Last updated: 7/15/2024
Merkaii Xcellence Prep ("we," "us," or "our") values the privacy of those who use our website (https://www.merkaiixcellenceprep.com) and other services provided by Merkaii Xcellence Prep.
In this policy, "you" and "your" refer to any individual or entity using our services ("Users"). "Services" encompass all current or future products, whether paid or free, offered by Merkaii Xcellence Prep. The terms "Merkaii Xcellence Prep," "we," and "our" collectively refer to Merkaii Xcellence Prep.
This Policy outlines our dedication to safeguarding the privacy of individuals who visit our websites, register for our services, or provide us with personal information, whether online or offline. It explains the types of personal information we collect, how we use this information, who we may share it with, and other relevant details. We encourage you to review the summaries provided below if you'd like to explore any topic in greater detail. Any changes to this policy will be posted on this page.
In this Policy, "personal information" refers to any data related to an identified or identifiable individual. An identifiable individual is someone who can be recognized, either directly or indirectly, through identifiers like a name, identification number, location data, online identifier, or other characteristics specific to their physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity. Personal information does not include aggregated data or de-identified information, meaning that such information cannot be linked to a specific individual without additional data.
Providing personal information is essential for us to deliver our services to you. Some of our services also require us to share your personal information with third parties, such as companies that assist us in delivering our services or client institutions whose forms are hosted on our websites. If you choose not to provide your personal information or consent to its disclosure as described in this Policy, you will be unable to use our services.
Our websites may include links to other websites, and the information practices and content of those websites are governed by their respective privacy policies. We recommend that you review the privacy policies of these external websites to understand how they manage your information.
Although we are committed to supporting online privacy, we do not have control over the actions of our client institutions or other third parties. We urge you to review the privacy policies of these institutions or third parties and understand their practices before providing personal information to them or through any forms on our websites where they are mentioned.
We collect various types of information when you interact with our website or use our services. The categories of personal information we may collect include:
1. Identifiers: Name, email address, IP address, account name.
2. Personal Information: Educational background, credit card numbers, financial data.
3. Professional Information: Employment-related details.
4. Non-public Education Information: Schools attended, graduation dates.
5. Commercial Information: Purchase history, products or services considered.
6. Internet Activity: Browsing history, search history, interactions with our website, services, and advertisements.
7. Geolocation Data: Physical location of access.
We gather information through various methods:
Information You Provide: When you register, request information, or contact us, we may collect personal data such as your full name, mailing address, email, phone number, instant messaging ID, educational and professional details, and payment information.
Information Collected Automatically: When you interact with our websites by submitting technical data-web forms, subscription details, sending emails, content you post, or using various interactive features like surveys, discussions, contests, customer support requests and location data. This information may include non-text elements like images and videos. Our server automatically records IP addresses, browser types, operating systems, domain names, access times, and referring websites.
For electronic payment processing, we rely on a third-party intermediary, which is only authorized to use your cardholder data for processing payments on our behalf. This intermediary is not allowed to store, retain, or use your payment information for any other purpose.
By voluntarily providing your personal information, you confirm that the data is accurate and that you have the right to share it with us, either as the data owner or with the necessary consent.
Logs
Like most websites and online services, we collect certain information and store it in log files when you interact with our websites and services. This data includes your IP address, browser type, internet service provider, URLs of referring or exit pages, operating system, date and time stamps, search queries, locale and language preferences, device identification numbers, mobile carrier, and system configuration details. Occasionally, we may link personal information to data stored in log files to enhance our websites and services. In such cases, the combined information will be handled in accordance with this Policy.
Analytics
We collect analytics data when you use our websites or mobile applications to help us improve them. This anonymous data about your activities on our platforms may also be shared with third-party analytics service providers. We do not associate analytics data with your personal information.
Information from Other Sources
We may also obtain additional information, including personal data, from third parties and combine it with the information we collect through our websites. For instance, we might receive details from client institutions you've shown interest in or test scores you want linked to your application. Additionally, if you log into our services through a third-party social media or authentication service, we may access certain information from that service.
