Privacy Policy

Welcome to the Ben Franklin Technology Partners statewide network website, operated by Ben Franklin Technology Partners (“Ben Franklin”) and located at https://www.benfranklin.org/ (the “Site”). This Privacy Policy addresses Ben Franklin’s practices regarding information collected from visitors of the Site and only addresses information collected directly through or from the Site – it does not address or govern any information-gathering, use, or dissemination practices related to information collected from a visitor (sometimes referred to as “you” or “your”) other than directly through or from the Site, such as from telephone, facsimile, postal mail, personal delivery, or other or additional offline means or media.

This Privacy Policy is incorporated into Ben Franklin’s Terms and Conditions for the Site by reference, as if set forth fully therein, which must be reviewed and accepted by you. The Site is not intended for children under the age of 18. It does not knowingly collect personal information online from visitors in this age group.

If you have any questions concerning this Privacy Policy, please email Ben Franklin at info@benfranklin.org.

1. Collection of Personal Information from Site Visitors. Except as specifically set forth herein, Ben Franklin may collect: (a) the email addresses of users that communicate with Ben Franklin via email; and (b) information knowingly provided by the user through the Site. Ben Franklin may also use Internet cookies and other identifiers or methods of web analysis (such as Google Analytics) to gather, store, and track certain information related to your visit to and activity on the Site. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of your information being used in this way, most computer systems and web browsers offer privacy settings and options, such as disabling cookies or opting for “Do Not Track” features. Ben Franklin does not override these settings or options, and encourages you to use them to enhance your choices and personalize your experiences. However, in order to access certain content, features, services, products or benefits on the Site, you may be required to provide Ben Franklin with certain information, including some types of personally identifying information such as your email, your address, and your phone number. If you do not wish to provide such information through the Site or if you opt to utilize the aforementioned privacy features of your computer system or web browser, you may be unable to obtain certain content, features, services, products or benefits of the Site.

2. Use of Personal Information Collected. Personal information collected by Ben Franklin may be used by Ben Franklin for limited purposes, including recordkeeping, editorial and feedback purposes, content improvement, or to customize the content and layout of the Site. Personally identifying information, such as names, postal and email addresses, phone numbers, and other personal information voluntarily provided to Ben Franklin may be added to Ben Franklin’s databases and used for future contact regarding updates to the Site or new services provided by Ben Franklin. From time to time, Ben Franklin may need to contact you regarding information you submitted to Ben Franklin. You agree that Ben Franklin may use your personal information for such contact with you. Ben Franklin may also desire to contact you for market research purposes or to provide you with marketing information that Ben Franklin believes would be of particular interest. You will have the option of not being contacted by Ben Franklin and opting-out of such communications by emailing Ben Franklin at info@benfranklin.org.

3. Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties. Except as specifically set forth herein, any personally identifying information that you provide to Ben Franklin through the Site will not be disclosed to other third party entities not affiliated with Ben Franklin. Your personal information and data, whether personally identifying or not, may be disclosed or distributed to another party with which Ben Franklin enters or reasonably may enter into a corporate transaction, such as, for example, a merger, consolidation, acquisition, or asset purchase, or to a third party pursuant to a subpoena, court order, or other form of legal process, in response to a request by or on behalf of any local, state, federal, or other government agency, department, or body, whether or not pursuant to a subpoena, court order, or other form of legal process, or if determined by Ben Franklin in its sole judgment that such disclosure or distribution is appropriate to protect the life, health, or property of Ben Franklin or any other person or entity. Your personal information and data, whether personally identifying or not, may also be provided to third parties that contract with Ben Franklin to provide products, information or other services that Ben Franklin believes that visitors to the Site may be interested in obtaining. While Ben Franklin may undertake efforts to see that any third party to which Ben Franklin discloses personal information is under an obligation to use the personal information solely for the purposes for which the information was disclosed, such third parties are independent third parties over which Ben Franklin exercises no control. Ben Franklin is not responsible for, and will not be liable for, the conduct, actions, omissions, or information handling or dissemination practices of third parties.

4. Links to Other Sites. The Site may also contain links to third party websites, for the convenience of users in locating information, products, or services that may be of interest. If you access a third party website from a link on this Site, any information you disclose on that website is not subject to this Privacy Policy. It is possible that these links may be used by third parties or others to collect personal or other information about you. Ben Franklin is not responsible for the privacy practices of such websites, advertisers, or third parties or the content of such websites and it is your sole obligation to review and understand the privacy practices and policies of these other websites. Ben Franklin does not control these third parties’ use of cookies, collection of information, or how they manage such information. It is solely your obligation to review and understand the privacy practices and policies of these other websites, advertisers and any third parties.

5. Security Measures and Communicating with Ben Franklin. The confidentiality of any communication or material transmitted to or from Ben Franklin via the Site or via email cannot be, and is not, guaranteed. You acknowledge that the technical processing and transmission of the Site’s content may be transferred unencrypted and involve: (a) transmissions over various networks; and (b) changes to conform and adapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices. Accordingly, Ben Franklin is not responsible for the security of information transmitted via the Internet.

6. Access to and Ability to Correct Personal Information; Opt-Out Right. Upon your request, Ben Franklin will provide you with a summary of any personal information retained by Ben Franklin that has been voluntarily provided by you to Ben Franklin through email, contact forms, or other online avenues. You may modify, correct, change or update your personal information by emailing Ben Franklin at info@benfranklin.org. Except as necessary to obtain the services or information requested, you may opt out of having your personal information, which has been voluntarily provided by you to Ben Franklin through email, contact forms, or other online avenues, prospectively retained by Ben Franklin or used by Ben Franklin for secondary purposes, by contacting Ben Franklin. This provision does not apply to collection of the type of web browser used to visit the Site or to information provided or collected that does not meet the description hereunder.

7. California Residents. California Civil Code Section 1798.83 (also known as the “Shine The Light” law) permits users who are California residents to request and obtain from us once a year, free of charge, information about the personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year. If applicable, this information would include a list of the categories of personal information that was shared and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request by email to info@benfranklin.org.

8. Right to Change Privacy Policy. Ben Franklin reserves the right at any time to modify, alter or update this Privacy Policy. Your use of the Site following any changes means that you agree to follow and be bound by the Privacy Policy as changed. Any change to this Privacy Policy shall be effective as to any visitor who has visited the Site before the change was made. It is the obligation of users visiting the Site before the change to learn of changes to the Privacy Policy since their last visit.