TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The AL-INVEST network is a “White label” version of the website Connectamericas.com, a social business network created by the IDB. Due to the AL-INVEST network using the technology and content of ConnectAmericas.com, users of the AL-INVEST network are bound by the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy of the ConnectAmericas.com website.In the terms stated in the Privacy Policy, the AL-INVEST network and organizations that are part of its executing consortium are partners of ConnectAmericas and will therefore have access to information on registered users of the ConnectAmericas.com White Label version created for the AL-INVEST network. The AL-INVEST network and organizations that are part of its executing consortium will handle this data according to the ConnectAmericas.com Privacy Policy.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE
CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE
PLEASE READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE (THIS “AGREEMENT”) CAREFULLY. IT IS A LEGAL AND BINDING CONTRACT BETWEEN YOU AND THE INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (“IDB”). THIS AGREEMENT APPLIES TO YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THIS WEB SITE AND THE CAPABILITIES AND INFORMATION MADE AVAILABLE TO YOU THROUGH ITS USE. BY CLICKING THE "I ACCEPT" BUTTON, YOU AGREE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THIS AGREEMENT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY IT IN ITS ENTIRETY. IF YOU ARE REGISTERING TO USE THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE ON BEHALF OF AN ORGANIZATION OR OTHER LEGAL ENTITY, YOU REPRESENT THAT YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO BIND THE LEGAL ENTITY, AND THAT THE LEGAL ENTITY IS DULY ORGANIZED, VALIDLY EXISTING AND IN GOOD STANDING. YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT THE LEGAL ENTITY WILL BE BOUND BY AND RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY BREACH OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ANY OF THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, YOU MUST IMMEDIATELY DISCONTINUE YOUR USE OF THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE.
The ConnectAmericas Web Site ("ConnectAmericas Web Site") is a regional electronic platform established by the IDB. The IDB is an international organization established by its member countries pursuant to the Agreement Establishing the Inter-American Development Bank. The purpose of the IDB is to further the economic and social development of Latin America and the Caribbean. The ConnectAmericas Web Site provides integrated services and information for small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) seeking to internationalize, and it may include geographic data, economic data, socio-political information, ideas, solutions, concepts, techniques, and other information and data in any format, including text, audio and visual content (“Content”). The features and functions of the Connect Americas Web Site are referred to in this Agreement as the "Services". The ConnectAmericas Web Site is for the benefit of users who have registered on the ConnectAmericas Web Site (“Registered Users”), as well as any non-registered visitors who may view or browse certain unrestricted portions of the ConnectAmericas Web Site (“Users”). Registered Users will have access to and use of facilities of the ConnectAmericas Web Site not made available to Users who are not Registered Users, and may be permitted to post certain types of Content. Upon your agreement to this Agreement and the acceptance by IDB of your registration (“Registration”), you will become a Registered User for the purpose of this Agreement. The ConnectAmericas Web Site seeks to connect Registered Users with networks of industry colleagues, educate Registered Users about how to expand their businesses to new markets, and provide information and technical assistance about potential financing opportunities.
CONNECTAMERICAS REGISTRATION
In order to access the full functionality of the ConnectAmericas Web Site, you must register as a Registered User through any means offered on the ConnectAmericas Web Site. If your registration is accepted, you will be assigned a user identification code ("User Identification"). You will have access to various Content and system resources associated with your User Identification as determined by IDB in its sole discretion, which may include designated directories, web pages, e-mail or other capabilities, and/or information storage, and which may be changed, terminated, increased or decreased by IDB from time to time. When applying for a User Identification, you must provide accurate and complete information. The use of pseudonyms, aliases or other devices to conceal your identity is strictly forbidden and grounds for the immediate termination of the authorization of your User Identification. You also acknowledge that you solely assume any and all liability for any Content that is posted using your User Identification, including any Submissions (as defined below), whether or not you personally post such Content. You are solely responsible for the activity that occurs through your User Identification, and you must keep your User Identification password secure. You shall notify IDB immediately of any breach of security or unauthorized use of your User Identification. You shall not use any User Identification without the permission of the relevant User. Although IDB will not be liable for your losses caused by any unauthorized use of your User Identification, you may be liable for the losses of IDB or others due to such unauthorized use.
