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Society
of Teachers of Family Medicine
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STFM respects the privacy of its members and other visitors to its Web site. STFM strongly believes that if electronic commerce and on-line activities are to flourish, consumers must be assured that information provided on-line is used responsibly and appropriately. To protect online privacy, STFM has implemented the following policy. What Information Does STFM Collect? From General Users. STFM does not collect any personal information from users browsing its Web site. Users to the public areas of STFM's Web site browse anonymously. Only aggregate data such as the number of hits per page are collected. Aggregate data are only used for internal and marketing purposes and do not provide any personally identifying information. STFM uses Google Analytics to store the aggregate data (hits, visits, page views, etc) developed when people visit the STFM website. To find out more about Google Analytics and to read their privacy policy you can visit: http://www.google.com/analytics/ If a member has logged into a password protected area of an STFM Web site, the user's name and member ID number are recorded. In the course of using STFM Web sites the member may be asked to provide personal information in order to purchase a product, participate in STFM activities, or otherwise interact with the STFM. In addition, the member may be asked to update their member contact information. If a user visits an area of website to register for a conference, join STFM, submit a presentation, or any other area where we request personal information STFM's website will place a cookie on the user's computer. This cookie will only contain a unique number that enables our website to save user's input into our forms as the user moves from one form to another on the STFM website. No personal information about the user is saved in the cookie. All information provided by users when completing a form on the STFM website is eventually stored in our databases. We may use this information in the future to market STFM products, conferences, or other information to people who have provided us information. Important note for STFM members: STFM maintains a membership database independent of its Web operations. The information from this database is drawn from membership applications, dues payment forms, subscriptions, product orders, member surveys, and other correspondence between the STFM and its members. If a non member registers for a meeting or purchases a product from STFM's Web site, the user's name, address and other personal identifying information are recorded. In some instances, demographic information is collected and recorded. Credit Card information: STFM does not disclose credit card account information or activity provided by its customers. When members and customers choose to pay using their credit cards, STFM submits this information encrypted to obtain payment from the appropriate clearing house. STFM DOES NOT store credit card numbers in any of its databases. How does the STFM use data collected? STFM services and products: STFM uses data collected to improve its Web content, to respond to visitor needs and preferences and to develop new products and services. Disclosure to third parties: STFM makes member contact information available in its on-line Membership Directory only to other members of STFM who have verified their membership status before entering the online membership directory. On occasion, the STFM may also provide limited data to third parties that offer products or services deemed of interest to family medicine educators. These limited data include names and addresses, but do not include phone numbers, fax numbers, or e mail addresses. Disclosure required by law or emergency circumstances: STFM may release personal information to third parties in order to comply with valid legal requirements such as a law, regulation, search warrant, subpoena, or court order. In the event that the STFM is legally required to disclose your personal information to a third party, STFM will notify you unless doing so would violate the law or court order. How does the STFM use cookies? STFM may use session cookies on some public areas of its Web sites to provide greater functionality. STFM may use persistent cookies in the password protected areas of STFM Web site. These persistent cookies may be used to personalize a member's visit, to offer greater functionality, and to track visitor practices. The information generated from these cookies is used to help determine which services are most important and guide editorial decisions. Users who may not desire the functionality offered by the cookie have the option to disable the cookie either by indicating that they do not wish to have the cookie created or by disabling the cookie function in their browser. A member must have cookies enabled to access the member sections of the STFM Web sites. No personal information is stored in the cookies used by STFM. For privacy questions or concerns about the STFM Web site, please contact bphillip@stfm.org. What Privacy Issues Arise With Links To Other Sites? What Means of Redress Are Available? |