THE ANTARCTICAN SOCIETY

PRIVACY POLICY

The Antarctican Society shall have a policy that addresses the privacy of its members and specifically outlines how it handles the disclosure of personal contact information and how members’ financial information is processed.

The Antarctican Society shall publish a statement about its privacy policy on its website, www.antarctican.org.

The following “The Antarctican Society Privacy Policy Statement” expresses these principles and shall serve as the Antarctican Society Privacy Policy.

Antarctican Society Privacy Policy Statement

The Antarctican Society (the “Society”) understands how important privacy is to the members and is committed to protecting that privacy. The Society wants to make sure each member understands how that information is used and that choices exist regarding how the Antarctican Society uses this information. Be advised that the Antarctican Society Privacy Policy is only applicable to the Antarctican Society website, not to any other website potentially accessible from this website. The policy also governs the collection and use of the personal and business information collected through Society email, regular correspondence, telephone calls, faxes, social media, and all other means of gathering and disseminating data.

As part of the Society’s commitment to privacy, this policy is intended to describe what information is gathered about members, how the information is used, and how that information is disclosed.

The Antarctican Society and this policy will guide the Society staff and volunteers regarding best practices when gathering, sharing, and protecting information about the members.

The Antarctican Society reserves the right to change this policy whenever deemed necessary and without prior notification. Should changes be made, the revision will be posted on the website with the date of the revision included in the notice. This policy is not retroactive. Any collection or sharing of information prior to the adoption of this notice or any of its revisions is not necessarily subject to conditions or terms currently in effect.

Information the Antarctican Society Collects

When a person applies for membership, the Society asks for basic information such as name, contact details, and information about the individual’s interest and experience in Antarctica. The Society does not collect any financial data. None of this information is revealed to the public without expressed consent. Member information is never sold or used for other commercial purposes. If membership dues are paid online, a secure payment site is used.

After acceptance into membership in the Antarctican Society, individuals will be contacted by the Society Webmaster and instructed how to gain access to the members-only section of the website. All personal information is on this secure location only, and members will have control over their own information. Members will have the ability to create a personal profile in this secure section, and they must “opt in” to post this information.

The Antarctican Society may collect data about the use of the website and the number and frequency of visitors to the site. Such information will be aggregated and not tied to any individuals personally. The Society does not currently use cookies (except to allow access to password-protected portions of the website) although it may choose to do so in the future.

Society website pages may provide links to external websites related to its mission and purpose. These links are offered for convenience and informational purposes only. The Society does not collect information on these linkages, review or maintain any of these third-party websites, or assume any responsibility for the content of any linked site. Likewise, existence of the link does not constitute an endorsement or adoption of any of the views expressed or the products and services offered through it. The Antarctican Society has no control over the privacy and security practices of third parties and cautions members to review those on their own.

Photographs taken at an Antarctican Society event may be displayed on the website. Members who do not want photographs of themselves to be posted must contact the Webmaster to “opt out” of photographs.

How A Member Can Control the Information Provided

It is the Society’s default policy to post only the names of members on the secure section of the website; no other personal information will be posted about a member unless permission is specifically granted (one must “opt-in”). If a member does specify information to be shared in the secure members-only area of the website, the name entry on the members list page will be linked to an individual’s profile page where the additionally consented information will be displayed. These individual profile pages will always remain in the secured, members-only portion of the website and they are an important resource for the community that comprises the Antarctican Society.

To remove one’s name from the members list, the Society Webmaster must be notified to “opt-out” from that disclosure. Such an “opt-out” will not alter membership privileges in any way.

Options are provided to disclose as much or as little contact information as preferred, starting with the country and state of residence, mailing address, phone number, and email contact. Each member will have to declare the intention to enter that information and have it be disclosable to other members who have access to the secure members-only area of the website (in other words, each member must “opt-in” to have this information posted). The decision to disclose or not disclose an item may be altered by contacting the Webmaster.

How Member Contact Information is Shared Within the Antarctican Society

The Society takes member privacy very seriously and will not disclose personal information without permission. The Webmaster will not unilaterally post or disclose any contact information, nor will the Society sell contact information.

