Privacy Policy

September 2, 2023

Your privacy is a priority for SIES, LLC d.b.a the SIE Society (“SIES”). In order to maintain efficient service while respecting your privacy and protecting any personal information you share with us, SIES has adopted and adheres to the following Privacy Policy (the “privacy policy”). This privacy policy is incorporated into and an integral part of the Website Terms and Conditions of Use Agreement.

This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website (siesociety.org), SIES Community Connect and our mobile application, including any other media form, media channel, mobile website, or mobile application related or connected thereto (collectively, the “Website”). Please read this privacy policy carefully.  If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the Website.

We reserve the right to make changes to this privacy policy at any time and for any reason. We will alert you about any changes by updating the “Last Updated” date of this privacy policy. Any changes or modifications will be effective immediately upon posting the updated privacy policy on the Website, and you waive the right to receive specific notice of each such change or modification.

You are encouraged to periodically review this privacy policy to stay informed of updates. You will be deemed to have been made aware of, will be subject to, and will be deemed to have accepted the changes in any revised privacy policy by your continued use of the Website after the date such revised privacy policy is posted.

Specifically, this privacy policy covers the following topics:

 

Information Collection  

This privacy policy applies to information that SIES collects (i) on the Website, (ii) through other platforms (and providers) used in connection with the conferences, meetings, webinars, resources, templates, publications, events and other services and products that we provide (collectively, “services and products”), and (iii) by telephone, email, text message, letter, or other methods of communication. When you use our services or products (including, without limitation, by using a template, attending a conference or webinar, etc.), we collect (i) information provided voluntarily and (ii) information collected automatically. Please note that you may decline to share your personal information with us, in which case we may not be able to provide you with certain services or products.

We may collect information about you in a variety of ways. The information we may collect on the Website includes the information described below.

  • Visitor or Member Information: We will collect personally identifiable information that you provide to us, including, but not limited to, your name, employer’s name, job title, mailing address(es), e-mail address(es), telephone number(s), fax number, and demographic information, such as your age, gender, hometown, etc. that you voluntarily give to us to join SIES, set up your membership account on the Website or when you choose to participate in various activities related to the Website such as SIES Community Connect, our mobile application, including our online chats and message boards. Such information is necessary to facilitate your access to, use of, purchase of, or participation in our service and product offerings, including, but not limited to: membership; events, webinars, meetings, and conferences; educational programs; and online forums. You are under no obligation to provide us with personal information of any kind, however your refusal to do so may prevent you from using certain features of the Website and our mobile application.
  • Payment Information: If you choose to purchase a product or service, we and/or our third-party vendors and payment processors will collect your payment information, including, but not limited to, your credit or debit card number, card verification value (CVV) number, and expiration date. We store only very limited, if any, financial information that we collect. Otherwise, all financial information is stored by our payment processor(s). and you are encouraged to review their privacy policy and contact them directly for responses to your questions.
  • Enrollment, Registration, and Order Forms: In order to enroll in or register for a SIES program, to attend a SIES program, event, meeting, webinar, or conference, or to request or order a SIES product or service, you may be required to fill out a registration or order form (either online or in writing) and provide personally identifiable information, which we will use to process your registration or order. In certain circumstances, a program, event, meeting, webinar, or conference accessed through the Website (or online) may be jointly sponsored or co-sponsored with another organization(s), and enrollment or registration may or may not be handled by SIES. In the event enrollment or registration is not handled by SIES this privacy policy will not apply – instead, such third party’s privacy policy will apply and be controlling. Please note that SIES is not responsible for the privacy policies of such other organizations or their collection, use, sharing, or other processing of your personal or other information, and SIES hereby disclaims any liability or responsibility in connection therewith. In addition, we may share attendee lists with other attendees as well as our sponsors and exhibitors.
  • Automated Information: Information our servers automatically collect when you access the Website includes information such as your IP address, your browser type, your operating system, your access times, and the pages you have viewed directly before and after accessing the Website. If you are using our mobile application, this information may also include your device name and type, your operating system, your phone number, your country, your likes and replies to a post, and other interactions with the application and other users via server log files, as well as any other information you choose to provide.
  • Cookies: Cookies are pieces of stored information on a user’s computer or device that are used to provide smoother navigation throughout the Website, such as to store a saved password; to identify user trends, such as page views; and for other internal purposes, such as to assess the effectiveness of the Website. You will be asked to consent to the use of cookies in accordance with this privacy policy when you visit the Website. You have the option of setting your computer to disable cookies or to alert you when cookies are being used. If you choose to disable cookies, please be aware that portions of the Website may not function properly.
  • Log Files: Log files store information such as a user’s IP address, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, and number of clicks. Like most websites, the SIES Website uses log files to analyze trends, administer the Website, and track users’ movement on the Website.
  • Facebook Permissions: The Website and our mobile application may by default access your Facebook basic account information, including your name, email, gender, birthday, current city, and profile picture URL, as well as other information that you choose to make public. We may also request access to other permissions related to your account, such as friends, checkins, and likes, and you may choose to grant or deny us access to each individual permission. For more information regarding Facebook permissions, refer to the Facebook Permissions Reference page.
  • Data From Social Networks: User information from social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Twitter, including your name, your social network username, location, gender, birth date, email address, profile picture, and public data for contacts, if you connect your account to such social networks. If you are using our mobile application, this information may also include the contact information of anyone you invite to use and/or join our mobile application.
  • Mobile Device Data: Device information, such as your mobile device ID, model, and manufacturer, and information about the location of your device, if you access the Website from a mobile device.
  • Third-Party Data: Information from third parties, such as personal information or network friends, if you connect your account to the third party and  grant the Website permission to access this information.
  • Data From Contests, Giveaways, and Surveys: Personal and other information you may provide when entering contests or giveaways and/or responding to surveys.
  • Mobile Application Information: If you connect using our mobile application:
  • Geo-Location Information:We may request access or permission to and track location-based information from your mobile device, either continuously or while you are using our mobile application, to provide location-based services. If you wish to change our access or permissions, you may do so in your device’s settings.
  • Mobile Device Access:We may request access or permission to certain features from your mobile device, including your mobile device’s bluetooth, calendar, camera, contacts, microphone, reminders, sensors, SMS messages, social media accounts, storage, and other features. If you wish to change our access or permissions, you may do so in your device’s settings.
  • Mobile Device Data:We may collect device information (such as your mobile device ID, model and manufacturer), operating system, version information and IP address.
  • Push Notifications:We may request to send you push notifications regarding your account or our mobile application. If you wish to opt-out from receiving these types of communications, you may turn them off in your device’s settings.

