PRIVACY POLICY

g-MEO is a company whose mission is to connect US students to study abroad in China programs. References in this Privacy Policy may, as the context requires, include our affiliate or subsidiary websites. g-MEO provides access to information, goods, and services that facilitate the college experience in China. We recognize the importance of protecting the privacy rights of our users.

This Privacy Policy applies only to personally identifiable information collected on these website(s) and does not apply to any other information collected by g-MEO through any other means. This Privacy Policy applies to the use and sharing of personally identifiable information collected on and after the date that this Privacy Policy is posted.

CHILDREN UNDER 13 YEARS OF AGE

We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information online from children under the age of 13. If a child provides us with this type of information online, please contact us to have the account deactivated by sending an e-mail.

CHANGES TO PRIVACY STATEMENT

These guidelines have been developed with the recognition that Internet technologies are rapidly evolving. From time to time, we may need to change our Privacy Policy because of changes in the law, technology, our business, or our attempts to better serve user needs. If we decide to change our Privacy Policy, we will post the changes within the Privacy Policy itself, on the homepage, or in other places we deem appropriate. This is to ensure that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please review it frequently. If we make material changes, we will notify you here, by e-mail, or by means of a notice on our homepage. All information collected after any updates to the Privacy Policy will be subject to the new policy.

TYPES OF INFORMATION COLLECTED ONLINE

The choice regarding how much personally identifiable information you disclose is completely at your discretion. While it is not mandatory to answer any question, you will need to provide personally identifiable information to access certain areas of our site(s); obtain or register for special services; or complete transactions. If you choose not to provide this information, we may not be able to permit access to such areas, provide those special services, or complete certain transactions.

We respect your privacy. Except as described in this privacy statement, your information collected on g-MEO website(s) will not be shared, rented, or loaned to third parties.

We reserve the right to disclose your personally identifiable information as required by law and when we believe that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights and/or comply with a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process served on our website(s).

INFORMATION COLLECTED THROUGH TRAFFIC MONITORING

Like many other websites, g-MEO website(s) are equipped with a program that monitors site traffic. It automatically records every visitor's host, domain name, pages visited, length of user session, browser type and/or IP address. This program tracks the number of times the site(s) are visited, how many visitors come to the site(s), which parts of the site(s) are frequented, and the length of time of each visit. This information does not contain personally identifiable information and is used to evaluate areas of interest and to improve the website(s).

INFORMATION COLLECTED THROUGH ACCOUNT CREATION, SIGN-IN, AND OBTAINING SERVICES

Following are examples of the types of accounts and services offered on these website(s) and the type of information that is collected from the user. By providing any such information, the user consents to our Privacy Policy.

FOR STUDENTS SECTIONS

We may collect personally identifiable information directly from users who are interested in obtaining services, products, or using tools within the For Students sections of the site. Users do not need an online account to view most parts of the website(s); however, to perform certain tasks or to save personalized information, accounts are required.

Account creation: We collect the following personally identifiable information from users who wish to create an online account: first name, middle initial, last name, zip code, gender, date of birth, date of high school graduation, e-mail address, username, and password.

FOR EDUCATORS SECTION

We may collect personally identifiable information directly from users who are interested in obtaining services, products, or using tools, within the For Educators section of the site. Users do not need an online account to view most of the website; however, to perform certain tasks or save personalized information, accounts are required.

Account creation: We collect the following personally identifiable information from users who wish to create an online account: first name, middle initial, and last name, name suffix, gender, job title, school affiliation, username, password, e-mail address, and birth month and day.

Online event registration: If you register for a workshop, meeting, or conference through the site, we'll capture credit card information, the type of services or products ordered or purchased, and the date of the order or purchase.

