1. Introduction

This privacy policy is applicable to the Sites which are provided and operated by Tidewater Intergroup Council of Alcoholics Anonymous (“TIC” “us” or “our” or “we”).  PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THE SITES.  This Privacy Policy sets forth our policies regarding the collection, use and disclosure of certain information relating to you and your use of the Sites.  Access to the Sites is offered to you conditioned on your acceptance without modification of the terms, conditions and notices contained herein (collectively, the “Privacy Policy”).  In addition, particular features, applications, and activities offered as part of the Sites may also be subject to additional privacy terms specified in connection with such features, applications and activities, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BY ACCESSING OR USING THE SITE, YOU AGREE TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY.  IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY, DO NOT USE THE SITE.

Please note that this Privacy Policy applies only to information collected via the Sites.  It does not apply to information that you may submit to us by any other means or to websites maintained by other companies.

TIC may modify, add, or delete portions of this Privacy Policy at any time by posting the changes on this page.  Your continued use of the Sites after any such changes have been made means you agree to such changes.  If TIC makes any material changes to the Privacy Policy, it will indicate, at the top of this page, the date the Privacy Policy was last revised.

2. Personal Information

TIC values the privacy and security of our Sites users.  To that end, we take measures to protect your personal information and the security of our Sites.  We do not generally ask for or collect personal information from our Sites’ visitors, however, in connection with your use of the Sites or particular features or components thereof, you may be required to provide, and we may collect, information that can identify you personally or that can be used with other sources of information to identify you (“Personal Information”).  When Personal Information is required, we ask only for the personal information needed.  You may also provide Personal Information when you request information or other assistance, sign up to receive emails or other communications from us, or otherwise communicate with us via the Sites.  The personal information you provide is used by our in-house staff for internal business purposes, but it is not made available to any third party except to our third party service providers who perform administrative or other services on our behalf or as may be required by law.

You should, and we provide you with the opportunity to, update your previously provided personal information, and you may delete such information.

3. Anonymous Information

When you use the Sites, TIC may also collect certain information that does not identify you individually (“Anonymous Information”).  For example, TIC may collect information about your computer, mobile device, or other device that you use to access the Sites (which may include, for example, IP address, geolocation information, unique device identifiers, browser type, browser language, and other transactional information) and about your use of our website (which may include, for example, a reading history of the pages you view).

4. Location Based Services

TIC collects geolocation data for purposes of offering relevant content, in particular meeting information.  Geolocation data consists of general location information based on latitude and longitude (if the user has enabled location services for an application on the user’s mobile device), or based on the IP address of the user’s computer or mobile device.  By using any of the Sites, you consent to TIC’s collection of this geolocation information.

5. Use of Cookies

Like many websites, TIC may use “cookies,” which are files stored on your computer’s hard drive that help TIC identify account holders and optimize their website experience, facilitate ordering through the online store, to track Sites usage, and to compile nonpersonal, aggregate data to improve content and efficiency of use for our website.  This information will be used solely to improve our Sites and offerings and to better understand our Sites’ users.  Most browsers accept cookies automatically but allow you to disable them.  TIC recommends that you leave cookies enabled so it can offer you a better website experience.  TIC will not drop cookies or other tracking devices that are persistent and/or cannot be erased on an end user’s hard drive.

You may occasionally receive cookies from Third-Party Applications.  TIC does not control these cookies, and these cookies fall outside the scope of this Privacy Policy.

6. Our Use of Information

We use the information we obtain from or about you to help us operate the Sites and personalize and improve your experience with the Sites and to make certain features, service, activities, or functionalities available to you.  For example, we may use information we collect (including Personal Information) to:

• Communicate with you about changes to our policies;
• Send you newsletters and other communications;
• Optimize or improve our products, services and operations;
• Detect, investigate, and prevent activities that may violate our policies or be illegal; and
• Perform statistical, demographic, and marketing analyses of users of the Sites and Sites usage, including analysis of which content or images users click on or hover over and analysis of which email messages were opened or acted upon when NYIG sends HTML-formatted email messages (messages resembling Web pages that include graphics).

We may use and store information about you that we receive from other sources to enable us to update and correct the information contained in our database and to better customize your experience with the Sites.

