Effective Date: November 2013
This Privacy Policy explains how we handle the personal information that you provide to us on Web Sites controlled by AbbVie Ltd in the UK (including its subsidiaries and affiliates) which link to this Privacy Policy (referred to as "AbbVie Web Sites"). This Privacy Policy also describes the collection of certain other types of information on AbbVie Web Sites.
This Privacy Policy does not apply to personal information collected from you offline, to AbbVie Web Sites that do not link to this Privacy Policy, or to third-party web sites to which AbbVie Web Sites may link. Your use of AbbVie Web Sites, which link to this Privacy Policy is subject to this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use.
Please read this Privacy Policy before using AbbVie Web Sites or submitting personal information to us.
Please note that this Web Site does not collect any personal information, the details listed below state AbbVie’s general use of personal information only.
Personal Information will be retained for as long as necessary to fulfil the specified purpose and for AbbVie to comply with any applicable legal obligation.
How does this Privacy Policy define "personal information"?
There are two types of personal data for the purpose of the Data Protection Act 1998.
- "Personal Information" (essentially "Personal Data" defined in the Data Protection Act 1998) means information that identifies you or could reasonably be used to identify you and which is submitted to and/or collected by AbbVie Web Sites and maintained by AbbVie in an accessible form. Examples of personal information include your name, your postal address, your e-mail address and your telephone number.
- "Sensitive Personal Information" (essentially "Sensitive Personal Data" defined in the Data Protection Act 1998) means data including, but not limited to: your ethnic origin, your religious beliefs, your physical or mental health condition, your sexual orientation.
What types of information does AbbVie collect online?
- Personal Information You Submit: AbbVie collects personal information that you enter into data fields on AbbVie Web Sites. For example, you may submit your name, postal address, e-mail address, and/or other information in order to receive information about various subjects, register for AbbVie programmes, contact AbbVie customer service, or respond to AbbVie surveys. To protect your privacy, you should not provide AbbVie with any information that is not specifically requested.
- Passive Collection of Unidentifiable Technical and Web Browsing Information: AbbVie Web Sites may collect information about your visits to AbbVie Web Sites without you actively submitting such information. Please see the sections below for information on cookies and similar passive collection systems.
Does AbbVie collect “sensitive” Personal Information?
- AbbVie collects via some AbbVie Web Sites personal information, such as health related information, that may be designated as "sensitive" as described above. AbbVie shall adopt additional measures as required by local law for the processing of such information. In addition, individual AbbVie subsidiaries or affiliates may adopt measures to address local custom or social expectation about such information. By providing us with Sensitive Personal Information, you consent to AbbVie collecting, transferring, storing, and processing it.
How does AbbVie use personal information that I have provided?
- AbbVie will use the personal information you provide through AbbVie Web Sites to respond to your questions and to provide you with an efficient customer service.
Will AbbVie combine personal information I provide on an AbbVie Web Site with other personal information about me?
- AbbVie may combine the personal information that a customer provides on one AbbVie Web Site with the personal information provided by that customer on other AbbVie Web Sites.
- AbbVie may combine personal information that you provide to us online with our offline records.
- AbbVie may combine personal information that you have provided to us directly with records provided by third parties.
- We use this consolidated information to help us better design AbbVie Web Sites and AbbVie products, and to facilitate other business functions.
What choices do I have about how AbbVie collects and uses personal information about me?
- You may always limit the amount and type of personal information that AbbVie receives about you by choosing not to enter any personal information into forms or data fields on AbbVie Web Sites. Some of our online services can only be provided to you if you provide us with appropriate personal information. Other parts of AbbVie Web Sites may ask whether you wish to opt into or opt out of our contact lists for services that may be of interest to you.
Does AbbVie share personal information with third parties?
- Except as otherwise stated at the outset of this Privacy Policy, AbbVie will not transfer personal information to third parties unless an opportunity to opt into this disclosure has been provided.
