WABCO's Privacy Policy
WABCO Europe BVBA ("WABCO") respects individual privacy and values the confidence of its customers, employees, vendors, consumers, business partners and others. WABCO strives to collect, use and disclose Personal information in a manner consistent with the laws of the countries in which it does business, and has a tradition of upholding the highest ethical standards in its business practices. WABCO abides by the Safe Harbor Principles developed by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the European Commission and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) issued by the Department of Commerce on July 21, 2000. This Safe Harbor Privacy Policy (the "Policy") sets forth the privacy principles that WABCO follows with respect to transfers of Personal information anywhere in the world, including transfers from the European Economic Area (EEA) (which includes the twenty-seven member states of the European Union (EU) plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) to the United States.
I. SAFE HARBOR
The United States Department of Commerce and the European Commission have agreed on a set of data protection principles and frequently asked questions (the "Safe Harbor Principles") to enable US companies to satisfy the requirement under European Union law that adequate protection be given to Personal information transferred from the EU to the United States. The EEA also has recognized the US Safe Harbor as providing adequate data protection (OJ L 45, 15.2.2001, p.47). Consistent with its commitment to protect Personal privacy, WABCO adheres to the Safe Harbor Principles.
WABCO has a Global Director of Data Protection who assists in ensuring compliance with this Policy and data security issues. WABCO educates its employees concerning compliance with this Policy and has self-assessment procedures in place to assure compliance. WABCO's Corporate Legal Team are available to any of its valued employees, customers, vendors, business partners or others who may have questions concerning this Policy or data security practices. Relevant contact information is provided herein.
II. SCOPE
This Policy applies to all Personal information received by WABCO in any format including electronic, paper or verbal. WABCO collects and processes Personal information concerning current and former employees and their respective family members, as well as applicants for employment through its Internet websites, its intranet site, electronic mail and manually. WABCO is the sole owner of information it collects from current and former employees, applicants for employment, customers, vendors and others. WABCO will not sell or share this information with third parties in ways different than what is disclosed in this Privacy Policy. On a global basis, WABCO will, and will cause its affiliates to, establish and maintain business procedures that are consistent with this Policy.
Personal information collected by WABCO from employees and applicants for employment is maintained at its corporate offices in Brussels, Belgium and Piscataway, New Jersey in the United States as well as the local office of the employee or applicant. WABCO collects Personal information for, among other things, legitimate human resource business reasons such as payroll administration; filling employment positions; administration and operations of its benefit programs; meeting governmental reporting requirements; security, health and safety management; performance management; company network access; and authentication. WABCO does not request or gather information regarding political opinions, religion, philosophy or sexual preference. To the extent WABCO maintains information on an individual's medical health or ethnicity (as legally required), WABCO will protect, secure and use that information in a manner consistent with this Policy and applicable law.
Personal information collected by WABCO from prospective customers, consumers, vendors, business partners and others may be maintained at its corporate offices in Brussels, Belgium and Piscataway, New Jersey or at other WABCO facilities. WABCO collects Personal information for, among other things, legitimate business reasons such as customer service; product, warranty and claims administration; meeting governmental reporting and records requirements; maintenance of accurate accounts payable and receivable records; internal marketing research; safety and performance management; financial and sales data; and contact information. All Personal information collected by WABCO will be used for legitimate business purposes consistent with this Policy.
III. DEFINITIONS
For purposes of this Policy, the following definitions shall apply:
"Agent" means any third party that uses Personal information provided by WABCO to perform tasks on behalf of or at the instruction of WABCO.
"WABCO" means WABCO Europe BVBA, its predecessors, successors, subsidiaries, divisions and groups.
"Personal information" means any information or set of information that identifies or could be used by or on behalf of WABCO to identify an individual. Personal information does not include information that is encoded or anonymized, or publicly available information that has not been combined with non-public Personal information.
"Sensitive Personal information" means Personal information that reveals race, ethnic origin, trade union membership, or that concerns health. In addition, WABCO will treat as sensitive Personal information any information received from a third party where that third party treats and identifies the information as sensitive.
IV. PRIVACY PRINCIPLES
The privacy principles in this Policy are based on the seven Safe Harbor Principles.
(1) NOTICE: Where WABCO collects Personal information directly from individuals, it will inform them about the purposes for which it collects and uses Personal information about them, the types of non-agent third parties to which WABCO discloses that information, and the choices and means, if any, WABCO offers individuals for limiting the use and disclosure of their Personal information. Notice will be provided in clear and conspicuous language when individuals are first asked to provide Personal information to WABCO, or as soon as practicable thereafter, and in any event before WABCO uses the information for a purpose other than that for which it was originally collected. WABCO may disclose Personal information if required to do so by law or to protect and defend the rights or property of WABCO.
(2) CHOICE: WABCO will offer individuals the opportunity to choose (opt-out) whether their Personal information is (a) to be disclosed to a non-agent third party, or (b) to be used for a purpose other than the purpose for which it was originally collected or subsequently authorized by the individual.
For sensitive Personal information, WABCO will give individuals the opportunity to affirmatively and explicitly (opt-in) consent to the disclosure of the information to a non-agent third party or the use of the information for a purpose other than the purpose for which it was originally collected or subsequently authorized by the individual.
