Privacy Policy
Effective Date: December 26, 2023
This Privacy Policy is designed to provide you ("you," "your," or "User") with an understanding of how Our States ("we," "our," "us," or "Our States"), along with our affiliates, parents, and subsidiaries, collects, uses, and discloses information obtained through your use of the Our States website, located at https://OurStates.org (the "Website"). Please note that this Privacy Policy is an extension of the Website's Terms of Service, which can be found here: https://OurStates.org/terms/.
It's important to note that this Privacy Policy does not apply to information collected by any other websites that may be linked from the Website. Each linked website may have its own privacy notice and terms of service, and it is your responsibility to review them before using the linked website.
By accessing, browsing, or using the Website, you acknowledge and consent to our collection and use of information as outlined in this Privacy Policy. WE URGE YOU TO READ THIS PRIVACY POLICY CAREFULLY. YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE SIGNIFIES YOUR CONSENT TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY. IF YOU ARE UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO CONSENT TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY, PLEASE REFRAIN FROM USING THE WEBSITE.
Residents of California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, or Utah may be entitled to specific individual rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (collectively referred to as "CPRA"), the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act ("VCDPA"), the Colorado Privacy Act ("CPA"), the Connecticut Act Concerning Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring ("CTDPA"), or the Utah Consumer Privacy Act ("UCPA"). For users located in California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah only, please refer to the Notice to Certain Residents of Data Subject Rights section of our Privacy Policy to learn about your rights and how to exercise them.
Information Collection
When you use the Website, we may collect the following categories of personal information about you, which are described in more detail below: (A) personal information you provide to us, and (B) personal information we automatically collect.
A. Information We Request
We typically do not request any personal information from you when you visit or use the Website. However, should you choose to contact us, you may provide (and we will collect):
- Individual identifiers such as your name and email address.
- Communications with us, such as comments or questions you may provide.
B. Information We May Automatically Collect About You
We may currently or in the future use tools, including third-party analytical software, to automatically collect certain information about the computer or device you use to access the Website, without any active submission of information from you. Through third-party tracking services (e.g., Google Analytics) and other means, we may automatically gather certain non-personal information about your use of the Website and store it in log files. This information may include IP addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider ("ISP"), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamps, and related data.
These technologies may include cookies, web beacons, clear GIFs, and other methods described in Section 2 below. All of this information is owned by us and is used to improve the effectiveness, content, layout, and/or operation of our Website. You can remove certain cookies by following the instructions in your Internet browser's "help" file or through our Cookie Preferences, as described below. However, disabling cookies may limit your ability to use certain areas of the Website.
Usage of Cookies and Other Network Technologies
A. Cookies
The Website employs "cookies" and other web tracking tools to enhance your online experience with us. We may store information about you using cookies on our Website. A cookie is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored on a user's computer by the user's web browser while the user is browsing. We use cookies to enhance your site experience, assess content usage, differentiate you from other Website users, and support marketing efforts.
You can manage the cookies we collect by visiting our Cookie Notice, available at https://www.OurStates.org/privacy/#cookieInfo. While you have the option to decline accepting cookies, doing so may limit your ability to fully utilize the Website and its offerings. Certain cookies are necessary for the Website to function properly. In specific situations, we may link the information stored in cookies to personal information you provide while using the Website.
If you wish to delete any cookies already present on your computer, please refer to your file management software to locate the file or directory that stores cookies using the following file names. Additional information on managing or controlling cookies can be found at allaboutcookies.org.
B. GIFs
We or our service providers may utilize various information-gathering tools, including "pixel tags," "web beacons," "clear GIFs," "embedded links," and other commonly used techniques on certain website pages and HTML-formatted email messages. These tools allow us to compile aggregated statistics on website usage and response rates. A pixel tag is a small electronic image, often a single pixel, that is typically not visible to website visitors but may be associated with cookies stored on visitors' hard drives. By using pixel tags, we and our service providers can count the number of users who have visited specific pages of the website, deliver customized services, and assess the effectiveness of the website and its services. In the context of HTML-formatted email messages, pixel tags can inform the sender whether and when the email has been opened.