- AbbVie may share personal information with third parties with whom AbbVie is jointly marketing a product or service or jointly conducting a programme or activity. It is AbbVie’s practice to notify you if you are registering for a programme which is conducted in conjunction with another company that may require access to your personal information.
- AbbVie may also share personal information with vendors with whom AbbVie contracts to carry out business activities for AbbVie. If AbbVie provides personal information to vendors to assist with business activities, such vendors must keep personal information confidential and only use personal information to perform functions for AbbVie.
- AbbVie may share personal information with a third party in connection with the sale or transfer of one of its product lines or divisions so that the buyer can continue to provide information and services.
- AbbVie reserves the right to disclose personal information in response to authorised information requests from government authorities, to address national security situations, or when otherwise required by law.
- Personal information may be shared with health care professionals to provide support services. For the avoidance of doubt, Personal Information will only be collected on the condition that consent has been provided to such information being collected.
Who will have access to personal and / or sensitive personal information about me?
- Your personal information and / or sensitive personal information can be accessed by a restricted number of authorised AbbVie employees and individuals working for AbbVie to provide the stated services; we train personnel about the importance of privacy and how to handle and manage customer data appropriately and securely and have procedures, processes and contracts in-place to help to ensure your data is secure and used in accordance with the service provided. As stated above to provide the service we may share relevant parts of your data with other approved companies. In some cases, AbbVie personnel will not have access to the data you enter, in such cases the data is only made available to others to provide the service, for example your doctor or other health care professional.
How does AbbVie secure personal information?
- It is AbbVie’s practice to secure each web page that collects personal information; however, the confidentiality of personal information transmitted over the Internet cannot be guaranteed. We urge you to exercise caution when transmitting personal information over the Internet, especially personal information related to your health. AbbVie cannot guarantee that unauthorised third parties will not gain access to your personal information; therefore, when submitting personal information to AbbVie Web Sites, you must weigh both the benefits and the risks.
- In addition, AbbVie Web Sites covered by this Privacy Policy will display a warning whenever you link to a Web site that is not controlled by AbbVie or subject to an AbbVie privacy policy; you should check the privacy policies of such third-party Web sites before submitting personal information.
Does AbbVie transfer personal information to different jurisdictions?
- AbbVie stores data on secured servers in several countries around the world permitted by the law of England and Wales and NHS contractual requirements. Please be aware that information you provide to us or we obtain as a result of your use of the AbbVie Web Sites may be processed and transferred to countries other than the country in which you are resident, including the United States. The privacy and data protection laws in such countries may not be equivalent to the laws in your country of residence. By using and participating in any AbbVie Web Sites or providing us with your information, you consent to this collection, transfer, storage, and processing of information to and in such countries.
How does AbbVie protect the privacy of children?
- AbbVie does not knowingly collect or use any personal information from children (we define "children" as minors younger than 13) on AbbVie Web Sites. We do not knowingly allow children to communicate with us, or use any of our online services.
- If you are a parent and become aware that your child has provided us with information, please contact us using one of the methods specified below, and we will work with you to address this issue.
How may I correct personal information or delete it from current customer records?
- You may request that we remove your personal information from our current customer records or that we amend your personal information. Please notify us of your wishes by contacting us in one of the ways specified below. For our record keeping purposes, we will retain certain personal information you submit in conjunction with commercial transactions.
Why do AbbVie Web Sites use “cookies” and other tracking technologies?
- A “cookie” is a file that our Web Server may send to your computer when you access an AbbVie Web Site. This file is then stored on your computer. After you have entered personal information into a form or data field on an AbbVie Web Site, AbbVie may use cookies and certain other technologies to allow that Web Site to "remember" your personal preferences, such as sections of that Web site that you visit frequently and, if you choose, your user ID.
- Passive information collection technologies can make your use of AbbVie Web Sites easier by allowing AbbVie to provide better service, customise sites based on consumer preferences, compile statistics, analyse trends, and otherwise administer and improve AbbVie Web Sites. Certain features of AbbVie Web Sites may not work without use of passive information collection technologies.
