Abbott Laboratories Privacy Policy – South Africa Only

 

October 31, 2020

This Privacy Policy applies to residents of South Africa. If you are a resident of another country, please click here for applicable information.  

This Privacy Policy explains how Abbott handles personal information that we collect online, through our websites and applications (apps) and through our offline interactions with you (collectively, the “Abbott Services”). This Privacy Policy does not apply to information collected from residents of countries other than South Africa, or to third-party websites to which Abbott may link. Your use of Abbott Services which link to this Privacy Policy are subject to this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use. 

Please read this Privacy Policy before using the Abbott Services or submitting personal information to us. 

On occasion, Abbott may offer apps, special programs, activities, events or promotions (“Programs”) that have unique or additional specific terms, privacy notices and/or consent forms that explain how any information you provide will be processed in connection with the Programs. You should review the applicable terms before interacting or participating in the Programs.

Personal Information

“Personal information” is information that identifies you as an individual or relates to an identifiable individual. Examples of personal information include your name, your postal address and your telephone number. 

How Does Abbott Collect Personal Information?

Abbott collects information in a few different ways:

• Information you submit or choose to provide 
• Information you give us permission to collect from you or another source 
• From Health Care Professionals 
• Through our websites and mobile apps 
• From contract research organizations and clinical trial investigators 
• From your participation in Abbott programs or clinical trials 
   From third party service providers, data brokers or business partners 
• From industry and patient groups and associations 
• Automatically from devices you use to connect to Abbott Services (See “Cookies and Other Tools” below) 
• Information provided by Abbott partners 
• From public sources including, but not limited to, social media and other websites that enable social sharing 
• Information from government agencies, public or third-party information source

From time to time, we may use or augment the personal information we have about you obtained from other sources, such as public databases, social media platforms and other third parties. We may also combine information we get from a third-party with information we already have, and we may combine information that we have collected offline with information we collect online. 

If you choose to submit any personal information relating to other people, you represent that you have the  authority to do so and permit us to use the information in accordance with this Policy.

Information Abbott Collects

Abbott may collect the following information, depending on what product and service you use:

• Contact information and preferences (such as name, email address, mailing address, phone  number, and emergency contact information)  
• Biographical and demographic information (such as date of birth, age, gender, ethnicity, marital  status, and sexual orientation)  
• Health and medical information (such as medical insurance details, information about physical and  mental health conditions and diagnoses, treatments for medical conditions, genetic information,  family medical history and medications an individual may take, including the dosage, timing, and  frequency) we collect in connection with managing clinical trials, conducting research, providing  patient support programs, distributing and marketing our products, managing compassionate use  and expanded access programs and tracking adverse event reports  
• Information regarding parents or legal guardians  
• Any information you provide in connection with applying to or participating in a patient assistance  or support program (such as financial need information)  
• Payment-related information we need to complete a transaction (such as credit card number and  financial account information)  
• Username and password that you may select in connection with establishing an account on our  websites or mobile apps  
• Your photograph, social media handle or digital or electronic signature  
• Publicly available information  
• Internet activity, such as your Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, browsing history, your search history  and information on your interaction with the Abbott Services and our advertisements 
• Device information  
• Geolocation data, e.g., your physical location or movements (See “Cookies and Other Tools”  below)  
• Inferences drawn from other personal information listed above, to create a profile reflecting your  preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence,  abilities and aptitudes  
• If you are accessing Abbott websites or apps on your mobile device, you may also choose to  provide us with location data. To protect your privacy, you should not provide Abbott with any  information that is not specifically requested  
• Any adverse event information

If you are a Health Care Professional, we may also collect:

• Professional credentials, educational and professional history, institutional and government  affiliations, information included on a resume or curriculum vitae, education and work history (such  as work experience, education and languages spoken)  
• Information about the Abbott programs, products and activities with which you have engaged  
• Details about our interactions with you, your prescribing of our products and the agreements you  have executed with us; including remittance or other financial information  
• Any information you choose to provide about yourself or your household  
• Information collected in connection with Abbott hosted events or activities you attend or participate  in  
• Publicly-available information related to your practice, such as license information, disciplinary  history, prior litigation and regulatory proceedings, and other due diligence related information 

We may use the personal information we collect about you with information obtained from other sources,  such as public databases, social media platforms and other third parties. For example, we may use public  information to confirm contact or financial information, to verify licensure of Health Care Professionals or to  better understand your interests by associating demographic information with the information you have  provided. 