The ConnectAmericas Web Site and the Services are provided for professional use only and in registering as a User, you acknowledge that the Services and any Content may not be used for personal, family, or household purposes.
The ConnectAmericas Web Site and the Services are provided by IDB gratis and solely as an accommodation. IDB reserves the right to discontinue the ConnectAmericas Web Site and the Services, in whole or in part, to accept or deny any Registration, and to terminate any Registration and its associated User Identification, at any time in its sole discretion for any reason or no reason.
CONTENT PROVIDED TO IDB OR POSTED TO THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE
You may provide and submit Content to IDB and the ConnectAmericas Web Site in connection with your use of the Services. Content provided by you is referred to as a “Submission”. You hereby grant to IDB a nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual, assignable, sublicensable, transferable, royalty-free right to copy, prepare derivative works, distribute, transmit, display, publish, remove, retain, translate, analyze, reformat, edit and use (including alone and in collective works), in any way now known or in the future discovered, any Submission you provide directly or indirectly in connection with the offering by IDB of the ConnectAmericas Web Site and/or the Services, and to publish your name in connection with your Submission, without any further consent of or notice to you or to any third party. All of the foregoing rights are referred to as the “License”. The License includes the right of IDB to authorize Users (whether or not Registered Users) and other third parties on a royalty-free basis to copy, distribute, and otherwise exploit any Submission, including the right of Users and such other third parties to authorize the same. Unless you have a separate written agreement with IDB to provide services to IDB for compensation, no compensation will be paid to you or any third party with respect to the use of your Submissions and the License as provided herein.
You understand and agree that, in the event you choose to delete any Submission previously posted by you, (a) there can be no assurance that such Submission will cease to be accessible thereafter (whether on the ConnectAmericas Web Site or otherwise) and (b) any person who has previously downloaded or otherwise copied such Submission will continue to have all rights to use such Submission as otherwise granted by you pursuant to this Agreement.
By providing any Submission to the ConnectAmericas Web Site, you represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to submit such Submission, and that the content of the Submission is accurate, not confidential, and not in violation of any contractual restrictions or other third party rights. You represent and warrant that any copyrighted material included in the Submission is either your original work of authorship or that you otherwise own or have all rights and required authorizations to grant to IDB and other Users the License and any other rights granted by you pursuant to this Agreement. You further represent and warrant that you have the financial, intellectual and human resources required to execute any proposed activities in your Submission.
