TERMS & CONDITIONS
TechserveTO is provided to you by TechServeTO Inc. (also referred to as “us” or “we” herein). TechServeTO Inc. is TechServeTO’s legal name and is a federally incorporated nonprofit corporation
No Offers or Advice
This website is for informational purposes only and may not be relied upon in any manner.
Nothing contained in this website constitutes legal, accounting, tax or other professional advice.
This website is provided free of charge and nothing contained on this website is a solicitation, offer or recommendation to engage in any form of commercial activity.
Eligibility
This website provides general information to:
- Individuals over age 18 (or over age 16 with consent of their guardians), who have sufficient competence, experience and ability to provide technology support to users of common communication technology (“Volunteers”); and
- Individuals who are seeking information or assistance with setting up or using common communication technology (“Service Recipients”). There is no age requirement for Service Recipients except that you must be over age 18.
Volunteers who wish to provide free technology support services to Service Recipients are solely responsible for ensuring they have any applicable authorization, capacity or insurance to provide this support. By submitting the Volunteer sign-up form you consent to us doing background checks on you which may include criminal records checks, contacting references, social media checks and/or verifying identity.
Your Account: In order to provide, access or use some or a portion of the Services as either a Volunteer or a Service Recipient, you may be required to register with us using the Form provided on the website and provide us with your contact information.
By agreeing to these Terms & Conditions, volunteers and service recipients agree to not:
- Steal from those you are assisting or commit fraud;
- Violate Any Laws;
- Be false or misleading;
- Infringe any third-party right;
- Distribute or contain spam, chain letters, or pyramid schemes;
- Distribute viruses or any other technologies;
- Copy, modify, or distribute any other person’s content or information;
- Harvest or otherwise collect information about others, including email addresses.
Reporting abuse of TechServeTO services: Please contact us by email at [email protected] to tell us about any problems or offensive content so that together we can keep the Services working properly. We may limit or terminate our Services, remove hosted content and take technical and legal steps to keep users off TechServeTO if we think that they are creating problems or acting inconsistently with the letter or spirit of our policies. However, whether we decide to take any of these steps, remove hosted content or keep a user off TechServeTO or not, we do not accept any liability for monitoring TechServeTO or for unauthorized or unlawful content on TechServeTO or use of TechServeTO by users.
In addition, by agreeing to these terms & conditions you agree to be bounded by our code of conduct. This is our code of conduct:
- Treat other people with respect, dignity and kindness consistent with both the letter and spirit of the law and good ethical and moral grounding.
- You agree to try, to the best of your abilities, to seek a resolution to the technical program that you are seeking help for, or are helping with. Recognizing that not all problems are solvable, we still believe in working towards a solution to the best of abilities.
- Privacy & Security – privacy and security of both client and volunteers is crucial. Do not seek any additional information beyond what is provided by us. You agree to keep all information confidential.
- Take action – anytime you feel that you are not receiving good service, or are being treated distastefully by a client, please let us know.
- Harassment, Discrimination and Bullying – These behaviours are not allowed at TechServeTO. If you are aware of these behaviours, please report to TechServeTO.
- Elder abuse – treat elders with respect and kindness. If you become aware of any elder abuse, please report to TechServeTO.
- Accepting gifts – our services are provided free of charge and without any expectation of repayment. If you are offered monetary compensation or a gift please decline and flag it with TechServeTO.
The recourse for breaking the code of conduct may include verbal or written warning, refusal of services, or loss of volunteering privilege
Use of Website
This website may be accessed and used only by individuals who can form legally binding contracts under applicable laws, who are 18 years of age or older, and who are not barred from using the website under applicable laws. If you are under 18 years old and wish to become a Volunteer, please have your guardian contact us to provide their consent. Do not use the website until your guardian has provided this consent.
Security
Although we take reasonable steps commensurate with a free, public-interest website to ensure the security of this website, there are inherent risks associated with the use of electronic means of communication. Therefore, do not submit sensitive personal or business information through this website. The possibility exists that information could be unlawfully observed by a third party while the data is being transmitted over the internet or while stored on cloud-based servers, or subject to access and review by law enforcement or other authorities. We accept no liability if any other persons obtain the information you submit to this website.
