This policy describes how we treat personal information when you use services offered by Institute of Science and Technology on science.edu and other associated websites (collectively referred to as “our website”). For California residents, please see our CCPA Compliant Policy here.
How we collect information about you
When you visit our website, we may collect your IP address and standard web log information, such as your browser type, the pages you accessed on our website, and the duration of your activities.
When you sign up for an Account, we ask for your personal information so that we can provide you with certain services. The information we require at the time of registration may include, but is not limited to, your name, address, phone number, email address, payment information, and applicable student information.
When you subscribe to services offered by us, we collect information about each transaction, including the transaction amount, a description of the services being purchased, the name of the buyer, and the type of payment used. We may also collect information about your computer or other access devices for fraud prevention purposes.
In order to protect you from fraud or other misconduct, we may obtain information about you from third parties to verify the information you provide. For example, we may use card authorization and fraud screening services to verify that your credit or debit card information and address match the information that you provided to us.
Finally, we may collect additional information from or about you in other ways not specifically described here. For example, we may collect information related to your contact with our customer support team or store the results of any survey you voluntarily respond to on our website.
How we use cookies
When you access our website, we, or companies we hire to track how our website is used, may place small data files called “cookies” on your computer.
We may send a “session cookie” to your computer when you log in to your account. This type of cookie helps us to recognize you if you visit multiple pages on our site during the same session, so that we don’t need to ask you for your password on each page. Once you log out or close your browser, this cookie expires and no longer has any effect.
We may also use longer-lasting cookies for other purposes such as to display your e-mail address on our sign-in form, so that you don’t need to retype the e-mail address each time you log in to your account. These cookies are designed to optimize your user experience. You are free to decline our cookies if your browser permits, but doing so may interfere with your use of our website.
How we protect and store personal information
We store and process your personal information on our computers in the US, and we protect it by maintaining physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards. We use computer safeguards such as firewalls, data encryption, and multi-factor authentication for login; we enforce physical access controls to our buildings and files; and we authorize access to personal information only for those employees who require it to fulfill their job responsibilities. Before receiving access to personal information, employees are given training to help them understand their responsibilities regarding personal information and are required to sign a confidentiality agreement.
Personal information provided about children
We understand that our student users who are under 13 years of age (“children”) need special safeguards and privacy protection, and it is our intent to fully comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) as well as applicable state laws and regulations. We take children’s privacy concerns seriously. We only collect children’s personal information directly from you (or the child’s school) when the child is enrolled into one of our services. We do not ask children to provide any personal information, and we do not collect children’s personal information while they are using our website. Any personal information obtained is handled safely and securely, as outlined in this policy, and we will never sell or rent your child’s personal information to third parties. You can review certain personal information that we have regarding your children online by signing in to the Parent Interface. Please be aware that some personal information relating to your children’s educational records may not be able to be disclosed by us due to state and/or Federal law.
How we use the personal information we collect
Our primary purpose in collecting personal information is to provide you with a safe, smooth, efficient, and customized experience. We may use your personal information to:
- provide the educational services and support you request;
- process transactions and send notices about your transactions;
- resolve disputes, collect fees, and troubleshoot problems;
- prevent potentially prohibited or illegal activities, and enforce our Agreements;
- customize, measure, and improve our services, as well as the content and layout of our website; and
- compare information for accuracy and verify it with third parties.
How we share personal information with other parties
We may share your personal information with:
- Companies that we plan to merge with or be acquired by. (Should such a combination occur, we will require that the new combined entity follow this privacy policy with respect to your personal information. If your personal information could be used contrary to this policy, you will receive prior notice.)
- Law enforcement, government officials, or other third parties when:
- we are compelled to do so by a subpoena, court order, or similar legal procedure;
- we need to do so to comply with law; or
- we believe in good faith that the disclosure of personal information is necessary to prevent physical harm or financial loss, to report suspected illegal activity, or to investigate violations of our User Agreement.
- Other third parties with your consent or direction to do so.
We will not sell or rent any of your personal information to third parties in the normal course of doing business and we only share your personal information with third parties as described in this policy.
Retention of your personal information
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, unless otherwise required or permitted by law.
Changes to this policy
We may amend this policy at any time by posting a revised version on our website and, if legally required, will request your consent prior to implementing material changes. The revised version will be effective at the time we post it. We last modified this Policy on April 14, 2021.
If you have questions or concerns regarding this policy, please contact us through our website or by writing to us at Institute of Science and Technology, Attn: Privacy Department, 11020 N Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, MO 64153.
Copyright
We may amend this policy at any time by posting a revised version on our website and, if legally required, will request your consent prior to implementing material changes. The revised version will be effective at the time we post it. We last modified this Policy on April 14, 2021.
If you are the owner of content that is being used in one of our courses without your permission, then you may request the content be removed by contacting us. We will, of course, need some evidence to support your claim of ownership.
CCPA Compliant Privacy Policy
We comply with all applicable California rules and regulations, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and the Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (“SOPIPA”).
This California Privacy Notice is for California residents and supplements our general Privacy Policy. It explains how we collect, use, and share your personal information and how to exercise your rights under the CCPA.
To provide the products and features that we offer, we must process information about you, including certain personal information. As detailed in our Privacy Policy, we only share your personal information with third parties in specific enumerated situations. We will not sell or rent any of your personal information to third parties in the normal course of doing business. Below is a summary of the CCPA-related categories of personal information we may have collected about you (depending on how you use our products and services), as well as how we use it and with whom we may have shared it.
| Categories of Personal Information we collect may include: | Examples of how Personal Information is used: | Parties with whom each category of Personal Information may be shared include: |
|---|---|---|
| • Identifiers;
• Data with special protections, if you choose to provide it; • Commercial information, if you choose to provide it; • Internet or other electronic network activity information, including content you view or engage with; • Location-related information, including precise device location if you choose to allow us to collect it; • Education information, if you choose to provide it; • Financial information, if you choose to provide it; and • Information derived from other Personal Information about you, which could include your preferences, interests, and other information used to personalize your experience. | • Providing, personalizing, and improving our Products; • Facilitating transactions, providing measurement, analytics, advertising, and other business services; • Promoting safety, integrity, and security; and • Communicating with you. | • Law enforcement officials; • New owners (in the event of a change of ownership or control of our organization); • Other people and accounts using our services (to the extent you permit such sharing); and • Third parties (to the extent you permit such sharing). |
Sources of Personal Information
We receive personal information from the information that you explicitly provide to us as well as your use of our products and services. For example, when you initially create an account we require certain information be provided. Subsequently, when using our products and services we may use cookies to collect additional personal information, such as the specific webpages you visit and the duration of your visits.
In order to protect you from fraud or other misconduct, we may obtain personal information about you from third parties to verify the information you provide. For example, we may use card authorization and fraud screening services to verify that your credit or debit card information and address match the information that you provided to us.
Your Rights
Under the CCPA, you have the following rights:
• Right to Know: You have the right to request that we disclose to you the Personal Information we collect, use, or disclose, and information about our data practices;
• Right to Request Deletion: You have the right to request that we delete your Personal Information that we have collected from you;
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.
Parents and guardians of children enrolled in our services can review certain personal information that we have regarding your children online by signing in to the Parent Interface.
To further exercise your “right to know” or your “right to request deletion,” please contact us by writing to us at Institute of Science and Technology, Attn: Privacy Department, 11020 N Ambassador Drive, Suite 120, Kansas City, MO 64153. In addition, California residents may submit a request by calling us at 816-229-3800 or by emailing us. Please note that to protect your information and the integrity of our Products, we may need to verify your identity before processing your request.