The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (“ASME,” “we” or “us”) last amended this Privacy and Security Statement on April 4, 2008.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers has established this web site (“Our Site”) to provide information to the public, facilitate communication among the engineering community, including ASME members, and offer for sale our goods and services. This privacy and security statement ("Statement") describes how ASME collects and uses information from visitors to Our Site, including ASME members.
By using Our Site, you consent our collection and use of information about you in accordance with this Statement. We may update this Statement from time to time by posting a modified statement on this page, or, if we determine that it is appropriate, we may post a notice of the change on our home page. By continuing to use Our Site after we have posted a notice of modification, you agree to the terms of the modified Statement. This Statement is part of the Terms that govern your use of Our Site, so please be sure to read the entire Terms.
This Statement does not apply to: (1) web sites operated by individual ASME sections, subsections, groups, student sections, divisions, subdivisions, boards, committees, districts and other ASME-related groups for the benefit of their members or participants; (2) web sites operated by individual ASME members; (3) web sites operated by third-party ASME affiliates; (4) our advertisers’ web sites; or (5) any third-party web sites referred to on Our Site. You should review those sites’ privacy practices before using them or submitting any personally identifiable information to them.
Collection of Anonymous Information
ASME uses two methods for collecting and reporting statistical information about Web Traffic to our site:
- page tagging
- log file analysis
Using the page tagging method, ASME collects and sends data about our visitors to a third-party service provider. This is accomplished using JavaScript that can be found on most ASME web pages. The JavaScript requests a 1x1 pixel transparent image file located on our service providers' servers. This image file request is "tagged" with variable information containing data about Web traffic activities, such as; page requests, the addition of an item to our shopping cart, clicking on links, and other traffic generating events. An anonymous "visitor identification cookie" is set in your browser so that our service can more accurately differentiate between unique visitors to ASME sites.
Page tagging image requests also contain the following information:
- IP address
- Site name
- date/time
- screen resolution
- page with query string
- referrer
- user agent
- cookie
In addition to the page tagging method, our servers also automatically log certain information that ASME uses for statistical analysis of web site traffic. With the log file analysis method, ASME sends standard web server log data to our third-party service provider for traffic analysis. Similar information to that collected with page tag image requests is analyzed:
- IP address
- date/time
- page with query string
- referrer
- user agent
- cookie
This information is then used to determine:
- Traffic patterns
- Average visitor session length
- Number of visitors to certain areas of the site
- Banner Ad click-through
- Tracking results of promotional campaigns
- Other user trends
- Improvements to web site navigation and infrastructure
Neither our third-party service nor our server logs collect personally identifiable information about individual users, such as names, addresses, email address, occupation, etc. As described in the next section, ASME does collect this type of data electronically but only through forms, surveys or event registrations on Our Sites. ASME also collects anonymous information through cookies and clear GIFs or other graphical files placed on web pages of Our Site. ASME does not link anonymous information it collects through Our Site to individual users’ personally identifiable information.
Cookies
Certain parts of Our Site use cookies, which are small files placed on your computer, to better enable visitors to use Our Site and to measure Web statistics as noted above. Generally, cookies enable our server to remember visitors, allow entry into password-protected areas, and to help ensure accurate measuring of web traffic. Cookies can be deleted or rejected by changing the settings on your web browser. Please be aware that your deletion or rejection of cookies may affect your ability to use certain parts of Our Site effectively. Because advertisers or third-party web sites may use cookies in different ways, this statement regarding the use of cookies covers only Our Site.
Collection of Personally Identifiable Information
ASME also collects personally identifiable information (“Your Data”) that you voluntarily submit through online forms, surveys and event registrations on Our Site or via downloaded forms that are completed offline and then submitted to ASME, such as your:
- Name
- Postal Address
- Email Address
- Business or Company Name and Address
- Phone Number
- Fax Number
- Employment information
- Memberships and affiliations (including membership identification numbers)
- Age
- Marital status
- Salary information
- Social Security Number
- Racial or ethnic information
- Investment and consumption habits
- Names and ages of spouse and children
- Medical information (including insurance information)
- Credit card information
- American With Disabilities Act (ADA) information
- Student loan, grant and scholarship information
ASME also collects the personal information that you provide to us about other people on certain parts of Our Site. For example, you may provide personal information about others when referring them for membership.
