Privacy Policy

Information We Collect

When you engage with Ecology Snorter, we collect different types of information to provide you with quality educational experiences. Here's what we gather and why it helps us serve you better.

We also collect information automatically through cookies and similar technologies. This helps us understand how you interact with our platform and improve your learning experience over time.

How We Use Your Information

Your information serves specific purposes that directly benefit your educational journey. We don't use your data for unrelated commercial purposes or sell it to third parties.

• Educational Service Delivery: Managing your enrollment, tracking progress, providing personalized learning recommendations, and delivering course materials effectively.
• Communication and Support: Responding to your questions, sending important updates about courses, sharing relevant conservation biology news, and providing technical assistance.
• Platform Improvement: Analyzing usage patterns to enhance course content, fixing technical issues, developing new features, and optimizing the learning experience.
• Safety and Security: Protecting against fraud, preventing unauthorized access, maintaining platform stability, and ensuring compliance with educational standards.
• Legal Compliance: Meeting regulatory requirements, responding to lawful requests, protecting our rights, and fulfilling contractual obligations.

We base our data processing on several legal grounds including your consent, contractual necessity, legitimate business interests, and legal compliance requirements. You can always contact us to understand which legal basis applies to specific processing activities.

Information Sharing and Disclosure

We keep your information within our organization whenever possible. However, certain situations require us to share data with trusted partners who help us deliver quality educational services.

• Service Providers: Third-party companies that help us with hosting, payment processing, email delivery, analytics, and customer support. These partners are contractually bound to protect your information.
• Educational Partners: Occasionally, we may share anonymized data with research institutions or conservation organizations for educational research purposes, but never your personal details.
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court orders, or government regulations, we may disclose information to authorities. We'll notify you when legally permitted.
• Business Transfers: If Ecology Snorter is acquired or merged, your information may transfer to the new entity, but the same privacy protections will apply.

We never sell your personal information to advertisers, marketers, or data brokers. Your educational data remains focused on supporting your learning goals, not generating revenue from your privacy.

Your Privacy Rights

You have significant control over your personal information. These rights ensure you can manage your data according to your preferences and legal protections.

To exercise these rights, contact us using the information provided below. We'll respond within 30 days and verify your identity before processing requests. Some rights may have limitations based on legal requirements or operational necessities.

Data Security and Protection

Protecting your information is fundamental to our operations. We implement multiple layers of security to prevent unauthorized access, data breaches, and misuse of your personal information.

• Encryption: All data transmitted between your device and our servers uses industry-standard TLS encryption. Stored data is encrypted using AES-256 encryption standards.
• Access Controls: Only authorized personnel can access personal information, and access is limited to what's necessary for their job responsibilities.
• Regular Monitoring: We continuously monitor our systems for suspicious activity, conduct regular security audits, and test our defenses against potential threats.
• Staff Training: All employees receive privacy and security training to understand their responsibilities in protecting your information.
• Incident Response: We maintain detailed procedures for responding to potential data breaches, including prompt notification to affected individuals when required by law.

While we implement robust security measures, no system is completely immune to threats. We continuously update our security practices and will notify you promptly if any incident affects your personal information.

Data Retention and Deletion

We keep your information only as long as necessary for educational purposes and legal requirements. Different types of data have different retention periods based on their purpose and regulatory requirements.

• Account Information: Retained while your account is active and for up to three years after closure to comply with educational record-keeping requirements.
• Educational Records: Course completions, grades, and certifications are retained for seven years to support transcript requests and professional verification needs.
• Communication Records: Support conversations and email correspondence are kept for two years to improve service quality and resolve any ongoing issues.
• Technical Data: Website usage logs and analytics data are typically retained for one year unless needed for security investigations or platform improvements.

When retention periods expire, we securely delete information from our active systems and backup storage. You can request early deletion of certain types of data, though some educational records may need to be retained for legal compliance.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your learning experience and understand how you interact with our platform. These tools help us remember your preferences and provide personalized educational content.

• Essential Cookies: Required for basic platform functionality, including login sessions, security features, and course progress tracking.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand which courses are most popular, where students face difficulties, and how to improve the learning experience.
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings, language choices, and customization preferences to provide a consistent experience across visits.
• Communication Cookies: Support chat functionality, notification delivery, and other communication features within the platform.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings, though disabling certain cookies may limit platform functionality. We don't use cookies for behavioral advertising or tracking across other websites.

International Data Transfers

Our primary servers are located in the United States, and some of our service providers may process data internationally. When we transfer information across borders, we ensure appropriate safeguards protect your privacy rights.

We rely on standard contractual clauses, adequacy decisions, and other legally recognized mechanisms to protect international data transfers. If you're located outside the United States, you have the right to know about these transfers and the protections in place.

Children's Privacy

Ecology Snorter is designed for adult learners and professionals in conservation biology. We do not knowingly collect information from individuals under 16 years of age without appropriate parental consent.

If we discover that we've collected information from someone under 16 without proper consent, we will delete that information promptly. Parents and guardians who believe their child's information has been collected should contact us immediately.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

Minor updates for clarity or legal compliance may be posted without individual notification, but we'll always update the effective date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your privacy.

If you continue using our platform after policy changes take effect, you accept the updated terms. If you disagree with changes, you can contact us to discuss your concerns or close your account if necessary.

Contact Information

We're committed to addressing your privacy questions and concerns promptly. Our team is available to help you understand this policy, exercise your rights, or resolve any privacy-related issues.

When contacting us about privacy matters, please include your full name, email address associated with your account, and a detailed description of your request or concern. This helps us respond more quickly and accurately to your needs.