Poets & Writers Online Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) describes how Poets & Writers handles information collected from users of our website, www.pw.org (the “Site”). By using the Site, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes to the Policy will become effective upon the date of our posting of the revised Policy on the Site. If you use the Site following the effective date of the revised Policy, you will be deemed to have accepted the Policy’s updated terms.

  1. What Types of Information Does Poets & Writers Collect?

    Poets & Writers gathers different types of information from Site users depending on their interactions with the Site. Some of this information is collected automatically by the Site when you use it; other information you provide at your discretion, as described below.

    Information Automatically Collected When You Visit Our Site. The Site automatically collects information from users of the Site, which we refer to here as “Usage Information.” This information is “passively” collected through browser navigational tools, such as cookies, that recognize your IP address -- the Internet Protocol address of the computer or device that you use to access the Site. Cookies are small bits of information attached to your browser by a website that you visit. Cookies allow Poets & Writers to facilitate your use of the Site as well as to track your and other Site visitors’ usage patterns, traffic trends, and actions on the Site. To learn more about cookies, please visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org.

    We also permit some of third-party merchants and advertisers to use cookies on our Site to obtain information such as the number of times visitors have viewed an advertisement on our Site, and Poets & Writers uses this information to tailor placement of ads on the Site. Such third parties may track Site visitors’ activities across the Site and other websites over time.

    You can set your browser to accept all cookies, to reject all cookies, or to notify you whenever a cookie is offered so that you can decide each time whether to accept it. However, refusing a cookie may in some cases preclude you from using, or negatively affect the display or function of, the Site or certain areas or features of the Site. Currently, the Site does not respond to a “Do-Not-Track” signal from Site users.

    1. Information Actively Provided by Site Users. You also may actively provide the Site with information about yourself, such as when you create an account on the Site, make a donation, sign up to receive a newsletter, or subscribe to Poets & Writers Magazine. For these purposes and others on the Site, you may need to provide certain personal information, such as your name, e-mail address, postal address, phone number, payment (credit or debit card) information, etc. Poets & Writers refers to this information as Personal Information, as it is directly related to you as an individual.

  2. How Does Poets & Writers Use the Information Collected Through the Site?

    1. Usage Information. As noted, we use Usage Information to help improve the Site, such as by analyzing Site user trends, including usage of certain pages or functions on the Site.

    2. Personal Information. We may use the Personal Information collected for any or all of the following purposes:

      1. Fulfillment of Requests. We will use Personal Information to fulfill your requests, including to process your donations or subscriptions, send you our newsletters, or otherwise respond to requests you have made.

      2. Communications with You. We may use your Personal Information to inform you of events, programs, services and other opportunities that may be of interest to you. Some of these communications may be promotional in nature. If you no longer wish to receive promotional information from us via email, you may opt-out of receiving such information by following the “unsubscribe” directions provided in email messages we have sent to you. We will endeavor to comply with your request as soon as reasonably practicable. (Note that opting out may also discontinue all electronic communications from us, including e-newsletters that you have subscribed to.)

      3. Internal Business Purposes. We may use Personal Information about you for internal business purposes, such as audits, developing new products and expanding the Site’s services, enhancing the design and functionality of the Site, and determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns. For example, if you sign up for one of our newsletters, Poets & Writers may track whether you open the e-mail transmitting the newsletter and take an action, such as clicking a link in the e-mail. This information is used to improve the content of newsletters. Poets & Writers also may combine your Personal Information with that of other users in order to analyze the combined (aggregated) data to ascertain trends among users of the Site. In addition, we may use third parties to improve our ability to identify visitors to our website. As part of this service, we may make available identifiers to these third parties including our visitors’ IP addresses, cookies, and hashed versions of email addresses gathered from your visit. We, and third parties, use this data to obtain information about our visitors and reach out to them through other channels, such as email and/or direct mail. You may ask us to refrain from sharing your Personal Information with third parties for these purposes by contacting us at privacy@pw.org or by writing to us at Poets & Writers, 90 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004. 

  3. With Whom Does Poets & Writers Share Personal Information Collected Through the Site?

    1. Service Providers. We may share Personal Information with unaffiliated third parties who provide services, such as the designer and administrator of the Site, payment processing vendors (for donations, subscriptions, etc.), and others who assist Poets & Writers with promotions, technology, or similar services. The service providers who process credit/debit card information do so in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). Poets & Writers itself does not process any credit or debit card transactions.

    2. Partners. Poets & Writers has partnered and may in the future partner with selected organizations (including literary organizations) whose missions, experience, services and other assets can enhance the benefits of the Site for its users. Where such partners play an integral role in the operation of the Site, Poets & Writers may have access to users’ Personal Information. Any such partners will be subject to strict requirements to protect the privacy and security of the Personal Information to which we have access.

    3. Acquirers or Assignees. In the event of a reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer or other disposition of all or any portion of Poets & Writers or its assets, Poets & Writers may transfer any and all information collected from Site users, including Personal Information, to the acquiring party or assignee.

    4. Nonaffiliates for Marketing. We may share your Personal Information with third parties for their marketing purposes. You may ask us to refrain from sharing your Personal Information with third parties for their marketing purposes by contacting us at privacy@pw.org or by writing to us at Poets & Writers, 90 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004.

    5. Entities Entitled Under Law. We may disclose Personal Information we collect to others as we believe to be appropriate in the following circumstances: (i) when required by applicable law, including laws outside your country of residence; (ii) to comply with legal process (iii) to respond to requests from public and government authorities; (iv) to enforce the terms and conditions for use of the Site, including this Privacy Policy; (v) to protect and defend our rights and property; (vi) to protect the legitimate interests of Poets & Writers or others; and (vii) to permit us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain. We have no obligation to notify you of such disclosures, except as required by applicable law.

  4. Contacting Us. If you have any questions or concerns related to this Privacy Policy or the information practices of the Site, you may contact Poets & Writers:

    • By e-mail: privacy@pw.org
    • By mail: Poets & Writers, 90 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004

 

Last updated in May 2019