Privacy Policy

Civic Science Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 21, 2022

1. INTRODUCTION

Civic Science and its subsidiaries (“Civic Science,” “We,” or “Us”) provide engaging and intrinsically rewarding opinion gathering services to anyone interested in knowing how their opinion compares with others. We offer these services free of charge and we value and protect your privacy. Please read on to understand the details of this Privacy Policy.

B.        CIVIC SCIENCE PRIVACY POLICY

Protecting the privacy of the users of our products and website is important to Us. Our Privacy Policy is designed to inform users (“You” or “Your” or “user(s)”) about our collection and use of information in the conduct of our business. Our Privacy Policy applies to all users of Civic Science products and services including https://civicscience.com/ or any related website, mobile applications, including mobile applications owned and operated by Civic Science (collectively, the “Apps”), the Civic Science polling tools (the “Widgets”), or any other services offered by Civic Science (collectively, the “Service”). From time to time, Civic Science may modify this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy is incorporated into and made a part of our Terms of Service. Capitalized terms that are used but not defined in this Privacy Policy are defined in the Terms of Service. If You have not done so already, please also review the Terms of Service. The Terms of Service include provisions that limit our liability to users and other important terms.

1. DEFINITIONS

A. “NPI” is information that is not personally identifiable and that is obtained through Your use of the Service. This includes information that has been made anonymous or aggregated so that it can no longer be used to contact or identify You.

B. “Personal Data” is non-public information that is personally identifiable and obtained or derived in connection with providing the Service to You. It may include information such as Your name, email, phone number, and address.

C. “Personal Identifiers” means information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, defined as: first name or first initial and last name, Social Security number, tax identification number, driver’s license number, passport number, biometric information, date of birth, or bank account or financial account number. 

2. CONSENT

By using the Service, You are consenting to the terms of this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service as well as our collection, use, processing, and disclosure of Your information as set forth in this Privacy Policy, which may be modified from time to time. Civic Science will notify You of any such changes and You should review this Privacy Policy following any update so that You are updated on any changes. If You do not wish to consent to our collection, use, processing and disclosure of Your information, then do not use the Service or any portion thereof.

3. INFORMATION COLLECTED

When You use the Service, Civic Science collects NPI such as Your device’s browser type. Likewise, in order to offer You meaningful products and services and for other reasons, Civic Science may collect information about You from the following sources:

• Information available to Us through weblogs about Your traffic on other websites;
• Information You give Civic Science on applications or other forms while using the Service, including, without limitation, Your responses to questions through any Widget or App; 
• Information You send Civic Science via any medium, including, but not limited to the Service, email, telephone, and social media interaction (including through cookies and related technology and device information);
• If You use a mobile device platform to access the Service or communicate with Civic Science, information transmitted from Your mobile device; or
• Information provided by third parties.

Use of Cookies and Related Technology

The Service may send a “cookie” to Your device. A cookie is a small piece of data that is sent to Your browser from a web server and stored on Your device. A cookie cannot read data off Your device or read cookie files created by other sites on its own. Cookies do not damage Your system.  Every device accessing the Service is assigned a different cookie.  Cookies allow Civic Science to recognize You as a user when You access the Service using the same device and web browser.  Civic Science uses cookies to track Your response history and can therefore avoid repeated questions, thus providing a more valuable experience for You.  Civic Science also may use this information to better personalize the content that You see while using the Service. Most browser software can be set to reject certain types of cookies. However, if You reject Civic Science cookies, certain functionality on the Service may not work correctly or at all. Civic Science may also use web beacons, pixels, anonymous ad network tags, embedded scripts, IDFA, cookies (including flash cookies and browser cookies) and similar technologies to collect NPI about Your use of the Service and the websites of selected sponsors and advertisers, to collect anonymized, aggregated auditing, research and reporting for advertising purposes, and to collect data related to Your use of special promotions or newsletters. The information collected by web beacons also allows Civic Science to statistically monitor how many people open Civic Science emails and for what purposes these actions are being taken. Because Your web browser requests advertisements and web beacons directly from ad network servers, these networks can view, edit or set their own cookies, just as if You had requested a web page from their site.

Do Not Track: Some web browsers (including Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome) incorporate a “Do Not Track” (“DNT”) or similar feature that signals to websites that a user does not want to have his or her online activity and behavior tracked.  If a website that responds to a particular DNT signal receives the DNT signal, the browser can block that website from collecting certain information about the browser’s user.  Not all browsers offer a DNT option and DNT signals are not yet uniform.  For this reason, many website operators, including Civic Science, do not respond to DNT signals.

