Darwin’s Ark Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

1.1 In this policy, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Darwin’s Ark Foundation or its affiliated scientific members. For more information about us, see Section 11.

1.2 Your privacy is important to us. We don’t ask for your personal information unless we truly need it. It is Darwin’s Ark Foundation’s policy to respect your privacy regarding any information we may collect from you across our website. We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of users.

1.3 Personal Data as defined by the General Data Protection Regulation means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person; an identifiable natural person is a human who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

1.4 This policy applies where Darwin’s Ark Foundation or its affiliated scientific members are acting as a data controller with respect to the personal data of users; in other words, in instances where we determine the purposes and means of the processing personal data.

1.5 We use cookies on our website. Insofar as those cookies are not strictly necessary to provide you specific functionality, we will ask you to consent to our use of cookies when you first visit our website.

1.6 Our website incorporates privacy controls which affect how we will process your personal data. By using the privacy controls, you can limit the publication of your profile information.

1.7 Darwin’s Ark Foundation is a non-profit scientific organization committed to enabling research. As such, genetic data and related phenotype data (traits) we collect on animals may be made publicly available for research purposes. Publicly released data will be anonymized and will not include owner information or other data defined as personal data.

1.8 We will provide you with any research data specific to your pet upon request. If you chose to share this information with individuals outside of Darwin’s Ark Foundation or its affiliated scientific members, we can no longer ensure that your pet’s genetic data will remain anonymous.

1.9 We take security seriously and do what we can within commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information from loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification. That said, we advise that no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure and cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data.

1.10 Our website may link to external sites that are not operated by us. Please be aware that we have no control over the content and practices of these sites and cannot assume responsibility for their treatment of your personal information. This privacy policy only covers our website and privacy practices.

1.11 We will never sell any data you provide or any data we generate.

2. Collection and use your personal data

2.1 We may ask you for personal information, such as your name, email, address, contact details and payment details. We collect only the personal information relevant to providing you with services and use your information only to ensure the fulfilment of services. You are free to refuse our request for your personal information, with the understanding that we may be unable to provide you with some of your desired services without this information. Darwin’s Ark will keep personal identifying information (including owner names and contact information) strictly confidential.

2.2 Below we have set out:

(a) the general categories of personal data that we may process;

(b) the source and specific categories of that data if we did not obtain it directly from you;

(d) the legal bases of the processing.

2.3 We may process data about your use of our website and services (“usage data“). The usage data may include your IP address, geographical location, browser type and version, operating system, referral source, length of visit, page views and website navigation paths, as well as information about the timing, frequency and pattern of your service use. The source of the usage data is our analytics tracking system. This usage data may be processed for the purposes of analysing the use of the website and services. The legal basis for this processing is our legitimate interests, namely monitoring and improving our website and services.

2.4 We may process your account data (“account data“). The account data may include your name and email address. The account data may be processed for the purposes of providing our services, ensuring the security of our website and services, maintaining back-ups of our databases and communicating with you. The legal basis for this processing is both consent via Term of Service, and the proper administration of our website and enablement of scientific research.

2.5 We may process your information included in your personal profile on our website (“profile data“). The profile data may include your name, your pet, your profile pictures, and pictures of your pet, and other descriptive information you may have provided for the purpose of populating your profile. The profile data may be processed for the purposes of enabling your use of our website and services. The legal basis for this processing is your consent and voluntary submission of information to support scientific research and community building.

2.6 We may process information that you post for publication on our website or through our services (“publication data“). The publication data may include forums and blogs. The publication data may be processed for the purposes of enabling such publication. The legal basis for this processing is the proper administration of our website.

2.7 We may process information relating to transactions, including purchases of goods and services, that you enter into with us and/or through our website (“transaction data“). The transaction data may include your contact details, your card details and the transaction details. The transaction data may be processed for the purpose of supplying the purchased goods and services and keeping proper records of those transactions. The legal basis for this processing is the performance of service as per your request.

2.8 We may process information that you provide to us for the purpose of subscribing to our email notifications and/or newsletters (“notification data“). The notification data may be processed for the purposes of sending you the relevant notifications and/or newsletters. The legal basis for this processing is the fulfillment of your request for notification and/or news.

2.9 We may process information contained in or relating to any communication that you send to us (“correspondence data“). The correspondence data may include the communication content and metadata associated with the communication. Our website will generate the metadata associated with communications made using the website contact forms. The correspondence data may be processed for the purposes of communicating with you and record-keeping.

