Last updated: 5/11/21.
At kindness.org, Inc. (“Kindness”), we understand that privacy is important. We are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of visitors to our website. The following information is designed to help you better understand the information we gather from our website and through our services, how we protect the information once we gather it, and whether and how we disclose it. We may, from time to time, make changes to this policy. By visiting this website, you are accepting the practices described in the current version of this Privacy Policy (as indicated by the date above). If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, your only option is to not use our website. Please note that this Privacy Policy applies only to this website (acts.kindness.org), to our sister website Kindlab (https://lab.kindness.org), and to any other of our sites that link to this policy. It does not apply to other companies’ or organizations’ websites, including any websites to which we link. You should consult the privacy policies of any other websites that you visit before sharing your personal information with them.
Information Collection, Use, and Disclosure
Our primary goals in collecting personal information are to allow you to participate in the Kindness community, to let other visitors to the Kindness website (kindness.org) read your contributions, and to share the contributions of all contributors in other media beyond this website.
The following sections explain how and why we collect, use, and disclose your personal information, which we define as information that identifies, describes, or is reasonably capable of being associated with you. The first two sections describe information collected in an anonymous form (i.e. that does not identify you).
Aggregate Data
In general, we automatically gather certain usage information, such as the number and frequency of visitors to this website, and what features of the website are most popular to our visitors. This information may include which URL you just came from, which URL you next go to, what browser you are using, and what features you click on and read (in whole or in part). This collective data helps us to determine how much our visitors use parts of the website, and to do internal research on our users’ demographics, interests, and behavior, so as to better understand and serve you. In addition, we may aggregate data and disclose such information in a non-personally identifiable manner for research purposes only, and never for commercial gain.
Cookies (mmm…Cookies)
A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. We use cookies to collect anonymous data about you, such as your browser type, screen size and resolution, time spent on each page, general geographic location, and password preferences. We collect this information so that our websites can remember your preferences, and automatically adjust to enhance your experience. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our Website. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to our Website. You can find out more about Cookies in general and how they work at Cookiepedia.
Personal Information
Account Sign-Up
When you sign up for an account or register to contribute to the Kindness website (kindness.org) we collect personal identifiers, such as your name, email address, bio, country from which you signed up/are posting, and profile photo. When you sign up we require you to provide either a verifiable email address, or to log in using an existing social media account (Facebook, Twitter, or Google).
If you sign up using an email address we will only receive your email address, and will use the unique portion as your username (which you may change in your account settings). You have the option to upload a profile photo and write a bio that will be displayed publicly on acts.kindness.org whenever you post an act of kindness, or interact with another user by commenting on their act of kindness.
If you sign up using a social media account we will receive your full name, public social media profile, and any email addresses you have linked to them. Your full name and social media photo will be posted publicly whenever you post an act of kindness, or interact with another user by commenting on their act of kindness.
Commenting and Posting Acts of Kindness
When you choose to post an act of kindness on our Website we share your username, act of kindness, and profile picture publicly. If you choose to upload a photo with your act of kindness this photo will also be displayed publicly. This information can be shared by other Website users on social media or other sites. Please keep this in mind and do not share any personal information you may not want others to know.
Kindlab
When you register for Kindlab (https://lab.kindness.org), you will need to provide your email address, gender, age (within a range), and location (by continent). We may use this data for our research, and may publish the findings publicly (if we publish the findings we will do so in a manner that does not identify you, or that would allow anyone to identify you).
If you provide a location in connection with any Initiative or research in which you participate, we may use this in any account of that Initiative and in any map or other summary showing the location of Initiatives. Again, our processing of your location data will be done in such a way as to prevent identification of you as an individual. By providing us contact information such as your email or phone number, you agree that we may use personal information to contact you and send you information, such as e-mail updates and marketing material. If you would like to unsubscribe from these e-mail updates and marketing materials, you should use the link included in the email.
Disclosure of your Information
We may disclose aggregated, anonymized, and/or non-identifying information about our users without restriction.
We may disclose the categories of personal information specified above:
- To our service providers that we use to support our business, 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 and in accordance with applicable law.
- To our research partners, with your prior consent.
- To a successor in the event of a restructuring, reorganization, dissolution or other sale or transfer of some or all of Kindness’ assets, whether as a going concern or as part of liquidation or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by Kindness about our Website users is among the assets transferred.
- For any other purpose disclosed by us at the time you provide the information.
We may also disclose your personal information:
- To comply with any court order, law or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request.
- To enforce or apply our Terms and Conditions of Use and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes (in accordance with data protection law when applicable).
- If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of Kindness, Inc., our customers, or others. This may include exchanging information with other companies and organizations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction.