USE OF COOKIES

A cookie is a small text file placed on your computer's hard drive when you visit a website. The cookie gives you a unique, random ID, and this ID enables our website(s) to readily recognize each user on a subsequent visit to the site(s). For example, a cookie may indicate the preferences you selected on a prior visit. This facilitates more efficient browsing on subsequent visits, by using your preferences to customize the content and/or layout of our site(s). We may use cookies in this fashion. Visitors are free to set their Web browsers to prevent the acceptance of cookies. However, some applications on our website may require that you enable cookies to access their features.

Some of our service providers use cookies on our site(s). We have no access to or control over these cookies. This privacy statement covers the use of cookies by g-MEO website(s) only and does not cover the use of cookies by any third-party providers.

HOW INFORMATION IS USED

Personally identifiable information collected during the account registration process and by users choosing to receive certain e-mail communications may be used to:

Improve g-MEO and its products, offerings, and services. Typically, this information is collected from e-mail surveys and online polls.

Verify user identity during Customer Service calls.

Share information with our operational partners.

Customize and/or personalize the content and/or layout of our page for each individual user.

Send customized college-planning newsletters.

Fulfill online purchase requests or other transactions performed on the site(s). Personally identifiable information is shared with the relevant supplier or selected vendor so that they can complete purchases or transactions.

We may also aggregate information that users provide in order to:

Generate statistical studies and conduct research related to our professional work.

Identify, develop, and offer products and services that help in connecting students with Chinese educational institutions, may make the college experience more enjoyable and cost-efficient, or help obtain such products and services from suppliers and selected vendors;

In support of operating, hosting, and enhancing our website(s), personally identifiable information may be accessed by contractors who assist with programming and technical aspects of website operation. All contractors adhere to g-MEO's confidentiality and privacy conditions.

SUPPLIERS AND SELECTED VENDORS; LINKED SITES

We maintain relationships with outside service providers for some of the services offered through our site(s). Although, the information these providers make available may be presented in a framed format, with g-MEO border surrounding the service provider's pages, the service provider is prominently identified. Please be aware that any information supplied on those framed pages is sent directly to those service providers, and is subject to their security and privacy policies. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these outside service providers, because their privacy practices may differ from ours

SERVICE PROVIDERS

We use outside companies to process credit cards and to ship free or purchased goods. These companies do not retain, share, store, or use personally identifiable information for any other purpose.

In addition, we may use an outside company to process outbound e-mail to our customers. This company does retain and store limited personally identifiable information for the sole purpose of their service obligation to our organization. They do not share, sell or rent this information for any other purpose. Examples of the information provided are: First and Last Name, Address, Date of Birth, Home and Cell Phone number, and E-mail address.

COMMUNICATION OPTIONS FROM THE WEBSITE(S)

We communicate electronically with our users through two types of e-mails: mandatory system-generated e-mails and optional e-mails. System-generated e-mails are a direct response to a user's action on the site(s). Examples include: confirmation of a purchase, and username and password reminders. Optional e-mails are selected by the user based on specific services chosen. Examples include product promotions, student newsletters, parent newsletters, onboard newsletters, alerts, and surveys.

You always have the choice not to receive optional e-mail or other means of communication from g-MEO website(s). We respect your privacy and realize that not everyone likes to receive special offers or information. You have the ability, upon registering at the site(s), to opt out from receiving elective communications. Even if you initially choose to receive such e-mail or communications, you later may request removal from our lists in any of these ways:

SECURITY

We exercise great care in providing secure transmission of information from your computer to our servers. You must have a secure browser—one that supports secure transmission of data across the Internet—to purchase items on g-MEO website(s). For more information, use your browser's Help feature.

Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Once we receive your transmission, we make our best effort to ensure its security on our systems. When sensitive information such as credit card or social security numbers is transmitted, we use industry standard secure socket layer (SSL) encryption.

Your g-MEO website password is protected so that only you can access it and view the member information relevant to the account. We recommend that you do not divulge your password to anyone. No one at g-MEO will ever ask you for your password in an unsolicited phone call or e-mail. Ultimately, you are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your passwords and any account information.