Privacy Policy

Last Revised: December 5, 2018

Maryland Healthy Weighs (“MHW” or “we”) respects and is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes (i) what information we collect from you as a user of the MHW website (www.marylandhealthyweighs.com) (the “Website”), (ii) how we use and share your information, and (iii) the choices you have about how we use and share your information. This Policy does not apply to information collected by MHW offline or through other means, or to information collected by any third party including (i) HMR, (ii) licensed providers of HMR weight management programs, and (iii) application or content providers that you may link to through the Website.

By using the Website, including when you use the Website to support your participation in an MHW Program, you agree to the terms and conditions of this Policy, so please read the Policy carefully. If you do not agree with this Policy, please do not use the Site.

Processing of Personal Information in the United States

As stated in the TERMS OF SERVICE for the Website, the Website is intended for use by residents of the United States, its territories and possessions who are at least 18 years old. Please do not use the Website if you are located outside the United States, its territories and possessions, or if you are under 18 years of age. By using the Website, you are deemed to understand and unambiguously consent to the collection and processing of your Personal Information in the United States, with the awareness that the laws of the United States may not provide as much protection for Personal Information as the laws of certain other countries or territories.

INFORMATION WE COLLECT

When you use the Website, we collect certain information from you, including certain Personal Information. “Personal Information” as used in this Policy means any information that identifies, or is used by or on behalf of MHW to identify, an individual.

Information You Provide To Us

We collect information that you provide to us in order for you to use certain features on the Website as follows:

Account Creation: When you register and open an MHW account (“Account”), we only require you to provide your first and last name, email address, and a password that you create.

Using the Website without an Account: When you navigate and access the Website without opening and Account, you can take advantage of certain specific interactive uses, such as “guest” purchases of Products. You may also subscribe to emails from MHW, take advantage of the “Contact Us” feature, or learn more about MHW. When using the Website without creating an Account you will be asked to provide the Personal Information or business information to allow MHW to perform the activity or provide the information you request, and you will be added to one or more MHW databases for future communications.

Purchase of Products: When you order Products through the Website we ask you to provide certain information, including shipping information, credit and debit card or other payment information, and in the case of our “auto delivery” service, related information such as food preferences.

Information Collected Passively

As you navigate around the Website, we use various technologies to passively collect (that is, gather without you actively providing the information) certain information. In general, none of this information is “Personal Information” as defined in this Policy. We and our third-party service providers passively collect and use this information in a variety of ways, including:

Through your browser: Certain information is collected by most browsers, such as your Media Access Control (MAC) address, computer type (Windows or Macintosh), screen resolution, operating system version, and Internet browser type and version. We may collect similar information, such as your device type and identifier, if you access the Website through a mobile device.

Using cookies: Cookies are pieces of information stored directly on the device you are using. Cookies allow us to collect information such as browser type, time spent on the Website, pages visited, and language preferences. We and our service providers use the information for security purposes, to facilitate navigation, display information more effectively, and to personalize your experience while using the Website. We also use cookies to recognize your computer or device, which makes your use of the Website easier, such as to remember what is in your shopping cart. In addition, we use cookies to gather statistical information about Website usage in order to continually improve its design and functionality, understand how individuals use it, and to assist us with resolving questions regarding it. Cookies further allow us to select which of our advertisements or offers are most likely to appeal to you and display them while you are on the Website. We may also use cookies in online advertising to track consumer responses to our advertisements.

You can refuse to accept these cookies by following your browser’s instructions; however, if you do not accept them, you may experience some inconvenience in your use of the Website. You may also not receive advertising or other offers from us that are relevant to your interests and needs. To learn more about cookies, please visit   HTTP://WWW.ALLABOUTCOOKIES.ORG/

Using Flash cookies: Our Website uses Adobe Flash technology (including Flash Local Stored Objects (“Flash LSOs”)) which allows us to, among other things, serve you with more tailored information, facilitate your ongoing access to and use of the Website, and collect and store information about your use of the Website. If you do not want Flash LSOs stored on your computer, you can adjust the settings of your Flash player to block Flash LSO storage using the tools contained in the Website Storage Settings Panel. You can also control Flash LSOs by going to the Global Storage Settings Panel and following instructions (which may include instructions that explain, for example, how to delete existing Flash LSOs (referred to as “information” on the Macromedia Website), how to prevent Flash LSOs from being placed on your computer without your being asked, and (for Flash Player 8 and later) how to block Flash LSOs that are not being delivered by the operator of the page you are on at the time). Please note that setting the Flash Player to restrict or limit acceptance of Flash LSOs may reduce or impede the functionality of some Flash applications, including, potentially, Flash applications used in connection with the Website or our online content.

