Hobsons Privacy Policy

United States

We have created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our commitment to privacy. The following statements reflect our information gathering and dissemination practices for our online and offline publications. We make every effort to conform to the "Fair Information Practice Principles" published by the Federal Trade Commission. Information is available at www.ftc.gov. For questions regarding this Privacy Statement, complete our response form and submit it to the Hobsons^® Webmaster through General Site Feedback.

How We Use IP Addresses
We use IP addresses to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our Web site. We will never share a visitor's IP address with a third party without first securing the user's express permission to do so.

How We Use Cookies
Our site uses cookies to keep track of a user's session. Establishing a user session by logging onto the site enables users to easily find colleges that meet their needs, request information from colleges, and apply online to schools. Cookies are commonly used to gather targeted consumer profile information so that we can serve the user's interests more efficiently. Although some Web site operators use cookies to generate consumer profiling information to be sold or transferred to third parties, it is the policy of this site never to share personal information collected using cookies without first securing the user's express permission to do so.

Registration
Our online and offline registration forms require users to give us contact information. We use the contact information from these registration forms to send the user information about the specific colleges and universities that match their interests. Users may opt in to receive additional financial aid, scholarship, and career information from Hobsons or our partners. We do not release any user information to our partners unless the user has granted permission to do so. If necessary, the information is also used to contact users.

Users always have the ability to opt out of receiving future mailings and special offers; see the "Opt Out" section below.

Registration is required for all contests, online ordering, surveys, online applications, online inquiries, and other features. Limitations may apply as required by federal regulations and state and regional laws governing sweepstakes, promotions, and contests.

Hobsons Scholarships
Hobsons awards scholarships to U.S. students each year to encourage them to apply for and become enrolled in U.S. colleges or universities. To learn more about Hobsons' scholarship program, view the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Opt Out
Users who have opted in through our online and offline registration forms can opt out of receiving future communications from us. Users may also request removal directly from our partners at any time in the future. We make every effort to honor their request; however, we expressly disclaim responsibility for the actions of partners or other third parties beyond our control. To remove information from our database, users can complete our response form and submit it to General Site Feedback.

Security Policy
Hobsons uses commercially accepted protocols and other security methods to protect a user's privacy. It is the policy of the site's operators to enforce this security policy to prevent unauthorized third parties from attempting to access personal information. Visitors are encouraged to report suspected violations to the Webmaster at the address listed above.

Contacting the Web site
If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or dealings with this Web site, contact:

Marketing Director
Hobsons
50 E-Business Way, Suite 300
Cincinnati, OH 45241
Phone: (800) 927-8439
E-mail: please complete our response form and submit it to General Site Feedback

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European Union

Hobsons Plc, of Challenger House, 42 Adler St, London E1 1EE, UK, takes your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains the steps we take to ensure information about you is kept secure and confidential.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully, as once you use our Web site or our services you will be deemed to have read and accepted this Privacy Policy.

You must not use our Web site or our Services if you do not accept this Privacy Policy.

1. The Information We Collect

   We will only collect personal information about you and given by you when you register with us. We will always let you view the personal information we have about you. To access this click on the "Update your details" link on our websites, log in with your username and password and click on "my profile". You are able to update and amend your personal information at any time in the same way.

2. Purposes for Which We Use Information about Our Users

   We collect information about our users for a variety of purposes. These include the following purposes:

   • where users supply information to us pursuant to schemes and services which we offer (for example, to join our information services such as the Hobsons Student Service, or the parent zone of Hobsons Springboard) or to obtain information about jobs and courses, information will be processed by us to supply the information and material which we promise to supply members. Your information is held at Hobsons PLC in the UK, and maintained by third parties such as WCN, Riverhall Computer Systems Ltd, Openworld Data as well as by Hobsons and yourself via any of our websites.
   • so that we can inform our users of new products and services which may be of interest to them,
   • so that we can send you news items which are relevant to your interests
   • to help us improve and personalise our services

