Privacy Policy

Effective May 2022

Summary

Note, this is a youth-friendly summary (the “Summary“) of our Privacy Policy, which can be found below. This Summary is not a substitute for our Privacy Policy (below), which is about how we use, and how we look after, information we have about you. By using our Services (as defined in the Privacy Policy), you agree that you have read and agree to both the Summary and the Privacy Policy, which can be found by scrolling down this page.

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TL/DR? These are the key facts:

You can always:

  • ask us for a copy of the information we have about you
  • ask us to update the information we have about you
  • ask us to delete the information we have about you

We will always:

  • follow the law on how we can keep and use the information we have about you
  • make sure our policies are up-to-date and consistent with our goal to create safe and secure online and offline experiences

We will never:

  • give the information we have about you to anyone else, unless you tell us we can, we think that doing so will protect you from harm, orthe law says we have to (e.g., to prevent a crime)
  • tell people about our work with you in a way that you can be identified, unless you have told us we can use the information you have given us to do so
  • sell you anything, unless you have told us we can

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Peer Health Exchange (“PHE,” “we,” “us” or “our“) is committed to respecting the privacy and protecting the personal information of all users (“users,” “you” or “your“), and making your online and offline experiences with us as safe and secure as possible, including PHE’s website, https://www.peerhealthexchange.org (the “Website“), our selfsea applications (including our web-based selfsea app at https://selfsea.org and our mobile-based selfsea application (the “selfsea Mobile App“)), and any and all platforms and other Internet-related, text-based or in-person services operated by PHE (collectively, the “Services“). Before using or accessing the Services, please read the following.

The Services are owned and operated by Peer Health Exchange, a nonprofit public organization. We have established this policy (the “Privacy Policy“) to outline:

  1. How, and under what circumstances, we collect Personal Information (defined below) from you, our users, via the Services;
  2. How and why we may use and disclose your Personal Information; and
  3. Your rights to the Personal Information we collect through the Services.

By accessing or using the Services, you expressly consent to our use, collection, disclosure and information-handling practices as described in this Privacy Policy and the Terms and Conditions (“Terms“). If you don’t agree to these terms, you may not use the Services.

The Services (including our selfsea applications and Website) are only designed for individuals in the United States. The Services (including our selfsea applications and Website) are not designed for, directed to, or intended to be used by individuals outside the United States, including, but not limited to, individuals in the European Economic Area (“EEA“), Switzerland or the United Kingdom. For more information, please see the section titled “International Users” below.

We hope that knowing how and why we use data will help you make an informed choice about using the Services.

Types of Personal Information We Collect and How We Collect It

In order to better provide you with Services and the best possible experience, we may collect, process, and store Personal Information about you. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Personal Information” includes, but is not limited to, name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, profile information, and any other information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could be reasonably linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer, device or household. It does not include de-identified or aggregate information, or public information lawfully available from governmental records.

PHE does not collect identifying information about you (such as your name, address, or telephone number) unless you voluntarily submit that information to us by corresponding with us or interacting with our Services. You can always decline to provide Personal Information to us – it is your choice, and you are under no obligation to provide it. However, if you decide not to provide such information, then you may not be able to access or use certain Services, or request or access certain information or materials from PHE.

Below is a list of the types of Personal Information we collect and how we collect it.

A. From Our selfsea Application Users

In our commitment to the safety of all young people who will use the selfsea app, we collect minimal Personal Information about our selfsea application users.

Our selfsea Mobile App provides a “communities” feature, which serves as a PHE-moderated discussion forum where you can find a safe place to talk about what you’re experiencing by posting anonymously in identity-centered and content-specific discussion forums using only your username and app profile. To sign-up for our selfsea Mobile App, PHE may collect your email address, preferred username, and birth month and year. This information will be used for account authentication purposes. In addition, the username you choose must not convey any information that may identify you and must be pre-approved by PHE. Once your account is verified and username approved, you may choose to share more information about yourself, such as your gender identity, race or ethnicity, and content interests that will be linked to your anonymized profile. As part of our commitment to the safety of all young people, we are committed to maintaining the anonymity of all selfsea application users. Accordingly, as set forth in our Terms and Conditions, we require you to not share your name, phone number, email address, or any other personal information on the public areas of our Website or the selfsea apps. PHE moderates posts and comments in the discussion forums of the selfsea Mobile App in accordance with the selfsea Community Agreement and reserves the right to make slight edits to each post, which may include removing any personal information. PHE also requires you to maintain the confidentiality of your username for any PHE portals, including the selfsea MobileApp. However, you acknowledge that PHE cannot guarantee your anonymity since on occasion—depending on your specific situation and circumstances, the contents of your posts, and whether you have disclosed your selfsea Mobile App username to others—someone may be able to identify you or narrow down your identity to a smaller group of app users. You should understand this risk before contributing content to the selfsea Mobile App.

