Privacy Notice

Last Updated:  March 5, 2008

The Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus Privacy Policy

We respect and are committed to protecting your privacy. That is why we have adopted this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy lets you know how your personal information is processed and used. We promise that we will take steps to use your personal information only in ways that are compatible with this Privacy Policy. The following policies are only in effect for The Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus ("CGMC") publications, web pages, newsletters, discussion lists and opt-in announcement lists owned and operated by CGMC.

This Privacy Policy is a part of our agreement with you and the terms and conditions contained in our TERMS OF USE describe how and when we may make changes to these statements and terms, and how they become binding up on y0u.  BY USING THIS SITE YOU ARE SIGNIFYING YOUR AGREEMENT TRO THE TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY.  If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not provide any information or use any of the services or products offered or provided on this web site.  CGMC reserves the right to modify this policy without giving you prior notice.  Any changes to the policy will be posted on this page.  Users are encouraged to check the page regularly as they will be bound by the changes once posted on the CGMC website (the “Site”).

The Site may contain links to other sites.  CGMC is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such sites.  CGMC suggests that you read the privacy statements of each linked web site to understand what, if any, personally identifiable information may be collected by those linked sites.

CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS PRIVACY RIGHTS

Companies that collect personally identifiable information (“PII”) from California residents and disclose such information to third parties for marketing purpose must, in response to a request by a consumer, either 910 provide a list detailing the categories of information shared and the entities to which such information was provided, or (2) provide a mechanism by which a consumer may opt-out of having their information shared with third parties.  CGMC has elected the second option and you may request that your PII not be shared with third parties by sending your request, including your full name, e-mail address and postal address to:  privacy@cgmc.org.  California resident users are entitled to know that they may file grievances and complaints with the California Department of Consumer Affairs, 400 R Street, Suite 1080, Sacramento, CA 95814; or by phone at 916-445-1254 or 800-952-5210; or by email to dca@dca.ca.gov.

The following discloses our Privacy Policy.

What and how is The Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus collecting information?

Every computer connected to the Internet is given a domain name and a set of numbers, which serve as that computer's "Internet Protocol" IP address. When a visitor requests a page from any web site within the CGMC network, our web servers automatically recognize that visitor's domain name and IP address. The domain name and IP address reveal nothing personal about you other than the IP address from which you have accessed the CGMC website. We use this information to examine our traffic in aggregate, but do not collect and evaluate this information for individuals. Our web servers do not record e-mail addresses of the visitors. We may determine what technology is available through your browser in order to provide you with the most appropriate version of a web page.

What are cookies?

From time to time, CGMC or its advertisers may send a "cookie" to your computer. A cookie is a small piece of data that is sent to your browser from a web server and stored on your computer's hard drive. A cookie can't read data off your hard disk or read cookie files created by other websites. Cookies do not damage your system. We use cookies to identify which areas of CGMC's website you have visited or customized, so the next time you visit, those pages may be readily accessible. Any advertisers we host may also use cookies to ascertain how many times you've seen an advertisement. Those advertisers and we may use this information to better personalize the content, banners, and promotions that you see on the CGMC website. Such third party use of cookies is subject to that party’s own privacy policies which may differ from this one. You can choose whether to accept cookies by changing the settings of your browser. You can reset your browser to refuse all cookies, or allow your browser to show you when a cookie is being sent. If you choose not to accept these cookies, your experience at the CGMC website and other websites may be diminished and some features may not work as intended. You should consult with your browser’s provider/manufacturer if you have any questions regarding disabling cookies.

What information do we collect when you register for something?

CGMC offers access to some services that are free but that require registration. When you register online, you may be required to provide the following PII: your name, address, e-mail address, telephone number, date of birth or any other identifier that permits us to contact you. We may use your PII to send notification of CGMC products and services by e-mail and/or postal mail. We also may share your PII with our clients. Our clients may send you promotional material that is related to the topic of the service for which you registered if you have opted to receive it. We may maintain a process for you to review and request changes to your PII.

What other information do we request?

We may also request your e-mail address or mailing address for the purposes of conducting a survey or to provide additional services (for example, subscriptions to e-mail newsletters, online publications, electronic commerce, announcement lists or information about seminars). Whenever we request the identity of a visitor, we will clearly indicate the purpose of the inquiry before the information is requested. We maintain a strict "No-Spam" policy that means that we do not intend to sell, rent, or otherwise give your e-mail address to a third-party, without your consent.

In addition, CGMC will not send you email that you have not agreed to receive. We may from time to time send e-mail announcing CGMC and CGMC partner promotions and announcements. Any e-mail sent to you by CGMC will include a process by which you may indicate that you wish to opt out of receiving future, similar e-mails. If you purchase items in our online store, in addition to your name and contact information, we will also collect and maintain your billing address, shipping address, product selections, your credit card or other payment instrument information, your order number and information about your computer’s Internet address and web site which may have referred or directed you to this web site. We collect this and other information to fill your order, to communicate with you about your order and to send you promotional materials.

Will we disclose the information we collect to outside third parties?

CGMC will disclose personal information when required by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to:

1. Conform to the edicts of the law or comply with a legal process served on CGMC
2. Protect and defend the rights or property of the CGMC network of websites, or visitors to the CGMC network of websites
3. Identify persons who may be violating the law, the legal notice, or the rights of third parties
4. Cooperate with the investigations of purported unlawful activities

Third parties who provide hosting services or other day-to-day services that make possible the operation of this website may have access to information that you provide to the extent they require access to our databases to service the web site.

We use reasonable precautions to keep the information disclosed to CGMC secure. CGMC reserves the right to transfer information in connection with the sale of all or part of CGMC's assets. Furthermore, we are not responsible for any breach of security or for any actions of any third parties that receive the information.

Chat Rooms, Bulletin Boards and Message Boards

This website may have chat rooms, bulletin boards and other forums available to its users. If so, these forms are subject to our terms of service or the terms of service stated by the provider of the hosted service. You may be required to provide PII when using these areas. If you post PII online, it will be publicly available and you may receive unsolicited messages from third parties. CGMC cannot ensure the security of any information you choose to make public in these forums. In addition, we cannot ensure that parties who have access to such publicly available information will respect your privacy. Please exercise caution when deciding to disclose personal information in these areas.

What else should you know about your privacy when online?

This website is operated in the United States of America. If you are located outside of the United States, please be aware that any information you provide will be transferred to the United States. By using this website you consent to this transfer.

Please keep in mind that whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information online, for example through e-mail, discussion lists, or elsewhere, that information can be collected and used by others. In short, if you post personal information online that is accessible to the public, you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties in return.

Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your personal information. Please be careful and responsible whenever you are online.

CGMC will maintain any PII you provide for as long as commercially reasonable (as determined by CGMC in its sole discretion) or until you opt in or out of receiving CGMC newsletters and/or e-mails.

Children’s Privacy

We do not respond to inquiries from minors (any person under the age of 18) nor do we knowingly collect information from minors.  CGMC has designed this policy in order to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

Your consent to this agreement

By using the CGMC website, you consent to the collection and use of information by CGMC as specified above.

Security

CGMC has put in place (or has required its data management agents to put in place) appropriate physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and help prevent unauthorized access, maintain data security and correctly use the information CGMC collects on-line.  Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that PII that CGMC collects will never be disclosed in a manner that is inconsistent with this Privacy Policy.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding this privacy policy please contact us at the following email address: privacy@cgmc.org.