Privacy Policy

Last Updated 4/8/24

We are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of information that identifies, or is capable of identifying, you (“Personal Data”).  This Privacy Policy applies to your use of the Volusia Business Resources website at www.volusiabusinessresources.com (the “Site”) and governs our data collection, processing, and usage practices.  By visiting the Site, and agreeing to the terms of this Privacy Policy, you consent to the data practices described in this Privacy Policy.  If you do not agree with the data practices described in this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Site.

Purpose

This Privacy Policy is intended to let you know:

(1) who we are; (2) the kinds of Personal Data we may gather during your visit to the Site; (3) our basis for gathering your Personal Data; (4) how and why we process your Personal Data; (5) when we might disclose your Personal Data and to whom; (6) where your Personal Data is stored; (7) how long we will retain your Personal Data; (8) your data protection rights; and (9) how you can manage our collection of your Personal Data.

We also wish to inform any European citizens or residents of their rights when we use their personal information.

The Site is not directed to children under the age of 18 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 18.  If you are under the age of 18, you should not use this Site, and under no circumstances should you send information about yourself to us.  If we are made aware that a child under the age of 18 has provided us with personal information, we will immediately delete that child’s information from the Site.

Who we are

The Site provides important information about the people and places of Volusia County.  It allows users to collect information on business funding, find resources on local businesses, and read guides on starting and maintaining a business.  

What kinds of Personal Data do we collect?

We receive and store any information you enter on the Site or provide to us in any other way, including when registering for a mailing list, using the contact list, or signing up for the Funding Readiness Center Checkup.

The Site provides online services and may give you the ability to sign up to receive the latest Volusia Business Resources information directly to your email inbox or mobile device, usually via text messages. The variety of information you may request includes, but is not limited to, updates from Volusia Business Resources. We will collect the Personal Data that you or your computer/device provides to us in the course of signing up. The information collected will vary but typically includes Personal Data, such as:

• your first and last name
• your e-mail address
• your mailing address (including city, state or province, and zip or postal code)
• your set password (Funding Readiness Center only)
• telephone numbers
• when you click an ad or see an ad impression

Information you do not directly provide

Even if you do not explicitly provide us with information, we may collect certain personal information when you interact with the Site.  For example, our computer servers may keep an activity log that tracks all visitors to the Site.  The information in the activity log may be anonymous and therefore may not identify you individually, however such information, in conjunction with other information that we hold, may also be capable of identifying you and so may constitute Personal Data. The information our computer server collects may include among other data:

• your IP address
• your registered domain or home server
• time and date of access
• web page(s) visited
• number of clicks
• the content, features, and activities that you access and participate in on the Site
• software crash reports
• type of browser used
• the nature of the device from which you are visiting the Site (e.g., a personal computer or a mobile device)
• session identification number
• search terms, search results
• access times
• referring website’s address(es)

We may collect this information passively using technologies such as standard server logs, cookies (see below), and clear GIFs (also known as “web beacons”).  We use passively-collected information to administer, operate, and improve the Site and our other services and systems, to improve the effectiveness of advertising on the Site, and to provide advertisements and other content that is tailored to you.

If, by virtue of applicable laws in your country, any of the information gathered through these passive means constitutes or includes Personal Data, or if, through linking or associating any information gathered through passive means with any other personal information, we treat the combined information as Personal Data, the terms of this Privacy Policy will apply.  Otherwise, we use and disclose information collected by passive means in aggregate form or otherwise in a non-personally identifiable form.

Who processes your Personal Data?

For the purposes of applicable data protection legislation, Volusia Business Resources is the data controller of your Personal Data. You will find our contact details in the “Contact” section at the end of this Privacy Policy.

What is our legal basis for processing your Personal Data?

Volusia Business Resources relies upon your consent as a relevant legal basis for processing your Personal Data.  In the event you wish to withdraw your consent to the data practices described in this Privacy Policy, please stop visiting the Site.  You may also wish to exercise other rights you may have as described below.

