Legal
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Privacy Policy
Effective Date: July 1, 2024
This Privacy Notice (“Privacy Notice”) explains how Hughes Network Systems, LLC and its affiliates (collectively ”Hughes”), collect, use and share information about Hughes subscribers and others who visit Hughes’ websites (such as www.hughesnet.com, www.hughes.com, or any other site or customer-facing portal maintained or operated by Hughes (“Websites”)), or when using the Hughesnet® services, including on our web portal or mobile app (collectively, the "Services"). The term “you” refers to you as a subscriber or user of our Services.
California Notice at Collection:
We may collect the categories of Personal Information (as defined in the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)) listed in the table below:
Category of Personal Information Collected | Sold or Shared |
Identifiers, including names, postal addresses, email addresses, online identifiers, IP addresses, account names, and other similar identifiers. | Yes |
Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute, including bank account numbers, credit/debit card numbers, and other financial information. | No |
Protected classification characteristics under California law, including sex/gender, marital status, and age (over 40). | No |
Commercial information, including information regarding products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies. | Yes |
Internet or other electronic network activity information, including information regarding interactions with an internet website, application, or advertisement. | Yes |
Imprecise location data, such as general location of devices or IP address. | Yes |
Audio, electronic, visual, or similar information, including phone call recordings and chat recordings. | No |
Professional or employment-related information, including employment status and history. | No |
Education information, including education history. | No |
Inferences, meaning inferences drawn from any of the information in the above-listed categories of information to create profiles about consumers. | Yes |
Sensitive personal information, including account log-in information in combination with passwords. | No |
As further described in this Notice, we generally collect and use the above-listed categories of personal information to provide and manage the Websites and Services and achieve legitimate business or commercial purposes.
As noted in the table above, we “sell” or “share” (as these terms are defined in the CCPA) certain categories of personal information, and you may exercise your right to opt out of such disclosures by clicking the “Your Privacy Choices” link in the footer of our Websites and following the instructions.
We retain each category of personal information that we collect for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Notice, including to satisfy legal or reporting requirements.
More information, including a description of your legal rights, can be found below in the “State Privacy Rights” section.
- Personal Information We Collect
- How We Use Personal Information
- Personal Information We Disclose
- Information We Use for Advertising Purposes
- Network and Information Security
- Information Choices and Changes
- Third-Party Services and Websites
- State Privacy Rights
- Questions or Concerns
- Changes to this Notice
1. Personal Information We Collect
When you visit, use, or interact with the Websites or Services, we, as well as third-party advertisers and/or service providers, we may use our interactions with you, our systems, and a variety of other technologies such as cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, log files, or other technologies, to collect personal information regarding your use of the Websites and Services.
The categories of sources from which Hughes collects Personal Information includes:
- Account Information: We collect and keep personal information you give us when you sign up for an account, including: your name, service address, billing address, e-mail address, telephone number, social security number, bank account and/or credit card number, logins and passwords to the Services, security questions and codes, precise geolocation, and other account information. We may also collect and keep other information about your account with us, such as billing and payment history, customer service interactions, and equipment and programming options.
- Commercial Information: We may collect information about the products or services you purchased or obtained from Hughes, as well as other purchasing or consuming histories, behaviors or tendencies.
- Visual/Audio Information: We may collect audio, electronic, visual, thermal, or similar information.
- Identifiers/Contact Information: Depending on the information and/or services you request, you may be asked to provide your name, email address, address, phone number, and similar information.
- Computer or Device Information. We may automatically collect your Internet Protocol (“IP”) IP addresses \ information regarding the device you are using when you interact with the Websites and Services (i.e., mobile phone, computer or tablet), modem and feature usage, including product and device specific information and identifiers, service options you choose, and other information.
- Website and Service Usage Information. We also collect Website and Service usage information such as browser types, operating system, internet provider, Website requests, Website page or product views, general actions taken on the Websites or Services, the date and time of your visit, whether you respond to an online ad and, where applicable for mobile users, device types, device make and model, operating system, and mobile advertising identifiers.
