Privacy Statement

HCS Privacy Policy
The Histochemical Society (“HCS”), 1801 Rockville Pike, Suite 350, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
HCS is committed to protecting your privacy and providing a safe online experience. This Privacy Policy applies to the HCS website and governs data collection and usage. We take this matter very seriously and have instituted policies and procedures to ensure your privacy rights are protected. The following outlines our Privacy Policy and details the measures we have taken to safeguard and protect your privacy.
This Privacy Policy may be amended from time to time. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will be posted on this page.

What information does HCS collect?
The data HCS collects is used to help us better serve our constituents and to further our mission to advance health and well-being by promoting research and education in biological and biomedical sciences through collaborative advocacy and service to our societies and their members.
The information you provide to us will be used to keep you up-to-date on areas for which you have expressed interest. We will exercise discretion in the use of your personal information, as further described in this policy. It will be used only to support our relationship with you or your organization.
If at any time you no longer wish to receive notifications or promotions from HCS, we will remove you from our active mailing list immediately. Let us know by emailing us at [email protected]
It is our general policy to collect and store only personal information that our website visitors, clients, customers and constituents knowingly provide.

Use of Information – How does HCS use data collected?
HCS uses information voluntarily submitted by members and other customers in the following ways:

General Users.  HCS does not collect any personal information from users browsing our website. When you visit our website, we may automatically collect statistics about your visit. This information does not identify you personally, but rather about your visit to our website. We may monitor statistics such as how many people visit our site, which pages people visit, from which domains our visitors come and which browsers people use. We use these statistics about your visit for aggregation purposes only. Aggregate data are only used for internal and marketing purposes and do not provide any personally identifying information.
Personal information and information specific to a requested activity may be collected along with a request for service, product, marketing, event or advocacy resources. For example, this information may include your company or organization name, contact name, address, telephone number, email address and services requested.

HCS Conference Registrants, Journal Subscriptions, Products, Services and Other Marketing and Advocacy Communications.  Generally, HCS uses data collected to improve its own web content; to respond to visitors' interests, needs and preferences; to further HCS’s mission; and to deliver products and services.
To gain access to some resources and personalization features on HCS websites, users are asked to register and provide some limited information. This information is submitted voluntarily. HCS asks users to provide information related to supporting the specific service being provided. Similar information may be requested by HCS through conference or seminar registration, abstract submissions, publication orders, subscriptions, and contest/award applications.
Additionally, for some emails sent by HCS to users through its listservs and electronic newsletters, we will collect specific information regarding what the recipient does with that email. For those emails, HCS will monitor whether a recipient subsequently clicks through to links provided in the message. Other information collected through this tracking feature includes: email address of a user, the date and time of the user's "click," a message number, name of the list from which the message was sent, tracking URL number and destination page. HCS only uses this information to enhance its products and distribution of those products to its constituents.

Credit Card Account Information.  HCS does not disclose credit card account information provided by its customers. When customers choose to pay using their credit cards, HCS submits the information needed to obtain payment via a secure internet protocol to the appropriate payment gateway.

How does HCS use cookies?
Cookies are files that contain information created by a web server that can be stored on a user's hard disk for use either during a particular session ("per-session" cookie) or for future use ("persistent" cookie). HCS uses cookies only to facilitate automated activity, store and track passwords, determine appropriate solicitations, and review navigation patterns. Cookies are not used to disseminate significant information about users over the Internet or to analyze any information that users have knowingly or unknowingly provided. When a user registers, the system will ask whether the user approves of the attachment of a cookie. Users may instruct their Internet browsers to opt out of accepting a "persistent" cookie and rather accept only a "per-session" cookie, but will need to login each time they visit the site to enjoy the full benefits. If the user declines the attachment of any cookie, the user may not have access to the full benefits of the website.
 
Other websites & links
This website may contain links to other websites. This Privacy Policy does not cover the privacy practices of websites external to HCS and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites, partners, or affiliates. You should review any privacy policies of such websites.

Security
HCS uses reasonable administrative, logical, physical and managerial measures to safeguard personal information. No measures can be guaranteed to provide 100% security, however, and accordingly HCS cannot guarantee the security of your information against loss, theft, or unauthorized access and use.