3. Passing on Information about You

   We may disclose information obtained from you to third parties to enable us to perform services requested by you, together with aggregate but not individual statistics to potential advertisers, such as the number of users we have, their average age, location, etc. We will only pass on information about you as an individual (as opposed to aggregate information) to third parties with your prior consent. If you give your consent, third parties may then send communications to you to provide information and services that may be of interest to you. Where you have applied for a job with a specific organisation through Hobsons (e.g. Cisco or Morley) your details will be stored by WCN and managed by Hobsons. Hobsons will communicate with you only for the purposes of administering your application. If your application is successful your details will be passed directly to the organisation and you will not receive further communications from Hobsons. If your application is unsuccessful your details will be stored by Hobsons and we will use them to provide you with further job information. You can unsubscribe from this service at any time by emailing unsubscribe@hobsons.co.uk.

   The more we know about you, the more value we can offer you by way of a personalized service. We may store certain personal information and use this to offer you personalized services and information through our services. Once you have given consent you can of course ask us and third parties to stop providing such services to you at any time by e-mailing unsubscribe@hobsons.co.uk or to the third party.

   In certain circumstances we may need to disclose information about you if you breach this privacy policy. We may also disclose or access your account if required to do so by law or any other governmental body.

4. Security

   Keeping information about you secure is very important to us. However, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be totally secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information which you send to us, and you do so at your own risk.

   Hobsons will take precautions to protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of your user data under our control. Only authorized employees and subcontractors will be given access to the information you provide us. It is our policy that your data will only be forwarded to organizations such as employers and educational institutions in accordance with the preferences expressed by you. Apart from this authorized disclosure, our systems are designed to ensure that your data can only be viewed online if your logon ID and password are correctly input. While we cannot guarantee that loss, misuse, or alteration to data will not occur, we take many precautions aimed at preventing such occurrences.

   You are ultimately responsible for the security of your logon ID and password. Please take care when using and storing them. We recommend that you do not divulge your password to anyone. You should log out of your browser at the end of each computer session to ensure that others cannot access your personal information, especially if you share a computer with someone else or are using a computer in a public place like a library or Internet cafe.

5. Cookies

   Our site uses cookies to keep track of a user's session. Establishing a user session by logging on to the site enables users to easily find jobs and courses that meet their needs, and request information from companies and institutions. Cookies are commonly used to gather targeted consumer profile information so that we can serve the user's interests more efficiently. Although some Web site operators use cookies to generate consumer profiling information to be sold or transferred to third parties, it is the policy of this site never to share information collected using cookies without first securing the user's express permission to do so.

6. Transferring Your Information Abroad

   Information supplied by you to us, whether submitted by you via this or other Web sites (or other communications, such as registration forms) will only be transferred abroad by us or our agents for the purpose of performing contractual obligations owed by us to you.

7. How Can You Access and Update Information Which We Hold about You?

   • access and update your information by clicking on the "Update your details" link on any of our websites and logging using your username and password
   • access all e-zines sent to you by Hobsons by clicking on the "Update your details" link on any of our websites and logging using your username and password
   • unsubscribe from Hobsons by e-mailing unsubscribe@hobsons.co.uk.

8. Automated Decisions Taken by Us about You

   Assumptions are made about your interests depending on the campaign you respond to. For example, if you registered with Hobsons via our Careers in Engineering guide we assume you are interested in a job in engineering.

   Assumptions are made about your interests depending on the courses you have studied.

   Your sex is automatically determined by your title, e.g. Miss = female.

   If you provide us with a university e-mail address we assume you are studying at that university unless you provide us with your university information.

   We assume you speak certain languages based on your nationality. This assumption is very limited and for most nationalities there are no language assumptions made

   If you have any questions relating to this Privacy Policy or how we use the personal information we have about you, please contact: hobsonsstudentservice@hobsons.co.uk.