The Antarctican Society does encourage Antarcticans to network with one another. If a member wishes to establish contact with another member of the Society who has not previously consented to the disclosure of their personal information, the Webmaster may be contacted with a request to connect. The Webmaster will forward the request to the member or members being sought and leave the decision to the individual(s) to contact the requestor in return.

The Society utilizes security software to act as the gateway to the members-only protected areas of the Society website. When a member's membership lapses, the software automatically disables log-in to the protected areas.

When in good standing, members can change selected personal information, such as username, password, and contact information; but membership end-date or account number cannot be altered.  Opt-in and opt-out options are available here, too, but a member may also contact the Webmaster to make changes.

There is an area on the Society website member profile page where a member may post biographical information. Again, this is an “opt-in” site, and nothing will be posted without the member initiating the posting and providing permission. The information, or any changes to the information, is not available in an individual’s member profile page on the website unless the Webmaster is notified that this information has been provided or changed and the providing member is “opting-in”; it will not happen automatically.

If a member feels that any of this protected information is incorrect, contact the Webmaster.

How the Antarctican Society Uses Personal Information

The Society will use a member’s contact information to provide notification of dues renewals and access to the Antarctican Society newsletter.

The Society will use the contact information members have voluntarily provided, including their e-mail addresses, to notify them about upcoming Society events, items, or events of interest to the Antarctic community, to seek input on Society issues. Options are provided to “opt-out” of these communications.

Similarly, the Society may use e-mail addresses voluntarily provided by non-member visitors to the Antarctican Society website to notify them about upcoming events of the Society or items of interest to the Antarctic community. This information may also be used to invite non-members to join the Society. These communications will desist if a request is sent to the Webmaster.

When the Antarctican Society sends emails to the general membership, only the direct recipient will be identified and all other member or recipient email addresses will remain confidential.

Replies to general Antarctican Society emails will go only to the sender (who is the Webmaster) even if the “reply all” option is requested.  In order to contact, comment, or reply to other members a request must be sent to the Webmaster to review the message and forward it if deemed appropriate.

The Antarctican Society will not share contact information with other organizations, and the Antarctican Society does not partner or have special relationships with any advertisement server companies. In addition, information posted in the secure members’ section of the website is for members’ personal use only and not to be shared with any other organization or network.

In order to communicate with members and potentially to facilitate program development, generate Newsletter topics, fundraise, and identify speakers and resources for Society lectures and presentations, the Antarctican Society Officers and Board of Directors will have access to each member’s biographical and contact information, unless permission is specifically denied by a member (“opt-out”).

The Society may disclose personal information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to conform to legal requirements or comply with legal process served on the Society, to protect and defend the rights or property of the Antarctican Society, or to protect the personal safety of Society personnel or members of the public in urgent circumstances.

Right to Review and Update

Antarctican Society members can review and update their contact information through the security software used by the Society for its website or by contacting the Webmaster. The procedure for reviewing and changing the information in the secure database may be viewed by logging into the website and going to Members > Members List and clicking on the link found there.

Exclusivity of information and Opinions Posted on the Website

The Antarctican Society reserves the right to publish what it chooses. It does not review, curate, or endorse the information or opinions posted by its members. The information and opinions posted by Antarctican Society members on the website are solely those of the posting member. The Antarctican Society does not endorse any public policy position, nor may any member portray a position as being that of the Antarctican Society.

Other Websites

The Antarctican Society website may contain links to other websites and online content. The Society is not responsible for the privacy practices or contents of those other websites.

Financial Matters

The Antarctican Society does not collect or store members’ financial information except for information regarding dues status or paid registration for Society events. All electronic transactions are handled through a separate payment account and covered by its safeguards and policies.

Changes to This Policy

From time to time, the Antarctican Society may use member information for new, unanticipated uses not previously disclosed in the privacy notice. If the information practices change at some time in the future, the Society will post a notice on the Antarctican Society website regarding these changes and their effective date, offering the ability to opt-out.  It is recommended that the Society website be checked periodically for changes.

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