You understand and agree that IDB may, but has no obligation to, monitor, review, evaluate, edit, filter or validate any Content. IDB also has no obligation to verify the identity of the persons who register on the ConnectAmericas Web Site or to monitor the use of the Services. IDB will not be a party to or in any way be responsible for monitoring any transaction between you and any other User or any other third party. IDB reserves the right to reject, refuse to post or remove any Submission posted by you, or to deny, restrict, suspend or terminate your access to all or any part of the ConnectAmericas Web Site or the Services at any time, for any or no reason, with or without prior notice or explanation, and without liability. For avoidance of doubt, IDB has no obligation to store, maintain or provide you a copy of any Content that you or other Users provide when using the Services, whether during the term of your Registration or upon or after its termination. You are solely responsible for making backup copies of your own Submissions and any electronic communications sent or received by you using the Services.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IDB, FOR ITSELF AND ITS AFFILIATES, HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO ANY AND ALL CONTENT, FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS MADE AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, ACCURACY OF DATA AND NONINFRINGEMENT. THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. IDB IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR AND MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO, DELIVERY, INTEGRITY OR VISIBILITY TO THIRD PARTIES OF ANY MESSAGES OR OTHER INFORMATION SENT THROUGH THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE TO ANYONE. IDB AND ITS AFFILIATES ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR AND DO NOT WARRANT, GUARANTEE, RECOMMEND, OR ENDORSE, AS APPLICABLE (I) THE ACCURACY, QUALITY OR EFFECTIVENESS OF ANY CONTENT, INCLUDING ANY SUBMISSION BY ANY USER, (II) ANY TRANSLATION OF ORIGINAL CONTENT, (III) CONTENTS ACCESSIBLE THROUGH LINKS TO OTHER WEB SITES ON THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE, (IV) THE SUCCESS OF ANY PROJECT OR COLLABORATION WITH ANOTHER USER OR OTHER THIRD PARTY THAT MAY RESULT FROM A SUBMISSION OR FROM INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER USERS OR THIRD PARTIES, OR (V) THAT THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE OR THE SERVICES WILL FUNCTION WITHOUT INTERRUPTION OR ERRORS IN FUNCTIONING. IN PARTICULAR, THE OPERATION OF THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE AND THE SERVICES MAY BE INTERRUPTED DUE TO MAINTENANCE, UPDATES, OR SYSTEM OR NETWORK FAILURES. IDB DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES CAUSED BY ANY SUCH INTERRUPTION OR ERRORS IN FUNCTIONING.
NO CONTENT OR OTHER MATERIALS OR INFORMATION ON OR ACCESSIBLE THROUGH THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE OR THE USE OF THE SERVICES IS INTENDED TO BE NOR SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE A SOLICITATION TO SELL OR AN OFFER TO BUY SECURITIES BY OR ON BEHALF OF IDB OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY. TO THE EXTENT THAT THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE LINKS TO A WEB SITE THAT FACILITATES SUCH SOLICITATION, SUCH LINK IS PROVIDED FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THE USER AND DOES NOT REPRESENT THE ENDORSEMENT OF ANY OFFER OR SOLICITATION MADE OR FACILITATED BY OR THROUGH SUCH LINKED WEB SITE.
COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
To the extent that the Services include a means for directing communications from one User to another User or a third party, you understand and acknowledge that you use such Services at your own risk. IDB will not be liable for (a) any failure to transmit or to reach the intended destination of such communications, (b) errors in transmission, (c) interception by any person, (d) any other defect in such service, or (e) the content of any such communications.
INCENTIVE AND REWARDS PLANS
The Services offered on the ConnectAmericas Web Site may include (1) a point system to incentivize use of the ConnectAmericas Web Site and the Services, which may or may not include User rewards from third party vendors for achieving certain point levels, (2) a recognition system to indicate that a User has satisfied certain objective criteria, or (3) other User incentive or rewards programs. You understand and agree that any such programs and rewards are entirely discretionary, and IDB may choose to permit or deny participation to any User in its sole discretion. IDB has the authority to establish the criteria for such programs and rewards, from time to time, in its sole discretion, and is under no obligation to provide or administer any such programs. In the event that any such programs are offered, IDB may cease to provide such programs, or may modify such programs, at any time without notice to you. Incentives and rewards are based on records of use of the ConnectAmericas Web Site by the relevant Users and upon self-reporting by Users of other activities. Neither IDB nor anyone on its behalf will undertake to verify or validate whether any User has satisfied any of the criteria applicable to any reward or incentive program. Accordingly, neither the accrual of incentives nor the publication of any recognition on the ConnectAmericas Web Site constitutes the endorsement or recommendation by IDB of any product or service of any User or third party sponsor of or contributor to the ConnectAmericas Web Site.
