Escalate has developed this privacy policy to demonstrate our firm
commitment to protecting the privacy of end-customers ("customers"),
who are the purchasers on our network. We want merchants and their
customers to understand how we protect customer information and
what choice customers have about its use.
General Information
In general, merchants using the Escalate Merchant Service share
with us their customer registration information. This information
is used strictly to improve the customer's shopping experience while
on that site and is not shared across sites. Name, address, and
preferences may be used to greet the customer by name, show products
or promotions of interest to that customer, and speed the checkout
process. When a customer purchases through Escalate, we provide
the shipper with the customer's name, address, and credit card information
to process the order. We may also, at the request of the website
the customer was on when he/she purchased, provide the shipper with
the customer's name, address and what was purchased. Customers should
review any website's privacy policy to understand how they protect
customer information.
Escalate also aggregates purchase information, with customers'
private information removed, and uses this information to provide
merchandising recommendations to network members. We may also provide
this aggregate data to outside parties.
Express Checkout
Once a customer has purchased through the Escalate network, we
give the customer the option of setting up express checkout. The
customer may choose whether to enable express checkout on the current
site only or anywhere in our network. If the customer enables express
checkout on the network, we may share the customer's purchase information
with each site where the customer makes purchases. Note that only
information on what the customer purchased on a given site is available
to that site. Information on purchases made elsewhere in the network
is not shared.
Cookies
Escalate uses "cookies" to keep track of the customers' shopping
carts and to show customers products that match their preferences.
Cookies are identifiers, stored by the browser of the customer's
computer, which allow us to recognize each customer. The web is
"stateless", which means that requests from each customer are mixed
in with requests from everybody else, and these requests carry no
identification. Cookies allow us to know when a request comes from
a certain customer, and support the customer as the customer fills
his/her shopping cart.
Employee Access
Escalate employees do not have access to personal customer data,
except to provide customer service or in cases where the employee
must have access to process a customer's order. Customer information
is kept as securely as possible. Company policy prohibits employees
from viewing private information without authorization. Employees
who violate this policy are subject to disciplinary action, up to
and including termination.
Tips to Merchants: Educate Customers About Privacy Online
Help your customers protect the privacy and security of their information.
Remind them that:
- User ID and password information should not be shared with anyone
- Email is not secure
- Only give personal information or purchase from trusted websites
or sites who use trusted networks like Escalate
- Passwords should be at least 6 characters long and use a combination
of letters and numbers. Make the password hard to guess.
Finally, encourage your customers to read the privacy policies of the sites they visit.
