FracTracker Privacy Policy

Effective as of 6/10/2021

FracTracker Alliance (“we” or “us”), operators of www.FracTracker.org (the “Site”) and the FracTracker mobile application (the “App”), respects the privacy of our users and has developed this Privacy Policy to articulate our commitment to protecting your privacy.

This Privacy Policy is intended to explain and describe the information we collect, how that information may be used, with whom it may be shared, and your choices about such uses and disclosures, to you as an individual who is a user of the Site and/or App or of the services offered on the Site and/or App (collectively with the Site and the App, the “Services”). You have the right to request access to the personal information that we have collected about you as well as the right to request that we delete your personal information. For more on these rights, see below.

Topics:

  1. Information collected
  2. Use of information
  3. Information Security
  4. General privacy policy terms
  5. Rights for citizens of California
  6. Rights for citizens of the European Union

 

1. INFORMATION COLLECTED

User Provided Information We Collect. FracTracker collects a variety of information from users of the Site and App in order to help us communicate the environmental and health risks associated with the oil and gas industry to the public. Most of the information that we collect is directly provided by users through profiles filled out by users or through one of our projects. The information you provide through the Site or the App may be collected and stored. Additional information from other sources, such as related services, may be recorded as well. We may request or require name, email address, location or physical address, or other information for participation in our current projects. In addition, we may store information such as comment history, mailing list requests, geolocation data, and information related to fundraising.

Information Collected Using Cookies and Other Technologies.  We collect the IP addresses of every user who comments on the Site, along with every user who signs up for the FracTracker newsletter. The Site may also automatically collect information from your browser each time you access the Site. This automatically collected information usually includes your IP address, language, browser, referring sites, time and date, and the content of any cookies previously accepted from the Site.

When accessing the Site, we may assign your computer one or more cookies, which facilitate access to the Site and personalize your experience. By using cookies, we also may automatically collect information about activity related to the Site, such as web pages visited, links clicked through, and searches conducted. You can usually modify your browser’s settings to decline some or all cookies. Please note, if you opt to decline cookies, you may not be able to sign in or utilize some of the interactive features offered by the Site. 

Public Information and Content. The Site and App allow you to share information publicly with other users. Whatever information you choose to provide through the Services is wholly public, and may be recorded by other users or by FracTracker, indexed by search engines, or more. Please use your own judgment and caution when revealing any personal information into the public areas of the Services. We will not share your personal information except as indicated in this document, or when we have informed you and given you a chance to opt out of such sharing.

Location Information.  By voluntarily opting to use any of our Location Based Services (like the App activity feed), you notify us that we may collect and store information about your location at the time you use those Services. The information recorded may differ, depending on the method chosen to access the Services. Many mobile devices currently transmit their GPS data while accessing the Site or App; transmission and control of such information is solely your responsibility. Additionally, photos taken in the App will include geolocation data about the location where the photo was taken. This geolocation data will be tied to the photo and not to the user. The use of Location Based Services is entirely voluntary, though some of our features are not available without Location Based Services enabled.

Information Collected for Our Newsletter. We collect the email address and first and last name of each user upon your signing up for our newsletter. We may collect your IP address as well. We also collect your physical address if you choose to provide it at the time of sign up. If you choose to sign up for our newsletter, our mail service automatically collects information such as how often you click and open a campaign email, your location and time zone, and the format you prefer to receive email in. The information we collect from you during the registration process is used to personalize and enhance our newsletter service according to your preferences.

Information Collected for Donations. We may collect the IP address, email address, name, physical address and several other pieces of information from a user who donates to us through the Site, depending on the method of donation. The information we collect from you during the online donation process is in order to process the donation and enhance our donation system. A donor may choose to honor someone with a donation, in which case we collect info on the person to be recognized (and, if the user chooses, the nature of the user’s relationship to that person). A donor can also choose to leave a note for the public donor scroll, choose to make their name public, and choose to make their amount public. I’m not sure if that’s relevant here.

We use a third party service provider called Network for Good to manage our donation system and process donations. Network for Good may collect and process your information subject to their privacy policy, not this one. If you agree, FracTracker will share your data with our partner organizations so that they may help us store and process your information. We do not make any profits from sharing your data. Our partners include: WordPress, Windfall, Meltwater, and Digital Ocean.

Third-Party Websites or Content.  Through the Site or App, you may be able to click on a link to access other websites or view embedded content from websites that do not operate under this Privacy Policy. These third-party websites may independently solicit and collect information, including personal information, from you and, in some instances, provide us with information about your activities on those websites. We strongly recommend that you consult the privacy policies of all third-party websites you visit by clicking on the “privacy” link typically located at the bottom of the webpage you are visiting.

Data Collection and Use Practices for Current FracTracker Projects

Current Projects. We primarily collect and utilize the data you provide us to facilitate and maintain projects that pertain to environmental and health risks associated with the oil and gas industry. We use this information for our ongoing projects and we reserve the right to use the information we collect from our users for any future project or project that is currently in development.

2. USE OF INFORMATION

Where information we collect goes.  When you provide us with personal information, that information may be sent to, or routed through, servers located in the United States and other countries around the world.

