big network privacy policy
Updated January 6th 2021What information does big network obtain and how do we use customer information?
A brief summary of Our Privacy Policy.
Our Privacy Policy applies to customers’ use of the Big Network website, use of the Big Network App which customers can optionally install on various mobile and desktop operating systems and use of Big Network Edge hardware. We take privacy very seriously as securing your connectivity is fundamental to our business.
Signing up and ordering services.
When customers sign up for service, we ask for their name, street address, email address, and contact information. We may ask for billing information and credit card information to pay for services electronically. Not including any credit card detail, we may keep portions of the other information and use it for our own future marketing purposes even if a customer does not complete an order with us and your submission of that information is deemed consent to our use of the information as contemplated in this privacy policy.We also keep notes of contact we have with our customers.
Recording, reviewing or monitoring of your interactions with Big Network.
For quality assurance, training and online session analysis we sometimes review your interactions with us. This may include email correspondence, recorded conversations with our agents and recorded online sessions. We also save the text of 'click to chat' sessions with our online sales and service consultants and may save screenshots when customers give our repair personnel remote access to their computers for technical support.
Information gathered when visiting Big Network websites.
When a visitor goes to a Big Network website (such as bignetwork.com), we receive information about the visitor's operating system and its browser, the site accessed immediately before accessing our website, pages the visitor goes to within our website, average time spent on our site, and sometimes the website accessed after leaving it along with other relevant statistics. For analysis and investigative purposes we may also record and view a visitor’s online sessions, but we do not include any sensitive information such as social security numbers or credit card information. We also get the visitor's Internet Protocol (IP) address,* including the city and state of its location. That lets us customize product availability and pricing for that community. We may also retain information entered by visitors on our online order pages, even if the visitor does not complete an order and submission ofthat information is deemed consent to our use of the information as contemplated in this privacy policy.
*An IP address is assigned to a visitor's browser by the visitor's ISP. The IP address identifies visitors on the Internet by a number, and part of that number usually identifies he visitor's city and state. YourIP address stays the same while you're connected to the Internet, but a new one may get assigned between Internet sessions.
Information obtained when clicking on Big Network ads on other websites.
When we place ads on others' websites, the ad networks we work with provide general information about visitors who click on our ads, including the types of browsers they use and their city and state. The ad networks we work with may use that information to predict what Big Network ads may be most effective in a location.
Multiple privacy policies might apply.
In some cases, more than one privacy policy will determine how information about you is obtained and used. For example, when we sell you services either with or through another business (such as an Internet, television or wireless service), their privacy policies will be relevant. This is also true when you access non-Big Network websites.
Personal information obtained from third parties.
Sometimes, we receive information about our customers from other businesses. This happens, for example, when another business sells our services, or when we bundle our services with services from a television or wireless company. It also happens when we bill for a business, such as a long distance company or other type of service provider. We also obtain information about our customers from businesses that gather it from many sources, including the Census Bureau and public records. Finally, we work with companies that provide us email addresses for our customers.
Routine business use of personal information.
We use information that we obtain from customers or generate while providing our services to set up and maintain accounts, provide and repair our services and equipment, respond to customers' questions and concerns, bill and collect for our services, plan for future development of our network and services, to market our services, and communicate with our customers and others about our services. We also use our customer information, and information we obtain from third parties, to determine our customers' creditworthiness and predict what new services our customers may want. We do not resell customer information that we buy from third parties.
Information we obtain when Big Network provides Network and Internet access.
We record information about usage of our networks or systems. We gather and use information generated on our networks to manage them, to plan for future development of our network and services, to market our services, and to keep our services running efficiently. For example, we monitor data to check for viruses, to control spam, to prevent attacks that might disable our services, to ensure that your traffic does not violate your subscriber agreement or our acceptable use policies, and to guard against other inappropriate or illegal activity. This involves looking at the characteristics of our network traffic, such as traffic volumes, beginning and ending points of transmissions, and the types of applications being used to send traffic across our network. We may also gather details from the modem, for example, the number and types of devices connected and the method of connection (Wi-Fi versus wired) to aid in customer troubleshooting and network operations.
