Last Updated: September 20, 2023
1. Introduction
This is the Privacy and Security Statement (“Statement”) for the website, knowledge platform and collaboration environment located at engineeringforchange.org (“Service” or “Our Site”) operated by Engineering for Change, LLC (“E4C” or “we”) that provides among other features: (a) searchable knowledge base of technology solutions; (b) news and insights; (c) webinars and online courses; and (d) community forums and resources. This Statement describes how we collect your information (“Your Data”) through the Service and other sources, the types of information we collect, what we do with that information, and your choices regarding that information. By using the Service, you consent to our collection and use of information about you in accordance with this Statement.
- This Statement does not apply to: (1) websites operated by individual E4C members or users; (2) websites operated by third-party E4C affiliates; (3) our advertisers’ websites; or (4) any third-party websites referred or linked to in the Service. You should review those sites’ privacy practices before using them or submitting any personally identifiable information to them.
- This Statement is part of the Terms of Use (“Terms”) that govern your use of the Service, so be sure to read those Terms. Please check the Terms (including this Statement) regularly, because we may modify them from time to time. We will notify you of a material change to the Terms in a manner commensurate with the nature of the change. Your continued use of the service after we have posted amended Terms constitutes your consent to the amended Terms. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us by sending an email to admin@engineeringforchange.org.
- This Statement contains the following six sections:
- This Introduction is the first section.
- The All Visitors section describes how we collect information from all visitors to the Service (who are referred to in this Statement as “Visitors”), how we use Visitors’ information, and the choices Visitors can make with regard to that information. All users of the Service, including the classes of users described below, are Visitors.
- The Subscribers section describes how we collect, use, and share information pertaining to individuals that have agreed to receive marketing communications from us or our affiliates (“Subscribers”), and how Subscribers can make choices regarding our use of that information.
- The E4C Members (also referred to as “Members”) section describes how we collect and make information available from those who register to create an account on the Service, how E4C Members can make choices regarding our use of that information, and information related to services we provide to E4C Members.
- The Super Users (“Super Users”) section pertains to Members who have been identified as Super Users within the Service, as described in the Terms of Use. This section of the Statement describes how we collect and make the information of Members who are identified as Super Users available through the Service, how Super Users can make choices regarding our use of that information, and information related to services we provide to Super Users.
- The General section contains provisions that apply to all users of the Service and all information collected through the Service.
2. Visitors
This section how we collect information from Visitors, how we use that information, and the choices Visitors can make with regard to that information. This section applies to all Visitors to the Service, whether or not they are Subscribers have created accounts to become E4C Members, or are designated as Super Users within E4C Members.
Please read this entire Statement, because Sections 3-X contain additional provisions that may also apply to you. For example, Section 3 specifically describes how we collect and use [confirm group name] information and Section 4 specifically describes how we collect and use [confirm group name] information. [Etc.]
- Collection of Information
- Submissions
We collect the information you voluntarily submit through account creation (signing up for E4C Membership), online forms, surveys, and event registrations on the Service, such as your name, contact information, employment information, age, and other information. We also collect the information that you provide to us about other people on certain parts of the Service. For example, you may provide information about others when referring them for membership or registering them for an event.
- Information Collected Automatically
Our Site automatically collects certain information from your device via web cookies, web beacons, and log files. The information collected includes the URL of the website from which you arrive, links that you click, your IP address, and the type of device and browser that you are using.
Our Site uses cookies to track site usage and trends, to improve the quality of our service, to allow entry into password-protected areas and to customize your experience on the Service. These cookies enable us to recognize you when you return to Our Site using the same computer and web browser. The information collected through cookies does not identify you personally. You can remove or block cookies using the settings in your browser, though doing so may affect your ability to use Our Site. Because advertisers or third-party websites may use cookies in different ways, this Policy regarding the use of cookies covers only our Service.
Our Site also uses log files to track site usage and trends. When you visit Our Site, we automatically retain certain information that your computer or device sends to us, such as the URL of the site from which you came and the site to which you are going when you leave ASME, your IP address, and the type of web browser you are using. We use this information to analyze usage of Our Site and to improve the user experience. This information does not identify you personally.
Our Site also uses a website analytics tool(s) that provides session replay, heatmaps, funnels, form analytics, feedback campaigns, and similar features/functionalities. We may record clicks, mouse movements, scrolling, pages visited and content, time on site, browser, operating system, device type (desktop/tablet/phone), screen resolution, visitor type (first time/returning), referrer, anonymized IP address, location (city/country), language, and similar meta data. The tool does not collect any information on pages where it is not installed, nor does it track or collect information outside your web browser. We use this information to analyze usage of our Site and to improve the user experience.