To access PHE resources via our web-based app at http://selfsea.org, which does not include the “communities” feature, you may do so without creating an account. If you decide to create an account with our web-based selfsea app, PHE may collect your email address, preferred username, and birth month and year for account authentication purposes. App users can also provide optional information about themselves, including demographic information (e.g., gender, ethnicity) and content interests.

B. From Our Volunteers

When you apply to volunteer with us, we may collect Personal Information about you, including your name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, your preferred method of contact, your age, gender, ethnic and racial identity, information about your volunteer interests, information about your background and skills, and additional information about your interests or which you may choose to provide. Volunteers may also be required to consent to a background check.

C. From Job Applicants

When you apply to work with us, we may collect Personal Information about you, including your name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, information about your background, work history, education and skills, and additional information about your interests. Prospective employees may also be prompted to enter information such as confirmation of ability to work in the U.S. and/or requirement for a visa, race, age, gender identity, employment information, education information, disability status, medical information, financial information, veteran status, familial status, and information related to personal references. Prospective employees may also be required to consent to a background check.

D. From Our Donors

When you donate to PHE through our donation page either as an individual or on behalf of an institution, we may collect Personal Information about you, including your name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, donation amount, gift frequency, and credit card or bank account information. We may also collect tribute information, comments, and other information if you choose to provide it. We may collect this information via third-party vendors; as described further below, the provided data will be subject to these vendors’ privacy policies.

E. From Our Newsletter Subscribers, Event Attendees, and Social Media Pages

When you subscribe to our newsletter or register for an event, we may collect Personal Information about you, including your name, email address, and telephone number. We will use this information to provide you with updates concerning PHE or our programs, events and volunteer opportunities. We may also obtain your Personal Information, including your social media identity, posted content, and other data relating to our official social media pages or other PHE forums on the Internet (for example, if you post, Like, or otherwise interact with our Facebook page, we may process that information).

F. From Our Website and App Visitors: Cookies and Automatic Data Collection

As you navigate, use, or otherwise interact with the Services, we may use automatic data collection technologies to collect certain information about your equipment and browsing actions, including without limitation: (i) information about your computer or mobile device and Internet connection; (ii) details about your visit to the Services, including resources you use on the Services and other traffic data; and (iii) your location at the time of your visit (only to the city level). We may also use Cookies (as defined below) and other tracking technologies to collect information about your online activities.

“Cookies” are small pieces of information that a website sends to your browser while you are viewing a website. Cookies can be divided into two different types: session and persistent. Session cookies differ from persistent cookies primarily in that session cookies are temporary and expire and are typically deleted when you close your browser. Persistent cookies, in contrast, remain stored on your computer after you close your browser until they are deleted either because they expire or you delete them. PHE uses session cookies and persistent cookies in connection with providing our Services and may provide these in an anonymized form to our service providers.

PHE also uses cookies and other online tracking technologies to understand online visitor activity to help improve your experience while using our Services and for marketing purposes. For instance, we use Google Analytics to monitor site statistics and provide data on usage of our online Services. You can read more about how Google collects and aggregates this information here: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy. You can also opt out of Google Analytics here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. We may also use marketing tools from social media platforms, such as Snapchat, to provide you with advertisements about PHE services, such as the selfsea Mobile App. For example, we use a Snapchat pixel that, if you are a Snapchat user, may provide you with advertisements about PHE services when you visit the selfsea web-based app (at https://selfsea.org). More information about social media platforms’ collection and use of cookies data can be found in their respective privacy policies.

You can instruct your browser, by changing its options, to stop accepting Cookies or to prompt you before accepting a Cookie from the websites you visit; however, certain parts of the Services may function differently and not as well, and you may not be able to use some portions of our Services.

