AACIO (American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin)

PRIVACY POLICY

I. Introduction

The American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin (AACIO) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and safeguard Personal Data and Non-Personal Data on our websites, social media profiles, and other digital platforms (collectively, "Sites"). This policy also applies to information collected by phone or in print.

II. Changes to the Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. If we make changes, we will post them here and update the effective date at the top of this page. Changes will become effective immediately upon posting, unless otherwise required by applicable law. We encourage you to review this page periodically for updates.

III. Types of Data We Collect

We collect two types of data:

Personal Data: information that identifies or can be used to identify you, such as name, email address, phone number, or mailing address.
Non-Personal Data: information that does not identify you, such as browser type, device type, or browsing behavior.

What is Personal Data?

Personal Data refers to any information that can be used to identify a natural person, including:

Name
Unique identification or account number
Location data
Online identifier
Physical, physiological, cultural, or social identity factors

Personal Data Submitted by You

When using our Sites, you may voluntarily provide Personal Data in the following ways:

Contact Information: You may choose to disclose contact information, such as name, address, email, and telephone number.
Registration Information: When registering for an event or creating an account, you may provide Personal Data, including name, address, email, and telephone number.
Billing Information: When donating, joining, subscribing, or making a purchase, you may provide credit card information, contact information, and other billing details.
Demographic Information: You may provide demographic information, such as age, career, preferences, gender, educational degrees, ethnic background, interests, and other personal details.
Technical Information: We may collect technical information about your interactions with our Sites, including:

IP address
Browser type
Domain names
Access times
Hardware specifications
Referring website addresses
Cookies (see below for more information)

IV. How We Use Your Data

Use of Personal Data

We collect and use your Personal Data to:

Provide you with the content you request
Operate and improve our websites
Deliver a positive user experience
Offer products and services that match your interests and preferences
Inform you about updates, newsletters, member information, event and programmatic information, and additional listings that may be of interest to you
Send you information about third-party products and services that match your interests and preferences (if you opt-in)

We do not share your name, address, or email with outside parties, except as described in this Privacy Policy.

Retention of Personal Data

We retain your Personal Data indefinitely to:

Fulfill our obligations under our Terms of Use and any other applicable agreement with you
Perform website analytics and provide an efficient, practical, and relevant experience for all visitors

Notification Guidelines

We do not send unsolicited commercial communications to individuals without consent or a pre-existing or current business relationship. We provide all recipients with clear, easy, and effective methods to unsubscribe from any and all online and electronic communications.

EU Visitors and Subscribers

For visitors and subscribers located within the European Union or European Economic Area, we collect and use your Personal Data on the basis of your consent and our legitimate interests in providing tailored content, authenticating subscribers, and optimizing website performance. We retain your Personal Data indefinitely for these purposes.

V. How We Share Your Data

Sharing of Personal Data

We share your Personal Data with third parties only as described below:

With AACIO business contractors to understand usage patterns and improve our websites
With web hosting and technical service providers for hosting and security
With consultants and vendors for customer support and marketing assistance
With credit card processors for transactions
With business contractors, with your consent, for tailored products or services
If legally required, requested by a governmental entity, or necessary to protect rights, property, or safety
In the event of a bankruptcy or acquisition, we may share or transfer your Personal Data as legally required

Your Rights Under the GDPR

If you are located in the EU, you have the right to:

Request access to your Personal Data
Amend or rectify your Personal Data
Restrict our processing of your Personal Data
Erase your Personal Data
Receive a copy of your Personal Data in a machine-readable format (data portability)

Association Policies Regarding Disclosure of Personal Data

We occasionally share the names and postal addresses of our contributors with carefully screened third-party non-profit organizations. We also provide member and non-member

\Names to a credit card vendor as part of our affinity program. You can opt out of this sharing by emailing us at membership@AACIO.org.

We provide aggregate statistics about our customers, sales, and traffic patterns to reputable third-party vendors, but these statistics do not include Personal Data or any information that could identify you or any other person.

VI. How You Can Manage the Processing of Your Data

Information You Post

If you post Personal Data in public areas of AACIO Sites, it may be displayed to other users and collected by others. AACIO is not responsible for the use of this information by third parties.

Opt-In and Opt-Out

You have opt-in and opt-out choices regarding promotional activities and communications. You can opt out of all email communication, except for transactional emails.

VII. Linking to Other Internet Sites

AACIO Sites may provide links to third-party websites, platforms, and resources. We are not responsible for the data collection practices of these third parties. Please read their privacy statements to understand how they use your Personal Data.

VIII. Cookies and Other Web Devices

Monitoring of Information and Cookies

We use cookies to evaluate how our sites are used and to deliver information specific to your interests. You can change your browser settings to prevent cookies, but this may affect some features.

Analytics

We use advertising networks and exchanges that participate in the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI). You can opt out of targeted advertising using the NAI tool. We also use Google Analytics to analyze traffic and collect aggregate data. You can opt out of Google Analytics using the Google Analytics opt-out tool.

IX. How We Protect Personal Data

Protecting Personal Data

We take your privacy and security seriously. When you interact with us online, we use a secure server with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption to protect your information. We also use digital certificates to safeguard customer transactional data against unauthorized access.

Payment Processing

All credit transactions occur in a secure area of our site, protected by Transport Layer Security encryption, to prevent loss, misuse, or alteration of your information.

Information Security

We maintain reasonable safeguards to protect the security, integrity, and privacy of your information. While no security system is impenetrable, we strive to ensure the security of your data. Please note that we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted over the internet or other communications mediums outside of our direct control.

X. Children

Our Commitment to Children’s Privacy

We prioritize the privacy of children. We comply with the 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and do not knowingly collect or process Personal Data of individuals under 13 years old. If we inadvertently collect such information, we will promptly delete it.

XI. Contact Information and Notifications

How to Correct or Update Information

If you have concerns about our collection or use of your Personal Data, please contact us at:

Email: membership@aacio.org
Mail: The American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin, ATTN: Membership, [insert address]

Legal Requests

We reserve the right to share your information in response to authorized governmental requests or as required by law.

California and the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you may request information about our disclosure of Personal Data to third parties for direct marketing purposes. Please email us at membership@aacio.org with “Request for California Privacy Information” in the subject line. We will provide a list of categories of Personal Data disclosed to third parties for their direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year, along with their names and addresses.

Privacy Choices

We respect your privacy and ability to choose whether to share information with us and third parties. If we ask a third-party company to send email offers regarding our products and services to customers, we will share a list of email addresses collected from visitors who have opted-out of our email program to ensure their privacy preferences are respected.

II. Acceptance of These Terms

Understanding and Acceptance

By continuing to use AACIO Sites, you indicate your understanding and acceptance of the terms of this Privacy Policy, as well as the applicable Terms of Use for the Sites. If you do not agree with all the terms herein, you are not permitted to use AACIO Sites or services.

Note: This section serves as a clear notice to users that by using the AACIO Sites, they are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.