How Does Abbott Use Personal Information?

How Abbott uses your information depends on how you interact with the Abbott Services. Generally, Abbott may also use your information to:

• Provide our products and services to you and make them better
• Develop new products and services
• Fulfill your requests
• Provide customer service
• Send you administrative communications regarding Abbott's products or Abbott Services
• Notify you about special promotions or offers that may be of interest to you
• Invite you to participate in surveys about our products or services
• Better understand the interests of our customers and visitors who use Abbott Services
• Maintain Abbott's online services such as websites and apps
• Monitor, detect and prevent fraud, improper activity and ensure Abbott's policy compliance
• Conduct research including secondary and f

Abbott may also use information collected from you or about you to offer you customized content, including to:

• Provide our products and services to you and make them better  
• Develop new products and services  
• Fulfill your requests  
• Provide customer service  
• Send you administrative communications regarding Abbott’s products or Abbott Services 
• Notify you about special promotions or offers that may be of interest to you  
• Invite you to participate in surveys about our products or services  
• Better understand the interests of our customers and visitors who use Abbott Services 
• Maintain Abbott’s online services such as websites and apps  
• Monitor, detect and prevent fraud, improper activity and ensure Abbott’s policy compliance 
• Conduct research including secondary and follow-on research  
• Determine an individual’s eligibility to participate in Abbott programs or clinical trials 
• Process payments  
• Evaluate how you and other users interact with our online services  
• Protect Abbott and our users  
• Secure our online services including our network, websites and apps  
• Conduct audits related to our current interactions with you  
• Debug the site and service to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality 
• Defend ourselves in litigation and investigations and to prosecute litigations  
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations  
• Abbott may also use your information for other purposes disclosed to you from time to time.

Abbott may also use information collected from you or about you to offer you customized content, including  to:  

• Recognize new or past visitors to our websites or apps  
• Remember your personal preferences  
• Show you more relevant and meaningful advertisements based on your interests 

Abbott may also use your information for other purposes disclosed to you from time to time. 

In addition, some of our applications and mobile-optimized sites may have location-based features. To  deliver these features, we may collect and use location data provided by your mobile device. For example,  we may offer shopping features that allow you to get information about local merchants. By using such  applications, you consent to the collection and use of your mobile device location data for purposes of  delivering these location-based features.  

We may use personal information collected from any of the sources listed in the “How Does Abbott Collect  Personal Information?” section of this policy for our internal business purposes, such as data analysis,  audits, developing new products, enhancing our websites and apps, improving our Abbott Services,  identifying usage trends and determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns.  

We may aggregate and/or de-identify data about customers and site visitors and use it for any purpose,  including product and service development and improvement activities. 

Does Abbott Share Personal Information?

Abbott may share your information within the Abbott family of companies.  

We do not sell your personal information. However, we share personal information with our vendors,  contractors, business and service partners, or other third parties (collectively, “Service Providers”).  Examples of Service Providers include analysis firms, advertisers, payment processing companies,  customer service and support providers, email, IT services and SMS vendors, web hosting and  development companies and fulfillment companies. Service Providers also include our co-promotion  partners for products that we jointly develop and/or market with other companies.  

Some Service Providers may collect personal data on behalf of Abbott. These third parties may be provided  with access to personal data needed to perform their functions. In addition, Abbott’s practice is to require  its Service Providers to keep your personal information confidential and to use personal information only to  perform functions for Abbott.  

If Abbott sells all or part of one of its product lines or divisions, your information may be transferred to the  buyer. Abbott reserves the right to disclose your information to respond to authorized information requests  from government authorities, to respond to valid judicial requests, to address national security situations,  to provide security and investigate potential fraud, or when otherwise required by applicable law.  

