The Conservation & Sportsman’s Club of Thurmont, Maryland, Inc. (TCSC) and Venturing Crew 270 are committed to maintaining your privacy and protecting your personal information when you visit TCSC websites, use TCSC’s mobile applications. With respect to the collection, use, and disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII), TCSC complies with all applicable federal laws. In this document, when we refer to TCSC or TCandSC.org, we also implicitly mean all TCSC properties, including CREW270.com and/or any other digital media TCSC may currently own and/or operate.
Our privacy policy is clear:
- TCSC does not collect any personally identifiable information (PII) when you visit any of TCSC’s digital medial channels unless you choose to provide that information to us.
- Any PII that you choose to provide is fully protected.
- Non-PII information related to your visit to our websites may be automatically collected and temporarily stored.
Here is how we handle information about your visit to our website:
Information Received and Retained by TCSC
Information You Give Us
You do not have to provide any personal information to visit any of TCSC websites with limited exceptions such as if you are a member and wish to establish an account to gain access to the members only areas of our websites. If you choose to provide us with any personal information such as sending a message to an email address on this website, filling out a form and submitting it through our website, completing a survey, we will use that information to respond to your message or to fulfill the stated purpose of the communication. We will maintain any information you provide in accordance with applicable federal laws. TCSC will not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about visitors to our websites, unless required by law enforcement or by statute.
Visits to TCandSC.org or any other TCSC content
When browsing any website, certain information about your visit can be collected. When browsing, reading pages or downloading information from TCSC websites directly or via APIs on other websites, specific information is gathered and stored automatically. This information does not identify you personally. We automatically collect and temporarily store only the following information about your visit:
- the Internet domain (for example, “xcompany.com” if a private Internet access account is used, or “yourschool.edu” if connecting from a university’s domain) and IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when surfing the Web);
- Information about your computer or mobile device (e.g., type and version of web browser, operating system, screen resolution, and connection speed);
- the visit date and time;
- The pages or screens accessed or visited on TCSC’s digital media
- The number of times TCSC’s digital media was accessed.
- The amount of data (measured in number of bytes) transmitted from TCandSC.org to your computer
- If TCandSC.org is designated as a home page (in the event your mobile device allows this functionality); and
The internet address or URL of the website visited immediately prior to visiting TCSC’s digital media, but only if you connect to TCandSC.org via a link from another web page within that website.
Email Subscriptions
Email and text message subscription services are offered by TCSC as a convenience to users who choose to receive information via these channels. All information published via email subscriptions and text messaging services is available on TCandSC.org without the requirement to provide email address or phone number.
In order to manage TCSC email subscription lists, we retain the names and email addresses of our email subscribers, as well as other information they may have shared with us (e.g., addresses and phone numbers), logs of emails we send, and automatically generated email data used to improve our email communications. Email subscriber service providers may collect and provide non-identifying information about the number of messages sent, clicks and open rates.
To get more information about current email subscription service providers and their privacy policy, please refer to their sites, such as MailChimp. The email subscriber information is secured and only available to TCSC managers, members of TCSC’s communication and web Team, and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties. If, at any time, you wish to stop receiving our messages, simply click on the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of each email message. Please also understand that Members of TCSC are obligated to accept and keep current their email address to receive communications important to their memberships. Failing to do so may mean they can and will forfeit those memberships.
Survey Tools
Invitations to TCSC surveys are sent via a pop up or external links to a random sampling of visitor. Your acceptance of a survey is completely optional. If you decline any survey, you will still have the same access to the information and resources provided in all of TCSC’s digital media, as those who opt to take a survey.
TCSC uses online surveys to collect opinions and feedback from visitors on all type of digital media. Please refer to the SurveyMonkey for their privacy policy. These survey service providers obtain feedback and data on visitor’s satisfaction on behalf of TCSC. Surveys conducted on behalf of TCSC do not collect any Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and the aggregate results are only available to TCSC staff whom require this information to perform their duties.
