Privacy Policy

Truth in Advertising, Inc. (TINA.org) respects the privacy of everyone who visits our website (the “Site”).  By accessing and using this Site, you are agreeing to this Privacy Policy.  If you do not wish to accept this Privacy Policy, you should immediately cease all use of the Site.  Your continued use of the Site shall constitute your acceptance of this policy.

1. Collection and Use of Personal Information

For purposes of this Privacy Policy, personal information is defined as data that can be used to uniquely identify or contact a single person.

1. Personal Information Collected by TINA.org

The personal information that may be collected by TINA.org in connection with your use of the Site includes your:

• Full name;
• Address;
• Phone number; and
• E-mail address.

2. TINA.org’s Use of Personal Information

TINA.org collects personal information for a number of reasons.

First, personal information helps us develop, deliver, and improve our services and content.

Second, it allows us to send important notices, such as electronic newsletters, communications about new deceptive advertisements, and alerts regarding users’ account status.

Third, it allows us to conduct internal functions, such as auditing, data analysis, and research to improve TINA.org’s services and consumer communications.

3. Protection of Personal Information

TINA.org takes precautions – including administrative, technical, and physical measures – to safeguard your personal information against loss, theft, and misuse, as well as against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction.

With respect to TINA.org’s Site, TINA.org uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption on all web pages where personal information is collected.

When you post comments on the TINA.org Site, any personal information you share is visible to other users and can be read, collected, or used by them.  You are responsible for the personal information you choose to submit in these instances.  For example, if you list your name and e-mail address in a comment, that information is public.

4. Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties

Under the following circumstances, TINA.org may make certain personal information available to third parties.

First, TINA.org may share your personal information with third parties if you grant us permission to do so.

Second, TINA.org may share personal information with third parties who provide services to TINA.org such as auditing, data analysis, and research to improve TINA.org’s services and consumer communications.

Third, it may be necessary – due to certain laws and/or requests from public and governmental authorities – for TINA.org to disclose your personal information to law enforcement and governmental authorities.  TINA.org may also disclose information about you if we determine that, for purposes of national security, law enforcement, or other issues of public importance, disclosure is necessary or appropriate.

Fourth, TINA.org may disclose information about you if we determine that disclosure is reasonably necessary to enforce our terms and conditions, or protect our operations or users.

Finally, in the event of a reorganization, merger, or sale, we may transfer any and all personal information we collect to the relevant third party.

5. Integrity and Retention of Personal Information

TINA.org will retain your personal information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

6. Access to Personal Information

You are responsible for ensuring that your personal information is accurate, complete, and up-to-date.  You can do so by logging into your account at the top of the page.

2. Collection and Use of Non-Personal Information

TINA.org also collects non-personal information (i.e., data in a form that does not permit direct association with any specific individual).

1. Non-Personal Information Collected by TINA.org

The non-personal information collected by TINA.org in connection with your use of the Site includes, but is not limited to:

• Your age;
• Your gender;
• Your area code;
• Your zip code;
• Information regarding consumer activities on our Site; and
• Information regarding deceptive advertisements you report to TINA.org.

2. TINA.org’s Use of Non-Personal Information

We may collect, use, transfer, and disclose non-personal information for any purpose.

For purposes of this Privacy Policy, if we combine non-personal information with personal information, the combined information will be treated as personal information for as long as it remains combined.

3. Cookies and Other Technologies

TINA.org’s website, online services, interactive applications, and e-mail messages may use “cookies” and other technologies.  These technologies help us better understand user behavior, tell us which parts of our website people have visited, and facilitate and measure the effectiveness of web searches.  We treat information collected by cookies and other technologies as non-personal information.  As stated above, to the extent non-personal information is combined with personal information, we treat the combined information as personal information for the purposes of this Privacy Policy.  If you want to disable cookies, check with your web browser provider to find out how to do so.  (Note: if you do disable cookies, the login/register feature on the TINA.org Site may not work).

As is true of most websites, we gather some information automatically and store it in log files.  This information includes, but is not limited to, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, operating system, and date/time stamp.  We may use this information to understand and analyze trends, to administer the Site, to learn about user behavior on the Site, and to gather demographic information about our user base as a whole.

4. Information Collected by Third Parties

TINA.org uses a third-party analytics provider, Google Analytics, to analyze the data collected through users’ interactions with the Site.  We urge you to read Google Analytics’ Terms of Service.

TINA.org uses a third-party marketing service, Salsa, to send electronic newsletters to TINA.org users and to allow users to sign petitions.  If you receive such newsletters or participate in petitions posted on TINA.org’s website, we urge you to read Salsa’s Privacy Policy.

TINA.org uses a third-party marketing vendor, Google DoubleClick, to provide information regarding the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns.  We urge you to read Google’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

TINA.org uses a third-party polling service, Polldaddy, to allow TINA.org users to participate in polls on TINA.org’s website.  If you participate in such polls, we urge you to read Polldaddy’s Privacy Policy.

The Site also gives users the option to donate money to TINA.org.  When users choose to donate money to TINA.org, they are required to provide certain financial information (e.g., credit card information).  Such information is collected, processed, maintained, and secured by a third party called Network for Good.  TINA.org does not collect or have access to users’ financial information.  If you are considering donating to TINA.org, we urge you to read Network for Good’s Privacy Policy.

5.  Children

We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 13.  If we learn that we have collected the personal information of someone under 13, we will take steps to delete the information as soon as possible.

6. Third-Party Sites and Services

The Site may contain links to third-party websites, products, and services.  Information collected by third parties, which may include such things as contact details, is governed by their privacy practices.  We encourage you to learn about the privacy practices of those third parties before submitting any personal information to those sites.

7. Additional TINA.org Web Pages

In addition to the Site, TINA.org also posts information on web pages hosted by third parties, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.  Your use of those web pages is governed by the individual privacy policies of the third parties that host the websites.  We encourage you to learn about the privacy practices of those third parties.

8. Privacy Questions

If you have any questions or concerns about TINA.org’s Privacy Policy or data processing, please contact us at [email protected].

TINA.org may update its Privacy Policy from time to time.  When we change the policy in a material way, a notice will be posted on our Site along with the updated Privacy Policy.