Abbott may also disclose your personal information as required by law to any competent law enforcement  body, regulatory or government agency, court or other third party where we believe the disclosure is  necessary or appropriate to comply with a regulatory requirement, judicial proceeding, court order,  government request or legal process served on us, or to protect the safety, rights, or property of our  customers, the public, Abbott or others, and to exercise, establish or defend Abbott’s legal rights.  

Abbott may also disclose aggregate or de-identified data that is not personally identifiable to third parties  for any purpose. 

Cookies and Other Tools

Abbott and its Service Providers collect information about you by using cookies, tracking pixels, web  beacons and other technologies (collectively, “Tools”). We use this information to better understand,  customize and improve user experience with our websites, services and offerings as well as to manage our  advertising. This information can make your use of our Abbott Services easier and more meaningful by  allowing Abbott and our Service Providers to provide better service, customize sites based on consumer  preferences, compile statistics, provide you with more relevant advertisements based on your interests,  analyze trends and otherwise administer and improve our Abbott Services. If we have collected your  personal information, we may associate this personal data with information gathered through the Tools.  

Your web browser can be set to allow you to control whether you will accept cookies, reject cookies, or to  notify you each time a cookie is sent to your browser. If your browser is set to reject cookies, websites that  are cookie-enabled will not recognize you when you return to the website, and some website functionality  may be lost. The Help section of your browser may tell you how to prevent your browser from accepting  cookies. To find out more about cookies, visit www.aboutcookies.org.  

You can also control Flash cookies which we may use on certain Abbott websites and apps from time to  time by clicking here. Why? Because Flash cookies cannot be controlled through your browser settings.  Choices you make are both browser and device-specific.  

Here are some of the types of information collected when visiting Abbott Websites: 

Log data. When you use Abbott websites and apps, our servers automatically record information (“log  data”), including information that your browser sends whenever you visit an website or app or your mobile  app sends when you are using it. This log data may include your Internet Protocol address, the address of  the webpages you visited that had Abbott features, browser type and settings, the date and time of your  request, how you used websites and cookie data. 

Cookie data. Depending on how you are accessing Abbott’s online Services, we and our Service Providers  may use “cookies” (a small text file sent by your computer each time you visit our sites, unique to your  Abbott account or your browser) or similar technologies, to record log data. When we use cookies, we may  use “session” cookies (that last until you close your browser) or “persistent” cookies (that last until you  and/or your browser delete them). For example, we may use cookies to remember your personal  preferences, such as sections of the website that you visit frequently, your user ID, or other settings so you  do not have to set them up every time you visit, and we may use cookies to serve you relevant advertising  tailored to your interests. Some of the cookies we use are associated with your Abbott account (including  personal information about you, such as the email address you gave us), and other cookies are not.  

We may use Google Analytics, which uses cookies and similar technologies to collect and analyze  information about use of the Abbott Services and report on activities and trends. This service may also  collect information regarding the use of other websites, apps and online resources. You can learn about  Google’s practices by going to https://policies.google.com/privacy/google-partners, and opt-out of them by  downloading the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, available at  https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.  

Social media plugins and data. In addition, our websites and apps may use social media plugins (e.g., the  Facebook "Like" button, '"Share to Twitter"' button) to enable you to easily share information with others.  When you visit any of our online Abbott Services, the operator of the social plugin can place a cookie on  your computer, enabling that operator to recognize individuals who have previously visited our websites. If  you are logged into the social media website (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Google+) while browsing on our  Abbott Services, the social plugins allow that social media website to receive information that you have  visited our Abbott Services. The social plugins also allow the social media website to share information  about your activities on Abbott with other users of their social media website. Abbott does not control any  of the content from the social plugins. For more information about social plugins from other social media  websites you should refer to those sites' privacy and data sharing statements.  

If you choose to link your social media or Google account to Abbott, this allows us to obtain information  from those accounts (such as your friends or contacts). The information we obtain from these services often  depends on your settings or the applicable provider's privacy policies, so please check these policies before  granting us access. You agree that we are not responsible for any acts or omissions by these social media  service providers. If you give us permission to access this information, we will use it for the purposes  described in this Privacy Policy.  

