Topline MD Privacy Policy

Created: September 1, 2014
Last Updated: July 21, 2025

This privacy policy (the “Policy“) describes the collection of personal information by FHG Intellectual Properties, LLC (the “Licensor”), the owner of TopLine MD, from users of the TopLine MD website (www.toplinemd.com), the TopLine MD mobile application (the “User”) as well as all related applications, widgets, software, tools, and other services provided by the Licensor and on which a link to this Policy is displayed (collectively, the “Services”). This Policy also describes the Licensor’s use and disclosure of such information. By using the Licensor’s Services, the User consents to the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information in accordance with this Policy.

Personal Information

“Personal information,” as used in this Policy, is information that specifically identifies an individual, including, but not limited to, an individual’s name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address. Personal information also includes information about an individual’s activities, information about activity on Licensor Services, and demographic information, including, but not limited to, date of birth, gender, geographic area, preferences, and educational information, when any of this information is linked to personal information that identifies that individual.

Personal information does not include “aggregate information” or other non-personally identifiable information. Aggregate information is information that is collected about a group or category of products, services, or users that is not personally identifiable or from which individual identities are removed.  The Licensor may use and disclose aggregate information, and other non-personally identifiable information, for various purposes.

Collection of Information

Collection of User-Provided Information

The Licensor collects personal information provided by the Licensor’s Users regarding its Services. These include the following:

Email Newsletters. The Licensor may offer email newsletters from time to time on its Services. If the User signs up to receive a newsletter from the Licensor, the Licensor collects the User’s email address.

User Accounts and Profiles. The Licensor’s Services may give a User the ability to register for a Licensor account or to create and update a profile on the applicable Service. If the Licensor offers user account or profile functionality on the Services, it will collect the personal information provided to the Licensor in the course of registering for an account or creating or updating a user profile. This information may include, but is not limited to, name, postal address, telephone number, email address, and related demographic information about the User.  The Licensor may indicate that some personal information is required for a User to register for the account or to create the profile, while some personal information may be optional.

Interactive Features. The Licensor’s Services may contain interactive functionality that allows a User to engage with other users of the Services, post comments to articles and other features, to upload photographs and other content, participate in surveys, and otherwise to interact with the Services and with other users. If a User engages any interactive functionality on the Licensor’s Services that request or permit the disclosure of personal information (including, but not limited to, any services that allow for the posting of content on any of the Licensor’s Services), the Licensor collects the personal information provided in the course of using these interactive features.

Correspondence. If a User contacts the Licensor by email, using a contact form on the Services, or by mail, fax, or other means, the Licensor reserves the right to collect the personal information contained within, and associated with, a User’s correspondence.

Contests and Sweepstakes. The Licensor and/or its advertisers and other business partners may conduct or sponsor special contests, sweepstakes, and other promotions that Users may enter or otherwise participate in on the Licensor’s Services. These promotions may be co-branded with one of the Licensor’s advertisers or other business partners. In these instances, the collection of a User’s personal information may occur directly by the third-party partner on its Web site or other online service and may be shared with the Licensor. The promotion will state the privacy policy or policies governing the collection of such personal information.

Payment Information. If a User purchases services or products directly from the Licensor, the Licensor will collect the billing and financial information necessary to process the charges, which may include a User’s postal and email addresses. The Licensor may also receive the billing and payment information provided when a purchase is processed by another party.

Passive Information Collection

When a User visits the Licensor’s Services, some information is collected automatically. For example, when a User accesses the Licensor’s Services, the Licensor automatically collects information including, but not limited to, User’s browser’s IP address, browser type, the nature of the device from which a User is visiting the Services (e.g., a personal computer or a mobile device), the identifier for any handheld or mobile device that may be used, the actions taken on the Licensor’s Services, and the content, features, and activities that a User accesses and participates in on the Licensor’s Services (e.g., the videos and other comments viewed, and any comments posted).  The Licensor also may collect information regarding a User’s interaction with email messages, such as whether a message was opened, clicked on, or forwarded.

The Licensor may collect this information passively using technologies such as standard server logs, cookies, and clear GIFs (also known as “Web beacons”). The Licensor uses passively-collected information to administer, operate, and improve the Licensor’s Services and systems, to improve the effectiveness of advertising on the Licensor’s Services, and to provide advertisements and other content that is tailored to each User. If the Licensor links or associates any information gathered through passive means with personal information, or if applicable laws require the Licensor to treat any information gathered through passive means as personal information, the Licensor will treat the combined information as personal information under this policy. Otherwise, the Licensor will use and disclose information collected by passive means in aggregate form or otherwise in a non-personally identifiable form.

