Hitachi Architects & Engineers Co., Ltd.'s Approach to Protect Personal Information
As a design and administration company related to buildings, Hitachi Architects & Engineers Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “HAE”) handles a variety of information: including our own technical information, and information entrusted to us by customers. Given this situation, and to ensure that such information is treated with the respect it deserves, HAE has established an information control system and is implementing it thoroughly.
In light of these issues, together with the specification of rules and establishment of a management system, HAE has established the personal information protection policy given below, and informed executive staff and company employees, and is striving to protect personal information appropriately by following this policy.
Hitachi Architects & Engineers Co., Ltd.
Definition of Personal Information
For HAE, personal information is information that is related to existing persons and that can be used to identify specific persons (for example, names, birth dates, numbers assigned to individuals, symbols or other marks, images, or voice recordings, and relevant information). This includes information that cannot be used to identify individuals by itself, but can be used to identify individuals by easy cross-referencing with other data. Personal information is not limited just to information that can identify individuals, but also includes all information that indicates facts, decisions, or evaluations relating to a person's attributes (such as a person's height or build, finances, work type, or position).
Based on the “Personal Information Protection Policy” given below, HAE will pay detailed attention to and strive to the utmost in protecting and managing such information.
Scope
This “About protecting personal information” document establishes the handling of personal customer information by HAE.
HAE Personal Information Protection Policy
- Collecting, Using, and Providing Personal Information
While carefully considering the entrusting of customer information during company activities, HAE will handle such information appropriately by establishing a management system for personal information protection for each type of business, and also by following stipulated rules for collecting, using, or providing personal information.
- Legal Compliance
For the handling of personal information, HAE will follow the Japanese laws and regulations applicable to the protection of relevant personal information. HAE will also create and follow personal information management rules that conform to these laws and regulations.
- Implementing Safety Measures
To ensure the correctness and safety of personal information, in accordance with the rules for information security, HAE will implement various measures (such as managing access to personal information, restricting the means for transporting personal information outside the company, and preventing unauthorized access from outside the company), and strive to prevent any problems with personal information (such as the loss, destruction, falsification, or leakage of such information).
- Respecting Personal Information Rights
When a customer makes a request to reveal, correct, or delete his or her own personal information, or seeks to prevent the use or provision of such information, HAE will respond with sincerity, respecting the customer's rights related to that personal information.
- Establishing/Continual Improvement of Rules for Managing Personal Information Protection
HAE will make sure that executive staff and company employees recognize the importance of personal information protection, and will steadily establish rules for managing personal information to ensure that such information is used appropriately and is protected. These rules will be maintained and improved continually.
Purpose of Use and Provision to Third Parties of Personal Information
- In relation to HAE's main business activities related to building survey, planning, design, supervision and maintenance/preservation, HAE. will use personal information only to achieve the following listed purposes.
a) To execute contracts between a customer and HAE
b) To contact for discussions or meetings with customers
c) To provide after-service
d) To send guides for conventions or meetings, or new technology
e)To respond to various types of inquiries
f) To perform analysis to improve technology or services, based on surveys
g) To provide personal information to Hitachi group companies when HAE co-operates with a Hitachi group company to carry out some business task.
- HAE will not provide customer personal information to a third party without first obtaining consent from the customer, except in the following circumstances:
a) When required by law
b) When required to protect human life, to avoid injury, or to protect assets, and when obtaining customer consent would be difficult.
c) When required to improve public health or improve the healthy upbringing of children, and when obtaining customer consent would be difficult.
d) When required to co-operate with the lawful activities of a national agency, local government organization, or person or organization entrusted with such a task, and obtaining customer consent would interfere, or be likely to interfere, with the carrying out of such activities.
e) When entrusted with the handling of personal information, in the range of activities required to reach the purpose of the use.
f) When providing personal information to continue business activities when business-related events such as mergers occur.
- When required to do so for business activities in which HAE is co-operating with Hitachi group companies, HAE sometimes provides Hitachi group companies with personal information (such as names, workplaces, home addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers, email addresses, etc.). In such cases, the customer personal information is provided on paper or electronic media. The customer can request HAE to stop the provision of the personal information to a Hitachi group company.
- When a customer contacts HAE by telephone, the conversation may be recorded to aid accurate replies.
Use of Cookies and Web Beacons
To aid customers in use of HAE websites more conveniently, some HAE websites may use cookies*1 or web beacons (clear GIF)*2.
By adjusting their web browser settings, customers can refuse cookies or display warnings when cookies are installed. For details, see the documentation for your web browser. By refusing to accept cookies, customers can refuse web beacons.
However, please understand that a refusal to use cookies may prevent usage of all or part of the services provided by the HAE website.
Terms
- *1
- Cookie
A cookie is piece of information that enables interaction between the web server that manages a website and a customer's web browser. A cookie may be stored as a file on the customer's computer disk.
When a cookie is used, the web server can record information such as which computer visited which pages on the website. However, HAE cannot identify an individual customer unless the customer enters his or her own personal information into the website.
- *2
- Web beacon
This technology, which functions with a cookie, enables the beacon owner to know how many times a customer accessed a particular page. However, unless the customer enters his or her own personal information when, or after, the cookie is accepted, HAE cannot identify an individual customer.
Request to Customers
- Most of the services provided by HAE can be used without requiring customer personal information. However, please understand that some services cannot be provided unless the customer provides personal information to HAE.
- Please understand that HAE is not responsible for the safety of personal information at websites of other companies which are linked to the website of HAE.
- It is assumed that the customer agrees to the contents of this “About protecting personal information” document when the customer enters personal information into an HAE website. If the customer does not agree with this “About protecting personal information” document, the customer may be unable to use some of the HAE services (including responses to inquiries, etc.).
Special Notes
- The personal information protection policy of HAE is based on Japanese law.
- HAE may modify this “About protecting personal information” document as appropriate to accommodate improvements in the handling of personal information, or changes or additions to laws or other regulations.
- This “About protecting personal information” document goes into effect from the day it is published (including the date of revision).
- If statements in this document are covered by individual regulations regarding personal information, those regulations take precedence.
Contact: About Protecting Personal Information
(Inquiries excluding requests such as to reveal personal information and complaints.)
Please use the Contact page for inquiries other than those relating to personal information.
