Last updated January 11, 2021Privacy Policy

This privacy notice is from His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for the United States of America ("we", "us", "our").  We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy notice, or our practices with regards to your personal information, please contact us at LifelongLearning@usaji.org.

When you visit the Lifelong Learning website (the "Website"), and more generally, use any of our services (the "Services", which include the Website), we appreciate that you are trusting us with your personal information. We take your privacy very seriously. In this privacy notice, we seek to explain to you in the clearest way possible what information we collect, how we use it and what rights you have in relation to it. We hope you take some time to read through it carefully, as it is important. If there are any terms in this privacy notice that you do not agree with, please discontinue use of our Services immediately.

1.        WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

1.1          We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you register on the Website, express an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and Services, when you participate in activities on the Website (such as by posting messages in our online forums) or otherwise when you contact us.  The personal information that we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us and the Website, the choices you make and the products and features you use. The personal information we collect may include the following:

1.2          Personal Information Provided by You. We collect names; phone numbers; email addresses; job titles; date of birth, gender, country of origin, affiliations, educational background, degrees and credentials and other similar information related to servicing on the Website.  All personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information.  

1.3          Information automatically collected.  We automatically collect certain information when you visit, use or navigate the Website. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about how and when you use our Website and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our Website, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.

1.4          Like many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies.  The information we collect includes:

Log and Usage Data. Log and usage data is service-related, diagnostic, usage and performance information our servers automatically collect when you access or use our Website and which we record in log files. Depending on how you interact with us, this log data may include your IP address, device information, browser type and settings and information about your activity in the Website (such as the date/time stamps associated with your usage, pages and files viewed, searches and other actions you take such as which features you use), device event information (such as system activity, error reports (sometimes called 'crash dumps') and hardware settings)..

Device Data. We collect device data such as information about your computer, phone, tablet or other device you use to access the Website. Depending on the device used, this device data may include information such as your IP address (or proxy server), device and application identification numbers, location, browser type, hardware model Internet service provider and/or mobile carrier, operating system and system configuration information.

Location Data. We collect location data such as information about your device's location, which can be either precise or imprecise. How much information we collect depends on the type and settings of the device you use to access the Website. For example, we may use GPS and other technologies to collect geolocation data that tells us your current location (based on your IP address). You can opt out of allowing us to collect this information either by refusing access to the information or by disabling your Location setting on your device. Note however, if you choose to opt out, you may not be able to use certain aspects of the Services.

1.5          Like many websites, we utilize devices to recognize you when you visit the Website, track your interactions with the Website, and personalize your experience. These include devices such as cookies, web beacons, pixels and similar devices. Cookies are small data files we transfer to your computer hard drive. We utilize some cookies that remain on your computer after you leave the Website so that we can recognize you when you return and provide a more personalized and helpful experience. We also utilize session cookies to enable certain features of the Website, to better understand how you interact with the Website and to monitor use of the Website by users and web traffic routing on the Website. Session cookies are deleted from your computer when you log off from the Website and close your browser. You maintain control over some of the information we collect through the use of cookies, and you can set your preferences regarding the use of cookies through your browser settings. If you choose not to accept cookies, you may not be able to access portions of the Website or all functionality of the Services.

1.6          If you have created an account on our Website (“Account”), you may be able to obtain a copy of some of the Personal Information we collect from you via your Account and correct, amend or delete your Personal Information. You may also close your Account altogether. When you close your Account, we may retain some Personal Information if necessary to comply with legal obligations or to exercise a right provided for by applicable law.  It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit true, accurate and complete information via your Account and keep it up to date. Before we are able to respond to your request, we may ask you to verify your identity and to provide further details about your request. We will endeavor to respond within an appropriate timeframe and, in any event, within any timeframes required by law.

2.        HOW DO WE USE YOUR INFORMATION?

We use personal information collected via our Website for a variety of business purposes described below. We process your personal information for these purposes in reliance on our legitimate business interests, in order to enter into or perform a contract with you, with your consent, and/or for compliance with our legal obligations. We indicate the specific processing grounds we rely on next to each purpose listed below.

