New York Natural Gas℠ ("we," "us," or "our") is serious about protecting your privacy. We understand your concerns with regard to how information about you is used and shared, and we appreciate your trust that we will do so carefully and sensibly. This notice (this "Privacy Policy") describes what information we collect about you, how we collect it, how we use it, with whom we may share it, and what choices you have regarding it. This Privacy Policy is incorporated into and is a part of the Terms of Use of the New York Natural Gas website (www.newyorknatgas.com), or any replacement site, the "Website"). We encourage you to become familiar with the terms and conditions of both this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use, as they are legally binding agreements between you, the user accessing the Website, and New York Natural Gas. By accessing and using the Website, you agree that you have read and understand this Privacy Policy, and that in exchange for access to the Website, you accept and consent to the privacy practices (and any uses and disclosures of information about you) that are described in this Privacy Policy.
As described in detail below, we may collect certain identifying information from or about you in connection with your use of, or your submissions to, the Website (collectively, the "Collected Information"). New York Natural Gas uses the information we collect to improve the Website's content, materials, and services and to more effectively and efficiently respond to both current and future customer inquiries.
Cookies and Usage Reports
By placing a small file known as a "cookie" on your computer, New York Natural Gas's servers passively gather information about all visitors' use of the Website for statistical and market research purposes. The Collected Information we track with cookies includes, but is not limited to, the type of browser and Internet-connected device being used to access the Website, your Internet protocol ("IP") address, your home domain or Internet service provider, how you were directed to the Website, which specific pages you access on the Website, how long you view each page, and the total number of visitors to the Website.
Most popular Internet browser applications will allow you to configure the browser so as not to accept cookies. However, setting your browser to reject cookies may, in certain instances, prevent you from taking full advantage of the Website and its capabilities. Currently, New York Natural Gas does not use cookies that collect personally or individually identifying information.
Correspondence
If you correspond with New York Natural Gas through the Website or via email, the Collected Information may include the content of, and metadata regarding, any correspondence you may have with us. We treat all correspondence in the same confidential manner as all other Collected Information.
Online Account Management
If you elected to subscribe to any online services at the Website, including the ability to manage your New York Natural Gas account online (if this service is available), you will be required to submit personally indentifying information for the purpose of verifying your identity and your authority to manage the account. This Collected Information will be used exclusively by New York Natural Gas, our agents, suppliers, and third-party service providers for internal use and to respond to your service requests. All online account management pages use industry-standard encryption to secure all personally identifiable information transmitted between New York Natural Gas's servers and your computer.
In addition to the uses mentioned or described elsewhere in this Privacy Policy or in the Terms of Use, we may use the Collected Information to analyze and improve the content, features, services, and applications that we make available on the Website. If you submit your contact information to us (including, but not limited to, your email address), we may send you information that you request from us, promotional materials regarding New York Natural Gas's services, and any other communication for any other legitimate and lawful business purposes. If you contact us for support or assistance, we may use information about you or your system for purposes such as verifying whether your system meets the minimum requirements needed to use the Website and our various services.
In addition to the uses mentioned or described elsewhere in this Privacy Policy or in the Terms of Use, we may catalog and add Collected Information to our database. We may, from time to time, utilize a number of trusted business and marketing partners in delivering the content, materials, and opportunities available on or through the Website. To the extent necessary for purposes of communicating with you or fulfilling your requests for such content, materials, and opportunities, we may share information about you with these business partners. We may also produce reports on the Website's traffic or usage patterns and share these reports with our business partners and others, but the information contained in these reports is anonymous and does not allow identification of any specific individual. New York Natural Gas also may release personal information in connection with joint marketing efforts and strategic alliances. We may also disclose information about you if we become subject to a subpoena or court order, or if we are otherwise legally required to disclose information. We may also use and disclose information about you to establish or exercise our legal rights, to enforce the Terms of Use, to assert and defend against legal claims, or if we believe such disclosure is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take other action regarding actual or suspected illegal or fraudulent activities or potential threats to the physical safety or well-being of any person.
As New York Natural Gas grows and develops its business, it is possible that its corporate structure or organization might change or that it might merge or otherwise combine with, or that it or portions of its business might be acquired by, another company. In any such transactions, customer information generally is, and should be expected to be, one of the transferred business assets.
What Choices Do You Have?
When submitting information, corresponding, making requests for information, and otherwise interacting with New York Natural Gas and its representatives through or in connection with the Website, you choose what information to supply or submit, whether you wish to receive further information, and how you may be contacted. Please take care to share only such information as is needed or that you believe is appropriate. Any promotional email we send to you will contain a link which will allow you to opt out of receiving any further correspondence. If you have created an online account, you may also change your correspondence preferences by logging into your account. You may disable your online account access at any time; however, this will not necessarily result in the deletion of any Collected Information.
New York Natural Gas takes commercially reasonable measures to secure and protect information transmitted via or stored on the Website. Nevertheless, no security system is impenetrable. We cannot guarantee that information that users of the Website may happen to transmit or otherwise supply will be totally secure. You agree to immediately notify us of any breach of Website's security, this Privacy Policy, or the Terms of Use of which you become aware.
For your convenience, some hyperlinks may be posted on the Website that link to other websites not under our control. We are not responsible for, and this Privacy Policy does not apply to, the privacy practices of those sites or of any companies that we do not own or control. We encourage you to seek out and read the privacy policy of each website that you visit. In addition, should you happen to initiate a transaction on a website that our Website links to, even if you reached that site through our Website, the information that you submit to complete that transaction becomes subject to the privacy practices of the operator of that linked website. You should read that website's privacy policies to understand how personal information that is collected about you is used and protected.
From time to time, we may change our privacy practices and this Privacy Policy, because of changes in relevant and applicable legal or regulatory requirements, our business practices, or in our attempts to better serve your needs and those of our other customers. Notice of such changes to our privacy practices will be given in the manner described in the Terms of Use and a revised Privacy Policy will be posted on the Website.
If you have any questions or suggestions about the Website, New York Natural Gas, our services, or our privacy practices, please contact us at the numbers or addresses given below.
New York Natural Gas
P.O. Box 323
White Plains, NY 10602
webmaster@newyorknatgas.com
404-685-4038
BY ACCESSING OR USING THE WEBSITE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTAND, AND CONSENT TO THE PRIVACY POLICY, AND TO THE USES AND DISCLOSURES OF COLLECTED INFORMATION ABOUT YOU, THAT ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS PRIVACY POLICY AND YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF USE REFERENCED ABOVE.