Privacy Policy

This notice (“Privacy Policy”) describes our privacy policy, and governs your use of the USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive® website (the “Website”), and other websites, online locations and apps for the Visual History Archive, including all content, information and functionality available through them, which are collectively referred to in this Privacy Policy as the “Sites,” or individually as a “Site”.

Our Privacy Policy is designed to advise you about how we collect, use, and protect the personal information you provide. By visiting or using any Site, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

The University of Southern California (“USC”), the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the USC Shoah Foundation, and their officers, agents, employees, and representatives are collectively referred to herein as “we”, “us”, or “our”.

Information Collected and Use of Data

Information You Provide to Us: We collect any information you enter on our Site, or that you give us in any other way, including when you register or set up an account for the Sites, create content to share through the Sites, send email or correspondence to us, participate in online surveys, or post comments on or through the Sites. This might include your name, address, email, your role (e.g., a student or a teacher), your school or institutional affiliation, and other identifying information you provide. You can choose not to provide certain information, but that may limit or prevent you from taking advantage of our services and features.
Automatic Information and “Cookies”: We may use “cookies” or other technologies to collect certain information when you visit the Sites or interact with emails. Cookies are alphanumeric identifiers that are transferred either to your computer’s hard drive (“long-term cookies”) or temporarily to your computer’s Random Access Memory (“session cookies”). A cookie cannot read data off your computer hard disk nor can it read cookies files created by other Web sites. We use cookies to make visiting and using our site easier. It is used to notify the site when you return. We use cookies to continuously improve our site. By knowing how often you visit our site and what information is most interesting to you, we may be able to create content that might better serve our visitor’s needs or more useful to our visitors. We only use long-term cookies to enable us to measure return visits to the Sites. These cookies contain no personal information and will only be used in aggregate form. You may refuse to accept long-term cookies by adjusting your browser preferences. When you visit a Site, session cookies may be stored that last only as long as your session on the Sites. They expire when your session ends and are not written onto your computer’s hard drive. For example, we will use a session cookie once you login as a registered user in order to unlock certain features or permit access to certain pages or servers. As with long-term cookies, no personal information is stored in session cookies. You can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, some website features or services may not function properly without cookies. Like many other sites, we may automatically collect certain information from you, such as:

Your internet protocol (“IP”) address
The types of browser and operating systems used to access our site
Device identifier
Device model
Software version
Mobile or ISP carrier information
Origin and site navigation of website visitors
The domain name from which you accessed the Sites
Times and dates you access the Sites
The areas or pages of the Sites that you visit
The amount of time you spend using the Sites
The number of times you return to the Sites
Whether you open, forward, or click-through emails
Search and index terms and parameters used in the text or index search boxes

Tracking Options and California Do Not Track Disclosures. You may adjust your browser or operating system settings to limit this tracking or to decline cookies; however, if you do so, you may be unable to access certain areas of the Sites. Check the “help” menu of your browser or operating system to learn how to change your tracking settings or cookie preferences. On your mobile device, you may be able to adjust your privacy and advertising settings to limit your tracking for advertising or control whether you receive more relevant advertising. Note that our systems may not recognize Do Not Track headers or requests from some or all browsers.

How and When the Information is Used

The information we collect either through information you provide to us or information automatically collected through the use of cookies or other technologies (collectively, “Personal Data”) is used to administer our Sites and to provide our educational or informational services. We may use the information to:

Notify you about changes to our Website
Notify you about services or resources available through the Sites
Help us create content that might better serve our visitor’s needs
Respond to your message or request
Provide you the requested service
Allow you to select or change user preferences
Send you surveys
Make decisions about how to better make the website suit your needs
Personalize the content you see based on the activities and choices you have made

If you decide to give us personal information on our website, by phone, or by mail, you may be contacted by us with the option to receive mail or e-mail. For example, if you do one of the activities on our Website, such as post a comment, you may be given the option to subscribe to our e-newsletters, which you may choose to decline.

We also enable users to participate in public forums such as message boards. Please remember that any information (comments, photos, sounds) posted on these areas becomes public information. If you use the chat function within this website and disclose personally identifiable information, you should be aware that such information could be read, collected or used by other users. We are not responsible for the personally identifiable information you choose to submit through the chat function. Please exercise caution when deciding to disclose personal information.

How We Protect Your Information

The privacy and protection of your information is important to us. We do not make any personal information available to third parties without your permission. Your access to some services and content is password protected. We advise that you do not disclose your password to anyone. In addition, we recommend you sign out of password-protected services at the end of your session.

Who Has Access to Your Personal Data

Only authorized USC staff will view or have access to your Personal Data. We may disclose Personal Data to third-party service providers who are contracted by us to facilitate services such as responding to your service requests, sending e-newsletters, conducting surveys responding to your surveys, or other similar functions. Our third-party service providers have access to your Personal Data solely for the purpose of providing services to you on our behalf, and they are contractually prohibited from sharing your Personal Data with other third parties. We may provide you with the option to opt out of us sharing your Personal Data with some of the third-party service providers.

We may disclose Personal Data to third-party entities at your request when authorized by law. We may also disclose Personal Data to third parties for law enforcement purposes or other purposes as may be specifically required by law.

Except for sharing information with third-party service providers who are contracted service providers, we do not give, share, or sell any personal information to a third party unless required by law.

By visiting or using any Site, you permit us to share Personal Data with our contracted, third-party service providers, except in those instances in which we have provided you with the option to opt out and you have elected to opt out.

Links to Other Sites

The Sites may contain links to other sites. While we make efforts to choose our links carefully, we cannot take responsibility for the content or privacy policy of linked websites. References to third-party products, services, or organizations do not imply our endorsement of such products, services, or organizations. If you decide to access any sites linked through or from our Sites, you do so entirely at your own risk, and we are not responsible for the privacy or security practices of such other sites, and such other sites may contain commercial advertising. Use of third-party sites may also be subject to terms and conditions of use for their sites and their privacy policy, and we encourage you to review their terms of use and privacy policies before using their sites.

Consent

By using our Sites, you consent to the collection and use of your Personal Data as described in this Privacy Policy.

Terms of Use

You must agree to the Terms of Use, which is available at Terms and conditions, together with this Privacy Policy and any other policy or guidelines incorporated into your Agreement for your access to and use of the Sites, before you access, browse or use the Sites.

If you do not agree to the terms set forth in the Agreement, you may not use or access the Sites or any content. By using or accessing the Sites, registering to create an online account on a Site, or clicking that you accept or agree to these terms if presented with the option to do so, you acknowledge that you have read, understand, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy, the Terms of Use, and any other policy or guidelines incorporated into the Agreement by reference.

Modifications or Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify or change the terms of this Privacy Policy notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our web site. Any such modifications are effective immediately when posted. Each use of the Sites by you constitutes your unconditional acceptance of the then-current versions of the Privacy Policy at the time of your use. You are encouraged to periodically review this Privacy Policy, to stay informed of any updates or changes.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about these polices, or our data collection practices, please send them to vhahelp@usc.edu or by mail to USC Shoah Foundation, 650 West 35th Street, Suite 401, Los Angeles, CA 90089. We hope you join with us in our growing online community. Our success is made possible through your continuing online participation.