Certain mechanisms may allow you to send web browser signals, known as “Do Not Track” (“DNT“) signals, indicating your choice to disable tracking on the website. We do not respond to browser DNT signals at this time. More information about DNT signals is available at https://allaboutdnt.com. We do not track users across third-party websites and therefore do not respond to DNT signals.

How We Use Personal Information

In general, we use the information we collect in order to provide the Services to you. We may use your Personal Information to:

  • Administer and verify your selfsea application account(s);
  • Operate, maintain, enhance, provide and tailor the features, performance, and support of the Services to you;
  • Help us understand who uses the Services;
  • Respond to your requests, resolve disputes, and/or troubleshoot problems;
  • Communicate with you about the Services; To tailor advertising based on your visit to our Website;
  • Process or contact you regarding your donation;
  • Contact you regarding your job or volunteer application as part of our efforts to help match you with opportunities that may align with your skills, interests, and background;
  • Provide you with our newsletters, updates, and information about upcoming events or programs;
  • Detect security incidents and to protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity;
  • When necessary, to protect health and safety;
  • Comply with U.S., state, local and non-U.S. laws, rules and regulations; and
  • Fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it.

We may combine your Personal Information with information we receive offline, such as when you interact with PHE personnel.

With Whom We Share Personal Information

Except as otherwise stated in this Privacy Policy, we do not trade, rent, or share the Personal Information that we collect with unaffiliated third parties. We may disclose your Personal Information:

  1. to trusted third-party vendors or service providers who help us provide the Services and perform certain tasks (such as delivering e-communications, processing donations, etc.);
  2. to third parties to whom you ask or authorize us to send Personal Information by opting in;
  3. to our affiliates, in which case we will require our affiliates to honor this Privacy Policy;
  4. to an organization that merges with us, acquires us, or purchases substantially all of our assets, in which case such company may continue to process your Personal Information as set forth in this Privacy Policy; or
  5. if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to:
  6. resolve disputes, investigate problems, or enforce our Terms;
  7. comply with relevant laws, comply with subpoena requests we reasonably believe are valid, or to respond to requests from law enforcement or other government officials relating to investigations or alleged illegal activity, in which case we can (and you authorize us to) disclose Personal Information without subpoenas or warrants served on us;
  8. help you or someone else at imminent risk of death or serious harm by providing relevant information to law enforcement, emergency services, or other first responders; or
  9. protect and defend our rights or property or the rights and property of you or third parties.

If you are a young person in need of a safe place to talk, you can use our Services, including the “communities” feature of the selfsea Mobile App, and be assured that we only disclose your Personal Information (such as your selfsea username, email address, selfsea posts, and any other information that you choose to provide) under the limited circumstances described above. Unless otherwise required by law (including in response to a subpoena that we reasonably believe is valid), we will not disclose information you share while using the Services to parents or legal guardians without your consent.

We Do Not Sell Your Personal Information

We do not disclose and have not disclosed your Personal Information to any other third parties for any purpose other than those described in this Privacy Policy or unless the law requires it.

We, also, will not sell and have not sold within the past 12 months your Personal Information without affirmative authorization.

California’s “Shine the Light”

California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the “Shine The Light” law, permits California residents to annually request, free of charge, information about the Personal Information (if any) disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year. We do not share your Personal Information with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

Children’s Information

As a nonprofit organization exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, PHE is exempt from compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998. However, we take children’s privacy seriously, and encourage users and their parents to review this Privacy Policy to understand our information collection and disclosure practices.

Our Services are not directed to children and are intended for persons 13 years of age and older. PHE does not knowingly nor willingly collect, retain, use or disclose any information or documents from anyone under the age of 13. If you are under the age of 13, please do not use this Website and/or Services and do not provide us any Personal Information. If we learn that Personal Information of persons younger than 13 years of age has been collected through our Website, we will take the appropriate steps to delete this information. If you are a parent or guardian and discover that your child or a minor under the age of 13 has posted, submitted or otherwise communicated Personal Information in connection with our Services without your consent, please contact us at privacy@peerhealthexchange.org so that we may take appropriate actions to remove the Personal Information of the minor under 13 years of age from our systems.

