Privacy Policy

(last revised May 15, 2018)

Scientific Design and Information, Inc. (“SDI”) is committed to protecting the privacy of its Website visitors, users and registrants (for purposes of the Privacy Policy, “users”) and their respective information. This Privacy Policy describes SDI’s privacy practices with respect to information collected by this Website.

Use of the Website is conditioned on acceptance of this Privacy Policy. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or SDI’s information practices, please contact SDI at 650-366-1644 or send an email to [email protected]. IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT THIS PRIVACY POLICY, SDI DOES NOT GRANT YOU ANY LICENSE OR OTHER RIGHTS TO USE THE WEBSITE AND YOU SHOULD EXIT THIS WEBSITE.

The Website is managed by SDI and its third party website management and hosting service providers (each, a “Provider”), each of which is bound by the terms of this Privacy Policy (SDI and its Providers, collectively, “SDI”). Further to SDI’s Terms of Use, if the Website contains links to other third party websites, such sites are governed by their respective terms of use and privacy policies.

SDI reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time and will provide notification of any material changes to this Privacy Policy through the Website.

1. Collection of Information

Currently, SDI collects only the names and email addresses of users who voluntarily register for SDI’s online newsletter and uses this information solely to send the newsletter to those users. SDI is the sole owner of the information collected on our Website and SDI does not sell, share or rent this information to third parties except as necessary to administer the Website as disclosed herein. SDI may store this information itself or arrange for storage in databases maintained by SDI’s service providers.

If a user’s personally-identifiable information changes or if a user desires to terminate his/her newsletter registration, he/she can correct, update or remove all information provided to SDI via the registration information page or by emailing [email protected].

In addition to and without limitation of any other terms herein, SDI will provide its Website and collect limited personal contact information from its users in compliance with all applicable data privacy and data security laws and regulations, including all applicable laws and regulations concerning personal data submitted to, collected by, used by, stored on, and/or hosted on the Website, which include the EU General Data Protection Legislation effective as of May 25, 2018, the European Directive 2009/136/EC, and any and all other applicable and/or successor data privacy/security legislation in any state, federal, or foreign country or other jurisdiction in which the Website is hosted and/or operates, including data collection, data processing, and email activities.

2. Means of Collecting Information; No Online Tracking

SDI may track certain user information solely to administer the Website and to analyze data for trends and statistics on an aggregated basis; provided that aggregated information will not be linked in any way to user-identifiable information. SDI may collect non-personally-identifiable information, including IP addresses, through commonly-used information-gathering tools such as cookies and analytical tools. (Please note that, if an individual disables his or her Web browser’s ability to accept cookies, that individual can navigate the Website but may not be able to successfully use all the features and functions thereon.)

SDI does not currently permit any third party to access and use the Website to track any user’s logins and movements, including to and from the Website, or to collect any user’s personal information. If, at any point, SDI elects to use any of its users’ personally-identifiable information in a manner other than as stated in this Privacy Policy, SDI will update the Policy, use all commercially reasonable efforts to provide each user with the opportunity to opt out of SDI’s modified use of his/her information at that time, and comply with all applicable laws, including any statutory obligation to obtain a user’s consent to use of his/her personal information.

Children under the age of thirteen should not provide any personal information on this Website. SDI is committed to protecting children’s online privacy; accordingly, SDI does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 and SDI will not retain any information provided by a user under the age of 13 if SDI becomes aware of such user’s age.

3. Use and Sharing of Collected Information

SDI shares user information with its Providers solely to enable those providers to provide the Website, SDI’s newsletters and related services on SDI’s behalf.

SDI does not share, sell, rent or trade any user information with third parties for promotional purposes, including targeted advertising to SDI’s users. SDI does not currently permit the collection of personal or tracking information by third parties through advertising technologies deployed on the Website nor does SDI share personal information collected from the Website with any third parties (other than its Providers). SDI will share only aggregate and anonymous information with third parties for marketing, research or similar purposes.

