Privacy Policy and Disclaimers

(Adopted by the American College of Toxicology, February 26, 2019)

The American College of Toxicology (ACT) is committed to honoring the privacy of our members and those who visit our website and engage in our services. The Privacy Policy governs how we collect, store, and use information about our members, partners, and website visitors. It will be continuously re-examined in light of new technologies, new business practices, and the changing needs of our visitors. This privacy policy applies to all personal data processed by full-time and part-time employees, volunteers when acting on behalf of ACT, and all business processes conducted by ACT.

What Information Is Collected?

When you participate in, access, or sign up for membership or any of ACT’s events, services, activities, online content, webinars, online communities, or create an online account, ACT may receive personal information from you. This can consist of information such as your name, email address, telephone numbers, log-in password, location information, gender, date of birth, educational information, purchasing or payment information, subscription preferences, as well as any additional information you upload or provide to us, in addition to information collected about your use of ACT services.

Please note that sometimes we will require you to provide additional personal information, including sensitive personal information (e.g., social security numbers from US citizens who receive awards or grants from ACT), typically to comply with laws and regulations. When we do this, we will provide further information about why we are collecting your information and how we will use it.

For General Users

ACT does not collect any personal identifying information from users just browsing our website. Our server recognizes your domain name and the pages that you visit. These data are gathered in an aggregate manner for quality control, statistical purposes, and improvement of our site. This information is never forwarded to any third parties.

For ACT Members, Meeting Registrants, and Other Customers

Personal information collected from you is used to respond to your inquiries and to fulfill a service such as meeting registration, abstract submittal, or dues renewal. To gain access to the member-restricted information, members are asked to provide their email address and password. Information provided on our Membership Application(s) is used internally to determine the eligibility of membership and will not be shared with a third party.

How Your Information Is Used

ACT uses this information to respond to your requests, enhance its products and services, and to improve your experience, making the organization better for all who engage with ACT. Demographic information is specifically used for the purpose of monitoring or improving the use of and satisfaction with our services. ACT ensures the security and privacy of any personally identifiable information that we collect.

ACT will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collect it unless we reasonably believe that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. We will notify you prior to any additional processing.

Legal Basis for Using Your Information

ACT will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. We may use your personal data in order to perform the contract we entered into with you. If you failed to provide personal data required to perform the contract, we may not be able to perform the contract and we may have to cancel a product or service you have with us. We will notify you if this is the case at the time.

ACT may use your personal data based on your consent. By providing ACT your personal information, you are actively agreeing to interact with us, though ACT membership and/or other events and services, and giving us consent to use your personal data. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us. Please remember that withdrawing your consent does not remove the legal basis to use your information to perform the contract where applicable.

How Long Your Information Is Stored

ACT follows the document retention guidelines suggested by its management company, AIM. ACT will continue to communicate with individuals for as long as a member or other customer/partner is actively engaged with the College and for four years after their last interaction, to ensure that those interested in ACT services are provided the latest information. After inactivity for four years, an individual’s information will be kept in the database, but not processed for communication purposes. Individual information can be anonymized upon request by contacting ACT at [email protected]. ACT also maintains key accounting information for tax purposes for seven years after closure.

Disclosure to Third Parties

ACT makes individual contact and demographic information available through the ACT website, the interACT member network, and the Membership Directory online to other members using the website. For purposes of enhancing professional networking, ACT may make individual contact information available of meeting/course attendees through the website and mobile app that is restricted by login and password to other individuals also attending the same course/meeting. ACT uses your email address to respond to your request(s) and to relay membership communication such as newsletters and membership ballots, and important correspondence. Periodically, ACT may share personally identifiable information with organizations that we believe might have a product or service of interest to you. Limited data provided to third parties include name, affiliation, and business address. Your email, telephone, and fax numbers will not be disclosed to third parties.

At any time, you may view and/or update your registered information by accessing your Membership Profile or User Profile for Nonmembers. Alternatively, users may contact ACT at ACT Headquarters or call 703.547.0875. You may update your online profile at any time to indicate that you do not want us to share your mailing information with third parties or to update your subscription preferences.

