Science and Medicine Group ("we", "us" or "our") grant you permission as a user ("User", "you" or "your") to access and use our sites, software, applications, content, products and services ("Services"), which are owned or licensed by us on our properties (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy governs your use of the Site and our provision of the Services on which this policy is posted. PLEASE READ THIS PRIVACY POLICY CAREFULLY BEFORE USING ANY OF OUR SERVICES.
The privacy of our users on the Internet is of the utmost importance to us. Since Science and Medicine Group and its related network of Site and Services gather certain types of information about our users, we feel that you should completely understand the conditions and terms surrounding the gathering and use of information about those using our Site and services. This Privacy Policy Statement divulges what information we gather, how we use it, and how to correct, change, or remove it. The Services made available through Science and Medicine Group may be provided in a variety of media and devices now known or hereinafter developed including mobile applications, and include without limitation online market research surveys, communities and forums, reference tools, and applications, sponsored programs, personalized scientific or medical content, medical education, job boards, communication tools, and discussion boards.
- YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS OF USE
This Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use apply each time you access the Site or use the Services. When you access the Site or use the Services, you accept this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use as if you had signed them, and you consent to our collecting and using your information as described in this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy or our Terms of Use, you may not access the Site or use the Services.
We may revise or terminate these Terms of Use or our Privacy Policy at any time, without notice to you. You are responsible for reviewing these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy regularly. Your access of the Site or use of any of the Services following the posting of changes to these Terms of Use or our Privacy Policy means you agree to abide by those changes. Any questions regarding our Privacy Policy or Terms of Use should be directed to Science and Medicine Group at [email protected]
- INFORMATION WE COLLECT VIA OUR SITE
Information We Collect from Unregistered Visitors
You must register to access our full Services; however, you may be able to access certain limited areas of the Site without disclosing any personally identifiable information. We will collect non-personally identifiable information, i.e. information that is not traced back to any individual and is not used on its own to identify an individual.
Even if you have not registered, Science and Medicine Group will collect such data including: the referring website, if applicable, the type of browser you use, the time and date that you accessed the Services, the pages you visited and viewed throughout our Site, and what computers responded to a market research survey.
Taken in aggregate, this information enables us to better develop and fund the Services, provide content, and respond to our users‘ needs. We will explain how this is done in the "Information Collected through Tracking Technology" section of this Privacy Policy.
Information We Collect from Registered Users
Account Registration: You must register to access our full Services. When you register for the Services, you are asked to provide identifying information such as your name, email address, zip code and other professional information, e.g. profession and science application. Additional information may be requested, which may be required to access some Services. We may collect additional information about registered users from third party sources to assist us in providing the Services. For example, we may use such third party sources to verify and update registration information and confirm licensure status.
Information We Collect through Services We Offer
Market Research: Registered users of the Services may opt-in to receive offers to participate in market research studies offered by Science and Medicine Group. From time to time, registered users may also be invited to participate in a sponsored or unsponsored market research study through an email invitation, mail, on-site popup or some other means. In order to participate in any such survey, you will be required to agree to additional terms and conditions as part of the opt-in process.
Furthermore, in addition to providing your responses to the survey questions you may be asked to provide personally identifiable information that may be combined with information that you have already provided at registration or that we have received from a third party source. These studies are intended to give specific anonymous feedback to third parties as described in the "IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CONSENT" section of this Privacy Policy.
Reporting Compensation and Tax Information: If you participate in a survey that pays compensation, Science and Medicine Group may have an obligation to report such payments. By participating in a market research survey, you are permitting us to disclose your earned compensation as appropriate to comply with all laws and other reporting requirements. In addition, IRS regulations prevent us from paying individuals in excess of $600 in any given tax year without valid tax information. If tax information is not provided within 12 months after completing a survey, compensation above $600 in any tax year is forfeited.
Additional Forms and Emails: We may also ask you to provide additional information after you register if you want to obtain additional services or information, or to resolve complaints or concerns.
III. INFORMATION COLLECTED THROUGH TRACKING TECHNOLOGY
Science and Medicine Group collects information about your activity on the Site using technologies such as cookies, including third-party cookies, web beacons and server log files.
Usage Tracking
Science and Medicine Group uses traffic analysis software on our servers to
track user traffic patterns throughout the Services. Science and Medicine Group
uses this data to break down overall usage statistics according to IP address,
domain name, browser type, and MIME type by reading this information from the
data automatically sent by the browser whenever a web page is requested.