Sometimes we need to look into the content of the data (such as the specific websites being visited, files being transmitted, or application being used) for the purposes described above, in circumstances when we are concerned about fraud or harassment, to repair a problem we detect or that a customer contacts us about, or when we are providing the content of broadband traffic to law enforcement which we only do as authorized by law.
Most of the specific information we obtain that is attributable to a user is kept only for a matter of hours or days. We may retain data for longer if, for example, we see patterns in the traffic that give usconcerns about potential harm to our network, or if we are doing a specific study on the impact of certain applications used on our networks. We also retain for longer periods logs of the total amounts of data transmitted, and the date, time, and duration of access to the Internet through our services by a user, including the user's IP address at the time.
We will not look into the content of your email, websites visited or other communications for marketing purposes without first informing you and giving you a choice about whether you want us to do so.
Sometimes we need to look into the content of the data (such as the specific websites being visited, files being transmitted, or application being used) for the purposes described above, in circumstances when we are concerned about fraud or harassment, to repair a problem we detect or that a customer contacts us about, or when we are providing the content of broadband traffic to law enforcement which we only do as authorized by law.
Most of the specific information we obtain that is attributable to a user is kept only for a matter of hours or days. We may retain data for longer if, for example, we see patterns in the traffic that give usconcerns about potential harm to our network, or if we are doing a specific study on the impact of certain applications used on our networks. We also retain for longer periods logs of the total amounts of data transmitted, and the date, time, and duration of access to the Internet through our services by a user, including the user's IP address at the time.
We will not look into the content of your email, websites visited or other communications for marketing purposes without first informing you and giving you a choice about whether you want us to do so.
Location Based Advertising.
We may let advertisers know whether we provide you Internet access based on a geographic attribute to enable them to target ads to you on that basis. You will not see more ads as a result of this service, just ads intended for those in the location where we provide your service. We will not tell advertisers your service address, your physical location, or your web browsing histories, and we will not provide them any information by which they could identify you. In some instances, we may place a cookie on your computer to keep track of what ads have been displayed through this service. For more information about our location-based advertising service,click here.
Children's use of Big Network's Internet services.
We understand that children may use our Internet services. We urge you to pay attention to what your children are doing on the Internet and what sites they are visiting. For more information about online safety, please visit OnGuardOnline.gov, the Federal Trade Commission's resource for Internet safety.
INFORMATION WE OBTAIN WHEN YOU VISIT A BIG NETWORK WEBSITE
Cookies and similar technologies.
We maintain a variety of websites, some for general audiences (such as bignetwork.com) and some for specific customer segments such as large businesses or white label partners. When a visitor visits one of these sites, our systems use cookies, or similar tracking files that provide information about the visitor's operating system and its browser, the site accessed immediately before accessing our website and sometimes the website accessed after leaving it along with other relevant statistics.
We may also record and view online metrics (excluding sensitive information such as social security numbers and credit card information) and obtain information about visitors when they interact with oursites, such as which pages they visit and anything they may click on. We use this information to analyze, manage and improve our sites. To improve our visitors' experiences, we may store preferences or other information provided to personalize service offerings and ads. For example, we may use a stored telephone number and location to show local product availability and pricing. We also use information gathered from our sites, including individual online sessions for security, investigative and analytical purposes, such as to detect unauthorized intrusions, prevent malicious attacks and fraud, and help ensure a safe online experience for our visitors and customers.We may also keep information entered by visitors on our online order pages, even if the visitor does not complete an order and submission of that information is deemed consent to our use of the information as contemplated in this privacy policy. We may use this information for marketing purposes.
Your browser may by default, or you may have to set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie or to not accept certain cookies. However, if you decide not to accept cookies from our website, you may not be able to take advantage of all of the website features.