Our Site also collects information via web beacons and pixels, which are invisible images that collect information about your interaction with the website and the data that you input.
- Uses of Your Information; Sharing with Third Parties
- Uses of Your Information
We use the information we collect from you via submissions to respond to your submission or provide services pertaining to your submission. We use the information we collect from you during customer service communications to provide customer service to you. Your Data is used for the purposes for which you give it to us and other purposes from which you do not choose to opt-out, any of which may include, but not be limited to:
- Fulfilling your request for membership or other services
- Soliciting new members
- Permitting you to participate in different sections of the Service
- Facilitating your organizational role for or attendance at an E4C-sponsored conference or other event
- Processing registrations for events, courses, and other E4C activities
- Conducting surveys and polls
- Developing and improving our services and activities
- Providing you with information on events, products and services, or other news that we think might interest you (see Subscriber)
- Sharing Information with Third Parties
We will not sell or rent your information to third parties.
We will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.
We may share with our affiliates and other third parties the information we collect from you via submissions and customer service communication for the following purposes: (i) for the purposes for which you provide the information to us, (ii) to comply with legal process, including civil and criminal subpoenas, court orders or other compulsory disclosures, (iii) to enforce this Statement, (iv) to respond to claims of violation of the rights of third parties, (v) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of E4C, our users, or the public, and (vi) other purposes of which we inform you and from which you do not choose to opt-out. Certain portions of Your Data may also be made available to member and non-member E4C volunteers who assist us with communications or surveys.
We use third-party service providers (“Service Providers”) to provide certain services, such as hosting, software maintenance, database maintenance, address verification, and credit card processing, which are necessary for E4C operations and fulfilling your requests, including the operation of the Service. These Service Providers may be supplied with or have access to the information you provide through the Service, but only for the purpose of providing these services to E4C or on our behalf. These Service Providers are obligated to keep confidential the information you provide through the Service. Certain portions of Your Data may also be made available to member and non-member E4C volunteers who assist us with communications or surveys.
We use and share information that we collect automatically from cookies, log files, web analytics tools, and web beacons (i.e., tiny images that communicate to us and to our Service Providers your usage of the Service) to analyze usage of the Service, improve the Service, optimize our services, and optimize our marketing and advertising activities (for example, by profile management and experience customization). The Service use web beacons and cookies that are placed on your device to track site usage and trends, to improve the quality of our service, and to customize your experience on the Service. These cookies allow us to recognize you when you return to the Service using the same computer and web browser. You can remove or block cookies using the settings in your browser, though doing so may impact your ability to use the Service.
- Sharing Information with Affiliates and Sponsors:
Affiliates and sponsoring organizations who share E4C’s mission assist E4C in providing the Service to you. E4C does not share your data with its affiliates and sponsoring organizations in connection with the operation of the Service.
3. Subscribers
E4C sends promotional and educational communication on behalf of itself and third parties to “Subscribers” – individuals who request or sign up for such communications directly through E4C or through a third party. Subscribers may always change their preferences for communications by following the “unsubscribe” prompt in any communication from E4C, by modifying your preferences on Our Sites, by contacting E4C at admin@engineeringforchange.org or by contacting the third party to which the Subscriber had initially submitted a request to receive promotional and educational communications.
In addition to the information collected from Subscribers when they act as Visitors, ASME also collects the additional information that is provided by Subscribers manually, when Subscribers request or sign up for communications.
ASME uses Subscriber information for the following purposes:
- To fulfill your request to download or access gated content, whether free or paid.
- To process registrations for events, webinars, and other E4C activities.
- To activate a subscription to E4C newsletters, digital publications, or content alerts.
- To access “Member only” features and/or sections of Our Sites.
- To conduct surveys and polls.
- To develop and improve our services and activities.
- To deliver promotional and educational communications.
- To analyze the performance of promotional and educational campaigns.
- To respond to communications from Subscribers.
If you prefer that we do not share your Subscriber information with third parties, please contact us at admin@engineeringforchange.org and we will respect your request. Please include your name and registered email address number for identification purposes.
If you do not want E4C or the to send any promotional communications to you, or if you want to limit the kinds of promotional communications sent to you, you can indicate your preferences by (1) checking applicable “opt out” boxes located in areas of the Service where we collect Your Data, (2) selecting the “unsubscribe” option in our emails or (3) contacting us by email at admin@engineeringforchange.org.
For Some non-marketing communications are not subject to opt-out, including, but not limited to, communications related to your E4C membership, service updates, event registrations and changes to the Terms of Use or this Policy.
