The following Privacy Policy applies to our data collection and use practices relating to your use of Focus Forward, FFTranscription, FF Focus Group, and the Panel Direct websites. The policy applies to our websites and also our other products and services (collectively, the “Services”). As a registrant or visitor to any of our sites, you agree to this Privacy Policy and also to any further modifications made to this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy does not apply, however, to the co-branded pages of our partners, affiliates, and service providers. The terms “we,” “our,” or “us” refer to all sites under the parent company Focus Forward.
Focus Forward and all brands may enter into written product or service agreements with business customers that contain specific provisions related to the confidentiality, security, or handling of information. When provisions of a written product or service agreement differ from or conflict with the provisions of this Privacy Policy, the terms of the written agreement will apply. In all other instances, the terms of this Policy apply.
The Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by this website and its related services, and will notify you of the following:
1. Information Collection, Use, and Sharing
What personal and non-personal information is collected from you through the website, how it is used, and with whom it may be shared.
2. Cookies and Your Control Over Them
3. Your Control Over Your Data
What choices are available to you regarding the use of your data.
4. Your Access to Your Data
How you may access your data.
5. Securing Your Data
What security measures are in place to prevent the misuse of your information.
6. Transcriber Confidentiality
7. Contacting Us
How you can contact us regarding any inaccuracies in the information.
1. Information collection, use, and sharing
Focus Forward is the sole owner of the information collected on this site. When you request information or content from Focus Forward and supply information or content that is personally identifiable to you or allows us to contact you, you agree to share that information with Focus Forward, its agents, representatives, and affiliates. We only collect or have access to information that you voluntarily give us via our online portal, marketing site, mobile app, or related tools. We will not sell or rent this information to anyone. Our company has developed and maintains a proprietary web-based application for secure file management between the end customer, administrative staff, and independent transcriptionists. Our system is hosted on secure and redundant servers and accessed via the highest level of secure SSL encrypted connection for all non-public site areas. All data and files are encrypted both in transit and at rest.
Focus Forward, Inc. requests information from you on our online portal, mobile app, marketing site, or related tools. To order transcription services, you must provide contact information (i.e. name and email) and financial information (i.e. credit card number). This information is used for billing purposes and to process your transcription orders. If we have trouble processing a request, we’ll use this information to contact you. To ensure the utmost security to our clients, FFTranscription deletes all voice files from its servers no more than 60 days after delivery of the transcripts to the client. If requested, the files can be deleted on a shorter timeline.
Focus Forward, Inc. may use your personal information to respond to you regarding your order. We will not share your information with any third party outside of our organization or with any other users of our services. All associates and trusted parties of Focus Forward, Inc. who assist in operating our business and services have signed Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) to keep all transcription data confidential. We guarantee that this information is treated as private and confidential and will be held it in a secure location.
To ensure additional security measures, FFTranscription performs random security checks on all transcriptionists’ computers. All transcribers are required to sign strict, legally binding confidentiality agreements. Administrative staff and independent transcribers have individual, password-protected user accounts that limit their level of access to only those tasks necessary to perform their duties. No one transcriber typically has access to the full audio file. When a client has multiple audio files, transcribers do not usually work on more than one file. Also, transcribers only have access to a small portion of longer audio file with an average maximum of 30 minutes of sound. A sole transcriber typically never has access to a full audio file. When a client has multiple audio files, transcribers generally work on only one file.
Some instances where we may also release your information would be when we have to comply with the law, enforce our website/business policies, or protect our or others’ rights, property, or safety and when the information is pursuant to court orders or law enforcement request (i.e. search warrant, subpoena, court order, discovery request). Otherwise, personally identifiable visitor information will not be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses. FFTranscription requires transcriptionists to store FF data on locked computer accounts to which only they have access and to always have FFTranscription approved updated virus and firewall protection. Additionally, we will never disclose any personally identifiable or financial information related to payment activities.
By voluntarily entering personally identifiable information on our website, you are consenting to our use of it under this Privacy Policy. Before this information is submitted to our systems, you must acknowledge your understanding of this Policy. You acknowledge and agree that such personal data may be transferred from your current location to our servers located in the United States. Focus Forward’s services are not intended for use by children, and we do not knowingly collect or store any personal information about children under the age of 13.
2. Cookies and your control over them
Cookies are small text files which are transferred from our websites, applications, or services and stored on your device. We use cookies to help us provide you with personalized service and to improve the user experience on our websites, applications, and services.
Our cookies may be session cookies (temporary cookies that identify and track users within our websites, applications, or services that are deleted when you close your browser or leave your session in the application or service) or persistent cookies (cookies which enable our websites, applications, or services to remember who you are and your preferences within our websites, applications, or services, including those that will stay on your computer or device after you close your browser or leave your session in the application or service).
We use the following different types of cookies:
- Strictly necessary cookies: These are needed for our websites, applications, or services to function properly. For example, these cookies allow you to access secure areas of our website or to remember what you have put into your shopping cart.
- Performance cookies and analytics technologies: These collect information about how users navigate our websites, applications, and services, for instance, which functionality visitors use most often. They don’t collect information that identifies a visitor or user. We only use these cookies to improve how our website, applications, and services work, so all information collected is anonymous.