USE OF SERVICES
You are responsible for all your activity on the ConnectAmericas Web Site and shall abide by all applicable local, state, national and foreign laws, treaties and regulations in connection with your use of the Services, including those related to data privacy, international communications and the transmission of technical, financial or personal data. You shall: (a) notify IDB immediately of any unauthorized use of your User Identification, any password, or any of your Registration information, or any other known or suspected breach of security; and (b) report to IDB immediately and use reasonable efforts to stop immediately any copying or distribution of Content that is known or suspected by you to infringe the intellectual property rights of any other third party or is otherwise illegal, inappropriate and/or in violation of any provision of this Agreement.
You agree to only make Submissions and to otherwise post, send and receive information that is proper and related to the Services. By way of example, and not as a limitation, you agree that when using the Services, you will not:
Alter or modify any part of the ConnectAmericas Web Site, the Services or any of the related technologies;
Defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten or otherwise violate the legal rights (such as rights of privacy and publicity) of others;
Publish, post, upload, distribute or disseminate any false, misleading, inappropriate, profane, defamatory, infringing, libelous, obscene, indecent or unlawful topic, name, material or information;
Duplicate, license, sublicense, publish, broadcast, transmit, distribute, perform, display, sell, rebrand or otherwise transfer information or Content found on the ConnectAmericas Web Site (excluding Submissions from you) except as expressly permitted by this Agreement;
Upload files that contain software or other material protected by intellectual property laws (or by rights of privacy or publicity) unless you own or control the rights thereto or have received all necessary consents;
Upload files that contain viruses, corrupted files, or any other similar software or programs that may damage the operation of another"s computer;
Advertise or offer to sell or buy any goods or services for any business purpose, unless the Services specifically allow such messages, in which you case you may do so only in accordance with any additional terms and conditions applicable to such messages;
Conduct or forward surveys, contests, pyramid schemes, chain letters or the like;
Download any file posted by another User that you know, or reasonably should know, cannot be legally distributed in such manner;
Falsify or delete any author attributions, legal or other notices or proprietary designations or labels of the origin or source of software, Content or other material contained in a file that is uploaded;
Use any alias, pseudonym (other than a trade name that is not misleading), or means of concealing the sender or recipient of any electronic communication made by you using the capabilities of the ConnectAmericas Web Site or made by you to any other person;
Damage, disable, restrict or inhibit any other User from using and enjoying the Services;
Violate any code of conduct or other guidelines which may be applicable for any particular Service, including IDB guidelines in respect of prohibited practices; [1]
Harvest or otherwise collect information about others, including e-mail addresses, without their consent;
Violate any applicable laws or regulations;
Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, decipher, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code for any underlying intellectual property used to provide the Services or any part thereof; or
Circumvent, disable or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the ConnectAmericas Web Site or features, such as those that prevent or restrict use or copying of any Content, or that enforce limitations on use of the ConnectAmericas Web Site or the Content therein.
As a condition of your use of the ConnectAmericas Web Site, you represent and warrant to IDB that you will not use the ConnectAmericas Web Site for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by this Agreement. You may not obtain or attempt to obtain from IDB or the ConnectAmericas Web Site any materials or information through any means not intentionally made available or provided for through the ConnectAmericas Web Site.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
You acknowledge and agree that the ConnectAmericas Web Site and the Services include features and Content that are protected by copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other laws governing proprietary rights. IDB or its licensors own all rights, title and interest in and to the ConnectAmericas Web Site, the Services, and all Content (other than your Submissions), software, code, data and other materials thereon, as well as the look-and-feel, design and organization of any aspect thereof. Your use of the ConnectAmericas Web Site does not grant to you ownership or title of, in or to any Content or other material on the ConnectAmericas Web Site, or the right to use the ConnectAmericas Web Site or any of the Services for any purpose other than as expressly set forth in this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, the IDB and ConnectAmericas names and logos, and the names associated with the ConnectAmericas Web Site and the Services are trademarks of IDB, and no right or license is granted to use them.
