Effective Date: May 25, 2018
PURPOSE
The Bone Ultrasound Society (BoneUS) is committed to safeguarding BoneUS website (the “Site”) visitor (the “Visitor”) privacy through procedures and technology designed for this purpose. This statement explains the BoneUS’s online information practices and the choices Visitors can make about the way their information is collected and used. For easy and direct access, BoneUS provides a link to this statement from the Site homepage and all other pages of the Site. Other than as set forth below, BoneUS will not rent, sell or share personal information about Visitors with third parties. In case the need arises, the BonUS will ask Visitor permission before personal information is disclosed.
WEB DATA COLLECTION
Log Information
When Visitors access the BoneUS Site, BoneUS servers will automatically collect log information. This information may include Visitor Web page requests, Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, browser language, the date and time of the Visitor’s request, and one or more “cookies” that may uniquely identify the Visitor’s browser. BoneUS collects log information in an effort to properly administer the BoneUS system and gather aggregate information about how the BoneUS Site is being used, including the pages Visitors are viewing.
“Cookies”
The BoneUS Site uses cookies. By using the BoneUS Site, Visitors agree that BoneUS may place cookies on their device and access them when they visit the BoneUS Site. A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that BoneUS puts on the Visitor’s computer. The cookies are used to collect anonymous information about the Visitor’s use of the BoneUS Site, help BoneUS generate customized content and statistically monitor how many Visitors are using the Site and for what purpose. For polls, BoneUS may use cookies to ensure that an individual cannot vote more than once on a particular question or issue. BoneUS does not store any identifying information in any cookies on the Visitor’s computer.
If Visitors want to opt out of BoneUS cookies, Visitors can delete them and any other cookies that are already on their computer. Visitors are encouraged to refer to the help and support areas on the internet browser for instructions on how to locate the file or directory that stores cookies. Some functionalities on the BoneUS Site may be affected if cookies are deleted.
Web Beacons
BoneUS uses Web beacons, sometimes called single-pixel GIFs, that momentarily direct a Visitor’s browser to a server other than the BoneUS’s in a way that may not be apparent to the Visitor. Web beacons are used to count users who visited specific pages and determine which emails were opened and/or acted upon when HTML-formatted email messages are sent. The BoneUS does not link any Visitor identifying information to Web beacons.
PERSONAL INFORMATION COLLECTION AND USE
Most of BoneUS’s Site can be enjoyed as a Visitor, however Visitors will need to voluntarily subscribe or register in order to take advantage of certain free services on the Site. Whenever reasonably possible, the BoneUS offers Visitors choices when asked for personal information, and Visitors are told why the BoneUS collects different types of information. Visitors may always decline to provide personal information to the BoneUS, although some features or services may not function properly as a result.
Subscriptions
When Visitors subscribe to receive BoneUS communications on the Site, personal information such as name, email address and, optionally, address, occupation and phone number are collected. The BoneUS does not and will not request additional information, including demographics, health interests, goals, medical history and/or vital statistics.p Visitors can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link included in every communication the BoneUS sends.
Fellowship and Research Award Programs
Visitors may need to provide additional information or answer certain questions using a third party application submission system in order to participate in the fellowship and/or research award programs. The BoneUS may contact applicants in connection with a particular fellowship or research award in order to provide application status, administer the program and send other related communications.
Opinions and Polls
The BoneUS reserves the right to ask Visitors to give their opinion when visiting the Site. The BoneUS uses information from opinion polls to better understand the needs of Site Visitors and to gather information about health care trends and issues. Questions and answers are stored, but they are not linked to identifying information about Visitors and will not be shared with third parties.
Comments
The BoneUS invites Visitors to comment on Web postings. Comments are reviewed and any personal information is removed prior to posting to the Site. Once posted, these comments are public and may be reviewed by any Site Visitors.
Donations
The BoneUS collects the following donation information through a third party, secure online financial-transaction pages: name, address, email address, phone number and credit card information. This personally identifiable information is used to acknowledge receipt of the donation for tax purposes and to subscribe the donor to BoneUS communications, if the donor wishes to subscribe.
When a donation is sent in honor or in memory of someone and request that an acknowledgement be sent to another individual or family, the BoneUS will use the name and address of the individual or family for acknowledgement purposes only.
See the BoneUS Gift Acceptance and Donor Privacy Protection Policy for further information. (include link)
SECURITY
BoneUS cares about the security of donation transactions and the third party system used applies industry-standard practices and technologies to safeguard Visitor credit card information. BoneUS’s third party uses high-grade encryption and the secure https protocol to communicate with the Visitor’s browser software, which guards against interception of the credit card information provided.