How We Use Your Data
Your Data is used for the purposes for which you give it to us and other purposes from which you do not choose to opt-out, any of which may include the following:
- To fulfill your order for membership or goods or services
- To solicit new members
- To permit you to participate in ASME PeerlinkSM (formerly Communities of Practice)
- To facilitate your organizational role for or attendance at an ASME-sponsored conference or other event
- To process registrations for events, courses and other ASME activities
- To conduct surveys and polls
- To develop and improve our services and activities
- To provide you with information on events, products and services, or other news that we think might interest you
- To enable carefully selected third parties to send you promotional materials for products and services that we believe may be of interest to you
If you do not want ASME or the selected third parties to send any communications to you, or if you want to limit the kinds of communications sent to you, you can indicate your preferences by (1) checking applicable “opt out” boxes located in areas of Our Site where we collect Your Data, (2) selecting the “unsubscribe” option in our emails, (3) contacting us by email at infocentral@asme.org, (4) mailing your request to the ASME SERVICE CENTER located at 22 LAW DRIVE, P.O. BOX 2900, FAIRFIELD, NJ 07007-2900, or (5) calling us at 1-800-THE ASME.
Sharing Information with Third Parties
Sharing Information With Service Providers
ASME uses third-party service providers (“Service Providers”) to provide certain services, such as hosting, software maintenance, database maintenance, address verification and credit card processing, which are necessary for ASME operations, including the operation of Our Site and fulfilling your requests. These Service Providers may be supplied with or have access to Your Data, but only for the purpose of providing these services to ASME or on our behalf. These Service Providers are obligated to keep Your Data confidential. Certain portions of Your Data may also be made available to member and non-member ASME volunteers who assist us with communications or surveys.
Sharing With Advertisers
In addition to our Service Providers, ASME also uses third-party network advertisers such as DoubleClick to deliver ads to you on our behalf. These advertisers collect or have access only to anonymous information and aggregate information about web traffic on Our Site. The advertisers do not have access to Your Data or any other personally identifiable information.
Sharing Member Information
ASME provides ASME members with access to the ASME online membership directory, which is available in the access-restricted member section of Our Site. ASME members have access only to those items of personal information that an individual member chooses to make available to other members.
ASME provides selected portions of Your Data to ASME members in leadership or volunteer positions for use in connection with the activities of the groups to which you belong. If you would like more information about ASME’s policies concerning the use of member data, click here.
ASME also shares member mailing lists (i.e., names, street addresses and email addresses) with carefully selected third parties who offer information, goods or services that we think may be of interest to you. If you prefer that we do not share Your Data with third parties as part of our member mailing lists, please contact us at infocentral@asme.org and we will respect your request. Please include your name and ASME member number for identification purposes. If you would like more information about ASME’s policies concerning the distribution of mailing lists, click here.
Sharing Non-Member Information
For non-members, who may include former ASME members, ASME may share Your Data with carefully selected third parties who offer information, goods or services that we think may be of interest to you. For example, ASME may provide Your Data to authorized ASME course providers, such as universities, if you have indicated via Our Site an interest in enrolling in our courses.
Leaders, Volunteers and Participants in ASME Units, Programs or Activities
If you serve as a leader or volunteer with an ASME section, division, board, committee, district or any other ASME member group, or if you are a member or non-member who has assumed a leadership role in any activity or program that ASME conducts or sponsors, then ASME may display limited portions of Your Data in sections of Our Site specific to that group, activity or program so that fellow group members or participants may contact you. In addition to your name, shared portions of Your Data may include your email address, employer, job title, employer address, telephone and fax numbers and photograph (if applicable). Also, participants in ASME groups, programs or activities may have access to the contact information of other group members or fellow participants in the respective program or activity for information sharing purposes.
If you no longer wish to have your personal information displayed on Our Site to identify you as a leader, volunteer or participant in a particular group or activity, please send an e-mail to webmaster@asme.org with a subject line of “Remove Personal Information from ASME.ORG” and the page address where your personal information is listed.
