Our privacy philosophy
At Spark Credit, trust, support, and reliability are core to our guiding principles. Read through this Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) so you understand how we use, share, secure, and store your data.
Welcome to the website https://sparkcredit.ca (the “Website”) of Spark Credit & CompareHub & Loans Canada & Prêts Québec (6069321 Canada Inc) (“Spark Credit”, “we,” “us,” or “our”). Spark Credit is a loan comparison platform and is used to learn about lenders and credit or to apply for loans and other financial services or other related services (collectively, the “Service(s)”). Users may also obtain a free credit report by creating a membership account through our CompareHub brand. Spark Credit does not arrange or underwrite any financial services and is simply a referral service. When you apply for a service on Spark Credit, our platform will make a referral of your application to qualified providers. “Users” and “you” refer to anyone who visits or uses our Services, or communicates with us. The Website is a copyrighted work belonging to 6069321 Canada Inc.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use and share that personal information, and your choices concerning our personal information practices. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Personal Information” is any information about an identifiable individual, but does not include business contact information used to contact the individual for purposes relating to their job. For any collection, use, disclosure or other processing that is not reasonably necessary to provide what you’ve asked from us or for purposes connected to enforcing or protecting your or our rights, you can opt-out of such information handling practice. To learn how to opt-out, please see the section entitled “Your Choices”.
The purpose of our technology platforms is to help Canadians achieve better financial outcomes.
We operate multiple brands including Spark Credit, Loans Canada, Prêts Québec and CompareHub. Loans Canada and Prêts Québec provide Canadians with free educational and financial product comparison resources. CompareHub is a free membership platform Canadians can use to obtain their Equifax credit score and report for free.
Loans Canada and Prêts Québec offer the ability to apply for a variety of financial services, including personal loans, car loans, debt consolidation and other services. Users can apply by clicking on links to product or service provider landing pages, or by submitting applications for certain services directly on the Loans Canada or Prêts Québec websites.
When users apply on Loans Canada or Prêts Québec by submitting a form, they will be asked to provide certain personal information to complete their requests. This information may be shared with one or more third parties to help the User with their request as we are not a direct service provider (see our Terms of Use). Users from Quebec can expect their data to be deleted after 12 months of their application submission, with the exception of basic contact information (such as their email address) if they opt in to receive marketing communications.
Given the nature of the CompareHub platform, some personal information will always be required to meet the functional requirements of that platform. If a User no longer wishes to receive their free credit report on CompareHub, they can request for their data to be deleted and their membership account closed.
With an exception existing for Users we identify to be from Quebec, who must first opt-in, we automatically employ the use of cookies and third-party trackers on our web properties.
For information on the type of data we collect, how it is stored, and other details please review the rest of this policy. The table of contents above will make the information you are looking for easy to find.
If you have any questions or would like to contact our privacy officer please submit a privacy information request here or feel free to contact us at our designated request address: legal@loanscanada.ca.
Before using the Services or submitting any Personal Information to Spark Credit, please review this Privacy Policy carefully and contact us if you have any questions. By using Spark Credit or submitting any information to Spark Credit, you have agreed to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not access the Website or otherwise use the Services. This Privacy Policy is incorporated into and subject to our Terms of Service (the “Terms of Service”).
The Service is intended to be used by Users only in Canada. If you are not in Canada, please do not use our Services.
Our primary purpose when collecting Personal Information is to provide the Services expected from us by our Users, to achieve optimal operation of our business, and to improve the quality of their interactions by creating customized experiences. The type of Personal Information we collect is reasonably connected to these purposes. For any information that is not reasonably connected to the reason you reached out to Spark Credit, you may opt-out of the information handling practice.
Spark Credit only collects information required to match Users with providers for the Services they request. Our goal is to minimize intrusiveness and maximize the protection of your Personal Information. The type of information that may be collected varies on the Service used (including loan applications, debt relief, business financing, credit building solutions, car loan services, mortgage services, and money transfers, CompareHub portal membership), and includes, but is not limited to:
Technical and Internet Activity Information: When you use the Services, we or (third-party tracking tools that we use) may automatically log the following information:
Some of the information defined above may be logged whether or not you submit a Service request with us, with the exception existing for Users from Quebec who are first required to “opt-in” to such logging. When you submit a Service request, all of the information outlined in this section may be logged and stored as it may be required to appropriately service your request.
Personal Information may be collected in a number of ways, primarily through the Services.
In general, you can browse the Website without telling us who you are or revealing any Personal Information about yourself. If you would like to proceed with the Services, we require certain information from you in order to fulfill service features and functionality, or to verify your identity, and to provide a safe experience for all parties. Information collected includes, but is not limited to, identifying information, and contact information.
We may use the following technologies to collect information:
You do not have to use the Services if you do not want to disclose your information. You have the right to refuse to provide us with information by disengaging from the feature or offering that is making the request.
In compliance with Quebec law, users from the province of Quebec will automatically and by default be exempt from third-party tracking. Users from Quebec can expect an “opt-in” mechanism for cookies, local storage and other tracking technology. Spark Credit reserves the right to store cookies and/or other data for essential purposes only.
In general, we use your Personal Information for the following purposes:
Spark Credit limits access to Personal Information provided by its Users. Personal Information may only be accessed by Spark Credit employees who require this access to achieve the requirements of their roles. Personal Information may be securely accessed by our employees in the following departments, and only to complete a function of their roles:
Data Sharing: We do not sell, rent, license, or lease your Personal Information to third parties except for the purpose of servicing your Service request.
