Last Updated: April 12, 2023
Science and Technology Futures, Inc. (we, us, our) is a non-profit organization with a mission to identify and support scientists, engineers, and other innovators with an interest in shaping the national/global research agenda. We foster, support, promote, and conduct programs, projects, and activities designed to develop and accelerate scientific and technological research and innovation in the public interest.
This Privacy Notice describes how we collect, use, and share personal information in connection with our services, websites, content, events, and activities (collectively, “Services”). We also describe your privacy rights and choices; how we transfer, retain, and protect data; and other aspects of our privacy program.
INFORMATION WE OBTAIN
The chart below explains the information we obtain when you interact with us or the Services. We obtain information from you, public sources, and third parties, as explained below.
Contact information: Full name, email, phone number
Professional information: Organization or employer, education, and any other information you share in connection with a submission, event, or job application
Publicly available information: Information in your and your contacts’ or colleagues’ social media or other online profiles
Submissions, posts, and communications: Submissions of your ideas or proposals, and any other communications or outreach you choose to submit to us
Photos and videos: Photos and videos captured at events or shared on any interactive areas of the Services such as a community or blog
Surveys and research: Responses to surveys or research you choose to participate in relevant to the Services
Information we derive or infer about you: Evaluations, observations and inferences we derive from the information we obtain about you
Other information you provide: Other personal information you provide in connection with the Services, such as through sign-up forms, applications, emails, or live or virtual events and conversations
Information from third parties: Information provided to us by event participants, or your colleagues or contacts who submit information to us about their ideas or proposals, or others
Cookies and other technologies: Information collected by cookies, web server logs, web beacons, and other technologies about your activity or interactions with our Services or advertisements – see explanation below
Automated Means of Collection
When you interact with the Services, we may obtain certain information by automated means, such as cookies, web server logs, web beacons, and other technologies. A “cookie” is a text file that websites send to a visitor’s device to uniquely identify the browser or to store information or settings. A “web beacon,” also known as an Internet tag, pixel tag or clear GIF, may be used on web pages and emails to check whether a user has accessed certain content.
We may use these automated technologies on the Services to collect information about your equipment, browsing actions, and usage patterns. The information we obtain in this manner may include your IP address, device identifiers, device and browser characteristics, language preferences, referring/exit pages, clickstream data, and dates and times of access. These technologies help us (1) remember your information so you do not have to re-enter it; (2) track and understand your usage and interactions; (3) measure usability and effectiveness; and (4) otherwise manage and enhance our services.
You can manage how your device and browser share certain data by adjusting the privacy settings they provide. The Services are not designed to respond to “do not track” signals from browsers, but you can change your cookie settings on our website. Please note, however, that without cookies you may not be able to use all of the features of the Services.
HOW WE USE INFORMATION
Why We Use Data (Lawful Basis)
Certain laws, such as GDPR, describe various lawful reasons to “process” (i.e. collect, use, and share) personal information. Our reasons for processing are described below:
Consent
We ask for your consent to process your personal information for specified purposes at relevant times when you interact with the Services.
Contract
We process your information as necessary for the performance of a contract you have entered into with us, such as the Terms of Use or an event release.
Legal Obligations
We process information to comply with legal, tax, and compliance obligations or lawful requests for information from a court or government authority.
Protection from Harm
We process information where necessary to protect an individual from serious physical harm or injury.
Legitimate Interests
We process information for our and others’ (including your) legitimate interests, such as commercial interests, individual interests or broader societal benefits.
We rely on “legitimate interests” when we use data in ways people would reasonably expect based on the circumstances, and where the use would have a minimal privacy impact, or where there is a compelling justification for the use. Our legitimate interests are described in “How We Use Data” below.
How We Use Data (Purposes for Processing)
We use personal information for the following purposes:
Provide the Services: Legitimate interests
● Identify you
● Communicate with you about the Services and respond to your communications
● Provide websites, newsletters, blogs, community spaces, or other interactive features
● Review your submissions of ideas or proposals
● Provide requested content and programming
● Publish content (such as journal articles)
● Obtain services to operate and manage the Services, such as web and database hosting, IT support, operations, communication services, research tools, and data analytics
● Enable connections you request between the Services and third party tools or services
● Build and develop the Services
● Organize, host, and invite people to events (e.g. conferences)
● Tailor the Services to local customs and industry standards
● Maintain health and safety at in-person events
● Provide reasonable accommodations
● Provide relevant or personalized content
● Improve the accuracy of the Services
● Verify information provided to us
● Enforce our policies and terms
● Perform data analytics, accounting, auditing and other internal functions
Marketing communications and use of non-essential cookies and other technologies: Consent
● Send emails promoting goods and services other than the Services you’ve requested
Safety and security: Legitimate interests
● Maintain and enhance the safety and security of the Services, protect against and prevent fraud, misuse, unauthorized transactions, claims, and other liabilities
Research: Legitimate interests
● Support research, analysis, and publication on topics relevant to the Services
Improve the Services and develop new services: Legitimate interests
● Evaluate and improve the Services
● Perform debugging to identify, prevent, and repair errors that impair or may impair the Services
● Verify or maintain the quality of the Services
● Develop new programs and services, including new Focused Research Organizations
Legal compliance and claims: Legal obligations
● Comply with applicable laws and regulations
● Maintain or defend legal claims
● Respond to valid requests for information from courts, litigants, and governmental or official agencies and organizations
Other uses
● We also may use information in other ways for which we will provide information when and if such uses arise
Third-Party Analytics
We may use third-party analytics services from Google Analytics or others on the Services. The information we obtain through our website may be disclosed to or collected directly by these services. To learn more about Google Analytics, please visit https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/.
