Privacy Policy

Introduction

Denton County Electric Cooperative, Inc. d/b/a CoServ Electric and its affiliate CoServ Gas (collectively, "CoServ"), respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it through our compliance with this policy. This policy describes the type of information we may collect in connection with your use of CoServ's online platforms and its electric and gas distribution systems, including but not limited to its data-transmitting electronic meters ("CoServ advanced meters"), as well as our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.

We take your privacy very seriously. Please read this privacy policy carefully as it contains important information on who we are and our information practices, meaning how and why we collect, use, disclose, share, store, and retain your personal information. It also explains your rights in relation to your personal information and how to contact us or supervisory authorities in the event you have a complaint or request.

By using CoServ's online platforms and/or accepting electricity through a CoServ advanced meter or natural gas through a CoServ natural gas meter, you consent to the data practices described in this Policy. If you do not provide personal information required to provide services to you, it may delay or prevent us from providing services to you.

Information We Collect and How We Collect It

Personal Information: CoServ obtains personal information based on how you interact with CoServ through its online platforms, including, but not limited to, when you contact CoServ with inquiries, register for an online account, make online payments, or use CoServ's online employment application services. Examples of the type of information collected, name, email address, home or work address, date of birth, taxpayer identification number, driver's license number, telephone number, or electricity usage data.

By accessing CoServ's online platforms, mobile applications, and/or associated services you are consenting to CoServ's use of your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Personal information also includes any username or password used to interact with CoServ's online platforms. Always keep this information confidential. If you believe that an unauthorized person may have accessed your account using your credentials, please contact CoServ by the contact methods below.

Non-Identifiable Information: When you interact with CoServ through its online platforms, mobile applications, and/or associated services, CoServ may receive non-identifiable information, such as the date and time you accessed the online platform, the pages you viewed on the online platform, how you used the online platform, the type of browser and operating system used to access the online platform, and/or whether you linked from another website and, if so, the URL of the referring website. CoServ also collects demographic information, which is not unique to you, such as your ZIP code, age, gender, preferences, interests and favorites. Typically, this information is collected passively. CoServ uses this information to improve the functionality of its online platforms, mobile applications, and/or associated services.

Location Information: Certain applications on mobile devices, such as SmartHub, may transmit information to CoServ about your location. An example of this is the inclusion of your physical location when you report an outage using your mobile device. This information is used by CoServ for the operation of the service, to maintain quality of the service and to provide general statistics regarding use of the CoServ Website.

Analytics: CoServ uses Google Analytics, which uses non-identifiable information from cookies and other similar technologies to report to CoServ about its online platforms use, including its mobile application. To learn more, including how to opt out, visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Additionally, CoServ uses analytics tools from social media platforms that use non-identifiable information to show CoServ how users engage with those platforms. To learn more, review your individual privacy settings located within your social media account(s).

Data Security

CoServ secures your personally identifiable information with commercially reasonable and appropriate technical, administrative, and physical safeguards that strive to protect against loss, unauthorized access, destruction, misuse, modification, and improper disclosure.

How and Why We Use Your Personal Information

CoServ uses personal information as necessary to conduct business and for the original intended purpose, or other purpose as explicitly authorized by law. This includes, but is not limited to, billing, collecting payments, conducting authorized credit assessments, reporting bad debt, contacting customers, resolving concerns, providing or improving CoServ's online platforms and associated services, marketing, and meeting legal concerns or obligations. In addition, if personal information is provided for a specific reason, CoServ may use the personal information in connection with the reason for which it was provided. For instance, if you contact CoServ to report an outage, the personal information you provide will be used to log the outage and resolve the issue.

CoServ may share your personal information with authorized business partners necessary to assist in carrying out CoServ business without further notice to you. CoServ may utilize other companies to perform certain business-related function in connection with our online platforms, including employment application processing, online accounts, or mobile applications. Examples include electronic mailing services, maintaining databases, and processing payments. When CoServ engages another company to perform a function of this nature, your personal information may be provided for them to perform that function; however, as a general matter, CoServ does not provide email addresses or other personal information to any third parties for the marketing of the third parties' goods or services without your consent. In addition, CoServ does not sell, rent, loan, or exchange your personal information.

CoServ may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law or to (1) comply with a legal obligation, (2) protect and defend CoServ's rights or property, (3) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of CoServ's online platforms, mobile applications, and/or associated services or the public, or (4) protect against CoServ's legal liability.

Opt-Out Option

CoServ may use your personal information to send email, telephone, or text message communications related to your service or CoServ business, unless you opt out.  To opt out of this communication, you must either contact CoServ (using any of the contact methods below) or follow any opt-out instructions sent with the initial communication.

Links to Other Websites

CoServ's online platforms and mobile applications may contain links to other websites that are not owned or controlled by CoServ. Please be aware that CoServ is not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites, and this Online Privacy statement applies only to information collected through CoServ's online platforms, mobile applications, or in connection with any associated services. You should carefully review the privacy practices of any third-party website before providing such website with any personal information.