How we use the information we collect.  The information we collect through your contact with the Site or App is used primarily to facilitate the creation of our projects; personalize, enhance and ease your use of the Site and App; research and analyze your use of the Site or App, their features and content, whether provided by us or others; communicate with you through email, telephone, postal mail, and/or mobile devices; enforce our Terms of Service; manage the Site or App and our business as a whole; and perform functions as otherwise described to you at the time of collection.

Information Sharing with Third Parties for Analytics and Website Operation. From time to time, we may share the information we collect from you with third parties, including companies like Windfall and digital Ocean. This sharing to third parties is done in connection with the operation of the Services we provide to you and/or for analytics purposes which may require the reproduction and display of such information

Authorized agents and service providers.  From time to time, we may share your personal information, including name, email address, and contact information with our authorized agents and service providers, to allow them to perform services on our behalf. These services may include maintaining our servers, supporting the functionality of the Site and the App, and supporting surveys, donations, and other features. These agents and service providers may have access to personal information needed to perform their functions but are not permitted to share or use any such personally identifiable information for any other purposes.

Sharing Data With State Agencies. We may ask users for permission to share some of the information that they provide with a relevant state agency in case their issues are particularly severe or require immediate assistance from the authorities. It is the user’s choice whether this information is shared. In general, the information that we collect is scaled based on users’ preferences.

Other situations.  We will comply with a demand for personal information when made as a subpoena, court order, a request for cooperation from law enforcement or other government agencies; to establish or exercise our legal rights; to defend against legal claims; or as otherwise required by law. In such cases, we may raise or waive any legal objection or right available to us.

We will also release information when we believe that such disclosure is appropriate in connection with efforts to investigate, prevent, or take other action regarding illegal activity, suspected fraud or other wrongdoing; to protect and defend the rights, property, or safety of our company, our users, our employees, or others; to comply with applicable law or cooperate with law enforcement; or to enforce our Terms of Service.

3. INFORMATION SECURITY

How we protect your personal information. We take security quite seriously, and employ a variety of measures to ensure its safety. These include physical, procedural, legal, and electronic measures. Only authorized employees and third parties who have agreed to our confidentiality requirements, such as consultants, may be permitted to access personal information, and they may do so only for permitted business functions. In addition, we use SSL encryption in the transmission of your sensitive personal information between your system and ours, and we use firewalls to help prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to your personal information.

We want you to feel confident using the Services. However, no system can be completely secure. Therefore, although we take steps to secure your information, we do not promise, and you should not expect, that your personal information, searches, or other communications will always remain secure.

Children’s privacy.  Although the Services are meant for a general audience, we restrict their use to individuals age 13 and above. We do not knowingly seek or collect personal information from minor children.

4. GENERAL PRIVACY POLICY TERMS

Visiting the Site or App from outside the United States.  This Privacy Policy is intended to cover collection of information from residents of the United States. If you are accessing the Services from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located and our central database is operated. The data protection and other laws of the United States and other countries might not be as comprehensive as those in your country. Please be assured that we seek to take reasonable steps to ensure that your privacy is protected.

No rights of third parties.  This Privacy Policy does not create rights enforceable by third parties or require disclosure of any personal information relating to users of the Site or App.

In the event of a merger, sale, or bankruptcy.  In the event that we or any portion of the organization represented by the Site or App are merged with or acquired by a third party entity, we reserve the right, in any of these or similar circumstances, to transfer or assign any or all of the information we have collected as part of such merger, acquisition, sale, or other change of ownership or control. In the event of our bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, or assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the application of laws or equitable principles affecting creditors’ rights generally, we may not be able to control how your personal information is treated, transferred, or used. 

Changes to this Privacy Policy.  We will occasionally update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices and in the Site or App itself. When we post changes to the Privacy Policy, we will revise the “last updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy. If we make any material changes in the way we collect, use, and/or share your personal information, we will prominently post notice of the changes through the Site and App. We recommend that you check the Site and App from time to time to inform yourself of any changes in this Privacy Policy or any of our other policies.

5.  Rights for Residents of California

The right to request disclosure. Under California law, you have the right to request information on the personal data that we have collected about you up to twice in a twelve month period. If you would like to make such a request, you may do so by emailing info@fractracker.org. This information will be provided to you for free within 45 days.

The right to request deletion. Under California law, you have the right to request deletion of your personal data that we have collected about you. If you would like to make such a request, you may do so by emailing info@fractracker.org. The right to deletion does not extend to information that is necessary to complete a transaction or information that has been de-identified or anonymized and is no longer linked or in any way identifiable to you.

6.  Rights for Citizens of the European Union

The right to access – You have the right to request FracTracker for copies of your personal data. We may charge you a small fee for this service.

The right to rectification – You have the right to request that FracTracker correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request FracTracker to complete the information you believe is incomplete.

The right to erasure – You have the right to request that FracTracker erase your personal data, under certain conditions.

The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that FracTracker restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.

The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to FracTracker’s processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.

The right to data portability – You have the right to request that FracTracker transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.

If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at our email:

Call us at: +1 (717) 303-0403

Or write to us: info@fractracker.org