- Use of Third Party Analytic Technologies. We may use third parties' analytics and tracking tools to better understand who is using the Websites and Services, how people are using the Websites and Services, how to improve the effectiveness of the Website and Services and related content, and to help us or those third parties serve more targeted advertising to you across the Internet. These tools may use technology such as cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, log files, HTML5 cookies, or other technologies to automatically collect and store certain information. They also may combine information they collect from your interaction with the Websites and Services with information they collect from other sources. We do not have access to, or control over, these third parties' use of cookies or other tracking technologies
- Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics and Signals in Google Analytics. This updates existing Google Analytics features (advertising reports, remarketing, cross-device reports, and reports on interests and demographics) to provide aggregated and anonymized information about you, provided you have allowed personalized ads in your Google Account. You can learn more about Google’s data practices and your privacy choices by visiting www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/ Google provides an opt out of Google Analytics by downloading and installing the browser add-on located here tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/.
- Our Third Party Service Providers. We may use third party service providers to support our Websites and Services. Some of these service providers may use technology such as cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, log files, or HTML5 cookies to receive, collect, and store information.
- Children’s Information: Protecting children’s privacy is important to us. We do not direct the Services to, nor do we knowingly collect any personal information from, persons under the age of eighteen. If we learn that a person under the age of eighteen has provided personal information through the Services, we will use reasonable efforts to remove such information from our files.
- How Long We Keep Your Information: We retain personal information about you for the amount of time necessary to provide our Services and for as long as required to satisfy legal or tax requirements, for fraud prevention, or for other business purposes. If we de-identify information, we will maintain and use the information in de-identified form and not attempt to re-identify the information except as required or permitted by law.
Third-Party Information and Combination of Information:
Hughes may obtain additional information about you from other third-party sources and combine the information we receive from and about you, including information you provide to us or which is automatically collected through your interactions with the Websites and Services and, as well as information collected offline, and from third party sources.
2. How We Use Personal Information
We use the personal information we collect primarily for business or commercial activities, which may include using your personal information to:
- To provide you with the products and services you request.
- To anticipate and resolve problems with our products and services.
- To process and respond to inquiries.
- To contact you about products and services that may be of interest to you.
- To record, validate, confirm, verify, deliver, install, and track your order (including to process payment card transactions, arrange for shipping, handle returns or refunds, and contact you about your orders, including by telephone), or to service products you purchased from us.
- To provide you with marketing information and advertisements for Hughes products and services or to exclude you from certain advertisements.
- To enhance your online shopping experience, including as a way to recognize you and welcome you to the Website, and to provide you with targeted offers and advertising on the Website, via email, or across other websites, mobile applications, social media or online services.
- To protect the security or integrity of the Website, the Services, and our business, such as by protecting against and preventing fraud, unauthorized transactions, claims and other liabilities, and managing risk exposure, including by identifying potential hackers and other unauthorized users.
- To use and disclose your credit/debit card information to process payments and to prevent fraud.
- To improve the content and navigability of the Website;
- To use your data in an aggregated non-specific format for analytical and demographic purposes.
- For billing and collections;
- To enforce our Website and Services terms and conditions found at legal.hughesnet.com.
- For other purposes communicated to you at the time you provide or authorize the use of the information.
3. Personal Information We Disclose
We may disclose information we collect from and about you with others as follows:
–Affiliates: We may disclose your personal information to Hughes affiliates, such as DISH, Sling TV, and Boost Mobile.
–Service Providers: We disclose personal information to third parties that provide business, marketing, payment processing, or technical support services to us and/or administer activities on our behalf. Our service providers may also include professional advisors (e.g., lawyers, accountants, auditors, etc.).
–Credit Reporting Agencies: We may disclose your information to credit reporting agencies for reporting purposes or to obtain credit review services.
