TLC Surrogacy Privacy Policy

Tree of Life Center for Surrogacy (TLC Surrogacy) is firmly committed to protecting the privacy of aspiring parents, surrogates, and Website Users who visit and utilize this Website (the "TLC Surrogacy Website") at www.tlcsurrogacy.com. TLC Surrogacy’s privacy policy explains what information TLC Surrogacy gathers, how TLC Surrogacy collects and uses that information, and how TLC Surrogacy Website Users can control the collection and/or use of that information.

It is important that you fully review and understand the TLC Surrogacy Privacy Policy. By using the TLC Surrogacy Website, you indicate your knowledge of and consent to the TLC Surrogacy Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the TLC Surrogacy Privacy Policy, please do not use the TLC Surrogacy Website.

General

Tree of Life Center for Surrogacy (TLC Surrogacy) is an online service for matching Aspiring Parents with Surrogate Gestational Carriers ("Surrogates") who have registered with TLC Surrogacy. To help TLC Surrogacy provide this service, Surrogates submit personal information directly to TLC Surrogacy. In turn, TLC Surrogacy uses this information to prepare Surrogate profiles that are available, in a password-protected area of the TLC Surrogacy Website, to Aspiring Parents who register with TLC Surrogacy to access TLC Surrogacy's Surrogate Profiles. Once registered with TLC Surrogacy, Aspiring Parents may log into the Website and utilize our matching service to find suitable Surrogates based on their personal criteria. Additionally, TLC Surrogacy Website users may contact TLC Surrogacy by email from time to time and receive responses from TLC Surrogacy staff members. The information TLC Surrogacy receives online from Aspiring Parents, Surrogates, and other TLC Surrogacy Website users falls into two categories - Private Information and Non-Identifying Information.

Private Information

"Private Information" means any information that could be used to identify you specifically. Examples of Private Information include names, mailing addresses, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and passwords.

TLC Surrogacy receives Private Information online from Aspiring Parents and Surrogates when they register and from TLC Surrogacy Website users who e-mail or otherwise correspond with TLC Surrogacy. Additionally, computer Internet protocol addresses are collected from most computers automatically when a computer accesses the Website. An Internet protocol address is either an address assigned to a computer by an Internet service provider that enables the computer to locate and interact with other computers on the Internet. Other than Internet protocol addresses, TLC Surrogacy collects information about Website Users only when it is provided voluntarily, either during the registration process or through correspondence.

TLC Surrogacy does not sell information that can be used to identify TLC Surrogacy Website Users specifically. Nor does TLC Surrogacy otherwise make such information available to the public (which includes Website users and anyone who is not either an employee of TLC Surrogacy or an authorized independent contractor or financial institution engaged by TLC Surrogacy for the operation of its business). In cases when third-party contractors receive access to information about you, we require them to adhere to our stated TLC Surrogacy Privacy Policy and to protect the confidentiality of such information in the course of their engagement by us.

Regarding Private Information, TLC Surrogacy may:

  1. Store and process such information to enhance your experience with TLC Surrogacy;
  2. Use such information to contact you for informational purposes on behalf of TLC Surrogacy and to welcome you back to the TLC Surrogacy Website;
  3. Disclose such information to third parties when we have reason to believe disclosure is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be causing injury to or interfering with (either intentionally or unintentionally) the rights or property of TLC Surrogacy,TLC Surrogacy Website Users or anyone else who could be harmed by such activities;
  4. Disclose that information to third parties when we believe in good faith that such disclosure is required by law or a court of competent jurisdiction.

Non-Identifying Information

"Non-Identifying Information" is information that cannot be used to identify you specifically. Examples of Non-Identifying Information are age, gender, height, computer operating system, domain name and Internet browser.

TLC Surrogacy receives Non-Identifying Information online from Aspiring Parents and Surrogates who register and from Website users who email TLC Surrogacy. Additionally, TLC Surrogacy may obtain certain Non-Identifying Information relating to computer usage when users access and navigate through the Website.

TLC Surrogacy may share Non-Identifying Information and "aggregate" information with advertisers, business partners, sponsors and other third parties for lawful purposes. "Aggregate" data is data that describes the demographics, usage, or other characteristics of Website users as a group, but does not identify any user specifically.

Aspiring Parent and Surrogate Profiles

In order to provide its services, TLC Surrogacy prepares and maintains online password-protected profiles for each registered Aspiring Parent and Surrogate. Each Surrogate's online profile includes the Surrogate's photograph and certain Non-Identifying Information provided voluntarily by the Surrogate subject to a separate written agreement. Surrogate profiles are accessible only to TLC Surrogacy staff and to registered Aspiring Parents using a password.

Children

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which went into effect in April 2000, imposes requirements on certain web sites before they can collect information from children under the age of thirteen (13). TLC Surrogacy does not provide services to individuals under thirteen years of age, TLC Surrogacy does not intend to collect any Private Information from such individuals, and in the event TLC Surrogacy becomes aware that the TLC Surrogacy Website has collected any such information, TLC Surrogacy will delete it from the TLC Surrogacy Website immediately.

Cookies

"Cookies" are small electronic files used to track information to enhance a user's experience on the TLC Surrogacy Website. TLC Surrogacy uses cookies to identify registered Site Users (Aspiring Parents and Surrogates) when they sign in (log in) to the TLC Surrogacy Website and to maintain information privately as Website Users navigate the Website. No Private Information is placed in these cookies and the cookies are deleted from the registered Site User's system when the Site User signs out of the TLC Surrogacy Website.

Links to Other Web Sites

The TLC Surrogacy Website Website may provide links to various other websites. TLC Surrogacy assumes no responsibility for the information practices of websites accessed via links from the TLC Surrogacy Website. These links to other sites do not imply any affiliation or endorsement of a linked site and these third-party sites - therefore, these websites may not submit to the TLC Surrogacy Privacy Policy.

Security

The security of all Private Information associated with TLC Surrogacy Website Users is of utmost concern TLC Surrogacy. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be secure. While TLC Surrogacy strives to protect Private Information, TLC Surrogacy cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information TLC Surrogacy Site Users transmit to TLC Surrogacy or from TLC Surrogacy's online products or services, and TLC Surrogacy Site Users do so at their own risk. Once TLC Surrogacy receives Private Information from TLC Surrogacy Website Users, TLC Surrogacy will take reasonable efforts to ensure its security on our systems.

Your Acceptance of These Terms

It is important that you fully review and understand the TLC Surrogacy Privacy Policy. By using the TLC Surrogacy Website, you indicate your knowledge of and consent to the TLC Surrogacy Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the TLC Surrogacy Privacy Policy, please do not use the TLC Surrogacy Website.

Modification of These Terms

The process of maintaining this Website is an ongoing one, and TLC Surrogacy may decide at some point in the future to modify these terms. Your continued use of the TLC Surrogacy Website following the posting of changes to the terms will mean you accept those changes.

Who to Contact

If you have questions or concerns regarding the TLC Surrogacy Website Privacy Policy, you should contact TLC Surrogacy.