ASTA Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 1, 2018

ASTA respects the privacy of its members and other visitors to its website. ASTA strongly believes that if online activities and electronic commerce are to flourish, consumers must be assured that information provided online is used responsibly and appropriately. By accessing or using the ASTA website and/or providing any personal information to us, you are accepting the practices described in this privacy policy. If you do not accept these practices, you must not access or use this site or provide us with your personal information.

To protect online privacy, ASTA has implemented the following policy.

What Information Does ASTA Collect?
Most of the data ASTA collects is only used to help us better serve our members. It is our general policy to collect and store only personal information that our members and visitors knowingly provide. If our privacy policies change, we will notify all users by email or a special announcement on our website.

From General Users. ASTA does not collect any personal information from users browsing its website. Only aggregate data—such as number of page views—is collected. Aggregate data is only used for internal and marketing purposes and does not provide any personally identifying information.

From ASTA Members, Conference Registrants, and Other Customers. To gain access to members-only resources or to purchase products or services, members and other users are asked to register and provide some limited information. This information is submitted voluntarily. ASTA asks users to provide their name, member number (if applicable), organization name, address, phone number, and email. Similar information may be submitted to ASTA through membership applications, conference or seminar registration, publication orders, subscriptions, and competition registrations. Additionally, when we send electronic newsletters and other communications through an email service provider, we track specific information regarding what recipients do with these emails—for example, we track whether recipients open and subsequently click through links provided in the emails. ASTA only uses this information to improve its products and the distribution of those products to its members. This information is not sold or distributed in any other manner.

How Does ASTA Use Data Collected?
ASTA uses information voluntarily submitted by members and other customers in the following ways:

ASTA Member Services and Products. Generally, ASTA and its direct subsidiaries use data collected to improve its own web content; to respond to visitors' interests, needs, and preferences; and to develop new products and services.

Disclosures to Third Parties. ASTA makes member contact information available through the ASTA Membership Directory to other members using its website and to those who register for its conferences. In addition, ASTA incorporates information users provide into hard copies of the membership directory that it provides to members and sells to requesters. On occasion, ASTA may also provide limited data to third parties that offer products and services. These limited data include names, job titles, companies, and business addresses, but do not include phone numbers, fax numbers, or email addresses. Users may request that ASTA refrain from disclosing the data it collects to third parties on the membership application form, conference registration form, or any other form on which they are providing information. Alternatively, users may contact ASTA at asta@astastrings.org or (703) 279-2113 to express their preferences if they determine they do not wish to have the information shared.

Credit Card Account Information. ASTA does not disclose credit card account information provided by its members and customers. When members and customers choose to pay using their credit cards, ASTA submits the information needed to obtain payment to the appropriate clearinghouse.

Where ASTA Stores Your Personal Data
The personal data you provide to us is generally stored on servers located in the United States. If you are located in another jurisdiction, you should be aware that once your personal data is submitted through our website, it will be transferred to our servers in the United States and that the United States currently does not have uniform data protection laws in place.
 
Transfer of Personal Data Outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) and International Users
ASTA is headquartered in the United States. Your personal data may be accessed by us or transferred to us in the United States or to our affiliates, partners, merchants, or service providers who are located worldwide. If you are visiting our website from outside the United States, be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located and our central database is operated. By using our service, you consent to any transfer of this information.

How Long ASTA Stores Your Personal Data
We will store your personal data in a form that permits us to identify you for no longer than is necessary for the purpose for which the personal data is processed. We may retain and use your personal data as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements and rights, or if it is not technically reasonably feasible to remove it. Consistent with these requirements, we will try to delete your personal data quickly upon request.

Retention  
We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our site. If you wish to cancel your account or request that we no longer use your information to provide you service, contact us at asta@astastrings.org or (703) 279-2113. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. We maintain one or more databases to store your personal data and may keep such information indefinitely. 

Links to Third-Party Sites and Services  
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, applications, and services not operated by us. These links are provided as a service and do not imply any endorsement by us of the activities or content of these sites, applications, or services, nor any association with their operators. ASTA is not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of any third party, including websites or services. ASTA encourages you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site that you link to from our site.

Children’s Privacy
Our website is not directed to children under the age of 13. If you are not 13 years or older, do not use our site without a parent present. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 13. If we learn that personal data of persons less than 13 years-of-age has been collected through our site, we will take the appropriate steps to delete this information. If you are a parent or guardian and discover that your child or a minor under the age of 13 has posted, submitted, or otherwise communicated personal data to our site without your consent, then you may alert us at asta@astastrings.org or (703) 279-2113 so that we may take appropriate action to remove the minor's personal data from our systems.

Your Rights 

Correction and Removal 
If any of the information that ASTA has about you is incorrect, or you wish to have information (including personal data) removed from our records, you may do so by visiting your ASTA Profile, or contacting us at asta@astastrings.org or (703) 279-2113.

Opting Out
Additionally, if you prefer not to receive marketing messages from us, please let us know by clicking on the unsubscribe link within any marketing message that you receive, by visiting your ASTA Profile, or by contacting us at asta@astastrings.org or (703) 279-2113.

European Rights 
FOR EUROPEAN RESIDENTS ONLY. You have the right to ask us not to process your personal data for marketing purposes. We will usually inform you (before collecting your personal data) if we intend to use your personal data for such purposes or if we intend to disclose your information to any third party for such purposes. You can exercise your right to prevent such processing by checking certain boxes on the forms we use to collect your personal data. You can also exercise the right by contacting us at asta@astastrings.org or (703) 279-2113.

Under European data protection law, in certain circumstances, you have the right to:

Request access to your personal data. You may have the right to request access to any personal data we hold about you as well as related information, including the purposes for processing the personal data, the recipients or categories of recipients with whom the personal data has been shared, where possible, the period for which the personal data will be stored, the source of the personal data, and the existence of any automated decision making.

Request correction of your personal data. You may have the right to obtain without undue delay the rectification of any inaccurate personal data we hold about you.

Request erasure of your personal data. You may have the right to request that personal data held about you is deleted.

Object to or restrict processing of your personal data. You may have the right to prevent or restrict processing of your personal data.

Request transfer of your personal data. You may have the right to request transfer of personal data directly to a third party where this is technically feasible.

Withdraw your consent. In addition, where you believe that ASTA has not complied with its obligations under this notice or European law, you have the right to make a complaint to an EU Data Protection Authority, such as the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.

You may exercise any of these rights by contacting us at asta@astastrings.org or (703) 279-2113.

California Rights
FOR CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS ONLY. Section 1798.83 of the California Civil Code requires select businesses to disclose policies relating to the sharing of certain categories of your personal data with third parties. If you reside in California and have provided your personal data to ASTA, you may request information about our disclosures of certain categories of personal data to third parties for direct marketing purposes. Such requests must be submitted to us via mail or email: 
ASTA 
Attn: California Privacy Rights
4155 Chain Bridge Road
Fairfax, VA 22030
asta@astastrings.org

What Means of Redress Are Available?
If any user thinks ASTA has handled its personal information in a manner that does not comply with this privacy statement, please contact us at asta@astastrings.org or (703) 279-2113. 

Who Is ASTA
For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (the GDPR), the data controller is the American String Teachers Association registered in Virginia, USA, with a registered address at 4155 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA 22030.

Changes to This Notice
If we make any material changes to this notice or to the way we use, share, or collect personal data, we will notify you by revising the effective date at the top of this notice, prominently posting an announcement of the changes on our website, or sending an email to the email address you most recently provided us (unless we do not have such an email address). Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes to this notice.