Our websites may feature social media tools like Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok Like button, as well as widgets like the Share This button or interactive mini programs. These features might collect your IP address, the specific page you are visiting, and set a cookie to ensure they function correctly. These social media features and widgets are either hosted by a third party or directly on our websites, and your interactions with them are governed by the privacy policies of the companies providing them.
Any access we have to information from third-party social media or authentication services is governed by the authorization processes of those services. By allowing us to connect with such a service, you grant us permission to access and store your name, email address, and other personal data that the service makes available to us, to use and disclose this information in accordance with this Policy. We recommend checking and adjusting your privacy settings on these third-party services to manage the information they share with us.
We may utilize the information we collect from you, including personal information where applicable, for a range of purposes, such as:
(a) Providing, operating, maintaining, and enhancing our services, as well as developing new ones.
(b) Enabling your access to and use of our services – to create user profiles, customized content and layout.
(c) Processing transactions, completing them, and sending you related details.
(d) Sending transactional communications, such as responses to your comments, questions, and requests, providing customer service and support, and delivering technical notices, updates (if you've opted in), security alerts, and administrative messages.
(e) Develop new products, monitoring and analyzing trends, usage, and activities related to our websites and services.
(f) Investigating and preventing fraudulent activities, unauthorized access, and other illegal actions.
(g) Personalizing your experience on our websites and services by offering features or advertisements that align with your interests and preferences.
(h) For other purposes for which we have obtained your consent, such as sending marketing communications. You can withdraw your consent to receive marketing communications from us by following the unsubscribe instructions included in those communications. If you opt out, we will record your preference, which will require us to retain your email address to ensure you no longer receive such communications. We may also share your preference and email address with third parties solely to prevent further marketing messages from them. Rest assured, opting out will not result in any discrimination against you.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the legal basis for processing your personal information depends on the type of information and the context in which it is collected. Generally, we process your personal information only when:
(a) We have obtained your consent to do so.
(b) We need the information to fulfill a contract with you (e.g., to provide the services you requested).
(c) The processing is in our legitimate interests or those of a third party, and these interests are not overridden by your data protection rights or fundamental freedoms. In some situations, we may also have a legal obligation to process your information or need to do so to protect your vital interests or those of another person. If we rely on your consent for processing, you have the right to withdraw or decline it at any time. This will not affect the legality of the processing that occurred before you withdrew your consent.
When we request personal information to comply with a legal requirement or to fulfill a contract, we will clarify whether providing that information is mandatory and what the potential consequences are if you choose not to provide it. If we rely on legitimate interests that are not already detailed in this Policy, we will inform you of those interests at the relevant time.
We want to inform you that transferring your information to the United States carries potential risks due to the lack of an adequacy decision and appropriate safeguards. These risks may include the possibility that you may not be able to fully exercise your data protection rights under applicable law, which could leave you vulnerable to the unlawful use or disclosure of your information.
If you are accessing our websites or using our services from the European Union or other regions with specific data collection and usage laws, you are consenting to the transfer of your personal information to the United States and possibly other jurisdictions.
If you have questions about the legal basis for processing your personal information, please reach out to us using the contact information provided below.
We will keep your personal information for as long as necessary to achieve the purposes outlined in this Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or allowed by law (such as for tax, accounting, or other legal reasons). When there is no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize it. If deletion or anonymization is not possible (for instance, if your data is stored in backup archives), we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until it can be deleted.
We may share your information in the following ways:
1. With agents or contractors supporting our operations.
2. Across our affiliated companies and for processing in other countries, ensuring protection regardless of location.
3. As required by law, or to protect our rights or the rights of others.
4. For any business purposes in line with this Privacy Policy. Your information will not be disclosed to third parties without your explicit consent, except as required by law.
We require your personal information to deliver the services you request. For instance, you must provide personal details to create an account with us. When you use our services to submit a form hosted on behalf of a client institution, the information you enter will be shared with that institution. This sharing occurs even if you do not complete or submit the form. If you wish to modify a form that is "in progress," you can do so by following the instructions provided on the form. However, once the form is submitted, you will need our assistance to access or modify the information. After your personal information is shared with a client institution, their privacy policies and data practices will govern how they use your information.
