Privacy Policy | Alcon Science | Alcon Eye Care and Healthcare Professionals

This Privacy Policy describes how Alcon Vision LLC and its affiliates under common ownership and control (collectively, “Alcon”) use and disclose the information we collect from you through our Alcon websites, social media forums, and other online services that link to, incorporate, or for which you are provided a copy of this Privacy Policy (collectively, the “Services”), and the choices you have about how we use your information.

Last updated April 9, 2019

What information do we collect?

Information you provide: We collect information that you voluntarily provide when you use the Services, such as when you register for an Alcon program or service, participate in a survey, provide a testimonial, order a product, participate in an interactive feature or forum (such as chat features), or contact us with a question, comment, or request. The type of information that you provide is based on the specific function of the Services that you use or the Alcon program or service for which you register, and might include, for instance, your name, address, age, birth date, gender, email address, phone number, photo, social media account ID, post code, education, professional experience, demographic information, information about your health and/or medical conditions, product usage and preferences.
Information we receive from third-parties: We may combine the information we collect from you with information that we receive about you from other sources, such as public databases, providers of demographic information, joint marketing partners, social media platforms, people with whom you are connected on social media platforms, and other third-parties

What information do we collect automatically from your device and how do we use it?

We and our third-party service providers may collect information automatically from your device in a variety of ways including:

Through your browser or device: Certain information is collected by most browsers or automatically through your device, such as your Media Access Control (MAC) address, device type, screen resolution, operating system name and version, device manufacturer and model, language, Internet browser type and version and the name and version of the Services you are using. We use this information to ensure that the Services function properly.
Using cookies: Cookies are small text files that are stored directly on your device when you visit a website. We use cookies to collect information such as time spent on the Services, pages visited, the pages you view immediately before and after you access the Services, the search terms you enter, and other anonymous traffic data. Cookies allow us to recognise you and personalise your experience, to facilitate navigation, and to display information more effectively. We also use cookies to gather statistical information about the use of the Services in order to understand how they are used, improve them, and resolve questions about them. If you do not want information collected through the use of cookies, most browsers allow you to automatically decline cookies or to be given the choice of declining or accepting cookies from a particular website. If you would like more information about cookies, you may wish to refer to https://www.allaboutcookies.org/. If you do not accept our cookies, you may experience some inconvenience in your use of the Services.

Google Analytics uses cookies to track your interactions with our Services. Google then collects that information and reports it back to us. For more information on Google Analytics, visit https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/.

Using pixel tags and other similar technologies: We may use pixel tags (also known as web beacons and clear GIFs) to, among other things, track the actions of users of the Services, measure the success of our marketing campaigns and compile statistics about usage of the Services and response rates.
Using Adobe Flash technology (including Flash Cookies) and other similar technologies: We may use Flash local shared objects, commonly called “Flash Cookies,” and other technologies to collect and store information about your use of the Services. If you do not want Flash Cookies stored on your device, you can adjust the settings of your Flash Player. Please note that setting the Flash Player to restrict or limit acceptance of Flash Cookies may reduce or impede the functionality of some Flash applications.
IP Address: Your IP Address is a number that is automatically assigned to the computer that you are using by your Internet Service Provider. An IP Address may be identified and logged automatically in our server log files whenever a user accesses the Services, along with the time of the visit and the page(s) visited. Collecting IP Addresses is standard practice and is done automatically by many websites, applications and other services. We use IP Addresses for purposes such as calculating usage levels of the Services, helping diagnose server problems, and administering the Services. We may also derive your approximate location from your IP Address.
Precise real-time location information: We may collect precise, real-time information about the location of the devices you use to access the Services. We may use your device’s location to provide you with personalised location-based services and content, including marketing communications. You may be permitted to allow or deny the use of your device’s location by managing your location services preferences through your device settings.
Interest-based advertising: We may use third-party advertising companies to serve advertisements to you when you access and use the Services, based on information relating to your access to and use of the Services and other websites, apps or online services on any of your devices. To do so, these companies may use various technologies, including the placement or recognition of a unique cookie, pixel tag, or other similar technologies, along with information they collect about your online use, to recognise you across the devices you use. These companies use the information they collect, as well as information received from third-parties, to serve ads for us about goods and services that may be of interest to you when you are on the Services or on third-party properties. If you would like more information about this practice, please visit https://www.networkadvertising.org/ or https://www.aboutads.info/.