2.10 We may process any of your personal data identified in this policy where necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, whether in court proceedings or in an administrative or out-of-court procedure. The legal basis for this processing is the protection and assertion of your legal rights, our legal rights, or the legal rights of others.

2.11 In addition to the specific purposes for which we may process your personal data set out above, we may also process any of your personal data where such processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject, or in order to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of another natural person.

2.12 Please do not supply any other person’s personal data to us, unless we prompt you to do so.

3. Providing your personal data to others

3.1 Your personal data is available to Darwin’s Ark Foundation staff and affiliated scientific member only insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes, and on the legal bases, set out in this policy.

3.2 We may disclose your personal data insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes of managing risks, obtaining professional advice, or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, whether in court proceedings or in an administrative or out-of-court procedure.

3.3 Financial transactions relating to our website and services may be handled by our payment services provider, Stripe. We will share transaction data with our payment services providers only to the extent necessary for the purposes of processing your payments, refunding such payments and dealing with complaints and queries relating to such payments and refunds.

3.4 In addition to the specific disclosures of personal data set out above, we may disclose your personal data where such disclosure is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject, or in order to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of another natural person. We may also disclose your personal data where such disclosure is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, whether in court proceedings or in an administrative or out-of-court procedure.

4. International transfers of your personal data

4.1 In the sub-sections below, we provide information about the circumstances in which your personal data may be transferred to countries outside the United States or European Economic Area (EEA).

4.2 We may transfer data to collaborators in any country for the purpose of enabling scientific research. However, we do not anticipate sharing of personal information as the data will be anonymized and will be protected by appropriate safeguards using of data protection policies similar to that observed by Darwin’s Ark.

4.3 You acknowledge that personal data that you submit for publication through our website or services in the form of profile details, forum submission or blogs, may be accessed around the world via the internet. We cannot prevent the use or misuse of such personal data by others.

5. Retaining and deleting personal data

5.1 The sub-sections below set out our data retention policies and procedure, which are designed to help ensure that we comply with our legal obligations in relation to the retention and deletion of personal data.

5.2 Personal data will be retained for as long as you have an account on Darwin’s Ark. In the event you delete your account, we will retain your personal data only as necessary for the purpose of accounting or maintenance of the website or research data integrity.

5.5 Notwithstanding the provisions as outlined above, we may retain your personal data where such retention is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject, or in order to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of another natural person.

6. Amendments

6.1 We may update this policy from time to time by publishing a new version on our website.

6.2 You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are happy with any changes to this policy.

6.3 We may notify you of significant changes to this policy by email.

7. Your rights

7.1 In the sub-sections below, we have summarized the rights that you have under data protection law. Some of the rights are complex, and not all of the details have been included in our summaries. Accordingly, you should read the relevant laws and guidance from the regulatory authorities for a full explanation of these rights.

7.2 Your principal rights under data protection law are:

(a) the right to access;

(b) the right to rectification;

(d) the right to restrict processing;

(e) the right to object to processing;

(f) the right to data portability;

(g) the right to complain to a supervisory authority; and

(h) the right to withdraw consent.

You may exercise any of your rights in relation to your personal data by written notice to us via email, in addition to the other methods specified in the sub-sections below.

7.3 You have the right to confirmation as to whether or not we process your personal data and, where we do, access to the personal data, together with certain additional information. That additional information includes details of the purposes of the processing, the categories of personal data concerned and the recipients of the personal data. Providing the rights and freedoms of others are not affected, we will supply to you a copy of your personal data. The first copy will be provided free of charge, but additional copies may be subject to a reasonable fee. You can access personal data you have provided on your profile when logged into our website.

7.4 You have the right to have any inaccurate personal data about you rectified and, taking into account the purposes of the processing, to have any incomplete personal data about you completed. You may do so by updating your profile by logging into our website.

7.5 In some circumstances you have the right to the erasure of your personal data without undue delay. Those circumstances include: the personal data are no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed; you withdraw consent to processing; you object to the processing under certain rules of applicable data protection law; the processing is for direct marketing purposes; and the personal data have been unlawfully processed. However, there are exclusions of the right to erasure. The general exclusions include where processing is necessary: for exercising the right of freedom of expression and information; for compliance with a legal obligation; or for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.