7. Disclosure of Information

We will only disclose your Personal Information collected via the Sites to other companies and individuals as described in this Privacy Policy.  We may disclose Anonymous Information and any other information that is not Personal Information to other companies and individuals in any manner that TIC deems appropriate or necessary.

• Service Providers: TIC occasionally has third-party contractors and agents that provide services to TIC, such as database hosting, web analytics, and providing customer service. These entities may have access to Personal Information in order to perform their functions.  We do not authorize them to use the information we share with them for any other purpose.
• Legally Compelled Disclosures: TIC may disclose Personal Information to government authorities, and to other third parties when compelled to do so under law (including under a reasonable interpretation of the law), including, without limitation, in response to court orders and subpoenas.
• Emergency Situations: TIC may disclose Personal Information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to applicable law; (b) protect and defend its rights or property, the Sites or its Users, and (c) act under emergency circumstances to protect the personal safety of TIC, its Users, and others.
• Change of Ownership or Corporate Organization: We may change our corporate structure or organization and in such regard, we may transfer Personal Information to such other entity in connection with any such change of corporate organization or similar transaction, such as, for example, a transfer to an entity with which we have merged, that we have acquired or that has acquired TIC. Under such circumstances TIC would use reasonable efforts to require the transferee to follow the practices described in this Privacy Policy, as it may be amended from time to time.
• Affiliated Entities: We may disclose Personal Information and other information collected from you to our parent companies, subsidiaries, and affiliates.

8. Emails

When you request services or products, you may receive emails from us to process your requests or to contact you regarding such.  When and if you opt-in (as provided on the Sites) to receive email updates or other notices from us, your address will be used for that purpose only, or to contact you regarding your participation in user surveys, to ask for feedback with respect to the Sites or existing or prospective services.  If you wish to be removed from our email list, you can contact us directly through our email address at webadmin@tidewaterintergroup.org  or reply to the most recent monthly email and request that your email address be removed.

9. Security

We make commercially reasonable efforts to keep your Personal Information secure.  We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your Personal Information when you make a contribution, or enter, submit, or access your personal information.  When you provide us payment information in order to process a contribution or make a purchase, this information is encrypted, using reasonable, industry-standard security measures, and is used (generally by our third party vendors) only to fulfill your request.  After a transaction, your credit card information will not be stored on our servers.

No transmission of data over the internet is guaranteed to be completely secure, thus, it may be possible for third parties not under the control of TIC to intercept or access transmissions or private communications unlawfully, including in the case of your contacting TIC by email or a “contact us” or similar feature on the Sites.  Accordingly, though TIC takes commercially reasonable steps to protect the security and integrity of all Personal Information provided to the Sites, due to the nature of the internet, TIC cannot guarantee that such information, during transmission through the internet or while stored on its system or otherwise in its care, will be absolutely safe from intrusion by others, such as hackers.  By using the Sites, you acknowledge that you understand and agree to assume these risks.

10.Third-Party Sites

The Sites may contain links or references to other websites outside of our control.  Please be aware that we have no control over these sites and our Privacy Policy does not apply to these sites.  Third party sites may also use tracking technologies by or through the Sites.  We have no responsibility or liability for any tracking, data collection or other activities of such third parties.

11. Children

This is not a website directed to children under the age of 13, and TIC does not knowingly collect personal identifiable information from children under 13 years of age.  If you are under 13 years of age you should not use this website, and under no circumstance should you provide personally identifiable information to TIC.

12. Local Law

The Sites are published in the United States.  We make every effort to protect the personal identifiable information of all users of the Sites.  We attempt to comply with local data protection and consumer rights laws to the extent they may apply to the TIC services.  If you are uncertain whether this privacy policy conflicts with the applicable local privacy laws where you are located, you should not submit your Personal Information to TIC.

13. Notice to Users Outside of the United States

If you are located within the European Union, you should be aware that your personal identifiable information will be transferred to the United States of America, the laws of which may be deemed by the European Union to have inadequate data protection.  If you are located in a country outside the United States of America and voluntarily submit personal information to us, you thereby consent to the general use of such information as provided in this privacy policy and to the transfer of that information to, and/or storage of that information in, the United States of Americas

14. Questions?

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: webadmin@tidewaterintergroup.org

15. Changes to our policy

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page. Policy changes will apply only to information collected after the date of the change. This policy was last modified on October 10, 2021.