Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy last updated February 15, 2010

Beyond Credentials LLC is concerned about online privacy issues and wants you to be familiar with how we collect, use and disclose your Personally Identifiable Information (as defined below). This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) describes our practices in connection with Personally Identifiable Information that we collect through our web site located at https://beyondcredentials.com/. This Policy does not govern our collection of information through any web site, or by any other means, other than through the Site or by third parties.

By using the Site, you agree to the terms and conditions of this Policy. If you do not agree to the terms and conditions of this Policy, please do not use the Site. We reserve the right to change this Policy without prior notice. You can determine when this Policy was last revised by referring to the “LAST UPDATED” legend at the top of this page. Any changes to our Policy will become effective upon our posting of the revised Policy on the Site. Use of the Site following such changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy then in effect.

The Site is controlled and operated by BC from the United States, and is not intended to subject BC, Inc. to the laws or jurisdiction of any state, country or territory other than that of the United States.

1. What Types of Information Does BC Collect From Me?

BC gathers two basic types of information through the Site: Personally Identifiable Information" (or “PII”) and “Non-Personally Identifiable Information” (or “Non-PII”). Personally Identifiable Information is information that identifies you as an individual. Non-Personally Identifiable Information is aggregated information, demographic information, IP addresses and any other information that does not reveal your specific identity.

a. Personally Identifiable Information.

You do not have to provide PII to use the Site. In order to set up your own BC (as defined in Section 3.b below), we require you to provide minimal PII, such as your name as well as an active email address we can verify. However, in order for you to take advantage of particular opportunities provided through the Site (for example, to view certain areas of the Site), we may require that you furnish additional PII. We collect PII from you through the Site, such as your name, alias, postal address, telephone number, email address, profession, industry knowledge, resume information including: contact information, career summary, career objective, work history, educational history, skills, certifications, clearances, references, as well as portfolio information containing PII you may want to attach in your communications including: documents, multimedia items such as video or audio clips or photographs, charts, and external links to PII you wish to reference, only when you voluntarily provide it to us.

Please note that we use a third-party payment service (the “Payment Service”) to collect payments made through the Site (for example, payments for services you purchase through the Site). If you wish to make a payment through the Site, you will be directed to a web page hosted by such Payment Service (or its service providers) and not by BC (the “Payment Service Page”). Any PII that you provide through the Payment Service Page will be collected by the Payment Service and not by BC, Inc., and will be subject to the Payment Service’s privacy policy, not this Policy. BC has no control over, and shall not be responsible for, the Payment Service’s use of information collected through the Payment Service. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PRIVACY POLICY DOES NOT ADDRESS THE COLLECTION AND USE OF INFORMATION THROUGH THE PAYMENT SERVICE PAGE OR THE PRIVACY OR INFORMATION PRACTICES OF THE PAYMENT SERVICE.

b. Non-Personally Identifiable Information.

When you visit and interact with the Site, BC and third parties with whom BC has contracted to provide services to BC may collect Non-PII (for example, a catalog of the Site pages you visited). Non-PII is generally collected through the Site from five different sources: server log files, environmental variables, cookies, pixel tags and other similar technologies and information that you voluntarily provide.

Server Log Files.

Your Internet Protocol (IP) address is a number that is automatically assigned to the computer that you are using by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This number is identified and logged automatically in our server log files whenever you visit the Site, along with the time(s) of your visit(s) and the page(s) that you visited. We use your IP address, and the IP addresses of all users, for purposes such as calculating Site usage levels, helping diagnose problems with the Site’s servers, and administering the Site. Collecting IP addresses is standard practice on the Internet and is done automatically by many web sites.

ii. Environmental Variables.

We and our service providers may also collect certain environmental variables, such as your MAC address, computer type (Windows or Macintosh), screen resolution, OS version, Internet browser, and Internet browser version. These environmental variables are collected by most browsers and can be used to optimize your experience on the Site.

iii. Cookies.

We and our service providers may use “cookies” on the Site. Cookies are data that a web server transfers to an individual’s computer for recordkeeping purposes. Cookies are an industry standard used by most web sites and can facilitate users’ ongoing access to and use of a particular web site; cookies do not cause damage to your computer systems or files. If you do not want information collected through the use of cookies, there is a simple procedure in most browsers that allows you to automatically decline cookies, or to be given the choice of declining or accepting the transfer of a particular cookie, or cookies from a particular web site, to your computer.

iv. Pixel Tags.

We and our service providers may also use so-called “pixel tags,” “web beacons,” “clear GIFs” or similar means (collectively, “Pixel Tags”) in connection with some Site pages and HTML-formatted email messages to, among other things, compile aggregate statistics about Site usage and response rates. A Pixel Tag is an electronic image, often a single pixel (1×1), that is ordinarily not visible to Site visitors and may be associated with Cookies on the visitors’ hard drives. Pixel Tags allow us to count users who have visited certain pages of the Site, to deliver branded services, and to help determine the effectiveness of promotional or advertising campaigns. When used in HTML-formatted email messages, Pixel Tags can tell the sender whether and when the email has been opened.

v. Information That You Voluntarily Provide.