What means of redress are available?
If you suspect HCS has handled its personal information in a manner that does not comply with this privacy policy, please contact us by emailing to [email protected] or by writing to us at: HCS, 1801 Rockville Pike, Suite 350, Rockville, Maryland 20852

For Residents of the European Union
HCS is the abbreviated name of the The Histochemical Society, located at 1801 Rockville Pike, Suite 350, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
HCS recognizes principles and requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) adopted by the European Union. For more information on GDPR, please visit the European Commissions’ GDPR Website. In addition to the universal privacy policies stated earlier in this document, HCS will, so far as is reasonably practical, comply with the specific Data Protection Principles contained in the Data Protection Act to ensure all data is:

  • Fairly and lawfully processed
  • Obtained and used for specific and clearly stated purposes
  • Adequate, relevant, and not excessive
  • Accurate and up-to-date
  • Not kept for longer than necessary
  • Processed in accordance with your rights
  • Secure
 
What is personal information?
We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our website visitors, clients, customers and constituents. This policy applies where we are acting as a data controller with respect to personal data.
The GDPR aims to protect the “personal data” or personal information of individuals within the EU and covers many processing activities, including collection, storage, consultation, transfer, and destruction, of this data. “Personal data” means information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. You can be identified from information such as your name, email address, phone number, home address, driver’s license number, and passport number. You may also be identifiable from information such as an online identifier, IP address, unique device ID or cookie.

What information do we collect about you?
We collect information about you when visiting HCS websites relating to your use of HCS sites, collected using cookies. We also collect information when you request our services and when voluntarily completing surveys, contact forms, responding to marketing and advocacy communications and participating in HCS events and activities. We only hold this information as long as it is necessary to fulfill a contract, provide you with requested services, including HCS newsletters and communication updates, or where we believe you will be interested in HCS activities.

How will we use the information about you?
We collect information about you to process your order, manage your account and, if you agree, to email you about other products and services we think may be of interest to you.
We use your information collected from the website to personalize your repeat visits to our websites.
We may share your information if you indicate you would like to learn more about a HCS society or partner during a meeting registration process or in your communication preferences.

Legitimate interests & performance of a contract
There are a number of lawful reasons we can use (or ‘process’) your personal information, including ‘legitimate interests’ and ‘performance of a contract.’
Broadly speaking, Legitimate Interests means we can process your personal information if:
  • We have a genuine and legitimate reason to do so; and
  • That genuine and legitimate reason is not outweighed by any undue harm to of your rights and interests.
Performance of a Contract means we can use (or ‘process’) your personal information if:
  • Data processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with or on behalf of the data subject.
For data which does not meet either the Legitimate Interest or Performance of a Contract criteria, we will obtain your consent prior to collecting your personal data.

Marketing & advocacy
We would like to send you information about our services and news. If you have consented to receive marketing or advocacy information, you may opt out at a later date.
You have a right at any time to stop us from contacting you for these purposes or giving your information to third party partners or suppliers by modifying your communication preferences or contacting us at the email addresses listed below.
If you no longer wish to be contacted please let us know at: [email protected]
We gather statistics pertaining to email opening and clicks using industry standard technologies including clear gifs to help us monitor and improve our e-newsletters and other communication resources.

Conference & events
Generally, those who wish to attend HCS conferences events will register for those events online, by email or over the telephone. During the process of that registration, you share with us personal information about yourself which generally includes contact information, demographics pertaining to your profession and payment information. Alternatively, we may collect association membership data directly from the organization to which you belong.

How HCS uses your event registration data
Personal Information Registration information will be part of a database that is accessible only to HCS employees and conference organizers.
HCS Scientific Research Conferences (SRCs) use your contact information to provide you with up to-date information about current conferences as well as future SRCs.
  • A participant list is available online to registered conference participants that includes your name, institution, institution address, and email.
  • Your name, email address, lodging type (and roommate, if applicable), and conference you registered to attend are shared with hotels if you requested lodging accommodations.
  • A survey company receives your name, email address, and conference you registered to attend in order for participants to receive an online evaluation form.
  • For those participants that are reimbursed for their participation at the conference, contact information is sent to our internal HCS accounting database, and any bank or wire transfer institution that accounting uses in order to facilitate the payment.
  • If participants request information from an HCS member or non-member society, or another HCS department, via the HCS SRC department, contact information will be shared to facilitate the request. HCS SRC does not sell your contact information to third parties.
Retaining & deleting personal data
Personal data that we process for any purpose or purposes is not kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.
In general, we will retain your personal data while we are actively engaging in an activity with you and for a maximum period of no longer than seven years following the completion of that activity.
Notwithstanding the other provisions, 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.

Your rights
GDPR, as implemented on 25 May 2018, gives all individual residents of the EU a number of rights relating to their personal data held by companies, organizations and other third parties. These are:
  • Informed:   We will tell you exactly how we use your data in clear, plain language.
  • Legal Bases:  We will store or use your data only to support the performance of a contract, to further a legitimate interest, to comply with a legal obligation or with your consent.
  • Access and Portability:  Obtain an export of all data HCS has collected and processed for you in a machine-readable format(e.g. .csv or Excel file formats)
  • Modification:  Request changes or updates to any personal data HCS stores.
  • Erasure:  Request that HCS purge all personal identifying information.
How to contact us
If you would like to exercise a right you have under GDPR, please contact us at the email or mailing address below.
Please contact [email protected] or write to us at:
HCS, 1801 Rockville Pike, Suite 350, Rockville, Maryland 20852