Privacy Policy

FREEDOM HOUSE ONLINE PRIVACY POLICY

Freedom House believes strongly in protecting the integrity and privacy of personally identifiable information gathered from visitors and subscribers to our website. This Privacy Policy explains our collection and handling of personally identifiable information received from you in communications and transactions conducted on or through this website. It does not apply to any other information received or collected by us through any other means.

In addition to its main institutional website (freedomhouse.org), Freedom House maintains several program websites that serve different purposes and collect different kinds of personal information. Freedom House policy dictates that each of its websites posts a privacy policy relevant to uses of that particular website. Any privacy policy provided on any specific Freedom House-branded website will always supersede this general policy. Please check the Freedom House website(s) that you use for the applicable privacy policy.

Please review this Privacy Policy periodically as we may modify it from time to time. Each time you visit our website or provide us with online information, you are accepting and agreeing to our Privacy Policy and practices as then in effect.

Information We Collect and How it is Used

This notice applies to all information collected or submitted on the Freedom House website. Throughout our website, you can make information requests, sign- up for various Freedom House programs, register to receive program updates or resource materials, or make financial contributions. Freedom House collects only the personal information voluntarily provided through this website. This may include, but is not limited to, your name, email address, contact information, credit card information and any other demographic data or details related to your background or interests that you choose to provide.

We generally do not collect personally identifiable information about you on our website without your permission. However, we place email links on our site to allow you to contact us directly and we may otherwise collect your email address through technical means. The information that you provide us or that we collect is used to respond directly to your questions or comments and to more efficiently operate our site. We also may use these addresses in fundraising recruitment initiatives. All of our emails contain a link for you to unsubscribe or modify your profile.  You may also subscribe or unsubscribe to any newsletter or email communication from Freedom House at any time.

Freedom House does not share personal information provided by you through its website with any other institution, company, government or governmental agency or other organization. Freedom House is obligated to disclose personal information in exceptional cases as required by United States law, including a subpoena.

Freedom House uses the information you provide about yourself for various services, which are disclosed to you when you provide the information. Examples include email newsletters, invitations to Freedom House events, or for information alerts about Freedom House programs or activities. In some cases, Freedom House uses this information, including the email addresses and contact information gathered from our websites, for fundraising activities.

Use of Cookies and IP addresses
Additionally, the Freedom House website uses web cookies—a mechanism by which a website and a web browser can jointly “remember” information within or between browsing sessions. Cookies are useful because they can improve the user experience. However, cookies have been subject to criticism because they also can be employed to invisibly assemble information about user’s browsing habits for marketing purposes.

Freedom House uses cookies only to improve the user experience within the context of a single browser session or between site visits and not for any form of information gathering about user browsing. Cookies may contain a “key,” so that you do not need to login every time you visit a new page, or when you return to the Freedom House website from the same computer at a later date. Remember, if you are using a public computer, and you fail to log out from a Freedom House website after finishing your session, another person may be able to access your account.

We also may log internet protocol (IP) addresses and browser types for system administration purposes, to diagnose problems with our site and to gather broad demographic information about our visitors. An IP address is associated with the access point through which a visitor enters the Internet. By itself, an IP address is not personally identifiable, but we may combine IP addresses with personally identifiable information. IP addresses enable us to collect information about the frequency with which users visit our site, and enable us to track user activity and click-through behavior. Combining IP addresses with personal information enables us to personalize emails to our visitors and improve the effectiveness of our communications and our users’ online experience.

Information collected on Freedom House websites is never used for commercial purposes.

Our Partners and Other Third Parties

This Freedom House privacy policy does not apply to such websites that are developed and maintained by Freedom House partners with whom Freedom House provides financial or technical assistance. Freedom House would typically encourage these partners to develop and implement their own privacy policies for information collected on their websites. It is Freedom House policy never to take possession of or use personal information provided to partners through these kinds of websites.

