privacy policy
Michelin Practices Related to the Protection of Personal Information
MICHELIN TYRE COMPANY SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD. ("Michelin"), respects the private lives of the visitors and users of its Internet sites. This document describes the practices adopted by Michelin concerning personal data, including the circumstances in which it may be collected, the purposes for which it may be used, and the people for which it is intended. Each Michelin Internet site has a particular aim and has characteristics which are unique to it. If additional personal data acquisitions are necessary for a Michelin Internet site in particular, you will be so informed on the site.
Personal Data
Generally, most Michelin Internet sites do not require you to disclose your personal data. It may be that Michelin requires you to provide your personal data in order to better meet your needs, for example, to establish a correspondence, to respond to a request, and other similar circumstances. “Personal data” may include your name, addresses, telephone number, email addresses, and other specific information such as a user name, password, or account information.
Collection of Personal Data
Michelin will collect your personal data with precise, explicit, and legitimate goals. It will not treat this data in a way that is incompatible with these goals. Michelin is committed to collecting only the information that is adequate, relevant, and non-excessive, taking into consideration the goal for which it is collected. Michelin will take all reasonable measures to ensure that the personal data collected is accurate. Michelin will not collect any personal information about you unless you provide it to us voluntarily.
Use of Personal Data
Michelin uses your personal data within the strict limits of the goals for which it was collected. As an example, Michelin may use your personal data to:
- Provide you with information on its products and services;
- Carry out and follow your transactions;
- Allow you to take part in the interactive aspects of its sites;
- Fulfil a site user request (brochure fulfilment, send marketing or promotional materials including e-mails or other information)
- Respond to your comments or requests for information
- Make the user experience more customer-friendly
- Compile user data that is stored in our corporate database and may be used for marketing and other purposes
- Match personal data collected here with data about you that we collect offline
- Comply with legal requirements
Michelin is committed to not using your personal data without your prior consent.
Recipients of your personal data
The recipients of your personal data are limited exclusively to the people who have a business need to know. Michelin may share your personal data with third party suppliers or service providers. These suppliers and service providers are contractually obligated to keep your personal data confidential and secure, and they are required to use your personal data only for the needs for the services that were entrusted to them. Michelin will not sell or rent your personal data to third parties without your consent, except pursuant to a court order, to comply with applicable law, or to protect the rights and the goods or the brands of Michelin.
Shelf Life
Michelin will not preserve your personal data any longer than it is necessary to achieve the goals for which it was collected or for the time period required by law.
Right of access, Modification, or Opposition
You can ask Michelin for access to your personal data in its possession, and you may modify this data if it is not accurate. You have the right to prohibit Michelin from collecting or disclosing your personal data. As regards commercial prospection, you can use your right of opposition without any justification. For the exercise of these rights, please notify our Information Officers through the following email address: michelinsa.privacy@michelin.com
Data Security
Michelin has established measures to ensure the confidentiality, safety and integrity of its systems containing your personal data. The access to the personal data is restricted to those with a business need to know and who are required to observe these rules. On Michelin’s commercial sites, the collection of the banking coordinates will be carried out within the framework of effective processes of security of the payments. These measurements can consist of encryption during the collection or transfer of confidential data. Michelin takes care to ensure that your personal data is not altered, damaged or misused.
Cookies
A "cookie" is a small text file that helps us in many ways to make your visit to our website more enjoyable and meaningful to you. For example, cookies avoid you having to log in every time you come back to one of our websites. They also allow us to tailor a website or advertisement to better match your interests and preferences. There are a couple different types of cookies.
A "session" cookie is stored only in your computer's working memory (RAM) and only lasts for your browsing session. When you close all your browser's windows, or when you shut down your computer, the session cookie disappears forever.
A "persistent" cookie is stored on your computer's hard drive until a specified date, which could be tomorrow, next week, or few years from now. Persistent cookies stay on your computer until either a) they expire,) they are overwritten with newer cookies, c) you manually remove them. Most browsers can be configured not to accept cookies, however, this may prevent you from having access to some site functions or features.
Michelin collects data relating to how you use our Internet sites to improve our service to visitors and users of these sites through the use of cookies, which are files that your Internet navigator places on your hard disk when you visit a site. The cookies do not make it possible to identify you personally. The recorded data can be information such as which pages you consulted, the date and time of such consultation, and other tracking information. You can parameterize your navigator so that it informs you of the presence of cookies and provides you with the option of accepting the cookies. You can also parameterize your navigator to decontaminate the cookies.
