BPSA Privacy Policy

This Website is owned and operated by the Bio-Process Systems Alliance (“BPSA”), an affiliate of the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (“SOCMA”) headquartered in Virginia.  This Privacy Policy outlines the information collected from users of bpsaalliance.org (“Website”) and how that information is used, shared, and protected by BPSA.  In addition to this Privacy Policy, users of the Website should review the BPSA’s Terms and Conditions (available at here), for any additional terms or conditions that may apply. 

By visiting this Platform, you are freely accepting and consenting to the practices in this Privacy Policy. You may withdraw your consent at any time and for any reason with effect to future data processing by contacting us at the address listed below. Without your consent, we will use personal information, only insofar as such processing is permitted by applicable law (e.g., for the performance of a contract or agreement between BPSA and you) or where such processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which BPSA is subject.

What Personal Information is Collected and How BPSA Uses It:

Information Provided Voluntarily. BPSA collects personally identifiable information through the Website, which is information that identifies an individual or relates to an identified individual, including names, addresses, Zip or postal codes, and email addresses, when voluntarily submitted by a user.  BPSA does not collect personally identifiable information from users without user permission, and users may correct, modify, or delete any personal information collected by BPSA by request. Website access is not contingent on user registration or disclosure of personal information, though some Website services may only be available to BPSA members and subscribers.

Information Collected Automatically. We may record information relating to your use of the Website, such as the searches you undertake, the pages you view, your browser type, IP address, requested URL, referring URL, and timestamp information.  We use this type of information to administer the Website and provide the highest possible level of service.  We also use this information to perform statistical analyses of user behavior and characteristics to measure interest in and use of the various areas of the Site. 

Additional Uses. Additional uses of your personally identifiable information may include:

  • To answer your questions/requests and communicate with you, to provide you with other services, products, or information you have requested;
  • For research and development related to improving user experience and operational efficiency;
  • For general business purposes, including but not limited to program operations, fraud detection, marketing, promotions, fundraising activities and communications;
  • To run/administer our website and for internal operations;
  • To measure or understand the effectiveness of our website and to analyze and improve our services;
  • To audit and/or administer our accounts;
  • To report on the impact and effectiveness of our work; and
  • To satisfy legal obligations which are binding on us.

BPSA may also use provided information to provide services to contact users concerning their information requests or donations.  We do not request or store social security numbers from users.  Any financial information voluntarily provided, for example, to make a donation, is collected securely and is discarded after processing (in the case of recurring gifts, after processing of the last such gift).

How We Share Personal Information We Collect: 

Except where set out in this Policy, we do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. For users who opt-in to doing so, we may disclose your personal information to third parties in order to achieve the purposes set out in this Policy. For example, we may share personally identifiable information with third-parties:

  • When the person providing the information authorizes us to share it;
  • When the information is shared with a service provider in furtherance of our operations or operations of the Website, for example to process a donation that you make or to fulfill a request that you make;
  • To comply with legal processes such as a subpoena or court order or to otherwise protect your or our legal rights; or
  • For other purposes for which you provided the information. 

BPSA has no control over or responsibility for the data collection or use practices of third parties that process online transactions.  If, for example, you make a donation to us using PayPal or a similar third-party payment provider, information necessary for processing the transaction is transmitted to the payment provider and is subject to that third party’s own privacy policy. We otherwise do not share any personally identifiable information we receive from a user with any parties outside of BPSA and its affiliates.

Personal information may be collected or processed by third parties and affiliates of BPSA, but will not be shared or used in such a way that an individual is identified.

Except as noted above BPSA does not provide any third party with user IP addresses, or information derived from user IP addresses without user permission. If you agree, BPSA may share your information with our Partners and affiliates:

  • Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates
  • Association Management Company, LLC
  • MatrixMaxx AMS
  • Postfix
  • Mailman
  • Amazon AWS
  • PayPal PayFlow
  • Google Analytics

Protecting User Privacy:

 BPSA uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical data security practices to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of personal data. BPSA, however, cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information users transmit to us, and users do so at their own risk. We have taken reasonable steps to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of personally identifiable information that users may provide.

Cookies:

The Website also uses “Cookies” to collect non-personal information about users’ use of the BPSA Website. “Cookies” are small data files that are stored on the hard drive of the computer used to view a Website. Every computer that accesses the Website is assigned a different “Cookie” by the Website. “Cookies” are used for several reasons including customization of user experience on the Website, tracking a user’s click path through the Website, and determining whether a computer has been used previously to visit the Website. More information on BPSA’s use of cookies on its website can be found here.

Email Communications and Related Services:

Email communications that users send to BPSA via the email links on our Website may be shared with employees or agents of the BPSA  in order to address user inquiries.

You may opt in to receiving e-mails and similar communications pertaining to BPSA or BPSA-approved third parties.  BPSA Members will have the option to opt-in to the following:

  • Having your name included in the membership directory; and
  • Having your information made available to BPSA’s member platform or distribution lists

We maintain security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, misuse, or disclosure.  However, no exchange of data over the Internet can be 100% guaranteed secure.  While we make every effort to protect your personal information shared with us through our Site, you acknowledge that the personal information you voluntarily share with us through this Site could be accessed or tampered with by a third party.  You agree that we are not responsible for any intercepted information shared through the Site without our knowledge or permission.  Additionally, you release us from any and all claims arising out of or related to the use of such intercepted information in any unauthorized manner.