C. Clickstreams
As you browse the internet and visit different websites, your actions create an electronic trail of information, commonly referred to as "clickstream data." This data can be collected and stored by the servers of the websites you visit. Clickstream data can reveal details such as the type of computer and browsing software you use, as well as the website from which you accessed the current website. We may utilize clickstream data as non-personal information to analyze visitor behavior, including the amount of time spent on each webpage, navigation patterns, and preferences. This information helps us improve the website and tailor our web pages to better meet the needs of our visitors.
D. Advertising
Please note that we may employ cookies and other technologies for online advertising purposes. This means that when you use our services, we or our third-party advertising servers, ad network providers, or advertisers (collectively referred to as "Ad Providers") may use cookies collected by them or provided by us. These Ad Providers may gather information about your use of our services, including mobile applications, as well as your online activities across different websites and devices over time. The collected information may include the content you viewed, the date and time of your interactions, and the website that referred you to our services. This information may be associated with a unique browser, device identifier, or IP address. Ad Providers may deliver advertisements that you might see on our services or on affiliated websites. To enhance the relevance and measure the effectiveness of these advertisements, Ad Providers may utilize cookies, web beacons, clear GIFs, or similar technologies. These practices help tailor advertisements that are relevant and useful to you. You can control or opt out of this type of advertising by adjusting your browser's cookie settings, as described above.
E. Tracking User Behavior
To determine which services are most popular among our users, we may track the webpages and links they visit within our website. This tracking enables us to deliver personalized content and advertising to users who have shown interest in specific subject areas. We may also collect user data to analyze mouse movements and clicks on a webpage, allowing us to monitor web traffic and -evaluate user behavior for the purpose of customizing our services.
Please be aware that our use of online tracking technologies may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" under certain laws. If these online tracking technologies are deemed as such, you have the option to opt out by submitting a request through the provided link.
F. Do Not Track Policy
Many modern web browsers offer a "Do Not Track" feature that allows you to indicate your preference not to be tracked while visiting websites. Currently, our Website and services do not specifically respond to "Do Not Track" signals. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of our third-party advertisers and analytics service providers to learn about your options regarding the information they collect from you. Additionally, the Network Advertising Initiative provides information about some of the Internet advertising companies we may work with, including instructions on how to opt out of interest-based advertising. For detailed information, including instructions on enabling Do Not Track, please visit www.donottrack.us.
G. Location Privacy Options
You may have the ability to adjust the privacy settings of your mobile device at any time to disable the sharing of location information with our Website. However, please note that disabling location services may affect certain features or services provided by our Website. If you have specific questions about the privacy settings of your device, we recommend contacting the manufacturer or your mobile service provider for assistance.
How We Use Your Information
A. Use and Purpose of Processing Your Information
We utilize the personal information we collect for the following purposes:
- Providing you with access to the OurStates.org website.
- Operating and improving the website and its content.
- Responding to your comments, inquiries, and questions.
- Delivering a personalized experience based on your preferences, including storing information about your preferences, expediting your searches, and recognizing you upon your return to the website.
- Fulfilling any other purpose for which you provide the information or give us consent to use it.
- Carrying out our obligations and enforcing our rights.
B. Disclosure and Sharing
We may share or disclose your personal information under the following circumstances:
- With your explicit consent, we may share personal information.
- For legal and administrative reasons, we may disclose your personal information without prior notice in response to a court order, subpoena, law enforcement request, or to protect our organization or others from potential harm or interference with their rights or property. We may also disclose information as necessary to comply with applicable laws or to enforce our Terms of Service.
- We may share your personal information with third-party service providers who assist us in internal and external site operations or for rendering the services provided by the OurStates.org website. Additionally, we may exchange personal information with third parties to protect against fraud and reduce credit risk.
- Anonymous and deidentified aggregate information may be shared with third parties, including affiliated and non-affiliated organizations such as advertisers.
- In the event of a business transfer, such as an acquisition, sale, merger, or bankruptcy, your personal information may be transferred to the successor-in-interest. Any transferred personal information will remain subject to the provisions of this Privacy Policy.
- We may share your personal information with our subsidiaries and affiliates. If you prefer not to have your personal information shared with our subsidiaries and affiliates, please contact us through the provided link.
Links to Third-Party Sites
Occasionally, we may include links to third-party sites or content on third-party sites. While we provide these links for the convenience of our users, we do not have control over the operation of these third-party websites. Each of these websites has its own separate privacy notice, and we are not responsible for their content and activities. We encourage you to review the privacy notices posted on these third-party websites when you visit them.
