GENconnect™ Privacy Policy
GENconnect™ Privacy Policy Highlights
1. Personal information collected
We collect information:
- When you register an account to become a GENconnect™ user ("Member"), such as your name, e-mail, employer, country, and a password.
- When you add to your profile with further information about yourself.
- We use cookies and other technologies to recognize you and customize your experience.
- Like all websites, we automatically receive from your internet use information like your IP address, the URLs of sites from which you arrive or leave the GENconnect™ website, your type of browser, your operating system, your mobile provider, your mobile device, and your ISP.
- We retain information you provide in connection with third party services available through GENconnect™ like surveys and polls or other third party research undertaken with your consent.
2. Uses of personal information
We use the information you provide to:
- Enable you to share your information and communicate with other Members, or provide your personal details to third parties offering combined services with GENconnect™;
- Administer your account with us and customize the service we provide to you and other Members; and to
- Send you service or promotional communications through email and notices on the GENconnect™ website.
We do not sell, rent, or otherwise provide your personal identifiable information to any third parties for marketing purposes. We also provide you with the means to control whether or not your contact information is viewable to other Members through your profile.
Your information choices
You can:
- Review, enhance or edit your personal information through your personal profile page;
- Choose what information you make available to other Members through your profile;
- Change your settings to control visibility and accessibility through our website; and
- Tell us to close your GENconnect™ account.
3. Your obligations to other Members
- Do not abuse the GENconnect™ service by using it to spam, abuse, harass, or otherwise violate the Member Agreement or Privacy Policy.
4. Important information
- Notice of all changes that materially affect ways in which your personal information may be used or shared will be posted in updates to our Privacy Policy.
5. Security
- Personal information you provide will be secured with industry standards and technology. Since the internet is not a 100% secure environment, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to GENconnect™. There is no guarantee that information may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or managerial safeguards.
- You are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your unique password and account information, and for controlling access to your email communications at all times.
6.How to contact us
- If you have any questions or comments please email us at genconnect@genengnews.com or contact us at:
GEN Publishing, Inc., 140 Huguenot Street, New Rochelle, NY 10801
GENconnect™ Privacy Policy
Introduction:
GENconnect™ is a networking platform brought to you by Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) that comprise a number of Communities related to biotech and the life sciences. This multifeatured platform lets users network with top professionals and participate in important forum discussions on topics pertinent to the Communities they join. Community-specific, up-to-the-minute news, insightful articles, thought-provoking podcasts, upcoming meetings, and much more will also be delivered through GENconnect™. Additionally, GENconnect's unique Project Collaboration Tool (PCT) allows users to establish collaborations with specific GENconnect™ members to work on projects together. Collaborators can share information related to those projects in various file types, set up poject deadlines, and track project success.
Here are the three main types of information on GENconnect™:
Information about yourself that you share. This is the information that your connections, other professionals, and companies see about you. This includes your profile and your contributions to discussions on GENconnect™ Forums, PCT, or other community features GENconnect™ may offer. You have control over what you share, and you can update information at any time.
Communication. We help you communicate with connections and other professionals. Some of this is one-to-one, some of it is in groups, and some of it is public discussion. You decide how much or how little you wish to communicate to individuals or groups.
Private activity. We also provide tools that you can use privately on GENconnect™ (for example, searching, or adding notes to your connections information.) These actions and information are private and we don't share or distribute them to others on the website.
Of course, maintaining your trust is our top concern, so we adhere to the following principles to protect your privacy:
- We do not share any information you have not chosen to display on your GENconnect™ profile to other parties, unless compelled by law, or as necessary to enforce our User Agreement or protect the rights, property, or personal safety of GENconnect™, its Members, and the public.
- All information that you provide will be protected with industry standard protocols and technology.
We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please review it frequently. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here, by email, or by means of a notice on our home page. By continuing to use the GENconnect™ service after notice of changes has been sent to you or published on the GENconnect™ website, you are consenting to the changes.
Please read this policy and send us questions, concerns and suggestions at genconnect@genengnews.com
What GENconnect's Privacy Policy Covers:
- Information collected by GENconnect™.
- How GENconnect™ uses your information.
- Your information choices.
- Your obligations as a Member.
