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Website Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 25, 2021

Introduction

The Slovak Zion Synod respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it through our compliance with this policy.

This privacy policy describes the Slovak Zion Synod’s current policies and practices with regard to personal data collected by the Slovak Zion Synod through this Web site and our mobile device applications. This privacy policy does not apply to information collected offline or in any other way. The term “personal data” refers to personally identifiable information about you, such as your name, birth date, e-mail address or mailing address, and any other information that identifies you personally.

Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information and how we will treat it. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, your choice is not to use our Website. By accessing or using this Website, you agree to this privacy policy.

Your Consent

By using this Web site or any Slovak Zion Synod Web site or mobile device applications, you consent to our use of your personal data as described in this privacy policy.

Notification of Changes to this Policy

It is our policy to post any changes we make to our privacy policy on this page and to accompany material changes with a notice that the privacy policy has been updated on the Website home page. If we make material changes to how we treat our users’ personal information, we will notify you through a notice on the Website home page. The date the privacy policy was last revised is identified at the top of the page. You are responsible for periodically visiting our Website and this privacy policy to check for any changes.

Personal Data Collected through this Web Site

The only personal data the Slovak Zion Synod currently collects through this Web site is the information you give us when you use our site. This includes, for example, the information you provide when you register for a newsletter or other program or service or when you send us your comments or requests for information.

The Slovak Zion Synod uses the information you provide for the purposes for which it was originally collected, for example, to respond to your e-mail or provide the programs or services you requested. The Slovak Zion Synod also uses this information to help us improve the content and functionality of our Web sites, to better understand the needs and interests of the people and organizations that use our Web site, and to improve our programs and services. The Slovak Zion Synod may use this information to contact you in the future to tell you about organizations, programs, services, and other things we believe will be of interest to you or to ask for your support.

The Slovak Zion Synod may share the personal information you provide to us with consultants and other third parties who act for or on behalf of the Slovak Zion Synod, for further processing or analysis. In addition, there may be some other, limited circumstances in which the Slovak Zion Synod may share or transfer the personal information in its databases, for example, to comply with a legal requirement, for the administration of justice, to protect your vital interests, to protect the security or integrity of our databases or this Web site, or to take precautions against legal liability.

Disclosure of Your Information

We may disclose aggregated information about our users, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction.

We may disclose personal information that we collect or you provide as described in this privacy policy:

  • To our affiliates and affiliated Lutheran organizations;
  • To contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our mission and who are bound by contractual obligations to keep personal information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them;
  • To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it. For example, if you provide information as part of registering for an event, we will transmit that information to contractors and service providers facilitating that event.
  • For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information.
  • With your consent.

We may also disclose your personal information:

  • To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including responding to any government or regulatory request.
  • To enforce or apply our terms of use or terms of any agreement you enter into with us, and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes.
  • If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Slovak Zion Synod, its employees, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction.

Data Security

We have implemented measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration and disclosure.

The safety and security of your information also depends on you. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone. We urge you to be careful about giving out information in public areas of the Website like message boards. The information you share in public areas may be viewed by any user of the Website.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to our Website. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Web site.

Anonymous Data Collected through Slovak Zion Synod Web sites

In addition to the information you provide when you use our Web site, The Slovak Zion Synod uses technology to collect anonymous information about the use of our Web site. For example, we use technology to track how many visitors access our Web site, the date and time of their visit, the length of their stay, and which pages they view. We also use technology to determine which web browsers our visitors use and the address from which they accessed our site.

This technology does not identify you personally. It simply enables us to compile statistics about our visitors and their use of our site. The Slovak Zion Synod uses this anonymous data and shares it with third-parties for various reasons, for example, to improve the content and functionality of our Web site, to better understand the needs and interests of our visitors, to improve our programs and services.

Emails

If you have subscribed to our newsletter or have registered for an event, there is a good chance you will receive emails from us.

We will only send you emails which you have signed up to receive, or which pertain to the services we provided to you.

To send you emails, we use the name and email address you provide us. Our site also logs the IP address you used when you signed up for the service to prevent abuse of the system.

This website can send emails through the SendGrid sending service. This service allows us to track opens and clicks on our emails. We use this information to improve the content of our newsletters and verify deliverability.

No identifiable information is otherwise tracked outside this website except for the email address.

Cookies

In order to collect the anonymous data described in the preceding paragraph, the Slovak Zion Synod may use temporary “cookies” that collect the first level domain name of the user (for example, if your e-mail address is “name@xyz.com,” the cookie collects the “xyz.com” portion of your e-mail address) and the date and time you accessed this Web site. Cookies by themselves cannot be used to discover the identity of the user. A cookie is a small piece of information which is sent to your browser and stored on your computer’s hard drive. Cookies do not damage your computer. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie. This enables you to decide if you want to accept it or not. At the present time, the Slovak Zion Synod only uses temporary or “session” cookies. These “session” cookies expire when your browser window is closed.

In order for certain applications on the Slovak Zion Synod’s Web sites to function properly, if at all, it is necessary for your computer to accept cookies.

Children

The Slovak Zion Synod does not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of thirteen. If you are under thirteen, please do not give us any personal data. If you have reason to believe that a child has provided personal data to the Slovak Zion Synod, please contact us, and we will endeavor to delete that information from our databases. If we develop online programs for children, we will adopt appropriate policies and practices to protect the privacy of children.

Links to Other Sites

This privacy policy applies only to this Web site, and any other Web sites belonging to our congregations that are administered by our Communications Desk (identified by a copyright credit to “SZS Communications” in those Web site footers). This site contains many hyperlinks to Web sites that are not operated by the Slovak Zion Synod. These hyperlinks are provided for your reference and convenience only and do not imply any endorsement of the activities of these third-party Web sites or any association with their operators. The Slovak Zion Synod does not control these Web sites and is not responsible for their data practices. We urge you to review the privacy policy posted on any site you visit before using the site or providing any personal data about yourself.

Your California Privacy Rights

California Civil Code Section § 1798.83 permits users of our Website that are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please contact our offices.

Right to Data Download and Data Erasure

The General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR) is a regulation in European Union law on data protection and privacy in the EU and the European Economic Area. It also addresses the transfer of personal data outside the EU and EEA areas. The GDPR introduces a right for individuals to request copies of all personal data collected about them from our Web sites, and/or to have personal data erased. The right to erasure is also known as ‘the right to be forgotten’.

You can make a request for a copy of your information we’ve collected, or request erasure. Such requests can be made verbally or in writing, and are done by contacting our offices. In accordance with the GDPR, we will respond within one month of your request. Our response will come in the form of a verification link being sent to your email. Clicking this link will verify your identity and your consent to transmitting your data back to you or erasing your data.

Governing Law

This privacy policy forms part of our Web site Terms and Conditions and as such shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Connecticut.

Questions About Our Privacy Policy

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or concerns about the way the Slovak Zion Synod uses personal data, please contact us.

 

YouTube Terms of Service

Some of our content is served by YouTube, a video hosting and sharing service owned and operated by a subsidiary company of the same name, which is part of Google. Your use of our site when YouTube content is served is further governed by YouTube’s Terms of Service, available here