Privacy Policy

The Hildreth Institute (HI) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your online information. In addition to telling you how we use your information, we provide you with choices regarding personal information you share with us. Still, to be clear, some information is collected automatically when you visit us online to maintain the safety and security of our websites and to help improve their contents. You may choose to share other information with us through our various interactive applications. This Privacy Policy is designed to inform you about what information we collect on our websites, how we use that information, what that information looks like, and what choices you have.

If you still have further questions about our privacy practices, we encourage you to contact us:

Email:

hi@hildrethinstitute.org

Information we collect automatically (not personally identifiable information)

What do we collect?

There are certain types of information a website automatically collects as users browse its pages. Similar to most organizations, HI maintains logs of website activity for administrative purposes, in order to ensure the safety and security of the site and its users and for use in improving its sites.

HI collects not personally identifiable data in an aggregated and/or anonymous form. “Aggregated data” refers to general, abstracted information regarding visitors and users of our website.

This may include:

Traffic patterns: Information about what pages you visit on our websites and when, how long you remain on each page, the order in which you view pages, and the website or search engine that leads you to our page.

Which links you click on our website.

Information about your web browser: The name and version of the browser you use to visit our sites and the capabilities of the browser (for example, what technologies it supports, such as Java or Adobe Flash).

Information about your computer: Many web browsers report the operating system and screen size of the computer that you are using. This information helps the browser and the website communicate to better display the website.

Internet protocol (IP) address: This is the address of your computer on the internet at the time it communicates with our website. This number may or may not be unique. It is sent anytime you connect to another computer on the internet, including when you browse the web.

Some browsers report whether or not you have bookmarked any of the pages of our websites.

Our advertising

We may use third-party advertising companies to address advertisements that may be of interest to you when you access and use our services and other websites, based on information related to your access to and use of the services and other websites. To do so, such companies may place or recognize a unique Cookie on your browser, including through use of pixel tags. They may also use these technologies, along with your Mobile Advertising ID and information they collect about your online use, to recognize you across the devices you use, such as a mobile phone and a laptop.

This advertising may be directed to you because you visited or logged in to our website. When we generate this advertising, data we collect from you through online Cookies, your Mobile Advertising ID, and other technologies may be combined with other de-identified data, such as a hashed, nonreadable email or postal address, in order to tailor ads on your computer, device, or Smart TV to you or your business based on your preferences and other information about you. To learn more about targeted advertising, these providers, or how you may opt out, please visit http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/ or the Digital Advertising Alliance’s consumer choice page at http://www.aboutads.info/choices.

Our analytics

We use Google Analytics and Remarketing with Google Analytics, which uses Cookies and other similar technologies to anonymously collect information about use of services and report website trends. These tools enable Google Analytics to collect data about your traffic via Google advertising cookies and identifiers, in addition to data collected through a standard Google Analytics implementation. HI does not identify users or facilitate the merging of personally identifiable information with nonpersonally identifiable information collected through any Google advertising product or feature.

You can learn about Google’s practices by visiting www.google.com/policies/privacy/ partners/. Additionally, you may read more about the Google advertising policies to which HI adheres here: https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/143465.

How do we use this information?

HI primarily uses this information to improve our websites. It can, for example, help us diagnose problems, such as if a particular browser is having difficulty displaying one of our pages. We also use this information to maintain the security of our website. IP address logs can, for example, help us determine if someone is trying to hack one of our websites. Some of this information may be used automatically to determine how to display a website to you. If your browser does not support Java, for example, our web servers may send a different version of a page to you so that it displays correctly on your computer. Additionally, we may combine automatically collected information with other data we have about you, including personal information you have voluntarily provided to us, to better tailor our advocacy and fundraising activities.

We use pixel tags and other similar technologies to, among other things, measure the success of our marketing campaigns and compile statistics about use of the services and response rates.

We may use these inputs to analyze data, identify trends, develop promotional campaigns, audit inputs, ensure fraud monitoring or prevention, develop or enhance new products or services, improve interaction, or for operating and expansion purposes.

What choices do you have?

Most of the information we collect automatically is provided as a result of how web browsers and the internet work. Some web browsers may allow you to limit how, or if at all, some of this information is reported. Two computers on the internet cannot communicate without sharing IP addresses.