4. E4C Members/Members
E4C Members or “Members” are registered users of the Service who have created an account for the purposes of accessing features within the Service. The provisions under previous sections of this Statement also apply to Members. In addition, the Super User section may also apply to Members who opt in for that feature of the Service.
- Collection of Information
- Direct Submission for Account (Membership) Creation
E4C collects personally identifiable information that you voluntarily submit through an online forms when registering for the Service, such as the Onboarding Questionnaire including, but not limited to:
- Name
- Email Address
- Social Media handles
- Business or Company Name and Address
- Phone Number
- Employment information
- Memberships and affiliations
For the purposes of this Statement and provisions governing E4C Members in this section, registering for the Service is the same as creating an account or becoming an E4C member.
- Sharing Member Information:
- With Other Users
E4C may share basic profile information about you, including, but not limited to, your name, location and affiliation, to other users of the Service. Any information you enter as part of your profile, except your email address, will be available to users of the Service.
- With E4C members in leadership or volunteer positions
E4C provides selected portions of Your Data to E4C members in leadership or volunteer positions for use in connection with the activities of the groups to which you belong. If you prefer that we do not share Your Data with third parties as part of our member mailing lists, please contact us at admin@engineeringforchange.org
- Your choices
You have a choice about whether or not you wish to receive information from us. If you do not want to receive direct marketing communications from us, then you can select your choices by ticking the relevant boxes situated on the form on which we collect your information.
We will not contact you for marketing purposes by email, phone or text message unless you have given your prior consent. We will not contact you for marketing purposes by post if you have indicated that you do not wish to be contacted. You can change your marketing preferences at any time by contacting us by email:
- How to access and update your Member information
E4C members may review, update, correct or delete any of Your Data that you have provided to us by logging into the Members Only section of the Service.
- Profiling
We may analyze your personal information to create a profile of your interests and preferences so that we can contact you with or display information relevant to you. We may make use of additional information about you when it is available from external sources to help us do this effectively.
5. General
- Disclosures to Others as the Result of a Change in Control
- 16 or Under
We are concerned with protecting the privacy of children aged 16 or under. If you are aged 16 or under‚ please get your parent/guardian’s permission beforehand whenever you provide us with personal information.
- Links to other websites
Our Service may contain links to other websites run by other organizations. This Statement applies only to our Service‚ so we encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites you visit.. We do not control other sites or their content, and you should read the privacy policies and terms of use that govern your use of other sites.
In addition, if you linked to our Service from a third-party site, we cannot be responsible for the privacy policies and practices of the owners and operators of that third-party site and recommend that you check the policy of that third-party site.
- Security precautions in place to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of your information
Except as specified herein, when E4C collects your information you provide through the Service, all forms are secured through Secure Socket Layers (SSL) encryption, the most widely accepted and tested form of data encryption. Of course, no transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Therefore, you provide us with your information at your own risk.
Where we have given (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our Service, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone.
- Location of Servers and Transfer of Your Information to the United States
Our servers are located in the United States. If you are located outside of the United States, please be aware that any information you submit to us through the Service will be transferred to and stored on a server located in the United States and potentially other jurisdictions where we or our affiliates or subcontractors have operations. By submitting information to us through the Service, you consent to the transfer of any such information outside of the country in which you live or where the personal data has been collected or processed, including specifically to the United States, for the purposes described above, even where the country or territory in question does not maintain data protection standards which are equivalent to those which apply in your home country.
- Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your state of residence, you may have a legal right to access the information we have about you, receive a copy of such information, request that we delete such information, request that we stop sharing information with third parties, request that information about you be amended or corrected, and request to opt-out of sales.
Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83 (also known as S.B. 27), if you are a California resident and your business relationship with E4C is primarily for personal, family or household purposes, you may request certain data regarding E4C’s disclosure, if any, of personal information to third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please send an email to admin@engineeringforchange.org with “Request for California Privacy Information” in the subject line. You may make such a request up to once per calendar year. If applicable, we will provide you, by email, a list of the categories of personal information disclosed to third parties for their direct marketing purposes during the immediately preceding calendar year, along with the third parties’ names and addresses. Upon the submission of a request, we will use your account information to verify your identity. We will do our best to fulfill all requests pertaining to your information. Please note that not all personal information sharing is covered by S.B. 27’s requirements.
- How to Contact Us
If you have questions or comments about this Statement, please contact us here or contact us at admin@engineeringforchange.org.
- Review of this Policy
We keep this Policy under regular review. This Policy was last updated in September 2023.