ASLMS Privacy Policy
The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (“ASLMS”) respects the privacy of its members and other visitors to its website (“Site”). This privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) explains our practices for information collected via the Site, including such information you may provide through the Site, how such information is used, the circumstances under which we disclose such information to third parties and the choices you can make about the way we use and share such information. Please take the time to read and understand this Privacy Policy so you can understand how we use your personal information.
ASLMS is the controller and responsible for the personal information subject to this Privacy Policy. When we use the term “personal information” or “personal data” we mean information such as your name, street address, city, state, country, zip code, telephone number, date of birth, e-mail address, gender, title, financial data, transaction data, technical data, profile data, usage data, marketing and communications data, and any other information that would allow someone to identify you or contact you. Personal information also includes information about your personal preferences, survey or application responses and your transactions or relationship with us, if you have been a user of the Site or you have provided this type of information to ASLMS or its affiliates. Essentially, personal information means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified.
Your continued use of the Site indicates your acceptance of this Privacy Policy and of the collection, use, disclosure, management and storage of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy is binding and will remain in full force and effect as long as you are a user of the Site, even if your use of or participation in any particular service, feature, function or promotional activity terminates, expires, ceases, is suspended or is deactivated for any reason.
The Information We Collect
Most data we collect is used only 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 a special announcement placed on the website. Since these policy change notices last only for a limited time, however, you should check this privacy notice regularly to see if there have been any changes.
We may automatically collect certain non-personally identifiable information (i.e., generic information that does not identify you personally) when you visit any of our web pages, such as the type of browser you are using (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer), the type of operating system you are using (e.g., Windows or Mac OS), and the domain name of your Internet service provider. We also may collect personal information about you through direct interactions or when you visit the Site and input information, whether you are registering to use any services, features or functions of the Site, or otherwise in the course of any other exchanges of information, transactions and activities. During registration (and possibly at certain other times to enable your use of other features or functions or for security purposes), you will be required to provide us with certain information about you in order for us to allow you to use the features and functions that we may offer on the Site, such as message boards, electronic mail services, messaging services, registration and member profile pages. It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with us.
We may receive personal data about you from various third parties such as the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and providers of technical, payment and delivery services.
We do not collect any special categories of personal data about you (this includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, information about your health and genetic and biometric data).
ASLMS is committed to protecting your privacy. Please note that when you transmit your personal information over an unsecured Internet connection, ASLMS is not responsible for the security of your personal information during the transmission stage. We cannot assume that responsibility because your personal information could be copied and/or intercepted by unknown third parties during transmission. You understand, acknowledge and agree that when transmitting certain personal information to this Site you do so at your own risk.
How We Use the Information
We may use the information we obtain from you, including personal information, to tailor your experience on the Site, to display content we think may be of interest to you, or to let us customize what you see when you visit the Site according to your preferences. We will use the personal information you provide online only for the purpose(s) you have submitted. Examples of using your personal information for the purpose(s) submitted include sending you an email about updates to the Site or about an upcoming event if you have signed up for updates. We also may conduct an occasional survey of our registered users, to see how our Site can better serve you. In addition, we may send to you an e-mail offering services that we think you may be interested in.
We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances: (a) where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you; (b) where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests; (c) where you have consented; or (d) where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation. Note that we may process your personal data for more than one lawful ground depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data. Please contact us if you need details about the specific legal ground we are relying on to process your personal data.
How We Share Your Personal Information
We will not share the personal information you provide except (a) as otherwise permitted under this Privacy Policy (b) it is for the purpose(s) you provided it; (c) with your consent; (d) as may be required by law or as we think necessary to protect ASLMS or others from injury (e.g., in response to a court order or subpoena, in response to a law enforcement agency request, or when we believe that someone is causing, or about to cause, injury to or interference with the rights or property of another); (e) with other persons or companies or affiliated or related organizations with whom we contract to carry out internal Site operations or our business activities (for example, third-party contractors -- see below); (f) with organizations in connection with the provision of their respective information, products, materials and services or for marketing and/or administrative purposes; (g) in the event of a bankruptcy, merger, acquisition, transfer of control, joint venture or other business combination involving us or our affiliates; and/or (h) to notify you when we make changes to one of our subscriber agreements or this policy. Our business needs may change from time to time and we reserve the right to make changes to our Privacy Policy without prior notice.
Our operations and maintenance contractors sometimes have limited access to your personal information in the course of providing products or services to ASLMS. These contractors include vendors and suppliers that provide us with email distribution technology, services, and/or content for the operation and maintenance of our Site. Access to your personal information by these contractors is limited to the information reasonably necessary for the contractor to perform its limited function for ASLMS. We also contractually require that our operations and maintenance contractors 1) protect the privacy of your personal information consistent with this Privacy Policy and applicable law, and 2) not use or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than providing us with products and services as required by law.
We also make member contact information available through the ASLMS membership directory to other members using the Site.
We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions. Your personal data will be transferred outside the European Economic Area. Whenever we transfer your personal information out of the European Economic Area, we ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded it by implementing certain safeguards.
