Last updated January 3, 2024
This Privacy Policy describes how equote.life ("we", "us, or "our") collects, uses, shares, and secures your personal information in connection with our website, mobile applications, and other digital properties that link to this Privacy Policy (collectively, the "Sites") and how we provide the Sites, educational materials, insurance coverage estimates and quotes, insurance brokerage services, and other services (the "Services") more broadly. It applies to information collected from and about you in connection with your use of the Sites and Services, as well as from other sources, such as over the telephone with our representatives or from departments such as underwriting in connection with our Services, and not to External Sites (as defined below). By using the Sites and Services, you consent to the data practices described in this Policy.
As providers of Services that involve the use of personal - and sometimes sensitive - information, protecting the confidentiality of that information is a top priority. This means we will never sell your personal information and we use industry standard technical, physical, administrative, and organizational controls, to ensure the security and confidentiality of your data!
Our Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act ("GLBA") applies to personal information we collect, use, and share in connection with offering you financial products or services (including insurance products and services), whether that information is obtained through our Sites, over the telephone, from third parties, or by any other lawful means. We may change this Privacy Policy at any time, and we take such steps as required by applicable law to notify you of any material changes. Your continued use of the Sites or Services following the update and notification means that you consent to our updated policy.
You can use some of the Sites by just browsing (as a "Visitor") or by accessing the Sites and Services after creating and maintaining an account, for example, to seek, apply for and/or purchase one or more products through the Sites (as a "Member").
You may also become a Member by providing us with information (as described below) when you seek, apply for and/or purchase one or more insurance products over the telephone, email or sms with one of our licensed agents.
Each of Visitors and Members may be referred to in this Privacy Policy by the terms "user," "you" or "your." Some of our Services are only available to Members.
1. Sources of Information
The types and sources of personal information we collect depend on the Service utilized, how you interact with us and our Sites, and/or how you were referred to us. The types and sources of information may include:
Information that you provide to us directly, for example: using our online tools; on applications or forms; during your transactions and communications with us, our agents, or our business partners (e.g., through telephone conversations, emails, text messages, or chats).
Information from third parties, including: consumer, credit, and/or other reporting agencies; Referral Partners (as further described below); insurance carriers; and medical or health care providers.
Information generated through your interaction with our Sites, as well as from social networks or other third-party platforms you may use to access our Sites and Services (see "Establishing an Account" and "Social Features" below).
2. Types of Information We Collect and How We Use It:
Site Users
We collect "Usage Information" which may include: information about the technical mechanisms you used to access the Sites, such as your browser and operating system type; the link that brought you to our Sites; data points that help our analytics function and which tell us what brought you to a particular spot on our Sites; your specific type of mobile device and device ID; and your IP address.
We use Usage Information to inspect, analyze, and improve our Sites and Services and ensure they function well with the technology used by our Visitors and Members. In addition to analytics about the demographics of our Sites users, we use your IP Addresses to comply with legal rules applicable based on your location.
Email and Chat
Visitors and Members can communicate with us over email or chat on the Sites by providing their first and last name, and email address. We will use this information to provide products and services relevant to you. Members may also share additional personal information with us over chat or email when communicating about the Services. We may collect this information to provide you with the Services, such as to complete an insurance application.
Customer Surveys and Reviews
We may ask you to participate in customer reviews and surveys. If you participate, we may request certain personal information. Participation in these surveys is completely voluntary and you therefore have a choice whether or not to disclose this information. The requested information typically includes first and last name, contact information (such as email or address), and demographic information (such as zip code).
We use this information to evaluate our level of customer service, as well as test and make improvements on our products, Sites, and Services. With your consent, we may use your first and last name, along with your responses, on our Sites, in marketing materials, or on our social media platforms. With your consent, we may pass on your information to a third-party service provider, to assist in resolving errors or make improvements relating to their services.
Getting Insurance Estimates
If you choose to use the Sites and Services to receive an insurance estimate, you will become a Member and will be required to provide us with additional personal information we use in connection with providing the estimate. This may include (depending on the type of insurance) your age, gender, zip code, marital status, employment status, risk tolerance, living situation details, property and vehicle ownership information, family information such as number of children, whether you are a homeowner or a renter, your income, amounts of your savings and debts, and general details about your current insurance coverage (collectively, "Estimate Information"), as well as contact information including your first and last name, email address, and telephone number ("Contact Information").