- You can also learn more about cookies by visiting www.allaboutcookies.org.
What types of cookies and other tracking technologies do AbbVie Web Sites use?
- AbbVie Web Sites use “session” cookies. Session cookies are temporary bits of information that are erased once you exit your web browser window or otherwise turn your computer off. Session cookies are used, for example, to improve navigation on our web sites, block visitors from providing information where inappropriate (the site "remembers" previous entries of age or country of origin that were outside the specified parameters and blocks subsequent changes) and to collect aggregated statistical information.
- AbbVie Web Sites use “persistent” cookies. Persistent cookies are more permanent bits of information that are placed on the hard drive of your computer and stay there unless you delete the cookie. Persistent cookies store information on your computer for a number of purposes, such as retrieving certain information you have previously provided (e.g., passwords), helping to determine what areas of the web site visitors find most valuable, and customising the Web Site based on your preferences on an on-going basis. Persistent cookies placed by this site on your computer may hold personally identifiable information, but only if you have registered or have otherwise consented to the retention of personally identifiable information you have provided at the site. Otherwise our site's server only knows that an unidentified visitor with your cookies has returned to the site.
- AbbVie Web Sites use “Web Beacons” (also known as internet tags, single-pixel GIFs, clear GIFs, and invisible GIFs). A Web Beacon is a tiny graphic on a web page or in an e-mail message that is used to track pages viewed or messages opened. Web Beacons tell the Web Site server information such as the IP address and browser type related to the visitor's computer. Web Beacons may be placed on online advertisements that bring people to our site and on different pages of our site. Web beacons provide us with information on how many times a page is opened and which information is consulted; AbbVie does not use Web beacons to collect personal information.
What choices do I have about AbbVie’s use of cookies and other tracking technologies?
- The specific choices you are provided with concerning AbbVie’s use of cookies and other tracking technologies vary by Web Site.
- On some AbbVie Web Sites, you may be asked to consent to the use cookies and/or other tracking technologies on that Web Site. Cookies that are necessary to the operation of the site will continue to function regardless of whether you have provided consent. Other types of cookies and tracking technologies will be turned off until you provide consent. As a result, the functionality of the site may be reduced until you choose to provide consent.
- On some AbbVie Web Sites, you may be provided with preference questions or boxes allowing you to indicate that you do not want that Web Site to use cookies or other tracking technologies that are not necessary to the operation of the Web Site. If you choose to exercise this opt-out option, the functionality of the Web Site may be reduced as a result.
- Some Internet browsers allow you to limit or disable the use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Please refer to the information provided by your Internet browser for instructions on how to do so (generally found under a “Help” menu).
How can I contact AbbVie?
- If you have questions about the use, amendment, or deletion of personal information that you have provided to us, or if you would like to opt out of future communications from an AbbVie business or a particular AbbVie programme, please contact us by clicking on the "Contact” link on the Web site you are visiting. Alternatively, you may send a letter to the following address:
- Attn: Data Protection Officer, AbbVie Ltd, Vanwall Business Park, Vanwall Road, Maidenhead, Berks, SL6 4XE.
- In all communications to AbbVie, please include the e-mail address used for registration (if applicable), the Web site address or the specific AbbVie programme to which you provided personal information (e.g. AbbVie.com, etc.), and a detailed explanation of your request.
- If you would like to delete, amend or correct your personal information and are contacting us by e-mail, please put "Deletion Request" or "Amendment/Correction Request", as applicable, in the subject line of the e-mail. We will do our best to respond to all reasonable requests in a timely manner.
How will I know whether AbbVie has updated this policy?
- Without prejudice to your rights under applicable law, AbbVie reserves the right to amend this Privacy Policy without prior notice to reflect technological advancements, legal and regulatory changes and good business practices.
- If AbbVie changes its privacy practices, an updated version of this Privacy Policy will reflect those changes and we will notify you of such changes by updating the effective date at the top of this Privacy Policy.