- Functionality cookies: These allow our websites, applications, and services to remember choices you make (such as your username, language or country) and provide enhanced, more personal features. They can also be used to recognize changes you have made to services and other parts of web pages that you can customize. The information these collect may be anonymized, and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.
- IP Address and traffic data: We keep a record of traffic data which is logged automatically by our servers, such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address, and device information. We also collect some site, application, and service statistics such as access rates, page hits, and page views. We are not able to identify any individual from traffic data or site statistics.
Google Analytics uses “cookies” to help the website analyze how users use the websites, applications, or services. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the websites, applications, or services (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the websites, applications, or services compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser or within the application, however, please note that if you do this, you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using our websites, applications, or services, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above. To find out more, see “How Google uses data when you use our partners’ sites or apps,” (located at www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/, or any other URL Google may provide from time to time).
To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites visit: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
How to disable cookies
You may be able to configure your browser or our website, applications, or service to restrict cookies or block all cookies if you wish. However, if you disable cookies you may find this affects your ability to use certain parts of our website, applications, or services. You can find more information about cookies and instructions on how to adjust your browser settings to accept, delete, or reject cookies at the www.allaboutcookies.org website.
3. Your control over your data
You may choose to use our website without entering any personally identifiable information, but many of the services will not be available. If you would like to have your information completely deleted from our system, you may delete your account along with all audio and transcriptions via our online portal. Go to “My Profile” and click the “Delete” button underneath “Delete Account.” Unless you ask us not to, we may contact you via email in the future to tell you about discounts, new products or services, or changes to this Privacy Policy.
4. Your access to your data
To upload and/or access any voice/text files through the FFTranscription online platform, all clients are required to register on the website by creating a unique account, both username and password protected. Each user’s secure individual account allows access to only their uploaded files and completed transcripts, to ensure complete confidentiality and security at all times.
You can do the following at any time on our online portal:
- Download all transcribed files
- See what personal data we have about you if any.
- Change or delete any personal information we have about you
- Delete your audio files
- Delete your transcription output
If you would like to express any concern you have about our use of your data, you may contact us via the email address or phone number on our website and at the bottom of this Privacy Policy.
5. Securing your data
When you submit sensitive information via our website, it is protected both online and offline. The collection of sensitive information (such as credit card data) is encrypted and securely transmitted to us. We strive to keep your personally identifiable information secure. However, please note that no security measures are absolute. Thus, we cannot guarantee that your personal data will never be disclosed in a manner inconsistent with this Privacy Policy. We will make reasonable attempts to notify you within 72 hours if we determine that Focus Forward has experienced a security breach and there is a reasonably likely risk of identity theft, or where otherwise required by law.
In addition to security information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only associates who need access to personally identifiable information are granted it. Our servers and databases that process and store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment. We understand that there are numerous choices available when selecting the right transcription company. Security of your audio files and text are of the utmost importance to our team, and we are continuously innovating and developing systems that stay ahead of the next generation of speech to text security.
6. Transcriber confidentiality
Each transcriptionist within the FF community is required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement prior to working for us. This is kept on file. You can be assured that the materials going through our system are highly secure and are never divulged to anyone. Once a transcript has been completed and submitted, it is completely deleted from the transcriptionist’s computer. This is a legally binding agreement between FFTranscription and each individual transcriptionist.
We are willing to sign any specific Non-Disclosure Agreement with any customer who requests one.
FFTranscription has developed and maintains a proprietary web-based application for secure file management between the end customer, administrative staff, and independent transcriptionists. FFTranscription’s system is hosted on secure and redundant servers and accessed via the highest level of secure SSL encrypted connection for all non-public site areas. All data and files are encrypted both in transit and at rest.
To upload and/or access any voice/text files through the FFTranscription online platform, clients are required to register on the website by creating a unique account, both username and password protected. FFTranscription treats this information as private and confidential and keeps it in a secure location. Customer information is never shared with a third party or used for any other purpose.
Each user’s secure individual account allows access to only their uploaded files and completed transcripts to ensure complete confidentiality and security at all times.
Administrative staff and independent transcribers have individual, password-protected user accounts that limit their level of access to only those tasks necessary to perform their duties.
Transcribed files can be downloaded by clients through their account or emailed, based on preference.
FFTranscription deletes all voice files from its servers no more than 60 days after delivery of the transcripts to the client. If requested, the files can be deleted on a shorter timeline.
Transcribers only have access to a portion of longer audio file with a typical maximum of 30 minutes of sound. No one transcriber typically has access to the full audio file. When a client has multiple audio files, transcribers do not typically work on more than one file.
FFTranscription requires transcriptionists to store FF data on locked computer accounts to which only they have access and to always have FFTranscription approved updated virus and firewall protection.
FFTranscription performs random security checks on all transcriptionists’ computers. All transcribers are required to sign strict, legally binding confidentiality agreements.
FFTranscription understands there are many choices available when selecting the right transcription company. Security of your audio files and text are of the utmost importance to our team, and we are constantly innovating and developing systems that stay ahead of the next generation of speech to text security.
7. Contacting us
If you feel that we are not abiding by this Privacy Policy, you should contact us immediately via telephone at 1-215-367-4000 or via email at kim@focusfwd.com.
CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY
If we decide to change our Privacy Policy, we will update the Policy modified date below.
This Policy was last modified on the 25th of April, 2024.