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Privacy Policy

Privacy Notice

Your privacy is important to us.

This Privacy Notice applies to Ciena Corporation and its affiliated companies and subsidiaries (“Ciena” or “we”), including all legal entities within Ciena (as indicated below in the “Who is the Controller of my Personal Data” section).

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it. Because your privacy is important to us, we have created this Privacy Notice to provide transparency surrounding how Ciena may collect, use, and disclose your Personal Data and how Ciena protects your Personal Data when you visit our website, obtain our products and services, apply for employment, or otherwise interact with us. In this Privacy Notice, we also want to inform you about choices you can make about your Personal Data and your related rights under applicable data protection laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”).

What is Personal Data?

"Personal Data" is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. An identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier, like your name or email address. In certain jurisdictions, Personal Data may also include information that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably linked to a household or legal entity.

Personal Data may include, but is not limited to name, address, email address, phone number, login information (such as account number, password), social media account information, IP address, or payment card number. It may also include information about your preferences and behavior, as well as inferences drawn about you.

Who is the Controller of my Personal Data?

The Ciena group company responsible for the processing of your Personal Data as controller (as defined under the GDPR) is:

Entity name Registered office or address (inc. Country)

North America

Ciena Corporation

7035 Ridge Road, Hanover, Maryland 21076 USA

Ciena Communications, Inc.

7035 Ridge Road, Hanover, Maryland 21076 USA

Ciena Government Solutions, Inc.

7035 Ridge Road, Hanover, Maryland 21076 USA

Ciena International, Inc.

7035 Ridge Road, Hanover, Maryland 21076 USA

Ciena Canada, ULC

385 Terry Fox Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K2K 0L1

Ciena Quebec. Inc.

2500-1 Place Ville-Marie

Montréal (Québec) H3B 1R1

Ciena Communications Mexico, SA de CV

Avenida Insurgentes Sur 1457 Piso 16, Insurgentes Mixcoac, Delegacion Benito Juárez, C.P. 03920 Mexico City

Ciena Mexico, SA de CV

Avenida Insurgentes Sur 1457 Piso 16, Insurgentes Mixcoac, Delegacion Benito Juárez, C.P. 03920 Mexico City

Ciena Communications Brasil Ltda.

Avenida Dr. Chucri Zaidan No. 1240, 20th floor,

Edifício Morumbi Golden Tower, Vila São Francisco, Zip Code 04711-130 in the City of São Paulo, State of São Paulo.

Ciena Communications Saudi Arabia Limited

Level 18, Faisaliah Tower

King Fahad Highway, Olaya District

P.O Box 54995, Riyadh 11524

Ciena Limited

43 Worship Street

London EC2A 2DX

Ciena Israel Ltd.

94 Igal Alon St.

Building 1, Floor 31

Tel Aviv 6789155

Ciena Spain S.L.

Avenida de Europa, 19, 3A,

Parque Empresarial La Moraleja

28108 Alcobendas

India & Asia Pacific

Ciena Australia Pty Ltd

Level 3, 1 Innovation Road, Macquarie Park, NSW 2113, Australia

Yun Jie Business Information Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Unit 815, 8/F (actual 7/F), No. 66 Huayuan Shiqiao Road, China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone

Ciena (Asia) Limited

Unit D, 16/F, 169 Electric Road, Hong Kong

Ciena Communications India Private Limited

​Plot No. - 14, Sector - 32, Echelon Institutional Area, Gurgaon - 122 001, India

Ciena India Private Limited

​Plot No. - 14, Sector - 32, Echelon Institutional Area, Gurgaon - 122 001, India

Ciena Communications (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

Regus The Gardens, Level 28, The Gardens South Tower, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Ciena Communications Singapore Pte. Ltd.

12 Marina View #19-03, Asia Square Tower 2, Singapore 018961

Ciena Communications (Thailand) Ltd.

57 Park Ventures Ecoplex, Level 18, Suite 1820, Wireless Road, Kwaeng Lumpini, Khet Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Centina Systems (India) Private Limited

2nd Floor, VGR Essor, No.1140

17th Cross, 7th Sector, HSR Layout

Bangalore - 560 102, INDIA

Ciena Communications Japan Co. Ltd.

Pacific Century Place Marunouchi 26F

1-11-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku

Tokyo 100-6226

You may contact us using the contact details in the "How to Contact Us" section.

