Privacy Policy - Rapid Response Monitoring Services

Privacy Policy

RAPID RESPONSE MONITORING SERVICES, INC.
400 West Division Street
Syracuse, NY 13204
800-558-7767

Effective Date: April 20, 2020

Table of Contents:

SCOPE OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY
PERSONAL AND OTHER INFORMATION WE COLLECT
HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
HOW AND WHY WE SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION
MOBILE DEVICE ACCESS TOOLS
HOW WE PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
HOW LONG WE RETAIN PERSONAL INFORMATION
PERSONAL INFORMATION OF MINORS
UNITED STATES LAW APPLIES
INFORMATION FOR CANADIAN CUSTOMERS
CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY
OUR CONTACT INFORMATION
NOTICE AND RIGHTS FOR CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS

SCOPE OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY

RAPID RESPONSE MONITORING SERVICES, INC (referred to as “Rapid Response,” “we,” “our,” or “us“) has adopted this Privacy Policy to guide how we collect, use, and disclose the “personal information” that identifies, relates to, describes, or is reasonably capable of being associated, directly or indirectly, with the following individuals (referred to as “you” or “your”):

  • Customers”—Individuals, including members of their household, who have a contract with an alarm or other emergency alert company (“Alarm Company“) for security alarm or other protection services for which Rapid Response provides 24/7/365 monitoring and emergency alerts to police, fire, and EMS (“First Responders”).
  • Emergency Contacts”—Individuals who are identified by a Customer to receive an alert call or other communication if we receive an alarm signal from that Customer’s premises.
  • Online Services” visitors and users—Individuals who visit our website https://www.rrms.com/ (“Website”) or use a Rapid Response web-based portal such as MySecurityAccount.com or www.rapidweb3000.com or other authorized portal, mobile device portal or application to access their account including real-time system monitoring data.

Please note that this Privacy Policy does not cover the privacy practices of other companies that may have access to data gathered or transmitted by your security system including: (1) your Alarm Company; (2) the manufacturers of the monitoring equipment and related software installed at your premises; and (3) third parties whose mobile device applications or access tools you elect to use to receive monitoring data directly from your security system. Rapid Response is not responsible for the privacy practices of these companies. We encourage you to read their respective privacy policies or contact them directly about their privacy practices.

This Privacy Policy also does not cover: information we collect in connection with services we provide to business or other organization accounts; information from publicly available sources; or information that has been modified or aggregated in a substantial way so that it no longer reasonably can be used to identify, or link to, an identifiable individual.

By using our services, you are accepting the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, you should not use our services. We reserve the right to modify or amend the terms of our Privacy Policy from time to time without notice. Your continued use of our services following the posting of changes to this Privacy Policy on our Website will mean you accept those changes.

PERSONAL AND OTHER INFORMATION WE COLLECT

Sources of Personal Information

The categories and types of personal information we may collect from or about you will depend on the services we provide to you. We collect personal information from:

  • Your Alarm Company—If you are a Customer, our relationship with you is based on the contract between you and your Alarm Company. Your Alarm Company provides information to us about the services you select and the information we need to set up your account and provide our monitoring and alarm response services.
  • Security monitoring devices, which are the connected devices at your premises that send a signal when specific events or conditions occur;
  • Your communications with our call center, alert monitoring center, and other direct communications with you and your Emergency Contacts;
  • Information you enter into a Customer-facing web-based portal that connects to your monitoring services account or data; and
  • Cookies and other internet technologies used on our Online Services.

Customer Personal Information

  • Name
  • Street address of secured premises
  • Phone number for premises (land line), mobile and other phone number(s)
  • E-mail address
  • Signature
  • Emergency contacts—name and contact information
  • Subscriber IP address
  • Personal identification code
  • Geolocation data
  • Alarm history—record of account activity and services, inbound and outbound communications with call center, signal activity, alert response communications (with Customer, Emergency Contact, First Responders, and Alarm Company), audio and visual recordings (if applicable)
  • IP address and personal mobile device identification data
  • Interactions with Online Services
  • Special instructions and codes (optional)
  • Premises, household, and monitoring device information (optional)
  • For personal emergency response services only—age, gender, medical condition

Emergency Contact Personal Information

  • Name
  • Phone or other contact information
  • Personal identification code
  • Alarm response communications

Users and Visitors of Online Services

When you use our Online Services, we may automatically collect and log data using cookies and other online technologies. These data may include:

  • Identification— your IP address or mobile device identifier, your username and password to access to your account(s) on our web-based portals and other personalized services.
  • Device—device type, operating system, browser type, internet service provider.
  • Usage—dates/times you use our Online Services, browsing history, search history, and other information regarding your interactions with our Online Services and internet activities.
  • Geolocation—your IP address or mobile device identifier transmits general information about your geolocation and you may allow us to obtain more specific geolocation information.