WABCO will provide individuals with reasonable mechanisms to exercise their choices should requisite circumstances arise.
(3) DATA INTEGRITY: WABCO will use Personal information only in ways that are compatible with the purposes for which it was collected or subsequently authorized by the individual. WABCO will take reasonable steps to ensure that Personal information is relevant to its intended use, accurate, complete and current.
(4) TRANSFERS TO AGENTS: WABCO will obtain assurances from its Agents that they will safeguard Personal information consistently with this Policy. Examples of appropriate assurances that may be provided by Agents include: a contract obligating the Agent to provide at least the same level of protection as is required by the relevant Safe Harbor Principles, being subject to EU Directive 95/46/EC (the EU Data Protection Directive), Safe Harbor certification by the Agent, or being subject to another European Commission adequacy finding (e.g., companies located in Switzerland). Where WABCO has knowledge that an Agent is using or disclosing Personal information in a manner contrary to this Policy, WABCO will take reasonable steps to prevent or stop the use or disclosure. WABCO holds it Agents accountable for maintaining the trust our employees and customers place in the company.
(5) ACCESS AND CORRECTION: Upon request, WABCO will grant individuals reasonable access to Personal information that it holds about them. In addition, WABCO will take reasonable steps to permit individuals to correct, amend or delete information that is demonstrated to be inaccurate or incomplete. Any employees that desire to review or update their Personal information can do so by contacting their local Human Resources Representative.
(6) SECURITY: WABCO will take reasonable precautions to protect Personal information in its possession from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. WABCO protects data in many ways. Physical security is designed to prevent unauthorized access to database equipment and hard copies of sensitive Personal information. Electronic security measures continuously monitor access to our servers and provide protection from hacking or other unauthorized access from remote locations. This protection includes the use of firewalls, restricted access and encryption technology. WABCO limits access to Personal information and data to those persons in WABCO organization, or as agents of WABCO, that have a specific business purpose for maintaining and processing such Personal information and data. Individuals who have been granted access to Personal information are aware of their responsibilities to protect the security, confidentiality and integrity of that information and have been provided training and instruction on how to do so.
(7) ENFORCEMENT: WABCO will conduct compliance audits of its relevant privacy practices to verify adherence to this Policy and the US Department of Commerce Safe Harbor Principles. Any employee that WABCO determines is in violation of this Policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
V. DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Any questions or concerns regarding the use or disclosure of Personal information should be directed to the WABCO Office at the address given below. WABCO will investigate and attempt to resolve complaints and disputes regarding use and disclosure of Personal information in accordance with the principles contained in this Policy. For complaints that cannot be resolved between WABCO and the complaintant, WABCO has agreed to participate in the dispute resolution procedures of the panel established by the European data protection authorities to resolve disputes pursuant to the Safe Harbor Principles.
VI. INTERNET PRIVACY
WABCO sees the Internet, intranets and the use of other technologies as valuable tools for communicating and interacting with consumers, employees, vendors, business partners and others. WABCO recognizes the importance of maintaining the privacy of Personal information collected through websites that it operates. WABCO's sole purpose for operating its websites is to provide information concerning products and services to the public. In general, visitors can reach WABCO on the Web without revealing any Personal information. Visitors on the Web may elect to voluntarily provide Personal information via WABCO websites but are not required to do so. WABCO collects information from visitors to the websites who voluntarily provide Personal information by filling out and submitting online questionnaires concerning feedback on the website, requesting information on products or services, or seeking employment. The Personal information voluntarily provided by website users is contact information limited to the user's name, home and/or business address, phone numbers and email address. WABCO collects this information so it may answer questions and forward requested information. WABCO does not sell or share this information with non-agent third parties.
WABCO may also collect anonymous information concerning website users through the use of "cookies" in order to provide better customer service. "Cookies" are small files that websites place on users' computers to identify the user and enhance the website experience. None of this information is reviewed at an individual level. Visitors may set their browsers to provide notice before they receive a cookie, giving the opportunity to decide whether to accept the cookie. Visitors can also set their browsers to turn off cookies. If visitors do so, however, some areas of WABCO websites may not function properly.
Few, if any, of WABCO's websites are directed toward children. Nevertheless, WABCO is committed to complying with applicable laws and requirements, such as the United States' Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA").
WABCO website users have the option to request that WABCO not use information previously provided, correct information previously provided, or remove information previously provided to WABCO. Those that would like to correct or suppress information they have provided to WABCO should forward such inquiries to:
WABCO Holdings Inc.
One Centennial Avenue
Piscataway, New Jersey
08855-6820
Attn: Data Protection
The inquiries should include the individual's name, address, and other relevant contact information (phone number, email address). WABCO will use all reasonable efforts to honor such requests as quickly as possible.
WABCO websites may contain links to other "non-WABCO" websites. WABCO assumes no responsibility for the content or the privacy policies and practices on those websites. WABCO encourages all users to read the privacy statements of those sites; their privacy practices may differ from those of WABCO.
VII. CHANGES TO THIS SAFE HARBOR PRIVACY POLICY
The practices described in this Policy are current Personal data protection policies as of February 21, 2006. WABCO reserves the right to modify or amend this Policy at any time consistent with the requirements of the Safe Harbor Principles. Appropriate public notice will be given concerning such amendments.