INDEMNITY
As a condition of your use of the ConnectAmericas Web Site and the Services, you agree to indemnify the IDB, its affiliates, and its and their respective partners, officers, directors, employees and agents, from and against any and all actions, claims, losses, damages, liabilities and expenses (including reasonable attorneys" fees) arising from: (i) your use of and access to the ConnectAmericas Web Site and any of the Services, and any activity in which you engage in connection therewith, (ii) your violation of any term of this Agreement, including without limitation your violation of any third party copyright, property (including intellectual or industrial property), confidential information, privacy, contractual or other right, or (iii) any claim that one of your Submissions or any portion thereof caused damage to a third party. This indemnification obligation will survive termination of this Agreement and your use of the ConnectAmericas Web Site.
PRIVACY
You should carefully read our full Privacy Policy before using the ConnectAmericas Web Site or any of the Services. The Privacy Policy, hereby incorporated by reference into this Agreement and located at http://www.connectamericas.com/privacy_policy.html, governs IDB’s treatment of any information you submit to us, including personally identifiable information.
You acknowledge, consent and agree that IDB may access, preserve, and disclose your Registration and any other information you provide if required to do so by law or in a good faith belief that such access, preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary in our opinion to: (1) comply with legal process, including, but not limited to, civil and criminal subpoenas, court orders or other compulsory disclosures; (2) enforce this Agreement; (3) respond to claims of a violation of any right of a third party, whether or not the third party is a User, individual, government agency or other legal entity; (4) respond to customer service inquiries; or (5) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of IDB, any User or the public.
PROCEDURE FOR MAKING CLAIMS OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
IDB respects the intellectual property rights of others. You may notify IDB in accordance with the following procedures if you believe that the content of any of your Submissions has been copied in an infringing manner. ANY INQUIRIES OR NOTICES NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURE WILL RECEIVE NO RESPONSE.
IDB has implemented procedures for receiving written notification of claimed infringements, and has designated an officer to receive notices of claimed copyright infringement consistent with the requirements of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512). If you believe in good faith that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, you may provide a written communication which contains the following:
an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright interest;
a description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed;
a description of the location on the ConnectAmericas Web Site of the material that you claim is infringing;
your address, telephone number and e-mail address;
a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf.
Please submit your notice to IDB"s copyright officer as follows:
Attn: Copyright Officer
Re: ConnectAmericas
Inter-American Development Bank
1300 New York Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20577
Stop W0618
REMEDIES AND DISPUTES
IN NO EVENT SHALL IDB BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH (i) THE USE OF THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE OR ANY OF THE SERVICES, (ii) THE DELAY OR INABILITY TO USE THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE OR ANY OF THE SERVICES, (iii) THE PROVISION OF OR FAILURE TO PROVIDE SERVICES, INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS OR OTHER DATA OBTAINED THROUGH THE CONNECT AMERICAS WEB SITE, OR OTHERWISE ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE OR THE SERVICES, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF IDB OR ANY OF ITS SUPPLIERS OR CONTENT PROVIDERS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGES.
IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED OR CONSIDER THAT ANY HARM MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY OR ARISEN IN RELATION TO ANY PORTION OF THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE OR ITS ADMINISTRATION OR ANY OF THE SERVICES, YOU MAY TERMINATE YOUR USER IDENTIFICATION AND DISCONTINUE USING THE CONNECTAMERICAS WEB SITE AND THE SERVICES, AND SUCH DISCONTINUANCE SHALL BE YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY.
This Agreement will be governed, interpreted and enforced in accordance with the laws of the District of Columbia, United States of America, without giving effect to the conflict of laws provisions of that jurisdiction. No waiver by IDB of any provision of this Agreement shall be binding except as set forth in writing signed by its duly authorized representative.