Additionally, solely in connection with your voluntary participation in a
market research study or screening, your computer may (i)
be tracked by digital fingerprinting or watermarking to help ensure unique
responders to a survey, and (ii) accessed to assess browser compatibility
and/or video cam usability.
Cookies
A cookie is a small text file placed in your computer‘s browser to store your
preferences. A cookie can be accessed only by the server that originally
created the cookie. A cookie cannot store or send back any information to us
that you have not specifically and voluntarily provided while on a Site, or
that is not among the information mentioned above that is contained in every
user‘s browser (e.g., domain name, browser type). Cookies do not contain
personally identifiable information; however, once you choose to furnish a Site
with personally identifiable information, this information may be linked to the
data stored in the cookie.
Science and Medicine Group uses cookies to monitor and manage Service development and delivery, and potentially to permit greater personalization of the Service based on your preferences and specifications. We may assign cookies to devices that access our Services to help us dynamically generate content to users of the Services.
Web Beacons
Science and Medicine Group and our third party business partners may also use
"web beacons" or clear .gifs, or similar technologies, which are
small pieces of code placed on a web page, to monitor the behavior and collect
data about the visitors viewing a web page. For example, web beacons may be
used to count the users who visit a web page or to deliver a cookie to the
browser of a visitor viewing that page.
We and our third-party business partners use the information automatically generated by cookies and web beacons, as well as other information that we or they have, to provide you with an optimal website experience.
At this time, the Site do not recognize automated browser signals regarding tracking mechanisms, which may include "do not track" instructions. However, you can change your privacy preferences regarding the use of cookies and similar technologies through your browser. You may set your browser to accept all cookies, block certain cookies, require your consent before a cookie is placed in your browser, or block all cookies. If your browser is set to block cookies, websites that are cookie-enabled will not recognize you when you return to the website, and some website functionality may be lost. The Help section of your browser will tell you about your options for managing your cookies.
- HOW WE USE INFORMATION WE COLLECT
We retain and use the information we collect about you as follows:
- To provide our Services to you, to communicate with you about your use of our Services, to respond to your inquiries, and for other customer services purposes.
- To tailor the content and information that we may send or display to you, to offer location customization, and personalized help and instructions, and to otherwise personalize your experience while using the Site or Services.
- To understand how users access and use our Site and Services, both on an aggregated and individualized basis, in order to improve our Site and the Services and respond to desires and preferences.
- To personalize content.
- As necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements (including this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use), to protect or defend our rights, to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, and situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person.
- We may also use aggregate or de-identified information about users for other marketing, research and other purposes as further described in the "INFORMATION SHARING AND DISCLOSURES" section of this Privacy Policy.
- INFORMATION SHARING AND DISCLOSURES
Except as described in this Privacy Policy or as specifically agreed to by you, we will not disclose to any third party personally identifiable information we gather from you through the Site.
"No-Spam" Policy
Your email address will not be sold to a third party. You may opt out or
unsubscribe at any time.
Aggregate Data
We aggregate data from registered and unregistered users for use in Service
funding, analysis, development and delivery. Aggregate usage information
provided to third parties or used to deliver services to third parties allows
us to keep our services free to users. Aggregated information is pooled from
many individual records and stripped of any data that could be used to identify
an individual. Information collected in the registration process is never
shared with third parties in a personally identifiable way, except as
identified in this Privacy Policy.
Third Parties
In addition to aggregate information, we may share some kinds of personally
identifiable information with third parties as described below.
Market Research Studies: From time to time, we may invite you via e-mail to participate in sponsored or unsponsored market research studies. When you agree to participate in a study, you agree to share with Science and Medicine Group personally identifiable information, such as your name, email address, zip code and professional information. Generally, these studies provide specific feedback using aggregated, de-identified data to third parties used to analyze trends and statistics for research and development purposes, and neither your identity nor your specific feedback is shared with third parties. However, under the following circumstances, your identity may be shared with third parties and/or associated with specific feedback: (i) when we have your consent, (ii) when we match user information with such third party‘s data, (iii) when we suspect your answers are fraudulently provided and (iv) when we believe in good faith that the law requires it. In all circumstances, the privacy of our panel members is protected, and if such sharing is permitted or required, your answers and identity will remain confidential. Please review the "IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CONSENT" section of this Privacy Policy for additional information.