Disclosure for Legal Purposes
We may disclose and use Your Data in special circumstances where it is necessary, including to protect our proprietary rights, in connection with a sale or transfer of some or all of our assets in Our Site, or when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires us to do so.
Email Addresses
Except as otherwise set forth in this Statement, ASME will not share your email address with any third party other than our Service Providers; we use email addresses for internal purposes and to promote efficient communications between ASME and its members and customers.
ASME Peerlink (formerly Communities of Practice)
ASME Peerlink (formerly Communities of Practice) is an online interactive communications tool that links engineers to resources, news, and solutions and ideas from peers. Access to the ASME Peerlink (formerly Communities of Practice) is open to both members and non-members of ASME and is contingent on your registration in this section of Our Site. As part of the registration process, you will be asked to consent to the Rules and Conditions for ASME Peerlink (formerly Communities of Practice), which contain supplemental terms governing your use of ASME Peerlink (formerly Communities of Practice) and treatment of Your Data. If you wish to view the ASME Peerlink (formerly Communities of Practice) Rules and Conditions, please click here.
Protection of Children Under Age 13
ASME does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under 13 years of age, unless it is necessary to respond to a one-time request. Once the request has been answered, ASME will delete the requesting child's personally identifiable information. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe that your child under age 13 may have provided his or her personal information to us through Our Site, please contact us at webmaster@asme.org.
Review and Correction
If you are an ASME member, you may review, update, correct or delete any of Your Data that you have provided to us by logging into the Members Only section of Our Site. Members and non-members may also review and update their personal information by sending a revision request by email to infocentral@asme.org or by mail at ASME SERVICE CENTER, 22 LAW DRIVE, P.O. BOX 2900, FAIRFIELD, NJ 07007-2900, or by calling us at 1-800-THE ASME.
Email Alias Service
ASME offers its members an email alias. The alias is a simple "store and forward" mechanism that accepts email sent to the alias name and forwards it to the member's actual email address. Once an email alias is issued to a member, ASME makes no guarantees on the future privacy of the alias. Members use the email alias service at their own risk and must take sole responsibility for protecting against publication or misuse of their email aliases. ASME has taken measures to protect members from SPAM in the form of adding third-party SPAM-blocking services; however, the software cannot guarantee complete SPAM blocking if an alias is used.
Links to Third Parties
Our Site contains links to third-party web sites and content providers that contain information or services we believe may be of interest to you. Our Site also carries banner advertisements that are placed by third-party advertisers. If you follow any link or banner advertisement to a third-party site, you leave Our Site. This Privacy and Security Statement applies to Our Site only. We recommend that you review the privacy statement (or “policy”) and terms of use at each of these Web sites to determine how the operators of those sites protect your privacy.
Security
ASME uses online forms on Our Sites to collect specific information for registration for events or courses, surveys, polls and other data collection uses. In cases where Your Data is collected, all forms are secured through Secure Socket Layers (SSL) encryption, the most widely accepted and tested form of data encryption. Of course, no transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Therefore, you provide us with your information at your own risk.
In addition to Secure Socket Layer encryption during transmission, ASME takes these additional precautions with your information:
- All Web Servers are protected by state of the art, managed firewalls.
- Data is protected at the server level by ensuring that only necessary order fulfillment staff, product managers and web server support personnel have access to collected information.
- Administrative screens can be accessed only from ASME offices using Secure Socket Layers.
- Credit Card Numbers are encrypted down to the database field level.
- The member directory is password-protected and SSL-enabled.
Location of Servers and Transfer of Information to the United States
Our servers are located in the United States. If you are located outside of the United States, please be aware that Your Data will be transferred to and stored on a server located in the United States. By submitting Your Data to us, you consent to this transfer and the collection, storage, processing and use of Your Data in the United States.
Comments and Questions
If there are any parts of this statement that require more explanation or clarification, please contact us at webmaster@asme.org. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding changes and updates, please contact us at webmaster@asme.org.
Your California Privacy Rights
Beginning on January 1, 2005, California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits customers, members and visitors to Our Site who are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please send an email to weism@asme.org or write to ASME:
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Attn: Michael Weis
Re: CA Privacy Rights
Three Park Avenue
New York, New York 10016
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