All disputes between you and IDB arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be finally resolved by arbitration conducted in the English language in Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, under the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association, provided that IDB reserves the right to apply for temporary, preliminary and final injunctive relief to enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement relating to the use of its trademarks, copyrights, other intellectual property and data security. The parties shall be responsible for their respective filing and attorneys’ fees (except that the prevailing party shall be entitled to an award of reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with the arbitration in such an amount as may be determined by the arbitrator). All decisions of the arbitrator shall be final and binding on both parties and enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction. The parties otherwise agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America for the resolution of any disputes not subject to arbitration and for the enforcement of any award resulting from any arbitration between the parties, provided that IDB reserves the right to obtain judicial equitable relief in any court having personal jurisdiction over you.
ALL CLAIMS MUST BE BROUGHT IN EACH PARTY’S INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING, AND, UNLESS YOU AND IDB AGREE OTHERWISE, THE ARBITRATOR MAY NOT CONSOLIDATE MORE THAN ONE PERSON"S CLAIMS. YOU AGREE THAT, BY ENTERING INTO THIS AGREEMENT, YOU AND IDB ARE EACH WAIVING THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION. NOTHING IN THIS CLAUSE OR THIS AGREEMENT SHALL OPERATE AS A WAIVER OF, OR OTHERWISE BE CONSTRUED TO RESTRICT, LIMIT OR DEFEAT ANY RIGHTS, PRIVILEGES OR IMMUNITIES GRANTED TO THE IDB UNDER THE AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING THE INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK OR ANY TREATY OR PROVISION OF DOMESTIC OR INTERNATIONAL LAW.
ASSIGNMENT
This Agreement, and any rights and licenses granted hereunder, may not be transferred or assigned by you but may be assigned by IDB without restriction.
GENERAL
This Agreement is the entire agreement between you and IDB relating to your use of the ConnectAmericas Web Site and the Services, and supersedes any prior agreements or understandings between you and IDB with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement. You agree that no joint venture, partnership, employment, or agency relationship exists between you and IDB as a result of this Agreement or your use of the ConnectAmericas Web Site. IDB"s performance of this Agreement is subject to existing laws and legal process, and nothing contained in this Agreement is in derogation of IDB"s right to comply with governmental, court and law enforcement requests or requirements relating to your use of the ConnectAmericas Web Site or the Services or information provided to or gathered by IDB with respect to such use. If any part of this Agreement including, but not limited to, the warranty disclaimers and liability limitations set forth above, is determined to be invalid or unenforceable pursuant to applicable law, then the invalid or unenforceable provision will be deemed superseded by a valid, enforceable provision that most closely matches the intent of the original provision, and the remainder of this Agreement shall continue in effect. If you need to send IDB a notice under this Agreement, or otherwise need to contact IDB with respect to the ConnectAmericas Web Site or the Services, please send your notice to ConnectAmericas@iadb.org.
MODIFICATION OF THESE TERMS OF USE
IDB reserves the right to modify this Agreement and to change the terms, conditions, and notices under which the ConnectAmericas Web Site and the Services are offered. Such modification shall be effective when it is posted on the ConnectAmericas Web Site. Your continued use of the ConnectAmericas Web Site or the Services after a revised Agreement is posted signifies your acceptance of the revised Agreement. You should therefore review this Agreement (www.connectamericas.com) regularly and when we notify you of any changes thereto to ensure you are updated as to such changes.
[1] Found at: http://www.iadb.org/en/topics/transparency/integrity-at-the-idb-group/prohibited-practices-at-the-idb,2704.html
CONNECTAMERICAS WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY
INTRODUCTION
This Privacy Policy sets forth the data protection policies and practices of the ConnectAmericas Web Site (the "Site"), an interactive online source of information established and supported by the Inter-American Development Bank ("IDB" or "us"). As explained in the ConnectAmericas Terms of Use, into which this Privacy Policy is incorporated by reference, the IDB is an international organization established by its member countries pursuant to the Agreement Establishing the Inter-American Development Bank.
By using the Site, either as a visitor ("User") or a registered user ("Registered User"), you are agreeing to the terms of this Privacy Policy, including as they may be amended from time to time. Your use of the Site therefore constitutes your consent to our collection, use and disclosure of personal information we collect from you through the Site, as described herein. Please be sure to read this entire Privacy Policy before using the Site.
