Privacy Policy
A plain account of the personal data Skjoldmark Cargo Assurance, Inc. collects when you quote, bind, claim or browse, and of the choices that remain yours.
Insuring cargo means handling other people’s information: who shipped what, to whom, at what value, and what went wrong on the way. Skjoldmark Cargo Assurance, Inc. treats that information as carefully as the goods it covers. This notice explains what we collect, the purposes we collect it for, who receives it, including recipients in other countries, and how you can review or correct it and limit some uses.
By using skjoldmark.com or our insurance services you accept the practices described here, including the cookies and analytics described under Cookies and related tools and the options presented in our cookie banner. This notice should be read together with our Terms of Use.
Scope of this notice
The notice covers personal data collected through skjoldmark.com and our other digital channels. Information that reaches us by other routes (a broker’s submission, a call to the loss line, a survey report emailed from a warehouse, a claim form on paper) is handled on the same principles wherever that is workable.
Information we collect
What we collect depends on how you deal with us:
- Browsing data: pages viewed and when, IP address, cookie identifiers, browser and operating system, device type, and the referring site.
- Contact and identity details: name, company, email, postal address and phone number, provided when you request a quote, apply for cover, open an account, subscribe to updates or complete a form.
- Policy and claims data: shipment details, declared values, routings, descriptions of loss or damage, photographs and other evidence, the payment details required to bind cover or settle a claim, and recordings of calls with our staff or appointed service partners.
- Applicant and contractor data: when you apply for a role with us, including the Independent Parcel Inspector program, or supply services to us.
You can read most of the site anonymously. Binding a policy or notifying a loss, however, requires specific information that we cannot proceed without.
Sources of information
Most of it comes directly from you or from people acting on your behalf: brokers, freight forwarders, authorized representatives, or platforms integrated with ours. When a shipment or claim involves other parties (carriers, terminal operators, surveyors, loss adjusters) we may receive relevant details from them too.
Records we may hold
For policyholders, claimants, brokers and other business contacts, our files can include:
- Name, postal address, email address and telephone number(s).
- Date of birth or company registration details, where relevant to the cover.
- Bank and account details used to underwrite policies and settle payments.
- Medical or injury information where a claim requires it.
- Information required for sanctions and compliance screening, where applicable.
Skjoldmark does not sell personal data to advertisers, marketers, list brokers or data resellers.
Why we process it
We collect and use personal data to:
- Quote, bind, service and renew cargo insurance.
- Assess risk and set premiums.
- Run claims, from first notice to final payment.
- Collect premiums and process payments.
- Improve your experience on the site, for example by restoring a partly completed form.
- Respond to enquiries and resolve complaints or disputes.
- Meet legal, regulatory, audit and compliance obligations.
- Keep you informed about your cover and, where permitted, about products that may be relevant to you.
Without the information we ask for, we may be unable to bind cover, administer your policy, answer your enquiry or pay a claim.
Recipients of your information
Where the law allows, we share personal data with organizations that help us operate, including:
- Brokers, agents, distribution partners and program administrators.
- Claims handlers, surveyors, loss adjusters, investigators, and repair or salvage contractors.
- Insurers, reinsurers, co-insurers and industry reference databases.
- Banks and payment processors.
- Hosting providers, software vendors, auditors and professional advisers bound by confidentiality obligations.
- Regulators, public authorities, courts and dispute-resolution bodies where required or permitted by law.
- Other Skjoldmark group companies, for administration and reporting.
We do not sell, rent, lend or pass your information to unrelated organizations for their own marketing without your consent. Sharing is confined to what this notice describes or what is necessary to deliver the service you requested.
International transfers
A pallet insured in Seattle may be adjusted in Rotterdam, and the data follows the cargo. Our offices, brokers, partners and service providers operate in countries whose privacy laws may differ from those where you live. When information leaves your country we take reasonable measures to ensure the recipient protects it and uses it only for the purposes described in this notice.
Retention
Policy and client records are kept for as long as we need them to administer cover and resolve claims, and for as long as legal and regulatory duties require, including the minimum retention periods insurance regulators set in the jurisdictions where we operate. When there is no remaining reason to hold information, we take reasonable steps to delete it or remove anything that could reasonably identify an individual.
Security
We operate administrative, technical, organizational and physical safeguards designed to protect the personal data you provide, whether through the site or by other means. Payment details submitted online are transmitted over encrypted connections (SSL/TLS) and processed by secure payment providers. Access to personal data is restricted to staff and contractors whose work requires it.
