Overview

Privacy Policy

Scope of Policy

This Policy applies to The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. network of sites. It does not apply to other companies' or organizations' web sites to which we link. You should carefully review the privacy policies of those web sites in order to determine how they treat your personal information.

INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

Information Gathered From All Visitors

Aggregate Data

We gather certain generic information with respect to customers' use of our web site, such as the number of unique visitors, the frequency with which they visit, and the areas on the web site that they favor. These statistics are very much like television ratings that tell the networks how many people tuned in to a program. We only use this type of data in aggregate-that is, we look at the data on a collective basis, in summary form, rather than on an individual basis. This data helps us determine the extent to which our customers use certain parts of our web site, which, in turn, enables us to make it as appealing as possible. We may also provide statistical "ratings" about how our customers collectively use our web site to advertisers, sponsors, and other companies with which we do business ("Business Partners"). We do this so they, too, can understand how often people use their areas of the site in order for them to provide you with the best possible experience. These statistical ratings do not contain any personally identifiable information about you or any of our users.

Cookies

We use a technology nicknamed "cookies" on our web site. Cookies are pieces of information or data sent to your browser from a web server and stored on your computer's hard drive for record-keeping purposes. We use cookies to make your visit to our web site easier. For example, cookies allow us to recognize you when you re-enter our web site so that you will not have to sign-in each time you visit. Cookies also allow us to count the number of unique and return visitors who use our site. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. If you prefer, you can reset your browser to notify you when you've received a cookie or, alternatively, to refuse to accept cookies. It is important to note that you may not be able to use certain features on our web site if you choose not to accept cookies. Cookies can also enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance their experience on our site.

Third Party Advertiser Cookies

We use third-party advertising companies to serve our ads on the Internet. These third-party advertising companies employ cookie and Clear GIF technology (aka 1x1 Pixel .gifs, Web bugs) to measure and improve the effectiveness of ads for their clients. To do so, these companies may use anonymous information about your visits to our Web site and other Web sites. This information can include: date/time of banner ad shown, the banner ad that was shown, their cookie, the IP address. This information can also be used for online preference marketing purposes. The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. does not use or have access to this information.

If you want to prevent a third-party advertiser from setting and/or reading cookies on your computer, currently you may either visit each ad network's web site individually and opt out or visit the web site of the National Advertising Initiative ("NAI") to opt-out of all network-advertising cookies. Click here for the NAI gateway opt-out site. This site will also allow you to review the third-party advertising companies' privacy policies.

Advertising Research Cookies

From time-to-time, outside third party research companies may set cookies on your browser regarding exposure to certain ad placements. These cookies may be used later for research purposes if you later opt-in to take a survey. If you choose to take the survey, these companies may examine your browser to see if a one of their cookies has been set. If the company detects the cookie in your browser, it will gather only 2 pieces of information from it: where you have seen a particular ad and; how many times you have seen it. If you do not want these kinds of cookies to be set to your browser, you can opt-out by clicking here.

IP Addresses

We collect and analyze traffic on our web site by keeping track of the IP addresses of our visitors. IP addresses are unique numeric identifiers that are assigned to each computer browser accessing the Internet. An IP address, by itself, cannot identify you personally. However, when combined with other information provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), your IP address can be used to identify the computer originating a message.

Communications from The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc.

We send to all of our users our exclusive newsletter, which alerts you to new features, content, and services, premiums available on our site. From time to time, we will also send you information on new products and services from The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. special "Members Only" premiums, or special offers from our affiliates and sponsors. These communications are sent to you directly by The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc.  We do not share your personally identifiable information with any third parties in connection with the Newsletter.

You can always decline the Newsletter by e-mailing us at scan@thespigroupinc.net.  If you are already receiving the Newsletter and you want to unsubscribe, you can simply follow the "unsubscribe" links at the bottom of each edition.

Communications from Our Business Partners

The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. also offers you the opportunity to receive money-saving offers, discounts, and promotions from our Business Partners. These communications may come from The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. or directly from the Partners themselves. We may also share with them certain demographic, geographic, preference, and other personally identifiable information we have gathered about you. This will help them in directing to you offers that are more likely to be of interest.

This program is conducted strictly on an opt-in basis.  If you do sign up for the program but later change your mind, you are free at any time to opt-out by following the procedures outlined in Opt-Out/Changing Your Status, below.

Mandatory Communications

The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. reserves the right to communicate with you from time to time about important administrative, policy, legal, credit card, and billing matters, which will affect your use of our web sites, including without limitation any alleged violations of our Terms of Service. These communications are mandatory.

Information Gathered From Members

If you elect to register for an account with The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. you will be required to provide us with certain personal information, including your name, e-mail address, credit card number, expiration date, and billing address (this required information is subject to change from time to time). There will also be opportunities for you to provide us with additional information regarding your preferences and interests. This information, however, is not required and is completely optional on your part.

Additional data may be collected from Members based upon certain services they elect to utilize on our web site. For example, we may track pages you visit in order to make appropriate recommendations for products or services available on our site or those of our Business Partners. Account holders may register for The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. Reminders, which are e-mail alerts to track important dates of service. By obtaining this information, we can provide our Members with specific content and advertising in which they might be interested. None of this information is required to use our service or to register for an account; however, the omission of certain types of data will limit the value of your account.