BC also collects Non-PII (e.g., your interests, your geographic location, etc.) when you voluntarily provide such information to us. When such information is not combined with any PII, such information is considered to be Non-PII, as it does not personally identify you or any other user. Additionally, we may aggregate PII in a manner such that the end-product does not personally identify you or any other user of the Site, for example, by using PII to calculate the percentage of our users who have a particular telephone area code. Such aggregate information is considered Non-PII for purposes of this Policy.

2. How Does BC Use Information Collected From Me?

a. Personally Identifiable Information.

We may use your PII in the following ways:

Fulfillment of Requests.

BC may use your PII to fulfill the purpose for which such PII was provided (for example to fulfill your purchase, build a profile, have your education credentials certified or have a career management professional review your BC).

ii. Administrative Communications.

From time to time, at our sole discretion, we may use your PII to send to you important information regarding the Site, or changes to our terms, conditions, and policies. Because this information may be important to your use of the Site, you may not opt-out of receiving such communications.

iii. Marketing Communications.

If you affirmatively opt-in, we may use your PII to inform you of products and services that we believe may be of interest to you.

iv. Interests.

If you choose to do so, you may receive messages from other Site users relating to certain areas of interest that you select. We do not provide your PII to such other users—rather, the message from the user is sent to a group of people, including you, based on demographic information and the areas of interest you and the others in the group have selected, and you can decide whether to respond to the message or delete it.

v. Promotions.

We may operate sweepstakes, contests and similar promotions (collectively, “Promotions”) through the Site. We typically ask you for certain PII when you enter and, if applicable, win a Promotion. You should carefully review the rules, if any, of each Promotion in which you participate through the Site, as they may contain additional important information about BC’s use of your PII. To the extent that the terms and conditions of such rules concerning the treatment of your PII conflict with this Policy, the terms and conditions of such rules shall control.

vi. Internal Business Purposes.

We may also use your PII for our internal business purposes, such as data analysis, audits, order fulfillment tracking, enhancing our web site, improving our services and identifying usage trends.

Non-Personally Identifiable Information.

Because Non-PII does not personally identify you, we may use such information for any purpose. In addition, we reserve the right to share such Non‑PII, which does not personally identify you with third parties for any purpose.

In some instances, we may combine Non-PII with PII (such as embedding email addresses in cookies). If we do combine any Non-PII with PII, the combined information will be treated by us as PII hereunder as long as it is so combined (see Section 2.a above).

3. How Is Personally Identifiable Information Collected on the Site Disclosed?

a. Third-Party Service Providers.

We work with third parties who provide services including but not limited to data analysis, order fulfillment, career management and other services of an administrative nature. We reserve the right to share your PII with such third parties for the purpose of enabling these third parties to provide such services (for example, if you choose to have your education credentials certified or have a career management professional review your profile through the Site, we may provide your PII to a third-party service provider to allow the provider to perform the selected service).

Promotions.

We reserve the right to share the PII you provide in connection with Promotions with third-party sponsors of such Promotions (irrespective of whether such Promotions are hosted by us), or otherwise in accordance with the rules applicable to such Promotion. You should carefully review the rules, if any, of each Promotion in which you participate through the Site, as they may contain additional important information about a sponsor’s or other third parties’ use of your PII. To the extent that the terms and conditions of such rules concerning the treatment of your PII conflict with this Policy, the terms and conditions of such rules shall control.

c. BC.

We provide functionality on the Site that allows you to create an electronic profile, which includes enhanced features determined by BC (each such electronic profile) and post certain information and materials on your profile. Please note that your profile, including the PII available in your profile, may be accessible to other users when you allow such other users to view your profile, or parts thereof (for example, if you wish to make your profile available for view by particular companies). We urge you to exercise discretion and caution when deciding to disclose your PII, or any other information, in you profile. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE USE BY OTHERS OF ANY PII YOU DISCLOSE IN YOUR PROFILE. Additionally, please be aware that if you review a profile that an individual has submitted to you, the individual will be able to see that you have reviewed his or her profile.

d. Forums.

BC may make available through the Site services (for example, message boards and listservs, among other services) to which you are able to post information and materials (each, a “Forum”). Please note that the Forums may be provided by a third-party forum service, and not by us, and thus, the use of your PII by the third-party forum service will be governed by such third party’s privacy policy, not this Policy. Please note that any information you disclose through a Forum becomes public information and may be available to visitors to the Site and to the general public. In addition, when you choose to make a posting on such services, certain PII (such as your user name) will be available for other users to view. We urge you to exercise discretion and caution when deciding to disclose your PII, or any other information, through a Forum. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE USE OF ANY PII YOU VOLUNTARILY DISCLOSE THROUGH A FORUM.

e. Third-Party Communications.

