NCTAT SMS Privacy Policy
NCTAT is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how we use the Personal Information that we collect and receive from you through SMS text messages. We communicate with you through a third-party Voice over IP (VOIP) phone system that allows us to send SMS text messages to your mobile phone. We may send SMS text messages to your mobile phone from time to time to contact you regarding your participation in NCTAT training and educational programs.
Personal Information is information that individually identifies you, such as your mobile phone number and any other personally identifying information that you choose to include in messages that you send to NCTAT.
NCTAT reserves the right to modify or change this Policy or the third-party system we use to send SMS text messages at any time with or without prior notice to you. This Policy and any changes are current as of the date they are posted on the NCTAT website. Your continued use of SMS text messages to communicate with NCTAT means that you accept the current Policy.
What Personal Information does NCTAT collect about you?
When you send a text message to us, we receive your mobile phone number, the text of the message that you send to us, any user or screen name associated with that message or service used to send the message, and any comments for feedback that you send to us about the use of SMS messages.
Remember that NCTAT will never ask you for your bank, credit card, or other personal financial information in a text message. If you receive such a message, please report it to NCTAT immediately as suspected fraud.
How does NCTAT use this Personal Information?
We use Personal Information to send messages to you regarding NCTAT programs you are participating in, to respond to your inquiries to us, to improve our use of SMS messages, and to contact you with important announcements or messages.
Each message that you send to us is stored on the server of our VOIP phone system, 8x8, which is owned by a third party.
Does NCTAT disclose my Personal Information?
We will not rent or sell your Personal Information to other companies or individuals unless you give us your consent to do so.
We may use or disclose your Personal Information in any of the following limited circumstances:
- You give us your consent
- We provide the information to a trusted business or person for the sole purpose of processing or storing the Personal Information on our behalf. When we do this, we require those trusted third parties to comply with this Policy and maintain appropriate confidentiality and security measures.
- We must respond to a subpoena, court order, or other legal process or establish or exercise our legal rights, the legal rights of others, or defend against legal claims.
- We believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, threats or potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of NCTAT’s rules or procedures, or as otherwise required by law.
- If NCTAT merges with another program or organization, we may share your Personal Information with that program or organization.
We may share aggregated information with others without notice. For example, NCTAT may share with its governing Board of Trustees how many text messages it sends or receives in a given week.
What steps does NCTAT take to ensure the security of my Personal Information?
NCTAT takes precautions to ensure that your Personal Information is safe, including ensuring that third-party service providers protect your Personal Information. However, we cannot guarantee that hackers or unauthorized individuals will not gain access to your Personal Information without your consent despite these efforts. If you send a SMS message to NCTAT, you should be aware that the information you send will travel through third-party infrastructure that is not under NCTAT’s control, such as a third-party SMS delivery platform or your mobile phone carrier’s network.
This Policy does not apply to information that you transmit to other users. NCTAT cannot protect information that you transmit to other users. You should never transmit personal or identifying information to other users.
Opting in
A mobile phone user can opt in by filling out a paper form that includes their mobile phone number, completing an online registration form, sending a SMS text message to NCTAT, entering a phone number online, or speaking to a representative of NCTAT.
Opting out
NCTAT’s third-party service provider gives you the ability to opt out of receiving text messages for any reason. You can opt out by texting “STOP” to any message sent to you by NCTAT.
We reserve the right to send you certain communications related to your participation in NCTAT’s educational programs without offering you the opportunity to opt out.
Children
Our SMS text messaging service is not intended for children under 13. NCTAT does not knowingly collect information from children under 13.
Children aged 13 or older should not submit any Personal Information without the permission of their parents or guardians. By communicating with NCTAT through SMS text messages , you are representing that you are at least 18, or that you are at least 13 years old and have your parents’ permission to use the service.
Intended audience
The intended audience is current, former, and past participants in NCTAT’s training and educational programs who are residents of the United States only.
Questions or concerns?
If you have any additional questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please feel free to contact us at any time by texting “HELP” in response to any message sent to you by NCTAT, texting your question to 916-378-8998 or 916-378-6015, or contacting the Executive Director by phone or email.