In participating with our studies, you have the option to provide us with information that you report about yourself through our surveys ("Self-Reported Information"). For example, you may provide us with information about your ethnicity, conditions, other health-related information related to the objective of the study.
Affiliated Companies: Science and Medicine Group and its affiliates including AuntMinnie.com, DrBicuspid.com, IBO, IMV, SDi, and the Science Advisory Board are part of the Science and Medicine Group of companies that provide Internet services for scientists, healthcare professionals, physicians and other specialists around the world (collectively, "Affiliates"). Science and Medicine Group may share your personal information with Affiliates, which may use your personal information to send you emails about services they provide, new programs and selected information from their sponsors as it relates to your specialty or area of practice.
Companies Who Work with Us: From time to time, we contract with third parties to help us provide or improve our services. For example, we may hire consultants who help us prevent fraud and violation of our terms of service, analyze data, provide marketing assistance, or provide customer service or fulfillment services. In order to provide these services, these third parties may have limited access to some of the personally identifiable information we maintain about users of our Services. We require all such parties to comply with the terms of this Privacy Policy, to limit their access to any personal information to the minimum necessary to perform their obligations, and not to use the information they may access for purposes other than fulfilling their responsibilities to us.
- IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON CONSENT
Consent to the Use of Sensitive Information
Certain Services may request personal and sensitive information, such as
information about your health and self-reported information such as racial, or
ethnic origin. We will not use your sensitive information without your consent
unless: (i) the information has been anonymized or
aggregated so that you cannot reasonably be identified as an individual; or
(ii) a legal obligation requires us to use it in some way (e.g. a court order
requires us to disclose the information).
Consent to the Transfer of your Personal Information
- By using the Site, you consent to the storing and processing of your personal information, including sensitive information (if applicable), in the USA and countries outside of the country you live in. We use a range of measures to safeguard information but these countries may have laws that are different from those of your country of residence. You also consent to your personal information, including sensitive information (if applicable), being transferred in the event of a business transition such as a merger, acquisition by another company, or other transaction or proceeding. In such a case, your information would be used as set out in any pre-existing Privacy Statement.
- We will not disclose or sell your individual-level information (i.e., information about a single individual's information) to any third-party or to a third-party for research purposes without your explicit consent.
- We may share anonymized and aggregate information with third-parties; anonymized and aggregate information is any information that has been stripped of your name and contact information and aggregated with information of others or anonymized so that you cannot reasonably be identified as an individual.
- If you have any questions about our privacy practices, please email us at [email protected] or send a letter to the address provided in the "Contact Information" section located at the bottom of this Privacy Policy.
Using information with your consent
You have the choice to participate in Science and Medicine Group market
research by providing your consent. Science and Medicine Group market research
may be sponsored by, conducted on behalf of, or in collaboration with
third-parties, such as non-profit foundations, academic institutions or
analytical or pharmaceutical companies. Science and Medicine Group market
research may study a specific group or population, identify potential areas or
targets to conduct or support the development of drugs, diagnostics or devices
to diagnose, predict or treat medical or other health conditions, work with
public, private and/or non-profit entities on research initiatives, or
otherwise create, commercialize, and apply this new knowledge to improve health
care. Science and Medicine Group uses your aggregate Self-Reported Information
as specified in this Privacy Policy.
Consent process for research
Your Self-Reported Information may be used for market research only if you have
consented by checking the opt-in checkbox during your registration. If you‘ve
signified consent by checking this checkbox on the application page, Science
and Medicine Group may use all Self-Reported Information for research purposes.
When your Self-Reported Information is being used for market research purposes,
it will not be linked to your personal identifiable information (Account
Registration Information).
Withdrawing your Consent
You may withdraw your consent to participate in market research at any time by
sending a request to the Privacy Administrator at [email protected] Science and Medicine Group will not include your
Self-Reported Information in new market research occurring after 30 days from
the receipt of your request. Any market research involving your data that has
already been performed prior to our receipt of your request will not be
reversed, undone, or withdrawn. You may also discontinue your participation in
market research by closing your account. If you withdraw your consent for
market research your Self-Reported Information may still be used by us and
shared with our third-party service providers to provide and improve our
Services and shared as Aggregate Information that does not identify you as an
individual.
VII. ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
Accessing and Modifying your Account
Information
If your Registration Information changes, you may access, correct or update most
of it from your Account Settings page. You may also modify and delete certain
parts of your information. You may be able to view your self-reported
information entered into a survey, form, or feature from your account on the
surveys page. Please note that you may not be able to delete certain user
content that has been shared with others through the Service and that you may
not be able to delete information that has been shared with third-parties,
though we can work with you to prohibit your data from being shared with
third-parties in the future. We will respond to your request to access within
30 days.
