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Privacy Policy

© Copyright 2016, Bill of Rights Institute.
All Rights Reserved.

Updated December 2020

The Bill of Rights Institute (“Institute”) recognizes that visitors to our website (the “Institute Site”) should know how we collect, use, and maintain information we collect or may collect about them. The Institute is strongly committed to protecting the privacy of the Institute Site and people who communicate with us. This Privacy Statement seeks to help you better understand (a) how we collect and use your information; (b) how we share and protect your information; (c) your choices regarding our use of such information; and (d) your ability to access and correct your information.

This Privacy Statement applies when you visit the Institute Site or share your personally identifiable information with us, as discussed below. By using the Institute Site, you accept this Privacy Statement and the Terms of Use, both of which may be updated by us at any time. If you do not agree to this Privacy Statement for any reason, please do not use the Institute Site or share your personally identifiable information with us as discussed below. Please note that this Privacy Statement applies only to the Institute Site and not to any other website linked to ours or other web-based resources linked therefrom. We do not control the privacy policies or practices of others. We encourage you to ask questions and read the privacy policies of other websites before you disclose any personal information to them. Please note that this Privacy Statement may change from time to time.

A Special Note about Children

We are concerned about the safety and privacy of children who use the internet and who participate in our programs. Our website is not designed for or directed to individuals under the age of 13. No information should be submitted nor posted to the Institute Site by individuals 13 years of age or under without express parental consent. In certain jurisdictions, notification, prior written permission, or other verifiable consent may be required of a parent or guardian for children from 13 to 17 years of age. If you believe your child has provided us with information without your consent, please email us at address set forth in the “Complaints or Questions” section below.

Parents have the right to consent prior to the collection of their children’s information. All information collected will be treated by the Institute in accordance with this Privacy Statement and the Terms of Use. Parents also have the right to restrict access to their children’s information. Parents should be aware that exercising such right will restrict their children’s use of the Site. If for any reason you are concerned that your child’s personally identifiable information maintained by the Institute is not correct or complete, should you wish to have your child’s personal information deleted from our records, or if you want the Institute to discontinue further collection or use of your student’s personal information, please email us at address set forth in the “Complaints or Questions” section below.

California Residents

If you are a California resident, you may ask us to refrain from sharing your information (whether collected online or offline) with our affiliates for their marketing purposes, if the affiliates are separate legal entities. Please tell us your preference by contacting us as indicated in the “Complaints or Questions” section of this Privacy Statement.

Security

Although the Institute Site has certain security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information you provide, no email or web transmission is completely secure against interception or incorrect routing. Thus, there is always the risk that unauthorized persons may access or use your personally identifiable information.  If you are worried because your communication is very sensitive, do not send it electronically. Please consider this prior to submitting any information to us via the Institute Site. You use the Institute Site and send us such information at your own risk.

Although we take reasonable measure to protect your privacy on the Institute Site, we need your help.  You have control over your own privacy. Think carefully before providing any personal or financial information online. If you desire to remain anonymous when you write to us or send us submissions you should not tell us your name, the names of other users, or of your friends. To fully protect your privacy, you should try to exclude any information that you think may identify you or others.

Remember that we cannot protect your privacy once you leave the Institute Site, such as by hyperlink. We do not control the privacy policies of other websites. So when you visit other websites, check each site’s privacy policy, and be careful about the information you submit or share. In addition, you should only forward our email messages or other website information (such as our job postings) to others through the buttons or links provided within the email or the Institute Site. When you use your email system’s forwarding capabilities, others may be able to take actions in your name and/or access your personal information.

How We Collect Information

The Institute collects both personally identifiable information and non-personally identifiable information from you in a number of ways. Personally identifiable information is generally information that identifies you, such as your name, telephone number, postal address, email address, and birth date. Non-personally identifiable information is information that does not personally identify you, including anonymous information and aggregate data. The Institute uses this information to understand better how visitors use the Institute Site, research our visitors’ demographics, interests, and behavior, provide visitors with customized services and information, improve our promotional and outreach efforts, and for other similar purposes.

  1. Personally Identifiable Information

There are certain actions and areas of the Institute Site that require you to provide personal information, which may include: (a) requesting educational materials; (b) joining the Institute Site or creating a user account; (c) submitting a comment; and (d) applying for a job at Institute.

