Privacy Policy

Short version:

We do not share your personal information with any outside companies or entities. However, if you are accepted to present at the conference, you should be aware that your full name, academic affiliation, presentation title and presentation abstract will be published on the schedule, which is publicly available.

This site only uses "cookies" for essential functioning of the site. For example, for the auto-login function and to verify that you're a real person (and not a robot) when you use our "Contact Us" function. You can turn cookies off on your browser if you choose, and this should not affect your experience. 

We do not engage in any kind of social tracking (including Google Analytics) and do not use any outside companies for that purpose.

The server hosting this application is housed at DigitalOcean, a fully GDPR-compliant web hosting service that acts as a "data processor" for this website. Their Data Processing Agreement can be found HERE.

As with all websites, your IP address is logged every time you access the server, whether you log in or not. This is a basic security measure that helps track malicious activity and hacking attempts on the server. This data will only ever be shared with law enforcement should the need arise.

You may delete your account and all your records from this system at any time--just click the red button at the bottom of your profile page. Your information may still exist in backup files (which are inaccessible to everyone but the system administrator), but those files are generally purged on a monthly basis.

Long version:

This privacy policy has been compiled to better serve those who are concerned with how their ‘Personally Identifiable Information’ (PII) is being used online. PII, as described in US privacy law and information security, is information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person, or to identify an individual in context. Please read our privacy policy carefully to get a clear understanding of how we collect, use, protect or otherwise handle your Personally Identifiable Information in accordance with our website.

What personal information do we collect from the people that visit our website?

If you register for an account on the system (which is necessary before submitting an abstract for consideration), you will need to provide your full name, academic affiliation, academic title, and email address. Optionally, you may provide your US-based mobile phone number, which is only used to send password reset tokens via SMS. All of this information is stored on our server, but is not accessible to anyone outside the system administrator. 

When do we collect information?

We collect information from you when you register and when you update your information on the profile page.

How do we use your information? 

We may use the information we collect from you in the following ways:     

• To personalize your experience and to allow us to deliver the type of content in which you are most interested.
• To improve our website in order to better serve you.
• To allow us to better service you in responding to your customer service requests. 

How do we protect your information?

• We do use regular external vulnerability scanning to identify and address old and new threats.
• We also use multiple forms of malware detection on our server. 
• Your personal information is contained behind secured networks and is only accessible by the system administrator. 
• We implement a variety of security measures when a user enters, submits, or accesses their information to maintain the safety of your personal information. 
• All internet traffic on this site is encrypted protected through SSL (‘https’).

Do we use ‘cookies’?

Yes. Cookies are used for essential functions only, not for social tracking or advertising. No information is shared with outside entities, websites, or companies. 

Third-party disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your Personally Identifiable Information. We will only release information when its release is necessary to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others’ rights, property or safety. 

Third-party links

We do not include or offer third-party products or services on our website.

Google

We have not enabled Google AdSense on our site but we may do so in the future. If we decide at some point to go in that direction, we’ll let you know in advance.

California Online Privacy Protection Act

CalOPPA is the first state law in the nation to require commercial websites and online services to post a privacy policy. The law’s reach stretches well beyond California to require any person or company in the United States (and conceivably the world) that operates websites collecting Personally Identifiable Information from California consumers to post a conspicuous privacy policy on its website stating exactly the information being collected and those individuals or companies with whom it is being shared. - See more at: http://consumercal.org/california-online-privacy-protection-act-caloppa/#sthash.0FdRbT51.dpuf

According to CalOPPA, we agree to the following:

• Users can visit our site anonymously to get general information about the conference, as well as see the schedule once it is published. Other functions require registration. 
• You will be notified of any Privacy Policy changes on this Privacy Policy Page.
• You can change your personal information by logging in to your account
• We honor Do Not Track signals and Do Not Track, plant cookies, or use advertising when a Do Not Track (DNT) browser mechanism is in place.
• We do not allow third-party behavioral tracking.

COPPA (Children Online Privacy Protection Act)

When it comes to the collection of personal information from children under the age of 13 years old, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) puts parents in control. The Federal Trade Commission, United States’ consumer protection agency, enforces the COPPA Rule, which spells out what operators of websites and online services must do to protect children’s privacy and safety online. We do not specifically market to children under the age of 13 years old.

Fair Information Practices

The Fair Information Practices Principles form the backbone of privacy law in the United States and the concepts they include have played a significant role in the development of data protection laws around the globe. Understanding the Fair Information Practice Principles and how they should be implemented is critical to comply with the various privacy laws that protect personal information.In order to be in line with Fair Information Practices we will take the following responsive action, should a data breach occur, we will notify you via email within 2 business days.

We also agree to the Individual Redress Principle which requires that individuals have the right to legally pursue enforceable rights against data collectors and processors who fail to adhere to the law. This principle requires not only that individuals have enforceable rights against data users, but also that individuals have recourse to courts or government agencies to investigate and/or prosecute non-compliance by data processors.

CAN SPAM Act

The CAN-SPAM Act is a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have emails stopped from being sent to them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.We collect your email address in order to:

• Send you important information related to your account.
• Send you updates about your progress.
• We never send messages containing advertisements.

To be in accordance with CANSPAM, we agree to the following:

• Not use false or misleading subjects or email addresses.
• Identify the message as an advertisement in some reasonable way.
• Include the physical address of our business or site headquarters.
• Honor opt-out/unsubscribe requests quickly.
• Allow users to unsubscribe by using the link at the bottom of each email.

Contacting Us 

If you have any questions regarding this privacy policy, you may contact any of the organizers, whose email addresses are on the welcome page.

Last Edited on Oct 5, 2022