Also, third parties, such as companies displaying advertisements on the Services, may set cookies on a User’s hard drive or use other means of passively collecting information about the use of their services or content. The Licensor does not have access to, or control over, these third party means of passive data collection.

Information from Other Sources

The Licensor may receive information about a User, including, but not limited to, personal information, from third parties (e.g., Facebook, Google, mobile devices, etc.) (collectively, “Third Party Sites“) in accordance with the policies and terms of such Third Party Sites. The Licensor may combine this information with other personal information it maintains about a User.  If the Licensor does so, this Policy governs any combined information that the Licensor maintains in personally identifiable format.

Use of Personal Information

The Licensor uses personal information to provide services; to enhance, improve, operate, and maintain the Licensor’s Services; to prevent fraudulent use of Licensor Services and other systems; to prevent or take action against activities that are, or may be, in violation of the Licensor’s Terms of Use or applicable law; to tailor advertisements, content, and other aspects of a User’s experience on and in connection with the Services; to maintain a record of Licensor dealings with the User; for other administrative purposes; and for any other purposes that the Licensor may disclose at the point at which it requests a User’s personal information, and after it has obtained a User’s consent.

The Licensor may also use personal information provided to contact a User regarding products, Services, and offers, both of the Licensor and of third parties, that the Licensor believes a User may find of interest. The Licensor allows Users to opt-out from receiving marketing communications from the Licensor as described in the “Choice” section below.

The Licensor does not sell User’s personal information.

Disclosure of Personal Information

Except as described in this Policy, the Licensor will not disclose personal information and/or protected health information (“PHI” as defined under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) that is collected through the Services to third parties without written consent. Notwithstanding this, the Licensor may disclose certain information to third parties with consent, as well as in the following circumstances:

Service Providers

The Licensor may disclose personal information to third party service providers (e.g., payment processing, data storage and processing facilities, customer service, email delivery and to assist in marketing efforts) that assist the Licensor. The Licensor will limit the personal information provided to these service providers to that which is reasonably necessary for them to perform their functions, and the Licensor will require them to agree to maintain the confidentiality of such personal information and to not use such personal information for any purpose other than to provide services on the Licensor’s behalf.

Public Areas and Syndicated Services

Some features on the Licensor’s Services may allow the User to upload, post, or otherwise transmit information to public areas of the Services including, but not limited to, content posted in a public profile on the Services, comments to articles or features on the Services or information related to internship postings and applications (each a “Submission“). The Licensor may make these Submissions available for display upon the Licensor properties that are not governed by this Policy, as well as to services operated by third parties that display content from the Site (collectively, “Syndicated Services“). Any personal information that a User includes within any Submission will be made available to other users of the Services, and to users of Syndicated Services, who view it. Users include personal information in Submissions at their sole risk. The Licensor may allow Users to select privacy options that limit access to some types of personal information in Submissions, but no security measures are impenetrable or perfect. Additionally, even after information posted on the Site is removed, caching and archiving services may have saved that information, and other users or third parties may have copied or stored the information available on the Services. The Licensor cannot warrant or guarantee that any personal information (other than PHI and other than as noted herein this Policy) provided on and in connection with the Services will not be accessed, viewed, or used by unauthorized persons.

Business Transfers

Information about Users, including personal information, may be disclosed and otherwise transferred to an acquirer or successor of the Licensor as part of any merger, acquisition, debt financing, sale of Licensor assets, or similar transaction, as well as in the event of an insolvency, bankruptcy, or receivership in which personal information is transferred to one or more third parties as one of Licensor business assets.

To Protect Licensor Interests

The Licensor also discloses personal information if it is believed that doing so is legally required, or is in the Licensor’s interest to protect its property or other legal rights (including, but not limited to, enforcement of agreements), or the rights or property of others, or otherwise to help protect the safety or security of Licensor Services and the community who uses the Services.

Third Party Connected Services

The Licensor may permit Users with accounts on certain Third Party Sites (including, but not limited to, social networking, search, sharing, and other services delivered by third parties) to bypass standard registration processes on Licensor Services. If Users connect to Licensor Services through an authorized Third Party Site, Users may be able to use third party login information to log into Licensor Services, and may be able to publish comments and any other activity on Licensor Services to the Third Party Site. The Licensor is not responsible for the sharing, posting, commenting, or other content and information-gathering practices on any Third Party Site. Please review the terms of service and privacy policies of Third Party Sites carefully before using such services and connecting to the Licensor’s Services.