The personal information we collect may consist or include, but is not limited to, requesting your name, address, phone number, mobile phone number, email address, username, and birth date.  By submitting personal information to us, you agree that we may use the information in accordance with this Privacy Statement. We will update this Privacy Statement as we deem necessary. You should be sure to reread this policy in its entirety from time to time.

If you do submit information to us, we will use that information for the purposes for which it was submitted.  For instance, if you join the Institute Site and ask to be placed on our email list, we will use your email address to send you alerts and other messages about topics and developments we think may be of interest to you. Likewise, for any web-based projects we may collect and use personally identifiable information in connection with such efforts. In order for us to convey information to you, we may require a user to provide a name, address, phone number, mobile phone number, email address, username, and birth date. Information collected may be used for the promotion of our activities.

We may also use your information in other ways, such as to contact you about other activities or as otherwise disclosed to you at the point of collection, and we may share or transfer your information with our affiliates and any other organizations or entities for similar purposes and to advance the Institute’s mission.  Additionally, to the extent required by applicable federal or state law, we will provide this information to others.  We may share personally and non-personally identifiable information with third parties that help manage the Institute Site and databases, as well as with our affiliates or other third parties.

For example:

By submitting this information to us, you give us permission to receive it, review it, edit it, store it, post it on the Institute Site, and use it in appropriate settings designed to advance the mission of Institute. To protect your privacy, we strongly urge you to not include any identifying information in your submissions.

You should be aware that we use third-party vendors to provide services on the Institute Site and in our offline business operations. The information that you submit on the Institute Site may be provided to those vendors on a confidential basis so that those vendors can provide services (such as maintaining our databases, sending email messages to our visitors, or otherwise facilitating our activities) on our behalf.

We also reserve the right to share personal information you provide with legal authorities if it is, in our sole opinion, necessary to investigate, prevent, or otherwise take action regarding suspected fraud, situations involving threats or potential harm, or if otherwise required by law (such as by a subpoena, court order, or other legal means). In the event that we reasonably believe that you have violated this Privacy Statement or the Terms of Use (see above) governing your use of the Institute Site, we reserve the right to use any information we have collected about you in connection with any efforts we make or made by any of our agents on our behalf.

User Comments

Please be aware that any personal information you provide in connection with comments you contribute to the Institute Site or any other interactive features we may offer will be visible to other users and visitors to those websites.

Polls, Surveys, Sweepstakes, Giveaways, Contests, and Promotions

Institute may request information from you via online polls, surveys, sweepstakes, giveaways, or contests. Participation in polls, surveys, sweepstakes, giveaways, or contests is voluntary; you have a choice whether or not to disclose information required to enter. Information requested may include personal contact information such as your name, address, phone number, mobile phone number, email address, username, birth date, and/or similar information. We may share this information with our affiliates, vendors, and other organizations or entities. Contact information will be used to notify winners and award prizes. Contact information may also be used to contact you with further information about Institute, as well as the information about third parties whose activities relate to the mission of Institute.  Survey information, and related information you provide to Institute, may be used for the purposes of monitoring or improving use of and satisfaction with the Institute Site.

Online Advertisements

Institute may run online advertisements on third-party websites to attract visitors to the Institute Site or to alert the public to opportunities related to our mission.  Our advertising vendors may use cookies and clear GIFs on the Institute Site and on the third-party sites on which our ads appear, which allow the advertising vendor to track certain information about user behavior, such as “click-stream data.”  Any use of information by an advertising vendor is governed by their terms of use and privacy policy, so you should familiarize yourself with these policies prior to responding to online advertisements.

Text Messages and Other Points of Contact

If you sign up to receive text messages from us, Institute may collect, store, and use your mobile phone number to send you such messages.  We may also collect and store other personally identifiable information, such as your name, address, phone number, mobile phone number, email address, username, and/or similar information you may opt to provide to us.  If you provide us with your email address, we may use it to send you email newsletters and updates from Institute.  In addition, as noted above, we may share this information with our affiliates, vendors, and other organizations or entities.

Email Newsletters and Updates

If you sign up to receive email newsletters and updates from Institute and its affiliates and/or organizations that aid or share Institute’s non-profit mission, we may collect, store, and use your email address to send you information from Institute. We may also collect and store other personally identifiable information you give Institute, including but not limited to your name, address, phone number, mobile phone number, email address, username, birth date, and/or similar information you may opt to provide us. If you provide us with your mobile phone number, Institute may use it to send you text messages. In addition, as noted above, we may share this information with our affiliates, vendors, and other organizations or entities to advance Institute’s mission.