Responses to Legal Requests

ACT reserves the right to share your information to respond to duly authorized information requests of governmental authorities or where required by law. ACT will ensure proper communication with regulatory authorities to ensure privacy.

Do We Employ Cookies?

ACT uses ‘Authentication Cookies’ used by web servers to know whether the user is logged in or not, and which account they are logged in with. Without such a mechanism, the site would not know whether to send a page containing sensitive information, or require the user to authenticate themselves by logging in. Cookies are generated by our website to provide you with a personalized and enhanced online experience. These cookies make your navigation through our sites easier by saving your passwords, preferences, and member profile information. Cookies also show how visitors use our site and enable us to make improvements based on actual visitor traffic patterns. The use of cookies in this manner is an association industry standard. Nonetheless, you can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of our website may become inaccessible or not function properly.

How Can I Control My Information?

You can control the information we have about you and how we use it in several ways:

• If you are a registered user, you can review, revise, and correct the personal data that you have provided to ACT via your ACT interACT account;
• If you have received an unwanted email, use the unsubscribe method provided in our various communications and/or manage your subscription preferences online; and
• If you no longer wish to interact with ACT and want your personal information deleted, you can make a request by contacting us by email or as outlined below. ACT will delete your personal information and maintain your participation information in an anonymous fashion, so that any data we hold about how you have interacted with ACT in the past will be made anonymous.

International Transfer

ACT is headquartered in the United States and your personal data may be transferred to the United States or other locations where privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your jurisdiction. For the European Union users, the European Commission has approved the use of model contract clauses as a means of ensuring adequate protection when transferring data outside of the European Economic Area (“EEA”). By incorporating model contract clauses into a contract between ACT and the third-party processors that ACT engages, your information can be protected when transferred outside of the EEA to countries which have not been deemed by the European Commission to adequately protect personal data, including the United States.

European Union Privacy Rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (also known as GDPR), if you are an individual protected by the GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Access: you may receive information about our processing of your personal data and a copy of your personal data.
• Correct: you may request us to update or correct inaccurate data we have about you. You can also do this by accessing your information as described above.
• Delete: you may ask us to delete your personal information. See above for more detail.
• Opt-out: you may change your subscription setting at any time and stop receiving any direct marketing communications as described above.
• Transfer: you may ask us to transfer your personal data in a machine-readable format to a third party of your choice.
• Restrict: you may ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information under certain circumstances.
• Object: you may object to our reliance on our legitimate interest as the basis of our processing if you believe it impacts your fundamental rights and freedoms.
• Complain: you have a right to submit a complaint to the supervisory authority in the Member State in which you are located. The list of Data Protection authorities and their contact information are available on the European Commission’s website.

If you wish to exercise any of the rights above, please contact us by email at ACT Headquarters.

Disclaimers

• International Intellectual Property and Copyright laws protect all materials contained on the ACT website. ‘Material’ includes all text, graphics, icons, photographs, software, audio, and video. Permission is granted to download, copy, or print material for personal, instructional, or noncommercial use.
• Information contained on our website does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the American College of Toxicology. Information found on the ACT website should not be relied on as medical, legal, business, or tax advice.
• The ACT website provides hyperlinks to external sites for the convenience of our visitors. Such a hyperlink doesn’t imply that the ACT endorses the content or operation of external sites. You are solely responsible for how you use any external site linked from this website.
• The laws of the states of Virginia and Illinois and the United States of America apply, no matter where this website is viewed. Any suits filed against ACT must be filed in the state of Virginia.
• This Privacy Policy may be revised from time to time, and you are urged to review it periodically. Use of this website constitutes agreement to the Policy that is posted at the time of use.

Organizations with Conflicting Missions

The very foundation of the College is to educate, lead, and serve professionals in toxicology and related disciplines by promoting the exchange of information and perspectives on applied toxicology and safety assessment. To this end, the College reserves the right to not (1) accept financial support from, (2) provide, or (3) otherwise collaborate with any organization whose goals, objectives, or past actions are deemed counterproductive to those of the American College of Toxicology.

How to Contact ACT and Provide Feedback

Our goal is to protect your privacy. To comment on or help us to improve this privacy policy, contact us by email at ACT Headquarters.