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Privacy Policy

Updated February 3, 2021

This Privacy Policy describes the ways in which we, Alcon Canada Inc., collect, hold, use and disclose information about individual persons who receive or visit our websites, social media forums, and other services (online or otherwise) that link to, incorporate, or for which you are provided a copy of this Privacy Policy (together, the “Websites”). BY USING THE WEBSITES, YOU CONSENT TO THE COLLECTION AND USE OF INFORMATION AS SET FORTH IN THIS PRIVACY POLICY. YOU ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ALCON CANADA INC. MAY PERIODICALLY CHANGE, MODIFY, ADD OR REMOVE OR OTHERWISE UPDATE THIS PRIVACY POLICY AT ITS DISCRETION, WITHOUT PRIOR NOTIFICATION. However, we will always handle your Personal Information (defined below) in accordance with the Privacy Policy that was in effect at the time of collection. It is our intention to post changes to our Privacy Policy on this page so that you are fully informed concerning the types of information we are gathering, how we use it, and under what circumstances it may be disclosed. Our Privacy Policy is located on our homepage and is also available on any page where Personal Information is requested. At such Information collection points, further explanation may be provided, where appropriate, as to the purposes for which the information will be used. This Policy, coupled with any further explanation provided at information collection points, will tell you how we will treat any information about yourself that you voluntarily submit in connection with your use of the Websites.

1. Pledge on privacy

Alcon Canada Inc. respects and is committed to protecting privacy and safeguarding the Personal Information entrusted to us by visitors of the Websites.

The term "Personal Information" as used in this Privacy Policy refers to information that can be used to identify you as an individual, including for example your name, birth date, e-mail address, mailing address, or telephone number. Generally, we will only collect and process your Personal Information as described in this Privacy Policy or otherwise with your consent. However, we reserve the right, to conduct additional processing to the extent permitted or required by law, or in support of any legal or criminal investigation.

The next sections explain how and when we collect Personal Information from you.

2. Intended use of Personal Information

Most of our services do not require any form of registration, allowing you to visit our site without telling us who you are. However, some services may require you to register or create an account or provide us with Personal Information. When you register or create an account with us, you may need to complete certain fields (some are required and some are optional), as well as choose a user name and password or provide other Personal Information. In these situations, you are not required to provide this information, however, if you choose to withhold any Personal Information requested by us, it may not be possible for you to gain access to certain parts of the site or for us to respond to your query.

We may collect and use Personal Information to provide you with products or services, to bill you for products and services you request, to respond to inquiries or comments, to market products and services which we think may be of interest to you, or to communicate with you for other purposes to which you consent either implicitly or expressly when we collect Personal Information from you. It is your choice to submit Personal Information to us through the Websites.

Generally, when you voluntarily provide us with your Personal Information, we will assume you consent to our collection, use and disclosure of that information for the purposes identified at the time of collection.

3. Non-disclosure of Personal Information

We will not use or disclose your Personal Information for purposes other than those identified in this Privacy Policy or at the time of collection. We will not sell, share, or otherwise distribute your Personal Information to third parties except as provided in this Privacy Policy. Personal Information may be transferred to third parties who act for or on our behalf, for further processing in accordance with the purpose(s) for which the information was originally collected or may otherwise be lawfully processed, such as services delivery, evaluating the usefulness of the Websites, marketing, information management or technical support. These third parties have contracted with us to only use Personal Information for the agreed upon purpose, and not to sell your Personal Information to third parties, and not to disclose it to third parties except as may be required by law, as permitted by us or as stated in this Privacy Policy. We may transfer your Personal Information to our affiliates worldwide who are acting for us or on our behalf and that agree to treat it in accordance with this Privacy Policy. We may disclose your Personal Information to our affiliates worldwide with your consent.

Personal Information collected from you may also be transferred to a third party in the event that the business of this site or a part of it and the customer information connected with it is sold, assigned or transferred, in which case we would require the buyer, assignee or transferee to treat Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. Also, Personal Information may be disclosed to a third party if we are required to do so because of an applicable law, court order or governmental regulation, or if such disclosure is otherwise necessary in support of any criminal or other legal investigation or proceeding here or abroad.

4. Right of access, correction and objection

Whenever we process Personal Information, we take reasonable steps to ensure that your Personal Information is kept accurate and up-to date for the purposes for which it was collected. We may establish and maintain a file of your Personal Information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy which will be stored on our computer servers or those of our service providers in Canada or internationally. If you wish to request access to or correction of your Personal Information or to object to the processing of your Personal Information or to otherwise contact us regarding our collection or use of your Personal Information, please contact us using the contact information below. If you contact us, please note the name of the website where you provided the information, as well as the specific information you would like to access or correct plus a proper identification of you. Requests to delete Personal Information will be subject to any applicable legal and ethical reporting or document filing or retention obligations imposed on us. We may take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections to your Personal Information.

We will provide you with the ability to object to the processing of your Personal Information if such processing is not reasonably required for a legitimate business purpose as described in this policy or our compliance with law. In the case of electronic direct marketing, we will provide you with a method to opt out of receiving further marketing materials or with a method to opt in if required by law.