As the Website is updated and expanded, our Privacy Policy may change, so please review the posted Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you about material changes in this Privacy Policy by placing a notice on the Website.
SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS
Below we describe our policies and practices with respect to information concerning visitors to the Site, including how we collect, use, share and store that information.
As used in this Policy, the following terms have a specific meaning:
Personally Identifiable Information or PII is information that is about or pertains to a specific individual and can be linked to (identified with that individual).
Anonymous Information is aggregated information, demographic information and any other information that does not reveal the specific identity of an individual.
An IP Address is the Internet Protocol address of the computer an individual uses to access the Site (and the Internet more generally).
COLLECTION OF INFORMATION THROUGH THE SITE
Information You Submit
If you register on the Site, we will collect certain PII from you, including your full name, postal address, e-mail address, phone number, and social network (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook) information. In addition, even if you do not register, we may collect PII from you in other ways, such as if you send us an e-mail via the “Contact Us” page of the Site, or post your PII on the Site.
Information Automatically Collected
When you visit the Site, certain anonymous information related to that visit is automatically collected by the IDB’s web servers. This may be done through cookies, “clear GIFs” (a/k/a “web beacons,” or “pixel tags”), or similar technologies to retain information about you and your use of the Site.
Cookies are small data files that are sent to your browser or related software from a web server and stored on your computer or device. Cookies often include an anonymous unique identifier and track and store your user preferences while using the Website as well as technical information about your use of the Website.
Most web browsers can be set to inform you when a cookie has been sent to you and provide you with the opportunity to refuse that cookie. However, refusing a cookie may in some cases preclude you from using, or negatively affect the display or function of, the Site or certain areas or features of the Site. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org.
We automatically collect data about your IP Address. Also, if you access the Site from a mobile or other device, your unique device identifier assigned to that device or other transactional information for that device may also be collected.
All of these technologies are designed to improve and personalize your experience using the Site. By using the Site, you consent to the use of the tracking technologies as described above.
USE OF INFORMATION COLLECTED THROUGH THE SITE
We may use the PII we collect from you (as described above) to send you e-mail messages, mailings, or otherwise contact you in response to your requests. We also may use your PII to send you information that might interest you, such as descriptions of new projects and IDB activities, funding resources, etc. In addition, we may use your PII for recordkeeping purposes within the IDB, and we may combine the PII we collect from you with other information, including both PII and non-PII obtained from other sources, including other Users, for purposes of analysis relevant to the Site and the IDB’s objectives.
Where you have requested to receive e-mail updates from us, we may periodically send you emails that promote or otherwise contain information relating to the use of the Site and/or the IDB. When you receive an e-mail from us, you may indicate a preference to “opt out” of, and thus to stop receiving further e-mails from us, using this link.
We use the anonymous information we collect to analyze Site visitor behavior as a measure of interest in, and use of, the Site and of the ConnectAmericas service. This information is used to create aggregate statistics regarding, for example, when the Site is accessed, the pages which refer visitors to the Site, the type of web browsers visitors use, and which pages of the Site are viewed. These statistics help us understand how the Site is used and provide us with valuable information for improving the Site in the future.
SHARING OF INFORMATION COLLECTED THROUGH THE SITE
Public Areas of the ConnectAmericas Site
The ConnectAmericas Site is designed as an online forum for the exchange of information, for the benefit of Registered Users. To the extent that you post PII on a public area of the Site, such as a bulletin board, blog, or chatroom, that PII will be visible to other Site visitors, who may then use and further disclose the PII for their own purposes. We do not exercise control over such other Site visitors’ use and disclosure of PII that is posted in a public area of the Site, and you should be aware that other Site visitors can collect, correlate, use and disclose the PII you post in the Site’s public areas. By using the Site, you acknowledge that such third-party activities are beyond the control and responsibility of the IDB.
