ABI Privacy Policy


American Bankruptcy Institute – Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy expresses the strong commitment of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) to respect and protect the privacy and Personal Data of its employees, suppliers, customers, and business partners. The Privacy Policy explains how the ABI collects, uses, shares and safeguards Personal Data and Non-Personal Data on abi.org and any other ABI websites, mobile websites, microsites, mobile applications, ABI profiles on ABI social media sites and any other digital services and platforms officially operated or used by the ABI from time to time (“ABI Websites”), as well as by phone or by paper. Please read this privacy policy carefully as it will help you make informed decisions about sharing your personal information with us. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, you must immediately terminate use of the ABI Websites.

Changes to the Privacy Policy. As the ABI, its membership, products and services change from time to time, this Privacy Policy is expected to change as well. We reserve the right to amend the Privacy Policy at any time, for any reason. The date of the last revision to the Privacy Policy will be indicated by the "Revised” date at the bottom of this page.

I. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

A. Personal Information you disclose to us

We collect personal information that you provide to us. We collect information (whether online, by phone, or by paper) that enables the ABI to identify or contact you (“Personal Data”) to carry out its lawful business purposes. ABI Websites collect this information for a variety of business reasons, including but not limited to, applying for membership, registering for an ABI event or program, purchasing ABI products or services, or otherwise interacting with the ABI.

The types of Personal Data we collect include, but are not limited to:

  • General data (e.g., names, dates of birth, home and business addresses, email addresses, Internet protocol addresses and mobile/landline business/personal telephone numbers that are provided by our members/customers)
  • Professional data (e.g., bar pass date, CLE/CPE identification numbers and state(s))
  • Government-issued identification numbers (e.g., social security numbers, national identification numbers and tax identification numbers), for example from employees and independent contractors, but not from members unless the ABI makes payments to members, such as honoraria or royalties for publishing rights
  • Other identification information (e.g., photographs)
  • Financial information (e.g., credit and debit card numbers, credit reports, passwords and PIN numbers) for product sales or employment purposes
  • Sensitive Personal Data (e.g., racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation and disability data) for diversity or accessibility purposes
  • Social Media Login Data. We may provide you with the option to register using social media account details, like your Facebook, Twitter or other social media account. If you choose to register in this way, we will collect the Information described in the section called "HOW DO WE HANDLE YOUR SOCIAL LOGINS" below.

B. Personal information from Third-Parties

The ABI also receives Personal Data from third parties for the ABI’s use in marketing to potential new members, such as lists of other organizations’ conference attendees from various other organizations.

C. Information Automatically collected (Non-personal information)

Some information – such as IP address and/or browser and device characteristics – is collected automatically when you visit the site.

We may automatically collect information (whether online, by phone, or by paper) that does not directly identify you as you interact with our ABI Websites (“Non-Personal Data”). The types of Non-Personal Data we collect includes, but is not limited to:

  • Site usage (e.g., browsing history, search terms, number of clicks, referring/exit pages, date/time stamp, time on Site)
  • Products and services viewed, including advertisements for such products and services
  • Computer type, operating system and platform type
  • Internet service provider
  • Your industry and business (e.g., company size and location, job functions and seniority levels)

II. HOW WE USE YOUR DATA

In addition to the uses described above, we use your Personal Data, sometimes combined with Non-Personal Data, in a variety of ways including, but not limited to the below, in order to:

A. Personal Data

  • Identify you when you visit our ABI Websites
  • Provide service communications such as bill reminders, order confirmations, program registrations and customer service messages
  • Provide products, information and services you request or that we think you may be interested in
  • Respond to your emails or online requests for products, services, or information
  • Deliver and process surveys
  • Personalize and improve the usability of the ABI Websites
  • Fulfill and/or deliver ABI products and services
  • Tailor content, advertising and marketing to you
  • Publish membership directories, membership lists and registration lists on the ABI Websites to allow members and the public to find you; such directories and lists will not include credit card information or personal identification numbers such as social security numbers.

B. Non-Personal Data

We use Non-Personal Data to improve the usability of our ABI Websites and for other business reasons. We or other third-party companies also use the Non-Personal Data to provide advertisements and targeted advertisements to you (ads based on the Non-Personal Data). We do not provide Personal Data to third parties with whom we share your Non-Personal Data. Please note that, when you select an advertising link or other link that takes you to sites not operated by the ABI, you may be subject to the privacy policies of these third-party sites.

III. WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?

We only share information with your consent, to comply with laws, to provide you with services, to protect your rights, or to fulfill business obligations.

We may process or share data based on the following legal basis:

Consent: We may process your data if you have given us specific consent to use your personal information in 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.

More specifically, we may need to process your data or share your personal information in the following situations:

Vendors, Consultants and Other Third-Party Service Providers. We may 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 ABI Websites, which will enable them to collect data about how you interact with the ABI Websites over time. This information may be used to, among other things, analyze and track data, determine the popularity of certain content and better understand online activity. Unless described in this Policy, we do not share, sell, rent or trade any of your information with third parties for their promotional purposes.

Business Transfers. We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.

Third-Party Advertisers. We may use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit the ABI Websites. These companies may use information about your visits to the ABI Website and other websites that are contained in web cookies and other tracking technologies in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you.

Affiliates. We may share your information with our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honor this privacy policy. Affiliates include our parent company and any subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other companies that we control or that are under common control with us.

Business Partners. We may share your information with our business partners to offer you certain products, services or promotions.

Other Users. When you share personal information or otherwise interact with public areas of the ABI Websites, such personal information may be viewed by all users and may be publicly distributed outside the ABI Websites in perpetuity. If you interact with other users of the ABI Websites and register through a social network (such as Facebook), your contacts on the social network will see your name, profile photo, and descriptions of your activity. Similarly, other users will be able to view descriptions of your activity, communicate with you within the ABI Websites, and view your profile.

IV. HOW YOU CAN MANAGE THE PROCESSING OF YOUR DATA

You can manage your profile and email preferences, including “opting out” of email by updating your Membership Profile online at abi.org or contacting us using the information in the “Contact Information” section below. If you prefer to receive hard copy mailings only from the ABI, you can contact us and request to have your name and address removed from the list we provide to third parties. For California residents, please consult the “California Privacy Rights” section for additional considerations.

Our processing of your data is based upon your consent, contract performance (e.g., your purchase of products or membership sign-up/renewal), legitimate business interest (e.g., direct marketing of goods and services), or compliance with law. You have the right to object to our processing of your data or to restrict our processing of your data. In addition, if you have consented to the processing of your Personal Data, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

V. CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS

In addition to the rights as explained in this Privacy Policy, under California’s "Shine the Light" law, California residents who provide personal information (as defined in the statute) to obtain products or services for personal, family, or household use are entitled to request and obtain from us, once a calendar year, information about the personal information we shared, if any, with other businesses for marketing uses. If applicable, this information would include the categories of personal information and the names and addresses of those businesses with which we shared such personal information for the immediately prior calendar year (e.g., requests made in the current year will receive information about the prior year). To obtain this information please write to us at: American Bankruptcy Institute. Attn: ABI Membership. Please include your full name and address and ABI Member Number, if applicable.

VI. CANADA ANTI-SPAM LAW

The ABI complies with the Canada Anti-Spam Law. Non-ABI members or associates who provide us a Canadian mailing address will not receive unauthorized Commercial Electronic Messages (as defined under the Canada Anti-Spam Law) unless these individuals have “opted-in” to receive Commercial Electronic Messages.

VII. CHILDREN

We do not knowingly collect Personal Data from or market to minors under the age of 18. By using the ABI Websites, you represent that you are at least 18 or that you are the parent or guardian of such a minor and consent to such minor dependent’s use of the ABI Websites. If we learn that personal information from users less than 18 years of age has been collected, we will deactivate the account and take reasonable measures to promptly delete such data from our records. If you become aware of any data we have collected from children under age 18, please contact us at [email protected]

VIII. DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?

We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to access or store information. Specific information about how we use such technologies and how you can refuse certain cookies is set out in our Cookie Policy.

IX. HOW DO WE HANDLE YOUR SOCIAL LOGINS?

If you choose to register or log in to our services using a social media account, we may have access to certain information about you. ABI Websites offer you the ability to register and login using your third-party social media account details (like your Facebook or Twitter logins). Where you choose to do this, we will receive certain profile information about you from your social media provider. The profile information we receive may vary depending on the social media provider concerned, but will often include your name, e-mail address, friends list, profile picture as well as other information you choose to make public.