If you choose to access the Services, receive an insurance estimate, and become a Member over the telephone, you will need to provide the Estimate Information and Contact Information to one of our agents over the telephone.
We use the Estimate Information to return results to you that assess your current coverage and/or provide recommendations for insurance products. We use the Contact Information to contact you regarding insurance products and Services.
Getting Quotes & Applying for Insurance
To get an insurance quote and apply for an insurance policy, in addition to the Estimate Information described above, you may need to supply additional information, such as your date of birth, gender, occupation, social security number, address, smoking status, height and weight, family medical history, health history, driving history, and your citizenship status (collectively with Estimate Information, "Application Information").
Banking and Credit Card Information
If you submit a credit card payment through our Services, for example to purchase insurance coverage, we do not store credit card information on our own servers or associate it with your Account Information for any purpose other than completing your purchase.
If you submit bank account information, for example purchase insurance coverage, that bank information is stored on our servers in encrypted form and is accessed and used to complete your insurance application or purchase.
Policy Information
If you apply for insurance, we may collect information about your application or policy from the insurance carrier, for example your policy or application status, payment information, claim information, or Application Information provided directly to the carrier. The Policy Information is used to service your insurance application and/or policy, and to provide you with the Services and products you have requested.
Other Uses of Personal Information on our Sites and Services
In addition to the above, we may use your personal information to:
Otherwise provide, improve, maintain, or optimize the Services;
Help underwrite and provide accurate insurance premium rate quotes;
Provide insurers with the required information for applications;
Provide, maintain and improve customer service;
Tailor your experience with the Services to your interests;
Develop and improve the Sites and the Services;
Respond to your inquiries; and
Communicate with you regarding the insurance products that you purchased through the Sites as well as other products and services that may be of interest to you.
Use of Personal Information for Compliance and Protection
We may use your personal information to:
Comply with applicable laws, lawful requests, and legal process, such as to respond to subpoenas or requests from government authorities;
Protect our, your or others' rights, privacy, safety or property (including by making and defending legal claims);
Audit our internal processes for compliance with legal and contractual requirements and internal policies;
Enforce the terms and conditions that govern the Services; and
Prevent, identify, investigate and deter fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, unethical or illegal activity, including cyberattacks and identity theft.
Cookies and Online Tracking Technologies
Our Sites use technologies such as cookies, beacons, tags, and scripts, to analyze trends, administer our Sites, track users' movements around our Sites, and gather demographic information about our user base.
Cookies are a small piece of software or text placed on your computer when you visit a website. They are used to store information on web browsers and to store and receive identifiers and other information on computers, telephones, and other devices. They may include data we store on your web browser or device, identifiers associated with your device, and other software. In this Privacy Policy, we refer to all these technologies that store or reference data on your device as "cookies." If you visit from a mobile device, we may reference your device identifier or other information about where your visit originated. Certain cookies used on our Sites last for ninety or more days.
We use cookies to:
Recognize you on return visits and, if you have an account - expedite the login process, help verify and authenticate your account, and help detect fraud;
Show ads and to make recommendations for products and services;
Measure the performance of ad campaigns;
Serve and measure ads across different browsers and devices; and
Conduct web analytics on usage of our Sites and Services.
1. When We Share Specific Information
We may share your information with:
Insurance Carriers - We may share personal information, including Application Information, to obtain quotes and submit and process insurance applications.
Service Providers and Contractors - We may share your personal information with service providers for the purpose of providing you the Services. Additionally, we may partner with other companies to process, analyze, and/or store data, including, but not limited to, analytical data. These companies may access your personal information for the purposes of providing services for us. This data is only accessible by equote.life.
2. When We Share Information Generally
We share the information we collect generally:
For Marketing purposes and reminders about your policy. You may opt out of receiving our marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in any of our communications.
With certain third-party vendors that help us administer the Sites and/or Services, including by:
Storing and hosting our content or your data;
Performing analytics on our Sites and Services; and
Providing operations and marketing assistance to us.
When you request us to share certain information with third parties, such as through your use of social media widgets or login integrations.
With marketing-related business partners to gather insights about your interactions with our products and Services so that we may better advertise to you and customize our products and services.
