Privacy Policy

Homeland Security Today Privacy Statement

Homeland Security Today collects personal information from any adult who is 18 years of age or older. Those younger than 18 are requested not to provide any personal information.

 

Your privacy and trust are important to HSToday.  We strive to build and maintain a trusted network of professionals in the homeland security field to share information and make the nation safer and more resilient.  Please read this Statement carefully and if you have any questions about our privacy practices you may reach out to us at: [email protected].  We will provide notice of any changes to this statement in your subscription.

Personal information

HSToday is committed to highest levels of protection and responsible handling of your personal information.

Personal information means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person; an identifiable person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity of that person.

We collect, use, disclose, transfer, and store personal information when needed to provide our Services and for our operational and business purposes as described in this Statement. We want to be clear about our privacy practices so that you can make informed choices about the use of your information, and we encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns.

The types of personal information we collect

We collect personal information from you, for example, if you register for an event, request information, purchase or use our Services, or request customer support. We may ask you to provide information such as your name, address, phone number, email address, user name and password, and information about your device. In addition, our servers, logs, and other technologies automatically collect certain information to help us administer, protect, and improve our Services; analyze usage; and improve users’ experience. We share personal information with others only as described in this Statement, or when we believe that the law permits or requires it.

We do not collect sensitive personal information from our readers.

If, for example, you purchase something from us, your transaction will be transferred to a third party and HSToday will not hold any of this data.  Any data collected that may be considered sensitive information will be handled in accordance with all applicable law.

How we use personal information

We process personal information for these Service- and business-related purposes

  • Account setup and administration: We use personal information such as your name, email address, phone number, and information about your device to set up and administer your account, provide technical and customer support and training, verify your identity, and send important account, subscription, and Service information.
  • Personalization: We use personal information to deliver and suggest tailored content such as news, research, reports, and business information and to personalize your experience with our Services. Some of our Services will ask you to share your precise geolocation so we can customize your experience and increase the accuracy of the Service. If you agree to share your precise geolocation with us, you will be able to turn it off at any time by going to the privacy settings on your mobile device or online.
  • Marketing and events: We use personal information to deliver marketing and event communications to you across various platforms, such as email, telephone, text messaging, direct mail, and online. If we send you a marketing email, it will include instructions on how to opt out of receiving these emails in the future. We also maintain email preference centers for you to manage your information and marketing preferences. Please remember that even if you opt out of receiving marketing emails, we may still send you important Service information related to your accounts and subscriptions.
  • Surveys and polls: If you choose to participate in a survey or poll, any personal information you provide may be used for marketing or market research purposes.
  • Research and development: We use personal information for internal research and development purposes and to improve and test the features and functions of our Services.
  • Chat rooms, messaging, and community and event forums: A number of our Services provide features including chat rooms, messaging services, and community and event forums for collaboration, peer connection, games, and information exchange purposes. Depending upon the Service, the personal information you choose to post, share, upload, or make available is public and visible to others who use those Services. You should never post or share any information that is confidential or about others unless you have permission to do so. We may use information you provide in community and event profiles and forums to personalize your experience and to make content and peer connection recommendations. These Services may have their own Terms of Use and, where appropriate, their own privacy statements. We moderate these Services for compliance with our Terms of Use.
  • Legal obligations: We may be required to use and retain personal information for legal and compliance reasons, such as the prevention, detection, or investigation of a crime; loss prevention; or fraud. We may also use personal information to meet our internal and external audit requirements, information security purposes, and as we otherwise believe to be necessary or appropriate: (a) under applicable law, which may include laws outside your country of residence; (b) to respond to requests from courts, law enforcement agencies, regulatory agencies, and other public and government authorities, which may include such authorities outside your country of residence; (c) to enforce our terms and conditions; and (d) to protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, or those of other persons.

When we share personal information

HSToday shares or discloses personal information when necessary to provide Services or conduct our business operations as described below. When we share personal information, we do so in accordance with data privacy and security requirements.

