Privacy Policy

This policy describes how the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) handles information collected and received from Users and visitors of the ECF360 website (the “Website”).

By using the Website, you consent to our collection, storage, use, and disclosure of information as described in this policy.

Collection

The information ECF may collect and store includes the following:

  • E-mail address, contact information, and other information provided as part of registration as a User;

  • Registration Information and other content and information uploaded and posted to our Website;

  • Articles, content, discussion threads, comments, and other postings; and

  • Other information from your interaction with the Website, including computer and connection information, statistics on page views, traffic to and from the Website, ad data, internet protocol (IP) address, and standard web log information; and

Use of Your Information

Our primary purpose in collecting information is to provide a safe, smooth, efficient, and customized experience for users of the Website. We use such information to:

  • Operate the Website;

  • Prevent or respond to prohibited or illegal activities;

  • Enforce our User Agreement, Terms of Use, and other policies;

  • Measure, and improve the performance of our Website

Communications

Based on the information we collect and receive, we may send communications promoting our Website, and distributing information related to our mission and that of the Episcopal Church. If you do not want to receive such communications, please contact us at [email protected] or ECF360, Episcopal Church Foundation, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 750, New York, NY 10115.

Disclosure of Your Information

ECF may disclose personal information to respond to legal requirements, enforce our policies, respond to claims that certain content or postings violates the rights of others, or protect anyone’s property or safety. Such information will be disclosed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

We may also share your personal information with:

  • Service providers under contract who assist us in managing our operations;

  • Law enforcement or other governmental officials, in response to a verified request relating to a criminal investigation or alleged illegal activity; or

  • Third parties that provide a valid subpoena or court order.

Activity Connected with a Registered User

A registered User’s identity will be connected with his/her activity on the Website. Users may download and update templated documents and save them for their own use. Users are encouraged to share documents with ECF staff, such as successful appeal and thank you letters, for re-use by other ECF360 users after those documents have had identifiable information removed and made more generalized for future template document use.

ECF will cooperate with law enforcement authorities or court orders directing ECF to disclose the identity of anyone posting any inappropriate or unlawful information on the Website.

Cookies

We use “cookies” (small files placed on your computer) on certain webpages to help analyze and enhance use of the Website. We also use cookies to identify you and maintain your logged-in status.

We may offer certain features that are available only through the use of cookies. You can decline cookies if your browser permits, although doing so may interfere with your use of some of the features on our Website. You may encounter cookies from third parties on certain pages of the website that we do not control. Most cookies are “session cookies,” meaning that they are automatically deleted from your computer at the end of a session.

No Spam, Spyware, or Spoofing

ECF does not tolerate spam. You may not use our communication tools to send spam or otherwise send content that would violate our Terms of Use. We may automatically scan and may manually filter messages to check for spam, viruses, phishing attacks, and other malicious or illegal activity.

You are not authorized to add other Users’ e-mail addresses to your mailing list, without their express consent, even if a User publicly displays an e-mail address on the Website.

Archives

In our discretion, ECF may keep archives of any or all content, discussions, comments, and other postings or submissions.

Passcode and Account Protection

We encourage you to use unique numbers, letters, and special characters in setting your account passcode. Do not disclose your passcode to anyone, unless you expressly agree to allowing them to use your login/passcode. Please be advised that you are responsible for all actions taken under your User account. If you lose control of your password, you may lose substantial control over your personal information and may be subject to legally binding actions taken on your behalf. Therefore, if your passcode has been compromised for any reason, you should immediately change your passcode and notify us if you need assistance. You can change your passcode at any time in your account information.

Accessing, Reviewing, and Changing Your Information

If you are a registered User, you can see, review, and change most of your Registration Information by signing into your account. Generally, we will not manually modify your information, because it is very difficult to verify your identity remotely. You must promptly update your registration information if it changes or is inaccurate.

Once you upload or post any content (or participate in a discussion), you may not be able to change or remove it. Upon your request, we will close your account and remove your personal information from view as soon as reasonably possible, based on your account activity and in accordance with applicable law. We do retain personal information from closed accounts to comply with law, prevent fraud, resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigations, enforce our agreements, policies, and guidelines, and take other actions permitted by law.

Security

ECF will use reasonable security tools (e.g., encryption, passcodes, physical security) to protect information against unauthorized access and disclosure. However, third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications, and other users may abuse or misuse your information that they collect from the Website. Therefore, although we work very hard to protect your privacy, we cannot promise, and you should not expect, that your personal information or private communications will always remain private.

Third Parties

This policy addresses the use and disclosure of information we collect or receive from you through the Website. If you disclose your information to third parties, including to other Users or visitors, through our Website or other means, different rules may apply to their use or disclosure of the information you disclose to them. ECF does not control the use of your information by third parties (except where they act on our behalf), and you are subject to the privacy policies of third parties where applicable.

Amendment

ECF may amend this policy at any time by posting the amended terms on the Website.