By using any Third Party Site to log into the Licensor’s Services, or otherwise connecting to any Third Party Site, the User permits the Licensor to access and use all information related to its account on the Third Party Site that may be accessible to the Licensor through the Third Party Site pursuant to this Policy. To limit or control the information that is available to the Licensor through such Third Party Site, or to disconnect the Third Party Site from the Licensor’s Services, Users should check (and, if applicable, modify) the applicable settings on the Third Party Site.

Choice

If a User receives commercial email(s) from the Licensor, it may unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions contained within the email. A User may also opt-out from receiving commercial email from the Licensor, and any other promotional communications that the Licensor may send from time to time (e.g., by postal mail) by sending a request to the Licensor by email at news@toplinemd.com or by writing to the Licensor at the address given at the end of this policy. Additionally, if the Licensor offers User account functionality on the Services, it may allow Users to view and modify settings relating to the nature and frequency of promotional communications received.

If a User opts-out of receiving commercial email from the Licensor, it may take up to ten business days for the Licensor to process the opt-out request, and Users may receive commercial emails from the Licensor during that period. Additionally, even after opting-out from receiving commercial messages from the Licensor, Users will continue to receive administrative messages from the Licensor regarding the Licensor’s Services.

Access

If the Licensor offers the ability to create User accounts or profiles on its Services, Users may have the ability to access and update many categories of personal information provided by logging into an account and accessing the account settings. If a User wishes to access or amend any other personal information the Licensor holds regarding said User, it may contact the Licensor at news@toplinemd.com.

If a User requests that the Licensor delete its account on any of the Licensor’s Services (via a user settings page, by email, or otherwise), the Licensor will do so within a reasonable period of time, but may need to retain a User’s personal information in order to satisfy the Licensor’s legal obligations or where the Licensor reasonably believes that it has a legitimate reason to do so.

Links

The Services may contain links to Web sites, products, or services that the Licensor does not own or operate. For example, the Services may contain links to third party merchants from which Users may purchase products featured on the Licensor’s Services. The Services also may contain links to Third Party Sites as social networking services. If Users choose to visit or use any Third Party products or services, be aware that this Policy will not apply to User activities or any information disclosed while using third party products or services or otherwise interacting with third parties. The Licensor is not responsible for the privacy practices of these Third Party Sites and Third Party services. Additionally, the Services may contain links to Web sites and services that the Licensor operates but that are governed by different privacy policies. The Licensor encourages Users to carefully review the privacy policies applicable to any Web site or service visited other than the Services before providing any personal information on them.

Children

Children’s safety is important to the Licensor, and the Licensor encourages parents and guardians to take an active interest in the online activities of their children. The Licensor’s Services are not directed to children under the age of 18, and the Licensor does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 18 without obtaining parental consent. If the Licensor learns that it has collected personal information from a child under the age of 18 on the Licensor’s Services, the Licensor will delete that information as quickly as possible. If a User believes that the Licensor may have collected any such personal information on its Services, please notify the Licensor at news@toplinemd.com.

International Visitors

The Licensor’s Services are hosted in the United States and generally are intended for United States visitors. If Users visit from the European Union or other regions with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from United States law, such Users are transferring personal information to the United States. The United States does not have the same data protection laws as the European Union and other jurisdictions. By providing personal information to the Licensor, a User consents to the transfer of such information to the United States and the use of it in accordance with this Policy and applicable law.

Security

The Licensor uses reasonable security measures that are designed to protect personal information from accidental loss, disclosure, misuse, and destruction. However, no data security measures can be guaranteed to be completely effective. Consequently, the Licensor cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information provided to the Licensor, other than as required for PHI under law. Users transmit information to the Licensor at their own risk.

Updates to this Policy

The Licensor may occasionally update this Policy. When it does, the Licensor will also revise the “last updated” date at the beginning of the policy. Continued use of Licensor Services after such changes will be subject to the then-current policy. If the Policy is altered in a manner that is materially less restrictive of the Licensor’s use or disclosure of Users’ personal information, the Licensor will use reasonable efforts to notify Users of the change and to obtain consent prior to applying the change to any personal information that was collected prior to the date the change becomes effective. The Licensor encourages Users to periodically review this policy to stay informed about how personal information is collected, used and disclosed.

Contact

If there are any questions or comments regarding this Policy, please contact the Licensor using the following contact information:

TopLine MD Alliance

3225 Aviation Ave, Suite 400

Miami, Florida 33133