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Privacy Policy

Thank you for visiting our website (“Site”). [LEGAL ENTITY] (“FDRT,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to treating the personal and corporate information of our Site users, readers, and sources with respect and sensitivity.
We’ve updated our Privacy Policy and improved our privacy practices so we can better safeguard your data. This Site uses cookies to operate the Site and understand how it is used. By continuing to use our Site, you accept the terms of this Privacy Policy, our Terms of Use, our Editorial Policy, and our Cookies policy. If you disable cookies, you may not be able to use all of the features of our Site.
This Privacy Policy (together with our Terms of Use, Editorial Policy, and any other policies referenced) identifies how we collect and process any personally identifiable information, such as your name, email address, and other information you voluntarily provide to us.
If you are a California resident, our privacy practices comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), and any CCPA-specific information is identified in this Policy. If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (“EEA”), this Privacy Policy also outlines additional policies applicable to our collection and processing of your personal information.
As our services evolve and we perceive the need or desirability of using your personal data collected in other ways, we may from time to time amend this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to check our Site frequently to review the current Privacy Policy in effect and any changes that may have been made to it.
By providing your Personal Information to us in any format (e.g., via email, telephone, or otherwise) and/or continuing to use our Site, you accept and consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. What Personal Information does the Company collect?
  3. How does the Company use Personal Information?
  4. Do we share your Personal Information with any third parties?
  5. Our storage of your Personal Information
  6. Access to other websites
  7. Protecting children’s privacy
  8. Additional Policies in Compliance with the CCPA
  9. Additional Policies in Compliance with EEA privacy laws
  10. Conditions of use and changes to our Privacy Policy
  11. Contacting us

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how FDRT collects, uses, and shares information about visitors to our website at forcedisclosure.com, individuals who contact us, submit accounts or information, or subscribe to our communications. The Website and our other services are the “Services.” This Policy describes how we obtain and use personal data (which can be used to identify a specific individual) and anonymous data (which cannot).
Region specific provisions. Certain provisions of this Policy, which are clearly labelled, apply only to users who are citizens or residents of particular regions (for example, the European Union or California). Otherwise, this Policy applies to all users of our Services, regardless of location.
Children. The Services of FDRT are not directed to children. If you become aware that a child (based on the jurisdiction where the child lives, which in the United States means someone under the age of 13) has provided us with Personal Data without parental consent, please contact us using the information provided in the Contact Us section.

2. What Personal Information Does the Company Collect?

We collect personal information that you enter on our Site or otherwise voluntarily provide to us when you contact us, submit information, subscribe to communications, or otherwise interact with our Services. You may choose not to provide certain information, although doing so may limit your ability to use certain features of the Site.
For purposes of this Policy, “Personal Information” means information (whether stored electronically or in paper-based filing systems) relating to a living individual who can be identified from that data. Personal Information comprises the categories of Personal Information defined by the CCPA.

Information You Give Us

When you contact us through our Site, or by corresponding with us by phone, email, or otherwise, we may collect Personal Information including:
  • Identifiers: name, email address, and any contact details you choose to provide when contacting us or subscribing to our communications.
  • Communications: the content of messages and correspondence you send us, including accounts submitted under our published disclosure protocols, which are additionally governed by the Confidential Source Submissions provisions in Section 5.
  • Subscription Data: email address and preferences for our mailing list.
We do not collect or receive Biometric Information or Sensory Data.

Information We Collect Automatically

Internet Activity: When you visit our Site, our web server automatically collects and stores information including:
  • the Internet Protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet;
  • referring website address;
  • browser type and version;
  • time zone setting;
  • browser plug-in types and versions;
  • operating system and platform;
  • information about your visit, including the full URL, clickstream to, through, and from our Site (including date and time), pages viewed, page response times, download errors, duration of page visits, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), and methods used to browse away from the page.
Our Site uses cookies and pixel tags to collect this information.

Information We Receive from Other Sources

We may receive limited information about you from service providers we use to operate the Site, such as analytics providers and our email delivery provider. We use that information only for the purposes described in this Policy.

Cookies

Our Site uses cookies to operate the Site and understand how it is used. We recommend reviewing our Cookies Policy for additional information.