7.6 In some circumstances you have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data. Those circumstances are: you contest the accuracy of the personal data; processing is unlawful but you oppose erasure; we no longer need the personal data for the purposes of our processing, but you require personal data for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; and you have objected to processing, pending the verification of that objection. Where processing has been restricted on this basis, we may continue to store your personal data. However, we will only otherwise process it: with your consent; for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person; or for reasons of important public interest.

7.7 You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data on grounds relating to your particular situation, but only to the extent that the legal basis for the processing is that the processing is necessary for: the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of any official authority vested in us; or the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us or by a third party. If you make such an objection, we will cease to process the personal information unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing is for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

7.8 As a non-profit, we do not use your personal data for for-profit marketing purposes. However, you have the right to object to our processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes. If you make such an objection, we will cease to process your personal data for this purpose.

7.9 You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data for scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes on grounds relating to your particular situation, unless the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out for reasons of public interest.

7.10 To the extent that the legal basis for our processing of your personal data is:

(a) consent; or

(b) that the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party or in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract,

and such processing is carried out by automated means, you have the right to receive your personal data from us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format. However, this right does not apply where it would adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others.

7.11 If you consider that our processing of your personal information infringes data protection laws, you have a legal right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority responsible for data protection. You may do so in the country of your habitual residence, or the place of the alleged infringement.

7.12 To the extent that the legal basis for our processing of your personal information is consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing before the withdrawal.

8. About cookies

8.1 A cookie is a file containing an identifier (a string of letters and numbers) that is sent by a web server to a web browser and is stored by the browser. The identifier is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server.

8.2 Cookies may be either “persistent” cookies or “session” cookies: a persistent cookie will be stored by a web browser and will remain valid until its set expiry date, unless deleted by the user before the expiry date; a session cookie, on the other hand, will expire at the end of the user session, when the web browser is closed.

8.3 Cookies do not typically contain any information that personally identifies a user, but personal information that we store about you may be linked to the information stored in and obtained from cookies.

9. Cookies

9.1 We use cookies for the following purposes:

(a) authentication – we use cookies to identify you when you visit our website and as you navigate our website (cookies used for this purpose are: wp_woocommerce_session_);

(b) status – we use cookies to help us to determine if you are logged into our website and have taken specific actions like filling out forms and adding items to your cart (cookies used for this purpose are: wordpress_, wordpress_loggedin_,wp-settings-{time}-[UID], esig-gravity-temp-data, woocommerce_cart_hash, woocommerce_items_in_cart).

9.2 Our service providers use cookies and those cookies may be stored on your computer when you visit our website.

(a) We use Google Analytics to analyse the use of our website. Google Analytics gathers information about website use by means of cookies. The information gathered relating to our website is used to create reports about the use of our website. Google’s privacy policy is available at: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

(b) We use Stripe to process payments. This service uses cookies for collecting payment information that is not stored on the Darwin’s Ark servers. You can view the privacy policy of this service provider at https://stripe.com/us/privacy. The relevant cookies are: __stripe_sid, __stripe_mid, and nsr.

(c) We use YouTube to display video content. This service uses cookies for storing user preferences and other tracking purposes. You can view the privacy policy of this service provider at https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/. The relevant cookies are: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE, GPS, PREF, GEUP, YSC.

10. Managing cookies

10.1 Most browsers allow you to refuse to accept cookies and to delete cookies. The methods for doing so vary from browser to browser, and from version to version. You can however obtain up-to-date information about blocking and deleting cookies via these links:

(a) https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=en (Chrome);

(b) https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-and-disable-cookies-website-preferences (Firefox);

(d) https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/17442/windows-internet-explorer-delete-manage-cookies (Internet Explorer);

(e) https://support.apple.com/kb/PH21411 (Safari); and

(f) https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10-microsoft-edge-and-privacy (Edge).

10.2 Blocking all cookies will have a negative impact upon the usability of many websites. If you block cookies, you will not be able to use all the features on our website.

11. Our details

11.1 This website is operated by the Darwin’s Ark Foundation.

11.2 We are a registered non-profit in the United States of America.

11.3 Our principal place of administrative operations is in Edmonds, Washington, and our scientific operations are housed at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

11.4 You can contact us:

(a) by using our web contact form at https://darwinsark.org/contact/

(b) by email at privacy@darwinsark.org

Darwin’s Ark Foundation
PO BOX 6151
Edmonds, WA 98026

This privacy policy is based on a template from SEQ Legal, and was last updated on June 19, 2018.