Accessing and Correcting your Information
You can review and change your personal information by logging into the Website and visiting your account profile page. You may also send us an e-mail at hello@kindness.org to request access to, correct or delete any personal information that you have provided to us. We may not be able to delete all of your personal information except by also deleting your user account. We may not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement, or cause the information to be incorrect. If you delete your user contributions from the Website, copies of your contributions may remain viewable in cached and archived pages, or might have been copied, shared externally, or stored by other website users. Proper access and use of information provided on the website, including user contributions, is governed by our Terms and Conditions of Use.
Social Network Sites
Kindness operates and maintains social networking pages and venues on websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Youtube, Instagram and Tumblr. Kindness will, from time to time, import user comments and posts from these websites to this website in order to display them publicly. If you post to any of Kindness’s social networking pages on other websites, you understand that you are providing information to the public, and do so at your own risk. Further, by posting to any of Kindness’ social networking pages on other websites you agree that we may use these postings on our Website and other websites without further notice or compensation to you. Please visit the privacy policies of any third party websites before posting to Kindness’s pages there.
Children Under the Age of 13
Our website is not intended for children under 13 years of age, or 16 years of age if located in the European Economic Area “EEA”. No one under the age of 13 or 16, as applicable, may provide any personal information to us through either Kindness.org or Kindlab. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 or 16, as applicable. If you are under 13 or 16, as applicable, do not use or provide any information through either of our websites, or on or through any of their features/functionality, use any of the interactive or public comment features that may be available on our websites, or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address or any screen name or user name you may use. If we learn that we have received personal information from a child under 13 or 16, as applicable, without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child, please contact us at hello@kindness.org and we will remove that information.
Data Security
We have implemented measures intended 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 provide individualized links to access certain parts of our website (e.g. your user profile), or where you have chosen a password to restrict access, you are responsible for keeping this link and password confidential. We urge you to be careful about giving out information in public areas of the website like message boards and comments. Any other Website visitor, whether logged in or not, may view the information you share in public areas. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. 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 Website.
Do Not Track
“Do Not Track” is a preference you can set in your browser to let websites you visit know that you do not want them collecting certain information about you. We do not currently respond to, or honor, Do Not Track signals or requests from your browser.
Notice to Users from the EEA
Where we are offering or providing services to you and you are located in a member state of the European Union (“EU”) or European Economic Area (“EEA”), we will observe the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and other applicable data protection laws when we collect and handle your personal information. In these circumstances, the following additional provisions apply.
The lawful basis on which we collect personal information
The lawful bases under which we collect and use this personal information are where:
- You have freely provided your specific, informed, and unambiguous consent.
- We have agreed to provide services to you, in order to take any pre-contract steps at your request and/or perform our contractual obligations to you.
- Where we need to use your personal information for our legitimate interests in being able to manage our operations. We will always pursue these interests in a way that respects your legal rights or freedoms and, in particular, your privacy rights.
- Where we need to use your personal information to comply with a legal obligation or for the purpose of us being able to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
Transferring your personal information outside the EEA
The personal information that you share with us will be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”) where laws may not currently be considered as meeting the same legal standards of protection for personal information as set out under GDPR. Your personal information may be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or our data processors. We will take steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your personal information is treated securely and in accordance with the requirements under GDPR.
Retaining your personal information
Kindness retains your personal information for as long as you have a relationship with us; as necessary to perform our obligations to you (or to enforce or defend legal claims); or as is required by applicable law. The criteria we use for determining personal information retention periods is based on various legislative requirements; the purposes for which we hold personal information and whether retaining the personal information is needed in connection with that purpose; and further specific guidance issued by relevant regulatory authorities on personal information retention / erasure, including but not limited to, EU regulatory authorities.
Your personal information rights
If your personal information is subject to the GDPR, you have various privacy rights, which are as follows:
- Access: the right to be provided with a copy of your personal information that we maintain (the right of access).
- Rectification: the right to request that we correct any mistakes in your personal information.
- Delete: the right to request that we delete your personal information in certain situations.
- Restriction of processing: the right to request that we restrict processing of your personal information – in certain circumstances, e.g. if you contest the accuracy of the information.
- Objection: the right to object at any time to your personal information being processed for direct marketing; and in certain other situations to our continued processing of your personal information.
If you are not located in the EEA, you may still make one or more of the above requests. However, it will be at Kindness’ discretion whether to comply.
If you make a request and are not satisfied with our response, or believe that we are illegally processing your personal information, you have the right to complain to a data protection supervisory authority in your EU country of residence.
If you make a request that is manifestly unfounded, excessive, or repetitive we may charge you a reasonable administrative fee before complying.
If you would like to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact us at hello@kindness.org. We may need to ask for additional information to verify your identity before we can process your request.
Changes to our Privacy Policy
It is our policy to post any changes we make to our Privacy Policy on this page, 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 by e-mail to the primary e-mail address specified in your account and/or 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 ensuring we have an up-to-date active and deliverable e-mail address for you, and for periodically visiting our Website and this privacy policy to check for any changes.
Contact Information
To ask questions or comment about this Privacy Policy and our privacy practices, contact us at: hello@kindness.org