- Important information regarding service eligibility and US Department of Commerce Safe Harbor certification.
- Security.
- How to contact us.
- Personal Information Collected
We collect your personal information in the following ways:
- Registration
In order to become a Member, you must provide us the following information to create an account: name, email address, country, and password. Like other passwords, you should choose one that is known only by you. You acknowledge that this information is personal to you, and by creating an account on GENconnect™, you allow others, including GENconnect™, to identify you.
- Profile Information
Once you become a Member, you may provide additional information in the Profile section describing your skills, professional experiences, educational background, recommendations from other GENconnect™ Members, group memberships, and networking objectives. Providing additional information about yourself beyond what is minimally required at registration is entirely up to you, but providing additional information enables you to derive more benefit from GENconnect™ and your professional network by helping you build and leverage your professional network and facilitating your search for professional resources, information, and new opportunities. Any information you provide at registration or in the Profile section may be used by GENconnect™ as described in the User Agreement and this Privacy Policy, including for the purpose of serving advertisements through the service. If you decide not to share certain information, you may not receive the full benefit of being a GENconnect™ Member.
- Profile Information
In order to connect with others on GENconnect™, you may use the Services to send invitations either to their GENconnect™ profiles or email addresses if they are not Members. The names and email addresses of people whom you invite will be used to send your invitations. Please note that when you send an invitation to connect to another Member, that Member will have access to your email address because it is displayed in the invitation. Your connections will also have access to your email address. You may not invite anyone you do not know and trust to connect with you.
- Customer Service
We may collect information through the GENconnect™ website or through our customer service website in order to, among other things, accurately categorize and respond to customer inquiries and investigate breaches of our terms.
- Site Usage
We may collect information about the fact that you use certain features and functionality of GENconnect™.
- Cookies
Like most websites, we use cookies and web log files to track site usage and trends, to improve the quality of our service, to customize your experience on GENconnect™, as well as to deliver third-party advertising to Members both on and off the GENconnect™ site. A cookie is a tiny data file that resides on your computer, mobile phone, or other device, and allows us to recognize you as a Member when you return to the GENconnect™ website using the same computer and web browser. You can remove or block cookies using the settings in your browser, but in some cases that may impact your ability to use GENconnect™. One type of cookie, known as a "persistent" cookie, is set once you've logged in to your GENconnect™ account. The next time you visit the GENconnect™ website, the persistent cookie will allow us to recognize you as an existing Member so you will not need to log in before using the Services. In order to access or change any of your private information (like a credit card number) or to send a message to another Member, however, you must log in securely again with your password even if your computer contains your persistent cookie. Another type of cookie, called a "session" cookie, is used to identify a particular visit to the GENconnect™ website. Session cookies expire after a short time or when you close your web browser.
In the course of serving advertisements or optimizing the Services to our Members, we may allow authorized third parties to place or recognize a unique cookie on your browser. Any information provided to third parties through cookies will not be personally identifiable but may provide general segment information (e.g., your industry or geography, career field, or information about your professional or educational background) for greater customization of your user experience. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies, but you can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. GENconnect™ does not store unencrypted personally identifiable information in the cookies.
- Advertising and Targeting
To support the Services we provide at no cost to our Members, as well as provide a more relevant and useful experience for our Members, we serve our own ads and also allow third party advertisements on the site. These advertisements are targeted and served to Members, by both GENconnect™ and other companies.
- Log files, IP addresses and information about your computer and mobile device
Due to the communications standards on the internet, when you visit the GENconnect™ website we automatically receive the URL of the site from which you came and the site to which you are going when you leave GENconnect™. GENconnect™ also receives the internet protocol ("IP") address of your computer (or the proxy server you use to access the World Wide Web), your computer operating system and type of web browser you are using, email patterns, mobile device operating system (if you are accessing GENconnect™ using a mobile device), as well as the name of your ISP or your mobile carrier. We use this information to analyze overall trends to help improve the service. The linkage between your IP address and your personally identifiable information is not shared with third parties without your permission, except as described in Section 2.K ("Compliance with Legal Process"), below.
