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Privacy Statement
This document discloses the privacy policies and procedures of The Hastings Center website (www.thehastingscenter.org) ("we" "us" and "our"). Please read this policy to understand how we will treat the personal information that you may provide to us. Your use of our website constitutes your agreement to the terms of this privacy policy.
1. Personally Identifiable Information
2. Anonymous Information
3. "Cookies"
4. Information Use
5. Disclosure of Information
6. External Links
7. Children's Privacy
8. Security
9. Choice/Opt-Out
10. Access
11. Changes to this Privacy Policy
12. Contacting Us
Personally Identifiable Information Collected on www.thehastingscenter.org
You can visit and browse the Hastings Center website without revealing personally identifiable information about yourself. You may also choose to disclose personally identifiable information about yourself. We collect personally identifiable information about you from our website as follows:
Registration Forms - If you want to become a registered user of the Hastings Center website, become a Member, or review and download certain content (such as Special Reports and audio/video files) from our website, we ask that you fill out a registration form on our site. This form requires certain personally identifiable information which includes, without limitation, your name, email address, postal address, and telephone number.
Order Forms - If you decide you would like to purchase a membership, publication (such as IRB: Ethics and Human Research) or make any other transaction through our website, we ask that you provide your credit card number and verification information, and we collect information about your purchase for our records. This information may include, without limitation, the transaction type and amount, payment information, shipping and billing information, and the nature, quantity and price of the goods or services you purchase.
Email communications - You may also choose to communicate with the Hastings Center through email. If you send us an email, we collect the information in your communications, and such information is personally identifiable.
Anonymous Information Collected Automatically on www.thehastingscenter.org
When you visit the Hastings Center website, like when you visit most other websites, certain anonymous information about your visit is automatically logged, including the server name and IP address through which you access the internet (such as "aol.com" or "earthlink.net"), the date and time you access our site, the web pages you view while at our website, the amount of time spent on particular pages of our website, the type of internet browser you are using, and the Internet address of the website, if any, from which you linked directly to our site. This information is not personally identifiable.
A cookie is a piece of alphanumeric data stored on the user's computer. Although cookies are unique to each computer, cookies are not linked to any personally identifiable information collected from our site. Cookies allow you to log in to the Hastings Center website and allow our server to recognize your computer while you are on our website. Cookies help us to customize your online experience and make it more convenient for you. Cookies are also useful in tracking transaction histories and preserving information between sessions. The information collected from cookies may also be used to improve the functionality of our website.
Most web browser applications (such as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator) have features that can notify you when you receive a cookie or prevent cookies from being sent. If you disable cookies, however, you may not be able to use certain personalized functions of this website.
We use the personally identifiable information we collect through our website primarily for such purposes as:
- helping to establish and verify the identity of users;
- opening, maintaining, administering and servicing users' accounts/memberships;
- processing, servicing or enforcing transactions and sending related communications;
- providing services and support to users;
- improving our website, including tailoring it to users' preferences;
- providing users with product or service updates, newsletters, promotional notices and other information about the Hastings Center and our website;
- responding to your questions, inquiries, comments and instructions;
- maintaining the security and integrity of our systems.
To opt out of receiving promotional email messages from us, select the "I do not want to receive any announcements or other communications from The Hastings Center" checkbox on the account setup or account editing page.
- From time to time, we may share our list of members' names and postal addresses (NOT email addresses) with other appropriate organizations in order to allow our members to receive information about publications, events, seminars, workshops, and/or lectures that may interest them.
- Other than as described above, we do not disclose any personally identifiable information that we collect from our website to third parties for their marketing purposes.
- We may disclose anonymous information in aggregated form to third parties in order to provide anonymous demographic information about our user base to potential advertisers and or market researchers and in order to improve our website.
- We may disclose personally identifiable information to unaffiliated service companies to help us maintain and operate our website, process payments or transactions, or for other reasons related to the operation of our own business or marketing. We require these service-related companies to take steps to maintain the confidentiality of any personally identifiable information they may receive from us, and require them to use such information only for legitimate business purposes.
- We may disclose personally identifiable information about you in connection with legal requirements, such as in response to an authorized subpoena, governmental request or investigation, or as we otherwise believe, in good faith, to be required by law.
- We may disclose personally identifiable information if we believe it is necessary to protect someone's safety, or enforce our Terms of Use.
- As our business develops, we may sell or buy corporate assets, and in such transactions customer information may be one of the transferred business assets. Also, in the event that our website, the Hastings Center, or substantially all of its assets are acquired, personally identifiable information may be one of the assets transferred in such acquisition.
The Hastings Center website may contain links to other websites, including those of advertisers. While we try to link only to websites that we believe share our respect for privacy, please be aware that the Hastings Center is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of other websites. Websites that are accessible by hyperlinks from the Hastings Center website may use cookies. We encourage you to read the privacy statements provided by other websites before you provide personally identifiable information to them. Links do not represent endorsements or sponsorship of other sites' content or practices.
This website is directed towards and designed for use by persons aged 13 or older. We will not approve applications of, or establish or maintain registrations for, any child whom we know to be under the age of 13. We do not solicit or knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under the age of 13. If we nevertheless receive personally identifiable information from an individual who indicates that he or she is, or whom we otherwise have reason to believe is, under the age of 13, we will delete such information from our systems.
The Hastings Center maintains physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to help guard your personal information. Personally identifiable information is transmitted to and from our website in encrypted form using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connections to help protect such information from interception. We restrict access to personally identifiable information to those persons who have a legitimate reason to know that information and any persons you have authorized to have access to such information. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us or from our online products or services, and you use these services at your own risk.
Communications from the Hastings Center - In order to provide service to you, we will send you communications related to your transactions, website security or the administration of our website. From time to time, we may also wish to send you other messages, updates, or newsletters about the Hastings Center. You may elect not to receive these promotional messages when you register by clicking the indicated box on the web page. Each promotional message will also explain how you may choose to discontinue receiving such messages in the future.
Disclosure of name and postal address to third parties - From time to time, we may share our list of members' names and postal addresses (NOT email addresses) with other appropriate organizations in order to allow our members to receive information about publications, events, seminars, workshops, and/or lectures that may interest them.
The Hastings Center website allows you to verify, change, or update the information you may provide in your optional registration form. If you would like to verify, change, or update your personal information, please go to our account management page
Changes to this Privacy Policy
This policy may change over time as we modify or expand our website. If we decide to change our privacy policy materially, we will prominently post those changes on this page 30 days prior to the change and, where applicable, provide you an opportunity to opt out. If you do not opt out of such changes within a reasonable time period, you will be deemed to have consented to the new privacy policy. In addition, any personal information you submit to the Hastings Center after we post such a revised privacy notice will be governed by the privacy policy posted at that time.
If you have questions about this privacy statement, or the privacy practices of our website, please contact Website Administrator, administrator@thehastingscenter.org, 845/424-4040, or The Hastings Center, 21 Malcolm Gordon Rd., Garrison, NY 10524.
Effective Date: 06/21/2005
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Last Updated: 11 April 2005