Big History Project Website Privacy Policy
PLEASE READ THIS PRIVACY POLICY CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS WEBSITE.
Effective Date: October 31, 2013
This Privacy Policy is part of and incorporated into the Terms of Use governing you use of Big History Project website (http://www.bighistoryproject.com, https://course.bighistoryproject.com and related Big History Project webpages) (the “Site”). Parts of those Terms of Use affect this Privacy Policy, so unless you have already done so, please review them prior to using the Site. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this Privacy Statement have the definitions provided in the Terms of Use.
This Privacy Policy describes the information collected from visitors to the Site. We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time by updating this posting, with the new terms taking effect on the date of posting. You can determine if any changes were made to this Privacy Policy by noting the date that the Privacy Policy was last updated.
What Information is Collected About You?
We collect your name and email address, and, in some cases, your mailing address, if you provide those to us, for the purpose of communicating with you about the Big History Project and to provide you with other information that we think may be of interest to you. By submitting any such information about others, you represent and warrant that you are authorized to do so.
We collect some information automatically from visitors to the Site; for example, through the use of "cookies" and other tracking mechanisms. We collect at least the following: your domain name and host for Internet access; the Internet address of the site from which you came; the date and time of your access; your computer's IP address and information about its operating system, browser and host; the date and time you access the Site and the pages you visit. For each visitor to the Site, our servers automatically collect information about which pages are visited and the IP address or domain name of visitors. We use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our Site. Your IP address also is used to help identify you and to gather broad demographic information.
Cookies and Tracking Mechanisms
As noted above, we may place a "cookie" on the browser of your computer. Cookies are pieces of information that a website transfers to your computer’s hard drive for record-keeping purposes. The use of cookies is common on websites and many websites use them to provide useful features to their visitors. The cookie itself does not contain any personally identifying information, but may be used to tell when your computer has contacted our Site. You may set your browser to reject cookies, but please understand that certain features of the Site may not be available if your browser does not accept cookies.
We also may use cookies, clear gifs, and log file information to: (a) store information so that you will not have to re-enter it during your visit or the next time you visit the Site; (b) monitor aggregate metrics such as total number of visitors, pages viewed, etc.; and (c) track entries, submissions, and status in any interactive portion of the Site.
The State of California recently (September 2013) enacted legislation, AB 370, that requires all websites that collect personally identifiable information to disclose how they respond to web browser “do not track” signals or similar mechanisms that allow users to make a choice about the collection of information that reveals an individual’s online activities over time and across third-party websites or online services. The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2014, and we currently are developing a statement that will comply with this new law, to the extent that law is applicable to our Site.
Our Use of Information
As stated above, we primarily will use the information you provide to use for the purpose of communicating with you about the Big History Project and to provide you with other information that we think may be of interest to you. We may share the information you provide to us with third parties, in our discretion. We also may use your name and email address to enable you to sign-in to certain portions of the Site. You may remove your information from our records by contacting us via the “Contact Us” link on the Site.
We may use anonymous information gathered from the Site for the management and improvement of the Site.
We reserve the right to disclose all information collected via the Site, internally or to third parties, for any lawful purpose or to prevent harm to us or others. For example and without limitation, in our discretion we may disclose information to government regulators, law enforcement authorities or alleged victims of identity theft. We may dispose of information in our discretion without notice, subject to applicable law.
Links
The Site contains links to other sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, the terms and conditions of use, or any of the content of such websites. The linked sites may collect personal information from you that is not subject to our control. The data collection practices of linked sites will be governed by that site's privacy policy.
Note About Children's Privacy Issues
Our primary audience is adults and high school students. We do not intend to collect any personal information from children under the age of 13. Any use of the Site by children under the age of 13 should be conducted under the supervision of that child's teacher, parent or guardian. Information should not be submitted to or posted at the Site by anyone under 13 years of age without the consent of their parent or guardian. Children can browse the certain portions of the Site without any personal information being collected. If a child has provided his or her personal information, a parent or guardian may so inform us by going to the "Contact" link at the bottom of our home page and using the General Inquiry form located there, and we will use reasonable efforts to delete that child’s personal information from our database (subject to applicable law and this Privacy Policy). If we learn that a user under 13 years of age has submitted personally identifiable information online, we will take reasonable measures to delete such information from our databases and to not use such information for any purpose (except where necessary to protect the safety of the child or others as required by law). We recommend that minors over the age of 13 ask their parents for permission before sending any information about themselves to anyone over the Internet.
Contacting Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or other matters that relate to it, you may contact us by going to the "Contact" link at the top of our home page.