Volusia Business Resources may also process your data for the purposes of our legitimate interests, such as to inform you of changes to our services or to provide you with information about other services we offer.  In addition, we will process your Personal Data in order to comply with any legal obligations to which we are subject or to ensure the necessary performance of a contract.

How and why we gather your data and Personal Data

Cookies

Like many websites, the Site uses automatic data collection tools, such as cookies, embedded web links and web beacons. These tools collect certain standard information that your browser sends to the Site.  They may also collect information about your Internet Protocol (IP) address, a number automatically assigned to your computer or device whenever you connect to the Internet.  It is a unique address assigned by your Internet service provider or IT department on a TCP/IP network.  Among other things, the IP address allows web servers to locate and identify your device.  The automatic data collection tools also may collect information about your clickstream behavior.  This includes, for example, the pages you view and the links you click.  These tools help make your visit to our Site easier, more efficient and more valuable by providing you with a customized experience and recognizing you when you return.  You can block cookies through your browser settings but understand that some Site features may not work correctly depending on how you choose to manage cookies.

Some web browsers may give you the ability to enable a Do Not Track feature that sends signals to the websites you visit, indicating that you do not want your online activities tracked.  This is different from blocking or deleting cookies, as browsers with a Do Not Track feature enabled may still accept cookies. No known industry standard currently exists on how organizations should respond to Do Not Track signals, although one may develop in the future. The Site does not currently recognize and respond to Do Not Track signals.

Our Site includes social media features, such as social media widgets that link to a social media website or allow you to share website content.  These features may collect and share your IP address and the URL of the page you are visiting on the Site, and may set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. Social media features such as widgets are hosted by a third party.  Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policy of the third-party company providing it.

Location-based services

If you access the Site from a mobile device, the Site may try to access to your location in order to tailor your experience with the Site based on your location (“Location-based Services”) and in such an event we may collect information about the location of your device such as GPS coordinates; provided however, only if certain features of your mobile device, such as GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, are enabled.  If Location-based Services are enabled, we may be able to identify your location through a variety of means, including GPS location, IP address, cell tower location, geo-fencing technology, or detection by physical on-location Wi-Fi or Bluetooth sensors, as available.  Such information may constitute Personal Data.

To the extent that your location is collected through GPS, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth sensors, such sensors, and the associated data services, may be provided by a third party, and you agree and acknowledge that such third party may access such information for the purpose of providing such data services to us.  If you choose to disable any Location-based Services on your device, you may not be able to utilize certain features of the Location-based Services.  By enabling Location-based Services on your device, you agree and acknowledge that: (1) device data we collect from you is directly relevant to your use of the Site; (2) we may provide Location-based Services related to and based on your then-current location; and (3) we may use any such information collected in connection with the provision of Location-based Services in connection with your use of the Site and as otherwise provided for in this Privacy Policy.

How we may use your Personal Data

Except as disclosed in this Privacy Policy, we will not disclose Personal Data that we collect to any parties other than those with whom we partner or are affiliated with, without your consent.

Information you give us

We may use this information to respond to your inquiry, provide requested services, and communicate with you when necessary to provide customer service and/or follow-up information. We may also use information you provide to communicate with you about your interest in our events; to help us improve, operate, and enhance your experience on the Site; to promote our events; to notify you about important functionality changes to the Site; and to inform you of new services, and special offerings we think you’ll find valuable.  We may also use your information to tailor advertisements, content, and other aspects of your experience on and in connection with the Site, for other administrative purposes, and to enable third parties to carry out technical or other functions on our behalf, as well as any other purpose that we may disclose to you at the point at which we request your Personal Data.  We may combine non-personal information that you provide with supplemental information (including mailing address updates and demographic data) that we obtain from public sources or reputable third parties.  Information combined with personally identifiable information becomes, and is treated as, Personal Data under this Privacy Policy.  By giving us information, either through the Site, e-mail, or other digital ways, you expressly consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of the information as described in this Privacy Policy.

