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Privacy Policy

HSVB&IRC is committed to protecting the private information of our web site visitors. The HSVB.ORG web site adheres to a strict policy for ensuring the privacy of personally identifiable information and preserving the integrity of this online medium. Here we explain the type of information collected from HSVB.ORG, how that information may be used, how you can access or modify that information, and how that information is protected.

I. WHICH SITES ARE COVERED BY THIS POLICY? 

 This Privacy Policy applies to HSVB.ORG (“Site”). Please note that our Site may contain links to other web sites, including, but not limited to donations processors, pet adoption database services, volunteer management services, merchandisers with whom we have Affiliate Marketing relationships, and social networking or blog sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those web sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any organization before submitting your personal information to them.

II. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE GATHER? 

 HSVB&IRC collects two types of information from visitors to the Site: (A) Personally Identifiable Information, and (B) Non-personally Identifiable Information (information such as IP Addresses and cookies, which allow for a better use of the Site). Uses of this information are discussed in Section III.

A. Personally Identifiable Information 

 HSVB&IRC will not collect personally identifiable information from you, other than what you supply to us on a voluntary basis upon request. Personally identifiable information includes, but is not limited to, name, address, e-mail address, telephone number, and credit card information. 

  • Registration for our website: Our Site may at times require a free registration, which enables full access to the information and resources offered on our Site. A unique email address must be supplied to register.
  • Online Reports and Forms: From time to time, you may elect to submit information to us using an unsecured online form which we have provided. The purposes and information requested will vary. At a minimum, an email address is required to use online forms. Other information may be required as well.
  • Paid Products and Services: While the majority of our Site is free, from time to time, we may charge fees for select products and services. To enable the purchase of these and other products, we collect your telephone number, e-mail address, billing address and credit card information.
  • Forums, Feedback and Content Submissions: On some pages of the Site, you can submit content to be published, make community postings, comments, suggestions, and vote. We may collect name, address, and e-mail addresses in connection with these activities.
  • Your submission of others’ Personally Identifiable Information: On some pages of the Site, you can submit information about other people. For example, you may submit a person’s name and email address to send an article. Additionally, through an Affiliate Marketing relationship, you may purchase a gift online and submit the person’s name, address and telephone number for delivery. This information will only be used for the stated purpose.
  • Contests, Sweepstakes and Special Offers: On occasion, we may collect personal information from users in connection with optional (i.e., you opt-in to participate in these offers) sweepstakes, contests or special offers. Such information will be used as indicated at the time of collection.
  • Listservs and E-mail Newsletters: On occasion, we may collect personal information from users in connection with optional (i.e. you opt-in to subscribe to these services) listservs and e-mail newsletters. Such information will be used as indicated at the time of collection. 

B. Non-personally Identifiable Information 

 In addition to information that you provide to us, we may also collect and store certain non-personally identifiable information automatically when using the Site. This information helps us improve the experience you and other visitors have with the Site.

 For example, we may collect your IP address, browser information and reference site domain, as well as related information such as the date on which you visit the Site. This information does not identify you personally and is only used in the aggregate.

 As is common practice among web sites, we use “cookies” and similar technologies. Cookies are text files which store your preferences orcontrol content delivery by recording your previous visits to certain pages. No personal information is ever stored in a HSVB&IRC cookie, even if you have entered your name or email address on other parts of the Site.

 You can generally prevent cookies from being used by changing the settings in your web browser, but please be aware that by doing so you may be unable to fully utilize the Site.

III. HOW DO WE USE INFORMATION GATHERED ON THE SITE? 

 Except as expressly set forth in our policies, we will not willfully disclose your personally identifiable information to any third party without first receiving your permission. We will never sell, rent, or swap your personally identifiable information with non-affiliated third parties for their own purposes.

 In terms of our own use of information, we may use your personally identifiable information for the activities described in the previous sections, and for internal purposes and marketing, promotional and fundraising purposes in support of our shelter and its operations.