If you affirmatively opt-in, we may share your PII with third parties to allow them to contact you regarding products, programs, services and promotions that they believe may be of interest to you.

f. Assignment.

We reserve the right to transfer any and all information that we collect from Site users to a third party in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer or other disposition of all or any portion of BC’s business, assets or stock (including without limitation in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings).

g. Law enforcement; emergencies; compliance.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Policy to the contrary, we reserve the right to disclose your PII to others as we believe to be appropriate (a) under applicable law; (b) to comply with legal process; © to respond to governmental requests; (d) to enforce our Terms of Service; (e) to protect our operations; (f) to protect the rights, privacy, safety or property of BC, you or others; and (g) to permit us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain.

4. Other Important Notices Regarding Our Privacy Practices.

a. Regarding the Use of the Site by Children.

The Site is not directed to individuals under the age of thirteen (13), and we request that such individuals do not provide Personally Identifiable Information through the Site.

Third-Party Sites.

The Site may contain links to third-party web sites. These linked sites are not under BC’s control and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or the contents of any such linked site, or any link contained in any linked site. We provide such links only as a convenience, and the inclusion of a link on the Site does not imply endorsement of the linked site by BC. If you provide any PII through any such third-party web site, your transaction will occur on such third party’s web site (not the Site) and the PII you provide will be collected by, and controlled by the privacy policy of, that third party. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the privacy policies and practices of any such third parties. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POLICY DOES NOT ADDRESS THE PRIVACY OR INFORMATION PRACTICES OF ANY THIRD PARTIES.

c. Third-Party Advertisers.

We may use third-party advertisement-serving companies (“Advertisers”) to serve advertisements on the Site. Please be advised that such Advertisers may use cookies, Pixel Tags and other technologies to, among other things, enable such Advertisers to monitor which ads have been served to your browser and which Site pages you were viewing when such ads were delivered. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POLICY DOES NOT COVER THE COLLECTION AND USE OF INFORMATION BY ADVERTISERS.

d. Security.

We have security measures and tools, such as firewalls, in place to help protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet or data storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, although we strive to protect your PII, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us through or in connection with the Site or that is stored by us. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure (for example, if you feel that the security of any account you might have with us has been compromised), you must immediately notify us of the problem by contacting us in accordance with Section 4.h (“Contacting Us,”) below (note that if you choose to notify us via physical mail, this will delay the time it takes for us to respond to the problem).

e. Opt-Out.

As noted above, if you expressly opt-in, we may send you marketing-related email messages. Additionally, as noted above, if you expressly opt-in, we may share your PII with third parties for their marketing purposes. If, after you have opted in, you change your mind and you no longer wish to receive marketing-related emails from us and/or you do not want us to share your email address with third parties for such third parties’ marketing purposes, you may opt-out of receiving such marketing-related emails and/or from such sharing by selecting the appropriate opt-out check box located on your ‘My Profile’ page.

We will endeavor to comply with your request as soon as reasonably practicable. Please note that if you opt-out as described above, we will not be able to remove your PII from the databases of third parties with which we have already shared your PII (i.e., to which we have already provided your PII as of the date that we implement your opt-out request). If you wish to cease receiving marketing-related emails from such third parties, please contact such third parties directly or utilize any opt-out mechanisms set forth in their respective privacy policies or marketing-related emails.

f. Changing or Removing Your PII.

If you would like to review, correct, update or remove PII that you have previously provided to us through the Site, you may do so by visiting the following locations within the Site: 1) ‘My Profile’ located on the ‘My BC’ page and 2) Contact Information within the Resume Sections area of each BC that you create.

Please note that we may need to retain certain information for recordkeeping purposes, and there may also be residual information that will remain within our databases and other records, which will not be removed therefrom. We also reserve the right, from time to time, to re-contact former users of the Site. Finally, we are not responsible for removing information from the databases of third parties with whom we have already shared your PII.

g. Jurisdictional Issues.

Beyond Credentials LLC does not represent or warrant that the Site, or any part thereof, is appropriate or available for use in any particular jurisdiction. Those who choose to access the Site do so on their own initiative and at their own risk, and are responsible for complying with all local laws, rules and regulations. We may limit the Site’s availability, in whole or in part, to any person, geographic area or jurisdiction we choose, at any time and at our sole discretion.

h. Contacting Us.

If you have any questions regarding this Policy, please contact us by email at Please note that email communications will not necessarily be secure; accordingly you should not include credit card information or other sensitive information in your email correspondence with us.