THE SURVEILLANCE, PROTECTION & INVESTIGATIONS GROUP INC. USES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

If you have provided us your consent, we will use the information we have collected about you in five ways:

On-Site Advertising

The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. may also use information about you to target advertising while you are visiting our site. We may also use geographic or other information we have collected from you to make sure that the ads you see are for goods and services that are actually of interest to you or are available in your area. We may use cookie files to assure that you will not be served the same ads repeatedly.

Disclosure Exceptions

Notwithstanding the above policies, we reserve the right to disclose your personal information to appropriate third-parties if we are required to do so by law or we believe that such action is necessary:

YOUR CONTROL OVER YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

Opt-Out/Changing Your Status
At any time, you can change choices you have previously made as to the use of your personal information. Every communication The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. sends you will contain a clearly worded "Opt-Out" or "Unsubscribe" link allowing you to withdraw your permission for future mailings. Alternatively, you can send an e-mail to scan@thespigroupinc.net and type "Remove" in the subject field. This system is automated and must be contacted from the email address you wish to have removed. Permission changes will be honored as soon as possible after receipt. Please allow five to seven days for processing. Permission changes will however not affect any information which you provided to us and which we previously shared with our Business Partners.

Editing Your Profile

If you are a registered account holder, you have the ability to review and correct your personally identifiable information at any time. Simply sign into the site and click the "Manage Your Account" link on the header of every page. There, you can change your address information, e-mail type, sign-in, and e-mail permissions. You can revise, add, delete, or completely cancel all alerts by following the links to "Reminders" at the top of each page.

OTHER MATTERS

Protection for Children - COPPA Compliance
We are committed to protecting the privacy and rights of children online. We believe that children should be able to use the Internet in a safe, productive, and efficient manner and should be afforded the highest protection available with respect to their personal information. To that end, we have made it our policy to not collect any individually identifiable information from users whom we know are under the age of 18.
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA") imposes certain requirements upon web sites and online services that are directed toward children. To learn more about COPPA, click here for the Federal Trade Commission COPPA Web Site.

Contests and Promotions

Occasionally, The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. may sponsor contests and/or promotions on our sites or in our e-mail products. Participation in such contests is purely voluntary. In order to enter a contest or promotion, you may be asked to provide personally identifiable information. By entering, you agree to all of its terms and conditions, which will be clearly outlined in the rules. Where a contest or promotion is not sponsored by The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. the identity of the sponsor will be clearly disclosed in the rules. The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. cannot be responsible for actions or policies of third-party contest sponsors. Users are encouraged to review the relevant privacy policy of the sponsor before entering.

Sale of Assets

In the event that The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. and/or its units or subsidiaries are ever sold, acquired, merged, liquidated, reorganized, or otherwise transferred, we reserve the right to transfer our user databases together with any personally identifiable information contained therein, to a third-party acquiring The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. assets. In the event we do so, we will place a prominent notice of the sale on the homepage of our site, with links to information as to how you can change your privacy preferences.

Data Security

When you place orders for purchased products or access your payment information, we use an advanced encryption technology known as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to protect the storage and transfer of your data from unauthorized parties. While on a secure page, such as our registration form, a lock or key icon appears on the bottom of your web browser.

In addition to our online security efforts, we take steps to protect your personal data offline, as well. All of your information, not just the sensitive information mentioned above, is restricted in our offices. Employees are granted access on a need-to-know basis (for example, our billing clerk or a customer service representative). Furthermore, ALL employees are kept up-to-date on our security and privacy practices. Finally, the servers on which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure off site environment, behind a locked cage.

The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. main servers are operated from a dedicated Internet hosting facility with state-of-the-art physical security features, including smoke detection and fire suppression systems, motion sensors, and 24x7 secured access, as well as video camera surveillance and security breach alarms. If you have any questions about the security at our website, you can send an email to matthew@thespigroupinc.net.  

Changes to the Privacy Policy

The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. will occasionally update this Privacy Policy in response to changing business circumstances and legal developments. When The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. posts changes to this Policy, you will see the word "updated" next to the Privacy Policy link on the front page of The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. sites. If there are material changes to this Policy or in how The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. uses your personally identifiable information, The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. will prominently post such changes prior to implementing the change. The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc. encourages you to periodically review this Policy to be informed of how we are protecting your information.

USE COMMON SENSE IN ALL YOUR ONLINE ACTIVITIES

Even the best policy can't protect your online privacy and security in all circumstances. Unscrupulous advertisers, hackers, and scam artists are constantly searching the Internet looking for new targets. Your best protection is to understand the limits to privacy on the Internet and use common sense in all of your on-line activities.

Be aware that e-mail is an inherently insecure form of communication. Remember that third parties are sometimes able to illegally intercept your unencrypted messages. Anytime you visit a chat room or post a message to an on-line bulletin board, your e-mail address can be accessed by advertisers looking to compile lists for unsolicited commercial e-mail (also known as spam). Be sure that you only disclose your e-mail address in circumstances in which it is safe to do so.

Beware of scams in which persons unknown to you request your screen name, password, or credit card information. Make sure you verify the identity of anyone asking for personal information. Always monitor your children's on-line activities and educate them as to the rules for safe Internet use. For more information, click here for the Internet Education Foundation's Online Safety Guide for Kids.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

 

Thank You!

The Surveillance, Protection & Investigations Group Inc.