Information Security and Storage
We employ commercially reasonable measures to ensure the security of our website. However, please be aware that no security safeguards or transmission methods over the Internet are entirely foolproof. While we implement measures to reduce the likelihood of security issues, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your personal information during transmission to or from our website. Any transmission of personal information is done at your own risk. We do not guarantee protection against misuse, access, acquisition, deletion, or disclosure of your personal information by third parties. We are not responsible for any circumvention of privacy settings or security features. By using our website, you accept that we are not liable for any misuse or unauthorized access to your personal information.
The safety and security of your personal information also depend on you. If we have provided you with a password for accessing specific parts of our website, please ensure that you keep it confidential and do not share it with anyone. We request that you refrain from sharing your password with others.
If you suspect that an unauthorized person has accessed or acquired your personal information, please contact us immediately so that we can take prompt action.
We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for its intended purpose or for any additional period required or permitted by applicable law. The length of time we retain personal information depends on the purposes for which we collected and use it, as well as any legal obligations we must adhere to.
Notice to Certain Residents of Data Subject Rights
A. Notice to California Residents
If you are a California resident, this section of our Privacy Policy provides information on your rights under applicable California data privacy laws and how you can exercise those rights. This notice is specifically for California residents and is designed to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (referred to collectively as CCPA), and any terms defined in the CCPA have the same meaning as used below.
Your Rights under CCPA
Right to Know and Access Specific Information
You have the right to request information about the collection and use of your personal information by us in the past twelve (12) months. Once we receive a verifiable request from you, we will disclose the following information to the extent permitted by law:
- The categories of personal information collected about you and whether we sell or share it with third parties.
- The specific pieces of personal information we hold about you.
- The categories of personal information sold within the last twelve (12) months.
- The categories of sources from which we collect personal information about you.
- The business or commercial purpose for collecting, selling, or sharing your personal information.
- The categories of third parties with whom we sell, share, or disclose your personal information for a business purpose.
You have the right to request that the above-mentioned personal information be provided to you in a portable and readily usable format, to the extent technically feasible ("data portability").
Deletion Request Rights: You have the right to request the deletion of the personal information we collected from you, subject to certain exceptions. Once we receive and verify your request, we will delete your personal information (and instruct our service providers to do the same) unless an exception applies.
Right to Correct Inaccurate Information: If we maintain inaccurate personal information, you have the right to request its correction. Once we receive and verify your request, we will make commercially reasonable efforts to correct your personal information.
Sale and Sharing of Personal Information and the Right to Opt Out: You have the right to opt out of the processing of your personal information for the following purposes:
a. Sale of your personal information.
b. Sharing of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
You can opt-out of these online tracking technologies by submitting a request through the provided link.Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you on the Website or in the quality of services you receive based on your exercise of your rights. We will not deny goods or services to you, charge different rates, provide a lower quality of goods or services, or treat you differently because of your exercise of your rights.
Right to Disclosure of Direct Marketers: Upon request, you have the right to know the categories and names/addresses of third parties that have received your personal information for direct marketing purposes, free of charge.
Consumer Requests:
You may make an authenticated consumer request to exercise your rights under CCPA twice within a twelve (12) month period. To exercise your rights, please refer to the "Exercising Your Rights" section below.
Authorized Agent:
You may use an authorized agent to submit verifiable consumer requests on your behalf, provided they are authorized and we receive proper verification proof.
Additional Information:
To the extent allowed by applicable law, we may charge a reasonable fee to fulfill your request.
B. Notice to Virginia Residents
This supplemental section of our Privacy Policy is intended for Virginia residents and provides information on your individual rights guaranteed under applicable Virginia data privacy laws, as outlined in the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA). Any terms defined in the VCDPA have the same meaning when used below.
Your Rights under VCDPA
Subject to certain exceptions, you may be entitled to the following rights:
Right to Access & Data Portability: You have the right to request information about our collection and use of your personal information. Upon receiving and verifying an authenticated consumer request from you, we will disclose whether or not we are processing your personal information and provide you with access to it. If the processing is automated, you also have the right, subject to certain exceptions, to request and obtain a copy of your personal information in a portable and, if technically feasible, readily usable format that allows you to transmit it to another data controller without hindrance.