Information Use 

SIES uses the information that we collect to provide our services and products and to operate our business. We may use and store such information for legitimate and lawful business purposes, for example, in order to:

  • create and manage your membership account;
  • provide a service or product you requested;
  • secure your membership status;
  • fulfill and manage your membership benefits and purchases, orders, payments and other transactions;
  • analyze, evaluate, and improve member and prospective member needs, interests and trends, and improve the member and prospective member experience;
  • notify you (via email, telephone, mail and other means) of SIES official business, news, activities, programs, events, meetings, conferences, services, products, benefits and offer new products, services and recommendations to you;
  • contact you (via email, telephone, mail and other means) regarding your member account, registrations or orders of our products and services;
  • send you newsletters and other communications;
  • deliver targeted advertising, coupons, newsletters, and other information regarding promotions and the Website and our mobile application to you;
  • increase the efficiency and operation of the Website and our mobile application;
  • track event, meeting, and conference attendance;
  • prepare member, attendee, sponsor and other lists and share or license such lists with third parties including, without limitation, other members, attendees, sponsors and exhibitors;
  • prepare invoices and process payments;
  • compile anonymous statistical data and analysis for use internally or with third parties;
  • respond to communications and inquiries that you send to us;
  • respond to a notice of alleged copyright infringement;
  • promote the function, safety and security of our services;
  • perform other business and association activities as needed;
  • assist law enforcement and respond to subpoena; and
  • for other legitimate and lawful business purposes.

For individuals located in the European Economic Area, we rely on multiple legal bases to collect, use, share, or otherwise process your personal data, including that:

  • you have given consent, which you may withdraw at any time;
  • it is necessary for us to perform a contract with you;
  • it is necessary for us to comply with legal obligations;
  • it is necessary for our or a third party’s legitimate interests;
  • it is necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions; and/or
  • it is necessary to protect someone’s life.

To the extent we rely on our legitimate interests as a legal basis to collect, use, share, or otherwise process your personally identifiable information and data, those interests include: providing a product or service you requested; securing your membership status; fulfilling your membership benefits; analyzing, evaluating, and improving member and prospective member needs and interests; notifying you of SIES official business, news, activities, programs, events, meetings, conferences, services, products, and benefits; tracking event, meeting, and conference attendance; preparing invoices and processing payments; responding to communications and inquiries that you send to us; responding to a notice of alleged copyright infringement; and promoting the function, safety and security of our services.

Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share information we have collected about you in certain situations with a third party in order to complete a specific business transaction on behalf of SIES or other legitimate purposes including the following:

  • Your name and contact information, as provided to SIES, may be shared with SIES’s partners, exhibitors, sponsors, or other members to provide a service, fulfill a contractual obligation, satisfy a question, or develop a prospective business relationship. We are not responsible for members’ use or misuse of your personal information.
  • Your name and contact information, as provided to SIES, may appear on registration or attendee lists distributed at SIES programs, events, meetings, and conferences to other attendees and third parties including, but not limited to, exhibitors or sponsors. We are not responsible for use or misuse of your personal information by exhibitors, sponsors, or the like.
  • We may share your personal information with third parties that provide services to SIES including, but not limited to, administration/operation support; marketing, promotions, and communications; program, event, meeting, or conference enrollment, registration, planning, hosting, or management; website hosting; database management; data analysis; hosting services; payment processing; or other data processing.
  • We may sell your name and contact information with our business partners to offer, advertise or market their products, publications and/or services to you.
  • We may disclose personally identifiable information if we become subject to a subpoena, court order, or law enforcement or other government agency inquiry or investigation or if we are otherwise legally required to disclose such information. We also may use and disclose information about you to establish or exercise our legal rights, to enforce the Website Terms and Conditions of Use Agreement or our other policies, to assert and defend against legal claims, or if we believe such disclosure is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take other action regarding actual or suspected illegal or fraudulent activities or potential threats to the physical safety or well-being of any person.
  • If you interact with other users of the Website, SIES Community Connect and/or our mobile application, those users may see your name, profile photo, and descriptions of your activity, including sending invitations to other users, chatting with other users, liking posts, following blogs.
  • When you post comments, contributions or other content to the Website, SIES Community Connect or our mobile applications, your posts may be viewed by all users and may be publicly distributed outside the Website, SIES Community Connect and our mobile application in perpetuity.
  • We may use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit the Website or our mobile application. These companies may use information about your visits to the Website and our mobile application and other websites that are contained in web cookies in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you.
  • If all or part of SIES is merged into, acquired by or otherwise transferred to another entity, we may transfer the personal information you provided to us to such successor entity as part of that transaction. If we go out of business or enter bankruptcy, your information would be an asset transferred or acquired by a third party. You acknowledge that such transfers may occur and that the transferee may decline honor commitments we made in this privacy policy.

We are not responsible for the actions of third parties with whom you share personal or sensitive data, and we have no authority to manage or control third-party solicitations. If you no longer wish to receive correspondence, emails or other communications from third parties, you are responsible for contacting the third party directly.

Tracking Technologies

Cookies and Web Beacons

We may use cookies, web beacons, tracking pixels, and other tracking technologies on the Website and our mobile application to help customize the Website and our mobile application and improve your experience. When you access the Website or our mobile application, your personal information is not collected through the use of tracking technology. Most browsers are set to accept cookies by default. You can remove or reject cookies, but be aware that such action could affect the availability and functionality of the Website or our mobile application. You may not decline web beacons. However, they can be rendered ineffective by declining all cookies or by modifying your web browser’s settings to notify you each time a cookie is tendered, permitting you to accept or decline cookies on an individual basis.

Internet-Based Advertising

Additionally, we may use third-party software to serve ads on the Website and our mobile application, implement email marketing campaigns, and manage other interactive marketing initiatives. This third-party software may use cookies or similar tracking technology to help manage and optimize your online experience with us.  For more information about opting-out of interest-based ads, visit the Network Advertising Initiative Opt-Out Tool or Digital Advertising Alliance Opt-Out Tool.

Website Analytics 

We may also partner with selected third-party vendors, such as [Adobe Analytics,] [Google Analytics,] and others, to allow tracking technologies and remarketing services on the Website and our mobile application through the use of first party cookies and third-party cookies, to, among other things, analyze and track users’ use of the Website and our mobile application, determine the popularity of certain content and better understand online activity. By accessing the Website and/or our mobile application, you consent to the collection and use of your information by these third-party vendors. You are encouraged to review their privacy policy and contact them directly for responses to your questions. We do not transfer personal information to these third-party vendors. However, if you do not want any information to be collected and used by tracking technologies, you can visit the third-party vendor or the Network Advertising Initiative Opt-Out Tool or Digital Advertising Alliance Opt-Out Tool.

You should be aware that getting a new computer, installing a new browser, upgrading an existing browser, or erasing or otherwise altering your browser’s cookies files may also clear certain opt-out cookies, plug-ins, or settings.