We will use the information we receive only for the purposes that are described in this Privacy Policy or that are otherwise made clear to you on the ABI Website in or in ABI’s Terms of Use. Please note that we do not control, and are not responsible for, other uses of your personal information by your third-party social media provider. We recommend that you review their privacy policy to understand how they collect, use and share your personal information, and how you can set your privacy preferences on their sites and apps.

X. IS YOUR INFORMATION TRANSFERRED INTERNATIONALLY?

We may transfer, store, and process your information in countries other than your own. Our servers are located in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.A. If you are accessing ABI Websites from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed by us in our facilities and by those third parties with whom we may share your personal information (see "WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?" above), in and other countries.

If you are a resident in the European Economic Area, then these countries may not have data protection or other laws as comprehensive as those in your country. We will however take all necessary measures to protect your personal information in accordance with this privacy policy and applicable law.

XI. WHAT IS OUR STANCE ON THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES?

We are not responsible for the safety of any information that you share with third-party providers who advertise, but are not affiliated with, the ABI Websites. The ABI Websites or emails from ABI may contain advertisements from third parties that are not affiliated with us and which may link to other websites, online services or mobile applications. We cannot guarantee the safety and privacy of data you provide to any third parties. Any data collected by third parties is not covered by this Privacy Policy. We are not responsible for the content or privacy and security practices and policies of any third parties, including other websites, services or applications that may be linked to or from the ABI Websites. You should review the policies of such third parties and contact them directly to respond to your questions.

XII. HOW WE PROTECT PERSONAL DATA

The ABI implements commercially reasonable security measures to help protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure, or destruction of data. Except for membership directories, membership lists and registration lists, and the sharing of information as set forth in this Privacy Policy, we restrict access to Personal Data to certain companies who need the data to operate, develop, or improve our services. These individuals or partner organizations are bound by confidentiality obligations and may be subject to discipline, including termination and criminal prosecution, if they fail to meet these obligations.

Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is fully secure. Accordingly, and despite our reasonable efforts to protect your Personal Data from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure, the ABI cannot guarantee or warrant the security of the Personal Data you transmit to us, or to or from the ABI Websites. If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us.

XIII. USER ID AND PASSWORD

Certain areas of the ABI Websites require the use of a user ID, email address, or password as an additional security measure that helps protect your Personal Data. To help you protect your privacy, these ABI Websites have tools to help you log in and log out.

XIV. HOW YOU CAN ACCESS, CHANGE AND DELETE YOUR PERSONAL DATA

We rely on you to update and correct your Personal Data. If you are a user of our ABI Websites, subscriber to ABI publications, purchaser of ABI products and services, or an ABI member, you can review, update and correct your information directly on the ABI Websites at abi.org or by contacting us using the information in the “Contact Information” section below. Typically, we retain your Personal Data for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. This may include retaining your Personal Data indefinitely, even after you are no longer an ABI member, in order to provide you with future marketing opportunities and other purposes, as well as to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce any of our agreements. Please note that you can request, at any time, that we delete your Personal Data. All requests must be directed to the contact in the “Contact Information” section below. We can decide to delete your Personal Data if we believe that the data is incomplete, inaccurate, or that our continued use and storage are contrary to our obligations to other members, individuals, or third parties. When we delete your Personal Data, it will be removed from our active databases or anonymized so that the data is no longer identified with you, but the data may remain in our archives if the ABI determines that it is not practical or possible to delete it.

XV. TRANSMISSION OF DATA TO OTHER COUNTRIES

Your Personal Data is processed in the United States, where privacy laws may be less stringent than the laws in your country and where the government, courts, or law enforcement may be able to access your data. By submitting your Personal Data to us, you agree to the transfer, storage and processing of your Personal Data in the United States.

XVI. RIGHT TO COMPLAIN TO SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY

You, as the data subject, have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work, or place of the alleged infringement, if you believe that the processing of your personal data does not comply with legal requirements.

XVII. BREACH NOTIFICATION

In the event we determine the occurrence of a data security incident, we will notify you by email, US mail, telephone, or other means as permitted by law.

XVIII. CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have questions, comments, or complaints concerning our privacy practices or if you wish to change, access, or remove your Personal Data, please contact us as indicated below. We will attempt, where practical, to respond to your requests and to provide you with additional privacy related information.

American Bankruptcy Institute
Membership Department
99 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 200
[email protected]
www.abi.org
703-739-0800