Privacy Policy Statement
This is the website of The International Tree Foundation (ITF) a charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 5219549. Registered Office: International Tree Foundation, Sandy Lane, Crawley Down, West Sussex, RH10 4HS. Tel: 01342 717300. Registered Charity 1106269.
Introduction
At ITF we take your privacy very seriously and we’re committed to protecting your personal information online.
This statement explains how we collect and use the information which you give us. Our aim is to safeguard your privacy whilst providing a personalised and valuable service. Collecting personal information is necessary if we are to satisfy the expectations and requirements of our supporters.
We appreciate that you don’t want the personal information you provide to us distributed indiscriminately and here we explain how we use your personal information and let you know what rights you have regarding its use.
Personal information
In some areas of our website, we ask you to provide personal information that will enable us to contact you with information you request or that may be of interest to you, e.g. when you subscribe to our newsletters or make a donation. Examples of your personal information include your name, postal address, phone number and email address.
How is the information used?
If you have indicated that you are interested in receiving further information about our activities, we may send you direct marketing we feel may be of interest to you. You can ask us to stop sending you such information at any time by contacting us using the contact information above. We will only send you information about our work by email where you have given us your consent to do so. Emails we send you will always give you the chance to opt out of receiving further emails or alternatively, you can contact us using the contact information above. We do not send out random, untargeted emails, known as spam.
We will not disclose any of your personally identifiable information except as outlined in this policy or when we have your permission or under special circumstances, such as when we believe the law requires it.
We may occasionally use carefully selected agents to process information on our behalf, such as a mailing house to post communications to supporters. Third parties to which we transfer your information are only authorised to use that information to fulfil their contractual obligations to us and will not be permitted to use it for any other purpose. We retain full responsibility for how your personal information may be used by our agents.
Accuracy
The accuracy of your information is important to us. If you change email address or if any of the other information we hold is inaccurate or out of date please contact us using the above contact information. Any information we hold that is incorrect will be amended or deleted promptly.
Security
We place great importance on the security of your personal information and we always try to take appropriate precautions to protect it.
Our “donate” pages use take you to the Paypal site. It encrypts all of your personal information, including credit card number, name, and address, so that it cannot be read as the information travels over the Internet. While on a secure page the lock icon on the bottom of Web browsers such as Firefox and Internet Explorer becomes locked, as opposed to un-locked, or open, when you are just surfing.
Despite all of our precautions however, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. So, whilst we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information which you disclose to us online and you must understand that you do so at your own risk.
We are also concerned to protect your personal information off-line. We take steps to ensure that access to personal information is restricted to employees who need it. All ITF employees who handle personal information are kept up-to-date on our security and privacy practices. Our employees are notified and reminded about the importance we place on privacy, and what they can do to ensure your information is protected.
We cannot, however, be responsible for the theft, destruction or inadvertent disclosure of your personal information whether we hold it on or off-line.
Use of cookies
ITF use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”).
Google Analytics uses cookies to help the website analyze how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.
You may avoid the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.
Further information about cookies, including steps you can take to refuse their use, can be found at the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s website www.allaboutcookies.org.
Changes
We may make changes to this Policy from time to time. If we change our Privacy Policy we will post the changes on this page. Please revisit the policy each time you consider giving personal information.
Your acceptance of this Policy
By using our sites, you consent to the collection and use of information by ITF in accordance with our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Policy, please do not use our sites.
Your rights
Any personal information submitted via our websites is treated in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. To find out more about your entitlements under the data protection legislation, visit the Information Commissioner’s website: www.dataprotection.gov.uk.
Access to your personal information
You have the right under the Data Protection Act 1998, to request details from us of personal information which we hold about you. You can make such a request by email or by post using the above contact information. We will take steps to confirm your identity before releasing any information to you. We have the right to charge a small fee for complying with your request. We will respond to your request within 40 days, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Privacy policy for minors
The protection of children is very important to us. If you are under 18, please do not provide us with any personal information.
Children should always ask a parent or guardian for permission before sending personal information to anyone online.
We cannot guarantee the confidentiality of any messages transmitted between you and us via email as these are potentially accessible by the public. We will not be liable to you or anyone else for any loss in connection with any email message sent by you to us or by us to you.
Sensitive information
When using or subscribing to our services, you may choose to provide us with information which is defined as sensitive personal information in the Data Protection Act 1998. Examples of sensitive information include details of your ethnicity or state of health. As with all of the personal information which you provide to us, we shall use and store this information carefully in accordance with this privacy policy.
This privacy policy is governed by the laws of England and Wales.
Dated: November 2009
