PRIVACY STATEMENT

(STATEMENT LAST MODIFIED 8/23/02)

The Thyroid Foundation of America has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to protecting your privacy. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for this website: www.allthyroid.org.

Guiding Principles

The guiding principles behind our privacy policy are:

Legally Required Disclosure
We can be required to disclose personally identifiable information you choose to entrust to us by being served with judicial or other government subpoenas, warrants, or orders. If TFA receives such government orders to release your information, we must and will comply.

Cookies
At your option, you may register with our site. If you do, we will use cookies to deliver content specific to your interests and, if you wish, to save your password so you don't have to re-enter it each time you visit our site.

Unique Identifiers
Our site's registration form requires users to give us unique identifiers (user name and password), as well as topics of interest to them. We use this information to tailor visitors' experience of our site, informing them of new content in their areas of interest since their last visit.

We also require contact information (name, email address, and street address, or name and street address) when registering for paid membership with TFA. Members’ contact information is used to notify them of new content on our site in their areas of interest, to send them our newsletters and other membership materials, to inform them when their membership is due to expire, and to send them two donation appeals per year. Members may opt out of receiving future mailings; see the choice/opt out section below.

Demographic Data
Demographic data (such areas of interest or street address) is also collected at our site. Providing such data is purely optional. We use this data to notify our visitors of new information about subjects of interest to them as it becomes available. Members are notified by direct contact; registered users are notified when they revisit the site. We may also offer our visitors the opportunity to participate in surveys from time to time. Participation in such surveys is optional, and results will be published on the site.

Corporate Sponsorship
This site may be underwritten in part by corporate sponsors. We may share aggregate data with corporate sponsors about those who use our site, but we will not share personally identifiable information, nor will we initiate contact with users on their behalf.

Financial Data/Contact Information
Our site has a store where visitors can purchase books, pamphlets and brochures, and TFA promotional items. When making a purchase, visitors will be required to provide contact information (an email address or telephone number); financial information (credit card numbers); and a street address or PO box. The contact information is used to get in touch with the customer if we have questions about their order. Financial information is used to bill the customer for products ordered. Mailing addresses are used to process orders.

Financial data and contact information will be shared with agents of TFA, such as our bank, for billing purposes and confirmation of credit. They will not be shared with any other outside parties, except as may be required by law.

TFA sends two donation appeals annually to anyone from whom we’ve received funds in the previous calendar year. We may use contact information or mailing addresses provided in connection with an order to send you such an appeal. You may opt out of receiving any such appeals; see the choice/opt out section below.

Security
This site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. This site will incorporate SSL encryption during the transmission of sensitive information such as credit card information.

Children’s Guidelines
This site is expected to be of interest primarily to adults rather than to children.

Other Sites
This site contains links to other sites. The Thyroid Foundation of America is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites.

Changes to Privacy Policies
We do not anticipate changes to our privacy policies at this time; however, we reserve the right to make such changes in the future.

Registered users of our site will receive an email highlighting the change to the privacy policy and advising them to re-read this document to understand the change in context. The page indicates the last time it was updated. Text noting that a change has been made in the privacy policy will appear on the home page for the initial month after the change has been enacted. Registered users of our site who indicate an interest in our privacy policy will be notified that changes have occurred the first time they log in after the changes have been posted to the site. Paid members of TFA who indicate an interest our privacy policies will be notified proactively; we will contact them by the method they prefer.

Choice/Opt out
The services we provide are informational in nature. We collect from visitors only the contact information necessary to provide them with the services they request. Providing this information is optional. This site gives users the following options for removing their information from our database so as not to receive future communications or to no longer receive our service.

Correct/Update
Registered users and members may modify the personal information they've provided by the following means:
1. Log in at the "My AllThyroid.org" box on any page at our site and follow the link to
"change my personal data."
2. Send us email from the email address you gave us when registering.
3. Reply to email or postal mail we send you.