Privacy Policy

The American Sociological Association (ASA) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains our data practices regarding Personal Data and other information that we collect in connection with:

  1. The use of the following websites: www.asanet.org (our main site with content of interest to members and those interested in sociology); my.asanet.org (our member services pages, which include payment portals); trails.asanet.org (a resource site for teaching sociology); All Academic (annual meeting submission and scheduling service); listserv.asanet.org (a communication platform for members); and Foundant (a grant application and management service) (collectively, “the Websites”)
  2. Events you may attend (e.g. the annual meeting)
  3. Email, text and other electronic messages between you and us.
  4. When and where available, through mobile and desktop applications, which provide dedicated non-browser-based interaction between you and us.
  5. Your use of websites run by partner companies that provide services to ASA.

What Information is Collected and How it is Collected

ASA collects and uses information that, alone or in combination with other information, could be used to identify you (“Personal Data”) in order to deliver our products and services, process applications to join programs, inform you of various opportunities, and provide support, as described below (please also see the “How Information is Used” section below).

Information You Provide to ASA. ASA primarily collects Personal Data provided to us by individuals when they interact with our products, services, and customer service. For example, you may voluntarily provide us with Personal Data when you become a member, register for the annual meeting, participate in a survey, purchase items from the online store, donate, or create a nonmember account.

The types of Personal Data that we collect vary based on the services covered on the websites, but generally include your name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, or any other voluntarily provided information defined as personally identifiable information (or similar term) by applicable laws (collectively, “Personal Data”).

Information Received from Other Sources. We may receive information about you from publicly available and third-party databases or services that provide information about you,  or from third parties which have shared information (including an individual’s name, job title, business contact information, and information about the institution where the individual works), and combine this data with information we already have about you. This helps us to update, expand and analyze our records, identify others interested in sociology, and provide products and services that may be of interest to you. Your employer may also provide some data (usually limited to public information found on the institution website) as well for, but not limited to, ASA directory listings.

Automatically Collected Data. As you interact on our websites, we may collect information about your computer or device and visits to one or more of our websites (“Automatically Collected Data”) through cookies, web beacons and other technologies, Internet Protocol (IP) address tracking/URL tracking, and other tools (collectively, “Tracking Technologies”). The types of Automatically Collected Data collected on our websites through the use of these and other tools that we may add from time to time may include: the search terms you used, new or returning user information, browser information, computer or device type, operating system, internet service provider, website usage, referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, number of clicks, and ads viewed.  Automatically Collected Data is statistical data and may include Personal Data, but we may maintain it or associate it with Personal Data we collect in other ways or receive from third parties.

How Information is Used

Provide our products and services and respond to requests. We use the Personal Data we collect from you (unless otherwise restricted by law) to provide you support or other services you have ordered from us; provide you with notices about your account, including expiration and renewal notices; carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts entered into between you and us, including for billing and collection; respond directly to your information requests (including registrations or other specific requests) or other inquiries; to fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it; and in any other way we may describe when you provide the information.

Website Access. We use the Personal Data through Automatically Collected Data means (unless otherwise restricted by law) to operate, maintain, and provide to you the features and functionality of the websites; analyze how the website is used, diagnosing service or technical problems, maintaining security, and personalizing content; allow you to participate in interactive features on our website; and notify you about changes to our website, our policies, terms or any products or services we offer or provide though it.

Information and Marketing. We use the Personal Data we collect from you (unless otherwise restricted by law) to send information and marketing communications regarding products, services, and promotions to current and former members. You can unsubscribe from these lists using the link in the footer of any email message or change the subscription in your ASA profile at any time.

Correspondence. If you correspond with the ASA via email, the postal service, our web forms, or other form of communication, we may retain the correspondence and the information it contains. We may use the information for business purposes, including responding to your inquiry, notifying you of ASA-related opportunities, and other marketing purposes.

Aggregated Data. We may compile, anonymize and/or aggregate Personal Data and other information collected about members and/or websites visitors and use such anonymized and/or aggregated data for our business and research purposes, including disclosing such data to our partners, service providers, advertisers and/or other third parties for research, marketing or promotional purposes. This aggregate information does not identify you.

Demographic Information. In addition to basic contact information (e.g., name, address, email), certain demographic and educational information is collected.  Providing demographic information is voluntary.  Demographic information is used for two purposes. First, primarily for statistical purposes where you cannot be identified. Second, ASA may use your demographic information to provide ASA committees and editors a confidential resource to diversify candidates for volunteer positions within ASA. If you do not wish your information to be used for these purposes, you may choose not to submit it.

Mailing Lists. ASA maintains postal address mailing lists of its members that can be rented to send materials of genuine professional interest. This list does not include any personal data beyond postal address. Available mailing lists can identify members by interest, member journal subscribers, and subscribed sections. You may opt out of inclusion in the mailing list. ASA does not sell or rent email addresses.

