Introduction
The Energy Storage Association (“ESA,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of our members and those who visit our Site. The purpose of this Official Privacy Policy ( “Policy”) is to inform you about the types of information we gather about you, including information gathered when you visit ESA’s official website located at www.energystorage.org and supplemental websites, ESA’s social media pages, ESA’s mobile site or downloadable mobile applications (collectively, the “Site”); and information we may receive from third parties or affiliates, how we may use that information, whether we disclose that information to anyone, and the choices you have regarding our use of, and your ability to correct, the information. By using the Site, you expressly consent to the use and disclosure of information as described in this Privacy Policy. This Policy applies only to the information that we collect on the Site and not to any information that we collect through other methods or sources.
We collect two types of information: personally identifiable information and non-personally identifiable information. Personally identifiable information is information that identifies you or can be used to identify or contact you (“Personally Identifiable Information”). We also may collect information that by itself typically cannot be used to identify or contact you, such as demographic information (e.g. age, profession or gender), IP addresses, browser types, domain names, and other anonymous statistical data involving the use of our Site (“Non-Personally Identifiable Information”). The non-personally identifiable information may also include information about the company at which you are employed, if that company is a member, sponsor, or partner of ESA.
This Policy is governed by laws of the United States and more specifically the laws of the State of Maryland. Jurisdiction for any claims arising under this Policy shall lie exclusively with the state or federal courts within the State of Maryland. If you are not a resident of the U.S. and you chose to join the ESA, to participate in ESA events and activities that require the submission of your Personally Identifiable Information, or otherwise provide ESA with Personally Identifiable Information, you must affirmatively consent to the transfer and processing of your Personally Identifiable Information to the U.S. and you consent to be governed by the laws and regulations of the U.S. and the State of Maryland with regards to the use of your Personally Identifiable Information.
We reserve the right to modify this Policy at any time without prior notice. When we modify the Policy, we will post the revised Policy on this Site.
Collection and Use of Personally Identifiable Information
This Policy governs all forms of Personally Identifiable Information collected by ESA online. We collect Personally Identifiable Information online only if you choose to provide it to us. If you choose to apply for an ESA membership, register for an ESA conference or webinar, order a publication, or participate in an ESA event, we will ask you to provide information that may include your name, job title, name of company, business address, business phone, fax number and email address. ESA does not collect home addresses, home phone numbers or home email accounts unless you decide to provide this information to ESA. We will also collect certain information about member companies that may include office location(s), company size, and industry classification.
We may collect a credit or debit card account number, along with the expiration date and security code, from members or other individuals to pay for ESA events fees, publications, audio or video materials, membership dues or other contributions. When members or other individuals choose to pay by check, we do not store checking account information. Payment information is retained for administrative and tax purposes only.
If you are a member of ESA, we list company name and company contact information to compile an Online Membership Directory for the personal and professional use of ESA members. This directory may include your individual name if your company indicates that you are the primary contact for ESA membership. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in the Directory. Online access to the Directory is password protected and restricted for use only by ESA members and organizational staff. If you serve on an ESA Committee, your name may be listed as a member of that entity. We may include your name, photo, and quotations and/or video for member testimonials, with your permission.
Information on the energystorage.org website includes industry news and case studies that may list names and other individual information as part of the document. To the extent ESA produces such information, ESA takes all reasonable steps to screen out personal data other than individual or company names. ESA is not responsible for data that may be captured in news stories and reference materials provided by sources other than ESA that are linked to via the energystorage.org website.
Sharing of Personally Identifiable Information
We may share your email address with other organizations that are co-sponsors or co-presenters of an ESA event. lf you are a non-member, we will also use your email address for ESA-related promotional purposes. We do not disclose your email address to non-related third parties for marketing purposes. If you wish to be removed from our email distribution list, please call ESA at (202) 293-0537 or email info@energystorage.org. We also share information within ESA to improve service to our members and to enhance our organization’s effectiveness.
