Privacy Policy

EFFECTIVE AS OF: 12 SEPTEMBER, 2005
Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA) is committed to protecting the personal information that you provide to us when using the AERA Site. This Online Privacy Statement describes how we treat all user data collected during your visit to the AERA Site, both anonymous data and personally-identifying data.

AERA may occasionally update this Statement. We will post any changes on this Web page, so be sure to check back periodically. If we do make material changes, we will post a notice on our home page that the Online Privacy Statement has been modified and provide a link to the revised Online Privacy Statement. Changes will be effective after 30 working days. Any information that you submit after a change has been posted will be subject to the new provisions.

From time to time we may add new functionality that requires use of Personal Data.

User Data We Collect
We collect two types of user data: (1) anonymous data that is automatically collected from all visitors to the AERA Site; and (2) personally-identifiable data that you voluntarily submit to us (described below under “Personal Data”).

Anonymous Data
We automatically collect Internet Protocol addresses and domain names through our server and through cookies. (See the section on Cookies below for more information.) We also track the number and frequency of hits per page on an aggregate basis.

Personal Data
We may collect Personal Data that you voluntarily provide, such as your name and postal address, phone number, e-mail address, credit card information, and similar information, when you participate in certain activities on the AERA Site, including (but not limited to) when you:

  • make a contribution to support AERA;
  • sign up for our AERA e-mail network
  • register for a message board;
  • participate in any activity that requires your Personal Data.

If you join AERA or make a donation to AERA from a Web site link, we may also identify the source of that link, so that we can evaluate what content is persuading Web users to contribute to AERA.

Cookies
We collect some data through the use of cookies. Cookies are alphanumeric identifiers that are transferred either to your computer’s hard drive (“Long-term Cookies”) or temporarily to your computer’s Random Access Memory (“Session Cookies”).

We use Long-term Cookies only when you select a “remember” option on the
AERA Site, for example the “remember my login” option offered when you log on to the AERA Site, or a “remember me” option. If you select these options, a Long-term Cookie will be stored on your computer’s hard drive solely for the purpose of automatically filling in the remembered information, for example, automatically filling in your password when you log in to the AERA Site or your postal address when you write a letter to your representative. These “remember” options are offered only for your convenience and are completely voluntary. If you do not select a “remember” option, no Long-Term Cookie will be stored on your computer’s hard drive.

We may use Session Cookies whenever you visit the AERA Site to run any Site’s interactive applications. Session Cookies last only as long as your session on the AERA Site. They expire when the session ends and are not written onto your computer’s hard drive. From time to time, we may also use Session Cookies in e-mails containing the HTML-format AERA online newsletter. If you select “text-only” format for the online newsletter, it will not contain any Session Cookies.

How We Use the Data We Collect
We use anonymous data to identify the source of user traffic (for example, umich.edu, or aol.com), but we are not able to use this data to identify individual users. We use data on which sections of the AERA site are most visited, so that we can evaluate the popularity of our different Web pages and continue to improve the AERA Site. We do not link any anonymous data with the Personal Data you provide to us.

We use your Personal Data for various purposes:

  • To fulfill the request for which you specifically provided the data;
  • To send you our e-mail newsletter, AERA Online, or action alerts, if you have not opted out of receiving that information;
  • To personalize the content that you see based on the activities and products that you have selected on the AERA Site;
  • To allow you to set and change user preferences;
  • To offer you other ways to support AERA, including, in some limited cases, solicitations for additional contributions;
  • We may also share Personal Data of United States residents with an AERA development director.
  • To confirm your contribution to AERA.

The AERA Site is hosted by servers in the United States. Accordingly, if you are located outside of the United States, the Personal Data you provide to us will be transferred to the United States. By submitting your Personal Data, you consent to its transfer and storage in the United States and its use in accordance with the purposes for which it was originally collected (see below regarding third-party sharing of Personal Data from non-U.S.residents).

If you are a U.S. resident, we may also from time to time combine your Personal Data with some publicly available data collected from third parties, to improve our services to you and for our own internal marketing, communications, and fundraising purposes. We will not move, store, or transmit your Personal Data to any parties outside the United States.