Personal Information may be accessible by:
Spark Credit may disclose your Personal Information: (a) to any governmental authority as part of an investigation to determine our compliance with any applicable law, rule, or regulation (including privacy laws, rules, and regulations); (b) in response to a court order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful judicial or administrative proceeding; (c) as otherwise required or permitted under any applicable law, rule, or regulation; and (d) in good faith, to protect or defend the rights or property of Spark Credit or a third party.
In the instances described above, we may be required to share your Personal Information with or without your consent. In limited circumstances, we may be legally prohibited from advising you that your information was shared in this way.
We keep Personal Information until:
Users from Quebec can expect to have their data automatically eliminated from our servers after 12 months unless they are members of CompareHub. Users who have provided us with “express” marketing consent or who have subscribed to our email newsletters can expect to have their basic contact information stored by us for as long as their opt-in status remains unchanged.
Data managed by Spark Credit is stored on servers located in Montreal, Quebec and Toronto, Ontario. When a user submits a Service request, User data may be securely stored and hosted on servers managed by Zenutech/We Care Hosting Inc. and Digital Ocean Holdings, Inc. Email marketing data, including email link click or email open message metrics, is securely stored and managed by J2 Global Canada, Inc (Campaigner.com), while transactional email data may be temporarily and securely logged and tracked in servers owned or managed by MailerSend.com or MailGun.com.
If you wish to have us delete your data held on our servers, please contact us at the support contact information listed in this Privacy Policy.
If you have any questions or would like to contact our privacy officer please submit a privacy information request here or feel free to contact us at our designated request address: legal@loanscanada.ca.
Our Service is not intended for children who are under the age of 18. Spark Credit does not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under the age of 18. If you have reason to believe that a child under the age of 18 has provided Personal Information to Spark Credit through the Service please contact us and we will endeavour to delete that information from our databases.
When you apply for a job with Spark Credit, we collect the information that you provide in connection with your job application. This includes name, contact information, professional credentials and skills, educational and work history, and other information that may be included in a resume or provided during interviews (which may be recorded). This may also include demographic or diversity information that you voluntarily provide. We may also conduct background checks and receive related information.
We use applicants’ information to facilitate our recruitment activities and process employment applications, including evaluating candidates and monitoring recruitment statistics. If you are a successful applicate, we have a separate privacy policy for employees; however, as a general overview, we use successful applicants’ information to administer the employment relationship. We may also use and disclose applicants’ information (a) to improve our Website; (b) as otherwise necessary to comply with relevant laws; (c) to respond to subpoenas or warrants served on Spark Credit; and (d) to protect and defend the rights or property of Spark Credit or others.
The Service may contain links to other websites not operated or controlled by Spark Credit, including social media services (“Third Party Websites”). The information that you share with Third Party Websites will be governed by the specific privacy policies and terms of service of the Third Party Websites and not by this Privacy Policy. By providing these links we do not imply that we endorse or have reviewed these sites. Please contact the Third Party Websites directly for information on their privacy practices and policies.
You use the Service at your own risk. We implement commercially reasonable technical, administrative, and organizational measures to protect Personal Information both online and offline from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. In addition, our employees, service and technology partners, and other contractors or third-parties understand the importance of keeping your information private. All Spark Credit employees and contractors are expected to maintain the confidentiality of Personal Information.
However, no Internet or e-mail transmission is ever fully secure or error-free. In particular, e-mail sent to or from us may not be secure. Therefore, you should take special care in deciding what information you send to us via the Service or e-mail. Risks resulting from breaches depend on the nature of the information at issue and the circumstances around the breach. When third-party threat actors are involved, the risks increase and are varied including phishing attempts and identity theft. Please keep this in mind when disclosing any Personal Information to Spark Credit via the Internet. In addition, we are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Service or Third Party Websites. We encourage all individuals to provide only the information they are comfortable with providing a third-party, keep watch for communications that are suspicious, and report any suspicious activity to us as soon as possible.
To the extent we transfer or disclose Personal Information to a third party outside Canada, your Personal Information may be subject to the laws of the foreign jurisdictions to which the data is processed or in which it is stored, including any law permitting or requiring disclosure of the information to the government, government agencies, courts, and law enforcement in that jurisdiction. We have undertaken due diligence and have taken appropriate safeguards to require that your Personal Information will remain protected and require our third-party service providers, and partners if applicable, to have appropriate safeguards as well. Where we transfer any Personal Information out of the jurisdiction where you live, including for one or more of the purposes as set out in this Privacy Policy, we will do so in accordance with the requirements of applicable data protection laws, including by entering into data transfer agreements with the recipient to ensure your Personal Information is accorded an adequate level of protection.
Note that the above opt-out mechanisms are specific to the device or browser on which they are exercised. You will need to opt-out on every browser and device that you use to access the Website.
This Privacy Policy and all related matters shall be interpreted and construed in accordance with the laws of Canada.
The Service and our business may change from time to time. As a result, we may change this Privacy Policy at any time. Unless another type of notice is required by applicable law, we will post an updated version on this page indicating the effective date of the update at the top of this Privacy Policy. By continuing to use our Service or providing us with Personal Information after we have posted an updated Privacy Policy, or notified you by other means if applicable, you consent to the revised Privacy Policy and practices described in it.
We encourage you to periodically review our Website for the latest information on our privacy practices. If at any point you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, you must not use the Website or our Services.
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or information practices, please feel free to contact us at our designated request address: legal@loanscanada.ca or by submitting a privacy information request here.