We may also record and view online metrics (excluding sensitive information such as social security numbers and credit card information) and obtain information about visitors when they interact with oursites, such as which pages they visit and anything they may click on. We use this information to analyze, manage and improve our sites. To improve our visitors' experiences, we may store preferences or other information provided to personalize service offerings and ads. For example, we may use a stored telephone number and location to show local product availability and pricing. We also use information gathered from our sites, including individual online sessions for security, investigative and analytical purposes, such as to detect unauthorized intrusions, prevent malicious attacks and fraud, and help ensure a safe online experience for our visitors and customers.We may also keep information entered by visitors on our online order pages, even if the visitor does not complete an order and submission of that information is deemed consent to our use of the information as contemplated in this privacy policy. We may use this information for marketing purposes.
Your browser may by default, or you may have to set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie or to not accept certain cookies. However, if you decide not to accept cookies from our website, you may not be able to take advantage of all of the website features.
Obtaining information from children under 13.
Unless otherwise indicated, our websites are intended for general audiences and not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Note that other providers' web pages are accessible through links on many of our websites, and those providers may have different practices on collecting and using information from children under 13. If you are concerned about those sites, please review them and their privacy policies.
Information we obtain when we advertise on others' websites
We work with ad networks and other third party publishers to place our ads on other companies' websites. This process could involve the use of cookies or other Internet information technologies by the ad networks. Third parties publishers and ad networks also give us feedback about the effectiveness of our ads.
INFORMATION SHARING: GENERAL PRACTICES
Sharing information within Big Network.
Big Network is made up of a number of companies and we share information among them as permitted by law or with your consent. You benefit when we better understand your interests and needs. And knowing more about how our customers use our services and sharing that information among our companies helps us improve our networks, the services we provide, and our customer service. It also lets us personalize our interactions with you, including your online experience.
Sharing information with companies who support our services.
We share customer information as needed with companies that help us market, sell, provide, plan, billand collect for, and otherwise support our services. Often when these companies act on our behalf, they refer to themselves as 'Big Network.' We also share limited customer information with companies that provide our customers with telephone equipment, Internet services, television offerings, and wireless services that we may sell as part of our service packages. We require these companies to use our information only for the purposes we specify and to keep it safe and confidential.
Providing information when lawfully permitted and necessary.
Like other businesses, we may share information: (1) to comply with laws or to respond to lawful demands such as subpoenas or court orders; (2) to assert or defend our legal rights or the rights of our employees, agents, contractors, or customers; (3) to investigate and protect against fraud, harassment, threats to our network, or other types of unlawful activity involving us, other providers wedo business with, or our customers; (4) to protect our property, including our networks, or the propertyor networks of others; or (5) as otherwise permitted by law.
Sharing information when merging, selling or transferring part of our business, or acquiring another business.
If we decide to merge, sell or transfer a part of our business to or with another company, or to acquire part or all of another company, customer information may be shared or transferred as part of the decision process or as a result of the sale. We might also provide customer information to another company if we decide to stop providing a service. This information may be about the characteristics ofour business and groups of customers, or it could include information about specific customers.
Providing information when customers ask.
Upon customer request and subject to proper authentication, we will disclose account information to third parties.
Sharing of customer information with third parties for their use
Subject to the exceptions described below, we share customer information with third parties for their own use only where the law requires it or customers have consented to it. For the most part, federal law covers the release of information in these circumstances. From time to time we may contact you on behalf of an external business partner about a particular offering that may be of interest to you. In those cases, your personal information is not transferred to the third party.
Providing information to other carriers and service providers.
In certain circumstances, we share customer information with carriers and other service providers, including competing local and long distance companies, VoIP providers, Internet service providers, and billing companies so that they can accurately provide and bill for their services. This exchange of information is often legally required, and is also consistent with industry standards. In some cases the customer whose information is being provided is a customer of both Big Network and the other provider. In other cases, the other provider has told us that it has the customer's permission to receive the information. And we will also share information with another provider if we suspect fraud, harassment, a threat to their networks, or some other unlawful activity.
For example, companies like Big Network are legally required to provide customer information to long distance and other service providers (or their billing agents) so they can verify orders, be aware of customer moves, get paid for their services and for other similar non-marketing purposes. We are required to provide such information even if the information is not listed or published, and the law limits these companies in their use of the information.
