Privacy Policy

Privacy & Data Use Policy for Covid Stories Archive, Inc., a Nonprofit Corporation

Last Updated: July 21, 2021

THE TERMS OF THIS PRIVACY & DATA USE POLICY (“POLICY”) ARE LEGALLY BINDING. IF YOU USE OUR SERVICE (AS DEFINED BELOW) OR ENGAGE WITH OUR WEBSITE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND TO ALL OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS POLICY.

Covid Stories Archive, Inc. (“CovidStories” “we”, “us”, or “our”), a nonprofit corporation, respects the privacy of its users and has developed this Policy to be transparent about how we may collect, use, and share information and demonstrate our commitment to protecting your privacy.

This Policy applies to you, as an individual, when you use our website (www.covidstoriesarchive.org).

We encourage you to read this Policy carefully when using our website. If you have any questions about our privacy practices, please refer to the end of this Policy for information on how to contact us.

Overview

The kind of data we collect about you can be different based on how you use the CovidStories website. If you only use our services to research our archives, we’ll have less information about you than if you share your experiences. Even if you do not share an experience or fill out any information for research purposes, we may still collect some data about you, like your IP address and other device information when you browse our website or mobile application, or your email address and phone number if provided to us by another user hosting an event.

Ultimately, the information we collect and process from you and about you is used in various ways to operate our services, none of which are for profit. These services may include, now or in the future, collecting stories and data for our archive (in written, video, audio, or file format), providing access to researchers to search and use our archive, organizing volunteers and/or hiring for our endeavors, and receiving donations. Any data we collect now or in the future is to facilitate the services above.

Information we receive about you

In General. We receive several different types of information from you when you use our services or about you via someone else using our services (like when a friend or family mentions you in a submitted story with your name or other identifying information), some of which is personally identifying, some is not. The information received through our services may be sent to servers located in the United States and other countries around the world.

  • Information you provide. We collect and store personal information and other identifiers you enter in our SUBMIT YOUR STORY page, in the process of researching our archive, while volunteering or inquiring about an employment position, or while donating. This may include identifying information, such as your full name, part or all of your physical address, email address, images, telephone number, social media accounts, and, if you donate to us, financial information such as your payment method (credit card number, type, expiration date or other financial information). When you share your story, we may also collect non-personal information in addition to your story, including your gender, your age, your location (such as county, state. ZIP code and/or country), other demographic or profile information, or we may ask you to complete a survey or send us a review. 
  • Information from Social Network services (including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others).  If you post about us on publicly available social media, using a button on our website or independently, we may collect your social media identification as well as your message and that of any responses to that message.
  • Information collected automatically. We automatically receive information from the browser, computer, and device used to access our services. This information most often includes (without limitation) your IP address, your geographic location, your browser type and language, access times, the content of any undeleted cookies that your browser previously accepted from us (see “Cookies” below), and the referring website address.
  • Cookies and Similar Technologies. When you visit our services or receive an email as part of the services, we may assign the browser, device, or application from which you access our services one or more cookies or similar technologies to facilitate access to our services, personalize your online experience, or otherwise operate our services. Using a cookie or similar technology, we also may automatically collect information about your online activity on our services, such as the web pages you visit, the emails you open, the links you click, and the searches you conduct on our services. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies or decide which types of cookies to automatically accept or reject. If you choose to decline cookies or other similar technologies, please note that you may have difficulty signing in and may not be able to use some of the interactive features offered through our services. We and third-party vendors, including Google, use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) and third-party cookies (such as a DoubleClick cookie) together to report how your ad impressions, other uses of ad services, and interactions with these ad impressions and ad services are related to visits to our services. 
  • Mobile Devices. We may receive information from your mobile devices when you visit our services, such as identifiers for advertising (“IDFA”) and geographic or geolocation information. If you choose to turn off identifiers such as IDFA or locational tracking on your mobile device, please note that you may not be able to use some of the interactive features offered through our services.
  • Other Technologies. We may use other technologies, such as web beacons, to track your use of our services. We also may include web beacons in promotional or other email messages or newsletters to determine whether messages have been opened and acted upon. The information we obtain in this manner enables us to customize our services, to deliver targeted advertisements, and to measure the overall effectiveness of our online advertising, content, programming, or other activities.
  • Information about others. We may also collect and store personal information about other people that you provide to us when you use our services, including (without limitation) email address, phone number, and physical address. So, for example, if you share a story that includes information about other people or institutions, we will store that information in our archive within your story. 