 We will typically explain the extent of use at the time you are asked to provide personal information. If you do not want this information to be collected or used by us for these purposes, you can simply “opt out.” Under certain circumstances, opting out may prevent your participation in activities for which personal information is needed, as in contests.

 In certain cases, we contract with other companies to provide services on our behalf. These service providers may maintain customer databases which may hold Site users’ e-mail addresses, including: 

  • volunteers and members;
  • Site visitors who have provided them to HSVB&IRC by registering at our Site or signing up for a newsletter or listserv;
  • Site visitors who submit online forms or use Site-based email links;
  • donors who submit online contributions; or
  • online buyers who make a purchase. 

 We (which includes our service providers) will use these addresses to respond to the general purposes for which we collected the information, to provide services and to operate the Site, including to respond to inquiries, to process credit card payments and billing, shipping, e-mail distribution, list processing and analysis, promotions management, to send information about HSVB&IRC programs, Site, services, membership or to correspond about a purchase or product offers. For example, HSVB.ORG uses a third party donations processor to collect online donations, credit card processing, eCheck processing, and related tasks.

 Our service providers have access to your personally identifiable information as necessary to provide certain services on our behalf. They are required to maintain the privacy of all such information in their possession or control and can only use the information on our behalf for the purpose that we have contracted them, for example processing your order or sending you a series newsletter. They are not authorized to use your information for any other purpose.

 At times, we make customer mailing lists available to carefully screened companies whose products or services might interest individuals who have visited the Site. If you prefer that we not share your information in this way, please send an email to information@hsvb.org.

 We, or our service providers, may release personal identification information if we believe in good faith that the law or legal process requires it, we have received a valid administrative request from a law enforcement agency, or such release is necessary to protect anyone’s rights, property, or safety.

 On certain pages, including but not limited to authorized social networking and blog pages,, we offer visitors the opportunity to provide comments or other user-generated content. Any information that you disclose when posting a message to these areas, along with the screen name or ID used, becomes public. In addition, the information that you disclose in these areas may be used by us for promotional and marketing purposes. We are not responsible for any personally identifiable information that you choose to disclose in these public areas.

 We reserve the right to send you e-mail relating to your use of the Site or any of its functionalities. This includes order confirmations, renewal/expiration notices, notices of credit card problems, other transactional e-mails and notifications about major changes to our Site. If you have registered for online discussions or other services, you may receive e-mail specific to your participation in those activities.

 We offer several e-mail newsletters and listservs. If you no longer wish to receive a specific newsletter, you may opt out by following the “unsubscribe” instructions located near the bottom of each newsletter.

 We use non-personally identifiable information, such as IP addresses or demographic information (zip codes for example) to tailor our Site to the interests/locations of our users and to measure traffic within our Site.

 HSVB&IRC uses the content from the cookies to remember browser preferences, and improve our visitors’ experiences on the Site. HSVB&IRC does not sell information collected by cookies nor use the information for commerce-related purposes. While HSVB&IRC may utilize cookies to disable annoying multiple uses of promotional popups, typically HSVB&IRC will not filter content based on your preferences without permission.

 HSVB&IRC may use cookies to tell us which pages you visit and the amount of time between each page visit. The cookie does not remember any information about you or your computer; it just helps us at HSVB&IRC monitor Site usage and traffic; for example, it allows us to measure the number of repeat visitors to HSVB.ORG in a given month. This data is only used in the aggregate.

 Additionally, cookies may be used on pay sites to (1) identify the terms of any special offers you may have obtained, such as price discount or free trial period AND/OR (2) automatically sign you in so that you do not have to enter a username and password each time you visit.