Right to Correct Inaccurate Information: If we maintain inaccurate personal information about you, you have the right to request its correction. Once we receive and verify your authenticated consumer request, we will make commercially reasonable efforts to correct your personal information, considering its nature and the purposes of its processing.
Right to Delete: You have the right to request the deletion of certain personal information provided by or obtained about you. Upon receiving and confirming your authenticated consumer request, we will delete your personal information (and instruct our service providers to do the same), subject to certain exceptions.
Right to Opt Out of Targeted Advertising, Profiling, and Significant Decisions:
You have the right to opt out of the processing of your personal information for targeted advertising purposes and profiling that leads to significant decisions affecting you.
Right to Appeal: If we deny any of your requests under this section, you have the right to appeal. To exercise your right to appeal, please submit an appeals request using the contact information provided in the "How to Contact Us" section below. We will respond to your appeal within sixty (60) days, providing a written explanation of the actions taken or not taken in response to your appeal. If your appeal is denied, you have the option to contact the Virginia Office of the Attorney General.
Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights under this section. This includes denying goods or services, charging different prices or rates, or providing a different level of quality, with some exceptions related to loyalty programs or voluntary participation.
You may submit an authenticated consumer request under the VCDPA twice within a twelve (12) month period to exercise the rights described above. For further information on how to exercise your rights, please refer to the "Exercising Your Rights" section below.
Additional Information:
Subject to applicable law, we may charge a reasonable fee to fulfill your request.
C. Notice to Colorado Residents
This supplemental section of our Privacy Policy is intended for Colorado residents and outlines the individual rights guaranteed under applicable Colorado data privacy laws, specifically the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA). Any terms defined in the CPA have the same meaning when used below.
Your Rights under CPA
Subject to certain exceptions, you may be entitled to the following rights:
Right to Access & Data Portability:You have the right to request information about our collection and use of your personal information. Upon receiving and confirming an authenticated consumer request from you, we will disclose whether or not we are processing your personal information and provide you with access to it, where applicable. If you exercise your right to access, you also have the right to request and obtain a copy of your personal information that you previously provided to us in a portable and, if technically feasible, readily usable format that allows you to transmit it to another data controller without hindrance.
Right to Correct Inaccurate Information:
If we hold inaccurate personal information about you, you have the right to request its correction. Once we receive and verify your request, we will make commercially reasonable efforts to correct the inaccurate personal information, taking into account the nature of the information and the purposes of its processing.Right to Delete:
You have the right to request the deletion of certain personal information provided by or obtained about you. Once we receive and confirm your request, we will delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.Targeted Advertising, Profiling, and the Right to Opt Out:
You have the right to opt out of the processing of your personal information for targeted advertising purposes and profiling that leads to decisions with legal or similarly significant effects concerning you.Right to Appeal:
If we deny any of your requests, you have the right to appeal. To exercise your right to appeal, please submit an appeals request using the provided contact information. We will respond to your appeal within a specified timeframe, providing an explanation of the actions taken or not taken. If you have concerns regarding the results of your appeal, you may contact the relevant authority.Authenticated Consumer Request:
You may make an authenticated consumer request free of charge within a specific time period. We reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee for subsequent requests within the same period. Please refer to the "Exercising Your Rights" section for information on how to make a request.Sensitive Data:
We do not process sensitive data, including sensitive data inferences.Authorized Agent:
You may use an authorized agent to submit verifiable consumer requests on your behalf. We may request proof of written permission or power of attorney for verification purposes.
D. Notice to Connecticut Residents:
. This section supplements our Privacy Policy and applies specifically to Connecticut residents. It outlines the individual rights guaranteed to you under the Connecticut Act Concerning Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring (CTDPA) and provides instructions on how to exercise those rights. Any terms defined in the CTDPA have the same meaning as used below.
Your Rights under CTDPA:
Subject to certain exceptions, you are entitled to the following rights:Right to Access & Data Portability:
You have the right to request that we disclose certain information about our collection and use of your personal information at any time. Upon receiving an authenticated consumer request from you, we will, subject to exceptions:Disclose whether we are processing your personal information.
Provide you with access to your personal information that we process.
If the processing is automated, you can request and obtain a copy of your personal information in a portable and technically feasible format, allowing you to transmit it to another data controller without hindrance.
