Privacy Policy
Protecting your private information is our priority. This Statement of Privacy applies to the Public Discourse website (www.thepublicdiscourse.com), and governs data collection and usage. By using the Public Discourse website, you consent to the data practices described in this statement.
Public Discourse is the online journal of the Witherspoon Institute. Our postal address is
16 Stockton Street
Princeton, NJ 08540
We can be reached via e-mail at publicdiscourse@winst.org or by telephone at 609-688-8779.
Collection of your Personal Information
Your privacy is important to us. As part of the operation of the Public Discourse website, we gather certain types of information from users. In this document, we would like to explain the types of information we gather, what we do with them, and how to correct or change the information we have on file for you.
Information Collected and Used by Public Discourse
Public Discourse collects two types of information from users: personal data such as your name, postal address, e-mail address, or credit card information (in the case of donations); and behavioral data such as information about traffic patterns on www.thepublicdiscourse.com (for example, how many users log on to canavox.com on a daily basis).
We do not collect any personal information about you unless you voluntarily provide it to us. However, you may be required to provide certain personal information when you elect to use certain products or services available on the site. These may include: (a) viewing more than five articles on our site per month; (b) subscribing to our email list; (c) signing up to receive a promotional eBook; (d) sending us an email message; (e) submitting your credit card or other payment information when making a donation to The Witherspoon Institute.
Aggregated information, such as which pages users visit, is collected through various means. One of these ways is through an IP (“Internet Protocol”) address, a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web. Web servers (the computers that store the files of Web pages that Internet users visit) automatically identify your computer by its IP address.
Witherspoon may keep track of the websites and pages users visit on the Public Discourse, in order to determine what content is the most popular. This data is used to deliver customized Public Discourse content to readers whose behavior indicates that they are interested in a particular subject area. The Witherspoon Institute may also use your personally identifiable information to inform you of events or programs available from Witherspoon and its subsidiaries, including Public Discourse and CanaVox.
Sharing Information with Third Parties
The Witherspoon Institute does not sell, rent, or lease its customer lists to third parties.
Witherspoon may share data with trusted partners to help perform statistical analysis, send you email or postal mail, or provide customer support. All such third parties are prohibited from using your personal information except to provide these services to Witherspoon, and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information.
Witherspoon may disclose your personal information, without notice, if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on the Witherspoon Institute or the Public Discourse site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of the Witherspoon Institute; and/or (c) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of the Witherspoon Institute and Public Discourse website, or the public.
Security
Our website employs security measures to protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control. We use a secure server to protect the security of online credit card transactions. Furthermore, all of the visitor data we collect is protected against unauthorized access. Witherspoon Institute employees understand the need for user privacy and access to user data is strictly limited.
Use of Cookies
The Witherspoon website may use “cookies” to help you personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.
One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. The purpose of a cookie is to tell the Web server that you have returned to a specific page. For example, if you enter your email on the Public Discourse site, a cookie helps the site to recall your specific information on subsequent visits.
You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the Witherspoon services or websites you visit.
Children Under Thirteen
Witherspoon does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under the age of thirteen. If you are under the age of thirteen, you must ask your parent or guardian for permission to use this website.
E-mail Communications
From time to time, Witherspoon may contact you via email. In order to improve our services, we may receive a notification when you open an email from Witherspoon or click on a link therein.
If you would like to stop receiving marketing or promotional communications via email from Witherspoon, you may opt out of such communications by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email.
External Data Storage Sites
We may store your data on servers provided by third party hosting vendors with whom we have contracted.
Changes to this Statement
Witherspoon reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy. We will notify you about significant changes in the way we treat personal information by sending a notice to the primary email address specified in your account, by placing a prominent notice on our site, and/or by updating any privacy information on this page. Your continued use of the site after such modifications will constitute your: (a) acknowledgment of the modified Privacy Policy; and (b) agreement to abide and be bound by that Policy.
Contact Information
The Witherspoon Institute welcomes your questions or comments regarding this Statement of Privacy. If you believe that Witherspoon has not adhered to this Statement, please contact us at:
The Witherspoon Institute
16 Stockton Street
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
Email Address:
info@winst.org
Telephone number:
(609) 688-8779
Effective as of October 12, 2018