We use the information we collect or receive:

• To facilitate account creation and logon process. If you choose to link your account with us to a third-party account (such as your Google or Facebook account), we use the information you allowed us to collect from those third parties to facilitate account creation and logon process for the performance of the contract.
• To post testimonials. We post testimonials on our Website that may contain personal information. Prior to posting a testimonial, we will obtain your consent to use your name and the content of the testimonial. If you wish to update, or delete your testimonial, please contact us at LifelongLearning@usaji.org and be sure to include your name, testimonial location, and contact information.
• Request feedback. We may use your information to request feedback and to contact you about your use of our Website.
• To enable user-to-user communications. We may use your information in order to enable user-to-user communications with each user's consent.
• To manage user accounts. We may use your information for the purposes of managing our account and keeping it in working order.
• To send administrative information to you. We may use your personal information to send you product, service, surveys, and new feature information and/or information about changes to our terms, conditions, and policies.
• To protect our Services. We may use your information as part of our efforts to keep our Website safe and secure (for example, for fraud monitoring and prevention).
• To enforce our terms, conditions and policies for business purposes, to comply with legal and regulatory requirements or in connection with our contract.
• To respond to legal requests and prevent harm. If we receive a subpoena or other legal request, we may need to inspect the data we hold to determine how to respond.
• Fulfill and manage your orders. We may use your information to fulfill and manage your orders, payments, returns, and exchanges made through the Website.
• Administer prize draws and competitions. We may use your information to administer prize draws and competitions when you elect to participate in our competitions.
• To deliver and facilitate delivery of services to the user. We may use your information to provide you with the requested service.
• To respond to user inquiries/offer support to users. We may use your information to respond to your inquiries and solve any potential issues you might have with the use of our Services.
• To send you marketing and promotional communications. We and/or our third-party marketing partners may use the personal information you send to us for our marketing purposes, if this is in accordance with your marketing preferences. For example, when expressing an interest in obtaining information about us or our Website, subscribing to marketing or otherwise contacting us, we will collect personal information from you. You can opt-out of our marketing emails at any time
• Deliver targeted advertising to you. We may use your information to develop and display personalized content and advertising (and work with third parties who do so) tailored to your interests and/or location and to measure its effectiveness.

• For other business purposes. We may use your information for other business purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and to evaluate and improve our Website, products, marketing and your experience. We may use and store this information in aggregated and anonymized form so that it is not associated with individual end users and does not include personal information. We will not use identifiable personal information without your consent.

3.         WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?

3.1          We may process or share your data that we hold based on the following legal basis:

• Consent: We may process your data if you have given us specific consent to use your personal information for a specific purpose.
• Legitimate Interests: We may process your data when it is reasonably necessary to achieve our legitimate business interests.
• Performance of a Contract: Where we have entered into a contract with you, we may process your personal information to fulfill the terms of our contract.
• Legal Obligations: We may disclose your information where we are legally required to do so in order to comply with applicable law, governmental requests, a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process, such as in response to a court order or a subpoena (including in response to public authorities to meet national security or law enforcement requirements).
• Vital Interests: We may disclose your information where we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding potential violations of our policies, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person and illegal activities, or as evidence in litigation in which we are involved.

4.        WHO WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH?     

4.1.        We use Google Analytics to collect information about use of the Site. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit the Site, what pages they visit when they do so, and what other websites they used prior to coming to the Site. We use the information we get from Google Analytics to improve the Site and Services. Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit the Site, rather than your name or other Personal Information. We do not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with personally identifiable information. Although Google Analytics plants a permanent cookie on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit this Site, the cookie cannot be used by anyone but Google. Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to this Site is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Use and the Google Privacy Policy. You can prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you on return visits to the Sites by disabling cookies on your browser.

4.2.        We may also share your data with third-party vendors, service providers, contractors or agents who perform services for us or on our behalf and require access to such information to do that work. Examples include: payment processing, data analysis, email delivery, hosting services, customer service and marketing efforts. We may allow selected third parties to use tracking technology on the Site, which will enable them to collect data on our behalf about how you interact with our Site over time. This information may be used to, among other things, analyze and track data, determine the popularity of certain content, pages or features, and better understand online activity. Unless described in this notice, we do not share, sell, rent or trade any of your information with third parties for their promotional purposes.