Right to Correct Inaccurate Information:
If we maintain inaccurate personal information, you have the right to request its correction, considering the nature and purposes of the processing. Once we receive and verify your authenticated consumer request, we will make commercially reasonable efforts to correct your personal information.Right to Delete:
You can request the deletion of certain personal information provided by or obtained about you. Upon receiving and confirming your authenticated consumer request, we will delete your personal information (and direct our service providers to do the same), subject to exceptions.Right to Opt Out of Targeted Advertising and Profiling:
You have the right to opt out of the processing of your personal information for targeted advertising and profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects concerning you.Right to Non-Discrimination:
Exercising your rights should not result in discrimination on our website or in the quality of services you receive from us. We will not deny goods or services, charge different prices, provide a different level of quality, or engage in other discriminatory practices based on your exercise of the rights outlined in this section. However, we may offer different prices, rates, levels, qualities, or selections of goods or services, including free offers, if you have exercised your right to opt out or if the offer is related to your voluntary participation in loyalty programs.Right to Appeal:
If we deny any request you make under this section, you have the right to appeal. To exercise your right to appeal, please submit an appeals request to us via email at privacy@OurStates.org. Within sixty (60) days of receiving your appeal, we will inform you in writing of any actions taken or not taken, along with an explanation of the reasons for the decisions. If your appeal is denied, you may contact the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General by visiting their website or calling the Consumer Assistance Unit at 860-808-5420.
Please note that you can make one authenticated consumer request under the CTDPA within a twelve (12) month period. To exercise the rights described above, refer to the "Exercising Your Rights" section below.
Authorized Agent:
You may use an authorized agent to submit verifiable consumer requests on your behalf. An authorized agent can be a natural person or a business entity authorized by you to act on your behalf. If you choose to use an authorized agent, we will require proof of written permission for the agent to make requests on your behalf, including through technological means, and identity verification from you. Alternatively, we may require proof of power of attorney. Requests from unauthorized agents without proper verification proof may be denied.Additional Information:
In compliance with applicable law, we may charge a reasonable fee to fulfill your request.E. Notice to Utah Residents
This section is specific to Utah residents and supplements our Privacy Policy to outline the individual rights guaranteed to Utah residents under the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA) and provides instructions on how to exercise those rights.
Your Rights under UCPA:
Subject to certain exceptions, you have the following rights:
Right to Access & Data Portability:
You have the right to request information about our collection and use of your personal information. Upon receiving and confirming an authenticated consumer request from you, we will, subject to exceptions:Disclose whether we are processing your personal information.
Provide you with access to your personal information if we process it.
If the processing is automated, you can request and obtain a copy of your personal information in a portable and readily usable format, allowing you to transmit it to another data controller, subject to technical feasibility.
Right to Delete:
You have the right to request the deletion of certain personal information provided by or obtained about you. Once we receive and confirm your authenticated consumer request, we will delete your personal information (and direct our service providers to do the same), subject to exceptions.Right to Non-Discrimination:
We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights under this section. This includes denying goods or services, charging different prices or rates, or providing a different level of quality of goods and services.Right to Opt Out of Targeted Advertising:
You have the right to opt out of the processing of your personal information for targeted advertising.
You can make one authenticated consumer request free of charge under the UCPA within a twelve (12) month period. We may charge a reasonable fee for a subsequent request within the same twelve-month period. To exercise your rights, please refer to the "Exercising Your Data Subject Rights" section below.
Exercising Your Data Subject Rights:
To exercise any of the rights described above, please submit a verifiable consumer request to us using the methods provided below. Your request should:
Provide sufficient information to verify your identity or that you are an authorized representative.
Describe your request with enough detail for us to understand and respond to it.
To protect your privacy and maintain security, we may require you to provide additional information to verify your identity before granting access or complying with your request. If you're requesting specific pieces of personal information, we may ask you to sign a declaration under penalty of perjury. Only you or your authorized agent can make a verifiable consumer request.
If you designate an authorized agent, we may require written permission and identity verification from you. You may also make a verifiable consumer request on behalf of your minor child.
Changes to this Policy:
We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy as our business needs change over time. If we plan to use your personal information differently from what is stated in this Privacy Policy, we will revise the policy accordingly. In the event of changes, we will notify you through email or a notice on our website.
Contact Information:
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the personal information we have collected about you, please contact us using the following details:
Email: privacy@ourstates.org