Device information. In addition to log data, we may also collect information about the device you are using  to access our Abbott Services, including what type of device it is, what operating system you are using,  device settings, unique device identifiers and crash data. Whether we collect some or all of this information  often depends on what type of device you are using and its settings. For example, different types of  information are available depending on whether you are using a Mac or a PC, or an iPhone or an Android  phone. To learn more about what information your device may make available to us, please also check the  policies of your device manufacturer or software provider.  

Interest Based Advertising. Abbott hopes to deliver to you advertising for products and services you need  or want. Abbott, its vendors and partners, use common tracking tools, such as cookies, pixels, web  beacons, and similar technologies, to automatically collect information about users for purposes of  enhancing their online experience and delivering more meaningful advertisements. Like many companies,  Abbott may also utilize third-party advertising vendors and other partners to collect this information.  

Like most companies, we place advertisements where we think they will be most relevant to customers.  One way we do so is by allowing network advertising companies with whom we work to place their own  Tools when an individual visits Abbott websites and apps. This enables the network advertising company  to recognize individuals who have previously visited Abbott websites and apps and to serve you ads based  on your web browsing activity, purchases, interests and/or other information—a practice commonly referred  to as interest-based advertising (“IBA”) or online behavioral advertising (“OBA”). 

These advertising companies may also use these types of technologies to recognize you across the devices  you use, such as a mobile phone or a laptop, and serve you ads on websites you visit and applications you  use.  

Retargeting. One way in which we deliver more meaningful advertisements is through a common form of  online advertising known as “retargeting” or “remarketing.” Retargeting works by serving ads on one site  based on an individual’s online activities on a different, unrelated site. For example, if you look at Similac^® products on an Abbott website, you may later see an advertisement for Similac^® products when you visit  third-party sites. To do this, Abbott or its advertising vendors may use a device ID, cookie, pixel, web beacon  or similar technology placed by Abbott or our third-party vendor when you visit Abbott websites or apps or  third-party websites or apps. The placing of these cookies or other technologies on your device may enable  you to be identified across multiple websites. You should consult the privacy policies of our vendors and  other websites that you visit to understand how they collect and use your data.  

Opting-Out of IBA, OBA and Retargeting Activities 

As a participant of the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), we adhere to DAA’s Interest-Based Advertising  principles by providing you enhanced notice, transparency and control of our digital marketing practices as  stated at http://www.aboutads.info/principles/. Click here to opt-out of having your online behavior collected  for advertising purposes and receiving behaviorally targeted advertisements from our advertising partners.  Choices you make are both browser and device-specific. Also, certain versions of the iOS operating system  permit you to “ Limit Ad Tracking ” in the system settings, and certain versions of the Android operating  system allow you to “ Opt-out of Interest-Based Ads ” in the system settings. Options you select are browser  and device specific.  

Abbott Do Not Track Policy. Some browsers have Do Not Track (“DNT”) features that allow you to tell a  website not to track you. These features are not all uniform, and some browsers may not be set up to honor  such requests. Abbott honors the AdChoice DNT signals. Options you select are browser and device  specific. Please be aware that limiting the ability of websites to set cookies, however, may worsen your  overall user experience, and in some cases the sites will not work properly without cookies, local storage and similar technologies.  

What Choices Do I Have About How Abbott Collects and Uses Information about Me?  Certain Abbott Services may ask whether you wish to opt-out or opt into our contact lists for offers,  promotions and additional services that may be of interest to you.

Marketing

If you no longer wish to receive promotional marketing materials from us on a going-forward basis, you may  opt-out of receiving such materials. You may unsubscribe from receiving marketing or other commercial  emails from Abbott by following the instructions included in the email. We will endeavor to comply with your  request as soon as reasonably practicable.  

However, even if you opt out of receiving such communications, we retain the right to send you non marketing communications (such as information about changes to our Privacy Policy or Terms of Use). 