IV. HOW CAN I ACCESS OR CORRECT INFORMATION? 

 Access to personally identifiable information that is collected from our Site may be accessible for a limited period of time from the point of collection, such as where a user provides an e-mail address in order to receive an e-mail newsletter or a reminder about an upcoming event. In other cases, personally identifiable information may be maintained, edited and deleted at the user’s discretion at any time after the information has been submitted to HSVB&IRC. For example, if you created a password-protected account within our Site, you may be able to access that account to review the information you provided and make corrections and updates as necessary. However this feature is not available throughout our Site where the user is not asked to create an account. Therefore, if at any time, you prefer not to receive e-mail from a service that you subscribed to without creating a personal account, simply get out by following the unsubscribe options at the bottom of each e-mail.

 You may also send an e-mail or letter to the following e-mail or street address requesting access to or correction of your personally identifiable information. For verification purposes please include your first name, last name, e-mail address and the password you use for said service. 

 HSVB.ORG
 Humane Society of Vero Beach & Indian River County, Inc.
 Post Office Box 644
 Vero Beach, FL 32961-0644
 Email:  info@hsvb.org  

V. HOW IS MY INFORMATION PROTECTED? 

 HSVB&IRC is committed to ensuring the security of the data provided to us by Site users. To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy and ensure the appropriate use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic and managerial procedures to protect the information we collect online.

VI. ACCEPTANCE OF HSVB.ORG PRIVACY POLICY TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

 By using this Site, you signify your agreement to the terms and condition of this HSVB.ORG Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the terms and conditions, please do not use the Site. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this policy at any time. Please check this page periodically for any changes. Your continued use of HSVB.ORG following the posting of any changes to these terms shall signify your acceptance of those changes. If you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail us at  information@hsvb.org  .

VII. TERMS OF USE, OTHER CONDITIONS 

 Please also make sure to read HSVB.ORG’s TERMS OF USE to understand the additional terms and conditions which apply to your use of our Site. Also, consult our Blog Rules for additional requirements governing your use of our blogs. 

 

 
 

TERMS OF USE

The following rules govern the use by you of HSVB.ORG and its authorized blogs and social networking sites, hereinafter collectively called “the web site.” The rules set forth herein apply to all materials, online communications and other information that is or becomes available on the web site (collectively, “Information”). BY SIGNING ON AND USING THE WEB SITE, YOU SPECIFICALLY AGREE TO ABIDE BY THESE RULES AND ANY MODIFICATIONS THERETO.

1. Personal Uses Permitted. The web site is an online information exchange service for the Hum,ane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County, Inc. (hereinafter, “HSVB&IRC”) and the general public. You shall not post, publish, transmit, reproduce, distribute or in any way use or exploit any Information for commercial purposes or otherwise use the Information in a manner that is inconsistent with these rules and regulations.

2. User’s Obligation to Abide By Applicable Law. In connection with the use of the web site, you shall abide by all applicable federal, state or local laws, including those pertaining to such areas as libel, slander, defamation, trade libel, product disparagement, harassment, invasion of privacy, tort, obscenity, indecency, and copyright or trademark infringement (“Applicable Law”). The Information available on the web site may include intellectual property that is protected under the copyright, trademark and other intellectual property laws of the United States and/or other countries (“Intellectual Property Laws”). Such Intellectual Property Laws generally prohibit the unauthorized reproduction, distribution or exhibition of all text, photographic and graphic (art and electronic) images, music, sound samplings and other protected materials. The violation of applicable Intellectual Property Laws may give rise to civil and/or criminal penalties.

3. Disclosure of Online Communications. You are cautioned that any online communications may not be fully confidential. In addition, you should be aware that federal postal regulations do not protect electronic mail. You should be aware that some administrative personnel of HSVB&IRC may, in the course of their regular duties, have access to communications for technical or operational purposes. HSVB&IRC may also disclose any communications to the extent permitted or required by law.