What Information does Ciena collect?

Personal Data
The specific Personal Data that we collect depends on the nature of our relationship and interactions with you. However, Ciena will only collect Personal Data that is necessary for Ciena’s business activities and functions or as otherwise permitted under applicable law, including with your consent.

Ciena may collect the following types of Personal Data:

  • Contact information, including identifiers: Information used to communicate with you, such as first and last name, title, company name, email address, telephone number, and postal address.
  • If you are a customer:
    • Account and commercial information: Information that Ciena maintains in association with the customer account, such as your name, title, company name, work email address, work telephone number, work address, customer account number, username/user ID, password, payment information, purchase records, information about your use of the product or service, your preferred language and other preferences, credit and billing status and support inquiries; and
    • Information about your communications with us: Correspondence you send to us by mail, email, or via any chat functions on the website, call recordings if you call customer service and to the extent permitted by law.
  • If you visit our website:
    • Internet or other similar network activity: Information collected when you visit a website, such as IP address, browsing history, information on your interaction with the website, browser type and language, operating system, location, date and time;
    • Location information: Information about your physical location, such as if you provide your postal address or based on your IP address if you visit a website; and
    • Inferences: Information drawn from the data collected above, such as what topics you may be interested in based on the areas of the website you visit.
  • If you are a job applicant:
    • Contact information, including identifiers: Information used to communicate with you, such as first and last name, email address, telephone number, and postal address; and
    • Professional or employment-related information: Information contained in your job inquiries or applications, such as resume, cover letter, date of birth, education, professional history and contact details.
    • In certain jurisdictions, where permitted and in accordance with applicable laws, we collect – either ourselves or through third party service providers - details of professional registrations, sanctions with professional bodies, financial checks and/or criminal convictions.

You are not required to provide Personal Data to Ciena. Please keep in mind that if you choose not to provide your Personal Data to Ciena, we may not be able to provide you with our products or services or some of their features, or to respond to queries you may have as detailed in “How does Ciena use my Personal Data” section below.

Sensitive Personal Data
Sensitive Personal Data, which may be called special categories of data in certain jurisdictions, includes political opinions, your religious or philosophical beliefs, racial or ethnic origin, trade union membership, health, or medical information, genetic or biometric data, or other data treated as sensitive under applicable law. Ciena generally does not collect, sell, or share Sensitive Personal Data without consent. If Ciena reasonably needs to collect any Sensitive Personal Data from you, Ciena will obtain your consent for the collection of such Sensitive Personal Data as may be required under applicable law. If you are a job applicant, please do not provide any sensitive Personal Data unless asked to do so.

Please note that in Australia, professional or trade association membership is a category of sensitive information.

Children’s Online Privacy
Ciena’s products and services are not directed to children and Ciena does not knowingly collect, sell, or share Personal Information from children under the age of 16. If you are a parent or guardian of a minor under the age of 16 and believe that he or she has disclosed Personal Information to us, please contact us as described below under "How to Contact Us." Ciena will take steps to delete their Personal Information.

How does Ciena collect my Personal Data?

From You
We can collect your Personal Data directly from you, including but not limited to when you:

  • browse our website(s);
  • use our Community or Customer Portal or otherwise interact with us as a customer or on behalf of a customer;
  • use our Recruitment Portal or otherwise apply for employment with us;
  • subscribe to our alerts or publications (including newsletters and mailing lists);
  • request information from us about products and services;
  • contact us, such as with a question or complaint;
  • visit us at various industry events; or
  • when you otherwise choose to provide your Personal Data to us.

From Other Sources

  • Ciena may also obtain Personal Data about you from other sources including third-party marketing or advertising services or other publicly accessible sources on the internet.
  • If you are a potential employee, we may obtain Personal Data about you from other sources, including recruiters, employment research firms, identity verification services, the references you provide to us, websites, and other publicly accessible sources on the Internet. We may also collect Personal Data you submit to us through third-party websites. In certain jurisdictions, where permitted and in accordance with applicable laws, we collect – either ourselves or through third party service providers - details of professional registrations, sanctions with professional bodies, financial checks and/or criminal convictions.

Automatically Collected Information
When you visit our website, we store data that your browser automatically transmits to us in log files, such as your IP-address, domain name and page from which you entered our website, browser type and browser version, pages requested, and date/timestamp of requests.