However, there may be software commercially available that can help obscure your IP address and aid in browsing the web anonymously.

Cookies and clear GIFs

Several features of our websites use a technology known as “cookies.” Cookies are small files that a web browser stores on your computer or other device. Cookies are primarily used to allow websites to recognize a web browser when it returns to a website. Most web browsers can be set to reject cookies. However, if you choose to reject cookies, you may not be able to experience the full functionality of our websites. Our newsletters use a common technology known as “clear GIFs,” sometimes known as “pixel tags,” to track when an email is opened. Clear GIFs are small, transparent images placed in the HTML version of our emails. Many email clients will not automatically load images. If you do not wish to notify us when an email sent to your email address is opened, do not load images contained within the email.

You may also wish to refer to http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/index.html to learn more.

Opt-out choices

Any user may opt out of the Google Analytics Advertising Features that HI uses, including through your Ads Settings, Ad Settings for mobile apps, or any other available means (for example, the Network Advertising Initiative’s consumer opt-out option). You may also opt out by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. You may learn more about how to opt out at this link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/.

Information you may choose to share with us (including personally identifiable information)

Our websites have several features that allow you to interact with us and other members of our online community. HI does not automatically collect personally identifiable information of users of our websites without their consent, which is provided by use and submission of personal information. Whether or not you use these features is completely your choice. If you choose to use some or all of these features, we may need to collect information about you, some of which may personally identify you. In most cases, we collect this information to distinguish you from other users of our websites. In some cases, we need this information either to comply with the law (for example, when collecting payment information for online donations) or to provide the service you request (for example, processing donation transactions or if you subscribe to one of our newsletters).

Many of our interactive services are hosted through third-party service providers. In most cases, we control the information, and our Privacy Policy applies to how that information will be used. Our contracts with these vendors require that they abide by our requirements. The following sections contain information about various services we offer, as well as information about and links to some of our vendors’ privacy policies for your reference.

Email newsletters and other lists

Data collected: email address, name

Optional data: title, organization*

* This information is optional to sign up for some email lists.

HI maintains lists of people interested in our issues. If you choose to provide your name and email address, we can send you information and updates about topics of interest to you. We will send you this information based on the interests you indicate or if it is evident from your job title or organization that the information may be of professional interest to you. The types of information we send include periodic newsletters and notifications about events. We may separately email you regarding fundraising and donations to HI.

Some of our newsletters contain links to webpages. Clicking on those links may cause a cookie to be set on your browser that tracks the fact that you clicked on the link. Most browsers can be set not to accept cookies. If you do accept this cookie, it will track subsequent visits to our website unless you first clear the cookie from your browser and set your browser to block the cookie.

We use tools and third-party tools to power our email newsletters and other lists.

If you do not wish to receive a particular email newsletter from us, you may follow the “unsubscribe” link located at the bottom of the mailing.

Online donations

Data collected: name, address, ZIP code, email, payment card information

Optional data: see below for information regarding anonymous donations

We are pleased to accept donations via our secure, online donation system hosted by Stripe. Stripes’ privacy policy is located at https://stripe.com/privacy.

Certain information is necessary to process an online payment. To donate online, you must provide a credit card number, the expiration date of the credit card, and the security code found on the card. You also must provide the full name, address, and ZIP code as listed on the cardholder’s account, as well as an email address for confirmation. We cannot process a donation online without this information.

If you do choose to allow your information to be shared with us, we will only use it in accordance with this policy, such as to send you future email updates on our development, fundraising efforts, and other organizational activities and to seek donations. Even in such events, your credit card account information is not shared with us. HI will not share or sell a donor’s personal information, collected online or offline, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations.

Our websites have an online form through which you can contact us with questions or concerns or to report problems with our website and other issues. In order to respond to you, we need your name and email address. We will not use this information for any purpose except to respond to your inquiry, unless we first receive your permission to do so.

We would also like to know a little more about you to better respond to your inquiry. You may choose to provide the name of your company or employer, your city, your state or territory, and/or your ZIP code. Providing all of this information is completely optional.

Other interactive services

We may provide additional interactive services on our websites. Your use of such services is always optional. If you have a question about any of our privacy practices that is not covered in this policy, please contact us.

