The Carpentries Privacy Policy

The Carpentries (TC) is dedicated to the security and privacy of your data. We want you to know what data we collect, how we collect it, and what we do with it so that you may decide whether or not to provide information to us.

By visiting TC websites or are otherwise providing your personal information to us via any other means, you are accepting and consenting to the practices described in this Policy. Unless specified otherwise, the term “visitor” includes both TC members and nonmembers, whether you upload information to our websites, download information, or are merely visiting. Becoming a member of the TC will require us to ask for and store additional information.

This privacy policy will govern our use of your information, regardless of what information we collect.

1. What information do we collect?

   We collect basic usage information in the form of logs from all visitors. When you visit any TC-controlled website, our server logs your IP address, the time and duration of your visit, and the time and duration of the pages on our website you view. We may also capture information about your computer system, such as your browser type and operating system.

   We will likely place a cookie on your hard drive during the web visit. If you do not wish cookies to be placed on your computer, then they can be disabled in your web browser. However, please note that disabling cookies in your browser may hinder your use of our some of our websites.

   For those who are or wish to become members of the TC, we need to collect some personally identifiable information, including your name, email address, and country of residence. If you are a supporting or sponsoring member of the TC, or wish to make a donation, we will also ask for the information necessary to process a payment and reduce our risk of fraud. We may ask for other information, but providing such information is completely optional.

   Voting Members will need to provide us with email contact information during their enrollment. However, that information is never made generally available outside of the Foundation, neither on this website nor anywhere else public.
   
   

2. What do we use this information for?

   Basic usage information. We use basic usage information to protect against unauthorized intrusion into TC-controlled servers, as well as monitor and improve the availability and performance of TC-controlled websites. We may also use information collected from you to personalize your interactions with TC-controlled websites.

   Personally identifiable information. We use contact information to communicate with members or with others that have accounts with the TC, to provide access to secure areas of our websites, and to provide the services identified on our sites. We also use the information we collect to improve the content of our websites We also use this information to prevent or detect fraud or abuses of our websites and to enable third parties to carry out technical, logistical or other functions on our behalf. Financial information and payment card details. We may ask those who want to donate to the TC, become a sponsor member, or become a supporting member to enter credit card or account information in order to process payments to the TC. Financial information provided via our websites is transferred over a secure connection. We collect this information on a transaction-by-transaction basis and will not authorize the release of the information with anyone not directly involved in processing the transaction. This information may be encrypted and stored for logging purposes in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements. Credit card numbers are used only for processing payments and are not used for any other purposes. When we use third party service providers for credit card processing services we will enter into a written agreement with such third party ensuring appropriate security and confidentiality measures are in place in safeguarding your personal data.
   
   

3. Disclosure of personal information

   We will not disclose any information we collect to any third party unless it is:

   • Specifically authorized by you; or
   • Necessary to perform the functions requested by you (and only to the extent absolutely necessary to perform the function); or
   • Required to check for fraud or other misuse of TC resources; or
   • Required by law.

   In particular, we may release the information we collect to third parties when we believe it is appropriate to comply with the law, to enforce our legal rights, to protect the rights and safety of others, or to assist with industry efforts to control fraud, spam or other undesirable conduct.

   If the TC contracts with a third party to provide a particular service, we may release the information we collect to that third party, provided that the third party has agreed to use at least the same level of privacy protections described in this Privacy Policy, and is permitted to use the information only for the purpose of providing services to us.
   
   

4. Communications are opt-in

   All communications from the TC will be opt-in except for email messages necessary for you to maintain membership in the TC.
   
   

5. Security and accuracy of your information.

   The TC is committed to use industry best practices approaches concerning security measures to prevent the loss, misuse and alteration of the information in our possession. We use various security measures to protect the information we collect, as appropriate to the type of information, including encryption, firewalls, and access controls. We store information you provide to us on a computer system located in a controlled facility with limited access. We take reasonable steps to ensure that data is accurate, complete, and current. If you believe that any personal information we have about you is incorrect, or is, has been, or might be used inappropriately, please contact us and we will take steps to correct, delete, or restrict the use of the information, as appropriate.
   
   

6. Changes

   Our Privacy Policy may change from time to time, and the new policy will be posted prominently on software-carpentry.org. We will never materially change our policies and practices to make them less protective of personal information collected in the past without your prior consent. This Privacy Policy was last updated on March 16, 2016.

   Adapted from the privacy policy of the Python Software Foundation.