Although the data points collected this way may not directly identify you, they can be combined with other information about your online activities to identify your interests and preferences. Rapid Response does not link the data we may collect using analytics tools to any personally identifiable information we have from our service relationship with you. You may restrict the use or persistence on your device of these technologies through the privacy or preference settings on your device.

HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

  • Coordinating with your Alarm Company to set up your services and establish your account in the Rapid Response system
  • Providing monitoring services to your premises, including responding to alarm and security eventss
  • Verifying the identity of callers including Customers and Emergency Contacts
  • Dispatching First Responders
  • Communicating with you and your Alarm Company to provide your services and responding to your and their questions and comments
  • Managing, operating, and enhancing our products and services
  • Working with monitoring device and technology developers (“Business Partners”) and Alarm Companies to develop and improve our products and services
  • Analyzing usage, enhancing and protecting our systems and Online Services
  • Conducting data analysis, including fraud monitoring and prevention
  • Responding to legal process and inquiries of government authorities
  • Enforcing and defending legal rights and claims.

HOW AND WHY WE SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION

In order to provide security monitoring services to you, we work with your Alarm Company and various third parties, described below, who may have access to your personal information. Each of these third parties (except legal authorities) is permitted to use or disclose your personal information only on behalf of Rapid Response or your Alarm Company, unless you specifically authorize a third party to use your personal information for other purposes. We do not sell or lease personal information to third parties.

Alarm Companies.

We work with your Alarm Company and other emergency alert system providers who resell our services, and their employees or agents, to establish your account, facilitate communications with you, and service your account. With your consent, your Alarm Company can access your account information in our system and may download or copy your information. Rapid Response is not responsible for how your Alarm Company (or other provider) handles and protects your Personal Information they collect from us. The handling of your personal information by your Alarm Company is covered by the privacy practices of the Alarm Company. You should review the privacy policy or privacy statement of your Alarm Company, which is generally available on the Alarm Company’s website.

First Responders.

Your Alarm Company engages Rapid Response to monitor your alarm system and send an alert to your local police, fire department, or emergency medical services (or their designated private emergency response service provider) that an alert event or condition has occurred. If possible, we will contact you or your Emergency Contact to confirm the event or conditions before dispatching the First Responder. We also will alert your Alarm Company. When we dispatch a First Responder, we will provide the information we have about you, your premises, and the event or occurrence to assist them in responding to the situation.

Business Partners.

We work with monitoring device manufacturers and software developers to design, build, and operate enhanced and new products and services. In carrying out these arrangements, these Business Partners may have access to your personal information. We also work with authorized providers of mobile device applications and web-based URL portals to connect Customers to Rapid Response monitoring data. These Business Partners are responsible for protecting any personal information they collect through these products and not authorized by Rapid Response to use it for marketing or other commercial purposes unless you permit them to do so.

Service Providers.

Although Rapid Response employees staff our call center, monitoring center, and information technology operations, we engage third party vendors to support some administrative operations including e-mail system, SMS transport, and IT consulting. These service providers may have access to your personal information in the course of providing their services, but they are not authorized to use your personal information for their own commercial purposes.

Risk Management Providers.

We may disclose personal information to service providers that assist with fraud prevention, identity verification, cybersecurity, and protection of the rights, privacy, safety, and property of Customers, Emergency Contacts, Alarm Companies, Business Partners, and Rapid Response and our personnel.

Data Analytics Services.

When you use our Online Services, we (or data analytics services we authorize) may use cookies and other internet technologies to collect and log data including your IP address or mobile device identifier, operating system, internet service provider, geolocation, data/time of usage, browsing activities on our Website, and other online activities. This data can be used to assess the usage, performance, and security of our Online Services. Although we do not provide personally identifiable information to third party data analytics services, they may have means of correlating data from our Online Services to an identifiable individual, in which case the protection of personal information will be the respnsibility of the service provider. Generally, you can restrict the use of these technologies, or their persistence on your device after closing your session, through your device or browser privacy or preference settings.

Legal Authorities and Legal Process Parties.

We may disclose personal information for legal reasons, including to comply with a subpoena, court order, or other legal process, to cooperate with law enforcement, or to respond to a government request. We may also disclose personal information to third parties to enforce our Terms of Use, defend or assert legal claims or complaints, comply with laws, and respond to law enforcement, legal process or a request for cooperation by a government entity, whether or not legally required.

