Users of our websites

This section describes how PwC processes personal information collected through our websites and any other PwC sites that link to this Statement (collectively, “the websites”).

By using the websites and providing personal information to us, you acknowledge you have read this Statement, and, to the extent your consent is necessary and valid under applicable law, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of such personal information by PwC and any third party recipients in accordance with this Statement.

Some sites of the websites may have privacy statements that differ from this one and/or contain additional information as required under applicable law. Please refer to the privacy statements on the sites you visit in order to understand how they collect and process your data. By accessing any sites available within the websites or content within them, you (a) acknowledge you will review those privacy statements and (b) to the extent required under applicable law, consent to the collection, processing and use of your personal information as described in those privacy statements.

Third party links

The websites may contain links to third-party sites that are not controlled by PwC and which do not operate under PwC’s privacy practices. When you access a third-party site from the websites, PwC’s privacy practices (including this Statement) do not apply to that site. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of each third-party site before disclosing any personal information.

Collection of personal information through the websites

When you use our websites, we may collect information about you and your use of the relevant site, including through cookies and analytics tools. We may collect personal information about you, such as your name, job title, company name, address, email address, social network ID, information you made publicly available on your social networking account, telephone number and IP addresses, either directly from you or by combining information we collect via the websites with personal information we collect and maintain through other channels or as we may lawfully collect from social media or other third-party sites.

Below are examples of how you may provide personal information to us via websites:

• searching and browsing for content;
• subscribing to or ordering newsletters and/or publications;
• registering for online services;
• participating in “join our mailing list” initiatives;
• participating in bulletin boards, discussion or message forums;
• entering surveys;
• registering for events and conferences;
• submitting resumes or work history information;
• contacting us for further information;
• visiting our websites while logged into a social media platform; and/or
• providing us with business cards or other contact information.

We do not intend to collect sensitive personal information through the websites unless permitted by law and necessary. We ask that you do not provide sensitive personal information of this nature when using the websites. 

We also do not actively seek demographic information from visitors to the websites. However, you may choose to provide such information (including for example when becoming a registered user, visiting our site from a social media site, submitting a resume, or responding to an online job application). If you choose to provide demographic information to us, the act of doing so constitutes your explicit consent, where such consent is necessary and valid under applicable law, for us to collect and use that information in the ways described in this section of the Statement or as described at the point where you choose to disclose this information.

It is our policy to collect only minimum personal information required. If the websites seek non-mandatory personal information about you, you will be notified of this at the point of collection. If you believe a websites has collected excessive information about you, please contact us to raise any concerns.

Some pages on the websites may permit you to send emails to us. Messages sent via the websites will contain your screen name and email address, as well as any additional information you wish to include in the message.

Registered users

If you choose to become a registered user, as part of the registration process you will be asked to provide us with personal information through registration process. Information we collect may include: your name, email address, password, country, organisation, and job title. Some of the information is required and, if you do not provide it, you will not be able to register and receive the benefits of being a registered user. We have marked with an * those registration fields seeking information that you must provide in order to become a registered user.

For as long as you are a registered user, you are responsible for providing us with accurate information about you and for keeping that information up to date. You may update your information by editing your user profile in your account.

Once you are a registered user, we may combine the information you give us as part of the registration process with information we collect and/or have previously collected through your use of the websites (e.g. articles you read, comments you make). As a registered user, all the data you provide as part of registration may be tied back to the information we collect or have previously collected about you through your use of the websites.

We may also match the information you provide us against third-party data to supplement your user profile.

Use of personal information

When you provide personal information to us through websites, we may use it for any of the purposes described in this section of the Statement or as stated at the point of collection (or as obvious from the context of collection), including:

• to administer and manage the websites, including to confirm and authenticate your identity and prevent unauthorised access to restricted areas of the site, premium content, or other services limited to registered users;
• to personalise and enrich your browsing experience by displaying content that is more likely to be relevant and of interest to you;
• to sort and analyse user data (such as determining how many users from the same organisation have subscribed to or are using the websites);
• to determine the company, organisation, institution, or agency that you work for or with which you are otherwise associated;
• to develop our businesses and services;
• to conduct benchmarking and data analysis including, for example, regarding usage of the websites and demographics analyses of their users;
• to conduct quality and risk management reviews;
• to understand how people use the features and functions of our websites in order to improve the user experience;
• to monitor and enforce compliance with applicable terms of use, including acceptable use policies; and/or
• any other purposes for which you provided the information to PwC, including any of the purposes given in the ‘Collection of personal information’ section above.

Our websites do not collect or compile personal information for sale to non-PwC parties for consumer marketing purposes.

If you would like to find out more about the different categories of information we collect on the websites, please review the ‘Collection of personal information’ section.

Registered users: additional uses of personal information

If you choose to become a registered user, we may also use your information for the following purposes:

• to tailor the content within our websites and across PwC digital properties, including content shown to you, to your preferences and interests;
• to manage our relationship with you or the organisation for which you work (for example, by including personal information we collect about you from your use of the websites in our customer relationship management systems);
• to provide you with information about us and our services including via personalised marketing messages and/or communications unique to your organisation about our products and services;
• to invite you to attend events, participate in forums, etc.;
• to conduct quality and risk management reviews; and
• any other purposes for which you provided the information to PwC.

Cookies

Cookies may be placed on your computer or device whenever you visit us online. Cookies are small text placed on our device that assist us in providing a more customised experience. If you are concerned about cookies, most browsers permit individuals to decline cookies. In most cases, you can refuse a cookie, however some functionality may be impaired. You can always delete cookies if you wish via your browser’s setting.

Please see our Cookie Policy

Data retention

We will retain your personal information on our systems only for as long as we need it, given the purposes for which it was collected, or as required to do so by law. We keep mailing list information until a user unsubscribes from our mailing lists. If you choose to unsubscribe from a mailing list, we may keep certain limited information about you so that we may honor your request.

Account deactivation

If you are a registered user, you may deactivate your account at any time via the registered user section of the websites. If you deactivate your account on the websites, you will no longer receive the benefits of being a registered user. If you choose to deactivate your account, we may retain information sufficient to identify you so that we can honour your request.

If you have other registrations with PwC or have provided your information to PwC through other means (such as subscribing to newsletter), those registrations will be maintained unless you take specific action to inform us to cease contacting you.

Any user generated content that you may have created before then will not be anonymised following deactivation, nor will it be immediately removed from our systems or records.