Online Member Directory. Access to the Online Member Directory is limited to current ASA members and for personal use only. In using the directory, members agree that no results of any search will be redistributed, transferred to magnetic media or otherwise duplicated. Members also agree not to use any information contained in the directory to conduct any solicitation of sales of merchandise or services, or otherwise to promote themselves or their employer.

Members may opt out of being listed in the directory. Members who do not opt out of the directory, may opt out of listing contact information, including email, phone, mailing address, and social media handles/URLs.

ASA Experts Database. This database is a service to ASA members to facilitate their connection to journalists in an effort to promote and disseminate sociological scholarship to the public. Inclusion in this database is open only to current ASA members and access to the database is limited to ASA staff. In being listed in the database, you agree:

  • that ASA may share your name, affiliation, contact information, biographic and expertise information, or other personal data proactively and reactively to media outlets as determined by ASA;
  • to be available for and to respond to media inquiries in a timely manner and (when possible) before the reporter’s deadline;
  • you are a subject matter expert by virtue of your scholarship and you are free to express your own point of view
  • you do not speak on behalf of ASA

Section Member Rosters. ASA Section Leaders use rosters exclusively for section business.

Service Data. Our use of information collected on behalf of our partner websites is limited to the purpose of providing the service for which the partner has engaged the ASA and is governed by our contract with that partner and the partner’s own privacy policies. As part of this engagement, ASA may share Personal Data with partners to fulfill its services and contractual obligations.

Disclosure of Information

We share your Personal Data with third parties who provide certain services to us to assist us in meeting business operation needs. These parties are authorized to process your Personal Data, on our behalf and pursuant to our instructions, only as necessary to provide these services to us. We share your Personal Data with service providers. Non-exhaustively, those parties may include:

  1. business and professional service providers such as customer service providers, database software vendors, subscription fulfilment, insurers, banks, accountants, and lawyers;
  2. IT service providers including developers, website hosts, or cloud storage providers;
  3. providers helping us distribute information and marketing messages such as listserv or email marketing services.
  4. third parties who help us organize and administer our events including submission and app software;
  5. providers of research and analytics services, including third party tools we deploy (e.g. Google Analytics)
  6. other members via our membership directory (see “Online Member Directory” above);
  7. financial companies that process payments on our behalf;
  8. regulatory authorities, such as tax authorities;
  9. news media outlets (we will always discuss this with you in advance and will not share your personal data with such outlets without your agreement, unless you have volunteered to be entered in the ASA Experts Database and may occasionally receive direct contact from a reporter); and /or
  10. suppliers and sub-contractors for the performance of any contract we enter into with them.

In addition, your personal information may be disclosed to third parties:

  • in the event that we sell or buy any business or assets, in which case we will disclose your personal information to the (prospective) seller or buyer of such business or assets;
  • if substantially all of our assets are acquired by a third party, personal information held by us may be one of the transferred assets;
  • if we are under any legal or regulatory duty to do so; and/or
  • to protect the rights, property or safety of ASA, its personnel, users, visitors or others

We may also disclose Personal Data to third parties in the following circumstances: (1) if you request or authorize ; (2) the information is provided (a) to comply with the law (for example, to comply with a search warrant, subpoena or other legal process), (b) to enforce an agreement we have with you, (c) to protect our rights, property or safety, or the rights, property or safety of our employees or others, (d) to investigate fraud, or (e) to respond to a government request or to lawful requests by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements; (3) to address emergencies or acts of God; (4) to address disputes, claims, or to persons holding a legal or beneficial interest; (5) if we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing due diligence, reorganization, bankruptcy, receivership, sale of assets, or transition of service to another provider, in which case your Personal Data and other information may be transferred to a successor or affiliate as part of that transaction along with other assets.

Protecting Your Personal Data

We are committed to taking reasonable efforts to secure the information that you choose to provide us, and we use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect against unauthorized access to or alteration, disclosure, or destruction of Personal Data. We restrict access to Personal Data to our employees, contractors and service providers (described in the “Disclosure of Information” section above) who need to know the information in order to operate, develop, or improve our services. Unfortunately, no transmission of Personal Data over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Accordingly, and despite our efforts, ASA cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, or to or from our online products or services. ASA has no responsibility or liability for the security of information transmitted via the Internet. If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or the security of your Personal Data, please contact us as indicated under the “Contact Us” section below.

We collect, store and process the information from our websites in the US. If you are outside the US, then your Personal Data and other information will be transferred to the US. The data privacy and data protection laws outside your country may offer less protection than the laws in your country. By using our services, websites, or otherwise providing us with your Personal Data, you agree to the transfer of your Personal Data as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to such cross-border transfers of your Personal Data, please do not submit it through our websites.