Your Privacy Choices

You may have certain rights and choices regarding our processing of your personal data. Depending on  your jurisdiction, applicable law may entitle you to additional consumer rights, including the right (with  certain limitations and exceptions) to:  

• Know the categories and/or specific pieces of personal information collected about you, including whether your personal information is sold or disclosed, and with whom your personal information  was shared  
• Access a copy of the personal information we retain about you  
• Request deletion of your personal information 

We reserve the right to verify your identity in connection with any requests regarding personal information  to help ensure that we provide the information we maintain to the individuals to whom it pertains, and allow  only those individuals or their authorized representatives to exercise rights with respect to that information.  If you are an authorized agent making a request on behalf of a consumer, we may require and request  additional information to verify that you are authorized to make that request.  

We reserve the right to deny your request if we cannot verify your identify. Where we deny your request in  whole or in part, we will endeavor to inform you of the denial and provide an explanation of our actions and  the reasons for the denial.  

We will not restrict or deny you access to our Abbott Services because of choices and requests you make  in connection with your personal information. Please note, certain choices may affect our ability to deliver  the Abbott Services. For example, if you sign up to receive marketing communications by email, then ask  Abbott to delete all of your information, we will be unable to send you marketing communications.  

You may exercise any of your rights in relation to your personal information by contacting us using the  details provided under the “How Can I Contact Abbott” section below.  

How does Abbott secure information?

It is Abbott’s practice to take steps to secure our Abbott Services; however, the confidentiality of information  transmitted over the Internet cannot be guaranteed. We urge you to exercise caution when transmitting  personal information over the Internet, especially personal information related to your health. Abbott cannot  guarantee that unauthorized third parties will not gain access to your information; therefore, when  submitting personal information to Abbott websites or apps, you must weigh both the benefits and the risks.  Abbott websites or apps may link to third-party websites that are not controlled by Abbott or subject to an  Abbott privacy policy. You should check the privacy policies of such third-party websites before submitting  personal information.  

This Website is Not For Children. Abbott does not knowingly collect or use any information from children  (we define “children” as minors younger than 13). We do not knowingly allow children to order our products,  communicate with us, or use any of our online services. If you are a parent and become aware that your  child has provided us with information, please contact us using one of the methods specified below and we  will work with you to address this issue. 

Third party sites

We may provide links to websites and other third-party content that is not owned or operated by Abbott.  The websites and third-party content to which we link may have separate privacy notices or policies. Abbott  is not responsible for the privacy practices of any entity that it does not own or control.  

If you provide any personal through a third-party site, your interaction and your personal information will be  collected by, and controlled by the privacy policy of, that third party site. We recommend that you familiarize  yourself with the privacy policies and practices of any such third parties, which are not governed by this  privacy policy.

Cross border transfers

Any information you provide to Abbott may be stored and processed, transferred between and accessed  from the United States, where Abbott is headquartered, and other countries which may not guarantee the  same level of protection of personal data as the one in which you reside. However, Abbott will handle your  personal data in accordance with this privacy policy regardless of where your personal data is  stored/accessed. 

How Can I Contact Abbott?

If you have questions about your information, please contact us by clicking on the “Contact Us” link on the website you are visiting or by e-mailing us at privacy@abbott.com. Alternatively, you may send a letter to the following address:

Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd
Attention: OEC Department,
219 Golf Club Terrace
Constantia Kloof, Roodepoort
1709, South Africa

OR

Abbott Rapid Diagnostics (Pty Ltd)
Attention: OEC Department
Woodlands Office Park, Building 28,
20 Woodlands Drive, Woodmead,
2191, South Africa

In all communications to Abbott, please include the email address used for registration (if applicable), the website address or the specific Abbott program to which you provided personal information (e.g. Abbott.com, Similac.com, etc.) and a detailed explanation of your request. We will do our best to respond to all reasonable requests in a timely manner.

To exercise your rights in relation to your personal information as allowed for under the Protection of Personal Information Act, click here.

How will I know whether Abbott has updated this policy?

Abbott reserves the right to amend this Privacy Policy at any time. If Abbott changes its privacy practices, a new Privacy Policy will reflect those changes and the effective date of the revised Privacy Policy will be set forth in this paragraph. This Privacy Policy was last updated on October 31, 2020 and is effective as of that date.