In addition, our website uses “cookies,” which are small text files placed on your device by web page servers. We use cookies on our website that store limited information about your settings and usage behavior on the website, such as which pages you visit on our website and how much time you spend on each page, to recognize repeat visitors and help personalize your online experience. When required under applicable law, we will only collect this data with your prior express consent.

For what purposes does Ciena process my Personal Data?
Ciena may process your Personal Data for the following purposes:

Processing ActivityLegal Basis for  Processing
Provision of our website,  products, and services, including providing the services you request, providing and maintaining your account, billing, technical support, and the offering of professional services.
  • This processing  is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or in order to take  steps at your request prior to entering into a contract with you.
  • This is a primary processing purpose.
Recruitment and  hiring, including processing your Personal Data for the purpose of assessing your application, considering you for future positions, and carrying out human resources functions in accordance with applicable law.
  • This processing  is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or in order to take  steps at your request prior to entering into a contract with you;
  • The processing is  necessary for compliance with a legal obligation;
  • We have a  legitimate interest in carrying out the processing for the purpose of  recruitment and hiring; or
  • We have obtained  your prior consent to the processing in jurisdictions which require it.
  • With the exception of certain recruiting activities,  which may involve secondary processing of Personal Data, this is a primary  processing purpose.
Communications and  marketing, including contacting you regarding our products and services, survey requests, marketing or other advertising purposes unrelated to your specific service.
  • We have a  legitimate interest in carrying out the processing for the purpose of communicating  with you; or
  • We have obtained  your prior consent to the processing in jurisdictions which require it.
  • Except for certain marketing communications, which may  involve secondary processing of Personal Data, this is a primary processing  purpose.
Improvement of our  website, products, or services, including conducting market and service analytics, quality assurance, and developing and improving our products and services.
  • We have a  legitimate interest in carrying out the processing for the purpose of developing  and improving our services; or
  • We have obtained  your prior consent to the processing in jurisdictions which require it.
  • Except for product development, which may involve  secondary processing of Personal Data, this is a primary processing purpose.
Management and  protection of our business operations, including detecting, investigating, and preventing fraud or other illegal activity; and monitoring and protecting the safety of our systems, property, personnel, or others.
  • The processing is  necessary for compliance with a legal obligation; or
  • We have a legitimate  interest in carrying out the processing for the purpose of maintaining our  business.
  • This is a primary processing purpose.
Compliance with law, including for safeguarding and documenting compliance with our legal obligations, such as statutory retention obligations under tax, employment, or commercial law.
  • The processing is  necessary for compliance with a legal obligation.
  • This is a primary processing purpose.
Legal proceedings, including establishing, exercising, or defending our legal claims or responding to government regulators.
  • The processing is  necessary for compliance with a legal obligation; or
  • We have a  legitimate interest in carrying out the processing for the purpose of defending  our rights.
  • This is a primary processing purpose.

When we process your Personal Data for our legitimate business interests, we put in place safeguards to protect your privacy and to ensure that our legitimate interests are not overridden by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms.

Where the processing of your Personal Data is based on your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us using the details at the end of this notice.

Use of Cookies and Similar Technologies
At Ciena, we use the following classifications of cookies:

Type  of CookiesPurpose  of Use Legal  Basis for Processing
Essential Cookies Essential cookies enable you to navigate the website and to use its services and features. Without these necessary cookies, the website will not perform without errors, and we may not be able to provide the website or certain services or features. Essential cookies further allow us to maintain the safety and security of our website.
  • To the extent these cookies can be attributed to  you, the processing of your Personal Data will be based on our legitimate  interests in providing effective, error-free and secure functionalities,  features and services on our website, including management of your cookie  choices.
  • This is a primary processing purpose.
Functional Cookies Functional cookies are optional. Functional cookies collect information about your choices and preferences, and allow us to remember language or other local settings and customize the website accordingly. Functional cookies also collect information about your use of the website and enable us to improve the way it works. For example, they show us which are the most frequently visited pages on the website, help us record any difficulties you have with the website, and help us to evaluate the effectiveness of our advertising. This allows us to see the overall patterns of usage on the website, rather than the usage of a single person. We may use the information to analyze website traffic in an aggregated or anonymized form, but we do not examine this information at the individual level.
  • We will only place functional cookies, and  process any related data, if you accept these cookies and provide your consent  for the related processing of your Personal Data.
  • This is a secondary processing purpose.
Advertising Cookies Advertising cookies are optional. Advertising cookies are set to display targeted promotions or advertisements based upon your interests on the website or to manage our advertising. These cookies collect information about your activities on our website and other websites to provide you with targeted advertising.
  • We will only place advertising cookies, and  process any related data, if you accept these cookies and provide your consent  to the related processing of your Personal Data.
  • This is a secondary processing purpose.