Upon request Science and Medicine Group will provide you with information about whether we hold, or process on behalf of a third party, any of your personal information; or, for assistance on correcting or updating or receiving a copy of your data, please send a request for this information and please contact us at [email protected]
Account Closure and Erasure
If you no longer wish to participate in our Services or no longer wish to have
your personal information be used, you may close your account by sending a
request to the Privacy Team at [email protected] When closing an account, we remove all Personal
Information within your account (or profile) within thirty (30) days of our
receipt of your request. Information and/or Self-Reported Information that you
have previously provided and for which you have given consent to use cannot be
removed from ongoing or completed studies that use the information. In
addition, we retain limited Registration Information related to your order
history (e.g., name, contact, and transaction data) as long as your account is
active or as needed to provide you services, as well as for accounting, audit
and compliance purposes.
Information Processing Preferences
If, at any point, you decide to change or limit the extent of processing of
your personal information, you can contact our Privacy team; refer to Contact
Information below for contact details. We will respond to your request to
access within thirty (30) days.
Notification of Preference Changes
Upon modification or erasure of your personal data, we will communicate the
changes with each recipient to whom your personal data have been disclosed. We
will inform you about those recipients if requested.
Data Portability
You always have the option to review your personal information you‘ve shared
with us on your account profile page including past surveys, survey statuses,
and compensation information. In addition, you may ask to receive a copy of
this personal information; you may also request to have this data transmitted
to another company. Please note, to protect the confidentiality of our users,
we may verify your identify prior to transmitting this
data.
Right to Object
As a user of our Services, you have the right to object at any time to the
processing of your personal information and any direct marketing that you
receive based on your personal data.
Opt Out
Science and Medicine Group engages with users who register on our Site and
elect for e-mail communication. For example, we may use your email address to
send newsletters or discussion group updates, to send you notice of payments,
to send you information about changes to our products and services, and to send
notices and other disclosures as required by law.
We provide you the opportunity to exercise an opt-out choice if you do not want to receive other types of communication from us, such as emails or updates from us regarding new services and products offered or if you do not want us to share your personally identifiable information with third parties.
Users always have the opportunity to "opt‘out" or change preferences via a link in the footer of all non‘transactional email messages or by accessing the "My Account" page on the registered site. These options are made available in email messages delivered from our company. Alternatively, you may request to have your personal information modified or removed from our databases by sending a request via email at [email protected].
Please note that you may not opt-out of receiving non-promotional messages regarding your account, such as technical notices, purchase confirmations, or Service-related emails.
VIII. IMPORTANT SECURITY INFORMATION
Legal Requirements
We may release account and other personally identifiable information when we
believe release (1) is required to comply with valid legal requirements such as
a law, regulation, search warrant, subpoena or court order; or (2) is
reasonably necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal
activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the
safety of any person, violations of our Terms and Conditions or this Privacy
Policy, or as evidence in litigation in which we are involved.
Business Transactions
In the event of a change in control resulting from, for example, a sale to, or
merger with, another entity, or in the event of a sale or assets or a
bankruptcy, Science and Medicine Group shall have the right to transfer all
personal information collected through the Services to the acquiring party. In
the event of such change, your personal information will continue to be treated
in accordance with this Privacy Polity until such time as any changes to the
Privacy Policy are set forth herein.
Security of Information
Science and Medicine Group takes information security seriously. To prevent
unauthorized access or disclosure, to maintain data accuracy, and to ensure the
appropriate use of information, Science and Medicine Group uses a range of
physical, technical, and administrative measures to safeguard your Personal
Information. In particular, all connections to and from our website and mobile
application are encrypted using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.
Please recognize that protecting your Personal Information is also your responsibility. We ask you to be responsible for safeguarding your password authentication information you use to access our Services. You should not disclose your authentication information to any third-party and should immediately notify Science and Medicine Group of any unauthorized use of your password. Science and Medicine Group cannot secure Personal Information that you release on your own or that you request us to release.
Your information collected through the Service may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Science and Medicine Group or its subsidiaries, affiliates or service providers maintain facilities and, therefore, your information may be subject to the laws of those other jurisdictions which may be different from the laws of your country of residence.