4. Prohibition Against Rogue Programming. You shall not post, transmit or make available in any way through the web site any software or other materials which contain a computer virus, trojan horse, timebomb, worm or other rogue programming (“Rogue Programming”). HSVB&IRC has no obligation to detect the presence of any Rogue Programming. Any downloading of software or other materials or any other use of the Information on the web site is at your risk, and you are advised to take adequate precautions to minimize any loss to your system caused by Rogue Programming, including use of anti-virus programs and proper backup of files.

5. Content of Information. You are responsible for the content of any Information you put on the web site and, included by reference, our authorized blogs and social networking sites. The Information posted to the web site does not necessarily reflect the views of HSVB&IRC and in no event shall HSVB&IRC assume or have any responsibility or liability for any information posted to the web site or for any claims, damages or losses resulting from the use and/or appearance of such information on the web site. HSVB&IRC has no obligation to, and does not in the normal course, monitor or control any Information that is or becomes available on the web site. HSVB&IRC reserves the right to review any Information that is or becomes available on the web site. HSVB&IRC reserves the right to refuse to post or to edit or remove, in whole or in part, any Information that is, in HSVB&IRC’s sole discretion, unacceptable, undesirable or in violation of these rules. HSVB&IRC has no obligation to exercise such reservation of rights by HSVB&IRC; however, HSVB&IRC has adopted and implemented a policy respecting the copyright law that provides for the termination in appropriate circumstances of users of the web site system or network who are repeat infringers. HSVB&IRC may terminate access for content providers or forum participants who are found repeatedly to provide or post protected material without necessary rights and permissions. By submitting information to HSVB&IRC, you grant HSVB&IRC a perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, transmit, copy and display such information in any and all media now know or hereinafter devised and represent that you have all necessary rights in such posting. While HSVB&IRC strives to provide users with the highest-quality related resources on all of its sites, we cannot and do not ensure the quality or accuracy of the non-hsvb.org content to which we link.

6. Disclaimer of Warranties. THE WEB SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF TITLE, NONINFRINGEMENT, OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. HSVB&IRC DOES NOT WARRANT THAT ANY INFORMATION IS COMPLETE OR ACCURATE, THAT THE WEB SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE OR THAT ANY INFORMATION IS FREE OF ROGUE PROGRAMMING.

7. Limitation of Damages. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, SHALL HSVB&IRC BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE WEB SITE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION USE OF OR RELIANCE ON INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE WEB SITE, INTERRUPTIONS, ERRORS, DEFECTS, MISTAKES, OMISSIONS, DELETIONS OF FILES, DELAYS IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, NONDELIVERY OF INFORMATION, DISCLOSURE OF COMMUNICATIONS, OR ANY OTHER FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE.

8. Release and Indemnity. YOU HEREBY RELEASE AND WAIVE ANY AND ALL CLAIMS AND/OR LIABILITY AGAINST HSVB&IRC ARISING FROM OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE WEB SITE. YOU ALSO AGREE TO DEFEND, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS, HSVB&IRC FROM AND AGAINST, ANY AND ALL CLAIMS OR LIABILITY, INCLUDING COSTS AND ATTORNEYS FEES, ARISING FROM OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE WEB SITE OR FAILURE TO ABIDE BY APPLICABLE LAW.

9. Modifications. These rules may be modified by HSVB&IRC from time to time and such modifications will be binding on you when placed online.

10. Terms and Conditions for Use of SHOP OUR SITE, SUPPORT OUR SHELTER. While HSVB&IRC allows you to use our Affiliate Marketing relationships with selected online merchants as a way of indirectly contributing to HSVB&IRC through “beneficial purchases,” you remain solely responsible for abiding by the Terms and Conditions imposed by these Affiliates, including the responsibility for payment of their charges. HSVB&IRC is not a party to any disputes arising between you and the Affiliate Merchandiser. In addition, HSVB&IRC cannot be responsible for advising you on the potential tax implications of your beneficial purchases.