Mobile surveys (i.e., those accessed via your mobile device) may request an email address and a phone number from you in order to send an external link to the survey. TCSC does not receive your personal information, nor will TCSC have access to your information. To get more details on the data collected by any of these survey service providers, please refer to their specific privacy policy.
Official TCSC Presence on Third-Party Websites
All official TCSC information available on third-party websites is also available on TCandSC.org site. TCSC maintains official pages or accounts on third-party websites in order to better engage and communicate with the general public. Your activity on those sites is governed by the third-party website’s security and privacy policies. Users of third-party sites often share information with the general public, user communities, and/or the third-party operating the site. Consequently, you should review the privacy policies of third-party sites before using them and ensure that you understand how your information may be shared and used. You should also adjust privacy settings on your account on any third-party site to match your preferences.
For the sole purpose of complying with the Presidential Records Act Externalexternal icon, TCSC archives some information that users submit or publish when engaging with TCSC through official TCSC pages or accounts on third-party websites (e.g., by sending a message, posting a comment, “following,” “friending,” or taking similar actions). This information may contain personal information, such as an individual’s username and other public account information, when such information is available based on the user’s privacy settings and the terms of the site. For example:
- On Facebook, TCSC archives all content created by official TCSC pages, content that tags an official TCSC page, and any content posted on official TCSC pages (for example, the number of likes to the page and comments posted).
For aggregate statistical analysis and to improve the quality of our services, we may integrate web measurement tools with our social media pages. These tools enable basic analysis of social media traffic (such as the number of people visiting a certain page) and do not collect personally identifiable information.
How Information is used
If you choose to provide TCSC with information, we may use that information to contact you, respond to your message, or provide you the information or services you requested. In order to serve you better, we may analyze multiple sources of data you have provided (for example, to look up whether you previously contacted TCSC about the same topic so that we do not send you a duplicative response). We may also use messages or comments collected through TCandSC.org sites, Apps, or official social media pages for our own purposes, such as to inform policy decisions or in public advocacy.
We may use data you provide and automatically generated data for statistical analysis to assess, for example, what information is of interest to users. This allows us to make general improvements to our site as well as to offer tailored content to email subscribers (e.g., a follow-up message to subscribers interested in a specific topic based on information they have provided or automatically generated data).
Sharing of this Information
Information you choose to share with TCSC (directly and via third party sites) may be treated as public information. We may, for example, publish compilations of messages or comments collected through TCandSC.org or official social media pages and provide them to national leaders, members of the press, or other individuals outside of the Federal Government. However, we exercise discretion to limit such disclosures to protect your privacy (for example, we generally do not publish last names of commenters).
TCSC uses a third-party analytics provider (Google) to collect and summarize this information in conjunction with cookies. The third-party analytics provider does not receive personally identifiable information through these cookies and is prohibited from combining, matching or cross-referencing TCandSC.org information with any other information.
Within TCSC, we restrict access to personally identifiable information to only those employees, contractors, and/or vendors who require access to this information in order to perform their official duties and exercise controls to limit what data they can view based on the specific needs of their position. If you choose to share information with us, we may in some cases share that information (or automatically generated information) with other government agencies in response to lawful law enforcement requests or to protect TCandSC.org from security threats.
We do not use or share your information for commercial purposes and, except as described above, we do not exchange or otherwise disclose this information.
Data Retention
Submitting personal information (name, address, telephone number, email address, etc.) is voluntary and is not required to access information on our website. However, if you choose to provide TCSC with personally identifiable information — for example by completing a form, leaving a comment, sending email, completing a survey or purchasing a product or service – we may use that information to respond to your message and/or help us get you the information or services (product) you requested.
We retain the information only for as long as necessary to respond to your question or request. Information submitted electronically is maintained and destroyed as required by the Federal Records Act. It may be subject to disclosure in certain cases (for example, if required by a Freedom of Information Act request, court order, or Congressional access request, or if authorized by a Privacy Act System of Records Notice (SORN)). It is subject to the Privacy Act if maintained in a Privacy Act system of record.
For more information, see:
As data retention policies vary from system to system, please check that system’s policy or their individual SORN for more detailed information.
