Privacy Policy

Overview

serviceontario.online ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and what choices you have when visiting our website.

By using this site, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this policy, please do not use the site.

Information We Do Not Collect

We want to be upfront about what we do not do:

• We do not collect your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, or any other personal identification information through the normal use of this site
• We do not process any government transactions (renewals, applications, orders, or payments)
• We do not store any government identification numbers, health card numbers, driver's licence numbers, or similar sensitive data
• We do not require you to create an account or log in to use any part of this site
• We do not sell, rent, or trade any personal information to third parties

When you click an action button or link on our site (such as "Renew online" or "Order a birth certificate"), you are taken directly to an official Government of Ontario website. Any personal information you enter on those government sites is governed by their own privacy policies, not ours.

Information We Collect Automatically

Like most websites, our server and third-party services automatically collect certain non-personal technical information when you visit. This may include:

• Your IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Referring website (the page you came from)
• Pages viewed on our site and time spent on each page
• Date and time of your visit
• General geographic location (city or region level, not your exact address)

This information is used in aggregate to understand how people use the site, which pages are most visited, and how we can improve the content and user experience. It is not linked to any personally identifiable information.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files that websites place on your device to remember preferences, track usage, or enable certain features. Our site may use cookies in the following ways:

Essential cookies

These cookies are necessary for the basic functioning of the site. They do not collect personal information and cannot be disabled without affecting how the site works.

Analytics cookies

We may use Google Analytics or similar tools to understand how visitors interact with our site. These cookies track things like which pages are visited most often, how long people spend on a page, and what devices they use. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect this information in an anonymous, aggregated form. You can learn more about how Google uses data at google.com/policies/privacy/partners.

Advertising cookies

We may display advertisements on this site through Google AdSense or other advertising networks. These services use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this site and other websites. This is commonly known as interest-based or personalized advertising. The advertising networks (not us) set these cookies, and they may collect or receive information about your browsing activity across different sites to provide relevant ads.

Managing cookies

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies, or to be notified before a cookie is set. Keep in mind that blocking certain cookies may affect the functionality of this site or the ads you see.

You can opt out of personalized advertising from Google by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of interest-based advertising from many other ad networks through the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page or the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada.

Google AdSense

This site may use Google AdSense to display advertisements. Google AdSense is a third-party advertising service provided by Google LLC. Google AdSense uses cookies and web beacons to serve ads that may be relevant to you based on your browsing history. Google and its partners may collect and use data for ad personalization and measurement.

Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and other sites on the internet. For more information on how Google collects and uses data, review the Google Privacy Policy.

Geolocation

Our location finder feature may request access to your device's location to show you the nearest ServiceOntario centres. This is entirely optional and only happens if you explicitly click the "Use my location" button. If you grant permission, your coordinates are used locally in your browser to calculate distances. Your location data is not sent to our servers, stored, or shared with any third party.

You can deny the location request or revoke location permission at any time through your browser or device settings.

Contact Form

If you use our Contact page to send us a message, you may provide your name, email address, and the content of your message. This information is used solely to respond to your inquiry. We do not add you to any mailing list, and we do not share your contact information with third parties. We retain contact form submissions only as long as necessary to address your question or concern.

External Links

This site contains links to external websites, including official Government of Ontario pages. When you click a link and leave serviceontario.online, you are subject to the privacy policy and terms of the destination website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any external site.

Children's Privacy

This site is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information through the contact form or any other means, please contact us and we will take steps to remove that information.

Data Security

We use standard security measures to protect the integrity of this website. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially reasonable means to protect any information associated with the site, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Rights

Depending on where you are located, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including the right to access, correct, or delete data we hold about you. Since we do not collect personal information through normal use of this site, these rights primarily apply to any information you voluntarily submit through the contact form.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, or if you have questions about the data we hold, please contact us through our Contact page.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Your continued use of the site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please reach out through our Contact page.