BoneUS also employs several security techniques to protect a Visitor’s personally identifiable information from unauthorized access by users inside and outside the organization. BoneUS limits employee access to Visitor personal information to only employees having a reasonable need to access this information to provide products and services to the Visitor. Employees who misuse information are subject to disciplinary action, including termination. Visitors should be aware, however, the “perfect security” does not exist on the Internet, and third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmission or private communications.
COMMUNICATIONS
Newsletters
At various places on the Site, Visitors are given the option to subscribe to receive recurring informational newsletters. Visitors can unsubscribe from newsletters by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any newsletter.
Email
From time to time, the BoneUS may send Visitors service-related emails, such as a welcome email when a Visitor subscribes through the Site. Subscribed Visitors will receive newsworthy and/or informational emails. Similar to newsletters, Visitors can unsubscribe from receiving these emails by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email.
Email communication that Visitors send to the BoneUS via the email links on the Site will only be viewed by BoneUS members. It is important for Visitors to understand that the BoneUS is not a medical facility, and BoneUS employees cannot and do not give medical advice. If Visitors provide personal health information in their email, this personal health information will be treated as confidential.
LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES
The BoneUS’s site includes links, some temporary and some permanent, to other websites. The BoneUS is not responsible for the privacy and security practices of any other website or the nature of the content contained therein.
CHILDREN’S PRIVACY
None of the content and information in the BoneUS’s Site is targeted toward children under 13 years of age. The BoneUS makes every effort possible to ensure the BoneUS does not collect or maintain information on the Site from those who are known to be younger than 16 unless parental consent has been obtained in writing.
DISCLOSURES
The BoneUS may release personal information to third parties: (1) to comply with valid legal requirements such as a law, regulation, search warrant, subpoena or court order; or (2) in special cases, such as a physical threat to Visitors or others, a threat to homeland security, a threat to the BoneUS’s system or network, or cases in which the BoneUS believes it is reasonably necessary to investigate or prevent harm, fraud, abuse, or illegal conduct. In the event that the BoneUS is legally compelled to disclose a Visitor’s personal information to a third party, the BoneUS will make reasonable efforts to notify the Visitor unless doing so would violate the law or court order.
Agents and Contractors
Contractors sometimes have access to Visitor personal information in the course of assisting in operating the BoneUS’s business and providing products or services to Visitors. These contractors include vendors and suppliers that provide the BoneUS with technology, services, and/or content for the operation and maintenance of the Site. Contractors have an obligation under their contracts with the BoneUS to keep Visitor information confidential and to comply with this policy.
Aggregated, Non-personal Information
The BoneUS may share aggregated information about Visitors with third parties. This is information that is combined with the non-personal information of other Visitors and does not allow individual Visitors to be identified or contacted. Depending on the circumstances, the BoneUS may or may not charge third parties for this aggregated information. Additionally, the BoneUS may not limit third party use of aggregated information.
The BoneUS Mission
The BoneUS works in continuous collaboration with a variety of organizations, some with competing or proprietary interests, to achieve the BoneUS’s mission to accelerate the adoption of focused ultrasound technologies. Transparency and openness are fundamental to achieving this mission, and are essential to rapid progress and collaboration.
- In general, information regarding the BoneUS’s activities is public. Accordingly, the BoneUS is not interested in obtaining confidential or proprietary information from or about any stakeholders.
- Not with standing the above, we respect the need for confidentiality and do not wish to compromise the confidentiality of sensitive information that may be shared with the BoneUS either intentionally or inadvertently. The BoneUS will therefore use reasonable efforts not to disclose, except to the extent required by law, any confidential information the BoneUS receives that is clearly marked as confidential at the time of disclosure or is identified in writing as confidential within ten days after disclosure if disclosed orally or in other intangible form.
CHANGES IN ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
If the structure of the BoneUS changes due to a merger or is otherwise transferred to another entity, the personal information Visitors have provided at this Site may be transferred as part of that transaction. The BoneUS will take commercially reasonable steps to ensure that, without Visitor consent, any personal information that is transferred will not be used or shared in a manner inconsistent with the Privacy Policy under which it was collected.
CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
The BoneUS reserves the right to update this Policy. The BoneUS will notify Visitors about material changes in the way personal information is treated by sending a notice to the email address specified in the Visitor’s account. The BoneUS may also make nonmaterial changes to this Policy that generally will not affect the BoneUS’s use of Visitor personal information. If a Visitor doesn’t agree with the new policy, the Visitor may unregister his/her account at any time. Please see instructions for unsubscribing above. The current policy, identified by its effective date, will be posted on the Site, and Visitors should check it frequently.
CONTACT US
If there are any questions or concerns about the BoneUS’s policy, Visitors may contact the BoneUS at this email address: info@bone-ultrasound.org.