For example, companies like Big Network are legally required to provide customer information to long distance and other service providers (or their billing agents) so they can verify orders, be aware of customer moves, get paid for their services and for other similar non-marketing purposes. We are required to provide such information even if the information is not listed or published, and the law limits these companies in their use of the information.
Credit reporting businesses.
We may provide information on customers' payment histories to credit evaluation or reporting businesses. We may permit those businesses to incorporate that information into their own databases as part of offering their services.
Identity confirmation services.
We may also allow companies to match information provided to them by their potential customers with name and address information in our databases to confirm the identity of their potential customers, and the length of their service with us.
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 the third parties' direct marketing uses within the previous calendar year. California customers who want more information about our compliance with this law or have questions or concerns about our privacy practices and policies may contact us at legal@bignetwork.com
Disclosure of information through links from Big Network websites.
Our websites contain links to websites of other businesses. We are not responsible for information those sites collect. If you are concerned about the information collected by these other sites, please review their privacy policies.
When other companies advertise on Big Network websites.
When other companies advertise on Big Network websites such as Big Network.net, the ad networks and advertisers we work with to place ads there may put a cookie or web beacon on your computer. The ad networks use these cookies and web beacons to keep track of what ads are displayed and whether visitors click on the ads (both as required by their relationships with advertisers), and to better understand the ads that visitors like. The ad networks or advertisers who advertise on our sites are not allowed to place or use existing cookies or web beacons in order to gather information that identifies visitors individually or builds profiles about their web use. And consistent with best practices in Internet advertising, all of the ad networks we work with enable you to opt-out of their use of cookies or web beacons.
SHARING OF CUSTOMER INFORMATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT
Responding to lawful process.
We may provide customer information to the government in response to a subpoena, warrant or court order. Among the information we might be asked to provide are a customer's name, address, telephone number, account number, any Internet Protocol or network address that we assigned to thecustomer, records of service usage (including interactive session times and durations), how long the customer has subscribed to our services (including start date and the types of services used), and themeans and source of customer payment (including any credit card or bank account number used to pay for our services). In response to a search warrant or court order, we may be required to disclose to law enforcement agencies the content of and records relating to telephone calls, email messages (including attachments), Internet usage, and data we may store on your behalf if we provide you cloud computing or managed hosting services. We do not provide notice to our customers of law enforcement demands for information. But our usual policy is to provide notice and the opportunity to object when we receive requests related to civil lawsuits whether from the government or private parties.
Voluntary release of information in an emergency.
We may provide customer information to the government if we believe in good faith that an emergency involving immediate danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires disclosure without delay.
Other voluntary releases of information.
Under certain conditions, we voluntarily share information with governmental agencies:If we encounter situations where we think our customers or others that we might be in contact with are violating the law, we may contact law enforcement and provide them with the information that led to our belief.When customers complain about us to federal and state regulatory authorities, we provide pertinent information (including customer information) in response to those complaints, and may provide pertinent information to other governmental bodies inquiring about such complaints, such as state or federal legislative committees.
We may share information with the government to protect our rights or property, including information indicating that some portion of our network or the network of another provider is or has been subject to a cyber attack.
Periodically, we compare our customers' name and address information with the information possessed by the U.S. Postal Service. This lets us mail at reduced rates and helps ensure that our customers get their bills and other information from us more economically and reliably
We also share information with federal and state agencies in connection with their programs to fund universal service and other communications assistance programs for low-income or otherwise eligiblepersons, including persons with disabilities.
We may share information with the government to protect our rights or property, including information indicating that some portion of our network or the network of another provider is or has been subject to a cyber attack.
Periodically, we compare our customers' name and address information with the information possessed by the U.S. Postal Service. This lets us mail at reduced rates and helps ensure that our customers get their bills and other information from us more economically and reliably
We also share information with federal and state agencies in connection with their programs to fund universal service and other communications assistance programs for low-income or otherwise eligiblepersons, including persons with disabilities.
Reporting of child pornography.
