Privacy policy

Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
At the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc. (the “Foundation”), we understand that privacy is important, and we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of our donors and visitors to our website. The following information is designed to help you better understand the information we gather from our site and through our services, how we handle the information once we gather it, whether we disclose it to anyone, and the choices you have regarding our use of, and your ability to correct, the information. Please note that this Privacy Policy applies only to this site and not necessarily to other companies’ or organizations’ websites to which we link. By visiting this site, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

Information Collection and Use
Our primary goals in collecting personal information are to provide you with a smooth, efficient experience, and to send you updates and other information with regard to the activities of the Foundation.

Aggregate Data
In general, we automatically gather certain usage information, such as the number and frequency of visitors to this site. This information may include which URL you just came from, which URL you next go to, what browser you are using, and your IP address. We use such data only in the aggregate. This collective data helps us determine how much our visitors use parts of the site, and do internal research on our users’ demographics, interests, and behavior to better understand and serve you. In addition, we may aggregate data and disclose such information in a nonpersonally identifiable manner to advertisers and other third parties for marketing and promotional purposes. In these situations, we do not disclose any information that could be used to identify you personally.

Personally Identifiable Information
If you volunteer to make a donation, we will request personally identifiable information about you, such as your name, address, phone number and email address. We seek such information to facilitate your donations and communicate with you about them. In addition, we may use such information to improve our marketing and promotional efforts, to analyze site usage, improve our content and product offerings, and customize our site’s content, layout and services. If you agree by clicking “yes” when prompted, we may use information to contact you and deliver information to you, such as through email updates.
Unless you specify that a gift be “anonymous” or otherwise request that your name not be listed, we list the names of donors who give $500 and up in some brochures and benefit programs to recognize the generosity of those who have given to our cause. We do not sell our donor lists to anyone, nor do we include them in any direct mail solicitations.
We may use internal service providers to facilitate our services, and therefore, may provide some of your personally identifiable information directly to them. In addition, we employ other companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf, such as sending postal mail and email, removing repetitive information from donor lists, analyzing data, processing credit card payments and providing customer service. These companies and individuals have access to personal information needed to perform their functions, but may not use it for any other purpose.

Cookies
“Cookies” are small files placed on your hard drive; each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser preferences allow it. You can configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is set. (Each browser is different, so check the “Help” menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.) You are always free to decline our cookies if your browser permits, although in that case you may not be able to use certain features on our site, and you may be required to re-enter your password more frequently during a session. In addition, a number of companies offer utilities designed to help you visit websites anonymously.

Cookies help us to provide customized services and information that is targeted to your interests. We use cookies to tell us how and when pages in our site are visited, what our users’ technology preferences are (such as what type of video player they use) and whether our site is functioning properly.

If you donate on our site, we will save your email in a cookie. At your request, we may also save your credit card number, which would then be held in a secure part of the site.

Additionally, you may encounter cookies or other similar devices on our site that are placed by third parties. We do not control the use of cookies by third parties.

Security
We care about the security of your transactions and use standard industry practices to safeguard your credit card information. We use high-grade encryption and the secure https protocol to communicate with your browser software, which guards against interception of the credit card information you give us. We also employ several different security techniques to protect your personally identifiable information from unauthorized access by users inside and outside the organization. You should be aware, however, that “perfect security” does not exist on the Internet; third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications. You should not expect that your personally identifiable information will remain private.

Sharing Information
As a matter of policy, we will not sell, share or rent information about you in ways different from what is disclosed in this statement. However, we may be forced to disclose information to the government or third parties under certain circumstances. We cooperate with law enforcement inquiries, as well as other third parties, to enforce laws such as those regarding intellectual property rights, fraud and other personal rights. We can (and you authorize us to) disclose any information about you to law enforcement or other government officials as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate in connection with an investigation of fraud, intellectual property infringement or other activity that is illegal or may expose us, or you, to liability.

Policy Towards Children
We are concerned about the safety and privacy of children who use the Internet. Although we encourage children to learn more about our organization and opportunities to serve their communities, we encourage that this be done with parental supervision. Consistent with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, we will never knowingly request personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13 without prior verifiable parental consent. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personally identifiable information without verifiable parental consent, we will use our best efforts to remove such information from our files. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that his or her child has provided us with personally identifiable information without verifiable parental consent, he or she should contact Angela Sheridan at 212-312-8800.

Other Information Collectors
Except as otherwise expressly included in this Privacy Policy, this document addresses the use and disclosure of information that we collect from you. To the extent that you disclose your information to others, different rules may apply to their use or disclosure of such information. We do not control the privacy policies of others. We encourage you to ask questions before you disclose your personal information to others.

Privacy Policy Changes
We may, from time to time, make changes to this policy, based on your comments and our need to reflect accurately our data collection and disclosure practices. If we make any substantial changes in the way we use your personal information, we will notify you by posting a prominent announcement on our website.

Governing Law
You agree that your use of this site, this Privacy policy and any disputes relating thereto, shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York. Any dispute relating to this Privacy Policy shall be resolved solely in the state or federal courts located in Manhattan, New York.

Thank you for visiting our site. Please contact us at 212-312-8800 if you have any questions about our site or our Privacy Policy.