Change of Purpose
We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If you wish to get an explanation as to how the processing for the new purpose is compatible with the original purpose, please contact us. If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so. Please note that we may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.
Cookies
The Site may use a standard technology referred to as a “cookie” to collect information about how you use the Site. A cookie is a small file stored on the site user’s computer or Web server and is used to aid Web navigation. Session cookies are temporary files created when a user signs in on the Site or uses the personalized features (such as keeping track of items in the shopping cart). Session cookies are removed when a user logs off or when the browser is closed. Persistent cookies are permanent files and must be deleted manually. Tracking or other information collected from persistent cookies or any session cookie is used strictly for the user’s efficient navigation of the site.
Data Security
We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorized way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality. We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.
Data Retention
We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
Your Legal Rights
Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data, such as the rights to: (a) request access to your personal data; (b) request correction of your personal data or complete any information that you believe is incomplete; (c) request erasure of your personal data; (d) object to processing of your personal data; (e) request restriction of processing your personal data; (f) request transfer of your personal data; and (g) to withdraw consent. If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact us. You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances. We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response. We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated.
Credit Cards
All credit card transactions are conducted over a secure socket layer connection. Credit card information is not stored on the server and is not reused in any manner. Only authorized personnel with specific identification and passwords can access credit card information solely for the purpose of performing adjustments or refunds at the customer’s request.
Opt-Out
If you would like to instruct ASLMS not to use your personal information as we describe above, please contact us at information@aslms.org and clearly state your request. We will not use your personal information, however, in a manner inconsistent with this Privacy Policy without first obtaining your consent to do so. If intended uses differ from this policy, we will seek to obtain your consent at the place where the information is collected either by an “opt-in” or “opt-out” method, or by other means (such as sending to you an email).
Use and Disclosure of Anonymous Information
We sometimes use non-personally identifiable information that we collect to improve the design and content of our Site and to enable us to personalize your Internet experience. We also may use this information in the aggregate to analyze how our Site is used, as well as to offer you products, programs, or services. We may also share aggregate information with others, including affiliated companies and non-affiliated companies. However, if we combine or connect aggregated data with your personal data so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as personal data which will be used in accordance with this privacy notice.
Collection of Information by Others
Our Site may contain links to applications, plug-ins, and third-party sites whose information practices may be different from ours. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. You should check the other sites’ privacy notices since we have no control over information that is submitted to or collected by them.
How You Can Access or Correct Your Personal Information
For instructions on how you can access the personal information that we have received about you online, or how to correct any errors in such information, please send an email to information@aslms.org
To protect your privacy and security, we may take reasonable steps to help verify your identity before granting access or making corrections. We reserve the right to deny access, use and registration privileges to any user, including without limitation, a registered user, of any services, features or functions of the Site if we believe there is a question about the identity of the person trying to access the user’s account or any services, features or functions. If the burden or expense of providing access to your personal information is disproportionate to the risks to your privacy, or if the legitimate rights of others would be violated, we may decide not to provide access to such information. In such cases, we will provide to you an explanation of why access cannot be provided and contact information for further inquiries.
Special Note Regarding California Residents
If you are a California resident, California law may provide you with additional rights regarding our use of your personal information. To learn more about your California privacy rights, visit CCPA Privacy Notice for California Residents.
Special Note Regarding Minors
This Site is not intended for use by children under the age of 13. The Site does not knowingly collect or store personal identifiable information from children under the age of 13. If you have concerns about this Site or its services, if you want to find out if your child has registered for one our services, or if you want to cancel your child’s registration, please contact us at information@aslms.org. If you believe that your child under 13 has gained access to our Site without your permission, you may contact us at information@aslms.org.
Transfer of Business Assets
The personal information you provide is considered an ASLMS asset and may be included among transferred assets if ASLMS, any or all of its subsidiaries or affiliates, or any of their assets is ever acquired by or merged into a third party.
Jurisdictional Matters
As allowed by applicable law, the Site is governed by and operated in accordance with the laws of the United States of America and the State of Wisconsin, regardless of the location of any user. If you are visiting the Site from a location outside of the United States, your connection will be through and to servers located in the United States, and all information you provide will be processed and securely maintained in our web servers and internal systems located within the United States. By using the Site, you authorize and specifically consent to the export of your personal information to the U.S.A. and its storage and use as specified above when you provide such information to us.
ASLMS makes no representation that the Site is governed by or operated in accordance with the laws of any other nations. By using the Site and submitting any personal information, and as allowed by applicable law, non-U.S. users understand, acknowledge and agree that the Site is subject to U.S. law and waive any claims that may arise under their own national laws. As allowed by applicable law, any claims or complaints must be filed in the U.S. in the State of Wisconsin.
How to Contact Us
With respect to the General Data Protection Regulations, you may have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk), if your personal data originated in the European Economic Area and was transferred to the United States and processed pursuant to this Policy. We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with any and all questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy; you may email information@aslms.org or write to the following address:
American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc.
100 N. 72nd Ave.
Wausau, WI 54401
Last updated March 2, 2021.