Business Transaction Parties.

We reserve the right to disclose or transfer your personal information, subject to appropriate confidentiality safeguards, in connection with a business transaction such as a financing, reorganization, merger, or sale of a business.

MOBILE DEVICE ACCESS TOOLS

You may select various ways to use a mobile device to access features of your security system monitored by Rapid Response. Our monitoring and other account data can be accessed in real time through a web-based portal, which is provided either directly by us or by your Alarm Company. We also support access to our monitoring data through authorized third party web-based portals and mobile applications. At your option, you can also use these mobile device capabilities interactively—for example, to arm or disarm your system, test aspects of your system, monitor your video feed, request dispatch of a First Responder, and view and and make changes your account.

Each instance of usage of mobile device access is recorded and logged in your Rapid Response account history. In addition, we automatically collect your geolocation and mobile device identifier (unless you have deactivated location access through your device settings). This information is only available to First Responders, if necessary, and to your Alarm Company. However, if you link Rapid Response monitoring data to a third party mobile service, that third party will also collect and track your mobile device identification or the other information and your monitoring system data. We are not responsible for the privacy and security practices of third party mobile device services or those of your Alarm Company. We recommend that you review the privacy policy or statement of these service providers before using their services.

HOW WE PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Rapid Response has implemented technical, physical, and organizational measures to protect our networks, servers, and systems that process your personal information from unauthorized or accidental access, use, disclosure, alteration, or service interruption. We store personal information primarily on Rapid Response servers. Your Alarm Company will have online access to your account and alarm history maintained on our servers. However, Rapid Response is not responsible for how your Alarm Company accesses, collects, transmits, stores, or discloses your personal information obtained from us. We recommend contacting your Alarm Company or checking their website to review your Alarm Company’s privacy policy and obtain information about their privacy and security practices.

Also, Rapid Response is not responsible for setting or maintaining the security of the monitoring devices and related software installed on your premises and we do not control, and we are not responsible for, the security and privacy practices of the manufacturers and installers of that equipment. In addition, we are not responsible for the security and privacy practices of any third-party mobile application you use to connect with your system information. We recommend that you read the privacy policies of the equipment manufacturers, mobile device applications providers, and other companies whose products or services you use for your security system.

Because no security system or system of transmitting data over the internet or wireless connection can be guaranteed to be entirely secure, Customers need to pay close attention to the privacy settings on their security monitoring devices, computers, and mobile devices. This includes, for example, immediately changing the manufacturer’s default password upon activating a device to a strong and unique password and installing all software updates and patches provided by the developer. In addition, individuals need to be careful about the information they transmit electronically or share online. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is not secure, please contact us immediately using the information below.

HOW LONG WE RETAIN PERSONAL INFORMATION

We retain Customer alarm histories for (a) a period of seven years following the cancellation of a Customer account including signal data logs, video/ audio recordings from monitoring devices, and recordings/ logs of calls and SMS communications with Customers, Emergency Contacts, and First Responders or (b) for non-subscription services we retain Customer alarm histories for a period of seven years following the occurrence of an alarm event including signal data logs, video/ audio recordings from monitoring devices, and recordings/ logs of calls and SMS communications with Customers, Emergency Contacts, and First Responders.

We retain other Customer account information as long as we provide services to you and for a subsequent period as appropriate in our experience to comply with legal obligations, respond to information requests, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements.

PERSONAL INFORMATION OF MINORS

In the course of providing security monitoring services to households, we may collect personal information about minors under the age of 16 and children under the age of 13. We obtain this personal information either directly from the Customer (who we presume to be the parent or authorized guardian) or with the Customer’s understanding that a particular service selected by the Customer will record and retain audio, video, or still photos of the minors and children located on the monitored premises. If you believe that we have obtained personal information about individuals under the age of 16 for any other reason, please contact us as explained in the section titled “How to Contact Us.” We will promptly investigate and take appropriate measures.

UNITED STATES LAW APPLIES

Rapid Response provides monitoring services from its facilities located in the United States. If you reside or are located in a different country, the data protection laws of that country may differ from the laws of the United States in the ways your personal information is protected. We want you to understand that when you provide your personal information to us, or we obtain it through your use of our services or other means, your information will be transferred to the United States and processed in accordance with the laws of the United States and the guidelines of this Privacy Policy.

