Thank you for visiting Automation.com. Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy, we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used on this site.
The Information We Collect
On our website you can subscribe to our e-newsletters, premium content (like white papers and resources), job notifications, product and service announcements, or request more information, product catalogs, or other items from our advertisers, or request listing(s) in one of our directories, or participate in one of our online forums, polls or communities. The personal data that may be collected includes: name, company, address, e-mail address, telephone number, fax number, job function, industry segment and other information about your interests in and use of various products, programs, and services.
How We Use Personal Data
We may use the information you provide about yourself to fulfill your requests for products, programs, and services offered by us or one of our advertisers, to respond to your inquiries about our offerings, and to offer you other products, programs or services that we believe may be of interest to you.
We sometimes use this information to communicate with you, such as when we make changes to our subscriber agreements, to fulfill a request by you for an online newsletter, or to contact you about your account with us.
The information we collect in connection with our online forums and communities is used to provide an interactive experience. We use this information to facilitate participation in these online forums and communities and, from time to time, to offer you products, programs, or services.
If you choose to submit content for publication we may publish your name, company and other information you have provided to us.
We sometimes use the non-personally identifiable information that we collect to improve the design and content of our site and to enable us to personalize your Internet experience. We also may use this information in the aggregate to analyze site usage, as well as to offer you products, programs, or services.
The Legal Bases for Our Collection and Use of Personal Data
There are several legal bases for our collection and processing of personal data:
- For our legitimate interests, including the several uses listed above;
- To perform a contract;
- Based on consent; and
- Legal compliance.
How We Share Personal Data
When you view certain premium content like white papers or other resources, or request more information on a product or service, or a product catalog or other item offered by another company, your personal information may be disclosed to only that particular company offering the white paper or other content.
When you click on the sponsored links in our e-newsletters or other e-messages, Automation.com may disclose your contact information only to that sponsor whose content you viewed. The sponsor's use of this information is dictated by the sponsor's Privacy Policy and may be used for follow-up by email, or other methods. Please contact these sponsors directly with any questions about their policies.
We may share personal data with several other parties. These include:
- Sponsors or advertisers of Automation.com website, e-newsletters, webinars, publications or other content;
- Exhibitors at Automation.com or ISA (parent company) events;
- Publishers of Automation.com or ISA publications;
- Cloud service providers;
- Service providers who perform functions such as marketing, research, etc.; and
We also may share personal data in the event of a merger or asset sale/purchase transaction, and as required by law.
If you subscribe to the job notification function, your e-mail address is never shared with these third-party employers and/or recruiters. Any job notification e-mails you receive will come from Automation.com on their behalf. While applying for any job on the site, you are asked to submit an e-mail address where the third-party employers and/or recruiters may contact you. The third-party employers and/or recruiter's use of this information is dictated by the third-party employers and/or recruiter's Privacy Policy and may be used for follow-up by email, or other methods.
We may disclose personally identifiable information in response to legal process, for example, in response to a court order or a subpoena. We also may disclose such information in response to a law enforcement agency's request, or where we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of our terms of use, or as otherwise required by law. In addition, we may transfer information about you if we are acquired by or merged with another company.
Our advertisers or sponsors may disclose personally identifiable information to companies whose practices are not covered by this privacy notice (e.g., other marketers, magazine publishers, retailers, participatory databases, and non-profit organizations) that want to market products or services to you.
We may on occasion combine information we receive online with outside records to enhance our ability to market to you those products or services that may be of interest to you. However, you will always have an option to opt-out of these uses.
Finally, Automation.com will not use or transfer personally identifiable information provided to us in ways unrelated to the ones described above without also providing you with an opportunity to opt out of these unrelated uses.
Cookies
To enhance your experience with our sites, some of our web pages use "cookies." Cookies are text files we place in your computer's browser to store your preferences. Cookies, by themselves, do not tell us your e-mail address or other personally identifiable information unless you choose to provide this information to us by, for example, registering at one of our sites. However, once you choose to furnish the site with personally identifiable information, this information may be linked to the data stored in the cookie.
We use cookies to understand site usage and to improve the content and offerings on our sites. For example, we may use cookies to personalize your experience at our web pages (e.g., to recognize you by name when you return to our site), save your password in password-protected areas, and enable you to use shopping carts on our sites. We also may use cookies to offer you products, programs, or services.
If you disable cookies you may have problems accessing content, making purchases or leveraging other functionality of the Automation.com site.
Most web browsers provide a “Settings” or “Tools” tab to control cookies. Please refer to your specific browser documentation to locate and control this browser feature.
Collection of Information by Third-Party Sites, Ad Servers, and Sponsors
Some of our sites contain links to other sites whose information practices may be different than ours. Visitors should consult the other sites' privacy notices as we have no control over information that is submitted to, or collected by, these third parties.
The Automation.com sites covered by this Privacy Notice sometimes may offer content (e.g., contests, sweepstakes, or promotions) that is sponsored by or cobranded with identified third parties. By virtue of these relationships, the third parties may obtain personally identifiable information that visitors voluntarily submit to participate in the site activity. Automation.com has no control over these third parties' use of this information. The Automation.com site will notify you at the time of requesting personally identifiable information if these third parties will obtain such information.
Automation.com may use cookies, web beacons, clear .gifs or similar technologies to help present advertisements, and to help measure and research the advertisements' effectiveness.
Where We Store Personal Data
Personal data we collect may is stored and processed in the United States. In the event personal data is transferred to another county, we will do so because there is a legal reason, such as in order to perform a contract, or to achieve a legitimate interest of ours.
How Long We Retain Personal Data
We may retain personal data for so long as necessary or useful to pursue our legitimate interests. Other factors may include: the duration of the business or contractual relationship between an individual and us; archiving of historical information; and legal requirements, including limitations periods during which a legal claim might be brought.
Our Commitment to Security
We have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and help prevent unauthorized access, maintain data security, and correctly use the information we collect online.
Agents, representatives and contractors of Automation.com who have access to personally identifiable information are required to protect this information in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Notice by, for example, not using the information for any purpose other than to carry out the services they are performing for Automation.com.
Although we take appropriate measures to safeguard against unauthorized disclosures of information, we cannot assure you that personally identifiable information that we collect will never be disclosed in a manner that is inconsistent with this Privacy Notice.
Individual Rights Regarding Personal Data
Individuals generally have the right to access their own personal data and to request that we correct any errors or incompleteness in their own personal data. There is also a limited right to request deletion of personal data.
For instructions on how you can access the personally identifiable information that this Automation.com site has collected about you online, or how to correct factual errors in such information, please click here to login to your account.
To protect your privacy and security, we will take reasonable steps to help verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.
For California Residents, you may request that Automation.com not sell your personal information by submiting this Do Not Sell My Personal Information form.
How to Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about the Automation.com online policy for this site or its implementation you may contact us at [email protected].
Additionally, you may contact us using the following methods:
- ISA Data Protection Officer, PO Box 12277, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 USA
- Telephone: +1 919-549-8411
Fax: +1 919-549-8288 - E-mail to: [email protected]
Updates & Effective Date
From time to time, we may update this privacy notice. We will notify you about material changes in the way we treat personally identifiable information by placing a notice on our site. We encourage you to periodically check back and review this policy so that you always will know what information we collect, how we use it, and to whom we disclose it.
The Privacy Notice posted on this site was updated on or about April 15, 2021.