 
 
 

SOCIAL MEDIA/BLOGGING RULES

The Humane Society of Vero Beach & Indian River County, Inc. (“HSVB&IRC”) is not responsible for the content of commenters’ posts appearing on our Social Media (“Social Media”), which includes but is not limited to Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter pages as well as our blog(s). We do not endorse comments or vouch for commenters’ truthfulness. We may not review every comment posted to our Social Media, but we reserve the right to remove or alter any comments that we find unacceptable, for any reason. Additionally, we reserve the right to include any comment posted on our Social Media elsewhere, including on our web site or in other print or promotional materials.

Our Social Media is committed to free and open dialogue, however our editors have sole discretion to enforce our Social Media rules without prior notice, and we reserve the right to amend and/or modify these rules at any time. In order to preserve a civil and respectful dialogue, HSVB&IRC expects commenters to understand and follow our guidelines listed below: • Comments that advocate pet care procedures that we deem to be inappropriate or ill-advised may, at our option, be disallowed and removed.

  • Comments that vary from the established policies and procedures of the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County may, at our option, be disallowed and removed.
  • Comments for commercial purposes, including advertisements, solicitations, contests, chain letters, are forbidden and will be taken down.
  • We do not allow comments that violate the privacy or legal rights of others, including material that is abusive, obscene, pornographic, or defamatory. Ethnic slurs and personal attacks are expressly forbidden.
  • Comments that are in a foreign language, as they cannot be verified as civil, respectful or truthful, will not be posted.
  • Please be mindful that our Social Media is intended as a forum for open discussion, so we ask that you avoid comments that are off-topic, utilize an excessive amount of capitalized words, or are overly long. Also, please avoid posting the same comment repeatedly or misrepresenting your comment as the work of another commenter. 

Furthermore, commenters that repeatedly or egregiously violate the Social Media rules may be banned from commenting and/or have their comment history removed from our Social Media.

By commenting at our Social Media, you agree to adhere to the Social Media rules listed above. If you have questions or concerns, please send them to info@hsvb.org .

 
 
 

PROTECTION TIPS

Understanding HTTPS vs. HTTP:

 Certain information you submit on this website is protected using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. Pages using SSL technology are indicated by the designation “https” prefacing the address line of your web browser. This designation means that your information is encrypted as it travels between your computer and our servers (including the servers of our trusted partners). This is the same technology used by banks to protect online banking services and online merchants to protect credit card information. Once your data reaches our servers, it is protected by hardware firewalls, secure servers, database encryption, and other security measures. From a technology standpoint, you can generally feel confident about transmitting critical information via https-designated web pages.

 In some instances on our web site, non-critical information is transmitted to us using non-secure email technology. We use normal email links throughout our site. In addition, our convenient “web forms” use non-secure email technology. You can tell that you’re using a non-secure transmission link when you see “http” in the address line of your browser. While many people argue that normal email transmission is safer than fax or other forms of communications, we still discourage you from submitting sensitive information (credit card numbers, bank account numbers, etc.) via email. Instead, use the email followed up by a phone call to communicate the critical information you need for us to have.

Is an imposter posing as the Humane Society?

Malicious imposters have been known to “pose” as banks, stock brokers, and other organizations you trust in order to trick you into providing critical personal information which can be used to perpetrate identity theft against you. Because they are so clever, you need to be especially careful. Let us share a few tips that may help keep you out of trouble.

 Every time you open a web link, whether on a web page or in an email, check the address line in your web browser to make certain it is valid. Notice small differences. For example,  http://citibank.com is not the same as  http://citibank.xyzsite.com. Beware!

 Also, when you click an email link that says, for example, “customer_service@citibank.com,” make certain the email window that opens does not show the mail going to a different address, say “customer_service@citiprank.com.” Be vigilant to protect your identity.

Will HSVB.ORG link me to other web domains?

 Yes, we do. Here are some of the ones that serve us regularly. You should feel confident when you link to them from our site and their web address appears in your browser: