Privacy Policy
Revised March 6, 2018
MARE has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our commitment to your privacy. In using our site, we want to provide a safe, secure experience. We will use our best efforts to ensure that the information you submit to us remains private. Because we receive many types of information from our users, we feel you should fully understand our policy and the terms and conditions surrounding the capture and use of that information. This privacy policy is intended to describe for you, as an individual who is a user at mareinc.org, the information we collect, how that information may be used, with whom it may be shared, and your choices about such uses and disclosures.
In general, you can visit the MARE website without telling us who you are or revealing any information about yourself. Our web servers collect the domain names, not the e-mail addresses, of visitors. This information is aggregated to measure the number of visits, average time spent on the site, pages viewed, etc. MARE uses this information to monitor the use of our site and to improve content on the site.
What information do we collect about you?
You can create an account on our website at any time. We collect any information you enter on the website or give us in any other way (such as through an email, letter or phone call). The information that we collect varies, but our various forms on the website generally require that you provide us with your first and last name, email address, phone number, address, password, and, possibly, background information regarding your family and other information that may be important to the adoption process.
We also may use various technologies to collect information from your computer and about your activities on the Website.
We may automatically collect information from your browser when you visit the Website. This information would include your Internet protocol (IP) address, your browser type and language, access times, the content of any undeleted cookies that your browser previously accepted from us, and the referring website address.
When you visit the Website, we may assign your computer one or more cookies to facilitate access to the Website and to personalize your online experience. Through the use of a cookie, we also may automatically collect information about your online activity on the Website, such as the web pages you visit, the links you click, and the searches you conduct on the Website. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies. If you choose to decline cookies, please note that you may not be able to sign in or use some of the interactive features offered on the Website.
We may use standard internet technology, such as web beacons and other similar technologies, to track your use of the Website. We also may include web beacons in our e-mail messages or newsletters to determine whether messages have been opened and acted upon. The information we may obtain in this manner would enable us to customize the services we offer to visitors of the Website, to deliver targeted advertising and communications, and to measure the overall effectiveness of our online advertising, content, programming, or other activities.
How do we use the information we collect from you?
Generally, we use your information for such purposes as operating the website, providing the services offered by the website, maintaining your account and providing customer support, communicating with you, performing analysis about your use of and interest in the offerings and content on the website, managing our day-to-day business, and performing functions as otherwise described to you at the time of collection.
With whom do we share information?
We may share your information with the state and local agencies as you authorize. This may include personal information about your adoption status, homestudy, etc. We may share your personal information with our authorized service providers that perform certain services on our behalf. These services may include processing credit card payments (if applicable), providing customer service and assistance, performing business analysis, supporting the Website’s functionality, and supporting surveys and other features that may be offered through the Website.
Any third parties to whom we may disclose personal information may have their own privacy policies which describe how they use and disclose personal information. Those policies will govern use, handling, and disclosure of your personal information once we have shared it with those third parties as described in this Privacy Policy. If you want to learn more about their privacy practices, we encourage you to visit the websites of those third parties.
We may share aggregated and non-personal information we collect under any of the previously mentioned circumstances. We may share aggregated information with third parties, for the purpose of conducting general operational and business analysis. For example, we may tell our state and local agencies the number of visitors to the website and the most popular features or services accessed. This information does not contain any personal information and may be used to develop and improve the Website.
Does this policy govern third-party websites?
The website may contain links to sites or affiliated agencies and other sites we thought might be useful. While we try to link only to sites that share our high standards and respect for privacy, we are not responsible for the content or the privacy practices employed by other sites. We recommend that you consult the privacy statements of all third-party websites you visit by clicking on the “privacy” link typically located at the bottom of the webpage you are visiting. This privacy policy applies solely to information collected by our website www.mareinc.org.
How can you access your information?
If you register for an account on the website, you have the ability to review and update your Account information online by logging into your account. You can also review and update your Account information by contacting us directly.
You may choose to make your account inactive at any time by contacting web@mareinc.org. After you make your account inactive, you will not be able to sign into the website or access any of your account information. However, you can request to reactive your account at any time. If you deactivate your account, we may still retain certain information associated with your account for analytical purposes and recordkeeping integrity, as well as to prevent fraud, collect any fees owed, enforce our Terms, take actions we deem necessary to protect the integrity of the Website or its Users, or take other actions otherwise permitted by law. In addition, if certain information has already been provided to third parties as described in this Privacy Policy, retention of that information will be subject to those third parties’ policies.
What are your choices about collection and use of your information?
You can choose not to provide us with certain information, but that may result in you being unable to use certain features of the website because such information may be required in order for you to create an Account; to use services on the website; or to ask us a question.
When you register on the website you may be automatically set up to receive email messages and/or newsletters about the website. At any time you can adjust your email preferences in your account settings.
As noted above, you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies. If you choose to decline cookies, please note that you may not be able to sign in or use some of the interactive features offered on the website.
How do we protect your personal information?
We take appropriate security measures (including physical, electronic, and procedural measures) to help safeguard your personal information from unauthorized access and disclosure. We want you to feel confident using the Website; however, no system can be completely secure. Therefore, it is important for you to protect against unauthorized access to your password and to your computer or other internet access device.
Although we take steps to secure your information, we do not guarantee the security of your information, and you should not expect that your personal information, searches, or other communications will always remain secure. Please refer to the Federal Trade Commission’s website at https://www.ftc.gov for information about how to protect yourself against identity theft.
Changes to this policy
We will occasionally update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices and services. When we post changes to this Privacy Policy, we will revise the date at the top of this Privacy Policy. We recommend that you check the Website from time to time to inform yourself of any changes in this Privacy Policy or any of our other policies.
How to contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our information-handling practices, or if you would like to request information about our disclosure of personal information to third parties, please contact web@mareinc.org.