Privacy Policy

This Statement describes how BCIU collects and uses information from our web sites’ visitors, including BCIU members.  This Statement applies to the web sites we control. This Statement does not apply to any other web pages or web sites. For example, it does not apply to sites hosted by organizations that may collaborate with us on special projects or to any other third-party sites. You should review those sites’ privacy statements to find out how they protect your privacy.

By using Our Site, you consent to our collection and use of information about you in accordance with this Statement. We may change this Statement by occasionally posting an updated version of it on this page. If we decide that it is appropriate, we may also post a notice of the update on Our Site’s home page at http://www.bciu.org/. By continuing to use Our Site after we have posted any changes, you agree to the terms of the updated Statement. This Statement is part of the Terms that govern your use of Our Site, so please read the entire Terms.

We collect two kinds of information from Our Site’s visitors: anonymous information and personally identifiable information.

Anonymous Information

Our servers automatically log certain information that does not personally identify you ("Anonymous Information"). We use this Anonymous Information in aggregate form to help us manage and improve Our Site. The Anonymous Information we record includes, for example, the pages you visit on our Site, the amount of time you spend viewing those pages, the links and advertisements you click, the browser you use, the address of the web page that referred you to Our Site, and your Internet Protocol address, which tells us about your location and your connection to the Internet.

We do not link Anonymous Information with personally identifiable information. However, we reserve the right to do so, in our discretion, for safety or security reasons or to comply with the law.

Personally Identifiable Information ("Personal Data")

We also collect personally identifiable information that you voluntarily provide to us through Our Site ("Personal Data"). For example, we collect Personal Data when you fill out a member registration form, sign up for a program or event, subscribe to an email newsletter, submit a request for information, complete a survey or make a donation or purchase. The types of Personal Data that we collect include:

We use Personal Data for the purposes for which you provide it, and for other purposes unless you ask us not to do so, including:

We may also collect personally identifiable information that you provide to us about other people. We use this information only for the purpose for which you originally provide it. For example, if you submit another person’s email address in order to have material from Our Site forwarded to them (also known as an "email-a-friend" feature), we do not keep the other person’s email address.

Cookies

Some parts of Our Site rely on cookies, which are small data files placed on your computer. We use cookies only to improve your browsing experience. For example, Our Site’s cookies allow you to return to a web-based form that you left partially completed without having to fill in the form from scratch. We do not use cookies to track your preferences or your use of Our Site. You can disable the cookies function, or delete existing cookies, through your web browser’s options menu.

Communications Sent to You

We distribute newsletters and other communications by email and regular postal mail. We send these communications to you only if you have signed up to receive them or if you have agreed to receive them as part of an BCIU membership. We may also use your Personal Data to contact you individually if you initiate correspondence with us. For example, if you email us, we may respond using the contact information you provide.

If you no longer wish to receive one or more types of communications, we will happily honor your request. You may submit your requests to o-salvatierra@bciu.org, Attn: Online Privacy, 1212 Avenue of the Americas, New York, 10036.

Sharing Information with Third Parties

We do not share, transfer or release Personal Data to third parties besides the contractors who provide us with services necessary to our operations ("Service Providers").  Our Service Providers help us with, for example, web hosting, order fulfillment, subscription management, conference registrations, survey administration, software development, database maintenance, web site consulting and credit card processing. These Service Providers may have access to your Personal Data.

In addition, we may occasionally refer you to a Service Provider’s site for help in serving you. For example, we may link you to a Service Provider’s site to process a conference or program registration, to take an order for special BCIU publications or to gather survey responses. When you follow a referral or a link away from Our Site, you leave Our Site. This Statement applies only to Our Site, and not to our Service Providers’ sites. You should review their privacy statements to find out how they protect your privacy. (Please see the next section of this Statement for separate information about the BCIU web site.)

Finally, we reserve the right to disclose and use Personal Data for necessary purposes, including: to protect our proprietary rights; to protect the safety of customers, employees or property; to carry out a sale or transfer of some or all of our assets; or when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires us to do so.

Forums, Bulletin Boards and Chat Rooms

Our Site includes forums, bulletin boards and chat rooms (collectively, "Forums") that allow you to communicate with other participants in selected BCIU activities. We frequently use passwords to limit access to the Forums to each activity’s participants. However, your posts to the Forums are not private or confidential. You should consider all material you submit to the Forums to be public.

Review and Correction of Personal Data

If you would like to review, correct or delete your Personal Data, you can write to us webmaster@bciu.org, Attn: 1212 Avenue of the Americas 10th FL, New York, NY 10036.

Security

When Our Site uses online forms to collect sensitive Personal Data like credit card numbers, we secure the form with Secure Socket Layers ("SSL") encryption, one of the most widely accepted and tested forms of data encryption.  With less sensitive Personal Data, we use password protection. We also take the following precautions with your Personal Data and other information:

Of course, no mechanism can guarantee that information storage or transmission over the Internet is perfectly safe. We make no warranty, guarantee or representation that Our Site is protected from viruses, security threats or other vulnerabilities or that your Personal Data is always secure. Accordingly, you provide us with your Personal Data at your own risk.

Location of Servers and Transfer of Information to the United States

Our servers are located in the United States. If you are located outside of the United States, please note that your Personal Data will be transferred to and stored on a server located in the United States. By submitting your Personal Data to us, you consent to this transfer and to the collection, storage, processing and use of Your Data in the United States.

Links to Third Parties

Solely for your convenience, Our Site contains links to third-party web sites and content providers which may interest you. If you follow any link to a third-party site, you leave Our Site. You should review those sites’ privacy statements to find out how they protect your privacy.

Comments and Questions

To request a clarification of this Statement or to send comments about it, please contact us at o-salvatierra@bciu.org.