VIRGINIA RESIDENT PRIVACY NOTICE

Effective Date: January 1, 2023

 

Your Virginia Privacy Rights

Under the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA)

 

Specialists Marketing Services, Inc. (“SMS”) values the privacy of its customers and consumers.  We’ve created this resource to help Virginia residents understand the type of personal information we collect, how we use it, and how to exercise your rights under Virginia’s Consumer Data Protection Act.

Introduction to SMS’ Services

SMS helps our clients to provide more targeted, relevant, and effective marketing and communications through various media channels including but not limited to direct mail, email, social media, display ads, and to understand more about their clients and prospects through our wide variety of data products and services.

Information SMS Collects

SMS Website 

SMS does not collect personal information about visitors to our site except when visitors specifically provide such information on a voluntary basis. Personal information may be gathered from forms submitted to request additional information as well as content or blog subscriptions. We may collect personal information, such as your name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, contact preferences, and other identifiers as part of our effort to transact business with you and to respond to your inquiries. We may also collect personal information from you for marketing purposes unless you specifically opt-out and request that you not be contacted in conjunction with such marketing activities.

Marketing Data Products and Services

The personal information we collect for our marketing data products is not collected on this website. Our marketing data products contain publicly available information, census information, as well as personal information from data compilers, aggregators, partners, and clients.  At times, SMS shares or sells personal data to third parties or processes personal data for targeted advertising.

SMS collects the following categories of information about consumers:

  • Name/address
  • Demographic
  • Interest-based data
  • Device
  • Browser
  • Email, clear or hashed
  • IP address
  • Geolocation data
  • Telephone
  • Inferences about your predicted characteristics and preferences
  • Other information about you that is linked to personal information above, for example, information on individuals who have recently moved, purchased a home, obtained a hunting license, registered a boat.

 

SMS has collected personal information from the following categories of sources in the last twelve (12) months:

  • Business to Business companies
  • Data Compilers/Aggregators/Resellers
  • Public or Government entities
  • Publishing Product companies
  • Telecommunications companies

 

In the past twelve (12) months, SMS has disclosed or sold the categories of personal information referenced above to the following categories of third parties:

  • Advertising/Marketing companies
  • Advertising networks
  • Apparel & Accessory companies
  • Automotive companies
  • Business Services/Agencies
  • Business to Business companies
  • Communication Services companies
  • Consumer Data resellers
  • Consumer Packaged Goods companies
  • Consumer Services companies
  • Data Analytics providers
  • Data Onboarding companies
  • Educational Institutions & companies
  • Electronics companies
  • Food & Beverage companies
  • Furniture & Home Goods companies
  • General Merchandise and Gift Product companies
  • Health and Wellness Product and Service companies
  • Insurance & Financial Services companies
  • Lifestyle & Interest Product companies
  • Marketing Data companies
  • Not for Profit organizations
  • Publishing Product companies
  • Technology/Computer Software companies
  • Telecommunications companies
  • Travel, Leisure & Entertainment companies

SMS shares data for the following purposes:

  • Marketing
  • Analytics

Definition of Personal Data

Under the VCDPA, “personal data” means any information that is linked or reasonably linkable to an identified or identifiable natural person. “Personal data” does not include de-identified data or publicly available information.

Children’s Privacy

We do not knowingly collect, maintain, or use personal information from individuals under 18 years of age, and no part of our services are directed to children. If you learn that a child has provided us with personal information in violation of this Privacy Notice, then you may alert us at dataprivacyteam@sms-inc.com.

Right to Access

As a Virginia resident, you have the right to request that SMS provide a copy of the personal data that we have about you in a portable and useable format.  Click here to submit a verifiable request to exercise this right.

In order for SMS to properly verify the Consumer’s identity prior to any disclosure of information, SMS will require, at a minimum, the Consumer’s full name, address, email address, and telephone number.

Alternatively, you may email dataprivacyteam@sms-inc.com to initiate this request.

If SMS is unable to authenticate the request using commercially reasonable efforts, it shall not be required to comply with such request and may ask the consumer to provide additional information reasonably necessary to authenticate the consumer and the consumer’s request.  See Va. Code Ann. § 59.1-577(A) and (B)(4) (2023).

SMS agrees to respond to a consumer’s request free of charge, up to twice annually per consumer. If requests from a consumer are manifestly unfounded, excessive, or repetitive, SMS may charge the consumer a reasonable fee to cover the administrative costs of complying with the request or decline to act on the request pursuant to Va. Code Ann. § 59.1-577(B)(3) (2023).

Right to Correct

As a Virginia resident, you have the right to correct your personal information.  Click here to submit a verifiable request to exercise this right.

In order for SMS to properly verify the Consumer’s identity prior to any disclosure of information, SMS will require, at a minimum, the Consumer’s full name, address, email address, and telephone number.

Alternatively, you may email dataprivacyteam@sms-inc.com to initiate this request.

If SMS is unable to authenticate the request using commercially reasonable efforts, it shall not be required to comply with such request and may ask the consumer to provide additional information reasonably necessary to authenticate the consumer and the consumer’s request.  See Va. Code Ann. § 59.1-577(A) and (B)(4) (2023).

SMS agrees to respond to a consumer’s request free of charge, up to twice annually per consumer. If requests from a consumer are manifestly unfounded, excessive, or repetitive, SMS may charge the consumer a reasonable fee to cover the administrative costs of complying with the request or decline to act on the request pursuant to Va. Code Ann. § 59.1-577(B)(3) (2023).