–Law Enforcement or other third parties for legal, compliance, and safety purposes:
We may be required by law to comply with a valid legal process, such as a subpoena, court order, or search warrant, or where there is a lawful request, to disclose information about you. We may also disclose information about you to protect our customers, employees, or property; in emergency situations; and to enforce our rights under our terms of service and policies, in court or elsewhere.
–Sale or Transfer of Business or Assets: In the future, we may sell some or all of our assets or reorganize our corporate structure. In such transactions, customer information generally is one of the transferred business assets. In the event of a sale or reorganization of our assets, including our database, customer information may be transferred.
–To Complete Your Request: Hughes will disclose your personal information to another company to complete your request (e.g., providing information about a service or comply with a privacy rights request).
–Mailing list partners: We may disclose your name and postal address to other parties, such as charities, marketing organizations, corporate affiliates, or other businesses for “mailing list” purposes. Any such disclosure for “mailing list” purposes would be limited to your name and postal address, and the disclosure would not reveal, directly or indirectly: (i) the extent of your use of the Services; or (ii) the nature of any transactions facilitated by us.
–Disclosure of De-identified, Aggregated or Pseudonymous Information: We may disclose information collected or received from or about you in de-identified and/or aggregate formats. We may disclose this information to companies that collect and compile consumer data.
4. Information We Use for Advertising Purposes
To provide you with advertising for our Services. We may use information we have collected or received from or about you through use of the Service or from third parties to provide you with marketing information, offers and advertisements for our Services or to exclude you from receiving certain marketing information, offers or advertisements. Our activities with respect to such marketing information, offers and advertisements may occur through our Services or third-party websites and platforms.
To provide you with more relevant online advertising. We and our advertising partners may also use information obtained about you through your use of our Services or from third-parties, or gathered through cookies and similar technologies, to deliver more relevant online advertising to you across other computers, devices, websites, and online services that you may use (“interest-based advertising”). Advertisers, advertising technology companies, and service providers that perform advertising-related services for us and our business partners may use cookies, web beacons, tags, and other technologies to collect information from or about you to tailor advertisements, measure advertising effectiveness, and enable other enhancements. You may be able to opt out of certain types of interest-based advertising as described below in the “Information Choices and Changes” section.
To provide others with more relevant advertising. We and our advertising partners may also use information collected from or about you by us or our advertising partners and information we obtain about you from third parties to deliver advertising that is targeted for individuals with similar interests. We may combine aggregated and/or de-identified information to create groups based on actual or assumed shared interests and/or factual characteristics.
5. Network and Information Security
We take information security seriously. We use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized third-party access to information about you. However, we cannot guarantee that these practices will prevent every unauthorized attempt to access or use information about you..
6. Information Choices and Changes
Marketing and Promotional Communications:
You can opt out of receiving marketing and promotional communications from us or manage your preferences at any time through your account settings. You can also opt out of receiving marketing and promotional communications from us by following the instructions included in any such communication that you receive from us. Please note that even if you opt out of receiving marketing and promotional communications from us, you will still receive non-marketing or transactional messages from us, including messages about your account and responses to your inquiries/requests.
Cookies and Do Not Track:
Certain parts of our Websites require cookies. You can adjust your device or Internet browser settings to limit certain tracking or to decline cookies. However, please note that disabling cookies may prevent you from taking advantage of certain features on the Websites. Please refer to your device’s settings or your Internet browser’s “Help” section for more information on how to delete and/or disable your device or browser from receiving cookies or controlling your tracking preferences.
Our system may not recognize Do Not Track requests or headers from some or all browsers.
Interest-Based Advertising Choices:
To understand your choices for receiving more relevant advertising provided on our websites or across other websites and online services, please review the information below:
- To learn more about such interest-based advertising, and to opt out of such collection and use for interest-based advertising by the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) participating companies, please visit http://optout.aboutads.info.