SDI reserves the right to use or disclose user information if required by law or court order or if SDI reasonably believes that use or disclosure is necessary to protect SDI’s rights. SDI may also transfer users’ information to a third party in the course of a sale or reorganization of SDI’s business or assets.

4. Surveys and Giveaways

From time to time, the Website may request contact and/or demographic information (i.e., zip code, gender, birthdate or age) from users through surveys or giveaways. Participation in any such survey or giveaway is completely voluntary and the user is under no obligation to participate or to disclose any information. Survey information will be used to monitor and/or improve the use and functionality of the Website. If any manufacturer that advertises on the Website offers users the opportunity to participate in a sweepstakes, that sweepstakes will be hosted on the manufacturer’s website and governed by that manufacturer’s terms of use and privacy policy.

5. Security

Subject to the terms herein, SDI employs industry-standard administrative, technical, organizational and physical measures in compliance with applicable laws and regulations to protect the security of its user information and to protect against unauthorized access thereto or unauthorized use or disclosure thereof. However, no Internet or email transmission is ever fully secure or error-free and, as set forth in the Terms of Use, SDI makes no warranty and assumes no liability for any such transmission or any damages incurred in connection therewith. If you have any questions about SDI’s Website security, please contact [email protected].

SDI cannot and does not guarantee or warrant the security and privacy of information provided by users on or through the Website. Each user discloses personal information on or through our Website wholly at his/her own risk and each acknowledges that he/she is aware of the security and privacy risks involved, including limitations of the security, privacy and authentication measures in the Website, threats of external interference such as eavesdropping, breaking passwords and hacking, and contamination by viruses.

In accordance with Section 2 of the Terms of Use, each user, on behalf of himself/herself and his/her heirs, executors, legal representatives and other successors in interest, hereby releases and discharges SDI from any and all liability or responsibility for any damages suffered by that user arising out of any disclosure of his/her personally-identifiable information other than as a result of SDI’S willful misconduct.

6. Public Forums and Client Testimonials

Further to Section 8 of the Terms of Use, SDI, at its sole option, may elect to provide bulletin boards, blogs or chat rooms on its Website. Any personal information that a user chooses to submit in such a forum may be viewed, read, collected and/or used by others who visit these forums and may be used to send unsolicited messages. SDI is not responsible for personal information that any individual chooses to submit in these forums.

SDI, at its option and in accordance with SDI’s terms of use and privacy policy, may post testimonials on the Website that contain information such as user names.

7. Links to other Websites; Social Media Features; Plug-Ins

The Website contains links to third party sites and SDI has no control over any such sites or their respective privacy practices. Links to such other sites, including www.Disqus.com, are provided by SDI solely as a convenience and SDI neither endorses nor bears any responsibility for or control over any linked site or any other link contained therein. All statements by SDI herein pertaining to the Website do not apply in any way to any links or any linked third party sites. Once a user leaves this Website, neither these Terms of Use nor SDI’s Privacy Policy remains in effect; SDI encourages each user to read the terms of use of each and every website that he or she visits.

The Website may deploy and use social media features such as the Facebook “like”’’ button (collectively, "Social Media Features"), which may collect IP addresses and set cookies to enable its features to function properly. Any user’s interactions with any Social Media Feature are governed by the privacy policy of the business providing that Social Media Feature.

Website users may elect to install the Disqus.com plug-in to comment on articles and other content on the Website. A user must separately opt in to install and use Disqus and a user’s use of Disqus is subject to Disqus’ terms of use and privacy policy, including Disqus’ collection of personal information from and tracking of its users.

If a user does not want third parties to use his or her past online behavior to target ads, the user must opt out from targeted advertising. SDI does not control this process and cannot process opt-out requests on any user’s behalf. (Among other options, a user can opt out of interest-based advertising from third party providers who follow the Digital Advertising Alliance’s Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising at www.aboutads.info/choices.)

8. California Do Not Track Disclosures

Various browsers offer a “Do Not Track” option; however, SDI does not presently recognize or process Do Not Track signals from different Web browsers. For more information on Do Not Track, please visit http://www.allaboutdnt.org/.