Like other service providers, we are required to report apparent violations of laws concerning child pornography when we have a reasonable belief of facts or circumstances that warrant a report. In those cases, we contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and may also contactlaw enforcement directly.
WHAT CHOICES DO OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE ABOUT INFORMATION WE OBTAIN AND HOW WE USE IT?
GENERAL PRACTICES
Opting out of marketing communications.
You can ask not to receive our marketing calls, mail and email. You will still receive bills, email notices that your bill is available if you subscribe to paperless billing and service related contacts and notices from us even if you choose not to receive marketing contacts. See Choices regarding marketing contacts below.
Opting out of other communications.
You may receive repair, billing and order status notifications from us via text or email messages. You may choose not to receive these messages by following the 'unsubscribe' instructions in the email message, replying to the text message with 'stop'
Direct mail.
If you want to stop direct mail marketing, including the receipt of catalogs, from companies other than Big Network, you should contact them directly or go to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) website at https://www.dmachoice.org for more information. If you do not want to receive our direct mail marketing, you must expressly tell us by clicking here or by contacting Customer Support at legal@bignetwork.com . We will stop sending you direct mail marketing for two years from the date of your request.
Email marketing.
To stop receiving commercial emails from us, follow the 'unsubscribe' instructions on the email message, click here , or contact Customer Support at legal@bignetwork.com
Please note.
In most cases it may take up to thirty days for your choices regarding marketing contacts to become effective. In certain circumstances involving direct mail, it may take longer to implement your choice. We appreciate your patience as you may receive a few more marketing communications from us while we update your preferences. If you are our customer, you will still receive billing and service related emails from us even if you choose not to receive marketing contacts.
WHAT ACCESS DO CUSTOMERS HAVE TO INFORMATION ABOUT THEMSELVES?
Access through billing statements.
Your monthly billing statement contains the primary name on your account, the services you subscribe to or use, and the amount billed. A paper billing statement may contain less detailed information about specific services or usage than information available online. Both may contain other information, such as regulatory notices and charges passed on to you from other service providers. If you find a mistake in the information we have or if you have any questions about your account, please contact Customer Support at legal@bignetwork.com
Telephone and online access.
We will discuss your account with you or with someone you authorize (once the caller is properly authenticated). Information may also be available to an authorized user through your online account profile or through interactive tools on our website such as 'click to chat.' If you want to authorize someone to talk about your services or other account details, call us. Please contact Customer Support at legal@bignetwork.com
Releasing information upon written request.
Upon your request and subject to proper authentication, we will disclose account information to third parties. Please contact Customer Support at legal@bignetwork.com .
HOW DOES BIG NETWORK SECURE CUSTOMER INFORMATION?
Restricted access to information.
Only Big Network employees, agents, service providers and other businesses we work and share information with and who have a legitimate business purpose are authorized to access customer information. This access is strictly defined (often involving password controlled access and other security controls) and subject to policies and contracts requiring confidential treatment of the information.
Securing sensitive information.
We use secure technologies to transfer sensitive information and comply with a variety of industry standards, and federal and state laws regarding the protection of customer information.
Employee and vendor training.
We require employees to protect customers' information. We train our employees on those policies when they are hired, and we update that training periodically. When necessary, we train vendors on our policies as well.Although we have security measures in place to protect against the access, misuse and disclosure of information under our control we cannot guarantee that your information will never be disclosed in a manner inconsistent with our policies and practices or that our safeguards will prohibit all attempts to defeat these measures. If you think information about you or others has been disclosed without proper authorization, please contact us via email at legal@bignetwork.com, or write us at:Big Network, Inc.1916 Pike Place Suite 12, Seattle WA 98101, ATTN: PRIVACY
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect evolving technology and other service, process and policy changes. We will notify you of any material changes by posting a notice on our website home page and the privacy policy page for 30 days before making the change.
Contacting us
If you have questions about this policy, our practices, concerns about your personal information, or require assistance in managing your choices, please contact us at via emailat legal@bignetwork.com , or write us at: Big Network, Inc. 1916 Pike Place, Suite 12, Seattle WA 98101, ATTN: PRIVACY