PRIVACY POLICY FOR GARMIN IERCC
Last Updated: August 11, 2021
Your privacy is important to Garmin. We developed this Privacy Policy to provide you with information on how we process your personal data when you visit iercc.com or my-geos.com or register and use an International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC) supported device.
Other Garmin websites, services, apps, and products, including inReach devices and other Garmin products with SOS or other capabilities serviced by the IERCC, that include a link to a different Garmin privacy policy are governed by that privacy policy. Click here to review our other privacy policies.
“Personal data” is information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.
To jump to a specific section of this Privacy Policy, please click on a link below:
- Categories of Personal Data Processed by Garmin
- Categories of Recipients of Personal Data
- Transfers of Personal Data
- Cookies and Similar Technologies
- Children
- Privacy Policy Updates
- Retention of Personal Data
- Automated Decision-Making, Including Profiling
- Data Controller and Data Protection Officer
- Your Rights
Categories of Personal Data Processed by Garmin
Personal data that is processed when you create an IERCC account:
When you create an account, we ask you to provide your name and email address and to create a password. If, while creating your account, you are also registering a device or signing up for a membership, we collect additional categories of personal data as described below.
PURPOSES AND LEGAL GROUNDS:
(a) Garmin processes your email address and password as sign-in credentials for your IERCC account. The legal ground for processing your email address and password for this purpose is Garmin’s legitimate interest in protecting the security of your account.
(b) Garmin also processes your email address for the purpose of sending you important information about your Garmin products, services, apps, or account, such as important safety information or material changes to this Privacy Policy. The legal ground for processing your email address and name for these purposes is Garmin’s legitimate interest in providing you important safety or other information about your Garmin products, services, apps, or account or material changes to this Privacy Policy and in providing you an opportunity to engage with other Garmin users.
(c) Garmin also processes your email address to notify customers when they have violated our terms. The legal ground for this processing is our legitimate interest in ensuring a quality experience for all customers and ensuring adherence to our terms.
Personal data that is processed when you register an IERCC-supported device:
When you register an IERCC-supported device on our website, we ask you to provide your name, phone number, email address, physical address, and emergency contact information. We may also obtain device information (e.g., device ID) from your device provider.
PURPOSES AND LEGAL GROUNDS:
Garmin processes your contact information and device information to enable us to provide search and rescue coordination services to you on behalf of the provider of your device. If you use a Garmin device, further information concerning the legal grounds for processing is available in the privacy policy associated with that device. For third-party devices, please see the privacy policy for your device’s provider for more information.
Personal data that is processed when you use the IERCC’s services:
When you use or test the IERCC’s search and rescue coordination services, Garmin processes your mailing address, telephone number, contact information for your chosen emergency contacts, device identifier, the location of your device, your chat history when relevant to an incident, and any personal data that you provide while communicating with IERCC representatives during the course of the services. Subject to applicable laws, we may also record, collect, and archive incident-related data, such as your communications with IERCC representatives.
PURPOSES AND LEGAL GROUNDS:
(a) Garmin processes this personal data to enable us to provide search and rescue coordination services on behalf of the provider of your device. If you use a Garmin device, further information concerning the legal grounds for processing is available in the privacy policy associated with that device. For third-party devices, please see the privacy policy for your device’s provider for more information.
(b) Garmin processes incident-related data, including communications recordings, as necessary to support the investigation and review of emergency incidents and response. Our legal ground for this processing is either our compliance with applicable laws and regulations or our legitimate interests in complying with industry standards that support the improvement of search and rescue efforts.
Personal data that is processed when you purchase a membership to other IERCC services:
When you purchase a membership for the IERCC’s services other than those obtained through a registered, IERCC-enabled device, Garmin collects your email address, mailing address, billing address, and telephone number. When purchasing a membership, you may choose to enter emergency contact information or other information, or you can wait to enter that information upon registering your IERCC-enabled product. A third party, Braintree, a PayPal company, collects your payment card information when you purchase a membership.
PURPOSES AND LEGAL GROUND:
Garmin processes this information as necessary to perform the services you request, and we process your email and phone number to communicate billing and other information about your membership. Braintree, on behalf of Garmin, processes payment card information to facilitate your payment for the membership. The legal ground for processing your personal data for these purposes is performance of a contract.
Personal data that is processed when you communicate with the IERCC:
When you interact with our customer support or sales representatives by email or telephone, online, or in person, we collect personal data, such as your name, phone number, email address, and contact preferences and information about the IERCC services you use. To improve customer service, subject to applicable laws, we may also record and review conversations with customer support representatives and analyze any feedback provided to us through voluntary customer surveys.
PURPOSES AND LEGAL GROUND:
We use this information to provide you with customer and product support, for sales purposes directly related to your inquiry, and to monitor the quality and types of customer and product support we provide to our customers. The legal ground for processing this information for these purposes is our legitimate interest in providing quality product support and responding to inquiries from prospective customers.
Categories of Recipients of Personal Data
DEVICE PROVIDERS AND OTHER PARTNERS:
To provide our search and rescue services on behalf of third-party device providers or other businesses that engage us to provide you with our services, Garmin will share certain personal data with such partners. If you use a third-party device to obtain IERCC services, please see the privacy policy for your device’s provider for more information.
SEARCH AND RESCUE AUTHORITIES AND EMERGENCY RESPONDERS:
When you use our search and rescue coordination or other services, Garmin may provide information, such as your name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, the message content, time sent, and the identity and location of the message sender and recipient, to competent search and rescue authorities and emergency responders.
EMERGENCY CONTACTS:
Garmin may also provide information, such as the message content, time sent, and the identity and location of the message sender and recipient, to your emergency contacts, if any, that you have identified in your membership settings.
OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS:
Garmin engages service providers to perform tasks on our behalf and to assist us in operating our website or providing our products and services. For example, we engage third parties to provide analytics services, hosting and infrastructure, cybersecurity services, communication tools, customer service, and payment processing.
OTHER DISCLOSURES:
We may disclose personal data about you to others: (a) if we have your valid consent to do so; (b) to comply with legal obligations, such as a valid subpoena, court or judicial order, or other valid legal process; (c) to enforce any of our terms and conditions or policies; (d) as necessary to pursue available legal remedies or defend legal claims; or (e) as we deem necessary or appropriate for purposes of attempting to get you help in the event you are involved in an emergency situation.
We may also transfer your personal data to an affiliate, a subsidiary, or a third party in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer, or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, assets, or stock, including, without limitation, in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceeding, provided that any such entity that we transfer personal data will not be permitted to process your personal data other than as described in this Privacy Policy without providing you notice and, if required by applicable laws, obtaining your consent.
Transfers of Personal Data
Garmin is a global business. To offer our products, apps, and services, we may need to transfer your personal data to Garmin-owned companies in other countries. View Garmin-owned companies.
When you use the IERCC websites or services, your personal data will be collected and stored on servers in the U.S.
Personal data regarding individuals who reside in a country in the European Economic Area ("EEA"), United Kingdom ("U.K."), or Switzerland is controlled by Garmin Würzburg GmbH and processed on its behalf by other Garmin-owned companies to provide support, infrastructure, security, and other key functions. Garmin Würzburg GmbH has entered into European Commission-approved model contractual clauses where these companies are not located in the EEA or a jurisdiction deemed adequate by the European Commission.
All Garmin-owned companies are required to follow the privacy practices set forth in this Privacy Policy.
Cookies and Similar Technologies
To help us analyze how you and other visitors navigate our website, compile aggregate statistics about site usage and response rates, diagnose any problems with our servers, and administer and maintain the security of our website, we, with assistance from third-party providers, collect certain information when you visit our site. This information includes IP address, geographic location of the device, browser type, browser language, date and time of your request, time(s) of your visit(s), page views, and page elements (e.g., links) that you click. We may use cookies, pixel tags, web beacons, clear GIFs, or other similar tools on our site or in our email messages to assist us in collecting and analyzing such information.
The legal ground for processing this information is either your consent or our legitimate interests in securing and administering our websites, providing better, more relevant content on our site, identifying and fixing problems, and improving your overall experience on our site.
Children
We request individuals under the age of 13 in the U.S. and under the age of 16 in the rest of the world not provide personal data to Garmin. If we learn that we have collected personal data from a child under the age of 13 in the U.S. or under 16 in the rest of the world, we will take steps to delete the information as soon as possible.
Privacy Policy Updates
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as we add new products, services, and apps, as we improve our current offerings, and as technologies and laws change. You can determine when this Privacy Policy was last revised by referring to the “Last Updated” legend at the top of this page. Any changes will become effective upon our posting of the revised Privacy Policy.
We will provide notice to you if these changes are material and, where required by applicable law, we will obtain your consent. This notice will be provided by email or by posting notice of the changes on the Garmin websites and apps that link to this Privacy Policy.
Retention of Personal Data
We will retain your personal data as long as your IERCC account is considered to be active. We may retain personal data relating to emergency incidents and the related search and rescue effort for at least seven years to facilitate investigations in accordance with applicable law and search and rescue industry guidance. In addition, see below under “Your Rights” for a description of your right of erasure.
Automated Decision-Making, Including Profiling
Garmin does not make any decisions based on algorithms or other automated processing that significantly affect you.
Data Controller and Data Protection Officer
When Garmin acts as a processor:
When you use IERCC services through a third-party provider, Garmin acts as a processor. To exercise your rights or for more information, please contact the third-party provider of your device or membership.
When Garmin acts as a data controller:
If you reside in a country in the EEA, U.K., or Switzerland, then your personal data collected by Garmin is controlled by Garmin Würzburg GmbH, Beethovenstr. 1a, 97080 Würzburg, Germany. The company's EU Data Protection Officer can be reached by email at [email protected].
If you reside outside of the EEA, U.K., and Switzerland, then your personal data collected by Garmin is controlled by Garmin International, Inc., 1200 E. 151st St., Olathe, Kansas 66062, USA, which you can contact by email at [email protected]. The company's Brazilian Data Protection Officer is located at the same address and can be reached by email at [email protected]. The company's Turkish Representative can be reached by email at [email protected].
Your Rights
If you reside in the EEA, U.K., or Switzerland, you have the right, subject to the conditions set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) or other applicable law, to request from Garmin access to and rectification or erasure of your personal data, data portability, restriction of processing of your personal data, the right to object to processing of your personal data, and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. For more information about these rights, please visit the European Commission’s “My Rights” page relating to GDPR, which can be displayed in a number of languages. If you reside outside of the EEA, U.K., and Switzerland, you may have similar rights under your local laws.
To request access to or rectification, portability, or erasure of your personal data, or to delete your account, please contact us by email at [email protected].
If you reside in the EEA, U.K., or Switzerland and you wish to exercise your right to restriction of processing or your right to object to processing, please contact the company's EU Data Protection Officer at Garmin Würzburg GmbH, Beethovenstr. 1a, 97080 Würzburg, Germany, or by email at [email protected].
If you do not reside in the EEA, U.K., or Switzerland, but you believe you have a right to exercise these or any other rights under your local laws, please contact Garmin International, Inc. by email at [email protected].
NOTICE FOR CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS OF PRIVACY PRACTICES AND RIGHTS
If you are a California resident, California law may provide you with additional rights regarding your personal data. To learn more about your California privacy rights, please visit our CCPA Privacy Notice.
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