5. Security and confidentiality

We take reasonable steps to protect your Personal Information using physical, electronic and organizational security measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. To ensure the security and confidentiality of Personal Information that we collect online, we use data networks protected, inter alia, by industry standard firewall and password protection. In the course of handling your Personal Information, we take measures reasonably designed to protect that information from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration or destruction. Access to Personal Information is restricted to those employees who have a need to use the information and who have been trained to handle such information properly and observe strict standards of confidentiality.

6. Data transfer abroad

We are part of the Alcon Group which is a global group of companies and has databases in different countries, some of which are operated by the local Alcon Group Company, and some of which are operated by third parties on behalf of the local Alcon Group Company. We may transfer your information to one of the Group's databases outside your country of domicile, potentially including countries which may not require an adequate level of protection for your Personal Information compared with that provided in your country. Personal Information is subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is located, including lawful disclosure requests by government authorities.

However, the Alcon Group has entered into a series of intercompany agreements in an effort to ensure effective levels of information protection, relating to cross-border transfers of Personal Information.

For more information about how your Personal Information may be collected, used, disclosed, transferred to and stored in jurisdictions outside of Canada by Alcon Canada Inc. or its service providers on its behalf, or for more information about our policies and practices with respect to service providers outside of Canada please contact us using the contact information below.

7. "Cookies" and internet tags

We may collect and process information about your visit to the Websites, such as the pages you visit, the website you came from and some of the searches you perform. Such information is used by us to help improve the contents of the Websites and to compile aggregate statistics about individuals using our Websites for internal, market research purposes. In doing this, we may install "cookies" that collect the domain name of the user, your internet service provider, your operating system, and the date and time of access. A "cookie" is a small piece of information which is sent to your browser and stored on your computer’s hard drive. Cookies do not damage your computer. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a "cookie," this will enable you to decide if you want to accept it or not. We would like to inform you, however, that if you do not accept you may not be able to use all functionality of your browser software. We may obtain the services of outside parties to assist us in collecting and processing the information described in this Section.

Occasionally, we may use internet tags (also known as action tags, single-pixel GIFs, clear GIFs, invisible GIFs and 1-by-1 GIFs) and cookies at this site and may deploy these tags/cookies through a third-party advertising partner or a web analytical service partner which may be located and store the respective information (including your IP-address) in a foreign country. These tags/cookies are placed on both online advertisements that bring users to this site and on different pages of this site. We use this technology to measure the visitors' responses to our sites and the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns (including how many times a page is opened and which information is consulted) as well as to evaluate your use of the Websites. The third-party partner or the web analytical service partner may be able to collect data about visitors to our and other sites because of these internet tags/cookies, may compose reports regarding the Websites’ activity for us and may provide further services which are related to the use of the Websites and the internet. They may provide such information to other parties if there is a legal requirement that they do so, or if they hire the other parties to process information on their behalf. If you would like more information about web tags and cookies associated with on-line advertising or to opt-out of third-party collection of this information, please visit the Network Advertising Initiative website http://www.networkadvertising.org.

8. Google Analytics

We may use Google Analytics to rationalize the Websites by (i) optimizing traffic to and between corporate Websites, and (ii) integrating and optimizing web pages where appropriate. “Google Analytics” is a service offered by Google Inc. (“Google”) that generates detailed statistics about a website's traffic and traffic sources and measures conversions and sales. Google Analytics uses “cookies” stored on your computer to help analyze how users use our Websites.

The information generated by the cookies about your use of our Websites, including your IP address, will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. The IP address, however, will be shortened before being sent to Google and Google can then not use it any more to identify you or your computer. Only in exceptional cases the full IP address will be transmitted to and shortened by Google in the US.

On behalf of us, Google will use the information generated by the cookies for the purpose of evaluating the use of our Websites, compiling reports on website activity providing us with these reports for analytical purposes.

Google may transfer this information to third parties in case of a statutory obligation or if a third party processes data on behalf of Google.

You may prevent or stop the installation and storage of cookies by your browser settings by downloading and installing the free Opt-out Browser Add-on available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en. We inform you that in such case you will not be able to wholly use all functions of the Websites.

By using our Websites you consent to the processing of any Personal Information Google will collect on you in the way and for the purpose as described above.

9. Personal Data and children

Most of the services available on this site are intended for persons 18 years of age and older. Any individual who requests information about a medicine indicated for use in children must be 18 or over. We will not knowingly collect, use or disclose Personal Information from a minor under the age of 18, without obtaining prior consent from a person with parental responsibility (e.g., a parent or guardian) through direct off-line contact. We will provide the parent with (i) notice of the specific types of Personal Information being collected from the minor, and (ii) the opportunity to object to any further collection, use, or storage of such information. We abide by laws designed to protect children.

10. Links to other sites

This Privacy Policy applies only to the Websites, and not to websites owned by third parties. We may provide links to other websites which we believe may be of interest to our visitors. We aim to ensure that such websites are of the highest standard. However, due to the nature of the internet, we cannot guarantee the privacy standards of websites to which we link or be responsible for the contents of sites other than this one, and this Privacy Policy is not intended to be applicable to any linked, non-Alcon Canada site.

11. Contact us

If you have any queries or complaints about our compliance with this Privacy Policy, or if you would like to make any recommendations or comments to improve the quality of our Privacy Policy, you may contact the Regional Privacy Officer and other members of Privacy Office by emailing us at [email protected].