Right to Delete

As a Virginia resident, you have the right to request that SMS delete any personal information we have collected or maintain.  Click here to submit a verifiable request to exercise this right.

In order for SMS to properly verify the Consumer’s identity prior to any disclosure of information, SMS will require, at a minimum, the Consumer’s full name, address, email address, and telephone number.

Alternatively, you may email dataprivacyteam@sms-inc.com to initiate this request.

If SMS is unable to authenticate the request using commercially reasonable efforts, it shall not be required to comply with such request and may ask the consumer to provide additional information reasonably necessary to authenticate the consumer and the consumer’s request.  See Va. Code Ann. § 59.1-577(A) and (B)(4) (2023).

SMS agrees to respond to a consumer’s request free of charge, up to twice annually per consumer. If requests from a consumer are manifestly unfounded, excessive, or repetitive, SMS may charge the consumer a reasonable fee to cover the administrative costs of complying with the request or decline to act on the request pursuant to Va. Code Ann. § 59.1-577(B)(3) (2023).

Right to Opt-Out

As a Virginia resident, you have the right to opt-out of targeted advertising, profiling, and the sale of your personal information by SMS.  Click here to submit a verifiable request to exercise this right.

In order for SMS to properly verify the Consumer’s identity prior to any disclosure of information, SMS will require, at a minimum, the Consumer’s full name, address, email address, and telephone number.

Alternatively, you may email dataprivacyteam@sms-inc.com to initiate this request.

If SMS is unable to authenticate the request using commercially reasonable efforts, it shall not be required to comply with such request and may ask the consumer to provide additional information reasonably necessary to authenticate the consumer and the consumer’s request.  See Va. Code Ann. § 59.1-577(A) and (B)(4) (2023).

SMS agrees to respond to a consumer’s request free of charge, up to twice annually per consumer. If requests from a consumer are manifestly unfounded, excessive, or repetitive, SMS may charge the consumer a reasonable fee to cover the administrative costs of complying with the request or decline to act on the request pursuant to Va. Code Ann. § 59.1-577(B)(3) (2023).

Use of Authorized Agent

SMS is currently not accepting consumer requests, including opt-out requests, from Virginia consumers via authorized agents.  Virginia residents may opt-out here or email us at dataprivacyteam@sms-inc.com

Right to Non-Discrimination

As a Virginia resident, you have the right not to receive discriminatory treatment by SMS for exercising your privacy rights conferred by the VCDPA.

Right to Appeal

As a Virginia resident, you have the right to appeal SMS’s response to a consumer request or SMS’s refusal to take action on a consumer request.  If you are not satisfied with SMS’s response to your consumer request, you may submit an appeal by email to dataprivacyteam@sms-inc.com to initiate this request.  Within 60 days of receipt of an appeal, we will inform you in writing via email of any action taken or not taken in response to the appeal, including a written explanation of the reasons for the decisions.

Sensitive Personal Information

Under the VCDPA, SMS cannot process sensitive data concerning a consumer without obtaining the consumer’s consent.  “Sensitive data” under the VCDPA means a category of personal information that includes:

  • Personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, mental or physical health diagnosis, sexual orientation, or citizenship or immigration status;
  • The processing of genetic or biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person;
  • The personal data collected from a known child; or
  • Precise geolocation data.

 

Other Privacy Choices and Opt-Out Solutions

DMAchoice.org (https://dmachoice.thedma.org/) offers consumers a simple, step-by-step process that enables them to decide what mail they do and do not want.

In addition, DMAchoice, offers online and mail in registration for DMA’s:

Digital Advertising Alliance (https://youradchoices.com/) When you click on the YourAdChoices icon, you get control over how information about your interests is used for relevant advertising.

Network Advertising Alliance (http://optout.networkadvertising.org/?c=1) NAI offers an opt-out page where you can learn more about NAI members

Cookie Policy

We do not use 1st Party Cookies to record your visit to our website.

We do permit the setting of Third-Party cookies on our website. We use Google Analytics cookies to assess performance and analytics or to perform business research.

Managing and refusing the use of Cookies

Most browsers allow you to choose whether you wish to accept cookies. Generally, your browser will offer you the choice to accept, refuse or delete all cookies, or third-party cookies on a website.  Controls will vary by browser, so we’ve provided links below to popular browser instructions:

Links to Third Party Sites

Our website contains links to third party sites. SMS does not endorse or make any representations about any third party sites including any information found there. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these third party sites.

Security

SMS maintains security procedures designed to keep information we aggregate, license and process from being accessed by any unauthorized person, persons or business. SMS has safeguards in place to keep your personal information accurate, complete, and up to date for the purposes for which it is used. Strict measures are taken to assure against unauthorized access, alteration, or dissemination of personal information. We also maintain reasonable administrative, technical and physical data security practices to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of personal data.

Privacy Notice Updates

SMS may revise this Privacy Notice at our discretion. Any future version of the Privacy Notice generally becomes effective at the time of posting. We encourage you to periodically review the website for the latest changes.  You can determine when this Notice was last revised by checking the “Last Revised” date at the bottom of this Notice. By using, and continuing to use, the site you agree to this Notice.

Questions about this Privacy Notice may be submitted by mail to the address below or via email to dataprivacyteam@sms-inc.com.

Specialists Marketing Services, Inc.
Attn: Data Privacy Team
777 Terrace Ave, Suite 401
Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604

 

This notice is effective on January 1, 2023.