ESA may provide your personal information to service providers or contractors to perform functions on its behalf, such as, but not limited to, companies or individuals hired to: communicate news; deliver ESA’s promotional materials via email and direct mail; assist with organizing, operating or marketing ESA events; promote ESA’s social media presence and activities; develop, enhance, market or provide any of ESA’s products or services; process credit card payments; and assist ESA with sending communications and performing other marketing and support functions. Also, ESA may use third-party social media platforms, including third-party social media websites, to communicate with you.
We also may share with third parties aggregated demographic and statistical information that is not personally identifiable.
To the extent permitted by law, we may disclose your Personally Identifiable Information to government authorities or third parties pursuant to a legal request, subpoena, to comply with other legal process, or upon a law enforcement agency’s (or other governmental agency’s) request. We may also use or disclose your Personally Identifiable Information to protect the rights or property of the ESA, and the rights, safety or security of our members, our employees, our Site, or its users, and to enforce our Terms of Use Agreement. Finally, we may disclose your Personally Identifiable Information to any other entity that acquires all or a portion of our organization by merger, reorganization, operation of law, or a sale of some or all of ESA’s assets.
Cookies and Other Technology
By using our Site, some Non-Personally Identifiable Information may be automatically collected by our web servers as you browse our Site. For example, our web server automatically collects information known as “click stream data,” such as the domain name of the site providing you with Internet access, the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet, your browser type and version, operating system and platform, the average time spent on our site, pages viewed, information searched for, access times and other relevant statistics. We also collect information by using technologies and methodologies that enable tracking, such as “cookies”. “Cookies” are small pieces of information that a website transfers to the hard drive of a visitor’s computer for record-keeping purposes. “Cookies” provide visitors a personalized experience on our site by enabling us to determine unique preferences and trends based on visits to our website and to other websites.
Most browsers are initially set to accept cookies. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, giving you the opportunity to decide whether or not to accept it. (For some web pages that require an authorization, cookies are not optional. Users choosing not to accept cookies or similar devices may not be able to access parts of the Site).Cookies used by ESA
Cookie Source: Google Universal Analytics
- Cookie Name: _ga
- Purpose: This helps us count how many people visit the Site by tracking if you have visited before.
- Expiration: 2 years
Cookie Source: LinkedIn
- Cookie Name: BizoUserMatchHistory
- Purpose: Tracking LinkedIn users on ESA sites: Collection of metadata such as IP address information, timestamp, and events (e.g. page views). All data is encrypted.
- Expiration: 6 months.
Protecting Your Personally Identifiable Information
ESA is committed to protecting the security of your Personally Identifiable Information. We use a hashed and salted login to protect your Personally Identifiable Information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. After you have submitted your information online to ESA, we recommend that you end your browser session before leaving your computer. In spite of these protections, ESA cannot guarantee the security of any data submitted over the Internet. As a result, while ESA strives to protect your personal information, ESA cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information transmitted to or from ESA. Such information is transmitted at your own risk. After your information reaches ESA, however, it is stored on servers protected by procedures and technology designed to block reasonably foreseeable intrusions by unauthorized third parties.
Access to and Review of Your Personally Identifiable Information
If you would like to review, modify and/ or correct your Personally Identifiable Information, please contact us at (202) 293-0537 and request to be connected to the Membership department. You must authenticate your identity before we provide access to your Personally Identifiable Information.
External Links
This Policy applies solely to information collected by ESA. In order to assist you and provide you as much information as possible, our Site contains links to other websites including those that offer information of professional interest to our membership. This Policy does not apply to other websites that are accessible through this Site, including but not limited to any third-party websites that process payments on behalf of ESA. ESA is not responsible for the business or privacy practices or the content of such external websites. ESA is not responsible in any manner for damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, advertising, services, products or other material on or available from such external sites. Therefore, we encourage you to review the privacy policy and terms and conditions of any third-party website linked to this Site before you submit any Personally Identifiable Information.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at: (202) 293-0537 or info@energystorage.org.