Facebook Conversion Tracking and Custom Audiences

Institute may use Facebook Conversion Tracking or Custom Audiences to alert you to educational information. If you do not want to receive this information on Facebook, please use the functionality of Facebook to remove the information you do not want to receive.

Employment Opportunities

You may choose to apply for employment with Institute through online application forms we may provide, or by sending us, by email or otherwise, a resume and letter (containing personally identifiable information). Any information you provide to us in this regard may be viewed by Institute and any third parties who assist Institute in recruiting, selection, and similar services for the purpose of evaluating your application and/or responding to your employment-related inquiry. Institute may share any or all of the materials you submit related to job opportunities with affiliates and other organizations in furtherance of Institute’s mission.

Other Communications

You may decide to contact Institute, by email or otherwise, with other inquiries or to provide feedback. Any personally identifiable information you provide in connection with such inquiries or feedback may be collected and used by Institute for the purpose of processing and responding to your inquiries or feedback.

  1. Non-Personally Identifiable Information

Institute gathers certain broad information about the use of the Institute Site, including the number of unique visitors, the frequency with which they visit, and the programs and services preferred. We look at the data in summary form, rather than on an individual basis. We gather this information so we can learn how many people visit the Institute Site, see which pages are the most and least viewed, identify which websites are referring visitors to the Institute Site, and related information. The data helps us determine the extent to which visitors use certain parts of the Institute Site. Thus, we use this information to help us in restructuring the Institute Site to better meet the needs of our users.

In connection with these activities, we may use some of the below-mentioned tools.

Cookies

We use cookies to track usage and to enhance the efficiency of user interaction with the Institute Site, gain insight into and customize your use of the Institute Site, and help maintain the Institute Site’s proper operation. Cookies are small files placed on the hard drive of your computer; each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser preferences allow it. You can configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is set. (Each browser is different, so check the “Help” menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.) You are always free to decline our cookies if your browser permits, although that may prevent you from using certain features on the Institute Site. Please note that several companies offer utilities designed to help you visit websites anonymously.

Generally, we will not allow third parties to place any cookies, web beacons, or other similar devices on the Institute Site. Institute may allow third parties to place cookies on the Institute Site, such as the below-referenced Google Analytics, in order to improve services Institute provides to advance our mission. We do not control devices that may be placed on the Institute Site by third parties. Institute is not responsible for any other websites accessible from or linked to this website, including their privacy policies or information collection practices.

Google Analytics

Institute uses Google Analytics, a service that uses cookies and tracking code to analyze how visitors use the Institute Site. The information collected (including your browser and operating system, IP address, pages visited on our website, and time spent here) is transmitted to and stored by Google. Google uses this information to evaluate visitors’ use of the Institute Site in an aggregate manner. Google compiles reports on website activity and provides other related services. Google may transfer this information to third parties that process information on its behalf or as required by law.

Institute’s use of Google Analytics may include:

IP Addresses

We collect and analyze traffic on the Institute Site by keeping track of the IP addresses of our visitors. An IP address is the unique numeric identifier assigned to each computer browser accessing the internet. An IP address, by itself, cannot identify you personally.  When combined with other information provided by your Internet Service Provider, however, your IP address can be used to identify the computer originating a message.

How to Update Your Information, Unsubscribe, or Contact Us

We wish to maintain your information accurately, and to allow you to make choices about how we use it.  If you wish to review the contact information we have on file for you, correct your contact information, provide a change of address, or inform us how you wish your contact information please email us at

If you do not want to receive an email from us in the future, click the “unsubscribe” reference in any email we send you. Otherwise, you may email us at [email protected] with the subject line reading “UNSUBSCRIBE” to complete the opt-out process, or send a letter to the below address requesting that we unsubscribe you from our contact lists. Note that absent a specific request your records will remain in our database, but your email address and other information used to contact you will be deactivated.

Modifications to this Privacy Statement

We may amend or change this Privacy Statement at any time. In the event of any material change, Institute will post a clear notice of such a revision to this Policy on the Institute Site or email you such notice at an email address you have provided to Institute.

Complaints or Questions

If you have any questions or concerns about how we have used the information we have collected about you, please contact us by email at [email protected] or by mail at:

Bill of Rights Institute
c/o Website Queries
1310 North Courthouse Road, Suite 620
Arlington, VA 22201