Privacy Policy
Effective Date: October 20, 2004Petz Enterprises, Incorporated (PEI) takes privacy seriously. We process millions of financial transactions each year and have implemented a variety of technologies and policies to protect privacy. Please read the following to learn more about our privacy policy.
As an Authorized IRS e-file provider our company adheres to Federal and state regulations designed to ensure the security and confidentiality of personal information shared with our company. TaxBrain exceeds the federal requirements and meets or exceeds our industry standards for security and privacy.
Petz Enterprises, Inc. has created a web-based tax product designed to quickly and easily fulfill tax compliance requirements in the United States. We have developed this application using the most sophisticated encryption technology on the market. Security is our top priority and protecting privacy is what you should expect from PEI.
Because of the financial nature of our business, our Web sites are not designed to appeal to children under the age of 13. Therefore, we do not knowingly attempt to solicit or receive any information from children. Petz Enterprises, Inc. is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program. TRUSTe is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to enable individuals and organizations to establish trusting relationships based on respect for personal identity and information by promoting the use of fair information practices. This privacy statement covers the site http://www.taxbrain.com/ (TaxBrain, TaxBrain.com). Because this Web site wants to demonstrate its commitment to our users' privacy, it has agreed to disclose its information practices and have its privacy practices reviewed for compliance by TRUSTe.
Questions regarding the TaxBrain Web sites' privacy statement, our online privacy policy, our information practices or other aspects of privacy on our Web sites should be directed to us at support@TaxBrain.com . If you do not receive acknowledgment of your inquiry or your inquiry is not satisfactorily addressed, you should then contact TRUSTe through the TRUSTe Watchdog Dispute Resolution Process . TRUSTe will serve as a liaison with the Web site to resolve users concerns.
- What personally identifiable information TaxBrain collects.
- What organization collects the information.
- How TaxBrain uses the information.
- With whom TaxBrain may share user information.
- What choices are available to users regarding collection, use and distribution of the information.
- What types of security procedures are in place to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of information under TaxBrain control.
- How users can correct any inaccuracies in the information.
Below is detailed information on how users can correct any inaccuracies in the information
| Information Collection and Use |
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Petz Enterprises, Inc. is the sole owner of the information collected on TaxBrain.com. TaxBrain collects information from our users at several different points on our Web site. In order to use this Web site, a user must first complete the registration form. During registration a user is required to give contact information such as name, address, phone number and email address. We use this information to contact the user about services on our site for which they have expressed interest. We request information from users on our order form. A user must provide contact information such as name, email, address and phone number and financial information such as credit card number, expiration date and bank account information. All financial information collected on our site will remain absolutely confidential and will never be disclosed to any non-affiliated companies except as required by law. Financial information includes information such as credit card numbers and bank account information. We may store such information on our secure servers to expedite processing of certain services and products we provide to you. We may use your contact information to notify you of important product updates, significant tax law changes or promotional opportunities - if you have chosen to receive such offers. When a tax return is prepared on TaxBrain the information contained in the tax return will be treated with extreme care and confidence. To prepare a tax return on our site you will have to enter the personal information, which is required to file. In addition to your own personally identifying information you will have to enter the information for anyone else listed on the return, such as your spouse or dependents. As a method for detecting fraud in tax information transmitted via the Internet, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires Petz Enterprises to provide to the IRS, in connection with the electronic filing of tax returns, the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer from which the return originated. We are also required to notify the IRS whether the e-mail address of the person electronically filing the return has been collected. Identifying and Contact Information From time to time, users may be asked to provide certain Identifying and Contact Information, such as name, e-mail address, mailing address, telephone number, user name, and demographic information. This information is used to verify identity, determine eligibility for special programs or services we may offer and complete transactions. At times it will be necessary to use Contact Information to communicate with users concerning administrative matters, responding to user requests and notifying users of the status of their transactions. However, we will not disclose Identifying and Contact Information to third parties without prior consent, except as required by law. A "cookie" is a small piece of information that our Web sites may provide to a user's browser while they are at our site. Registered users on TaxBrain will receive a cookie when they login. This cookie is maintained by their browser and contains their unique identifier. This cookie is also used to authenticate their identity and provide access to areas of our Web site that are limited to registered users, such as those for tax return preparation and electronic filing. The cookie is tied to the user's account id. Only TaxBrain knows what personal information matches the account id number. There is no way any personally identifiable information could be directly extracted from our cookie. However, if a user has opted to have their username and password remembered, the information is stored in the cookie.
Like most standard Web site servers we use log files. With or without cookies, our Web site keeps track of usage data, such as internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user's movement in the aggregate, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. We use this data to better understand Web site usage in the aggregate so that we know what areas of our Web site users prefer. This information is stored in log files and is used for aggregated and statistical reporting. We also record your IP address as is required by the IRS. This IP address would only be released if ordered by a US court of law. Legal Disclaimer |
| Third Party Intermediaries |
We use an outside shipping company to ship orders, and a credit card processing company to bill users for goods and services. These companies do not retain, share, store or use personally identifiable information for any secondary purposes. We partner with other third party banks, such as the Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, to provide specific financial services. When users sign up for these particular services, we share names, or other contact information (such as name, address, social security number and phone number) that is necessary for the third party to provide these services. These third parties are not allowed to use personally identifiable information except for the purpose of providing these services. To better serve our users we contract with LivePerson to offer live chat. LivePerson's privacy policy can be reviewed at http://www.liveperson.com/help/privacy.asp. To use the chat service you will be required to enter your email address. Upon exiting the chat session you will be given an option of having a transcript of your chat emailed to you. LivePerson may store a log of your chat session for up to 13 months, however they will not share your information with anyone unless it is required by law. In the event TaxBrain goes through a business transition, such as a merger, being acquired by another company, or selling a portion of its assets, users' personal information will, in most instances, be part of the assets transferred. Users will be notified via email and prominent notice on our Web site for 30 days prior to a change of ownership or control of their personal information. If as a result of the business transition, the users' personally identifiable information will be used in a manner different from that stated at the time of collection they will be given choice consistent with our notification of changes section. This Web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we, Petz Enterprises Inc., are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every Web site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Web site. Back to Top |
| Communications from the Site |
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We send all new members a welcoming email to verify registration. Established members will occasionally receive information on products, services, special deals, and a newsletter. Out of respect for our users privacy we provide a self-service opt-out of these communications at http://www.taxbrain.com/optout.asp. On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account. However, these communications are not promotional in nature. We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regards to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone, in accordance with the your wishes. |
This Web site takes every precaution to protect our users' information. When users submit sensitive information via the Web site, their information is protected both online and off-line.
We provide the opportunity to update or correct the contact and tax return information provided to us. Users can update their information at any time by logging into myTaxBrain and accessing their return file or account information page. The tax return information and personally identifiable information collected through this site is contained in tax returns and in product registration information. Once a tax return has been completed using the TaxBrain Web product, and directed that it be electronically filed, it cannot be changed because the tax return has become a legal record of the tax filing. Any changes made to a tax return after it has already been electronically filed, and acknowledged by the IRS, will generate a Form 1040X (amended return). If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes to this privacy statement, the homepage, and other places we deem appropriate so our users are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. We will use information in accordance with the privacy policy under which the information was collected.
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| Contact Us |
| If users have any questions or suggestions regarding our privacy policy, please contact us at:
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PRIVATE WEB FORM EMAIL |
