Privacy and Data Use Policy

This Privacy Policy was last updated on Oct. 14, 2021.

Overview

We at Essential Good (alternately, “we”, “us” or “our”) respect your privacy and take your privacy seriously. This privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) describes what information we collect about you, including how we collect it, how we use it, with whom we may share it and what choices you have regarding our use of your information.

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected on our website located at https://essential-good.org (the “Website”), any current or future mobile application associated with the Website, and other offerings that post a link to this Privacy Policy, or any associated content, material, or service contained on the Website or mobile application (collectively, the “Services” and, together with the Website and the mobile application, the “System”). This Privacy Policy is not intended to and does not create any contractual right in or on behalf of any party.

What Information Do We Collect?

Essential Good collects information about you from a variety of sources, including information that you provide directly to us when you contact us, sign-up for a customer account, and donate to us through the Website, and information that we automatically collect about you when you access and use the Website.

Information You Provide Us. If you sign-up for a customer account, donate, or contact us through the Website, we and/or our service providers collect the requested information that you provide including your name, e-mail, phone number, address, and payment information.

Information Collected Automatically. We collect information automatically from you when you visit and use the Website. Such information includes the following:

Usage information. We collect information about how you interact with the Website. This includes information such as the dates and times that you visit the Website, the page you view, referring / exit URLs, and your browser type. In some cases, we collect this information through cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies. To learn more about these technologies, please see the Cookies section below.

Device Information. We collect information about the devices you use to access the Website, including your device model, IP address, operating system, unique device identifiers, and mobile network operator information.

Transaction Information. We collect transaction details related to your donations through the Website.

Cookies

By placing a small file known as a “cookie” on your device, Essential Good’s and its third party providers’ servers passively gather information about all visitors’ use of the System for the following purposes: statistics collection and analysis, System optimization, analytics (as described below), market research, and maintenance of user login information. The information that we and our third party providers track with cookies includes, but is not limited to, the type of browser (such as Google Chrome or Internet Explorer) and Internet-connected devices being used to access the System, your Internet protocol (“IP”) address, your home domain or Internet service provider, your referrer URL (which is the URL for the website that you were viewing prior to visiting the System), how you were directed to the System, which specific pages you access on the System, how long you view each page, the time and date you access our System and the total number of visitors to the System and any portions thereof. We, and/or our third party providers, may use the information collected from cookies or similar files on your computer for security purposes (such as authentication), to facilitate site navigation and to personalize your experience while visiting the System. This data helps us and our third party providers improve our respective product and services.

Most popular Internet browser applications will allow you to configure the browser so as not to accept cookies. However, setting your browser to reject cookies may, in certain instances, prevent you from taking full advantage of the System (or some portion thereof) and its capabilities, or cause some features of the System to function improperly or more slowly. For more information, please refer to http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/.

Google Analytics and Web Beacons

The System may use Google Analytics, a web analysis service provided by Google, in order to better understand your use of our System and how we can improve it. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit a website, what pages you visit when you do so, and what other websites you used prior to coming to such website. Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit a website, rather than your name or other identifying information. We do not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with your personal information. Although Google Analytics plants a permanent cookie on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit a website, the cookie cannot be used by anyone but Google. Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to Essential Good websites is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Use and the Google Privacy Policy. Google utilizes the data collected to track and examine the use of the Website, to prepare reports on its activities and share them with other Google services. To more fully understand how Google may use the data it collects on the Website, please review “How Google uses data when you use our partners’ sites or apps,” (located here).

Some of the areas of the System may contain electronic images known as web beacons (sometimes known as clear gifs) that allow Essential Good, and its third party providers or affiliates, to count and track users who have visited certain portions of the System.

Correspondence

We appreciate your questions and comments about the System and Services and welcome your messages at info@essential-good.org. If you correspond with Essential Good through the System or via email, the personal information that we collect may include the content of, and metadata regarding, any correspondence you may have with us. We may share your messages with those within our organization who are most capable of addressing the issues contained in your message. We may retain your message.