Collection of Location Information

When You use the Service, We may collect location data from the browser or other software that You use to access the Service.  We may also collect precise or approximate location data from Your device’s internet protocol (“IP”) address or WiFi or location information You include in Your responses to questions through any Widget or App (e.g., a zip code).  Civic Science may also receive precise or approximate location data passed to it from third-party services or GPS-enabled devices that You have enabled.

Log Files, IP Addresses and Information About Your Device

When You use the Service, Civic Science may receive the URL of the site from which You came and the site to which You are going when You leave the Service.  Civic Science may also receive the IP address of Your computer (or the proxy server You use to access the internet), Your MAC address, Your computer operating system and type of web browser You are using, time zone setting, browser plug-in types, Your mobile device, including Your mobile operating system, as well as the name of Your ISP or Your mobile carrier.

4. EXEMPTIONS FROM PRIVACY POLICY

Civic Science’s Privacy Policy does not apply to (a) any information You may send to Civic Science by email or instant messaging programs, as email and instant messages are not recognized as secure communication forms or (b) information You provide to or that is collected by any third party, including Sponsors. Civic Science requests that You do not send any information, which You consider private, to Civic Science by email or instant message.

5. USE OF PERSONAL DATA

Civic Science is a for-profit corporation that earns money by administering polls and opinion questions, some of which may be sponsored by outside parties, collecting the answers from those polls and questions (“Data”), selling the anonymized Data collected to third parties, and by providing Data and analysis services and other forms of anonymized information to third parties, including without limitation researchers, commercial entities and other organizations. Civic Science combines Data submitted by or gleaned from You, derivatives thereof, and cookies with the Data of other users and develops proprietary databases containing the Data. Civic Science may sell portions of such databases or analysis thereof to third parties; however, all such Data does not contain any Personal Identifiers.

We may aggregate data about users of the Service and use it for statistical purposes. This information helps Us to better understand users of the Service and how to improve the Site and our offerings. This information also helps Us analyze click-through rates, demographic data, and other internal measures.

From time to time, We may disclose the information collected from You, including Personal Data, in accordance with Section 8 (“When Civic Science May Disclose Your Information”), below.

In addition, Civic Science uses and/or intends to use Personal Data to:

• Operate, provide, and improve the Service;
• Evaluate Your interest and needs in order to make available other offers, products or services;
• Provide customer support;
• Send You reminders, technical notices, updates, security alerts, and support and administrative messages, service bulletins, or marketing; and
• Manage Civic Science’s everyday business needs, including Service administration, forum management, fulfillment, analytics, fraud prevention, enforcement of Civic Science’s corporate reporting obligations, Terms of Service, or to comply with the law.

Civic Science may match its anonymous identifiers with third parties’ anonymous identifiers through a process called “cookie matching.” The cookie matching process synchronizes two IDs belonging to different companies in a way that makes it easier to serve advertising online, without the need to share other pieces of information about the ID. Civic Science does not control these third parties, and they are not subject to this Privacy Policy.  One such third party is Live Ramp, Inc. (“Live Ramp”), and You may view Live Ramp’s privacy policy by going to https://liveramp.com/privacy/. These third parties, including the websites that host the Civic Science Widget, may use cookie matching to identify Personal Data about You if you have provided consent through their terms of service or privacy policy; however, they do not have access to Your Personal Identifiers from Civic Science.

Civic Science makes inferences from the data Civic Science collects, or matches with others, in order to show You questions and content that Civic Science thinks may interest You, advertisements for products or services that Civic Science thinks may interest You, create market insights for Civic Science clients, or create targeted-content for Civic Science clients. Civic Science may also predict whether different anonymous identifiers associated with different browsers and different devices, like a laptop, a phone or a tablet, may belong to one person, and then link the activity Civic Science sees across those devices into a common profile.

6. LIMITATIONS ON ACCESS TO PERSONAL DATA

Our policies limit access to user Personal Data that is collected from the Service, including our Widgets and Apps, our employees and agents, and the employees and/or agents of our affiliates and business partners who need the information to fulfill their business responsibilities. By supplying Your Personal Data to Civic Science, including information supplied through the Service, You consent to Your information being transferred to Civic Science, its affiliates, vendors, or agents. Vendors and other outside contractors We engage are subject to our contractual requirements for safeguarding Personal Data.