Using pixel tags, web beacons, clear GIFs, or other similar technologies: These may be used in connection with some Website pages and HTML-formatted email messages to, among other things, track the actions of Website users and email recipients, measure the success of our marketing campaigns, and compile statistics about Website usage and response rates.

Online behavioral advertising: The use of cookies, pixel tags, web beacons, clear GIFs, or other similar technologies allows our third-party vendors to deliver advertisements about our products and services when you visit the Website or other websites or web properties across the Internet. These vendors may place pixel tags, web beacons, clear GIFs, or similar technologies on the Website and other websites or web properties, and also place or recognize third-party cookies when you visit the Website or other web properties. They may use information about your visits to the Website and other web properties to provide advertisements about goods and services that may be of interest to you.  

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 is identified and logged automatically in our server log files whenever a user visits the Website, along with the time of the visit and the page(s) that were visited. Collecting IP Addresses is standard practice on the Internet and is done automatically by many Websites. We use IP Addresses for purposes such as calculating website usage levels, helping diagnose server problems, and administering the Website.


HOW DOES MHW USE THE PERSONAL INFORMATION COLLECTED THROUGH THE WEBSITE?

MHW uses the Personal Information it collects through the Site for a number of purposes, including:

  • To fulfill your requests. We will use Personal Information you provide in order to fulfill the purposes for which you are providing the information, such as to fulfill any orders you request, to send you information you may request about our products and services, including in the form of newsletters, videos, emails, and other resources you have requested. 
  • To send you confirmations, notifications, and administrative communications. We will use your Personal Information to help to manage and maintain your Account and the interactive uses you select, and to send you important information, such as order confirmations, updates on order status, changes to our terms, conditions, and policies and/or other administrative information, and to enable us to send certain notifications to your mobile device. 
  • To improve our operations and services. We may use Personal Information you provide, as well as the non-personal information gathered passively to customize and personalize certain of MHW’s online resources and communications for you. For example, MHW may use your Personal Information to remember your personal preferences and selections; confirm whether you have read or clicked on certain email communications we send to you; and to identify additional services and promotions for you. 
  • To provide information about MHW Products and Services. We may add Personal Information we collect from you to one or more MHW databases to contact you from time to time with information about MHW, the MHW Programs, Products, and offer additional services and promotions that we believe you might find interesting. 
  • For internal business purposes. We also may use Personal Information about you for our internal business purposes, such as to conduct data and Website usage analysis in order to enhance the design and functionality of the Website; to evaluate options for developing new products and improving our services; to conduct market research for improving and developing the MHW Programs and the content we use to promote and offer the MHW Programs; and to determine the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns. These uses may also include data analysis, audits, developing new products, enhancing our website, improving our products and services, identifying Website usage trends, and determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns. 
  • Compliance Auditing. MHW may also use Personal Information to audit its online resources for authorized access and security.

Consistent with the terms of this Policy and other applicable privacy notices we have provided, in some cases MHW consolidates and analyzes Personal Information it collects through the Website with information collected through other channels, such as telephone calls, surveys, other websites, and other online resources and communications, in order to enhance the quality of services that we offer.

MHW may use and disclose aggregated information about users of the Website, and may use and disclose de-identified information for any purpose. “De-identified information” is information that MHW reasonably believes does not contain any personally identifying information about you or any other person. If we combine information that is not personally identifiable information with information that is (such as combining your name with your geographical location), we will treat the combined information as Personal Information as long as it is combined.

WITH WHOM DOES MHW SHARE INFORMATION IT COLLECTS THROUGH THE WEBSITE?

Personal Information

We may share the Personal Information we collect through the Website in the following circumstances:

  • With third party vendors who provide services to assist our operations, such as to help process your orders for Products and to deliver those Products to you, to facilitate our communications with you, to respond to your inquiries and comments, and to maintain, improve and enhance the functionality of the Website. In the case of a “guest” purchase of Products, MHW will maintain credit card information only long enough to process your order and close out any order management. If you sign up for MHW’s “auto delivery” service, your credit card information is processed and maintained by a third party service provider. Our third party vendors are contractually bound to keep your Personal Information confidential and to use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
  • If you use an interactive feature on the Website without creating an Account, we may provide your Personal Information to third parties to fulfill the purpose for which you provided the information.
  • With third parties for business reasons in the event MHW determines to reorganize or divest its business through sale, merger, or acquisition, in which case your Personal Information may be shared with actual or prospective purchasers who have agreed to keep such Personal Information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
  • To comply with any court order, law or legal process, or to respond to any government or regulatory request.
  • With your consent.

MHW will not share your Personal Information with third parties for their own marketing purposes without your consent.

MHW does not allow third parties to collect the Personal Information of visitors to our Website by tracking such visitors’ or users’ usage over time.