With corporate affiliates including any of our parent companies, subsidiaries, joint ventures, or other companies under common control with us.
To the extent permitted by law, when required by law, in connection with a court order, or other government or law enforcement authority or regulatory agency, or whenever we believe that disclosing such information is necessary or advisable, for example, to protect the rights, property, or safety of us or others.
Social Features
Certain features of the Services permit you to initiate interactions between the Services and third-party services or platforms, such as social networks ("Social Features"). Social Features include features that allow you to click and access our pages on certain third-party platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, and from there to "like" or "share" our content on those platforms. Use of Social Features may entail a third party's collection and/or use of information about you, which will be subject to the privacy policies of those platforms. If you use Social Features or similar third-party services, information you post or otherwise make accessible may be publicly displayed by the third-party service you are using. Both us and the third party may have access to information about you and your use of both the Services and the third-party service.
We maintain commercially reasonable administrative, physical and technical safeguards designed to prevent any unauthorized use, access, destruction, loss, alteration, or disclosure of your data which are HIPPA compliant - HIPPA Consumer Rights
While we take commercially reasonable steps to protect your data we cannot guarantee perfect security - no internet-based service can. No security system is impenetrable. Despite our security measures, we cannot guarantee the security of our databases, nor can we guarantee that the information you supply will not be intercepted while being transmitted to and from us over the Internet.
When you visit the careers portion of our Sites, we collect information that you provide to us in connection with your job application. This includes business and personal contact information, professional credentials and skills, educational and work history, and other information of the type that may be included in a resume. This may also include diversity information that you voluntarily provide. We use this information to facilitate our recruitment activities and process employment applications, such as by evaluating a job candidate for an employment activity, and monitoring recruitment statistics. We may also use this information to operate and improve the Services, and as otherwise necessary for compliance, fraud prevention, and safety purposes.
The Sites may contain links to third-party websites, including, without limitation, the websites of the insurance carriers offering the third-party insurance products made available to you through the Services ("External Sites"), but we do not endorse, and we are not responsible for the content of any linked External Sites or for the privacy practices of the third parties that own and operate such sites. Before using any External Site, please refer to the terms of use and privacy policies of the External Sites for more information, as those terms and policies govern your use of such External Sites.
If you wish to opt-out of the use of your personal information by our Services, we are happy to assist you. Please email us at privacy@equote.life and let us know what you wish to opt-out of. Please be advised that certain uses and sharing of your information may be required to continue providing certain Services to you, and that you will not be entitled to any refund if your removal of personal information will make certain prepaid Services unavailable to you.
Please note that under certain federal regulations, including the GLBA, you may not be able to opt out of the use and sharing of your personal information, in connection with seeking, applying for, or obtaining insurance products or services from us.
VII. Online Tracking Opt-Out Guide
Like many companies online, we use services provided by Google, Facebook and other companies that use tracking technology. These services rely on tracking technologies - such as cookies and web beacons - to collect directly from your device, information about your browsing activities, your interactions with websites, and the device you are using to connect to the Internet. There are a number of ways to opt-out of having your online activity and device data collected through these services, which we have summarized below:
Blocking cookies in your browser. Most browsers let you remove or reject cookies, including cookies used for interest-based advertising. To do this, follow the instructions in your browser settings. Many browsers accept cookies by default until you change your settings. For more information about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set on your device and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
Blocking advertising ID use in your mobile settings. Your mobile device settings may provide functionality to limit use of the advertising ID associated with your mobile device for interest-based advertising purposes.
Using privacy plug-ins or browsers. You can block our Sites from setting cookies used for interest-based ads by using a browser with privacy features, like Brave, or installing browser plugins like Privacy Badger, Ghostery or uBlock Origin, and configuring them to block third party cookies/trackers.
Platform opt-outs. The following advertising partners offer opt-out features that let you opt-out of use of your information for interest-based advertising:
Google: https://adssettings.google.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/about/ads
Twitter: https://twitter.com/personalization
Advertising industry opt-out tools. You can also use these opt-out options to limit use of your information for interest-based advertising by participating companies:
Digital Advertising Alliance: http://optout.aboutads.info
Network Advertising Initiative: http://optout.networkadvertising.org/?c=1
If you have additional questions or would like more information regarding our information collection, use of information, or disclosure practices, please feel free to contact us at privacy@equote.life