Privacy Policy

AOA.org is the web site of the American Optometric Association (“AOA”). The AOA respects the privacy of our members and other users of our web site. This Privacy Policy addresses our use of information about you collected by virtue of your use of AOA.org.

By visiting our web site, you are accepting the practices described in this privacy policy (the "Privacy Policy"). The AOA reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time by posting such change here. Your continued use of the web site after such change is made constitutes acceptance of and agreement to be bound by the terms of the Privacy Policy as modified.

This Privacy Policy applies only to the web site. In addition to our own web site, we provide links to other third party web sites that are not under the AOA's control. The AOA is not responsible for the privacy policy or content of any web site linked to from the AOA web site.

You may contact us about this Privacy Policy:

Via postal address:	243 North Lindbergh Blvd. Floor 1 St. Louis, Missouri 63141
By e-mail:	GCWilton@aoa.org
By telephone:	800-365-2219
By facsimile:	314-991-4101

Information We May Collect About You

The information we collect via our web site is used to improve the content of AOA.org and advance the AOA’s mission.

For each visitor to our web site, our web server automatically recognizes only the user’s Internet protocol (IP) address but not the e-mail address (where possible).

We collect the Internet protocol (IP) address of visitors to our web site, aggregate information on what pages users access or visit, user-specific information on what pages users access or visit, and information volunteered by users, including from surveys, purchases, contact and update forms, login data, and/or registrations. We also may collect the e-mail addresses of those who communicate with us via e-mail.

With respect to cookies: we use cookies to authenticate users requesting members-only content. When a user logs in, a cookie is written for the duration of the session. This is not a persistent cookie. The cookie is destroyed once the user leaves the site.

We also use cookies on the web site for specific functions not related to authentication. No personally identifying information is used with these cookies. We use only first party cookies.

If a user does not allow cookies to be written on their computer, the web site will not be able to authenticate them as a member, which may result in an inability to access protected information.

How We May Use Information We Collect

The AOA collects non-personally identifiable information about you through computer settings and/or most-recently visited web site through traffic logs. This information is used to better understand how visitors use the AOA web site and make improvements. The AOA, its subsidiaries, and its affiliates may use your contact information to alert you to new information, products and services, events, and other opportunities. From time to time, we may also make your contact information available to other reputable organizations whose products or services we think you might find interesting. Notwithstanding the preceding statement, with respect to your e-mail address, we have instituted stringent reviews and opt-out capabilities to ensure that you do not receive unwanted e-mail from the AOA.

A particular AOA subsidiary or affiliate may have certain privacy policies different than noted here, which may be indicated on its own site.

Your Rights

When you submit personal information to AOA through AOA.org, AOA makes efforts to keep your information secure while using it to complete requests. AOA reserves the right to retain and use information collected on its web sites to conduct necessary business. This includes sharing information provided through AOA web sites with other organizations.

AOA adheres to federal laws concerning e-mail and fax distributions. Unsubscribe methods are available in all AOA e-mail publications. Specific opt-out requests for AOA communications may be sent to the contact information above.

On request, we also offer visitors the ability to have inaccuracies corrected in contact information, financial information, unique identifiers, transaction information and communications that the visitor has directed to the site.

You may also contact us if you believe your information is being used for purposes other than those for which it was originally collected.

More About Our Privacy Practices and Security

With respect to security: we use industry-standard encryption technologies when transferring and receiving consumer data exchanged with our site. When we transfer and receive certain types of sensitive information, such as financial information, we redirect visitors to a secure server and will notify visitors through a pop-up screen on our site. We have appropriate security measures in place in our physical facilities to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of information that we have collected from you at our site. When users choose to make payments via credit cards, we submit the information needed to obtain payment to the appropriate clearinghouses. Note: Health information you may share via AOA.org is neither private nor confidential and should be shared, if at all, only in accordance with applicable laws. The AOA is not a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Changes, Comments and Questions

If our information practices change at some time in the future, we will post the policy changes to our web site to notify you. The latest version of our Privacy Policy will always be available at AOA.org. If you are concerned about how your information may be used, please check our web site periodically.

Exceptions

Notwithstanding anything else in this privacy policy to the contrary, the AOA may collect personally identifiable information and use such information in ways other than those described above if the AOA is required to do so by law or if the AOA deems it advisable in the course of assisting law enforcement activities or protecting its web site(s) or other property.