Third-Party Tools and Sites
TCSC content gets published on third-party sites as a convenience to users who prefer to use these media channels. All information published on these third-party sites is also available on TCandSC.org site.
Links to External Sites
TCandSC.org pages and other TCSC digital media platforms may link to websites created and maintained by other public and/or private organizations and individuals. When you follow a link to an external site, you are leaving TCandSC.org and are subject to the external site‘s privacy and security policies. We do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information contained on an external site. We also do not endorse the site’s sponsor, any views they express, or any products or services they offer.
TCSC Pages on Third-Party Websites
Your activity on third-party sites is governed by the third-party website’s security and privacy policies. Please contact the third-party site’s Privacy Office if you have any questions or need further information.
TCSC Content Embedded in Third-Party Sites
In some instances, TCSC’s content may be embedded on third-party websites as a way to increase public awareness of TCSC. The integration of these products is intended to provide a seamless user experience and to enhance users’ ability to access public information provided by TCSC. The embedded TCandSC.org content automatically generates TCSC server logs, web metrics and may set a TCSC cookie. Additionally, all other cookies, web metrics and server logs etc. are governed by the third-party website’s security and privacy policy.
Interaction with Children on TCSC Digital Media
We believe in the importance of protecting the privacy of children online. As such, we will take all reasonable steps to protect the privacy and safety of any child from whom information is collected as required by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). A child’s parent or guardian is required to provide consent before TCSC collects, uses, or shares personal information from a child under age 13.
When a TCSC Web site needs to collect information about a child under 13 years old, COPPA required information and instructions will be provided by the specific Web page that collects information about the child. The Web page will specify exactly what the information will be used for, who will see it, and how long it will be kept.
Personal information about children less than 13 years of age may be needed to respond to his/her communication to us. Personal information about your child will be destroyed immediately upon completion of its intended purpose. On rare occasions, it may be determined that a communication from a child under 13 years old should be maintained for historical purposes. Should such an occasion occur, TCSC will obtain the necessary consent from the child’s parent.
Finally, we provide many on-line tools and services in support of TCSC’s mission. A child under 13 years old may inadvertently provide personal information to one of these services. If this should happen, the information about the child will be deleted immediately upon discovery.
Our digital media is not intended to solicit information of any kind from children under age 13. If you believe that we have received information from or about children under age 13, please contact TCSC immediately (mailto:privacy@TCandSC.org).
Cookies
TCSC also uses web measurements and customization technologies (such as “cookies”). You can choose not to accept cookies from any website, including TCandSC.org, by changing your browser settings.
Security
At TCSC, reasonable precautions are taken to protect TCSC’s digital platforms, including information automatically collected by or voluntarily submitted to TCandSC.org or an official TCSC page on a third-party site. For example, we restrict access to personally identifiable information to employees, contractors, and vendors who require access to this information in order to perform their official duties, and exercise controls to limit what data they can view based on the specific needs of their position. Access to official TCSC accounts on third-party sites is limited to the individuals who administer those accounts, and all official TCSC accounts are clearly labeled.
Also, commonly used practices and technical controls are utilized to protect the information in our possession or control, along with TCandSC.org itself. These practices and controls include, but are not limited to: encrypting the transfer of personal information over the internet via a minimum of 256 bit secure sockets protocols such as Transport Layer Security (TLS), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) etc., using high-strength firewalls and intrusion detection systems (IDS) to safeguard personal information, and maintaining strict technical controls and procedures to ensure the integrity of all data on TCandSC.org.
We periodically review our processes and systems to verify compliance with industry best practices and to ensure the highest level of security for TCSC’s digital platforms.
Contact Privacy Office
If you have any questions regarding TCSC’s privacy policy or need further information, please contact TCSC mailto:privacy@TCandSC.org.
Updates to This Privacy Policy
We will revise or update this policy from time to time. If we make significant changes to how we handle personal information, we will post changes to the policy on our site and change the date at the bottom. We will provide additional notice in advance (e.g., a disclaimer on our website or an email to subscribers) if material changes are being made.
Last Revised: September 30, 2020