Our Privacy Commitment
Last Updated: May 14, 2024
The Family Online Safety Institute ("FOSI") respects the privacy rights of our online visitors and recognizes the importance of protecting all information that you may choose to share with us. To further this commitment, we have adopted this online privacy policy ("Privacy Policy") to guide how we collect, store, and use the information you provide us.
FOSI is a valid licensee, and participating member, of the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s Privacy Certified Program (“ESRB Privacy Certified”). To help protect your privacy, we have voluntarily undertaken this privacy initiative. As a licensee in this privacy certification program, we are subject to audits of our websites and other enforcement and accountability mechanisms administered independently by ESRB Privacy Certified. Our websites containing the ESRB Privacy Certified seal have been reviewed and certified by ESRB Privacy Certified to meet established online information collection and use practices.
Table of Contents
Q1. What information does this Privacy Policy cover?
Q2. What types of information do we collect about you?
Q3. How is your personal information used and shared?
Q4. What choices do you have about the collection, use, and sharing of your personal information?
Q5. What are your California Privacy Rights?
Q6. Where is data stored and how is it safeguarded?
Q7. What kinds of security measures do we take to safeguard your personal information?
Q8. How can you update your personal information and profile?
Q9. How can you ask questions, or send us comments, about this Privacy Policy?
Q10. How will you know if we amend this Privacy Policy?
Q1. What information does this Privacy Policy cover?
This Privacy Policy applies to information collected on the websites where this Privacy Policy is posted on and after the “Last Updated” date identified above. It does not apply to any other information collected by FOSI through any other means, including information collected by FOSI offline. The terms of this Privacy Policy are subject to all applicable laws.
Q2. What types of information do we collect about you?
With the exception of your Internet Protocol (IP) address, we do not require personal information to access our website. If you prefer not to disclose personal information, you may not be able to enjoy certain features of our website.
Children
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. We take kids' privacy seriously and encourage parents to play an active role in their children's online experience at all times. If it is discovered that we have unintentionally collected information from a user under the age of 16, we will delete the child's information. If parents believe that we have unintentionally collected their child’s personal information, they should contact us to request the deletion of the information at [email protected].
Information You Provide Us
Except as otherwise set forth in this PrivacyPolicy, FOSI only collects personal information from you on a voluntary basis.When you submit personal information to FOSI, it will usually take the form of:
1. Registration for our mailing list;
2. Registration for our events;
3. Use of"Share" or "Tell-a-friend" features;
4. Customer or technical support inquiries; and
5. Participation in online surveys, polls or questionnaires
The information we collect may include personal information such as your:
1. first and last name;
2. email address;
3. telephone number;
4. payment information; and
5. billing and/or shipping address.
Additionally, we and our third-party service providers may also collect other types of non-personal information (known as demographic information) such as your country and occupation. This demographic information may be associated with your personal information.
Information Collected Through Third Parties
In certain instances, we collect information from you through our third-party service providers.
We use MailChimp as a third-party email service provider and may collect your IP address and general location information (such as city and state) from them. MailChimp also provides us with information about how you interact with the emails we send out, for example, if and when you open an email.
Additionally, your credit card information maybe shared with us if you register for one of our events through Eventbrite, Hopin or Zoom.
Information Collected Through Social Networking Sites
You also can engage with our content on or through third-party social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest (or third-party social media plug-ins and applications). When you engage with our content on or through third-party social networking sites, plug-ins and applications, these sites, plug-ins and applications may allow us access to certain information from your social media profile (e.g.,name, e-mail address, photo, gender, birthday, location, your list of friends, people you follow and/or who follow you, the posts or the 'likes' you make) to deliver the content or as part of the operation of the application. We may also obtain non-personally identifiable information (e.g., content viewed and information about advertisements within the content you have been shown or may have clicked on) from your interaction with our content.
When you provide information from your social media account, it can help enable us to do things like (1) give you exclusive content, (2) personalize your online experience with us within and outside our websites (and/or applications), and (3) contact you through the social networking sites or directly by sending you the latest news, special offerings, and rewards. By doing so, you consent to the use of this information in accordance with our privacy policy. When you provide personal information to us through an application, on our sites, or on social networking sites, it may be publicly viewed by other members of these sites and we cannot prevent further use of the information by third parties. Through some social networking sites' privacy settings, you can control what data you share. For more information about how social networking sites handle your personal information, please refer to their privacy policies and terms of use.