You have the ability to accept or decline non-essential cookies via the settings in our Cookie Tool. You can also withdraw your consent and disable non-essential types of cookies at any time via our Cookie Tool. You may also be able to modify your browser settings to decline non-essential cookies. See the "How can I change my preferences regarding the processing of my Personal Data and/or the use of cookies?" section for more information. If you choose to decline non-essential cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of our website or receive some of our services.

Does Ciena disclose my Personal Data to third parties?
Ciena does not sell your Personal Data for monetary compensation. We may disclose Personal Data to third parties as described below.

We disclose information within Ciena
We disclose information within Ciena for the purposes described in this notice, including providing you with the latest information about our products and services and offering you our latest promotions.

We disclose information to vendors and partners for the purposes described in this notice
We disclose information to authorized vendors and partners to the extent that they assist Ciena in the provision of our website(s) or services offered on our website(s) or otherwise. For example, we may disclose Personal Data to service providers in the field of IT application hosting, marketing service providers, recruiting professionals, and human resources vendors for the purposes set out above.

We may disclose your information in other specific situations
In addition to the circumstances described above, your Personal Data may be disclosed to third parties in certain circumstances, such as:

  • To comply with the law
  • To protect you, others, or us
  • When needed by outside auditors, law enforcement, or regulators
  • In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets or business
  • In aggregated, anonymized, and/or de-identified form that cannot reasonably be used to identify you
  • With your consent

We will obtain your consent for any of the disclosures described above if required by applicable law.

How does Ciena protect my Personal Data?
To prevent unauthorized access to and misuse of your Personal Data (including accidental loss, disclosure, alteration, or destruction), maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place reasonable and appropriate technical, organizational, administrative, physical, and procedural security measures to safeguard and secure the information that we collect from you as described in this Privacy Notice.

International Data Transfers
Ciena is a global organization, with legal entities, business processes, and technical systems that operate across borders. Ciena may transfer your Personal Data to other Ciena group companies or authorized vendors and partners in the United States, European Union, and elsewhere.

The recipients of your Personal Data may be located in jurisdictions that may not have the same level of protection with respect to your Personal Data as considered adequate in the jurisdiction from which you initially provided the information. We have put in place appropriate safeguards (such as technical, organizational, and security measures and standard contractual clauses approved by local authorities) in accordance with applicable legal requirements to ensure that your Personal Data is adequately protected in accordance with applicable law. We will obtain your consent to such transfers if required by law.

In relation to intra-group transfers, all members of the Ciena group that process Personal Data are party to the Ciena Intra Group Data Sharing Agreement, which regulates how Personal Data is shared and used with the group and (where necessary) includes international transfer mechanisms (such as approved EU standard contractual clauses).

For further information about the recipients of your Personal Data and the safeguards implemented by us, including how to obtain a copy of them, please contact us using the contact details in the "How to Contact Us" section.

How long does Ciena retain my Personal Data?
We retain Personal Data for as long as necessary for the purposes described above (for example, to provide you with a service you have requested or to comply with applicable retention obligations, such as legal, tax, or accounting requirements).

When the processing of your Personal Data is no longer necessary for the above-mentioned purposes, we will either delete, destroy, or anonymize it. Where your Personal Data is stored in backup archives, your Personal Data will be deleted or destroyed in accordance with our general deletion routines (and be securely stored so that it is isolated from any further processing until deletion, destruction, or anonymization has been completed). We will not attempt to re-identify Personal Data that has been anonymized.

External Links
Ciena may provide links to external websites for your convenience. The links and information those websites contain are not monitored by us, and those websites are subject to their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of those websites, nor do we endorse those websites or content provided thereon.

How can I change my preferences regarding the processing of my Personal Data and/or the use of cookies?
If you wish to unsubscribe or discontinue receiving communications from us (including newsletters and other materials) please use the unsubscribe facility/preference center link provided here.

