Privacy Notice

Privacy Notice

 

This Privacy Notice (“Notice”) describes how the Family Caregivers Center of Mercy Online Community collects, uses, shares, or discloses the personal information you provide, and your choices regarding the use of your personal information when you:

  1. a) Visit https://online.familycaregiverscenter.org, (“Site”);
  2. b) Access, use, subscribe, join, or engage in our online discussion forums or related services offered by us, or contribute content to us (collectively, “Services”); or
  3. c) Interact with us in any way, including registering for, attending, or otherwise participating in our events, virtual sessions, or surveys (collectively, “Activities”).

In connection with the use of this Site and Services, users may provide personal information relating to care receiver health conditions, demographics, contact information, and other information. This Notice informs you of our practices with respect to the online collection, use, and disclosure of personal information by means of the Services. We reserve the right to change, modify, add, or remove provisions of this Notice, and any changes to this Notice will be posted on this Site.

Please refer back to this Notice regularly because your use of this Site signifies that you agree to be bound by this Notice, as might be amended from time to time.

 

 

Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on the context of your interactions with the Site and the choices you make, including your privacy settings, the features you use, and applicable law. In some cases, we receive information directly from you, such as your name and email address when you create a profile. In other cases, we receive information through your use of our Services.

  1. Information You Provide Directly to Us

We collect the following information when you use our Site and Services:

  • Contact information
    • We collect your contact information when you use our Services. For example, when you register as a member we collect your name and email address.
  • Account information
    • We collect information about you and your profile (e.g., username, user ID, password, and date of profile creation). Usernames should not disclose personal information. When posting messages to the discussion forums, usernames are public.
  • Identity Related information
    • If you choose to create a profile and self-report on your care recipient’s condition, we collect that demographic information
  • Activity Related information
    • When you engage with our Activities, we collect information provided by you, including through form submissions or email communications to us. We also collect information you provide to us when you interact with the Site in the discussion forums or at events.
  • Any information you voluntarily provide to us, such as when you provide responses to our surveys or report an issue with our Site (e.g., contents of a message or attachments that you send to us).

 

  1. Information Collected Automatically

When you use or interact with the Site and Services, we automatically collect or receive certain information about your usage of our Sites and Services. This information includes:

  • Anonymized Usage Information – We collect anonymized statistical information about usage on our Sites and Services. This information includes usage details (e.g., frequency, and pages accessed) to help with improving our site and its content.

 

What Information About You Do We Collect?

You may view some content on this Site without becoming a member of the Site. However, you must register in order to post a profile, submit items for discussion, write comments about discussion entries, post a message, or communicate with others via the Services. On the registration page, you are asked to provide certain personal information, including a functioning e-mail address at which we may contact you. Upon registering, you become a Member.

You have the option to provide additional personal information, for example, to create an extended online profile. In addition, it is possible for you to provide personal information about yourself when you post content on the Service or communicate with other registered Members.

 

 

How We Use Information

We use the information we collect in the following ways:

  • Operate and provide our Site and Services – We use your information to operate and administer our Site, and to provide, operate, monitor, and maintain our Services.
  • Provide and improve functionality – We use your information to provide users with the functionality required to provide a beneficial user experience during use of our Site and Services.
  • Communicate with you about our Services – We use your personal information to communicate with you about your access to and usage of our Services, which includes sending you updates and administrative messages (e.g., notification of changes to our terms and conditions, invitations to join Services, or requests to contribute to our community discussion groups).
  • Handle contact and support requests – If you contact us (e.g., for technical help), we use your information to communicate with you. We also use your personal information to respond to your comments or questions.
  • Promote the security of our Site and Services – We use your information to investigate and mitigate fraudulent transactions, unauthorized access to Services, and other malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity.
  • Legal, regulatory, safety and compliance purposes – We process your information to comply with applicable laws or regulations and to review compliance with our usage terms.
  • Other purposes – If we need to use your personal information for other purposes not described above, we will notify you in advance and ask for your consent.

The profile you create on our site will be visible to members of the Site unless otherwise indicated. You may change the privacy settings of your profile through your account settings.  You can control how your profile and the data it contains are shared on the Site by using the privacy settings available to you in the account settings section of the Site. Additionally, when you post information on the Site community groups, such as by creating or replying to discussions, that information is considered to have been publicly disclosed by you and is no longer considered personal information for purposes of this Notice.

We do not share, sell, or otherwise disclose individually identifiable personal information to any entity that we do not control, without your prior consent, except as required by law. For example, we do not sell our Member lists.

 

 

How We Share Information

We share your personal information with third parties as required by law and as needed to deliver our Site and Services. We only share personal information on a need-to-know basis where appropriate safeguards and contractual arrangements are in place and as described below.

 

  1. Third-Party Service Providers

We work with third-party service providers that require access to your information to support our operations and delivery of Services. We use industry best practices to safeguard your personal information. The third parties that we share your information with include:

  • Cloud hosting providers to provide data storage and processing services.
  • These service providers are authorized to use your personal information only as necessary to provide services to us.

 

  1. Law Enforcement, Officials, or Public Authorities

We disclose your personal information when disclosure is:

  • Reasonably necessary to comply with any applicable law or regulation.
  • Required by law to comply with a legal process, or government request.
  • Necessary to enforce our agreements and this Notice.
  • Necessary to protect the security or integrity of our Site and Services.

 

 

How We Protect Your Information

We use reasonable and appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the information that we have about you. We also require third-party service providers acting on our behalf or with whom we share your information to maintain security measures in accordance with industry standards.

Although we have security safeguards in place, we cannot guarantee absolute security in all situations. If you have any questions about our security practices, please contact us. It is also important that you maintain the security and control of your account credentials, and not share your password with anyone

 

 

Third-Party Services, Applications, and Websites

Our Site and Services may contain links to other websites not operated or controlled by us. Certain third-party services, applications, or websites used to navigate to and from our Sites and Services have separate user terms and privacy notices that are independent of this Notice.

We are not responsible for the content, accuracy or opinions expressed in such websites. We recommend carefully reviewing the terms and privacy notices of each third-party website, prior to their use.

 

 

Your Privacy Choices

You can set up privacy settings, email preferences, and community notifications on the Site under the My Account tab from My Profile on the Site.  The Site has been set up with default settings which likely will cover general use preferences, however, you have the ability to change them if you prefer.

 

 

Minimum Age Requirements to Use Our Site

To use our Site and Services, you must be old enough to consent to the processing of your personal information in your jurisdiction. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18. If you are under the age of 18, do not use this Site.

 

 

Your Choices

You are not required to provide any personal information in order to view information that appears on the public parts of the Site. However, in order to post content or see profiles of Members or communicate with Members, you must register. When you register, you must provide the personal information designated as "required" on the registration page.

If you do not wish us to use or disclose personal information that you provide through this Site as disclosed in this Statement, you should not create an account.

 

 

Governing Law

Any dispute which may arise over privacy will be subject to this Statement and the provisions of law of the State of Iowa.

 

Effective Date

This Notice is effective as of 9/2024