Privacy Policy

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!
This Privacy Policy was last updated on October 30, 2019.

Overview

The Houston First Corporation (“HFC,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to maintaining your confidence and trust, and accordingly maintains this Privacy Policy that applies to information collected from you by HFC in the operation of its services, ongoing communication, site security, and overall site usage (“HFC Services”) of www.visithouston.com and all other sites operated by HFC (each a, “Website”), and any associated content, features, and functionality contained or provided through the Website or any mobile applications.  This Privacy Policy outlines how HFC collects and uses the information you provide to the HFC. It also explains the choices available to you regarding the HFC’s use of the information you provide and how you can access and update that information.
HFC is located at 701 Avenida de las Americas, Suite 200, Houston, Texas 77010.  

Consent

Other than for European Union citizens, your use of any HFC Services on any computer, mobile phone, tablet, console, or other device constitutes consent to the collection and uses described in this Privacy Policy of your information by the HFC (and Target Third Parties, in which case, once such Target Third-Party is in possession of your information, we cannot control such Target Third Party’s use of your information). If you do not agree with the terms and conditions stated in this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use HFC Services.

Collection of Your Personal Information; Use of Cookies and Tracking Tools

HFC’s mission is to provide you with personalized services and offerings designed to enhance your Greater Houston experience. To do so effectively, HFC may collect personally identifiable information (such as name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and other information) from you and we may do so in the following ways:

(a) directly from your verbal or written submission. If you do not want your personally identifiable information to be collected, please do not submit it.

(b) automatically through HFC Services, which employ the use of "cookies” and pixel technology, Local Storage, and other tracking tools; provided, however, that HFC will not employ cookies or pixels to track the use of HFC Services by users based in the European Union without such users’ consent. Cookies and pixels are small pieces of data stored in files on your computer allowing HFC Services to track your use of any HFC Website as you visit and revisit such websites and applications. The use of cookies by HFC Services complies with generally accepted programming standards and practices. Please note that you can choose to block the use of cookies and pixels through settings in your web browser but be advised that certain features of HFC Services may not work without the use of cookies and pixels. HFC Services are not set up to honor web browser do-not-track settings. “Local Storage” is similar to cookies and provides a way for a website to collect and store information “locally” (i.e. on the user’s device rather than on the website’s server) and retrieve it later. Although Local Storage data is not typically sent to website’s servers, in some instances, we may transmit Local Storage data to our servers for the purpose of improving your experience on HFC Services.

HFC may share the information we receive from cookies and image tags with third-parties and our advertisers in aggregate form, which means that such information does not contain specific personally identifiable information about any one visitor.

Use of Your Information by HFC

It is the policy of HFC not to sell, share, transfer, or rent to third parties any information you provide to HFC,  including information you provide through the use of HFC Services, without your consent except as required by operation of the law or in compliance with legal authorities; provided, however HFC may share your personal information with certain third-parties ("Target Third-Parties") without your written consent in order to further the purpose for which you voluntarily provide HFC with the information. HFC also engages third-party information management service providers, including, but not limited to, customer relationship management providers, to help maintain efficient operations. Information management service providers may have access to your information because they access HFC systems.  HFC does not transfer or relinquish ownership of information maintained about you within HFC systems and databases to such information management service providers, but requires these information services providers to sign confidentiality agreements to keep all confidential information and other proprietary information found in HFC systems confidential.

HFC routinely collects, compiles, and reports statistics and information reflecting the use of HFC Services and information services in order to enhance membership services, advertising services, improve marketing and promotional efforts, analyze usage of HFC Services, improve HFC Services’ content and layout, generate aggregate reports on trends, interests and behavior and enhance service offerings.

HFC may now or in the future work with third parties, including third party advertising networks and website analysis firms, who use cookies, pixels and other tracking technologies to collect non-personally identifiable information when you visit HFC Services. This non-personally identifiable information, collected through cookies, pixels Local Storage and other techniques, is often used by advertising networks to serve you with advertisements tailored to meet your preferences and needs.

HFC may operate contests or promotions through HFC Services or otherwise by itself or with one or more participating or co-sponsoring organizations. The Section labeled “Contests and Promotions” further addresses certain information collection practices by HFC and participating and co-sponsoring organizations as part of such contests or promotions.

HFC reserves the right to take any action the HFC deems prudent or necessary to safeguard HFC Services and your information in HFC systems and databases from malicious or unwarranted attack by viruses, hackers, or other miscreants.

HFC also reserves the right to collect personal information using any new technology yet to be developed and to use such technology to provide new services and features to you, as well as for marketing and promotional purposes.  Specific information regarding your choice to opt-in or to opt-out to such use, or for sharing your personal information with advertisers, will be provided once the new technology, service, or feature is introduced.

Links to Third-Party Websites

For your convenience, HFC Services may link to, or contain links for, third party websites that we do not control or maintain.  These may include websites linked to products referenced on HFC Services or in advertisements on HFC Services. We are not responsible for the terms and conditions or privacy practices employed by such third party websites accessible from HFC Services. Access to third-party websites is at your own risk, and we encourage you to read the privacy statements of all third-party websites before submitting any personally identifiable information while using such other websites.

Changing and Deleting Your Personal Information

You may request HFC change or delete your personal information in HFC systems and databases by submitting a detailed description of the desired action to the following email address privacy@houstonfirst.com.

Please note that after HFC processes a change or deletes your personal information from active HFC systems and databases, it is possible that non-active residual copies of your information may still exist in HFC systems on archive or backup media.