Michelin may allow other companies, called third-party ad servers or ad networks, to display advertisements the website. To do this, ad networks place a persistent cookie on your computer. This allows the ad network to recognize your computer each time they send you an online advertisement. In this way, ad networks may compile information about where you, or others who are using your computer, saw their advertisements and determine which ads are clicked on. This information allows an ad network to deliver advertisements that they believe will be of most interest to you. Michelin does not have access to or control of the cookies that may be placed by the third-party ad servers or ad networks.
The website may use spotlight tags, web beacons, GIF and pixel tags, banner ads and links which are site instrumentation tools that help us to determine, for instance, whether a page has been viewed or not and, if so, how many times. When you ask us to send you information on a promotion or a newsletter, we may use web beacons to establish how many of the emails are actually opened. In general, any electronic image viewed as part of a web page, including an ad banner, can act as a web beacon. We may use web beacons to collect information that will enable us to improve our site.
When you visit the website the server housing the pages automatically generates a "session log." We use session logs to help us determine how people travel through our site. In this way, we can structure our pages so that the information most frequently visited is easier to find. By tracking page visits, we can also determine if the information we're providing is being used. The only data gathered is the Internet Protocol (IP) address from which you came (which contains no personal information), the web site that referred you, the pages you visited and the date and time of those visits.
Users may be directed to the website via banner ads or site links. Ads or site links that are placed by the website use cookies or web beacons to deliver metrics on the effectiveness of the ads or links. They do not collect personal information from the user.
International Transfers of Personal Data
Michelin is an international company that has databases in the various countries where it operates. Michelin can transfer your personal data within the company or to its external partners located outside of your home country. Because the level of data protection is not homogeneous on a world level, we do not transmit your personal data to third party companies outside of the European Union unless these companies offer contractually the same or similar level of protection of your personal data that Michelin offers. For the transfers within Michelin, the company has adopted Binding Corporate Rules (“BCRs”) to govern the transfers of personal data coming from the European Union. If you click on “BCRs”[1] you will find a copy of the rules.
Michelin may share collected personal information about you with other companies within the Michelin family of companies or subsidiaries. Our "family of companies" is the group of companies related to us by common control or ownership. We share information within this "family" as a normal part of conducting business and offering products and services to our customers.
Personal information that you provide to Michelin, may be shared with our authorized Michelin dealers, TYRE PLUS franchisees. This is necessary in order to provide a dealer with information for purposes of contacting you in their regular course of business. The dealer or the Franchisee is not restricted by Michelin in their use of your data.
Interactive Services
Certain Michelin Internet sites contain interactive functions. You can, if you wish it, use these interactive functions by filling a form with inscription. This form requires you to disclose certain personal data. This personal data is collected with an aim of improving the interactive services and of meeting your needs. The users registered with these services can have access to the information provided at the time of the inscription, and they have the right to modify or destroy the information provided at any time.
Children's Privacy
Michelin Internet sites are generally not intended for minors (less than eighteen (18) years of age). If you are a minor, we encourage you not to transmit personal information without the authorization of your parents.
Michelin does not knowingly intend to collect personal information from children under 13 years of age.
If a parent is interested in accessing the personal data on their children that is collected on the website, you can access this information by contacting the webmaster. Michelin will use reasonable efforts to supply you with the information you have requested.
Links to Third Party Sites
Michelin Internet sites can include hyperlinks to third party sites. Michelin does not control these sites and thus cannot be held responsible for their practices relating to the confidentiality and security of your personal data. We invite you to review those sites’ privacy policies before using them or providing them with your personal data.
Trademark and Copyright Notice
Please consult our Terms of Use for further information.
Consent to This Privacy Policy
By using this website, you signify your assent to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any term in this Policy, please do not use this site or submit any personally identifiable information.
The Applicable Law
Generally, the Michelin Group handles personal information in accordance with the standards, requirements, and protections set by the General Data Protection Regulation, also known as the GDPR.
However, Michelin also respects and commits to abide by the local laws on the protection of personal information, namely the South African law of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPI Act).
To know more about your rights and how we treat personal information in accordance with the POPI Act, please consult our POPI Policy, and PAIA Manual[2] [3] .
Amendments
This Policy was last updated on the 15th of July 2022. Any amendments will be posted at this URL and will be effective when posted. Thus, please check this page periodically.