Information for California Residents

In addition to these policies, if you are a California resident, you are protected by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Please note that you may only make a CCPA/CPRA-related data access or data portability disclosure request twice within a 12-month period. The rights you are entitled to include:

Right to Know and Data Portability: You have the right to request that we disclose certain information to you about our collection and use of your personal information over the past 12 months. Once we receive your request and confirm your identity, we will disclose to you: 1) the categories of personal information we collected about you, 2) the categories of sources for the personal information we collected about you, 3) our business or commercial purpose for collecting or sharing that personal information, 4) the categories of third parties with whom we share that personal information, and 5) the specific pieces of personal information we collected about you (also called a data portability request).

Right to Limit the Use and Disclosure: You have the right to limit the use and disclosure of any sensitive personal information collected about you.

Right to Delete: You have the right to request that we delete any of your personal information that we collected from you and retained, subject to certain exceptions. Once we receive your request and confirm your identity, we will review your request to see if an exception allowing us to retain the information applies. We may deny your deletion request if retaining the information is necessary for us or our service provider(s) to: 1) complete the transaction for which we collected the personal information, provide a good or service that you requested, take actions reasonably anticipated within the context of our ongoing business relationship with you, fulfill the terms of a written warranty or product recall conducted in accordance with federal law, or otherwise perform our contract with you, 2) detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, or prosecute those responsible for such activities, 3) debug products to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality, 4) exercise free speech, ensure the right of another consumer to exercise their free speech rights, or exercise another right provided for by law, 5) comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (Cal. Penal Code § 1546 et. seq.), 6) engage in public or peer-reviewed scientific, historical, or statistical research in the public interest that adheres to all other applicable ethics and privacy laws, when the information's deletion may likely render impossible or seriously impair the research's achievement, if you previously provided informed consent, 7) enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with consumer expectations based on your relationship with us, 8) comply with a legal obligation, or 9) make other internal and lawful uses of that information that are compatible with the context in which you provided it. We will delete or de-identify personal information not subject to one of these exceptions from our records and will direct our service providers to take similar action.

Right to Correct: You have the right to correct inaccurate information we may have collected from you. Once we receive your request and confirm your identity, we will rectify any inaccuracies on our end.

Right to Opt Out: You have the right to opt-out of the sharing of your personal information for the purpose of targeted behavioral advertising. If you exercise your right to opt-out of the sharing of your personal information, we will refrain from sharing your personal information, unless you subsequently provide express authorization for the sharing of your personal information.

Social Media Platforms

CoServ may interact with registered users of various social media platforms, including but not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Any content you post to such social media platforms (e.g., pictures, information, or opinions), as well as any personal information that you otherwise make available to users (including without limitation, your profile), is subject to the applicable social media platform's terms of use and privacy policies. CoServ recommends that you review this information carefully to better understand your rights and obligations regarding such content.

In addition, CoServ reserves the right to block, delete, or edit posts on its social media platforms where such posts are determined by CoServ to be inappropriate, unprofessional, offensive, or otherwise in violation of CoServ's policies.

Children's Privacy

While CoServ's website contains energy-related information and information that may be of educational value to children, no personal information is required to use those features. CoServ does not knowingly permit persons under the age of 13 to register or provide personal information through the Website, and the provision of personal information by children through the Website is strictly prohibited. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 13 without proper consent, please contact us at the methods listed below.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

It may be necessary for CoServ to make changes to this Privacy Policy from time to time, to reflect changes to its online platforms, mobile applications, associated services, technology, or legal requirements and guidelines. CoServ reserves the right to update or modify this privacy statement on (on a prospective basis) without prior notice to you. You are encouraged to review this Privacy Policy before you provide any personal information.

How to Exercise Your Rights

If you would like to exercise any of your rights as described in this Privacy Policy, you can contact us using the information provided below. You will need to provide us with:

  1. Enough information to identify you (e.g., your full name, address, and any other necessary account information);
  2. Proof of your identity and address (e.g., a copy of your driving license or passport and a recent utility or credit card bill); and
  3. A description of what right you want to exercise and the information to which your request relates.

We are not obligated to make a data access or data portability disclosure if we cannot verify that the person making the request is the person about whom we collected information or is someone authorized to act on such person's behalf. Any personal information we collect from you to verify your identity in connection with you request will be used solely for the purposes of verification.

Contact Information

For any questions or comments about this privacy policy or CoServ's privacy practices, contact us using any of the methods listed below. Please allow one week for email requests and three weeks for postal mail requests to be fulfilled.

Mail:
CoServ Electric
Attn: Office of General Counsel
7701 S. Stemmons
Corinth, Texas 76210

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 940-321-7800

Last Modified: July 19, 2024