Privacy
 

The National Young Scholars Program (NYSP) is committed to providing a safe and secure web site for people of all ages. We are dedicated to safeguarding all personal information collected online and to helping our visitors learn how to exercise control over personal information while exploring the Internet. Because many visitors to this site are minors, we employ special measures to help protect their privacy while online. We do not ask that they disclose more personal information than is necessary for them to participate in a particular program. NYSP complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

To help ensure a rewarding online experience for all visitors, we provide this summary of our information practices. This privacy notice governs the collection and use of information at www.nationalyoungscholars.org.

As we continue to offer different types of content and services, we may modify our practices from time to time. However, we will treat all personal information we collect in accordance with the privacy notice in effect at the time the information is collected.

I. The Information We Collect
At NYSP, we do not collect personally identifiable information unless our visitors voluntarily provide it to us. This information is necessary for enrollment in our Program, for nominations of students and for program information requests.

When enrolling in the Program, students and/or parents will be required to provide their full name, billing and mailing addresses, e-mail address, telephone number and a credit card number. When visitors come to our site, we automatically collect some non-personally identifiable information such as the type of computer operating system (e.g., Windows '95 or Mac OS) and browser (e.g., Netscape, Internet Explorer) being used, and the domain name of the Internet service provider (e.g., America Online, Earthlink).

II. How We Use the Information
We use visitors' personal information for internal purposes only, such as enabling enrollment in our Program or sending program information via regular or electronic mail. We may also use personal information to send important program notifications or updates.

We never sell, rent, or otherwise share our visitors' personal information with third parties. We will disclose information we maintain as required by law, for example, in response to a court order or a subpoena. We also may disclose such information in response to a specific law enforcement agency's request.

We will not use or transfer personally identifiable information in ways that are materially different from the ones described above without also providing parental notification of such practices and obtaining consent for any materially different uses.

III. Cookies
NYSP uses a software technology called "cookies." Cookies are small text files that we place in visitors' computer browsers to store their preferences. Cookies themselves do not contain any personally identifiable information. Although cookies could enable us to relate a visitor's use of this web site to personal information that the visitor has provided, such as an e-mail address, we do not use cookies for this purpose. We also use cookies to determine how many visitors we have and how often they visit various sections of our site.

IV. Security
To safeguard and help prevent unauthorized access, maintain data security, and correctly use the information we collect online, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures.

We are particularly sensitive to visitors' security concerns regarding the use of credit cards to purchase products over the Internet. We use a technology that automatically encrypts credit card data while information is being transmitted over the Internet, provided that the visitor's browser supports the Secure Socket Layer protocol (SSL).

To verify the security of your connection at NYSP, check the lower right corner of your browser window after accessing the server. If you see an unbroken or a closed lock, then SSL is active and the server is secure. You may also check by looking at the URL line of your browser. When accessing a secure server, the site address will change from http to https.

V. Parental Review of Information
Parents, please contact us if you would like to do any of the following:

• access personally identifiable information that the NYSP site has collected online from your child
• correct factual errors in such information
• request to have this information deleted
• request that we no longer collect or maintain such information

Please be sure to include your e-mail address and a telephone number where we can reach you. To protect your child's privacy and security, we will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting you access to the personal information that we collect and maintain about your child.

VI. Contact Us
If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding our privacy policy and/or practices, please contact us at the following e-mail address: webmaster@nationalyoungscholars.org.

VII. A Final Note to Parents
The Internet offers a world of opportunity for students of all ages. Your guidance and involvement are essential to help ensure that your child has a safe and rewarding online experience. Your efforts to instill responsible information practices will help steer your child to age-appropriate sites and will go a long way toward ensuring that your child has enriching online experiences.