No Professional Advice

Our Services are also not intended for anyone in need of crisis counseling or support, immediate medical services, or in the case of a life-threatening emergency. IF YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE EXPERIENCING A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, CALL YOUR DOCTOR OR 911 IMMEDIATELY, OR VISIT THE NEAREST HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM.

Please note that our Services are not intended to replace professional support. We firmly believe in the power of peer support; however, in many situations, peer support is not appropriate and should not be used as a replacement for professional support or information from a medical or mental health professional. YOUR USE OF OUR SERVICES DOES NOT CONSTITUTE MENTAL HEALTHCARE OR TREATMENT AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A THERAPIST-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP OR ANY SIMILAR PRIVILEGED RELATIONSHIP. OUR SERVICES ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL HEALTHCARE, MENTAL HEALTHCARE TREATMENT, PSYCHIATRIC CARE, OR THERAPY OF ANY KIND. Accordingly, as described in our Terms, we do not assume any liability for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages that may result from your use of our Services, including economic loss, injury, illness, or death.

Third-Party Website Links and Outside Referrals

We may refer you to another hotline or program. Please note that we have no control over and are not responsible for the collection, use, maintenance, sharing, or disclosure of data and information by such third parties. Links to non-PHE websites or third-party applications are provided only as a convenience. For referrals, we will only provide you with the contact information for the third-party hotline or program. So, it’s up to you if you want to use the referral and share your information. If you would like to receive support from other services, please note that different rules may apply to their use or disclosure of Personal Information. When you provide information on third-party sites, the privacy policy and terms of service on those sites are applicable. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of websites that you visit before submitting Personal Information. Any Personal Information you choose to give to unrelated third parties is not covered by this Privacy Policy.

Information Security

We are committed to maintaining your confidence and trust and have taken reasonable security measures designed to help protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of your Personal Information. These security measures include administrative, physical, and technical controls. For example, we use encrypted connections and enforce technical and administrative access controls to limit which of our employees have access to Personal Information.

However, please note that no organization can fully eliminate risks or guarantee the security of your Personal Information; unauthorized entry or use, hardware or software failure, and other factors may compromise the security of information about you at any time. Despite all of PHE’s security controls, the Internet is not a perfectly secure environment, and, for this reason, we do not guarantee the security of any information you provide to PHE through the Services. We therefore urge you to always use caution when transmitting information over the Internet. PHE also requires you to maintain the security and confidentiality of your username and password for any PHE portals, systems or applications.

Revisions to This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is subject to revision from time to time on a going-forward basis. Please revisit this page periodically to remain aware of any changes to this Privacy Policy. We will post any revised version of this Privacy Policy on this page. If we make any material changes to it, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you of the change. For example, we may send a message to your email address, if we have one on file, or generate a pop-up or similar notification when you access the Services for the first time after such material changes are made. Continued use of the Services following notice of such changes will indicate your acknowledgement of such changes and agreement to be bound by the terms and conditions of such changes.

International Users

The Services are operated in the United States. If you are located outside of the United States, please be aware that any information you provide will be collected in or transferred to the United States. By using the Services and/or providing us with your information, you consent to the collection and transfer of your information in or out of the United States as described in this policy.

Your Choices regarding Your Personal Information

As a non-profit organization, PHE is not subject to laws regulating for-profit entities such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). Nonetheless, we take your privacy choices very seriously. You may request that we correct, update, provide access, or delete the Personal Information you have submitted to us, or restrict or object to PHE’s processing of your data, by contacting us using any of the methods set forth in the Contact Information section below. PHE will make reasonable efforts to comply with your wishes. For users of the selfsea Mobile App, you may request to deactivate or delete your account using the app settings. If you choose to delete your selfsea Mobile App account, your account and all of the associated data will be permanently deleted. If you have signed up to receive emails from us, you may opt out of such email communications anytime by clicking “unsubscribe” at the bottom of these communications.

Contact Information

If you have questions regarding our processing of your Personal Information, or have a complaint, please submit or have your authorized representative submit a request using any of the methods set forth below.

Email: privacy@peerhealthexchange.org

Phone: (415) 684-1240

Submit a request online using the following online form:

https://www.peerhealthexchange.org/about-us/contact-us