7. OTHER WEBSITES

You may access the Service on a third-party website and/or the Service may contain links to other websites. Any third-party website may have its own privacy policy that is different from this Privacy Policy. The terms of the third-party website privacy policy may conflict with the terms of this Privacy Policy.  The terms of this Privacy Policy still apply as between You and Civic Science for any data collected by Civic Science, even if they conflict with the terms of a third-party website privacy policy. 

Civic Science is not responsible for the actions, practices, or content, including but not limited to the privacy practices, of such third-party websites from which You may access the Service.  Civic Science does not guarantee, approve, or endorse any information, material, services, or products contained on these third-party websites.  Civic Science is not responsible for any content on sites linked from or to the Service or for obtaining the necessary consent for such third-party websites to collect, transmit, or otherwise use Your information that You provide them. 

You understand that such websites may have their own legal documents, including a privacy policy, to which You must agree prior to using their websites and that Civic Science has no control over these legal documents. You understand that it is Your responsibility to verify Your legal use of a website as well as use of information from the website with the corresponding website owner.  If You visit the sites of third parties be sure to review the privacy policies applicable to those sites.

8. WHEN CIVIC SCIENCE MAY DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION

Except as set forth in this Privacy Policy or as specifically agreed to by You, Civic Science will not disclose any Personal Data as gathered from You through the Service.

A. Civic Science may share Your opinion Data and voting history, including any Personal Data You submit with Your opinion Data, to the Civic Science customers that host the corresponding Civic Science poll or Widget. For clarity, in addition, Civic Science may share collections of aggregated and anonymized information or insights to sell to our non-affiliated business partners and customers.

B. Civic Science may share Personal Data to Civic Science’s contractors and service providers that perform services on Civic Science’s behalf, including, but not limited to, operation of the Service technology, data analytics, marketing services, and other related services. Unless You have opted-out (see Section 8.E. below) of such sharing, these contractors also may have access to Your email address or mobile phone number to send newsletters or special promotions to You on Civic Science’s behalf or to send emails to You for purposes such as conducting market research on Civic Science’s behalf. Access to Your Personal Data by such contractors and service providers is limited to the information reasonably necessary for the contractor to perform its limited function for Civic Science. Civic Science also contractually requires that such contractors and service providers: 1) protect the privacy of Your Personal Data consistent with this Privacy Policy, and 2) not use or disclose Your Personal Data for any purpose other than providing Civic Science with products and services as required by law.

C. Civic Science may share Personal Data that Civic Science collects, as permitted by law, or when required or advised to do so in response to a valid legal requirement to release this information such as a state or federal law, regulation, search warrant, subpoena, or court order; or in special cases, such as in response to a physical threat to You or others, to protect property, or if We determine such disclosure is legally advisable or necessary to defend or assert legal rights or prevent harm, to defend ourselves in litigation.

D. Civic Science may share Personal Data in accordance with Section 11 (“Transfer of Ownership”), below.

E. If You prefer that Civic Science does not share certain Personal Data with its partners, customers, contractors and service providers, as described above, or would like to submit a request for Civic Science to delete Your Personal Data, You can contact Us at privacy@civicscience.com. Please note that an opt-out with respect to information sharing will not apply to information sharing arrangements described in Sections 8. C or D and cannot be retroactively applied. Civic Science may need to request additional information from You that may be required to establish Your identity or locate Your Personal Data. Upon receiving a request from You to delete Your Personal Data or to stop further disclosure to Civic Science’s partners, customers, contractors and service providers in accordance with this Section, and Civic Science verifying Your identity, Civic Science will use good faith efforts to delete Your Personal Data or prevent further disclosure to Civic Science’s partners, customers, contractors and service providers (each as subject to applicable law); provided, however, that due to Civic Science’s attempts to anonymize and aggregate information collected and Your use of the Service across different devices and browsers, it may not be possible to (i) identify all information that You submitted or was derived from Your use of the Service or (ii) delete all information You submitted. As an example, if You submitted information by completing a poll on a Widget using Your phone and request to delete all information You submitted, Civic Science may not be able to identify, and therefore delete, information You submitted by using the Service through a home computer as information originating from You.     