Special note about your provision of information to interactive services

You should be aware that profile information in interactive features may be viewable by other users or participants of such services. Similarly, any communications you submit or post to a blog, message board, or other interactive feature may be viewable by other participants or users of the service. Therefore, you acknowledge and understand that you have no expectation of privacy or confidentiality in the content you submit for profiles or to such interactive features, whether or not it contains personally identifiable information about you. If you make your profile available to other users or if you display your personal information in any communication submitted to any such interactive features, other individuals may collect and use your personal information. We are not responsible for, nor can we guarantee the protection of, any personal information that you make available in a profile or that you disclose in a communication submitted to such interactive features for posting or contained in an email submitted to us for posting. Thus, you acknowledge that if you disclose personal information in any such material, you do so at your own risk.

Links to other websites and social networking services

On the web, it can be easy to move from one organization’s websites to another without realizing it. Our websites contain links to third-party websites that are provided for your convenience. These include social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn which we use both to communicate with our supporters and to advance our agenda. While we supply the content for our pages on some sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr, information you provide while using those services will be subject to the privacy policies of each respective social networking service. We strongly encourage you to review their privacy policies:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/privacy/explanation.php

Twitter: http://twitter.com/privacy

HI does not endorse nor is it responsible for the privacy practices or the content of social networking sites or other third-party websites to which we link. We encourage you to pay close attention to which organization’s website you are visiting. If there is not a link to this Privacy Policy on a website you are visiting, then you are on a non-HI website. We recommend that you review the privacy policies, terms of use, and other policies that govern those websites if you choose to visit them.

Sharing information with third parties

Similar to most organizations, we use third parties to provide some of our online services. We have taken steps to ensure those third parties respect your privacy consistent with this policy. When you submit information through a HI website, the use of that information will be governed by this policy. However, if you submit information through a third party’s website, such as following a link to our Facebook page and then submitting information on Facebook, the privacy policies of that third party will govern how they can use your information.

If you attend one of our events, we may occasionally share the RSVP list with an organization partnering with us on the applicable event. If you do not wish your information to be shared in this manner, please contact us. HI complies with all valid law enforcement, court, and other governmental orders. This may mean that at some point, we will be required by law to disclose your information to a third party, such as a law enforcement agency or pursuant to a civil subpoena, regardless of the other provisions of this policy.

We may also use or disclose your information as permitted by law to collect debts, fight fraud, or protect the rights or property of HI, our employees, our supporters, our website, and its users or third parties or when, at our discretion, we otherwise believe in good faith that the law requires it.

What choices do you have?

As explained in the sections above, we provide you with certain choices about how your information is used and shared, including:

The ability to set your browser to reject cookies

The ability to unsubscribe from any of our mailing lists via a link provided at the bottom of every email sent to that list

The ability to read our blogs without registering and the ability to limit some of the information you provide if you do choose to register

The choice to make anonymous donations via U.S. mail instead of via our web form

The ability to contact us and request that we not share any of the information you have provided with unaffiliated third parties

We will also make reasonable efforts to correct or delete information we have collected about you upon your request. However, at times, we may not be able to honor such requests due to administrative, legal, or other reasons.

Security

HI has in place administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the information that is under our control. We use industry-standard encryption technologies when transferring and receiving sensitive personal and financial data from our site.

Please note, however, that security breaches can occur even if reasonable steps are taken to prevent such breaches; for example, we cannot guarantee that information provided through our sites will not be accessed without authorization on our servers or intercepted while being transmitted to us over the internet. Please contact us if you believe there has been any breach of the security of our sites.

Children’s privacy

Our website is directed toward adults. HI does not knowingly collect information from children under the age of 13.

Problem resolution

If you have a question, concern, or other issue with our Privacy Policy or if you think our policy is being violated, we urge you to contact us. You may use the contact form or the contact information provided in the introduction of this policy.

If you want to know what information we have collected about you or wish to correct information you believe we have about you, please use the contact information provided in the introduction of this policy.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may occasionally update this Privacy Policy. When we do, we will provide and/or revise a “last updated” date at the bottom of this policy. We will also provide a link to our previous Privacy Policy so that you can see what has changed.