How do we use your information?
In addition to using your information to deliver the programs, services, products, or information you request, and for the purposes described above, we may also use it:

to provide customer support;
to fulfil purchases or other transactions made by you;
to deliver marketing communications that may be of interest to you;
to send administrative information to you, such as information about the Services and our terms, conditions and policies;
to permit you to participate in polls, surveys, promotions, or other interactive features, such as chat features, and to administer these activities;
to personalise your experience and better tailor content and offers to you;
to facilitate social sharing functionality;
to allow you to send messages to another person through the Services;
to help us and our business partners better understand our audiences, evaluate user interest in the Services, improve the Services, and perform other market research activities;
for our business purposes, such as data analysis; audits; monitoring and prevention of fraud, infringement, and other potential misuse of the Services; modifying the Services; determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns; and operating and expanding our business activities; and
as we believe to be necessary or appropriate: (a) under applicable law, including laws outside your country of residence; (b) to comply with legal process; (c) to respond to requests from public and government authorities, including public and government authorities outside your country of residence; (d) to enforce our terms and conditions; (e) to protect our operations; (f) to protect our rights, privacy, safety or property, and/or that of you or others; and (g) to allow us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain.

In addition to those purposes listed above, we may use your information for any other purpose disclosed to you at the time of collection or that you have previously authorized. We may combine, aggregate, or anonymize any of the information we collect from you with other information we may collect from or abut you from any other online or offline source. We may use information that does not personally identify you for any purpose, except where we are required to do otherwise under applicable law.

When and to whom do we disclose your information?
The information we collect from and about you may be disclosed: to the subsidiaries and affiliates within the Alcon group of companies, for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy;

to third-parties that provide services to us, such as those that fulfil requests for information, answer calls, administer programs or projects, assist in research and development, or deliver advertisements or other communications;
to business partners who offer products or services jointly with Alcon;
to permit a third-party business partner to deliver marketing communications or products that may be of interest to you, subject to any choices you have expressed;
to identify you to any person to whom you send messages through the Services;
to any person you direct us to contact, such as your designated caregiver(s);
by you, on message boards, chat, profile pages, blogs, and other services to which you post information and materials. Because any information you post may become public, we urge you to be very careful when deciding to disclose any information on or through the Services;
to your friends associated with your social media accounts, to other Services users, and to your social media account providers, in connection with your social sharing activity, such as if you connect your social media account to your Services account or log into your Services account from your social media account. By connecting your accounts, you authorize us to share information with your social media account provider, and you understand that the use of the information we share will be governed by the social media provider’s own privacy policy;
as required by law, such as to law enforcement, to health authorities to report possible adverse events, during government inspections or audits, as ordered or directed by courts or other governmental agencies, or in order to comply with a subpoena or other legal process;
when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect legal rights or the security or integrity of our operations or the Services; protect your safety or the safety of others; investigate fraud, a breach of contract, or a violation of law; respond to a government request; or allow us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain; and
to third-parties, advisors, and other entities to the extent reasonably necessary for development of or to proceed with the negotiation or completion of a corporate or commercial transaction, including a reorganisation, merger, acquisition, joint venture, sale or other disposition of all or a portion of our business, assets, or stock (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings).

We may disclose information that does not personally identify you for any purpose, except where we are required to do otherwise under applicable law.

Your choices
Where you have elected to participate in one of our programs or services or to receive marketing communications from us, we offer you the ability to discontinue your participation or to opt out of receiving those communications in the communication itself. Alternatively, you can contact us to opt out using the contact information found in the “How to Contact Us” section at the end of this Privacy Policy.

We do not currently respond to web browser “do not track” signals or other mechanisms that provide a method to opt out of the collection of information across websites or other online services.

Information security
We seek to use appropriate technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect the information collected through the Services. Unfortunately, no organisation can guarantee the absolute security of electronic information, especially information transmitted over the Internet.

Children’s information
The Services are not directed to children under the age of thirteen (13), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from such children.

Accessing and updating your information
We encourage you to update the personal information you provide to us to help us continue to provide information that best meets your needs. You may be able to access and update this information through the member or account section of the service for which you registered, or you can contact us by using the contact information found in the “How to Contact Us” section at the end of this Privacy Policy. For your protection, we may only implement requests with respect to the personal information associated with the particular email address that you use to send us your request, and we may need to verify your identity before implementing your request.

Links to third-party websites
The Services may contain links to third-party services that are not under our control. We are not responsible for the collection and use of your information by such services, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies. In addition, we are not responsible for the information collection, use, disclosure, or security practices of other organisations, such as Facebook, Apple, Google, Microsoft, or any other app developer, app provider, social media platform provider, operating system provider, wireless service provider, or device manufacturer, including in connection with any information you disclose to such other organisations through or in connection with the Services.

Changes to this privacy policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time by posting a new Privacy Policy on our website. If we make a material change to our Privacy Policy, we will take reasonable steps to notify you, for example, by posting a banner or pop-up notice on the website.

How to contact us
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, please contact us by emailing [email protected] or by writing to Alcon Privacy Officer, PO Box 357, Macquarie Park Business Hub NSW 1670.