Third-Party Sharing
We may share your Personal Data with third-party service providers who contact you on our behalf, or facilitate some other aspect of the AERA Site activities, services or products, including those third-party service providers we use to assist us in our own fundraising efforts. These service providers have access to your Personal Data solely for the purpose of providing these services to us on our behalf, and they are contractually prohibited from sharing your Personal Data with any other third parties.

Please note that we do not share data from non-U.S. residents with any other third parties (except where required by law, see below), even if a non-U.S. resident has subsequently authorized such use, for example, by not checking an opt-in request.

If you are a U.S. resident and donor to AERA, we may also share your Personal Data with our development officers in order to permit them to contact you regarding any local activities we think may interest you.

We may also share the Personal Data of members and donors who are U.S. residents with other non-profit organizations and publications (“Sharing Organizations”), but never to any partisan political groups or to groups whose programs are incompatible with AERA policies. We never give your Personal Data directly to the Sharing Organizations; instead we send the list to a third-party service provider that prepares the mailing for the Sharing Organization (and that is contractually bound to use your Personal Data only for this purpose and not to share it with any other third parties). The Sharing Organizations never see our list and never know what names are on it unless you respond to the Sharing Organizations’ mailing. Exchanging lists enables AERA to expand our membership base. However, if you have signed up as a member or donor on the AERA Site, you can choose to opt out of having your data shared. To learn more, read the section on “Your Ability to Choose” below.

Finally, we may disclose and use Personal Data regardless of where you reside in special circumstances when it is necessary to enforce our User Agreement or this Online Privacy Statement, or when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires us to disclose your Personal Data to third parties.

Except as described in this Online Privacy Statement, we will not share your Personal Data with any third party unless we first notify you and offer you an appropriate choice to consent to such further use, for example, through an opt-out or opt-in request.

The Site may provide, or third parties may provide, links to other sites or resources. Because AERA has no control over such sites and resources, you acknowledge and agree that AERA is not responsible for the availability of such external sites or resources, and does not endorse and is not responsible or liable for any content, advertising, products, or other materials on or available from such sites or resources. You further acknowledge and agree that AERA shall not be responsible or liable for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused in connection with use of or reliance on any such linked content, goods or services available on or through any such linked site or resource.

Your Ability to Choose
When you provide us with your Personal Data on the AERA Site, you can let us know that you do not wish to receive our online newsletter, AERA Online, or any e-mailed action alerts by un-checking the subscription request boxes on the form you are completing, by un-checking the subscription request boxes on our User Preference Page or by contacting us via postal mail sent to Webmaster, 26 Lincoln Street, Ste. 5, Brighton, MA 02135.

If you are signing up as a donor/member on the AERA Site, you can opt out of having your Personal Data shared with Sharing Organizations on the online form you are filling out or thereafter by filling out the AERA Feedback Page or by contacting the Membership Department via postal mail sent to Membership Department, 26 Lincoln Street, Ste. 5, Brighton, MA 02135.

Again, please remember that if you are a non-U.S. resident, we will not use your Personal Data beyond the purpose for which it was originally collected regardless of whether you check or un-check a box.

Children
We do not knowingly collect information from children under the age of 13.

Security
The Personal Data we collect about you is stored on a password protected server. We use reasonable encryption technologies (such as 128 bit encryption) with respect to the receipt and transfer of Personal Data you submit to us on the AERA Site and only authorized personnel have access to your information. Nevertheless, despite our best efforts, no transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.

Updating Your Data
To update your Personal Data or to make corrections, you can do so by using our emailing updatemyinfo@aeraweb.org, or by sending us the update via postal mail sent to AERA, 26 Lincoln Street, Ste. 5, Brighton, MA 02135.

Comments and Questions (requests for removal)
If you have any questions, comments or concerns about this Online Privacy Statement or our data collection practices or to request that we delete your Personal Data, you can contact us via the AERA Contact Page, or send us your questions or comments via postal mail sent to Webmaster, Ancient Egypt Research Associates, 26 Lincoln Street, Ste. 5, Brighton, MA 02135.