3. How Does the Company Use Personal Information?

Information You Give Us

We use this information:
  • to provide you with the Services you request;
  • to carry out our obligations arising from agreements entered into between you and us;
  • to contact you with information, updates, or communications you have requested or subscribed to;
  • to notify you about changes to our Services;
  • to comply with applicable laws and regulations;
  • to receive, verify, designate, and prepare submitted accounts for publication consistent with our Editorial Policy and disclosure protocols;
  • to perform data analyses, including anonymization and aggregation of Personal Information.

Information We Collect About You

We will use this information:
  • to understand readership and improve the archive;
  • to administer our Site and perform internal operations, including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research, statistical, and survey purposes;
  • to improve our Site so that content is presented in the most effective manner for users and their devices;
  • as part of our efforts to keep our Site safe and secure.

Information We Receive from Other Sources

We combine this information with information you provide to us and information we collect automatically. We use this combined information for the purposes described above, depending on the type of information received.

4. Do We Share Your Personal Information with Any Third Parties?

FDRT does not sell your Personal Information to any third parties. To provide the Services, we sometimes disclose Personal Information to service providers for legitimate business purposes. Our service providers are contractually obligated to comply with applicable privacy laws, and they may use your Personal Information only on behalf of FDRT and only for the purposes for which it was provided.
By using our Services and voluntarily providing your Personal Information, you acknowledge that we may share the categories of Personal Information we collect with service providers for the following business purposes:
  • Email delivery — for distribution of updates and communications you subscribe to.
  • Cloud services — for the provision of cloud hosting, storage, backup, and related infrastructure services.
  • Web analytics — analytics and search engine service providers that help us understand Site usage and improve the performance and functionality of the Site.
We may also disclose your Personal Information to third parties in the following circumstances:
  • In the event that we sell or buy any business or assets, in which case we may disclose your Personal Information to the prospective seller or buyer of such business or assets.
  • If we sell all or substantially all of our assets to a third party, Personal Information relating to our users may be one of the transferred assets.
  • If we are under a duty to disclose or share your Personal Information in order to comply with any legal obligation, any lawful request by public authorities, or in order to enforce or apply our Terms of Use or other agreements, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of FDRT, our users, or others.
Any disclosure involving source-identifying information is additionally governed by the Confidential Source Submissions provisions in Section 5 and our Editorial Policy.

5. Our Storage of Your Personal Information

FDRT uses reasonable and appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your Personal Information against loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction, taking into account the nature of the Personal Information we collect and the risks associated with its processing.
We retain Personal Information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. The retention period varies depending on your interactions with us. We may also retain records of correspondence, including complaints or support requests, for as long as necessary to protect our legal rights or comply with applicable legal obligations.
You may unsubscribe from our email communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link contained in any email we send. We will take commercially reasonable steps to process your request promptly. However, you may continue to receive communications that are necessary for administrative, legal, security, or operational purposes.
When you unsubscribe from marketing communications, we retain a record of your email address solely to ensure that you do not continue to receive unwanted marketing emails.

Confidential Source Submissions

Individuals may contact FDRT to share firsthand accounts under our published disclosure protocols
Where anonymity is requested, identifying information is separated from subject matter; is not published, referenced, or implied in any archive entry; is retained only as long as necessary to the verification process; and is deleted upon request where retention is not otherwise required by law.
FDRT does not sell, rent, or share source-identifying information with any third party.
No organization can guarantee immunity from valid legal process. FDRT’s practice is to retain as little identifying information as the work reasonably allows.
See our Editorial Policy for information about how submitted accounts are verified and designated for publication.

6. Access to Other Websites

Our Site may include links to third-party websites, services, or resources for your convenience or reference. If you follow a link to another website, please note that those websites operate under their own privacy policies and terms, which may differ from ours.
FDRT is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or content of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies and terms of any website you visit before providing Personal Information.
This Privacy Policy applies only to the collection, use, and handling of Personal Information by FDRT through this Site.
Some pages contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associates links; third parties, including Amazon, may use cookies to attribute qualifying purchases.

7. Protecting Children's Privacy

We are strongly committed to protecting the safety and privacy of children who visit our Site.
Our Site is not designed for, nor intended to be used by, children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect Personal Information online from children under 13 years of age.
The Site may contain subject matter intended for a mature audience, and we encourage parents and guardians to supervise children’s use of the Internet and discuss online safety with them.