Disclaimers and Limitations of Liability
The Services are provided “as is” and “as available”. You agree not to hold TechServeTO Inc. or its managers or directors responsible for actions taken by volunteers or by those receiving volunteer services. As the volunteer tech support comes from other users, TechServeTO Inc. does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, efficacy or timeliness of any services rendered or user communications or the quality, safety, or legality of what is offered. TechServeTO Inc. also cannot guarantee continuous or secure access to our Services. Notification functionality in our Services may not occur in real time. Such functionality is subject to delays beyond our control, including without limitation, delays or latency due to your physical location or your wireless data service provider’s network. Accordingly, to the extent legally permitted we expressly disclaim all warranties, representations and conditions, express or implied, including those of quality, durability, fitness for a particular purpose and those arising by statute. TechServeTO Inc. and its directors are not liable for any loss, whether of money (including profit), goodwill, or reputation, or any special, indirect, or consequential damages arising out of the use of this website, even if you advise us or we could reasonably foresee the possibility of any such damage occurring.
Do not provide us with information about individuals other than yourself. Note that TechServeTO Inc. cannot be held liable for any harms should one nominate someone else as a Volunteer or Service Recipient.
Except where prohibited by law, Volunteers waive their right to pursue legal action against TechServeTO Inc. (TechServeTO).
Except where prohibited by law, TechServeTO Inc. cannot be held liable for any actions taken by its registered Volunteers. TechServeTO Inc. does not make any assurances about the screening process or the quality of its volunteers.
All Service Recipient information (including name and contact details) is strictly confidential and must not be retained, used or disclosed by Volunteer after the call is over.
Indemnification
You will indemnify and hold harmless TechServeTO Inc. and its affiliates and their respective officers, directors, agents and employees (each an “Indemnified Party”), from any claim made by any third party, together with any amounts payable to the third party whether in settlement or as may otherwise be awarded, and reasonable legal costs incurred by any of the Indemnified Parties, arising from or relating to your use of the Services, any alleged violation by you of the applicable terms, and any alleged violation by you of any applicable law or regulation. We reserve the right, at our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you, but doing so will not excuse your indemnity obligations.
Personal Information
These terms and the other policies posted on the Services constitute the entire agreement between us (TechServeTO Inc.) and you, superseding any prior agreements. This agreement is governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. We both submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of Ontario. If we don’t enforce any particular provision, we are not waiving our right to do so later. If a court strikes down any of these terms, the remaining terms will survive. We may automatically assign this agreement in our sole discretion in accordance with the notice provision below (our assignment to an affiliate will not require notice).
Send questions, comments or concerns about these Terms or the Services to [email protected].
General
These terms and the other policies posted on the Services constitute the entire agreement between us (TechServeTO Inc.) and you, superseding any prior agreements. This agreement is governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. We both submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of Ontario. If we don’t enforce any particular provision, we are not waiving our right to do so later. If a court strikes down any of these terms, the remaining terms will survive. We may automatically assign this agreement in our sole discretion in accordance with the notice provision below (our assignment to an affiliate will not require notice).
Send questions, comments or concerns about these Terms or the Services to [email protected].
PRIVACY POLICY
General
This privacy policy describes the policy of TechServeTO Inc. regarding the collection, use, storage, sharing and protection of your personal information (“Privacy Policy”). This Privacy Policy applies to the www.techserveto.com websites (together, “TechserveTO” or “Website”), other channels through which you provide personal information (such as email or phone) and all related websites, applications, services and tools where reference is made to this policy (“Services”), regardless of how you access the Services, including access through mobile devices.
Personal information is information about an identifiable individual, such as name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. This Privacy Policy is not intended to cover information other than personal information, such as business or anonymous information.