Information Collected Passively

We may use and disclose Information Collected Passively for any purpose, except where we are required to do otherwise under applicable law (for example, if we are required to treat such information as Personal Information).

WHAT CHOICES DO YOU HAVE ABOUT HOW MHW COLLECTS, USES, AND DISCLOSES PERSONAL INFORMATION?

Submitting Information: You may choose not to submit Personal Information to MHW online by electing not to enter any Personal Information into a form or data field on the Website. You may also elect not to create an Account. However, you should be aware that some of the online resources available on the Website are available only to individuals who provide Personal Information.

Limiting Uses and Disclosures of Information Collected: If you do submit your Personal Information to us, you can limit certain uses of the Personal Information by selecting among options provided with respect to such use, either at the time you enter the information or at a later time. For example, if you have signed up to receive optional email communications, you may opt out of receiving such communications from us in the future by visiting the Website or other online resource where you subscribed (where available), and updating your email communication selections, or you may follow the unsubscribe or opt-out instructions in the email communications you receive form us. You also may opt out by contacting us using our contact information provided below.

If you do not want us to verify whether you have received or opened email communications we have sent to you, you should opt out of receiving those email communications altogether (using one of the approaches described above), because in some cases we may not be able to turn off email verification.

Limiting Tracking Technologies: You can control the use of certain tracking technologies, such as cookies, through most Internet browsers. Some Internet browsers enable you to limit or disable the use of cookies for individual websites; other browsers allow you to select cookie settings for all websites that you visit. You can check your Internet browser to see how your cookies settings can be controlled. You should be aware, however, that if you limit or disable cookies, certain functions of the Website may not work properly.

If you would like to opt out of the cookies used by other companies who deliver email communications on our behalf or place MHW advertisements on other websites, you may do so by following the options provided by the Network Advertising Initiative at   HTTP://WWW.NETWORKADVERTISING.ORG/OPTOUT_NONPPII.ASP.

THIRD PARTY CONTENT

The Site may contain links to third party sites, or content or applications that are served or provided by third parties. The information gathering and retention policies of those third parties are governed by the privacy policies of such third parties. You should review the privacy policies of those third parties to understand the information they collect and how it is used.

HOW DOES MHW SECURE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

MHW takes reasonable steps to protect the security of your Personal Information as it is transmitted from your computer to the Website and our servers, as well as to protect the Personal Information once we possess it from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Security measures and tools are in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of your Personal Information in our possession. However, no data transmission over the Internet or data storage system can be guaranteed 100 percent secure. It is your personal responsibility to secure your email and password for your Account and thereby prevent unauthorized access by others to your Personal Information maintained in your Account.

HOW DOES MHW PROTECT THE PRIVACY OF CHILDREN?

This Website is not directed at children. Most of the online services that we offer are designed for individuals who are 18 years of age or older, and we do not knowingly collect information from children under age 13.

HOW MAY YOU ACCESS AND CORRECT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

You may access and correct your Personal Information through your Account at any time. By signing into your Account you will be able to select from a menu of options where edits and changes can be made. You will also be given menu options for making changes to your shipping address, billing information, as well as options for managing your orders. However, in rare circumstances, your ability to access or alter your Personal Information could be limited where such access or alteration would inhibit MHW’s ability to do any of the following: comply with a legal or ethical obligation to investigate, make or defend legal claims; result in disclosure of Personal Information about a third party; result in breach of a contract; or entail a disclosure of trade secrets or other proprietary business information belonging to MHW or a third party. Should you have questions regarding how you may access and correct your Personal Information please contact MHW at 443-205-4421.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF MHW HAS UPDATED THIS POLICY?

MHW may update this Policy periodically. The date this Policy was last revised is identified at the top of this page. You may access this Policy at any time by clicking the Privacy Policy link on this Website. If we decide to change the Policy, we will post the revised version of the Policy on the Website. If the changes to the Policy are material, we may also notify you by email at the primary email address specified in your Account. You are responsible for ensuring that we have an up-to-date email address for you. Your continued use of the Website after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the changes. You are responsible for periodically reviewing this Policy to check for any changes.

HOW MAY YOU POSE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS POLICY?

If you have any questions about this Policy, our data collection, use and disclosure practices, or the MHW Program for Weight Management generally, please contact us at:

Maryland Healthy Weighs

124 Market Square

Cambridge, MD 21613

You can also contact us by phone at 443-205-4421, Monday-Thursday, 9:00 am – 6:30 pm (Eastern) or through the “Contact Us” page of the Website. We will use reasonable efforts to respond promptly to your requests, questions or concerns. We may contact you for follow-up information and, except where required by law, MHW cannot ensure a response to questions or comments regarding any topics unrelated to this Policy or to MHW’s privacy practices.