- To opt out from the use of information about your online activities for interest-based advertising by Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) member companies, please visit http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/.
- To opt out of the use of your mobile device ID for targeted advertising, please see https://youradchoices.com/appchoices.
- On your mobile device, you may also adjust your privacy and advertising settings to control whether you want to receive more relevant advertising.
Even if you opt out, you still may receive advertising from us and third parties that are not customized based on your Online Service or usage information, or advertising from other third parties if they are not a DAA or NAI participating company.
7. Third-Party Services and Websites
When you use a third-party streaming device or voice assistant through our Services, or access a third-party service, application, or website, even when doing so through our Services, you should review the privacy statements of the third party to understand what information they may collect and keep. We are not responsible for the practices of such third parties.
You may also choose, when available, to connect your account with third-party accounts, including with third-party social networks. If you share information about your usage of or activities on our Services with such third-party accounts, then the collection, use, and disclosure of such information will be subject to that third party’s privacy policies, which may differ from our own. We are not responsible for the practices of such third parties.
8. State Privacy Rights
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Virginia
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Virginia give residents the right to know what categories of personal information are collected about them and how it will be used, disclosed, and sold or shared. The purpose of this section of the Notice is to provide residents of these states with a description of our practices regarding the collection, use, disclosure of personal information and how they can exercise their rights in relation to their personal information.
Categories of personal information collected:
In the past 12 months, Hughes may have disclosed, sold or shared (as defined under CCPA) the following categories of Personal Information for the following purposes:
Types of Personal Information We Collect | Examples | Primary Purpose for Collection |
Identifiers | Identifiers such as name, postal address, device identifiers, internet protocol (IP) address, email address, and account name. | Account creation, personalization and facilitating usage of the Service, internal marketing, to prevent fraud and detect security incidents, to communicate important information; internal operations and compliance. |
Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute | Name, postal address, telephone number, bank account number, and credit/debit card information, and other financial information | Account creation, personalization and facilitating usage of the Service, internal marketing, to prevent fraud and detect security incidents, to communicate important information; internal operations and compliance. |
Characteristics of protected classifications under state or federal law | Gender, marital status, age | Account creation, personalization, and marketing |
Commercial information | Information regarding products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, credit score, or demographic information | Account creation, personalization, internal marketing, internal operations and compliance. |
Audio, electronic, visual, thermal, olfactory, or similar information | Customer service call recordings and website chat interactions, or other communications with Hughes, including personal identifiers, call, chat, and chatbot content and other website interactions. | Facilitating usage of the Services, training, to prevent fraud and criminal activity, operational analytics, and to comply with applicable laws |
Internet or other electronic network activity information | Information regarding a consumer’s interaction with an internet website, application, or advertisement, browser information, web analytics, including IP address, time of visit, page(s) visited, cookies, pixel tags, and other similar technologies; information about your use of our network | Facilitating usage of the Services, personalization, internal marketing and operations, and to prevent fraud and detect security incidents |
Geolocation data | Imprecise geolocation data, such as general location of devices or IP address | Provision, development, and optimization of our Services; marketing and interest-based advertising; and to comply with applicable laws |
Education information | Education history | Account creation and facilitating usage of service |
Professional or employment-related information | Employment status and history | Account creation and facilitating usage of service |
Inferences drawn from any of the above information to create a profile about a consumer | Consumer preferences, characteristics, trends, and behavior | Development and optimization of Services, personalization, and internal marketing |
Sensitive personal information | A consumer's account log-in, financial account, debit card, or credit card number in combination with any required security or access code, password, or credentials allowing access to an account | Account creation/management
|
Categories of personal information sold or shared:
We sell or share the following categories of personal information: identifiers, imprecise geolocation such as IP address, inferences, commercial information and internet or other electronic network activity information. We sell or share these categories of personal information to data analytics providers, advertising partners and/or networks, social media networks, and data brokers. We do not knowingly sell or share personal information about persons under the age of eighteen.