Partners, Consultants and Service Providers
For purposes of enhancing and effectuating the objectives of the Site and the IDB more generally, we may share your PII with our partners, consultants, and service providers. For example, we may share PII with consultants who are analyzing certain projects if it might be helpful for the consultants to communicate with you, and we may share PII with service providers who assist us in sending you materials or information.
Legal Obligations of Disclosure of Information
We may disclose PII in response to legal process or when we believe in good faith that the law requires it, for example, in response to a court order, subpoena, or a law enforcement agency’s request. We also may disclose PII to protect the security and operation of the Site or the rights of other Site users, and to protect ourselves and our partners, affiliates, consultants, suppliers, and providers against liability, or if we have reason to believe that someone is causing or threatening to cause injury to or interference with the IDB’s rights or property, as well as to protect against fraud.
Business Transfers
In the event that some of the IDB’s assets are sold, assigned, or otherwise transferred to a party other than the IDB, we may transfer your PII as part of the transaction. However, once your PII is transferred in such a transaction, it will no longer be subject to this Privacy Policy, and you will need to review the policies and practices of the party receiving the information to learn about the protection then accorded to the PII.
UPDATES TO PERSONAL INFORMATION
You may access and review the PII we have collected about you, and correct or update that information, by visiting the Registration portion of the site, or by sending us an e-mail with requested changes at ConnectAmericas@iadb.org. For your protection, we will only implement such requests with respect to the PII associated with the particular email address that you use to send us your request, and we may need to verify your identity before implementing your request.
We will endeavor to comply with your request as soon as reasonably practicable, including a request for deletion of PII from our records. We may need to retain certain information for recordkeeping purposes, and there may also be residual information that will remain within our databases and other records, which will not be removed.
Please note that we are not responsible for correcting, updating or deleting any information in the databases of third parties with whom we have already shared your PII.
DATA SECURITY
We endeavor to protect the security and integrity of PII we collect by implementing physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information from loss, misuse, unauthorized access or disclosure, alteration or destruction. However, due to the inherent nature of the Internet as an open global communications vehicle, we cannot guarantee that any information, whether during transmission through the Internet, while stored on our data systems or otherwise in maintained by us, will be absolutely safe from intrusion by others, such as hackers. This includes information provided to us by email, through direct postings on the Site, or through the "Contact Us" feature of the Site. In providing information through these channels, you should be aware that your transmission might not be secure while it is in transit, and that a third party could possibly view the information in transit.
DATA RETENTION
We retain PII and anonymous information collected through the Site for operational, recordkeeping and legal purposes. We will retain PII about you for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Policy or our data retention policies, unless a longer retention period is required by law.
INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS
When you submit information to us through the Site or otherwise, that information (including any PII) will be processed in the United States. The data protection and other privacy laws of the United States may not afford the same level of protection as the laws of certain other countries. By providing personal information to IDB from outside the United States, whether directly or indirectly though the Site or otherwise, you expressly consent to the transfer of your information to the United States, in accordance with the measures of protection described in this Privacy Policy.
PRIVACY OF CHILDREN
The ConnectAmericas Site is not directed at minors and we do not knowingly collect from or maintain any personal information regarding persons under the age of 13.
LINKED SERVICES
The Site may contain links to third-party websites. Our provision of a link to any other website or location is for your convenience and does not signify our endorsement of such other website or location or its contents. The IDB does not control the websites, applications or other services that are operated by third parties and we are not responsible for the data protection and privacy practices of these websites, applications or other services. Thus, we recommend that, once you access any such other website, application or service, you familiarize yourself with the privacy policies and practices governing that other website, application or service.
CONTACTING US
If you have any questions or comments regarding our privacy practices, you may contact us by email, postal mail, or phone at:
ConnectAmericas IDB Privacy Policy Specialist
Inter-American Development Bank
1300 New York Avenue NW
Washington, D.C., 20577
Stop W0618
Last Updated: November 12, 2013