- Rights to Access, Correct and Eliminate Information About You
You have a right to access, modify, correct and eliminate the data you supplied to GENconnect™. If you update any of your information, we may keep a copy of the information that you originally provided to us in our archives for uses documented in this policy. You may request deletion of your information at any time by contacting GENconnect™ customer service. We will respond to your request within 30 days.
[ back to top ]
- Uses of personal information
- Consent to GENconnect™ Processing Information About You
The information you provide to GENconnect™ may reveal, or allow others to identify, your nationality, ethnic origin, religion, gender, age, geography, or other aspects of your private life. By providing information to us for the purposes of creating your Member account or adding any additional details to your GENconnect™ profile, you are expressly and voluntarily accepting the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy and GENConnect's User Agreement that allow GENconnect™ to process information about you. Supplying information to GENconnect™, including any information deemed "sensitive" by applicable law, is entirely voluntary on your part. You have the right to withdraw your consent to GENConnect's collection and processing of your information at any time, in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy and the User Agreement, by changing your Settings, or by closing your account, but please note that your withdrawal of consent will not be retroactive.
- GENconnect™ Communications
As described in the User Agreement, we will communicate with you through email and notices posted on the GENconnect™ website, messages to your GENconnect™ inbox, or through other means available through the service, including mobile text messages. We may send you a series of emails that help inform new Members about the features of the Services, and we will also send you service messages relating to the functioning of the Services. We may also send you messages with promotional information directly or on behalf of our partners, unless you have opted out of receiving promotional information.
You can change your e-mail and contact preferences at any time by logging into your account and changing your settings related to your email notification choices. If you wish, you can also opt-out of receiving promotional emails by sending a request to GENconnect™ customer service through our customer service site.
Please be aware that you cannot opt-out of receiving service messages from GENconnect™.
- Member Communications
Many communications you initiate through GENconnect™ (e.g., an invitation sent to a non-Member) will list your primary email address and name in the header of the message. Messages you initiate may also provide aggregate information about your network (for instance how many people are in your network), but will not list the people to whom you're directly connected. Other communications that you initiate through the GENconnect™ website, like a request for an introduction, will list your name as the initiator but will not include your personal email address contact information. Your contact information will only be shared with another Member if both of you have indicated that you would like to establish contact with each other.
- Customized Content
We use information provided to us (or to third parties with whom it offers combines services) to customize your experience on our website. For example, when you login to your account, we will display the names of new Members who have recently joined your network or recent status updates from your connections.
- Sharing Information with Third Parties
GENconnect™ takes the privacy of our Members very seriously, and we do not sell, rent, or otherwise provide your personally identifiable information to third parties for marketing purposes. Further, we will only share your personally identifiable information with third parties to carry out your instructions or to provide the Services or information unless compelled by law, or as necessary to enforce our User Agreement or protect the rights, property, or personal safety of GENconnect™, its Members, and the public.
We may provide aggregated anonymous data about the usage of the Services to third parties for purposes that we deem, in our sole discretion, to be appropriate, including to prospective advertisers on GENconnect™.
- Search
We offer search services to help find information and learn more about other Members (for example, you can search for Members with particular expertise or consulting experience, or that you may know from your industry or profession), as well as employment opportunities. GENconnect™ search also allows Members to find jobs, companies, and contributions to the community aspects of the GENconnect™ Services, such as Forums that will help Members more effectively use GENconnect™ and expand their network. We use information from Members profiles and contributions to Forums to inform and refine our search service.
- Compliance with Legal Process
It is possible that we may need to disclose personal information, profile information and/or information about your activities as a GENconnect™ Member when required by subpoena or other legal process, or if GENconnect™ has a good faith belief that disclosure is necessary to (a) investigate, prevent or take action regarding suspected or actual illegal activities or to assist government enforcement agencies; (b) to enforce the Member Agreement, to investigate and defend ourselves against any third party claims or allegations, or to protect the security or integrity of our site; and/or (c) to exercise or protect the rights, property or personal safety of GENconnect™, our Members, employees, or others.
- Disclosures to others
We may also disclose your personal information and other information you provide to another third party as part of a reorganization or a sale of the assets of GENconnect™ Corporation, a subsidiary or division. Any third party to which GENconnect™ transfers or sells GENConnect's assets will have the right to continue to use the personal and other information that you provide to us.