To manage your cookie preferences, such as to accept or refuse certain types of cookies and to provide or withdraw your related consent to the processing of your Personal Data, you can use the options and tools made available to you by your web browser.

  • Your Web Browser: You can configure your browser so that it always rejects certain types of cookies or asks you each time whether you want to accept them or not. Your browser documentation includes instructions explaining how to enable, disable or delete cookies at the browser level (usually located within the “Help”, “Tools” or “Edit” facility).

If you manage cookies at the individual browser level, please remember that Essential cookies will remain and cannot be turned off. Please also understand that choosing to reject Functional cookies may reduce the performance and functionality of our website.

What rights do I have under data protection laws?
Depending on where you are located and applicable law, you have the right:

  • to obtain information about how we process your Personal Data and to obtain a copy of your Personal Data (right of access);
  • to have any inaccurate Personal Data corrected and, taking into account the purposes of the processing, have incomplete Personal Data completed (right of rectification);
  • to have your Personal Data deleted, if one of the grounds for deletion applies (this is also known as the right to erasure; "right to be forgotten"; or right to cancellation depending on jurisdiction);
  • to request the restriction of processing of your Personal Data if the legal requirements are met (right to restriction of processing or right to limit use and disclosure of Personal Data to primary processing purposes);
  • if the legal requirements are met, to receive Personal Data which you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit such Personal Data to another controller without restriction by us or, where technically feasible, to have such data transmitted directly by us to another controller (right to data portability);
  • if applicable, not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing which produces legal effects concerning you or significantly affects you in a similar way, if the legal requirements are not met (Ciena does not engage in such automated decision making);
  • to object, in accordance with the statutory provisions, to the processing of your data, which is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests, on grounds relating to your particular situation (right to object);
  • to object to the processing of your Personal Data by us for direct marketing purposes, if applicable; and
  • if we are processing your Personal Data on the basis of your consent, to withdraw your consent at any time. The withdrawal of your consent does not affect the lawfulness of the processing of your Personal Data prior to your withdrawal of consent.
  • You may have the right to contact your local data protection authority. If you would like more information. For more information on how to contact your local data protection authority, please email us at privacy@ciena.com or contact us through the “How to Contact Us” details below.

You may exercise your rights, including the withdrawal of your consent, by emailing us at privacy@ciena.com or contacting us through the “How to Contact Us” details below. Please note, however, that withdrawing consent or choosing to delete some types of Personal Data may prevent us from supplying certain services to you as a customer, vendor, or partner, or responding to your queries as a job applicant or contractor. To protect you and safeguard your information, we take steps to verify your identity before granting access or making changes to your information.

Additional Information Regarding the EEA
If you are in the European Economic Area (“EEA”), you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data protection supervisory authority, in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work, or of an alleged infringement of the GDPR, and you may also have this right in other countries.

Additional Information Regarding California
If you are a California resident, please refer to the “Additional Information Regarding California ” supplement for information on the requests you may make under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

How do I learn about changes to this Notice?
We periodically review this Privacy Notice and may make changes to it. When changes are made, we will post the current version to this website with a new effective date listed below. By using this website, you signify your agreement with the terms of this Privacy Notice. We will inform you of material changes to this Privacy Notice as required by applicable law.

If we decide to process your Personal Data for purposes in a way that is materially different from what we stated in our Privacy Notice at the time we collected that information from you, we will inform you and, where required under applicable law, give you a choice about the intended processing by appropriate means, which may include giving you an opportunity to opt-out.

How to Contact Us:
If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, or the related processing of your Personal Data or to exercise your rights, please e-mail or mail the appropriate contact below:

You can contact Ciena at:
Ciena Corporation
ATTN: Senior Corporate Counsel, Information Security and Privacy
7035 Ridge Road
Hanover, Maryland 21076
United States
E-mail: privacy@ciena.com

For queries from data subjects in Germany:
Thomas Schmitz
Data Protection Officer
Ciena Limited
6th Floor
Main Airport Center
Unterschweinstiege 10D-60549 Frankfurt am Main
Deutschland
E-mail: tschmitz@ciena.com

For Marketing Inquiries:
Ciena Corporation
ATTN: Senior Director of Digital Marketing
7035 Ridge Road
Hanover, Maryland 21076
United States
E-mail: privacy.policy@ciena.com
Effective Date: March 13, 2023