Data Retention

BPSA will retain information collected by and/or submitted to the Website only to the extent relevant and reasonably necessary to provide services, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, protect our assets, enforce our agreements, manage our operations, or until consent is revoked.

Users have the right to obtain a copy of the consumer’s personal data that the consumer previously provided to the controller in a portable and, to the extent technically feasible, readily usable format.

Children’s Privacy:

BPSA is committed to protecting children’s privacy on the Internet, and does not knowingly or intentionally collect personal information from children. As noted in the Terms and Conditions, the Website is intended for use only by individuals who are at least 13 years old. Parents and guardians may contact BPSA at bpsa@socma.org to review and remove the personal information of their children that may have been inadvertently collected from their child’s website access.

Links To Other Websites:

The Website may contain links to other BPSA affiliated websites and third party websites (“linked sites”) for users’ convenience and information. Linked sites may have their own privacy policies or notices, which we strongly suggest users review should they visit any linked sites. BPSA is not responsible for the content of any websites that are not affiliated with BPSA, any use of those websites, or the privacy practices of those websites.

Your Rights

Electronic and Print Communications. You may choose to consent to allowing us to send free BPSA-specific newsletters, surveys, offers, and other promotional materials to you.

Third-Party Communications. You may choose to consent for the purpose of allowing targeted offers from third parties or BPSA’s clients or business partners. At any time, you can stop receiving promotional e-mails by updating your communications preference or by following the unsubscribe instructions in e-mails that you receive. Clicking on an unsubscribe link will take you to a webpage where you can complete the opt-out process. Certain programs will provide a contact for support or other means to remove your name to remove your name from our contact list. If you decide not to receive promotional e-mails, we may still send you transactional communications, such as those about your Account, to fulfill orders you have made, to ask you to rate a product you purchased, event you attended, or other service-related communications.

Changes to Your Personal Information. We rely on you to update and correct your personal information. Note that we may keep historical information in our backup files as permitted by law. All requests to correct your information that cannot be made through adjusting your individual account portal should be directed to the contact in the “Communications” section below.

Access to Your Personal Information. If required by law (for example, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation), upon request, we will grant reasonable access to the personal information that we hold about a User. All requests must be directed using the contact information provided below.

Deletion of Your Personal Information. Typically, we retain your personal information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Some Users may have the legal right (for example, under the European Union General Data Protection Regulation) to request that we delete their personal information. We may also decide to delete your personal information if we believe that the data is incomplete, inaccurate, or that our continued use and storage are contrary to our obligations to other individuals or third parties. When we delete personal information, it will be removed from our active database, but it may remain in archives where it is not practical or possible to delete it. In addition, we may keep your personal information as needed to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce any of our agreements.

Revocation of Consent. We rely on the processing of personal information that you have provided. If you revoke your consent for the processing of personal information, then we may no longer be able to provide you services. In some cases, we may limit or deny your request to revoke consent if the law permits or requires us to do so, or if we are unable to adequately verify your identity.

Data Portability. Where technically feasible, you may request to receive your personal data from us in a format that makes it easier to reuse your information in another context, and to transmit this data to another data controller of your choosing without hindrance.

European Economic Area Citizens. Where you believe that we have not processed your personal information in accordance with the applicable provisions of the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, you may lodge a complaint with the respective European Union data protection authority (DPA). For individuals located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you may have additional rights concerning your personal data, including a right to:

  • to request access to the personal information we hold about you;
  • to request that we rectify or erase your personal information;
  • to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information;
  • to object to our processing of your personal information in certain circumstances;
  • under certain circumstances, to ask us to port personal information about you that you have provided to us to you or to a third party; and
  • where we previously obtained your consent, to withdraw consent to processing your personal information.

To exercise these rights or make any other requests with respect to your personal information, please contact BPSA as set forth below. Please be aware that BPSA may be unable to provide these rights to you under certain circumstances, for example if we are legally prevented from doing so or can rely on exemptions. 

Additionally, you have the right to lodge a complaint against us, which you can do by contacting the supervisory authority in your country of residence.  If you are resident in the EEA, you can find details of your local supervisory authority here. If you are resident in the UK, the appropriate supervisory authority is the Information Commissioner’s Office, which you can contact at www.ico.org.uk/makeacomplaint.

Cross-border Transfer of Personal Information

BPSA may transfer your personal information to BPSA’s entities in the United States, or to third parties as described in this Privacy Policy that are located in various countries around the world. By using BPSA’s Platform or providing any personal information to BPSA, where applicable law permits, you consent to the transfer, processing, and storage of such information outside of your country of residence where data protection standards may be different. When BPSA collects information in one country, and transfers it to another, to the extent possible it applies the same level of data protection required under the laws in the first country even when the data is in the second country. In particular, users in the European Union should be aware that while the European Commission has not found United States law to adequately protect the rights of data subjects, BPSA takes reasonable precautions to ensure that all processing activities conducted on our behalf are compliant with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation.

Privacy Policy Updates:

BPSA will periodically review and update this Privacy Policy as necessary and reserves the right to change or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes to this Policy will be effective upon being posted to the Website unless stated otherwise. Users are encouraged to periodically review the Website for the latest information on our privacy practices.  Use of the Website constitutes acceptance of the terms of this Privacy Policy.

Contact Information:

For any questions concerning this Privacy Policy please contact:

bpsa@socma.org

This Policy is effective August 15, 2022.  This policy was last updated August 15, 2022.