8. Additional Policies in Compliance with the CCPA

The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) provides California consumers with the rights described in this section regarding their Personal Information.
8.1 Right to Know About Personal Information Collected, Used, Disclosed, or Sold
California consumers have the right to request that FDRT disclose the Personal Information it has collected, used, disclosed, and sold during the twelve (12) months preceding receipt of a verifiable request. To exercise this right, please submit a request using the procedures described in the Contacting Us section below.
8.2 Right to Request Deletion of Personal Information
California consumers have the right to request deletion of Personal Information collected or maintained by FDRT, subject to applicable legal exceptions. To exercise this right, please submit a verifiable request using the procedures described in the Contacting Us section.
8.3 Right to Non-Discrimination for the Exercise of Consumer Privacy Rights
California consumers have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising any rights provided under the CCPA. FDRT will not deny services, charge different prices, or provide a different level or quality of service solely because you exercise your privacy rights under applicable law.
8.4 Notice of Financial Incentive
FDRT does not currently offer financial incentives in exchange for personal information.
8.5 Submitting a CCPA Data Request
To submit a request to know about the Personal Information we collect or to request deletion of your Personal Information as described in Sections 8.1 and 8.2, please contact us using the information provided below.
FDRT is required to verify the identity of the individual submitting a request before responding. Verification may include:
  • if FDRT has previously received your email address, we may send a verification code to that email address; or
  • if FDRT has previously received your mobile telephone number, we may send a verification code by text message.
8.6 Authorized Agent
California consumers may designate an authorized agent to exercise CCPA rights on their behalf. If you choose to use an authorized agent, appropriate documentation demonstrating the agent’s authority must be provided, including one of the following:
  • Written authorization signed by the consumer together with separate verification of the consumer's identity; or
  • Evidence that the authorized agent holds a valid power of attorney under applicable California law.

9. Additional Policies in Compliance with the EEA Privacy Laws

In addition to the other policies described in this Privacy Policy, residents of the European Union (“EU”) or European Economic Area (“EEA”) are afforded the following additional rights and protections as required under the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”).
9.1 GDPR Definitions
Controller means FDRT, the organization determining the purposes and means of processing Personal Information.
Processor means any person or organization processing Personal Information on behalf of the Controller.
Person means a natural person, corporation, association, organization, partnership, or other legal entity.
Processing means any operation performed on Personal Information, including collecting, recording, organizing, storing, retrieving, using, disclosing, transferring, erasing, or destroying such information.
9.2 The Legal Basis for Processing Your Personal Information
The legal basis for processing your Personal Information generally includes one or more of the following:
  • our legitimate business interests;
  • performance of a contract with you;
  • your consent where required;
  • compliance with legal obligations.
9.3 Where We Store Your Personal Information
The information we collect is stored on our servers or on servers provided by cloud service providers, such as our hosting provider.
If you reside within the EEA, your Personal Information may be transferred to jurisdictions outside the EEA where privacy protections may differ. By providing your Personal Information, you consent to this transfer, storage, and processing. We take reasonable measures to ensure that your information remains protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
9.4 Addendum to How Long We Store Your Personal Information
Where applicable law requires minimum retention periods, FDRT will comply with those requirements. Otherwise, Personal Information will not be retained longer than reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
9.5 Your Rights with Respect to Personal Information
Subject to applicable law, you may have the right:
  • to receive a copy of the Personal Information we hold about you;
  • to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete Personal Information;
  • to request deletion of your Personal Information where legally permitted;
  • to object to or restrict certain processing activities, including marketing communications.
To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information provided below.

10. Conditions of Use and Changes to Our Privacy Policy

If you choose to visit our Site, your visit and any dispute concerning privacy are governed by this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use, including limitations of liability, dispute resolution procedures, and application of the law of the State of [STATE].
If you have questions or concerns regarding our privacy practices, please contact us with a detailed description of your concern, and we will make reasonable efforts to address it.
As our Services evolve, this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use may be updated from time to time. Unless otherwise stated, the current version of this Privacy Policy applies to all Personal Information we maintain.

11. Contacting Us

This Site is owned and operated by:

[LEGAL ENTITY]

Attn: Legal

[LEGAL EMAIL]

[MAILING ADDRESS]

For CCPA-specific requests, please submit your request using the procedures described in Section 8.
Updated [DATE]