4.3.        We may share your information with our Affiliates.  Affiliates include (a) all institutions, organizations and agencies of the Ismaili community (including, but not limited to, His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Councils for each respective jurisdiction, and other boards and portfolios), (b) all institutions, organizations and agencies of, or within, the Aga Khan Development Network, (c) the respective decision-makers, principals, organizers, leaders, members, officers, employees, staff, volunteers, representatives, attorneys, and agents of one or more of the institutions, organizations or agencies of the Ismaili community, and (d) the respective decision-makers, principals, organizers, leaders, members, officers, employees, staff, volunteers, representatives, attorneys, and agents of one or more of the institutions, organizations or agencies of, or within, the Aga Khan Development Network.

5.        DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?

5.1.         A “cookie” is a text file containing small amounts of information that a website can send to your browser, which may then be stored on your computer as a tag that distinguishes your computer but does not name you.  You can set your browser to notify you before you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether to accept it. You can also set your browser to turn off cookies; however, if you do this, some of the features of our Website may not work properly. You may also be able to reject certain cookies served through our Website by opting out on the website of the third party placing the cookie, which you can identify through your browser.  One of the primary purposes of cookies is to allow you to be logged in to your Account. If you register an Account with us, a cookie helps us recall your specific information on subsequent visits. This simplifies the process of recalling your personal information, such as billing addresses, shipping addresses, and so on. When you return to our Website, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use the features of the Website.

5.2.        “Web beacons” are small pieces of data that are embedded in images on the pages of websites. Web beacons may involve the transmission of Personal Information directly to us, to another party on our behalf or to another party in accordance with its privacy policy. We may use Web beacons to bring together Personal Information we collect about you. We may use tools provided by other companies to make the advertising we show you on our Properties and/or our partner websites more relevant and interesting to you. For this purpose, we use cookies, web beacons or similar technologies to collect information about your browsing behavior, and deliver Interest-Based Ads to you.

6.        HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?

We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting or other legal requirements). No purpose in this notice will require us keeping your personal information for longer than the period of time in which users have an account with us.

When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize such information, or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible.

7.        HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?

You are responsible for safeguarding and preventing unauthorized access to the user information and password that you use to access our Website. You agree not to disclose your password to any third party and you are responsible for any activity using your Account, whether or not you authorized that activity. Please immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your Account.

We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. However, despite our safeguards and efforts to secure your information, no electronic transmission over the Internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorized third parties will not be able to defeat our security, and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of personal information to and from our Website is at your own risk. You should only access the Website within a secure environment.

Please be advised the Services are hosted in the United States. If you access the Services from any other region of the world with laws or other requirements governing personal data collection, use, or disclosure that differ from applicable laws in the United States, then through your continued use of the Services, you are transferring your data to the United States, and you agree to have your data transferred to and processed in the United States.

8.        CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES

Most web browsers and some mobile operating systems and mobile applications include a Do-Not-Track ("DNT") feature or setting you can activate to signal your privacy preference not to have data about your online browsing activities monitored and collected. At this stage no uniform technology standard for recognizing and implementing DNT signals has been finalized. As such, we do not currently respond to DNT browser signals or any other mechanism that automatically communicates your choice not to be tracked online. If a standard for online tracking is adopted that we must follow in the future, we will inform you about that practice in a revised version of this privacy notice.

9.        DO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?

California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the "Shine The Light" law, permits our users who are California residents to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, information about categories of personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared personal information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to us using the contact information provided below.

10.        DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE?     

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated "Revised" date and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is accessible. If we make material changes to this privacy notice, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this privacy notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information.

11. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?     

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Notice, please contact us at LifelongLearning@usaji.org.

12.        HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU?     

Based on the applicable laws of your country, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we collect from you, change that information, or delete it in some circumstances.  You may also review, update or delete your personal information in your Account.