Information Collected Through Technology
We collect information through technology to make our websites more interesting and useful to you. For example, when you visit our website, we collect your IP address. At times, we also use IP addresses to collect information regarding the frequency with which our guests visit various parts of our websites.
Your browser may allow you to set a Do Not Track (DNT) signal indicating that you do not wish your online activity to be tracked. Currently, our system does not support and cannot act on DNT signal headers that we may receive. However, the choices that we provide you concerning collection and use of your personal information will continue to operate as described in this Privacy Policy.
Cookies
Our websites also use cookies and similar technologies. Cookies are pieces of information that a website sends to your computer while you are viewing the website. We and other companies use cookies for a variety of purposes. For example, when you return to one of our websites after logging in, cookies provide information to the website so that the website will remember who you are. You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies. You can do this through your browser (like Google Chrome or Firefox) settings. Each browser is a little different, so look at your browser Help menu to learn the correct way to modify your settings. If you turn cookies off, you won't have access to many features that make your web experience smoother and some of our services may not function properly. We will not load any non-essential cookies without your consent. We will give you the option to give consent (and later withdraw it) through our cookie consent tool.
Please note that there is no behavioral advertising on our website, which means that you will not see any advertising on our website that is targeted to you based on your combined activity on our website and your activity on other websites. We link to content from third parties such as YouTube. We use YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode to better protect your privacy.
Like many other website operators, we use GoogleTag Manager to manage tags on our website and Google Analytics for the purpose of analyzing our user base and improving the performance of our websites and services. If you wish to learn more about Google Analytics, including how to opt-out, please visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
We use Facebook Connect on our website to track visitors who are directed to our site by clicking a link in a Facebook post. Facebook may also use the information it collects for its own advertising purposes. For additional information about Facebook’s privacy practices, please see https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy.
Finally, once you've clicked on an advertisement or a third-party link and have left our websites, our PrivacyPolicy no longer applies and you must read the privacy policy of the advertiser/third party to see how your personal information will be handled on its website.
Please be sure to review our Cookie Policy at: https://www.fosi.org/cookie-policy/.
Q3. How is your personal information used and shared?
Whatever the purpose may be, we will only collect personal information to the extent reasonably necessary to fulfill your requests and our legitimate business objectives. We will maintain the personal information we collect only as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, after which we will securely delete it absent a legal obligation to maintain possession (e.g., tax obligations), or if it is needed to resolve a dispute.
FOSI will only share information with third parties as described in this Privacy Policy. We may share personal information and non-personal information with certain third-party service providers selected by us to help support our operations, including improving our website, software or the services we provide our customers. These third parties may have access to your information only for purposes of performing tasks on our behalf, and we contractually require them to protect your information consistent with this Privacy Policy
FOSI Activities and Updates
Information collected from those who voluntarily submit it to us is used to provide services like newsletter subscriptions, updates on special events, and e-mail announcements of interest to our users.
Operational Uses
We may also use your personal information for other purposes such as "Operational Uses." For example, we may use your information to send you administrative communications either about your account with us or about features of our websites.
We occasionally employ other companies to perform services necessary to our internal operations. For example, we have partnered with other companies to personalize our web pages, analyze customers' interaction with our website, and process consumer surveys. While providing their services, these companies may access your personal information. These companies have agreed to securely store and maintain the personal information received from us, and will only use the information for the designated purpose.
Aggregate Information
Finally, we may take your personal information and make it non-personally identifiable. We do this either by combining it with information about other individuals (aggregating your information with information about other individuals), or by removing characteristics (e.g., your name) that make the information personally identifiable to you. This process is known as de-personalizing your information. Given the non-personal nature of this information, no restrictions apply under this Privacy Policy on our right to de-personalize your personal information. We may use de-personalized information in any way and share it with third parties without your consent.
Sale of Businesses
If we sell all or any part of our business, we will include provisions in the selling contract requiring the purchaser to treat your personal information in the same way required by this Privacy Policy(including any amendments to this Privacy Policy). The provisions of this paragraph will also apply if we are sold as part of bankruptcy proceedings.
Third Party Use
Our company does not share and has not reserved the right to share personal or demographic information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.