Scope and consent: By submitting a Volunteer or Seeking Help form or otherwise providing us with your personal information, you consent to the collection, use, disclosure and retention of your personal information by us, as described in this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. By using this website, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of certain personal information that is automatically exchanged between your device and this website (this information does not identify you by name).
We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. Substantial policy changes will be outlined in our website. This policy is effective as of 4/21/2020.
What personal information do we collect and how
When you decide to provide us with your personal information, that information is sent to us and stored on our servers. Our servers are maintained by Google and Siteground and therefore may be located outside of Canada. We may collect the following types of personal information:
- Information you provide to us when you fill out our Volunteer form or Seeking Help form or email us;
- Additional information that you may provide to us through social media sites or third party Services;
- Information you provide to us when you contact us by phone, email or through our Website or social media accounts;
- Background check-related information, whether provided by you, references, social media or online searches, or criminal records check providers;
- Information provided in the context of dispute resolution or correspondence that is sent to us;
- Government-issued ID.
How we use your personal information
You agree that we may use your personal information for the following purposes:
- To provide you access to our Services and Customer Support by means of e-mail, web or telephone;
- To review and verify your application as a Volunteer, including specifically to conduct background checks;
- To share contact information of Service Recipients with Volunteers, for the purpose of providing the Services;
- To prevent, detect and investigate potentially prohibited or illegal activities, fraud, complaints and security breaches and to enforce our Terms of Use;
- To contact you, by e-mail, push notification, text message (SMS) or by telephone, to inquire about your satisfaction with our Services, notify you of other Services that may be of interest, or share updates and developments with you;
- To provide you with other services that you have requested, as described when we collected the information;
- To manage our Services, including volunteer or employee training, dispute resolution, and legal compliance.
Transfer of your personal information to third parties: We may disclose your personal information to third parties in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable legislation and regulations.
We may share your personal information with:
- Volunteers, so they can contact Service Recipients to provide the Services or so they can assist us with administrative tasks (which may involve handling personal information of other Volunteers).
- Service providers with whom we have entered into an agreement to help us provide our Services. These can include providers of services such as cloud storage, payment processing, website hosting, customer services and the conducting of background checks.In such cases, we take steps to limit service providers’ ability to use or disclose this information for purposes other than the Services.
- Certain other third parties (such as intellectual property rights holders, supervisory authorities, tax authorities, police and other regulatory authorities) if we are required to do so by law, or in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Generally speaking, we will not disclose your personal information to third parties other than those described above without a court order or formal request from the government in accordance with applicable law, unless we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to prevent impending injury or financial damage, protect our interests or to report alleged illegal activities.
Communication and Update Purposes
You agree that we may use the information collected by us to contact you by telephone or email regarding the free Services offered by TechServeTO, including to survey you about your experience or tell you about additional free service options.
TechServeTO does not offer or provide commercial services and operates as a free, public-interest website connecting Volunteers with Service Providers. As such, we do not send commercial electronic messages. However, if you no longer wish to receive communications or be part of our database, email [email protected] to opt out.
Accessing, Reviewing and Changing Your Personal Information
Contact us if you would like to change or delete your personal information.
Protection and retention of your personal information
We will retain personal information only as long as we need it for operational or legal reasons, and will delete or anonymize it when it is no longer necessary.
We take reasonable steps commensurate with a free, public-interest website to protect personal information, including through physical, organizational and technological safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. However, there are inherent risks associated with the use of electronic means of communication so you should not provide us with sensitive personal or business information. The possibility exists that information could be unlawfully observed by a third party while the data is being transmitted over the internet or while stored on cloud-based servers, or subject to access and review by law enforcement or other authorities. Ultimately, any transmission of personal information is at your own risk.
Nevertheless, if you believe your account has been abused or your information misused, please contact us at [email protected]
Other information
Third Parties: Unless explicitly provided otherwise in this Privacy Policy, this Privacy Policy applies only to the use and transfer of information we collect from you. TechServeTO has no control over the privacy policies of third parties that may apply to you.
Contact: If you have any questions or complaints about TechServeTO, or if you would like to know more about our privacy processes, contact us at [email protected].