[ back to top ]
- Your Information Choices
- Accessing and Changing Your Account Information
You can review the personal information you provided to us and make any desired changes to the information you publish, or to the settings for your GENconnect™ account including your email and contact preferences, at any time by logging in to your account on the GENconnect™ website. Please be aware that even after your request for a change is processed, GENconnect™ may, for a time, retain residual information about you in its backup and/or archival copies of its database.
- Closing Your Account
You can close your account by notifying GENconnect™ by email at genconnect@genengnews.com or by writing at GEN Publishing Inc., 140 Huguenot Street, New Rochelle, NY 10801 to do so. If you close your account, we have no obligation to retain your information, and may delete any or all of your account information without liability. However, we may retain certain data contributed by you if GENconnect™ believes it may be necessary to prevent fraud or future abuse, or for legitimate business purposes, such as analysis of aggregated, non-personally identifiable data, account recovery, or if required by law. GENconnect™ may also retain and use your information if necessary to provide the Services to other Members. For example, just as an email you may send to another person through an email service provider resides in that person's inbox even after you delete it from your sent files or close your account, messages you send through GENconnect™ to other Members, as well as your contributions to GENconnect™ Forums, may remain visible to others after you have closed your account. Similarly, other information you have shared with others, or that other Members have copied, may also remain visible. GENconnect™ disclaims any liability in relation to the deletion or retention (subject to the terms herein) of information or any obligation not to delete the information. GENconnect™ does not control when search engines update their cache, which may contain certain public profile information that has since been removed from GENConnect's publicly viewable database.
- Memorializing Accounts
If we learn that a Member is deceased, we may memorialize the Member's account. In these cases we may restrict profile access, remove messaging functionality, and close an account if we receive a formal request from the Member's next of kin or other proper legal request to do so.
[ back to top ]
- Your Obligations
As a Member, you have certain obligations to other Members. Some of these obligations are imposed by applicable law and regulations, and others have become commonplace in user-friendly communities of like-minded members such as GENconnect™:
- You must, at all times, abide by the terms and conditions of the then-current Privacy Policy and User Agreement. This includes respecting all intellectual property rights that may belong to third parties (such as trademarks or photographs).
- You must not download or otherwise disseminate any information that may be deemed to be injurious, violent, offensive, racist or xenophobic, or which may otherwise violate the purpose and spirit of GENconnect™ and its community of Members.
- You must not provide to GENconnect™ and/or other Members information that you believe might be injurious or detrimental to your person or to your professional or social status.
- You must keep your username and password confidential and not share it with others.
Any violation of these guidelines may lead to the restriction, suspension or termination of your account at the sole discretion of GENconnect™.
[ back to top ]
- Important Information
- Children and Minors
Children are not eligible to use our service and we ask that minors (under the age of 18) do not submit any personal information to us or use the service.
- Please note that by becoming a Member, you have given us your express and informed consent to transfer the data that you provide to us to the United States and to process it in the United States.
- If Members have questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, you should first contact GENconnect™ by email at genconnect@genengnews.com.
- Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy at any time, with or without advance notice. In the event there are significant changes in the way we treat your personally identifiable information, or in the Privacy Policy document itself, we will display a notice on the GENconnect™ website or send you an email, as provided for above. Unless stated otherwise, our current Privacy Policy applies to all information that GENconnect™ has about you and your account.
Using the GENconnect™ Services after a notice of changes has been sent to you or published on our site shall constitute consent to the changed terms or practices.
[ back to top ]
- Security
In order to help secure your personal information, access to your data on GENconnect™ is password-protected. To protect any data you store on our servers, GENconnect™ also regularly audits its system for possible vulnerabilities and attacks, and we use a tier-one secured-access data center. However, since the internet is not a 100% secure environment, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to GENconnect™. There is no guarantee that information may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or managerial safeguards. It is your responsibility to protect the security of your login information. Please note that emails, instant messaging, and similar means of communication with other Members of GENconnect™ are not encrypted, and we strongly advise you not to communicate any confidential information through these means.
[ back to top ]
- How to contact us
If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, please email us at genconnect@genengnews.com or contact us at:
GEN Publishing, Inc., 140 Huguenot Street, New Rochelle, NY 10801
[ back to top ]