We collaborate with third-party service providers for hosting, website maintenance, application development, data backup, storage, payment processing, analytics, and other services. These providers may access or process your personal information solely to perform these services on our behalf. We do not allow our third-party providers to use your personal information for their marketing purposes or for any other purpose outside of the services they provide to us.
In certain circumstances, we may need to disclose personal information in response to lawful requests from public authorities, including those related to national security or law enforcement. We may also disclose personal information to comply with subpoenas, court orders, or other legal processes, or to protect our legal rights or defend against legal claims. Additionally, we may share personal information if we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, potential threats to the physical safety of any person, the security of our services, or violations of our Terms of Use or Service, as required by law.
Our websites may include publicly accessible blogs, community forums, comment sections, discussion forums, or other interactive features ("Interactive Areas"). Be aware that any information you post in these areas may be read, collected, and used by others. If you wish to have your personal information removed from an Interactive Area, please contact us at contact@merkaiixcelprep.com . In some cases, we may not be able to remove your information, and if that happens, we will inform you and explain why.
We may share your personal information with third parties when you provide us with your consent to do so.
We use cookies to enhance user experience, store preferences, and analyze site usage. Cookies are small files stored on your device that help us remember your activities and preferences over time. You can control cookie settings through your browser but disabling them may limit some functionalities of our website.
We also use Google Analytics and other tracking technologies for advertising and analytics purposes. You can opt out of Google's use of cookies by visiting their Ads Settings.
We store your data with data hosting providers in the United States, using various security measures to protect your information. While we strive to secure your data, no system can be completely secure. We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law.
To request the deletion of your personal information, you can either contact us at contact@merkaiixcelprep.com or call our toll-free number at 866-704-1036 .
When you provide us with personal information through our websites or services, you have the right to access and request the deletion of this information, subject to certain limitations. For some of our services, you can access, update, and delete your information directly through your account. Other services may require you to contact us to request access or deletion.
We will not deny you access to your personal information unless applicable laws or regulations allow or require us to withhold some or all the information we hold about you. Even if you request the deletion of your information, we may need to retain it as long as you maintain an account with us, to provide the services you requested, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, or because the information exists in an Interactive Area.
To request access to or deletion of your personal information, you can either contact us at contact@merkaiixcelprep.com or call our toll-free number at 866-704-1036. We will respond to your request within seven (7) business days. To protect your privacy and security, we will verify your identity before acting on your request. We will match the identifying information you provide with the data we have on file. If needed, we may ask for additional information or documentation, such as a copy of your photo ID or authorization for an agent to act on your behalf. This information will only be used for verification purposes and will be deleted as soon as feasible after processing your request, except where required by law. Please note that we cannot modify or delete information submitted through a form after it has been sent to a client institution. If you need to update or remove information from the submitted form, please contact the client institution directly.
We will retain personal information we process on behalf of our client institutions for as long as necessary to provide services to them. We may also retain and use this information to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) grant California residents' specific rights regarding their personal information:
1. Right to Know: You have the right to request information about the personal data we collect, use, disclose, and sell, including the categories of information we collect, the sources of that information, the purposes for which we collect it, the categories of third parties with whom we share it, and the specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
2. Right to Deletion: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal information that we have collected or maintain.
3. Right to Opt-Out: If applicable, you have the right to opt out of the sale of your personal information.
4. Right to Non-Discrimination: You have the right to be free from discrimination if you choose to exercise your privacy rights under the CCPA.
5. Right to Authorized Agent: You have the right to designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf under the CCPA.
6. Right to Correction: You have the right to request correction of inaccurate personal information.
7. Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Information: If applicable, you have the right to limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information for purposes other than those necessary to provide the services you request.
The categories of personal information we collected about California consumers in the past 12 months include identifiers (such as name, alias, postal address, email address, etc.), information related to characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law, internet activity, geolocation data, professional and employment information, education information, and inferences drawn from the above.
The sources from which we collect this information, the business purposes for which we collect it, and the third parties with whom we share it are detailed in our Privacy Policy.
We have disclosed personal information to third parties for business purposes within the last 12 months, as detailed in our Privacy Policy.
California residents may request details about how we share their information with third parties for direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please contact us at contact@merkaiixcelprep.com .
If you are between 13 and 17 years old, reside in California, and have registered for a Merkaii Xcel Prep account, you may request the removal of content and information you posted in Interactive Areas. To do so, email us at contact@merkaiixcelprep.com following these instructions:
(i) Send the email from the address associated with your Merkaii Xcellence Prep account,
(ii) Include "Content Removal Request" in the subject line, and
(iii) Provide your Merkaii Xcellence Prep username in the email body. We will acknowledge your request and ask you to confirm it via a reply email. We will remove your content within seven (7) business days after receiving your confirmation.
However, we cannot guarantee complete removal in certain situations, such as when required by law, when content is reposted by third parties, when the content has been anonymized, if the removal request process was not properly followed, or if you received compensation for the content. Additionally, we cannot remove information entered into a form after submission. For updates to such information, please contact the relevant client institution.
If you are in the European Union or certain other regions, you may have additional rights under applicable laws:
To exercise these rights, please contact us at contact@merkaiixcelprep.com. We will consider your request according to applicable laws. For your privacy and security, we may verify your identity before taking action on your request.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority about our collection and use of your personal information. For more details, please contact your local data protection authority.
Our services are not intended for users under the age of 13. If we become aware of such data collection, we will take steps to delete the information.
We do not knowingly or intentionally collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If you are under 13 years old, please do not submit any personal information through our websites or services. We strongly encourage parents and legal guardians to oversee their children's online activities and assist in enforcing this policy. If you suspect that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at contact@merkaiixcelprep.com .
If you are between the ages of 13 and 16 and reside in the European Union, your parent or legal guardian may need to provide explicit consent for you to use our websites or services. please fill out form for your consent.
If you have given consent for us to collect, use, disclose, or process your child's personal information, you have the right to review, request deletion, or refuse further collection, use, disclosure, or processing of your child's personal data in accordance with applicable law. To exercise these rights, please contact us at contact@merkaiixcelprep.com .
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and significant changes will be communicated via email or within our services. Continued use of our services after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the new terms.
Security We take the security of your personal information seriously and adhere to widely accepted standards to protect it, both during transmission and once received.
Passwords If you create an account, your account information is protected by a password. It is crucial that you keep this password confidential to safeguard your personal information. Do not share your password with anyone else. We are not responsible for any consequences resulting from lost, stolen, or disclosed passwords, including unauthorized activity on your account, which is your responsibility. If you suspect that your password has been compromised, please notify us immediately.
We may use cookies, web beacons, and other technologies to recognize users, gather information about their preferences and browsing history, and personalize their experience on our websites. Cookies help us prevent the need for you to repeatedly enter login information, save your searches temporarily, manage our websites, and gain insights into how visitors use our sites, ultimately allowing us to improve our services.
We may also work with third parties, such as network advertisers and ad servers, to deliver ads or other functionalities to you. These third parties may use cookies, web beacons, or similar technologies to collect information about your visits to our websites and use that information to present you with news or ads that may interest you, even when you are no longer on our sites, or to integrate with social networking platforms. This Policy does not cover the use of cookies and similar technologies by third-party services, and we recommend reviewing their privacy policies to understand their practices.
You can refuse to accept cookies by adjusting your browser settings. However, doing so may cause issues with your browser's functionality, and you may be unable to complete, save, or submit forms or use certain services on our websites.
In the event that, we sell or transfer all or a significant portion of our business, stock, or assets, or merge with another entity, we may assign or transfer this Policy along with your account and any related information, including personal data.
If there are significant changes to our privacy practices, we will update this Policy accordingly. You will be informed of any changes by posting the revised Policy on our websites, with the date of the latest update clearly indicated at the top. We may also inform you of changes via email or other communication methods. We encourage you to review this Policy regularly to stay informed about how your personal information is being processed.
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at contact@merkaiixcelprep.com or at the address below:
Merkaii Xcellence Prep
501 S. Florida Avenue
Lakeland, FL 33801
United States of America