Cookies and related tools
This section describes the cookies, local storage, third-party requests and comparable technologies used on skjoldmark.com. It forms part of this Privacy Policy and applies alongside our Terms of Use.
What cookies are
A cookie is a small text file that a website places on your device. We also use related mechanisms, local storage among them, to remember things like your cookie choice. These tools keep the site working and retain your settings; with your consent they also show us how visitors use the site.
Your options in the banner
A banner appears at the bottom of the page on your first visit and remains until you choose one of two options:
- Accept all: allows the essential tools plus the optional analytics and measurement cookies listed below, where we use them.
- Essential only: allows only the strictly necessary tools that operate the site and record your choice. Nothing optional is loaded.
Your decision is stored in your browser (see skjoldmark_cookie_consent below), so the banner does not reappear on each visit. It will return if you clear site data, or if we change this notice in a way that requires renewed consent.
To change your mind, clear this site’s cookies and local storage in your browser settings and reload the page; the banner will be shown again. Questions can be sent to cover@skjoldmark.com.
Types of cookies
| Type | Purpose | Requires consent? |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Security, load balancing, recording your consent choice, core site functionality | No, always active |
| Preferences | Remembers settings you have selected, including your cookie decision | No, required for normal operation |
| Analytics & performance | Counts visits and page views so we can improve content and services | Yes, set only after you choose Accept all |
| Marketing | None. The site uses no advertising or retargeting cookies | Not applicable |
Specific cookies and storage keys
| Name | Type | Provider | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
skjoldmark_cookie_consent |
Local storage | Skjoldmark (first party) | 12 months, or until cleared | Stores your choice (all or essential) and the version of this notice you accepted |
| Session / security cookies | Cookie (where set by the host) | Skjoldmark / hosting provider | Session | Maintains a secure, working session |
| Google Fonts | Third-party request | Google LLC | Subject to Google's policies | Delivers the site’s typefaces; may involve processing your IP address |
| Analytics cookies (e.g. _ga) | Cookie | Third-party analytics (when enabled) | Up to 24 months | Placed only once you choose Accept all; reports aggregate site usage |
If analytics tools are introduced later, this table will be updated and, where the law requires, the banner will request your consent before they run.
External links and embedded content
Links on this site may lead to websites operated by carriers, brokers, partners or others, each with its own cookie practices. Any third-party content or tools we embed in future will be listed in this section.
Controlling cookies in your browser
All major browsers let you block or delete cookies; look under the Privacy or Site settings menu. Blocking cookies altogether may stop the banner from remembering your decision and can limit site functionality.
“Do Not Track” and advertising
There is no agreed industry standard for “Do Not Track” browser signals, so we do not respond to all of them in the same way. We do not sell personal data for cross-context behavioral advertising. To opt out of any targeted advertising associated with our brand, or to exercise other privacy rights, contact cover@skjoldmark.com.
Updates to this section
When our use of cookies changes, this section is revised and the effective date at the top of the page is updated. For material changes the banner may be shown again so you can make a fresh choice.
Access and correction
We aim to keep the information we hold accurate and up to date. You may request access to your records, or ask us to correct them, using the contact details at the end of this notice. We may need to verify your identity first, which means asking for your full name, date of birth, contact details and the specifics of the request. Anyone acting for someone else must also show their written authority.
Privacy law allows us to refuse certain access requests, and where that applies we will tell you why. Corrections are free of charge; a reasonable fee may apply, where the law permits, to exceptionally broad access requests.
State and regional privacy rights
Where applicable, we honor rights under the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) and comparable state or regional privacy laws. Depending on where you live, you may be entitled to know what we hold about you, obtain a copy, ask for deletion, or restrict certain uses of your data. Contact us to exercise these rights; statutory exceptions may apply.
Children
Our services are for businesses and adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has given us information, tell us and we will delete it.
Changes to this notice
We may update this notice from time to time. Changes are published on this page and take effect from the date they appear, so please review it periodically.
Contacting us
Questions about privacy, access requests, corrections and complaints all go to one address, and we aim to acknowledge every message within a few business days:
Skjoldmark Cargo Assurance, Inc.
1200 Western Ave, Suite 410, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
Email: cover@skjoldmark.com
Phone: +1 (206) 555-0172
Data-protection questions specifically may also be sent to privacy@skjoldmark.com.