Categories of sources of personal information:
We collect the personal information identified in the chart above from the following categories of sources:
- From you and your transactions with us, such as when you request a product or service, or give us your contact information
- From our affiliates
- From others, including consumer reporting agencies and third parties that provide us with demographic and other information
- From publicly available sources
Personal information we disclose for a business purpose:
There are a number of circumstances where we disclose personal information to companies who work on our behalf to help us provide the Services. We disclose the categories of personal information described above to our affiliates and our service providers as necessary to provide the Services; measure the performance of our network and your devices; and for eligibility, verification, fulfillment, and administrative purposes.
Your Data Rights:
Residents of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Virginia have the right to request certain actions with respect to their personal information. Residents of these states may:
- Request that we disclose what categories and specific pieces of personal information we collected about you in the preceding 12 months, as well as details regarding: the business purposes for our collection and disclosure of your personal information; the categories of sources from which we collected the information, the categories of personal information we sold, shared, or disclosed for a business purpose; and the categories of recipients of such information
- Request deletion of any personal information that we have collected from you subject to certain legal exceptions
- Correct inaccuracies in the personal information we maintain about you
- Opt-out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, or of targeted advertising
- Appeal the denial of any of your requests
Residents of Oregon may request a list of specific third parties with which we have shared any personal data.
If you choose to exercise these rights, you will not receive discriminatory treatment by us for your exercise of your rights.
How to submit an access, deletion, or correction request:
If you would like to submit a privacy rights request for access, deletion, or correction please contact us at 1-866-569-5152 or visit our Privacy Portal at https://www.hughesnet.com/your-privacy-choices.
How to opt out of the sale or share of personal information, or of targeted advertising:
To opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information or targeted advertising, please contact us at 1-866-569-5152 or visit our Privacy Portal at https://www.hughesnet.com/your-privacy-choices.
Alternatively, where available, you can use certain preference signals to exercise your opt-out rights automatically with all businesses that you interact with online, including Hughes. If you enable a browser-based opt-out preference signal that complies with applicable law, such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC), upon receipt or detection, we will treat the signal as a valid opt-out request relating to personal information linked to that browser and any consumer profile we have associated with that browser. Please note that if you use different browsers or browser profiles, you will have to enable the signal on each one that you use.
Verification of your identity:
To process your request for access, deletion, or correction we must be able to verify your identity to a reasonable degree of certainty. To do so, you must provide the required identifying information when completing the online request form or making a request through one of our customer service agents. We will ask you to provide your contact information and an additional identifier based on your relationship with us. Before we process your request, we will match these data points with data points we currently maintain to verify your identity and your relationship with us.
Responding to your deletion requests:
Please note that we may not be required to delete information under certain circumstances such as when retention of the information is necessary to complete a transaction or for a legal compliance purpose, to detect security incidents, or for certain other internal purposes.
Authorized agent requests:
You can designate an authorized agent to make a request to access, delete, correct, or opt out on your behalf. When you use an authorized agent to submit a request for access, deletion, or correction, you must provide the authorized agent with written permission to do so, and, in certain circumstances, we may ask you to verify your own identity directly with us. We may deny a request from an authorized agent that does not submit proof that they have been authorized by you to act on your behalf.
Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information:
California residents have the right to limit the use of their sensitive personal information. Hughes does not use or disclose sensitive personal information without your consent for purposes other than those specified in the CCPA.
Nevada
Nevada SB 220:
Nevada law permits Nevada residents to make certain requests about how their personal information is shared with third parties or affiliated companies. To make such a request, please visit our Privacy Portal at https://www.hughesnet.com/your-privacy-choices.
9. Questions or Concerns
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this Notice, or our privacy practices, please contact us at the following address: 11717 Exploration Lane, Germantown, MD 20876.
10. Changes to This Notice
We may modify this Notice at any time. We will notify you of any material changes (or changes required by applicable law) through written, electronic, or other means as permitted by law.