Control of Your Password

You are required to control the security of your password. HFC is not responsible for any damages arising out of the loss or misuse of your passwords. If you have forgotten your password, please go to the appropriate page and enter your e-mail address and a link to re-set your password will be e-mailed to you shortly thereafter. Note that we will never ask for your password in an unsolicited phone call or e-mail.

Electronic Newsletters

We offer free, electronic newsletters, updates and e-mail reminders as a service to our registrants, based upon your voluntary subscription. You will only receive an electronic newsletter if you have requested it (opted-in). We may share mailing lists between our clients and members for legitimate business purposes. Additionally, to minimize duplicative e-mails and other electronic messages we do correlate user e-mail addresses with Facebook users through a service provided by Facebook, although it is our understanding that Facebook does not retain any of this data.

Mobile Applications

We offer free notifications and reminders as a service to users that have installed one of our applications, based upon your voluntary subscription. You will only receive a notification if you have requested it (opted in). Notices can be turned off at any time by accessing the Settings within the application or through the Settings of the mobile device operating system. We may share application user information with our clients for legitimate business purposes. To minimize duplicative electronic messages we do correlate application users with their respective Facebook user profile, through a service provided by Facebook, when consent has been given by the user at the time of login, although it is our understanding that Facebook does not retain any of this data.

Children’s Privacy Policy

Although persons of all ages may visit the HFC Website and participate in HFC Services that do not require the collection of personally identifiable information, HFC does not knowingly or intentionally collect personal information from children under the age of 13, except for the limited circumstances listed below. HFC will automatically reject and delete the registration or entry of any person we believe in good faith to be underage. Any false or fraudulent registration or entry from a minor will be deemed to be ineligible and will disqualify the minor from the receipt of a prize, benefit, or other participation.
Except to meet Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"), or other regulatory and legal purposes, we will not use, store, or disclose any child's personal information to a third party without prior parental consent.

This Website has a special section designed for children or may have contests and prizes that could appeal to children, but it is not for the intent of collecting the personal information of children. If we unintentionally receive personal information from children under the age of 13 in relation to this activity, we will comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 ("COPPA") and reject and destroy such correspondence upon knowledge of such collection, except for the limited circumstances above.  For more information about COPPA, please see the Federal Trade Commission's website: www.ftc.gov.

Contests and Promotions

HFC may operate contests or promotions through HFC Services or otherwise by itself or with one or more participating or co-sponsoring organizations. In addition to the official rules that apply to such contest or promotion, HFC may request information from users of HFC Services who choose to participate in such contests or promotions. Information requested may include contact information (such as name and address), and demographic information (such as zip code and age). If you choose to participate in one of these contests or promotions, the other participating organizations, co-sponsors and their affiliates may also receive and use the information collected or may collect the information directly, and the use of such information shall be governed by the respective privacy policies of such participating organizations, cosponsors and their affiliates. Other than for European Union citizens, your participation in a contest or promotion through HFC Services or otherwise shall be deemed to be consent to the receipt and use of such information by HFC, as well as other participating organizations, co-sponsors and their affiliates. HFC may provide aggregate statistics about our contestants, traffic patterns and related website information to reputable third-party vendors but these statistics do not include personally identifiable information.
To participate in the contest, participants may log on to www.visithoustontexas.com to fill out an entry form on the contest page.  HFC is not responsible for entries not received due to difficulty accessing the internet, service outages or delays, computer difficulties or other technological glitches.

Contest are open to all who are 18 years of age or older. Employees of HFC, advertising agencies and participating sponsors/promotional partners are ineligible to participate or win.

Decisions of HFC management with respect to the contests are final. Contests winners are chosen at random. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received. Winners will be contacted by phone and e-mail.   If the winner cannot be contacted within 72 hours after the prize is awarded, an alternate winner will be selected.
Payments of all federal, state and local taxes are solely the responsibility of the winner.  Winners may be required to sign an IRS Form W-9 or the equivalent.
Failure to comply with the contest rules may result in a contestant's disqualification, at the sole discretion of the HFC. The HFC also reserves the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process or the operation of HFC Services. HFC further reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the contest if it is not capable of completion as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention or technical failures of any sort.

HFC is not responsible for typographical or other errors in the printing, the offering or the administration of the contest or in the announcement of a prize.

Google Demographics and Interests Reporting

This Website collects demographic data from Google’s Interest-based advertising with Google Analytics. You may opt-out of Google Analytics for Display Advertising by updating this preferences with Google.

Monitoring and Use of Aggregate Personal Information  

HFC reserve the right to monitor and edit any Personal Information about our users, including information about the use of website activities and services, the contents of users' email and messages for internal purposes, and when necessary, to disclose to law enforcement personnel, and/or the employer and/or Internet Service Provider of a user that is not in compliance with the Terms of Use Agreement or Privacy Policy.  We will take such measures if we believe it is necessary to protect the security, integrity, and operations of this Website.  Without disclosure of Personal Information or sensitive personal information about individual users, we may provide aggregate statistics about our users, traffic patterns and related website information to Advertisers, reputable third party vendors or marketing companies.
This Website licenses third party ad-server software for banner advertising. HFC will place cookies on your computer that collect Personal Information, monitor your website or internet usage via this software and such information will be collected, used, and stored in the same manner that other Personal Information is collected on this Website.  The third party software licensor does not have access to your Personal Information.

Your Questions and Concerns

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or any of HFC’s use of your information, please contact the HFC at the following e-mail address: privacy@houstonfirst.com.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

HFC reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy, or any part of it, without notice at any time and for any reason. Whenever HFC changes this Privacy Policy, we will post the updated Privacy Policy on HFC Services, and we will note at the top of this Privacy Policy the date of the last update, which should alert you to changes, in this Privacy Policy since your prior visit to HFC Services.