INFORMATION FOR CANADIAN CUSTOMERS

When you sign up for monitoring services with your Alarm Company, you are giving your consent to the collection, use and sharing of your personal information by Rapid Response in accordance with this Privacy Policy. As explained in the section titled OUR CONTACT INFORMATION, you may make a written request to either your Alarm Company or us to have access to your personal information and seek correction of any inaccurate personal information. However, such access may be limited where we are under legal restrictions on disclosure or need to protect our rights and those of other persons.

CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY

We may revise this Privacy Policy at any time. We will post the revised Privacy Policy on our Website. Your continued use of our services after a change to this Privacy Policy constitutes your consent to be bound by the revised Privacy Policy. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices.

OUR CONTACT INFORMATION

We may revise this Privacy Policy at any time. We will post the revised Privacy Policy on our Website. Your continued use of our services after a change to this Privacy Policy constitutes your consent to be bound by the revised Privacy Policy. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices.

 

Email: dataprivacy@rrms.com
Phone: 800-558-7767
Mail: 400 West Division Street
Syracuse, NY 13204
Attention: Privacy Compliance

 

NOTICE AND RIGHTS FOR CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS

California Consumer Privacy Act

This section supplements our Privacy Policy to provide additional information under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018. This section of our Privacy Policy applies only to consumers, which includes Customers, Emergency Contacts, and other individuals who reside in the State of California. This section does not apply to California residents whose information we obtain in business-to-business interactions or to Rapid Response employees, personnel, or job applicants.

Notice at Collection of Personal Information

The categories and sources of personal information we collected about consumers during the past twelve months, the purposes for which it may be used, and the categories of third parties with whom we may share personal information are described in the following sections of our Privacy Policy and in the table below:

The categories of third parties listed in the table are described in the section of our Privacy Policy titled “HOW AND WHY WE SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION.” In addition to the categories of third parties specifically identified in the table, Rapid Response will also disclose relevant personal information to the following third parties when we believe in good faith that it is necessary or appropriate to do so: Legal Authorities; Legal Process Parties; Risk Management Providers; and Business Transaction Parties.

 

Categories of Personal Information Collected in Past 12 Months Specific Pieces of Personal Information Collected in the Past 12 Months  Sources of Personal Information Alarm Company and Third Party Access
for Business Purposes
Direct Personal Identifiers
  • Subscriber’s name, street address, e-mail address, premises (land line) and contact telephone number(s), signature
  • Subscriber IP address
  • Personal identification code
  • Emergency contact’s name and contact information
  • Emergency contact personal identification code
  • Customer
  • Alarm Company
  • Emergency Contacts
  • First Responders
  • Alarm Company
  • Business Partners
  • Service Providers
Optional system information
  • Special instructions and codes
  • Premises, system, and monitoring device information
  • Special alarm handling instructions
  • Occupant information
  • Customer
  • Alarm Company
  • First Responders
  • Alarm Company
Information for Personal Emergency Response Services (“PERS”) only
  • Medical Condition
  • Gender
  • Age
  • Other medical/provider if supplied by Customer
  • Customer (for PERS)
  • First Responders
  • Alarm Company (with consent of Customer)
Monitoring device data (depending on devices used by Customer)
  • Device identification
  • Motion detection, accelerometer activity
  • Climate conditions
  • Event information such as arming and disarming device
  • Internet-connected monitoring devices
  • Business Partners
  • Service Providers
Alert event information
  • Monitoring device data
  • Customer communications
  • Emergency Contact communications
  • First responder communications
  • Inbound caller and/or device ID and geolocation data
  • Inbound and outbound SMS messaging
  • Internet-connected monitoring devices
  • Mobile device data
  • Customer
  • Alarm Company
  • Emergency Contacts
  • First Responders
  • Emergency Contacts
Customer account records including services provided, alert event logs, and alarm history
  • Logs and recordings of alert event information
  • Geolocation data
  • Quality Assurance documentation
  • Records of Customer services added or terminated
  • Mobile device data
  • Audio/visual recordings
  • Alarm Company
  • Alarm Company
  • Business Partners (if applicable)
  • First Responders (if applicable)
Geolocation data
  • Geolocation and GPS information including physical location of Customer premises
  • General location derived from IP addresses and mobile device data
  • Geo coordinates to verify address provided by service provider
  • Mobile device by using satellite, cell phone tower, or Wi-Fi signals
  • First Responders
  • Data Analytics Services
Audio and visual data
  • Audio recordings of inbound/outbound calls with Customers and Emergency Contacts
  • Video and audio feed from security cameras installed on Customer premises
  • Interactive audio communications from monitoring devices if available
  • Video recordings from monitoring devices
  • Audio recording data on call center communications
  • First Responders
  • Business Partner (if applicable
  • Service Providers
Online Services usage data
  • Internet protocol (IP) address
  • Mobile device identifier
  • internet service provider (ISP)
  • Date/time stamp
  • Browsing history
  • Cookies and other internet and mobile device usage technologies
  • Data Analytics Services

 

No Sales of Personal Information

In the past twelve months, Rapid Response has not sold personal information for monetary or other consideration and has no present plans to do so.