If you contact us via the Site, or in any other way, we may retain the correspondence and the information it contains, such as:

• your name
• e-mail address
• the reason for contacting us

We may use the information to:

• respond to your inquiry
• notify you of Volusia Business Resources or other related offerings
• for marketing or analytic purposes

Information you do not directly provide

We may aggregate and use Personal Data and other non-personal information gathered in the manners described above, including IP addresses, location data, and the domain name of e-mail addresses of visitors to the Site, to help us determine how people use the Site and to improve the Site’s performance and usefulness.

Transfers of Personal Data

In the event that we disclose customer information to third parties, we will only disclose that amount of Personal Data necessary as part of our business practices or when there is a legal or statutory obligation to do so.  Third parties that receive customer information from us must satisfy us as to the measures taken to protect the Personal Data such parties receive as stated in this Privacy Policy.  Appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that all such disclosures or transfers of customer information to third parties will be completed in a secure manner and pursuant to contractual safeguards.

We may employ companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf, including, but not limited to, marketing, processing credit cards, and providing analytics assistance.  From time to time, we may also share Personal Data or non-personally identifiable information with third parties that we have engaged to perform certain services in connection with the operation of certain aspects of the Site, including to customize, deliver, measure, analyze, improve, and support our services, content, advertising and layout, your interaction with those aspects, and to deliver more relevant messages and advertisements to you.  These Third-Party Service providers are authorized to use Personal Data only as needed to perform their functions on our behalf and are required to maintain the security of your Personal Data.

We may provide information, when legally obliged to do so and in response to properly made requests, for the purpose of the prevention and detection of crime, or for  the apprehension or prosecution of offenders.  We may also provide information for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

European data and transfers outside of the European Economic Area

The Site is published in the United States and is governed by United States law.  If you are located within the European Union at the time of visiting our site, or if you are a resident or citizen of the European Union, you should be aware that your Personal Data will be collected in the United States.  With respect to information you provide to us, we rely on, among other things, your explicit consent to collect the data.

Please be informed that, although we are committed to protecting and respecting your data protection and privacy rights and we have implemented technical and organizational measures to ensure your Personal Data is protected, your Personal Data will be transferred to other jurisdictions in the absence of any adequacy decision issued by the European Commission or similar appropriate measure.  You should know that each jurisdiction can have its own privacy and data security laws, some of which may be less stringent as compared to those of your own jurisdiction.  Also, we may transmit your data from the United States to other countries or jurisdictions in connection with storage and processing of data, fulfilling your requests, and operating the Site.  You acknowledge these risks and consent to our transmitting your Personal Data.

How long do we keep your Personal Data?

The period for which we retain Personal Data varies according to the use of that information.  In some cases, there are legal requirements to keep certain data for a minimum period of time.  Unless specific legal requirements dictate otherwise, we will retain Personal Data no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the Personal Data were collected and processed (as described above).

Your rights

European citizen privacy rights

Your rights regarding the Personal Data we hold on you depend on the applicable laws in your country. If you are a European citizen or resident, or visit our website from within the European Union, you have the right to request that we:

• provide you with information regarding whether we process your data, including details relating to such processing
• correct any inaccurate data we might have about your without undue delay
• complete any incomplete information that we might have about you
• under certain circumstances, erase your personal data without undue delay
• under certain circumstances, be restricted from processing your data
• under certain circumstances, furnish you with the personal data which you provided us within a structured, commonly used and machine readable format

Where we process your Personal Data solely on the basis of your consent, European citizens, residents and those visiting our website from within the European Union have the right to withdraw consent to our processing Personal Data at any time.  This will not affect the lawfulness of our processing before the withdrawal.  European citizens, residents and those visiting our website from the European Union also have the right to lodge a complaint with your data protection supervisory authority.

The exercise of the above rights might be subject to certain conditions and we might require further information from you before we can respond to your request.