Retention of Your Information

We retain Personal Data collected through the various means to process on your behalf to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, for archival purposes, and enforce our agreements with you.

Following termination of your membership, we may retain your Personal Data, but will maintain it with the same level of security and confidentially as a current member according to this Privacy Policy and as required by applicable law. We have the right to delete all of your Personal Data after termination of your account without notice to you.  If you request to receive no further contact from us, we will keep some basic information about you on our suppression list in order to comply with your request and avoid sending you unwanted communications in the future.

Tracking Technologies

ASA uses cookies and other technologies to analyze trends, administer the websites, improve users’ experience, track users’ movements around the websites, to gather analytics and demographic information about our user base as a whole, and for marketing.

Cookies. Cookies are pieces of data sent to your browser when you visit a website and stored on your device. Cookies may store user preferences and other information.

Our website uses cookies to help provide you with the best experience we can. Our cookies help us make our website work as you’d expect; save you having to login every time you visit the site; remember your settings during and between visits; improve the speed/security of the site; allow you to share pages with social networks like Facebook; continuously improve our website for you; or make our marketing more efficient.

Our website uses both session ID cookies and persistent cookies. A session ID cookie expires when you close your browser. A persistent cookie remains on your hard drive for a set period of time or until you delete it. Cookies are managed by your web browser (e.g. Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome). You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting in your browser. 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. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our Website. All the information collected is aggregated, and therefore anonymous.

Our Websites use cookies to improve your browsing experience, to increase the speed and security for the Websites, to provide analytics about our Websites and visitors, and for marketing. When you proceed to our Websites, you are expressing your consent to the use of cookies.

We do not use cookies to collect any personally identifiable information (without you accepting the cookie notification); collect any sensitive information (without your express permission); pass personally identifiable data to third parties; or pay sales commissions.

Web Beacons. Pages of our Websites and our emails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags and single-pixel gifs) that permit us, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain website content and verifying system and server integrity).

GIF. We may use tiny images known as clear GIFs to track behavior of users, including statistics on who opens our emails.

IP Address. Our servers automatically record certain log file information reported from your browser when you access the services. These server logs may include information such as which pages of the service you visited, your internet protocol (“IP”) address, browser type, and other information on how you interact with the services. These log files are generally deleted after a period of time.

There is no personally identifiable information being collected or kept by web beacons, GIFs or IP address.

Privacy Policies of Any Linked Websites or Other Third Parties

This Privacy Policy addresses only ASA’s use and disclosure of your Personal Data. The websites may contain links to other websites, so please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites, and we are not liable for their misuse of Personal Data. We encourage you to be aware that when you go to another website you should carefully read their privacy policy.

The websites contain links to social media websites or platforms that are owned and/or controlled by third parties, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others (“Social Media Sites”). If you choose to “like” or share information from a website through any Social Media Sites, if you are a member of a Social Media Site the interfaces on our websites may allow the Social Media Site to connect your website visit to your Personal Data. The information that you share with the Social Media Sites will be governed by the specific privacy policies and terms of service of the Social Media Sites and not by this Privacy Policy. You should review the privacy policy of that Social Media Site before choosing to access and use any Social Media Sites, including interacting with our pages on those sites.

Children

The websites are not intended for use by or targeted at children under 13, and we do not knowingly or intentionally collect information about children under 13.

Conditions of Use

By using the websites, and our services, you agree to the terms and conditions contained in this Privacy Policy and Conditions of Use and/or any other agreement that we might have with you. If you do not agree to any of these terms and conditions, you should not use our websites. You agree that any dispute over privacy or the terms contained in this Privacy Policy and Conditions of Use and any other agreement we have with you will be governed by the laws of Washington, DC. You also agree to abide by any limitation on damages contained in any agreement we may have with you.

Changes to the Privacy Policy

As ASA, its products, and its services change from time to time, we may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to our information practices. We reserve the right to amend the Privacy Policy at any time, for any reason, and may do so by posting a new version online. Your continued use of the websites, and/or continued provision of Personal Data to us will be subject to the terms of the then-current Privacy Policy. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices.

Your Rights with Regard to Your information

We respect your privacy rights and provide you with reasonable access to the personal data that you may have provided through your use of the websites. If you wish to access, amend, or remove certain personal data we hold about you, you may do so at any time by visiting the ASA Member Portal. Any changes you make, or that ASA staff make on your behalf, will be reflected in active user databases within a reasonable period of time. We may retain information you submit for backups, archiving, prevention of fraud and abuse, analytics, satisfaction of legal obligations, or where we otherwise reasonably believe that we have a legitimate reason to do so.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our treatment of the information you provide us, please contact as at:
Address: 1430 K ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 383-9005
Email: [email protected]