External Links

There are external links to other websites throughout the Website. Please note that SIES is not responsible for the privacy policies of those other websites and hereby disclaim any liability or responsibility in connection with such linked websites.

Access to and Control of Information 

SIES takes your privacy and the protection of your personally identifiable information seriously, and we will provide you with reasonable access to and control of the personally identifiable information that you have provided to us. You may request to update your personal information or to opt in to or opt out of any service offerings at any time.

Membership Account Information: You may at any time review or change the information in your membership account by:

  • Logging into your account settings and updating your account
  • Contacting us using the contact information provided below

Upon your written request, we will terminate your account and deactivate or delete your account and information from our active databases. However, some information may be retained in our files to prevent fraud, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigations, enforce our terms of use and/or comply with legal requirements.

Emails and Communications: If you no longer wish to receive commercial correspondence, emails, or other communications from us (such as advertisements, promotions, solicitation, etc.), you may opt-out by:

  • Noting your preferences at the time you register your account with the Website
  • Logging into your account settings and updating your preferences.
  • Contacting us using the contact information provided below

If you no longer wish to receive correspondence, emails, or other communications from third parties, you are responsible for contacting the third party directly.

For individuals located in the European Economic Area, you may have additional rights concerning your personal data, such as to access, obtain a copy of, correct, or delete that information or to withdraw your consent or object to the collection, use, sharing, or other processing of that information. To make any request with respect to your personal information, please contact SIES as set forth below in the “Contact Information” section.

Data Security

We employ reasonable security measures to protect your personal information. Online registration and information, such as payment card information, will be secured using a commercially accepted method of encryption. However, please be aware that no method of electronic transmission is completely infallible, and any information disclosed online is vulnerable to interception and misuse by unauthorized parties.  Accordingly, we cannot guarantee its absolute safety. If you become aware of any breach of Website security, please contact us immediately.

Data Retention

SIES retains your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected as set forth in this privacy policy, unless otherwise required by law. We will retain and use information as necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and as otherwise set forth in this privacy policy.

Data Transfer

If you are visiting the Website from outside the United States, please be aware that you are sending information, including personal data, to the United States where our servers are located. That information may then be transferred within the United States or to other countries outside the United States other than your country of residence. Countries other than your country of residence, including the United States, may have data privacy and protection laws that differ from, and potentially provide less protection than, the applicable laws in your country of residence.

To the extent that SIES may be deemed to have transferred personal data outside of the European Economic Area, we rely on multiple legal bases for doing so. For individuals located in the European Economic Area, by providing your personal information, you consent to our use of it in accordance with this privacy policy, including the transfer of your information across international boundaries to jurisdictions anywhere in the world as permitted by applicable law. In addition, we will obtain separate and explicit consent from individuals located in the European Economic Area in connection with the provision of certain services that involve the transfer of personal data. Finally, when transferring the personal data of individuals located in the European Economic Area, we will use the standard contractual data protection clauses adopted by the European Commission, which provide safeguards for the transfer of such data, in connection with the provision of certain services that involve such transfers.

Our collection, use, sharing, and other processing of your personal information will at all times be governed by this privacy policy.

Children’s Information

Neither the SIES website (“Website”) nor its products and services are directed toward children under the age of sixteen (16). We do not knowingly collect information from or market to children. If we become aware that a child has provided us with information without parental consent, please contact us using the contact information provided below and such information will be deleted from our records.

California Privacy Rights

California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the “Shine The Light” law, permits our users who are California residents to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, information about categories of personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared personal information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to us using the contact information provided below.

If you are under 18 years of age, reside in California, and have a registered account with the Website or our mobile application, you have the right to request removal of unwanted data that you publicly post on the Website or our mobile application. To request removal of such data, please contact us using the contact information provided below, and include the email address associated with your account and a statement that you reside in California.  We will make sure the data is not publicly displayed on the Website or our mobile application, but please be aware that the data may not be completely or comprehensively removed from our systems.

Privacy Policy Updates

Should any changes be made to this privacy policy, we will post them on this page with an appropriate explanation.

Acceptance of Privacy Policy Terms

Using the SIES Website indicates your acceptance of our privacy policy. Your continued visits to the SIES Website after changes are posted to this policy will signify your acceptance of those changes.

Contact Information

If you have questions, please contact us at:

SIES, LLC

3950 Laurel Canyon Blvd.#50067, Studio City, CA 91604-9998
info@siesociety.org