  • Our third-party service providers: We partner with and are supported by service providers around the world. Personal information will be made available to these parties only when necessary to fulfill the services they provide to us, such as software, system, and platform support; direct marketing services; cloud hosting services; advertising; data analytics; and order fulfillment and delivery. Our third-party service providers are not permitted to share or use personal information we make available to them for any other purpose than to provide services to us.
  • Third parties for legal reasons: We will share personal information when we believe it is required, such as:
    • To comply with legal obligations and respond to requests from government agencies, including law enforcement and other public authorities, which may include such authorities outside your country of residence.
    • In the event of a merger, sale, restructure, acquisition, joint venture, assignment, transfer, or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, assets, or stock (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings)
    • To protect our rights, users, systems, and Services.
  • Recruitment partners: If you register as a user of our e-recruitment Services in order to apply for employment, your personal information, including any sensitive personal information you provide, will be made available to the organization to which you have applied. In order to consider an application fully, your personal information may be forwarded to an organization’s global offices.

Where we store and process personal information

HSToday takes steps to ensure that the information we collect is processed according to this Privacy Statement and the requirements of applicable law.  Your data is stored in the United States.  We collaborate with third parties such as cloud hosting services, suppliers, and technology support located around the world to serve the needs of our business, workforce, and customers. We take appropriate steps to ensure that personal information is processed, secured, and transferred according to applicable law.

How we secure personal information

HSToday takes data security seriously, and we use appropriate technologies and procedures to protect personal information. Our information security policies and procedures are closely aligned with widely accepted international standards and are reviewed regularly and updated as necessary to meet our business needs, changes in technology, and regulatory requirements.

For example:

  • Policies and procedures
    • We have measures in place to protect against accidental loss and unauthorized access, use, destruction, or disclosure of data
    • We have a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery strategy that is designed to safeguard the continuity of our service to our clients and to protect our people and assets
    • We place appropriate restrictions on access to personal information
    • We implement appropriate measures and controls, including monitoring and physical measures, to store and transfer data securely
  • Training for employees and contractors
    • We require new employees to familiarize themselves with our privacy statement and provide information on handling sensitive data and personal information.
    • We take steps to ensure that our employees and contractors operate in accordance with our information security policies and procedures and any applicable contractual conditions
  • Vendor risk management
    • We require, through the use of contracts and security reviews, our third-party vendors and providers to protect any personal information with which they are entrusted in accordance with our security policies and procedures

How long we keep personal information

We retain personal information for as long as we reasonably require it for legal or business purposes. In determining data retention periods, HSToday takes into consideration local laws, contractual obligations, and the expectations and requirements of our customers. When we no longer need personal information, we securely delete or destroy it.

Your right to access and correct your personal information

We respect your right to access and control your information, and we will respond to requests for information and, where applicable, will correct, amend, or delete your personal information.

  • Access to personal information: If you request access to your personal information, we will gladly comply, subject to any relevant legal requirements and exemptions, including identity verification procedures. Before providing data to you, we will ask for proof of identity and sufficient information about your interaction with us so that we can locate any relevant data. We may also charge you a fee for providing you with a copy of your data (except where this is not permissible under local law).
  • Correction and deletion: You have the right to correct or amend your personal information if it is inaccurate or requires updating. You also have the right to request deletion of your personal information; all of this can be done in your personal profile on Constant Contact – our marketing program. Remember that you can update your account information by using the “Update my profile” option within our newsletters or unsubscribe at any time by selecting unsubscribe.  Selecting unsubscribe will remove you from ALL GTSC lists – newsletters, membership, announcements, all contact with GTSC will be unsubscribed.
  • Marketing preferences: To opt out of email marketing, you can use the unsubscribe link found in the email communication you receive from us or visit the Update my profile option at the bottom of each email.
  • Affiliate Marketing:  HSToday has established affiliate marketing agreements with third parties offering products or services of interest to our readership.  HSToday receives a commission from sales to these affiliates.  HSToday maintains none of the PII, credit card or other information conveyed when a reader connects to a third party and makes a purchase.  We do not share our lists or any of your information with these third parties.  You control your information.

Filing a complaint: If you are not satisfied with how HSToday manages your personal data, you have the right to make a complaint to a data protection regulator. A list of National Data Protection Authorities can be found here: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/bodies/authorities/index_en.htm.