9. SECURITY MEASURES

The Service utilizes various information security measures, including internet firewalls, an intrusion detection system, encrypted data transmission, and operating procedures to protect Your information. Even with such technology, no website or database is 100% secure. Civic Science cannot and does not guarantee that such security measures will prevent loss, misuse, and/or alteration of Personal Data under its control. If Civic Science provides the capability for You to create a user ID and password, You must protect Your user ID and password and NOT share it with anyone. If You believe Your user ID and password have been compromised and You have trouble changing Your user ID/password on the Service, please contact Civic Science’s technical support department at support@civiccience.com.

11. TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP

If the entire or substantial ownership of the Service were to change, or in the event of another sale or transfer of some or all of Civic Science’s assets, Your user information, including Personal Data, may be transferred to the new owner so the Service can continue operations. In any such transfer of information, Your user information, including Personal Data, would remain subject to the promises of Civic Science’s then current Privacy Policy.

12. NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF COUNTRIES OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Civic Science is headquartered in the United States of America, and the Service is marketed to, or intended or designed for use in the United States of America. The Service is expressly not marketed to, or intended or designed for use outside of the United States of America (including in the European Union). Personal Data may be accessed by Civic Science or transferred to Civic Science in the United States of America or to Civic Science’s affiliates, business partners, merchants, or service providers elsewhere in the world. By providing Civic Science with Personal Data, You consent to this transfer.

13. CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS

Pursuant to the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), You may have certain rights granted to You if Your Personal Data is “personal information,” as defined by the CCPA.

1. Categories of Personal Information We Collect

Category	Examples	Collected
A. Identifiers.	A real name, alias, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, Internet Protocol address, email address, account name, Social Security number, driver’s license number, passport number, or other similar identifiers.	Yes
B. Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e)).	A name, signature, Social Security number, physical characteristics or description, address, telephone number, passport number, driver’s license or state identification card number, insurance policy number, education, employment, employment history, bank account number, credit card number, debit card number, or any other financial information, medical information, or health insurance information.   Some personal information included in this category may overlap with other categories.	Yes
C. Protected classification characteristics under California or federal law.	Age (40 years or older), race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, religion or creed, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, sex (including gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy or childbirth and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, veteran or military status, genetic information (including familial genetic information).	Yes
D. Commercial information.	Records of personal property, products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies.	Yes
E. Biometric information.	Genetic, physiological, behavioral, and biological characteristics, or activity patterns used to extract a template or other identifier or identifying information, such as, fingerprints, faceprints, and voiceprints, iris or retina scans, keystroke, gait, or other physical patterns, and sleep, health, or exercise data.	Yes
F. Internet or other similar network activity.	Browsing history, search history, information on a consumer’s interaction with a website, application, or advertisement.	Yes
G. Geolocation data.	Physical location or movements.	Yes
H. Sensory data.	Audio, electronic, visual, thermal, olfactory, or similar information.	No
I. Professional or employment-related information.	Current or past job history or performance evaluations.	No
J. Non-public education information (per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g, 34 C.F.R. Part 99)).	Education records directly related to a student maintained by an educational institution or party acting on its behalf, such as grades, transcripts, class lists, student schedules, student identification codes, student financial information, or student disciplinary records.	No
K. Inferences drawn from other personal information.	Profile reflecting a person’s preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes.	Yes

• Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties

We may disclose Your personal information to a third party for a business purpose subject to confidentiality and non-use restrictions. We do not sell personal information.

Personal Information Category	Categories of Third-Party Recipients
Business Purpose Disclosures	Sales
A. Identifiers.	Affiliates Business Partners Operating Systems & Platforms	None
B. Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e)).	Affiliates Business Partners Operating Systems & Platforms	None
C. Protected classification characteristics under California or federal law.	None	None
D. Commercial information.	None	None
E. Biometric information.	None	None
F. Internet or other similar network activity.	Affiliates Business Partners Operating Systems & Platforms	None
G. Geolocation data.	None	None
H. Sensory data.	None	None
I. Professional or employment-related information.	None	None
J. Non-public education information (per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g, 34 C.F.R. Part 99)).	None	None
K. Inferences drawn from other personal information.	Affiliates Business Partners Operating Systems & Platforms	None