Right to Know about Personal Information We Collect, Use, Disclose, or Sell

California consumers have the right to request information or copies of personal information we collected during the last twelve months about you or your household (“Right to Know”):

  1. Specific pieces of personal information collected (except for sensitive information, which we will describe but not transmit).
  2. Categories of personal information collected;
  3. Categories of sources from which the personal information was collected;
  4. Categories of personal information sold or disclosed for a business purpose;
  5. Categories of third parties to whom the personal information was sold or disclosed for a business purpose; and
  6. The business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling the personal information.

The process by which we verify and respond to your requests is explained below under “How to Make a Verifiable California Consumer Request” and “How We Will Respond to a California Consumer Request.

Right to Deletion of Personal Information

You have the right to request that we delete personal information which we have about you, subject to a range of exclusions permitted by law (“Right to Delete”). We are not required to delete personal information that is necessary to complete a transaction, is reasonably used for an ongoing business relationship, or is used internally in a lawful manner that is compatible with the context in which the consumer provided the information. Because most—if not all—of the information we collect about a consumer is used and retained solely to provide our services and retain a complete history of the alarm events at a consumer’s premises, we believe we are not required to delete such information.

We will let you know within ten days that we received your request. We may take steps to confirm the request and verify the identity and authority of the person submitting the request. If the Right to Delete request is confirmed and verified, we will let you whether we are able to fulfill all or part of your request and the reasons why any part of your request is denied (for example, if we are legally permitted to retain the information or if the identity of the requesting person cannot be verified). We will delete (and direct our service providers to delete) any information that may not be excluded under applicable law.

The process by which we verify and respond to your requests is explained below under “How to Make a Verifiable California Consumer Request” and “How We Will Respond to a California Consumer Request.

Right to Designate an Authorized Agent

California consumers have the right to designate an authorized agent to act on their behalf to submit a Right to Know or Right to Delete request. An authorized agent may be a natural person or a business entity registered with the Secretary of State. An authorized agent must also submit to us written proof of their authorization to act on the consumer’s behalf.

How to Make a Verifiable California Consumer Request

You may submit a request to exercise the rights described either to your Alarm Company or to Rapid Response. If you submit your request to Rapid Response, we will respond to you as described above. Note, however, that we are not responsible for the personal information collected and retained by your Alarm Company and you will need to contact your Alarm Company directly about your personal information they may have collected or shared.

You may submit your request to Rapid Response by using any of the following methods:

 

By Phone: 800-558-7767
By Email: dataprivacy@rrms.com
By Post: 400 West Division Street
Syracuse, NY 13204
Attention: Privacy Compliance

 

In order for us to verify certain requests (including verification of your identity, California residency, and – for requests made on behalf of someone else – your relationship with the individual on whose behalf the request is being made), you may be required to confirm information that we have on file for you, including full name, address, phone number, contract number, and other personal information. We reserve the right to deny a consumer request if the identity or authority of the requesting party cannot be verified.

How We Will Respond to a California Consumer Request

We will confirm receipt of your Right to Know or Right to Delete request within ten days and may request additional information necessary to verify your identity. We will respond to any verifiable consumer request within 45 days of receiving it, subject to delays and exclusions permitted by law. If we require more time to respond, we will let you know the reason why and the extension period in writing. We will use the e-mail or U.S. Postal address you provided to us when you submitted the request.

For a Right to Know request, our response will cover the 12-month period preceding our receipt of the request. If we cannot comply with all or part of your request, we will explain the reasons why. We will use a format to provide your information that is portable and should allow you to transmit the information readily from one entity to another entity.

We do not charge a fee to process or respond to your verifiable consumer request unless it is excessive, repetitive, or manifestly unfounded. If we determine that the request warrants a fee, we will tell you why we made that decision and provide you with a cost estimate before completing your request.

Protection from Discrimination for Exercising California Consumer Rights

We will not discriminate against a California consumer for exercising any of the rights described in this section. This means that except as legally permitted we will not:

  1. Deny you goods or services.
  2. Charge you different prices or rates for goods or services, including through granting discounts or other benefits, or imposing penalties.
  3. Provide you a different level or quality of goods or services.
  4. Suggest that you may receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.