How we use the information we collect

If you are submitting a story or have submitted a story, your information may be used in our archive and, without personal or identifying information, for promotional purposes. Your information may be used for contact purposes so that we may update you on CovidStories news, to request support, for surveys about our services, or to inform you that a researcher would like to speak with you about your experiences. You have the option to keep your personal information private and allow CovidStories to act as a go-between to send you a notification that a researcher would like to speak with you. If you request that option and a researcher requests to speak with you, you will receive a correspondence (via email. SMS text message or other form of communication) providing you with information to reach out to the researcher if you so choose.

If you are researching or have researched our archive, your information may be used for contact purposes so that we may update you on CovidStories news, to request support, to share your contact information to the provider of a story upon your request, or for surveys about our services.

If you are contacting us or have contacted us about volunteering or employment opportunities, your information may be used for contact purposes so that we may respond to your inquiry and arrange follow up, to update you on CovidStories news, to request support, or for surveys about our administration.

If you are providing or have provided support to CovidStories, your information may be used for contact purposes so that we may update you on CovidStories news, to request further support, for surveys about our service, or to ask you to participate by sharing your story or stories for our archive.

Financial information. If you provide us with financial information or payment information for the purpose of donating, then we will use financial information or payment method to process payment, to protect against or identify possible fraudulent transactions, and otherwise as needed to manage CovidStories.

Your choices regarding your information

  • Keeping personal information private. For story providers, you have the option to keep your personal information private and allow CovidStories to act as a go-between to send you a notification that a researcher would like to speak with you. If you request that option and a researcher requests to speak with you, you will receive a correspondence (via email, SMS text message, or other form of communication) providing you with information to reach out to the researcher if you so choose.
  • Opt-out of mass communications. You will be given a choice before your information is added to any mass communications list. You will also be able to unsubscribe from any such list at a later time.

How we protect your personal information

We take reasonable security measures (including physical, electronic and procedural measures) intended to help safeguard your personal information from unauthorized access and disclosure. For example, except for personal information shared with your permission in our archive. only authorized employees, contractors, and service providers are permitted to access personal information, and they may do so only for permitted business functions. In addition, we use firewalls to help prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to your personal information.

No system can be completely secure. Therefore, although we take steps to secure your information, we do not promise, and you should not expect, that your personal information, or searches, or other information will always remain secure. 

Children’s Privacy

Our services are for a general audience and are not directed to or intended for children under the age of 16. Accordingly, we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 16 and if we become aware that we have, we will promptly delete such information from our servers.

Visiting our websites from outside the United States.

If you are accessing our services from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located and our central database is operated. This Policy and the storage, use and disclosure of your information under this Policy, is governed by the laws on the United States. The services are controlled and operated by CovidStories from the United States and you expressly waive the application of any laws of any territory other than the United States. The data protection and other laws of the United States and other countries might not be as comprehensive as those in your country. By using our services, you understand and agree that your information may be transferred to our facilities and those third parties with whom we share it as described in this Policy, and the laws of the United States apply to the use, storage and disclosure of your information.

Additional Disclosures: California

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, California residents have certain rights regarding their data, including:

  • To know the categories of personal information collected and disclosed and the sources from which such information was collected;
  • The business purpose for using or sharing personal information; 
  • The categories of third parties with whom personal information has been disclosed or sold;
  • The ability to opt-out of the sale of personal information; 
  • The ability to access or delete certain pieces of personal information Summary of types of information we may receive and collect:
  • Identifiers such as your IP, email, address, and name;
  • Personal and Financial Information such as payment information;
  • Protected Classifications such as your gender and age;
  • Commercial Information;
  • Electronic Network Activity Information such as how you browsed or interacted with the services;
  • Geolocation Data such as zip code;
  • Professional or Employment-related Information such as the industry you work in and your job title; and
  • Inferences such as information based on how you use and interact with the services.

No Rights of Third Parties

This Policy does not create rights enforceable by third parties or require disclosure of any personal information relating to users of the services.

Changes to this Policy and Successors

CovidStories reserves the right to amend this Policy at its sole discretion and any modifications shall be effective immediately upon posting. When we revise this Policy, we will notify you by posting the new Policy on the CovidStories website or a successor website with the “Last Updated” legend at the top of this page. By continuing to use the services of CovidStories or engaging with CovidStories following such changes, you will be deemed to have agreed to such changes. If you do not agree with the terms of this Policy or any changes thereto, you may not continue using the services. 

This Policy will apply to any Successors of CovidStories, pending changes or modifications to this Policy which will be posted as described above.

How to contact us

If you have any questions about this Policy or our information-handling practices, please contact us by email as follows:

[email protected]