• Your Rights Under the CCPA
  • Right to Know.  You have the right to request that We disclose to You the personal information that We collect, use, disclose, and sell.  To submit a verifiable consumer request to know, You may call us at 1-844-4CVCSCI (toll-free) or email us at privacy@civicscience.com with “CCPA Right to Know” in the subject line and in the body of Your message.  In certain circumstances, We may not be able to provide specific pieces of personal information (e.g., if such disclosure creates a substantial, articulable, and unreasonable risk to the security of such personal information or our business systems).
  • Right to Request Deletion.  You have the right to request that We delete any of Your personal information that we collected from You and maintained, subject to certain exceptions.  In certain instances where we are not required to comply with Your request for deletion, We will let You know.  To submit a verifiable consumer request to delete, You may call us at 1-844-4CVCSCI (toll-free) or email us at privacy@civicscience.com with “CCPA Right to Delete” in the subject line and in the body of Your message.
  • Right to Opt Out.  All users have the right to be forgotten, as outlined in Section 17 below.
  • Shine the Light. Pursuant to Section 1798.83 of the California Civil Code, residents of California can obtain certain information about the types of personal information that companies with whom they have an established business relationship have shared with third parties for direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year. In particular, the law provides that companies must inform consumers about the categories of personal information that have been shared with third parties, the names and addresses of those third parties, and examples of the types of services or products marketed by those third parties. To request a copy of the information disclosure provided by Civic Science pursuant to Section 1798.83 of the California Civil Code, please contact Civic Science via email to privacy@civicscience.com.
  • Right to Non-Discrimination.  Should You exercise any of Your rights under the CCPA, You have the right not to receive discriminatory treatment by Us.

We reserve the right to verify Your identify before We process any of the aforementioned requests relating to Your personal information. Only You, or a person registered with the California Secretary of State that You authorize to act on Your behalf, may make a verifiable consumer request related to Your personal information.

14. YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY

This is Civic Science’s entire Privacy Policy and it supersedes any earlier version. You agree to it every time You use the Service.

If Civic Science makes any material changes to this Privacy Policy, Civic Science will notify You by email or by posting a prominent notice on the Service prior to the change becoming effective. Civic Science encourages You to periodically review this page for the latest information on Civic Science’s privacy practices. Your continued use of the Service constitutes Your agreement to be bound by such changes to this Privacy Policy. Your only remedy, if You do not accept the terms of this Privacy Policy, is to discontinue use of the Service.

15. PROTECTING CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

Use of the Service is limited to users who are eighteen (18) years of age or older and have legal capacity to form a binding contract or, as set forth below, users who are between fourteen (14) and seventeen (17) years of age with consent of a parent or guardian.

Civic Science strongly believes in protecting the privacy of children. We do not knowingly collect or maintain Personal Data from the Service from persons under thirteen (13) years of age, and no part of the Service is directed to persons under thirteen (13) years of age. If You are under thirteen (13) years of age, then please do not use or access the Service at any time in any manner. We will take appropriate steps to delete any Personal Data of persons less than thirteen (13) years of age that has been collected on the Service without verified parental consent upon learning of the existence of such Personal Data.  Individuals under the age of thirteen (13) are expressly forbidden from participating in Our polls for any reason.

16. GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION (GDPR)

Civic Science’s policy is to protect and safeguard any Personal Data obtained by Civic Science in accordance with applicable United States state and federal laws governing the protection of Personal Data and data. Those who choose to access the Service from locations outside the United States do so on their own initiative, and are responsible for compliance with local laws if and to the extent local laws are applicable.  

Although Civic Science does not target or knowingly collect data from users in the EU, Civic Science has undertaken efforts to ensure the Service is compliant with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including limiting the Service’s availability to only users located outside the EU and United Kingdom. If You are an EU or United Kingdom resident and believe We may have collected Personal Data from You, You may request to be forgotten in accordance with Section 17 of this Privacy Policy.

17.       RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN.

Due to Civic Science’s attempts to anonymize and aggregate information collected and Your use of the Service across different devices and browsers, it may not be possible for Civic Science to (a) identify all information that You submitted or was derived from Your use of the Service or (b) delete all information You submitted. As an example, if You submitted information by completing a poll on a Widget using Your phone and request to delete all information You submitted, Civic Science may not be able to identify, and therefore delete, information You submitted by using the Service through a home computer as information originating from You. You may contact us (see Section 18 below) for further information on how to delete Personal Data We have collected from You.

18.       QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PRIVACY POLICY

You may at any time print, download, or request a printed copy of this Privacy Policy. We will make reasonable efforts to respond promptly to all such requests, but We reserve the right to limit such requests to two per year per individual.

If You have any questions that are not answered elsewhere on this site, or if You believe that this Privacy Policy has been violated, please contact Us at privacy@civicscience.com.