Privacy Policy

We are very sensitive to the privacy concerns of the visitors to our Web site. As a general policy, no personal information is automatically collected. However, certain non-personal information is recorded by the standard operation of our internet servers. Please refer to the following detailed explanation of our policies and procedures with respect to privacy.

Our Commitment to Children's Privacy

We are particularly cognizant of the need for extra vigilance with respect to the privacy of those under the age of 18. As a result, we will not knowingly collect or maintain personally identifiable information with respect to anyone under 18unless expressly authorized by the person, parent, or legal guardian. In addition, in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, we will not require anyone under the age of 18 to disclose more information than is reasonably necessary to participate in the activity as a condition of participation.

Information Collection and Us

We collect the internet protocol ("IP") address of visitors to our Web site, aggregate information on what pages are accessed or visited, as well as such information as may be volunteered by the visitor (such as, account registrations).The information we collect may be used to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movements and gather broad demographic information. IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information. Except as expressly set forth below, we will not sell, rent or share this information.

From time-to-time, our site may request information from users via surveys or contests, or in order to subscribe to a publication. Participation in these activities is completely voluntary. Information requested may include contact information (such as name and shipping address) and demographic information (such as zip code or age). Contact information will be used to notify contest winners and award prizes and for delivery of ordered publications. Survey information will be used for purposes of monitoring or improving the site or its use.
The Enrollment System of ACCESS 4-H serves as either a primary tool or functions in tandem with an existing system to track enrolled youth and certified adults volunteers. The Enrollment System is the key to controlling access to the secured collaboration communities. It defines who can engage and with whom. It also can serve to generate annual ES237 reports required by the USDA. The responsibility for adding information to the Enrollment System will reside with the state 4-H leader and individuals will have the ability to add and update their personal information as well. Each state which participates in the Enrollment System does hereby certify that any and all names and related data submitted with respect to anyone under the age of 18 shall occur only with the express written consent of such person’s parent or legal guardian.

In the future, we may decide to use visitor information for new or different purposes, which have not previously been disclosed in our privacy notice. You should refer to this policy regularly for updates and changes. If you are ever concerned about how your information is or may be used, you should cease using the Site.

Registration

In order to have full access to this Web site, a user may be requested to complete a registration form which will require certain contact information (such as name and email address). This information is used to contact the user about the services on our site for which they have expressed interest. In addition, a user may be asked to provide, at the user’s option, certain demographic information (such as income level and gender) or other unique identifiers, which will assist us in providing a more personalized experience on our Web site.

Cookies

A "cookie" is a unique data set or "signature" deposited on a user’s hard drive by the web site that the user is accessing. The cookie often allows faster return access to the site, as well as access to certain functions that might otherwise be inaccessible. For instance, by setting a cookie on our site, the user would not have to log in a password more than once. If a user rejects the cookie, our Web site still can be used. However, use may be limited in some areas. For example, the user may not be able to participate in certain promotions, contests or drawings. Cookies can also enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our site. A cookie from this Web site is not linked in any way to any personally identifiable information.

Sharing

We share information with 4-H related entities at the state, local, and county levels. We may also partner with a third party in order to obtain access to specialized services or expertise. When we do so and a user signs up for these services, we will share such contact information as is necessary for the delivery of the services or success of the program. Any recipient of such information is required to restrict use solely to furtherance of the purposes for which the services are intended.

We may also share aggregated demographic information with our partners and advertisers. Such information is not linked to any personal information that can identify any individual person.

In addition, if a user elects to use our "Tell-A-Friend" referral service for informing a friend about our site, we ask them for the friend’s name and email address. National 4-H Council will automatically send the friend a one-time email inviting the friend to visit the site. National 4-H Council stores this information for the sole purpose of sending this one-time email. The friend may contact National 4-H Council to request the removal of this information from its database.

Security

When we transfer and receive certain types of sensitive information such as online orders and account information, we direct visitors to a secure server. We maintain a security certificate to ensure site security. This authenticates our organization, enabling you to verify your site and communicate via state-of-the-art SSL or WTLS encryption. This is designed to protect confidential information - such as credit card numbers, online forms, and financial data - from interception and hacking.

Code of Conduct

The following Code of Conduct apply to the Site. By using this Site, you agree that you will not distribute any submission that:

Breaks your local, county, or state 4-H policies;
(a) is defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, or an invasion of a right of privacy of another person; (b) is bigoted, hateful, or racially or otherwise offensive; (c) is violent, vulgar, obscene, pornographic or otherwise sexually explicit; or (d) otherwise harms or can reasonably be expected to harm any person or entity;
is illegal or encourages or advocates illegal activity or the discussion of illegal activities with the intent to commit them, including a submission that is, or represents an attempt to engage in, child pornography, stalking, sexual assault, fraud, trafficking in obscene or stolen material, drug dealing and/or drug abuse, harassment, theft, or conspiracy to commit any criminal activity;
infringes or violates any right of a third party including: (a) copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary or contractual rights; (b) right of privacy (specifically, you must not distribute another person's personal information of any kind without their express permission) or publicity; or (c) any confidentiality obligation;
is commercial, business-related or advertises or offers to sell any products, services or otherwise (whether or not for profit), or solicits others (including solicitations for contributions or donations);
contains a virus or other harmful component, or otherwise tampers with, impairs or damages the Site or any connected network, or otherwise interferes with any person or entity's use or enjoyment of the Site; or
(a) does not generally pertain to the designated topic or theme of the relevant Public Forum; (b) violates any specific restrictions applicable to a Public Forum, including its age restrictions and procedures; or (c) is antisocial, disruptive, or destructive, including "flaming," "spamming," "flooding," "trolling," and "griefing" as those terms are commonly understood and used on the Internet.
We cannot and do not assure that other users are or will be complying with this Code of Conduct or any other provisions of these terms and conditions, and, as between you and us, you hereby assume all risk of harm or injury resulting from any such lack of compliance.

Parental Permissions

Miscellaneous

Users who no longer wish to receive our newsletter or promotional materials may opt-out by sending an email with "unsubscribe" in the subject line to the designated contact for the Web site or to webmaster@4-H.org or by calling Council at 301-961-2800.

If you feel that this site is not following its stated information policy, you may contact us at the above addresses or phone number.