Privacy Statement
Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) has a responsibility to help keep your personal information safe, secure and confidential.
- We will only collect, store and use information for core business purposes.
- We do not trade or sell personal information to third parties.
This privacy statement describes the fair information practices that govern the collection, maintenance, use and disclosure of personal information on Minnesota Valley Electric’s website.
Collection Practices Like many websites, mvec.net automatically records basic, non-personal information about web visitors. This information consists of IP address, type of browser and operating system, date and time of access, pages visited and referring/exit pages. This information is typically used in aggregate form to help make the website more useful. We like to know which pages are popular and how visitors locate our site. MVEC may use identifying information in response to online surveys; however, we will not disclose or use information for any unrelated purpose, except where compelled by court order or similar legal process. Web logs may be used to identify visitors who seek to damage the website, use the site in unauthorized ways, interfere with operations or conduct illegal or dishonest activity. Information about users who try to engage in any unapproved activities may be shared with law enforcement agencies.
Information We Collect MVEC obtains personal information concerning you when you contact us with inquiries, register for an online account or use any or all of our online service forms, including our online bill payment services. In addition, MVEC may obtain personal Information in connection with providing utility services to you. By using the services, you are consenting to our use of personal information in accordance with this Privacy Statement, the Terms of Use and, if applicable, the Employment Application Terms.
Personal information also includes any username or password selected or assigned to you when you register with the website. You should be sure to keep any such username and password confidential, and to let us know right away if you believe that someone else may have learned your password.
How We Use Personal Information We use personal information for billing, collecting payments, contacting members and customers, resolving problems, providing or improving services, for marketing purposes, enhancing the website, and/or meeting legal concerns or obligations. In addition, if you provide personal information for a specific reason, we may use the personal information in connection with the reason for which you provided it. For instance, if you contact us, we will use personal information you provide to answer your question or resolve your problem.
We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law or if we, in good faith, believe that such action is necessary to (i) comply with a legal obligation, (ii) protect and defend our rights or property, (iii) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of the website of the public, or (iv) protect against legal liability. In addition, we may provide personal information to credit bureaus or collection agencies if we are permitted or required to do so by law.
E-mail and Web Forms If you use MVEC’s website to send an e-mail or provide personal information in any other way, MVEC may collect and maintain the information you provide. Your information may be shared among the employees of MVEC and others as necessary to respond to you. Routine e-mail sent to us through this website or otherwise is not necessarily secure against interception. If your communication contains personal information that you consider sensitive, you may not want to use e-mail.
Children’s Privacy MVEC’s website contains energy-related information and entertainment that may be of educational value to children; no personal information has to be entered in order for you to use those features. We do not knowingly permit persons under the age of 13 to register or provide personally identifiable information (or any other personal information) through our website or other services, and the provision of personal information by children through our website or other service is strictly prohibited. We encourage parents to supervise and participate in their children’s Internet activities, and we urge children to exercise caution and consult their parents before providing any personally identifiable information to any website on the Internet.
Online Tracking We use Google Analytics, which uses “cookies” and other, similar technologies to collect information about use of the service anonymously and reports website and mobile application trends, without identifying individual visitors. To learn more, including how to opt out, visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Links to Other Sites This website contains links to other sites, some of which are not owned or controlled by MVEC. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites. This privacy statement applies only to MVEC’s website.
Social Media Platforms MVEC may interact with registered users of various social media platforms, including Facebook® and Twitter®. Please note that any content you post to such social media platforms (e.g. pictures, information or opinions), as well as any personal information that you otherwise make available to users (e.g. your profile), is subject to the applicable social media platform’s terms of use and privacy policies. We recommend that you review this information carefully in order to better understand your rights and obligations with regard to such content.
Security and Data Quality MVEC maintains this website and its content with appropriate safeguards to protect against loss, misuse and similar events. We take prudent steps to ensure that the information we maintain about users is accurate. However, no computer system can ever be fully protected against every possible hazard. We provide reasonable and appropriate security to protect against foreseeable hazards.
Changes to this Privacy Policy MVEC reserves the right to modify this privacy statement at any time.
How to Contact Us If you have questions about this privacy statement you may contact MVEC by
Mail:
Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative
125 Minnesota Valley Electric Drive
Jordan, MN 55352
Phone: (952) 492-2313 or (800) 282-6832
Email: [email protected]