Exercising your rights, managing information, and opting out

You may always opt-out of receiving future e-mail or digital messages, such as text messages, from us or request that your information be removed from the Site by contacting us at the address provided below.  Please be aware that if you opt-out of receiving e-mail or digital messages from us, it may take up to ten (10) business days for us to process your opt-out request, and you may receive e-mail or digital messages from us during that period.  Additionally, even after you opt-out from receiving messages from us, you may continue to receive administrative messages from us regarding our Site.

You can exercise any of your rights by making a request to us at the contact information provided in the “Contact” section. For European citizens, please consult the “European citizen privacy rights” section above for your rights and additional considerations.

Security

The security of your information is extremely important to us. We have implemented technical, administrative and physical security measures that are designed to protect personal data from unauthorized access, disclosure, use and modification.  From time to time, we review our security procedures to consider appropriate new technology and methods.  Please be aware though that, despite our best efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable.  We may scan messages automatically and check for spam, viruses, phishing and other malicious activity, illegal or prohibited content or violations of our agreements, this privacy notice or our other policies.

Your Responsibilities for Accurate Data

You are responsible for the information you provide or make available to the Site, and you must ensure it is honest, truthful, accurate and not misleading in any way; does not contain material that is obscene, defamatory, or infringing on any rights of any third party; does not contain malicious code; and is not otherwise legally actionable.  If you provide any personal data concerning any other person, such as individuals you provide as references, you are responsible for providing any notices and obtaining any consents necessary for the Site to collect and use personal data as described in this notice before you provide it to the Site.  The Site is not intended for use by children which are people under 18 years of age.

Third Party Sites
Third party data tracking:

Google Adwords
Personal Data Collected:

• Cookies and Usage Data as stated in privacy policy of service (Google). To opt out of any Google tracking, please visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en 

Google Analytics
Personal Data Collected:

• Cookies and Usage Data as stated in privacy policy of service (Google). To opt out of any Google tracking, please visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en 

Facebook
Personal Data Collected:

• Http Headers – Anything present in HTTP headers. HTTP Headers are a standard web protocol sent between any browser request and any server on the internet. HTTP Headers include IP addresses, information about the web browser, page location, document, referrer and person using the website.
• Pixel-specific Data – This includes Pixel ID and the Facebook Cookie.
• Button Click Data – This includes any buttons clicked by site visitors, the labels of those buttons and any pages visited as a result of the button clicks.
• Optional Values – Developers and marketers can optionally choose to send additional information about the visit through 
• Custom Data events. Examples of custom data events are conversion value, page type and more.
• Form Field Names – This includes website field names like ‘email’, ‘address’, and ‘quantity’ when a person purchases a product or service. The pixel does not capture field values unless an advertiser includes them as part of Advanced Matching or optional values.
• View Facebook’s full data use policy.

We claim no responsibility for the policies governing your personal information on third party Websites you may reach by clicking links appearing on this website.

Opt-Out Ability
You have the ability to opt-out of receiving promotional emails from us by selecting “unsubscribe” on an email or sending an email with your request to VCED@Volusia.org. This does not apply to emails deemed necessary to the conduction of business between Volusia Business Resources and your organization.

Changes to Privacy Policy

We may occasionally update our Privacy Policy.  When we do, we will also revise the “last updated” date at the beginning of the Privacy Policy.  Your continued use of the Site after such changes will be subject to the then-current policy.  If we change this Privacy Policy in a manner that is materially less restrictive of our use or disclosure of your Personal Data, we will use reasonable efforts to notify you of the change and to obtain your consent prior to applying the change to any Personal Data that we collected from you prior to the date the change becomes effective.  We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy to stay informed about how we collect, use, and disclose Personal Data.

Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our treatment of the information provided to us, or you have any requests relating to your data protection rights, please contact us at:

Name: Volusia Business Resources
ATTN: Community Information – Website Privacy Notice     
Address: Insert Address
Phone: (386) 249-8048