
Surveys
Occasionally, we may conduct surveys on our website. Surveys are conducted at random and are completely voluntary to our website visitors. The survey may require a customer to provide customer identifiable information in exchange for the information or services provided by the survey. We may use this information in an aggregate manner to better tailor the types of services, information, and advertising that are provided on our website.
Mobile Applications
You may receive push notifications from time-to-time in order to update you about any events or promotions that we may be running. If you do not wish to receive these types of communications, you may turn them off at the device level.
Geolocation
You may opt-out of location based services at any time by editing the location services setting at the device level.
TracFone reserves the right to change its privacy policy by publishing new terms on its website at any time. If we make any material changes we will notify you by means of a notice on our website prior to the changes becoming effective. Your continued access and use of our websites constitutes your acknowledgment and acceptance of such amended policy.
How Customers and Visitors can access and update personal information:
You have the right to amend or update inaccurate or incomplete personal information, request deletion of your personal information, or request that we no longer use it. Upon request, TracFone will provide you with information about whether we hold any of your personal information. To make your request, provide us with your first and last name, cellular telephone number and email address. Make your request to privacy@tracfone.com. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe.
You can verify your account and manage your data by logging into the “my Account” portal or by contacting Customer Service. To manage your personal account on line, log into the “my Account” portal and select the “Update Your Profile” link. Delete or change your personal information from the form and select “Submit” at the bottom of the page.
If you do not remember or are not able to use your information to log onto the “my Account” portal, please contact a Customer Care agent by calling 1-800-867-7183. All requests for changes or deletion of account information require account verification by answering security questions or providing the Personal Identification Number (PIN) you set when you first activated your account.
In certain circumstances we may be required by law to retain your personal information, or may need to retain your personal information in order to continue providing a service.
Your California Privacy Rights
California Civil Code Section 1798.83 entitles California customers to request information concerning whether a business has disclosed Personal Information to any third parties for their direct marketing purposes. As stated in this Privacy Policy, we will not sell your Personal Information to other companies and we will not share it with other companies for them to use for their own marketing purposes without your consent.
California Web Site Data Collection & “Do Not Track” Notices
Web Site Data Collection: TracFone does not knowingly allow other parties to collect personally identifiable information about your online activities over time and across third-party web sites when you use our websites and services.
“Do Not Track” Notice: The providers of “do not track”: and similar signals do not yet operate according to common, industry-accepted standards. Therefore, TracFone currently does not respond to those signals. For more information on Do Not Track, please visit www.allaboutdnt.com.
California customers who wish to request further information about our compliance with these requirements or have questions or concerns about our privacy practices and policies will find the contact information at the end of this policy.
Questions?
Please direct any questions or comments regarding our privacy policy to:
TracFone Wireless, Inc.
Attn: Privacy Policy Compliance
9700 NW 112th Avenue
Miami, FL 33178
If you have any unresolved privacy or data use concerns that we have not addressed to your satisfaction, please contact our U.S. based third party dispute resolution provider (free of charge) at https://feedback-form.truste.com/watchdog/request .