We may also use third-party research services such as TypeForm or Qualtrics to provide surveys and questionnaires relevant to the Services. If you choose to participate in a survey or other research, we will present additional information about data collection and any research vendors or partners when you opt in.
INFORMATION SHARING
We share the personal information we obtain as follows:
Affiliates
Our affiliates and related entities who provide assistance with operating and managing the Services
Other participants
Information you share in public-facing areas of the Services, community features, or at events will be visible to anyone with access to those public spaces (virtual or physical)
Professional connections
Individuals in our constituents’ professional networks
Third-party platforms
Third-party communication platforms, if you elect to join in discussions on those platforms
Service providers
Entities that perform services on our behalf, such as web and database hosting, IT support, communication services, research tools, marketing vendors, and data analytics
→ Most of our service providers are located in the United States.
→ We do not authorize service providers to use or disclose information except as necessary to perform services on our behalf or comply with legal requirements.
Legal
We may disclose personal information (1) if we are required to do so by law or legal process (such as a court order or subpoena); (2) in response to requests by government agencies, such as law enforcement authorities; (3) to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights; (4) when we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to prevent physical or other harm or financial loss; (5) in connection with an investigation of suspected or actual illegal activity; or (6) otherwise with your consent or as directed by your representative.
Please contact us as specified in the “How To Contact Us” section of this Privacy Notice if you would like to obtain more information about the affiliates, subsidiaries and other third parties with whom we may share personal information.
We reserve the right to transfer any personal information we have about you in the event we sell or transfer all or a portion of our business or assets (including in the event of a merger, acquisition, joint venture, reorganization, divestiture, dissolution or liquidation).
YOUR RIGHTS AND CHOICES
We offer you certain choices in connection with the personal information we collect from you. To update your preferences, limit the communications you receive from us, or submit a request, please contact us as indicated in the “How To Contact Us” section of this Privacy Notice. You can unsubscribe from our marketing mailing lists by following the “Unsubscribe” link in our emails or contacting us as specified in the “How To Contact Us” section below. We will apply your preferences going forward.
Depending on the laws that apply to you, including GDPR, you may have the rights provided below, some of which may apply generally, and some of which apply only in certain circumstances, described below:
Access
Access personal information we process about you and obtain information about our processing
Rectification
Correct inaccurate information or supplement incomplete information
Erasure
Erase personal information, when, for instance, it is no longer needed or where you have withdrawn your consent and there is no other legal basis for the processing
Restrict Processing
Limit our processing of your information, for instance, where we no longer need it but you do not want it to be erased because it is needed in connection with a legal claim
Object
Object to processing for direct marketing purposes, or to processing based on “legitimate interests” (explained above) unless we have compelling reasons to continue processing or where it is needed in connection with a legal claim
Withdraw consent
Withdraw consent you’ve previously given, without penalty, but we will have to cease carrying out the purposes for which you consented to processing, which may affect our ability to provide certain aspects of the Services to you
Portability
Request that we provide you a copy of personal information you have provided us, where the processing is based on consent or is carried out by automated means
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us as indicated in the “How To Contact Us” section below. If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you also may lodge a complaint with the data protection authority in your country of residence.
DATA TRANSFERS
We may transfer your personal information to recipients in other countries that have different data protection laws. When we do so, we will protect that information as described in this Privacy Notice and will comply with applicable legal requirements, providing adequate protection for the transfer.
If we transfer personal information from the EEA, UK or Switzerland to a country that has not been recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection, we will use appropriate contractual terms with the recipients to safeguard the information. Further information about our data transfer safeguards may be obtained by contacting us as indicated in the “How To Contact Us” section below.
RETENTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We will retain your personal information for the duration of our relationship, plus a reasonable period to comply with the applicable statute of limitation periods and records retention requirements under applicable laws, or during the pendency of any legal claims or lawful requests or investigations.
HOW WE PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
We maintain administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against accidental, unlawful or unauthorized destruction, loss, alteration, access, disclosure or use.
CHILDREN’S PRIVACY
The Services are intended for individuals at least 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under the age of 13.
OTHER ONLINE SERVICES AND THIRD-PARTY FEATURES
For your convenience and information, we may provide links to other online services, and may include third-party features such as apps, tools, communication platforms or communities, widgets and plugins. The privacy practices of the relevant third parties, including details on the information they may collect about you, is subject to the privacy statements of these parties, which we strongly suggest you review. These third-party services or features are not owned or controlled by us and we are not responsible for their information practices.
UPDATES TO OUR PRIVACY NOTICE
This Privacy Notice may be updated periodically for clarity or to reflect changes in law or our practices. We indicate at the top of this Privacy Notice when it was most recently updated. We encourage you to check this page frequently to review any changes. If we make changes, we will notify you via the change log below. In some cases, we may provide additional notice such as a statement on our homepage or an email. Your further use of the Services after a change to our Privacy Notice will be subject to the updated notice.
Change log
● April 12, 2023 - Privacy Notice first published.
HOW TO CONTACT US
Science and Technology Futures, Inc. is responsible for processing personal information as described in this Privacy Notice.
If you have any questions, requests or comments about this Privacy Notice or to exercise your rights, please email us at info@scienceandtechnologyfutures.org. You also may write to: 160 Alewife Brook Parkway, #1228, Cambridge, MA 02138, Attn: Privacy.