Disclosures Required By Law and Disclosures to Help Protect the Security and Safety of Our Websites and Others
We will disclose personal information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is required by law (e.g., court order or subpoena) or to help enforce:
1. Our contest, sweepstakes, or promotions;
2. Protect your safety or security, including the safety and security of your property; or
3. Protect the safety and security of our websites or third parties.
Q4. What choices do you have about the collection, use, and sharing of your personal information?
If you have any questions about any of our third-party service providers, please e-mail us at [email protected].If you would like to unsubscribe from receiving emails or newsletters from FOSI, simply click on the unsubscribe link in the email newsletter. In certain cases, we may still retain your information to resolve disputes or comply with legal requirements; in these instances, your personal information will be blocked from use for any other purpose.
Q5. What are your California Privacy Rights?
California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits our customers who are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. We do not share our customer’s personal information with unaffiliated third parties for their own direct marketing purposes. For inquiries regarding our disclosure policy, please write us:
Family Online Safety Institute
Attn.: Privacy Policy
700 5th Street NW
Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Q6. Where is data stored and how is it safeguarded?
Personal information collected through the Website is stored on servers hosted bySalesforce’s Heroku. This data may be transferred outside of your country to the United States, which may not provide the same level of protection as your home country. Salesforce is certified under the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. PrivacyShield Frameworks (“Privacy Shield”) administered by the U.S. Department ofCommerce and enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. While Privacy Shield is no longer a valid lawful basis on which companies can rely to transfer personal data outside the EU, Salesforce also utilizes binding corporate rules and standard contractual clauses. For more information, please visit https://c1.sfdcstatic.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/legal/Agreements/EU-Data-Transfer-Mechanisms-FAQ.pdf.
Additionally, some of your personal information may be transferred to our third-party service providers, Hopin, Zoom, Eventbrite, PayPal, Mailchimp, and Google, in theUnited States. Each of these entities providers has put in place appropriate safeguards to ensure the protection of your personal data.
FOSI is committed to resolving any complaints regarding your privacy and our collection and use of your information. For inquiries or complaints regarding the processing of personal information transmitted to FOSI from the EuropeanUnion, European Economic Area or Switzerland, please contact us by emailing at [email protected].
Additionally, at any time, a European Union or Swiss individual may submit a complaint directly to his or her local European Union data protection authority or the Swiss Federal Data Protection and InformationCommissioner, as applicable.
Q7. What kinds of security measures do we take to safeguard your personal information?
The security and confidentiality of your information is extremely important to us. That's why we have technical, administrative and physical security measures in place to protect your personal information from unauthorized access and improper use. We also review our security procedures periodically to consider appropriate new technology and updated methods. But, despite our best efforts, no security measure is ever perfect or impenetrable. Specific security measures we currently implement to prevent unauthorized physical or electronic access to web users' personal information:
· Web user data is stored behind a firewall;
· Data is stored in a secure physical environment (e.g. behind locked doors);
· Data is stored in a database accessible to authorized employees on a need-to-know basis only;
· Users or employees must have a unique password before gaining access to user data;
· We use standard encryption technology when transferring or receiving sensitive personal information like credit card numbers; and,
· We maintain written security policies to which all employees must adhere.
Q8. How can you update your personal information and profile?
You are entitled to know what personal information we hold about you and to have any inaccuracies in your personal information corrected. You can access and update or request the deletion of the personal information you previously gave us; request a portable copy of your personal information; or object to our processing of your personal information, which you may do by e-mailing us at [email protected].
Q9. How can you ask questions, or send us comments, about this Privacy Policy?
If you have questions or wish to send us comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact us with questions or comments at:
Family Online Safety Institute
Attn.: Stephen Balkam, Privacy Policy
700 5th Street NW
Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Special contact information for EU residents:
Family Online Safety Institute
Attn.: Stephen Balkam
700 5th Street NW
Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20001
As aforementioned, FOSI is a licensee of the ESRB's Privacy Certified Program. If you believe we have not responded to your privacy-related inquiry or your inquiry has not been satisfactorily addressed, please contact ESRB Privacy Certified at https://www.esrb.org/privacy/contact/ or [email protected].
Q10. How will you know if we amend this Privacy Policy?
We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time. If we make any material changes in how we collect, use, or share your personal information, we will send you a private message and/or prominently post a notice of the changes on the websites covered by this Privacy Policy. If we make any material changes to this Privacy Policy that retroactively impact the way in which we use or disclose personal information already collected from you, we will attempt to notify you directly and obtain your consent to those changes.
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