Children's privacy
Science and Medicine Group is committed to protecting the privacy of children
as well as adults. Neither Science and Medicine Group nor any of its Services
are designed for, intended to attract, or directed toward children under the
age of 18.
Data Retention
We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as
needed to provide you with our services. If you wish to cancel your account or
request that we no longer use your information to provide you services, contact
us at [email protected].
In addition, we will retain and use your information as necessary to comply
with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
- PRIVACY COMPLIANCE The Science and Medicine Group complies with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, the Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Frameworks, and the European Commission-approved Standard Contractual Clauses in place with our customers. These frameworks set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce and EU Commission govern the collection, use, and retention of personal information transferred from the European Union, the United Kingdom, and/or Switzerland to the United States. The Science and Medicine Group has certified to the Department of Commerce that it adheres to the Privacy Shield and EU Commission Standard Contractual Clause Principles. If there is any conflict between the terms in this privacy policy and the Privacy Shield Principles, or the Standard Contractual Clauses, the Privacy Shield Principles and Standard Contractual Clauses shall govern. To learn more about the Privacy Shield program, and to view our certification, please visit https://www.privacyshield.gov/.
The Science and Medicine Group is responsible for the processing of personal data it receives under the Privacy Shield Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses as well as subsequent transfers to third parties acting as an agent on its behalf. The Science and Medicine Group complies with the Privacy Shield principles and EU Commission Standard Contractual Clauses for all onward transfers of personal data from the EU, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, including the onward transfer liability provisions.
The Science and Medicine Group submits to being subject to the investigatory and enforcement powers of the FTC, or any other U.S. authorized statutory body with regards to our self-certification and implementation of the Principles, and acknowledges the right of the EU, United Kingdom, or Swiss individual, under certain conditions, to invoke binding arbitration, at no cost to the individual, in filing a complaint disputing The Science and Medicine Groups adherence to these practices.
On July 16, 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued a judgment declaring as ‘invalid‘ the European Commission‘s Decision (EU) 2016/1250 of 12 July 2016 on the adequacy of the protection provided by the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. Similarly, on September 8, 2020, the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) of Switzerland issued an opinion concluding that the Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework does not provide an adequate level of protection for data transfers from Switzerland to the United States pursuant to Switzerland‘s Federal Act on Data Protection.
As a result of these decisions, the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and the Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Frameworks are no longer valid mechanisms to comply with EU and Swiss data protection requirements when transferring personal data from the European Union and Switzerland to the United States. At present, the US Department of Commerce will continue to administer the Privacy Shield program, including processing submissions for self-certification and re-certification to the Privacy Shield Frameworks and maintaining the Privacy Shield List. Therefore, the Science and Medicine Group will continue to comply with the Privacy Shield Frameworks when processing personal data from the European Union, UK, and Switzerland. Where we receive personal data from customers in the EU, United Kingdom, and/or Switzerland, or we transfer personal data relating to data subjects located in the EU, UK, and/or Switzerland to a country that has not received an adequacy decision by the European Commission (such as the US), we will rely on alternative safeguards to protect such data, including the European Commission-approved Standard Contractual Clauses.
Independent Dispute Resolution Mechanism
In compliance with the Privacy Shield and EU Commission Standard Contractual
Clause Principles, The Science and Medicine Group commits to resolve complaints
about our collection or use of your personal information. Individuals in the
European Union, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland with inquiries or
complaints regarding our Privacy Shield policy should first contact The Science
and Medicine Group, refer to our Contact Information section below. If you have
an unresolved privacy or data use concern that we have not addressed
satisfactorily, please contact our U.S.-based third party dispute resolution
provider (free of charge) at https://feedback-form.truste.com/watchdog/request.
Under certain conditions, more fully described on the Privacy Shield website, you may invoke binding arbitration when other dispute resolution procedures have been exhausted.
In addition, you may lodge a complaint to a supervisory authority if you consider that your personal data has been processed in breach of applicable legislation or this privacy policy; refer to the following link for a complete list of Data Protection Authorities (http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/article-29/structure/data-protection-authorities/index_en.htm)
- CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have questions about this Privacy Statement, please mail The Science and Medicine Group Privacy Administrator at:
Privacy Administrator
Science and Medicine Group
671 N Glebe Rd #1610
Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 778-3080
Please refer to our Privacy Shield profile on the Privacy Shield Website for specific details regarding our direct contact details at Science and Medicine Group Privacy Shield profile