We may update and supplement personally identifiable information that we collect from you with other information that we obtain from third parties. In addition, we often collect information about persons and organizations who are not yet visitors to our website. When we associate information that we obtain from third parties with personally identifiable information collected under this Privacy Policy, all such information is handled under this Privacy Policy.

Our website may include links to sites operated by other parties.  Some of these other websites may contain our name and trademarks -- others may not. When you click on these links and visit these other websites, regardless of whether or not they contain our name and trademarks, you should know that we do not control these other websites, or the business practices of the owners or operators thereof, and this Privacy Policy does not apply to such other sites. Any information you submit to a linked site or which is collected by a linked site will be subject to the privacy policies of those sites, if any. Also, the operators of those sites may collect different kinds of information about you and may use and disclose that information in different ways than we would if collected on our site.  You should review those policies carefully as we are not responsible for those other sites or for the actions of their operators.
  
You should never disclose your password to any third parties.  If you lose control of your password, you may lose substantial control over your personal information and may be subject to legally binding actions taken on your behalf. You may also suffer identity theft.  Therefore, if your password has been compromised for any reason, you should immediately change your password. Experts recommend that you regularly change your password, that it be at least 8 elements and include both letters and numbers and that you not leave your password on documents on or around your computer.

Use of Materials, Data and Information

The materials on Freedom House's website are provided "as is". Freedom House makes no warranties, expressed or implied, and hereby disclaims and negates all other warranties, including without limitation, implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement of intellectual property or other violation of rights. Further, Freedom House does not warrant or make any representations concerning the accuracy, likely results, or reliability of the use of the materials on its Internet web site or otherwise relating to such materials or on any sites linked to this site.

In no event shall Freedom House or its suppliers be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, damages for loss of data or profit, or due to business interruption,) arising out of the use or inability to use the materials on Freedom House's Internet site, even if Freedom House or a Freedom House authorized representative has been notified orally or in writing of the possibility of such damage. Because some jurisdictions do not allow limitations on implied warranties, or limitations of liability for consequential or incidental damages, these limitations may not apply to you.

The materials appearing on Freedom House's web site could include technical, typographical, or photographic errors. Freedom House does not warrant that any of the materials on its web site are accurate, complete, or current. Freedom House may make changes to the materials contained on its web site at any time without notice. Freedom House does not, however, make any commitment to update the materials.

How We Secure Your Information

Freedom House is extremely sensitive to the security of the information gathered through this site.  We utilize security measures to protect against loss, misuse or alteration of the information under our control.  Our web server is located in a remote, secure environment and all databases containing personal information are encrypted.  All financial transactions conducted on this site are processed by a secure server with encryption.

WHILE WE TAKE COMMERCIALLY REASONABLE STEPS TO PROTECT AGAINST UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO PERSONAL INFORMATION HELD BY US OR STORED ON OUR SERVERS, NEITHER FREEDOM HOUSE NOR ANY OFFICER, DIRECTOR, MEMBER OR AGENT THEREOF CAN WARRANT THAT OUR SITE AND/OR OUR STORAGE FACILITIES WILL NEVER BE SUBJECT TO AN UNAUTHORIZED INTRUSION, DIVERSION, EQUIPMENT FAILURE OR OTHER ERROR. ACCORDINGLY, WE HEREBY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY RESULTING FROM ANY SUCH ACTIONS OR EVENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY AND ALL DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR ANY VIOLATION OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY OR ANY BREACH OF YOUR PRIVACY, REGARDLESS OF CAUSE, SHALL BE FOR YOU TO DISCONTINUE YOUR USE OF THIS SITE.

How to Unsubscribe

All Freedom House online communication provides information on how to unsubscribe quickly and easily.  Those wishing to opt out of receiving communications from Freedom House can simply contact our us at [email protected], via phone 202-296-5101, or via postal mail at 1850 M Street, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20036.

How To Correct Information You Have Provided

You may correct and/or change any of your personal information by contacting us at [email protected] or by calling 202-296-5105.

How To Contact Us About Privacy

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, the information we have collected from you online, the practices of this site or your interaction with this website, please send us an email at:  [email protected].