Privacy Policy

1. Scope

This privacy policy (the "Privacy Policy") describes how the Asian American Bar Asssociation of Houston ("AABA") handles your personal information for the services (the "Services") on the AABA website (the "Website"). This Privacy Policy applies generally to the AABA website at www.aabahouston.com. This Privacy Policy incorporates by reference the terms of use (the "Terms Of Use") posted at www.aabahouston.com/terms_of_use.php.

By using the Website, you accept this Privacy Policy, and expressly consent to the AABA's collection, storage, use and disclosure of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. Furthermore, your continued use of the Website shall be your acceptance of any modifications made to the Privacy Policy that are posted to the Website. 

2. Collection

You can browse the Website without telling AABA who you are or revealing any personal information about yourself. However, once you give AABA your personal information and establish a user account ("User ID"), you are no longer anonymous to AABA. If you choose to provide AABA with personal information, you consent to the transfer and storage of that information to AABA's servers. 

AABA may, without limitation, collect and store the following personal information: 

• Name, email address, age, physical contact information, and (depending on the service used) sometimes financial information, such as credit card or bank account numbers;
• transactional information based on your activities on the Website (such as content you generate or that relates to your account);
• community discussions, chats, correspondence through the Website, and correspondence sent from you to AABA;
• computer sign-on data, statistics on page views, traffic to and from the Website, and ad data;
• other information, including IP address and standard web log information, and
• supplemental information from third parties.

All personal information collected by AABA shall be the proprietary property of AABA. To the extent any information collected by AABA does not become the proprietary property of AABA upon collection, by operation of law or otherwise, you hereby agree to grant to AABA, without further consideration from AABA, all right, title and interest to such information.

3. Use

The AABA's primary purpose in collecting personal information is to provide you with a safe, smooth, efficient, and customized experience. You agree that AABA may use your personal information to:

• provide the Services;
• resolve disputes, collect fees, and troubleshoot problems;
• prevent potentially prohibited or illegal activities, and enforce AABA's Terms Of Use;
• customize, measure, and improve the Services and the Website content and layout;
• tell you about targeted marketing, service updates, and promotional offers based on your communication preferences; and compare information for accuracy, and verify it with third parties; and
• other purposes.

4. AABA's Disclosure of Your Information 

AABA may disclose personal information to respond to legal requirements, enforce AABA's policies, respond to claims that a posting or other content violates the rights of others, or protect anyone's rights, property, or safety. 

AABA may also share your personal information with:

• members of AABA's organizational family to provide Services, detect and prevent potentially illegal acts and provide joint services;
• service providers under contract who help with AABA's business operations; (including without limitation, for example, fraud investigations)
• other third parties to whom you explicitly ask AABA to send your information (or about whom you are otherwise explicitly notified and consent to when using a specific service);
• law enforcement or other governmental officials, in response to a verified request relating to a criminal investigation or alleged illegal activity; (in such events AABA will disclose name, city, state, telephone number, email address, User ID history, fraud complaints, and posting history);
• agents and subcontractors of AABA under a confidentiality agreement, as AABA in AABA's sole discretion believe necessary or appropriate in connection with an investigation of fraud, intellectual property infringement, piracy, or other unlawful activity (in such events AABA will disclose name, street address, city, state, zip code, country, phone number, email, and company name); and
• other entities, should AABA plan to merge with or be acquired by that other entity (should such a combination occur, AABA will request that the new combined entity follow this privacy policy with respect to your personal information). 

5. Activity Associated with User IDs 

Your User ID is displayed throughout the Website and is therefore available to the public. Some of your activities on the Website may be traceable to your User ID. For example, other people will be able to see any information you post to the website, including, without limitation, your profile information. Notices are sent to other Website users regarding suspicious activity and policy violations on the Website and refer to User IDs and specific postings. Therefore, if you associate your name with your User ID, the people to whom you have revealed your name to will be able to personally identify your AABA activities. 

6. Using Information from AABA 

The Website enables you to share personal information in order to communicate with others. AABA encourages you to respect the privacy of other users. AABA cannot guarantee the privacy or security of your information and therefore AABA encourages you to evaluate the privacy and security policies of other users before entering into a communication and choosing to share your information. When users are directly involved in a communication, they may have access to certain personal information, including, without limitation, the other party's name, User ID, email address, and other contact information.

You agree to use other users' information only for:

• AABA communication-related purposes that are not unsolicited commercial messages;
• using Services, or
• other purposes that a user expressly chooses. 

7. Cookies 

AABA uses "cookies" (small files placed on your hard drive) on certain pages of the Website to help analyze AABA's web page flow, customize the Services, measure promotional effectiveness, and promote trust and safety. 

A few important things you should know about cookies are that:

• AABA offers certain features that are only available through the use of cookies.
• AABA uses cookies to help identify you and maintain your signed-in status.
• Most cookies are "session cookies," meaning that they are automatically deleted from your hard drive at the end of a session.
• You are always free to decline Website cookies if your browser permits, although doing so may interfere with your use of the Website.
• You may encounter cookies from third parties on certain pages of the Website that AABA does not control (for example, if you view a web page created by another user, there may be a "cookie" placed by that web page). 

8. No spam, spyware or spoofing

AABA does not tolerate spam. You are not licensed to add other AABA users, even a user who you have communicated with, to your mail list (email or physical mail) without their express consent. To report spam or spoof emails to AABA, please forward the email to webmaster@aabahouston.com. You may not use AABA's communication tools to send spam or otherwise send content that would violate the Terms Of Use. 

9. Account Protection 

Your password is the key to your account. Use unique numbers, letters, and special characters and do not disclose your AABA password to anyone. If you share your password or your personal information with others, remember that you are responsible for all actions taken in the name of your account. If you lose control of your password, you may lose substantial control over your personal information and may be subject to legally binding actions taken on your behalf. Therefore, if your password has been compromised for any reason, you should immediately notify AABA and change your password.

10. Accessing, Reviewing and Changing Your Personal Information 

You can see, review and change most of your personal information by logging into the Website. Generally, AABA will not manually modify your personal information because it is very difficult to verify your identity remotely. You must promptly update your personal information if it changes or is inaccurate. Once you make a public posting, you might not be able to change or remove it. Upon your request, AABA will close your account and remove your personal information from view as soon as reasonably possible, based on your account activity and in accordance with applicable law. AABA retains personal information from closed accounts in order to comply with law, prevent fraud, collect any fees owed, resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigations, enforce the Terms Of Use, and take other actions otherwise permitted by law.

11. Security

AABA treats data as an asset to be protected. Nevertheless, it is still possible that third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications, and other users may abuse or misuse your personal information that they collect from the Website. Therefore, AABA does not promise, and you should not expect, that your personal information or private communications will always remain private. 

12. Third Parties

Except as otherwise expressly included in this Privacy Policy, this document addresses only the use and disclosure of information AABA collects from you. If you disclose your information to others, different rules may apply to their use or disclosure of the information you disclose to them. Since AABA does not control the privacy policies of third parties, you are subject to the privacy policies of those third parties. AABA encourages you to ask questions before you disclose your personal information to others. 

13. General

AABA may amend this Privacy Policy at any time by posting the amended terms on the Website. All amended terms automatically are effective upon posting on the Website. If your questions are not answered online, you may write to AABA at: webmaster@aabahouston.com.