Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for International Carbon Offset Network

Effective Date: September 7th, 2024

1. Introduction
International Carbon Offset Network ("ICON," "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, and protect the personal information you provide while using our services and website.

2. Information We Collect
We may collect the following types of personal information:

  • Contact Information: such as your name, email address, address, and phone number.

  • Payment Information: as required by our payment processing partner to process transactions.

  • Emissions and Sequestration Related Information: such as land information, property size, estimated emissions, land quality information, etc..

  • Technical Information: including IP address, browser type, device information, and usage data from your interactions with our website.

  • Regional Information: Such as country, state, region, etc..

  • Offset Credit Network Related Information and Transaction Information : including records of purchases of carbon offset credits, trades, or transfers, as well as payment details, and any related correspondences.

  • Legal Information: Such as any information provided or agreed with within our sale, verification, or land pledging documents.

  • Additional Information: including any other voluntarily provided information from you to us.

We may also collect non-personal data that does not identify you specifically, such as anonymized demographic information and aggregated usage data.

3. How We Use Your Information
The personal information we collect is used for the following purposes:

  • Provide and maintain our services, including the processing and management of carbon offset credits.

  • Communicate with users about their account, purchases, and other relevant services.

  • Marketing purposes, such as sending newsletters and updates.

  • Analytics and website improvements to enhance user experience

  • Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms and Conditions.

4. Data Processing
We process personal data based on one or more of the following legal grounds:

  • Contractual necessity: to fulfill our contractual obligations, such as processing transactions or providing services.

  • Consent: where you have provided explicit consent, for example, to receive marketing communications.

  • Legal obligations: to comply with applicable laws and regulations.

  • Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving services or ensuring the security of our platform."

5. Data Retention Policy
We retain personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, as outlined in this policy. Specifically:

Account Data: Retained while you maintain an active account with ICON. If your account is closed or inactive, data will be deleted after 12 months unless retention is required by law or contractual obligations.

Transaction Data: Retained for a period of 7 years to comply with legal and financial record-keeping obligations.

Marketing Data: If you have opted into receiving marketing communications, we will retain this data until you opt out.

Website Usage Data: Retained for analytical purposes, typically for a maximum of 24 months in anonymized or aggregated form.

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. However, we may share your data in the following cases:

  • Service Providers: Third-party vendors who assist in providing our services (e.g., payment processors, mailing services such as Gmail, hosting services, AI models used in our cutting-edge sequestration and credit verification processes) may have access to your data. These providers are obligated to protect your information.

  • Legal Compliance: We may disclose your data if required by law or in response to valid legal requests, including subpoenas or court orders.

  • Business Transfers: If ICON undergoes a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction, with notification provided.

7. User Rights
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right to Access: You may request a copy of the data we hold about you.

  • Right to Correction: You can request corrections to any inaccurate or incomplete data.

  • Right to Deletion (Right to be Forgotten): You may request the deletion of your data in certain circumstances, such as when it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

  • Right to Restrict Processing: You may request that we limit the processing of your data under certain conditions.

  • Right to Data Portability: You can request that your data be provided to you in a structured, commonly used format.

  • Right to Withdraw Consent: If you provided consent for specific data processing, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at contact@offsetwithicon.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

8. Data Security
We use enterprise-grade hosting services and partners. We implement technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. This includes secure data storage, encryption, and access controls. Furthermore, we implement the following security measures to safeguard your data:

  • Encryption: All personal data is encrypted both in transit (using SSL) and at rest.

  • Access Control: Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel only.

  • Regular Audits: We conduct regular security audits to identify and mitigate any potential vulnerabilities.

9. Liability Limitation and Responsibility of Dispute Costs
While ICON takes commercially reasonable steps to safeguard your personal data, no system can guarantee absolute security. ICON disclaims any liability for unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction of data, except where required by applicable law.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, under no circumstances shall ICON, its affiliates, executives, employees, agents, or contractors be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages arising out of or in connection with your use of, or inability to use, ICON’s products, policies, services, or information, regardless of the theory of liability (whether in contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or otherwise) and even if ICON has been advised of the possibility of such damages in advance.

This limitation on liability applies in all circumstances, including but not limited to situations involving arbitration, claims of negligence, breach of contract, tort claims, or any other legal theory, without limitation.

In any event, ICON’s total liability and your exclusive remedy under any and all circumstances, including through arbitration, will be strictly limited to the greater of either (i) the total amount you paid to ICON for the products, services, or information in question, or (ii) U.S. $1. This limitation applies regardless of the form of action, whether based on contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, breach of warranty, or any other legal theory.

Furthermore, you agree that any mediation, arbitration, or legal action brought forth by you against ICON or any of its related entities will be your sole financial responsibility, including the costs and expenses for both parties involved. Under no circumstances will ICON be liable for any of the costs associated with such proceedings.

All products, services, and information provided by ICON are delivered on an “AS IS,” “WITH ALL FAULTS,” and “AT YOUR OWN RISK” basis, without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. You expressly agree that your use of ICON’s services and website is at your sole risk. 

Failure to read or understand this clause will not be considered a valid excuse for its exclusion or non-enforcement. By continuing to use ICON’s website, products, or services, you acknowledge and accept this Liability Limitation and Responsibility for Dispute Costs clause.

10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We do not deploy additional cookies beyond those used by our website builder. To learn more about the cookies used by our website builder, please review their policy at Squarespace's Cookie Policy. By using our website, you agree to the placement of cookies and similar tracking technologies. You may opt out of non-essential cookies at any time by adjusting your browser settings.

11. Third-Party Services
ICON may link to or integrate third-party services, including hosting providers, payment processors, or marketing platforms, for the operation of our services. You acknowledge that ICON is not responsible for the privacy practices, policies, or security of third-party service providers, and your use of such services is at your own risk.

12. Forced Arbitration
By using our services, you agree that any disputes or claims arising out of or related to this Privacy Policy or your use of our services will be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA). Arbitration will be conducted in [Location], and users waive their right to pursue claims through court, including class-action lawsuits, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Furthermore, you agree to bear 100% of the costs associated with the arbitration process, including filing fees, administrative fees, arbitrator fees, and any additional expenses incurred as part of the arbitration, regardless of the outcome or nature of the dispute.

13. Website Links
ICON may use links to other services on our site or in our contracts. These services likely have their own privacy policies, and ours does not apply when visiting external sites.

14. International Data Transfers
If you are located outside of the United States, please note that your data may be transferred internationally. We take appropriate safeguards to ensure that your personal data is protected in accordance with applicable laws. While we do not explicitly claim full GDPR compliance at this time, we strive to maintain the highest level of data protection possible.

15. Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
Email: contact@offsetwithicon.com
Address:
6475 Arroyo Drive
Melbourne, FL
32940

16. Children’s Privacy
Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn that we have collected such data, we will take steps to delete it as soon as possible.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Effective Date."

18. Agreement to Privacy Policy Terms
By continuing to use this website and ICON’s services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this Privacy Policy, you must discontinue use of this website and our services immediately. Failure to thoroughly read the Privacy Policy does not excuse your continued use of the site, and any use of the website constitutes full acceptance of the terms outlined herein.