How Do We Use The Information That We Collect?

Essential Good and our third party service providers collect and use the personal information to operate the System and deliver the Services, including to provide certain services and improve the user experience, address System integrity or security issues, and conduct research and analysis to maintain, protect, develop, and improve the System.

We may also use your personal information to send you promotional materials, whether through email or through the System, regarding Essential Good, or any third party entity or individual affiliated with individual members of Essential Good.

Additionally, we may retain and use certain personal information to facilitate and otherwise address certain inquiries or requests regarding the Services or the System, or respond to your questions or requests for information about or from Essential Good. We may also use personal information as necessary to ensure compliance with any Essential Good policies and any applicable law, regulation or donation.

In addition to the above uses, Essential Good will also use your personal information if you expressly authorize Essential Good to do so,

it is necessary to allow Essential Good’s service providers, agents, or other third parties to provide products or services for or to Essential Good,
we may integrate your personal information with our affiliates’ tools and databases and such affiliates may use your personal information to offer you products and services and for other marketing purposes,
for developing analytics regarding how users interact with the System and our users’ commercial tendencies,
Essential Good is sending you other information that may be useful to you,
subject to applicable contractual or legal restrictions, it is disclosed to entities that perform marketing services on Essential Good’s behalf,
it is necessary to protect the confidentiality or security of your records,
it is necessary in connection with other business purposes including, without limitation, verifying identity, age, and/or payment details, investigating complaints about the System, risk assessment, security, fraud and crime prevention/detection, monitoring, research and analysis, marketing, customer purchasing preferences and trends and dispute resolution, or
it is necessary to comply with law enforcement, governmental mandate, or other legal requirement, if appropriate, to exercise or enforce our legal rights, for your protection or in connection with an investigation or prosecution of possible unlawful activity.

In addition to the uses mentioned or described elsewhere in this Privacy Policy, we may add your personal information to our databases.

With Whom Do We Share Information That We Collect?

We engage service providers who may collect or receive your personal information on our behalf. Such service providers perform functions such as operating and supporting the Service, analyzing data, or performing marketing or consulting services. These service providers will only have access to the information needed to perform these limited functions on our behalf and are typically prohibited from using the information for other purposes except as permitted by law, such as for fraud detection and maintaining their services, or upon your consent.

For any donation that you make through our site, we will share some of your personal information with additional service providers or other third parties in order to process your requested transaction including third party payment processors.

We do not sell, rent, or lease our user lists or the identity of individual users to third parties.

We may also disclose personal information if we become subject to a subpoena or court order, or if we are otherwise legally required to disclose information. We may also use and disclose personal information to establish or exercise our legal rights, or if we believe such disclosure is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take other action regarding actual or suspected illegal or fraudulent activities or potential threats to the well-being of any person.

As Essential Good grows and develops its business, it is possible that its corporate structure or organization might change or that it might merge or otherwise combine with, or that it or portions of its business might be acquired by, another company. In any such transactions, personal information generally is, and should be expected to be, one of the transferred business assets. Also, if any bankruptcy or reorganization proceeding is brought by or against us, your information may be considered a company asset that may be sold or transferred to third parties.

What Choices Do You Have?

When submitting information, corresponding, making requests for information, and otherwise interacting with Essential Good and its representatives through or in connection with the System, you generally choose what information to supply or submit, whether you wish to receive further information, and how you may be contacted. Please take care to share only such information as is needed or that you believe is appropriate. Any email we send to you will contain a link which will allow you to opt-out of receiving any further correspondence.

How Can I Opt-Out of Correspondence?

We may send you emails from time to time. If you would no longer like to receive information or newsletters from us, please click the link at the bottom of any such email you receive from us and follow the instructions, or alternatively you may contact us at info@essential-good.org with the word “UNSUBSCRIBE” or “REMOVE” in the subject line. Your email address will be removed from our marketing list. Please allow us a reasonable period of time in order to satisfy your request, as some promotions may already be in process.

