HESI Privacy Notice

HESI is committed to honoring the privacy of those who visit our website and engage in activities with us. The Privacy Notice describes how we collect, store, and use information about our members, partners, and website visitors. This Privacy Notice applies to all personal data processed by full-time and part-time employees, volunteers when acting on behalf of HESI, and business processes conducted by HESI.

Personal Data Being Collected

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

General Users

HESI does not collect any personal identifying information from users just browsing our website. Our server recognizes your Internet protocol (IP) address 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.

HESI Members, Meeting Registrants, and Others

Personal information collected from you is used to respond to your inquiries and to fulfill a service such as meeting registration, member-only content, or sponsorship renewal. To gain access to any member-restricted information, members are asked to provide their email address and password.

Storing Personal Data

HESI is headquartered in Washington, DC, in the United States, and the personal data it collects is stored in the United States.

Uses of Personal Data

HESI uses personal data only when the law allows us. Most often this means that HESI uses personal data to respond to your requests, enhance its products and services, monitor, assess, and improve HESI’s operations, and to allow the organization to better fulfill its scientific mission. HESI may also use your personal information when we need to do so to comply with a legal obligation; when it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests; when it is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims; or if you have already made the information public. Demographic information is specifically used to monitor or improve the reach, use of, and satisfaction with our services.

HESI also may use your personal data based on your consent. By providing HESI your personal information, you are actively agreeing to interact with us, through HESI membership or participation in HESI events and use of our services, and are 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.

Securing Personal Data

HESI has adopted appropriate physical, mechanical, electronic and/or management measures precautions and safeguard to protect personal data against unauthorized or accidental access, processing, modification, erasure or other use. Unfortunately, the Internet cannot be guaranteed to be 100% secure, and we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you provide to us. We do not accept liability for unintentional disclosure.

Disclosure to Third Parties

Except as provided in this Privacy Notice, your personal data will not be shared or sold to any third parties without your prior approval.

Responses to Legal Requests

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

Controlling Your Information

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

• 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 HESI and want your personal information deleted, you can make a request by contacting us by email or as outlined below. HESI 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 HESI in the past will be made anonymous.

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 informEuration. 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 sparker@hesiglobal.org.

Periodic Revision of this Notice

This Privacy Notice may be revised from time to time, and you are urged to review it periodically. Use of this website constitutes agreement to the terms of the Notice that is posted at the time of use.