How Do We Protect Information Collected About You?

Essential Good takes commercially reasonable measures to secure and protect information transmitted via or stored on the System. Nevertheless, no security system is impenetrable. We cannot guarantee that information that users of the System may happen to transmit or otherwise supply will be totally secure.

Linked Websites

For your convenience, some hyperlinks may be posted on the System that link to other websites not under our control. We are not responsible for, and this Privacy Policy does not apply to, the privacy practices of those sites or of any companies that we do not own or control. We cannot be responsible for the privacy practices of any such websites or pages not under our control and we do not endorse any of these websites or pages, the services or products described or offered on such sites or pages, or any of the content contained on those sites or pages. We encourage you to seek out and read the privacy policy of each website that you visit. In addition, should you happen to initiate a transaction on a website that our System links to, even if you reached that site through the System, the information that you submit to complete that transaction becomes subject to the privacy practices of the operator of that linked website. You should read that website’s privacy policies to understand how personal information that is collected about you is used and protected.

User-Provided Content

Any information, communications, or material of any type or nature that you submit to the Website or any mobile application by e-mail, messaging, or otherwise (collectively, a “Submission”) is done at your own risk. We cannot control the actions of other users of the System and we are therefore not responsible for any Submissions contained on the Website.

Additionally, in the event that we offer a message board or any other interactive or social-type feature on the Website, please be aware that these areas may allow you to post, and share with other users, certain messages, content, or other information. We encourage you to be wary of giving out any personal information, or any personal information of others to which you may have access, in such forums. The information you post can be collected and used by other people.

Children

The System is intended for a general audience and is not intended for use or view by children under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect information about children or sell products to children. Consistent with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, we will not knowingly collect any information from children under the age of 13.

Visiting The System From Outside The United States

If you are visiting the System, or any part thereof, from outside of the United States of America, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored or processed in the United States, where our servers are located and our central database is operated. The data protection and other laws of the United States and other countries might not be as comprehensive as those in your country, but please be assured that we take steps to protect your privacy.

California Residents’ Privacy Rights

This portion of our Privacy Policy advises California residents of rights provided in the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “CCPA”) and how to effectuate those rights. You may also authorize an agent to make such a request. We will seek to verify your identity when we receive an individual rights request from you in order to ensure the security of your personal information.

Please direct any rights requests (as further described below) or additional questions you may have regarding this Privacy Policy via email to info@essential-good.org.

California residents have the right to request the deletion of personal information, but we may not delete some or all requested personal information as required or allowed by applicable law. California residents may also request to receive details about how we collect, use, and share your personal information. You may also request to receive the specific pieces of personal information that we have collected about you.

We do not, and do not intend to, sell personal information and do not discriminate against you for exercising any CCPA rights, such as the access and deletion rights described above. If we choose to offer a product enhancement or financial incentive that is contingent on you sharing personal information, we will ensure that the value provided to us by that collection is reasonably related to the value of the product enhancement or financial incentive.

Other Data Protection Rights

Subject to applicable data protection laws, you may have the right to access, update, and correct inaccuracies in your personal information in our records. In addition to changing or accessing your information through your account, you may also request access to or correct inaccuracies in personal information by emailing or writing to us at the email address set out below. We may request certain personal information for the purposes of verifying the identity of the individual seeking access to their personal information.

Do Not Track Requests

Certain state laws require that we indicate whether we honor “Do Not Track” settings in your browser. We adhere to the standards set out in this Privacy Policy and do not monitor or follow any Do Not Track browser requests.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

We may change this Privacy Policy at any time and from time to time. The most recent version of the Privacy Policy is reflected by the version date located at the top of this Privacy Policy. All such updates and amendments are effective immediately upon notice thereof, which we may give by any means, including, but not limited to, by posting a revised version of this Privacy Policy or other notice on the Website.

Whom Can You Contact For More Information?

If you have any questions or suggestions about the System, Essential Good, or our privacy practices, please contact us at info@essential-good.org.