Privacy Policy
Overview
The Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA) values and respects your individual privacy and is committed to protecting it. This Privacy Policy explains how the SMSNA collects, uses and safeguards information collected through its website www.smsna.org, hereafter referred to as the ‘Site’.
Defined Terms
For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, the following terms are defined:
- Personally Identifiable Information – any and all information identifying you personally, such as your name, address, telephone number(s), email address, or company name.
- Non-Personally Identifiable Information – information that does NOT identify you personally. This may include technical or demographic information, such as your IP address, the browser you used to access the Site, date and time of visit, the URL of the page being loaded, other website(s) visited, any previously assigned cookie identification (a unique identifier assigned to a user to identify repeat visitors), browser window size, your geographic location and device or operating system used to access the Site. To capture non-personally identifiable information, we use cookies.
- Cookies– A "cookie" is a small text file that web servers typically send to a user's computer when they visit a website. Cookies are stored as text files on user's hard drive and can be accessed by web servers when the user visits a Site or views an advertisement. A session cookie is a cookie that stores information as a user is using the Site but is deleted once the browser session is finished. A persistent cookie is a cookie that stores information as a user utilizes the Site and stores and uses that information in connection with future visits of the user to the Site. Third-party cookies are cookies provided by our advertising partners or e.g. social media platforms. Any third-party cookie that we authorize for use on the Site only collects that information described below for the same stated purposes as if we were directly collecting the information. For a third-party cookie, the third-party will have access to the collected information in order to provide us with information or services to enhance the performance and functionality of the Site.
- If you prefer not to accept cookies, you can set your Internet browser to notify you when you receive a cookie or to prevent cookies from being placed on your hard drive. If you consent to our collection of cookies and you subsequently wish to withdraw your consent, you will need to manage the settings on your web browser to delete all cookies and disallow further acceptance of cookies. Please note that disabling cookies on your browser will prevent us from tracking your activities in relations to our Site, however, it may also disable some of the functions and features of the Site and the Site may not work properly. If you do not wish to accept cookies in connection with your use of this Site, please discontinue use of the Site. By continuing to use our Site, you are agreeing to our placing cookies on your computer in order to analyze the way you use our Site.
Information Collection
When you browse www.smsna.org and do not interact with the site for any online service or product from the SMSNA, you browse anonymously. Personally identifiable information is not collected as you browse.
When you choose to interact with our site (i.e., become a member, register for a meeting, make a donation to the SMSNA Foundation), we will collect certain personally identifiable information from you. The type of information collected will be determined based on the type of product or service you seek, but may include your name, address, phone number, billing and delivery information, email address or other demographic information.
Information Use
Once collected, we may use your personally- and non-personally identifiable information for the following purposes:
- Register you or complete a transaction for programs and services you have requested
- Deliver services, such as information, newsletters or other content that may be relevant to your association with the SMSNA
- Alert you to special offers, promotions, updated information and other new services from the SMSNA and other SMSNA approved third parties including societies we are related to (AUA, ISSM) and organizations with which we collaborate.
- Allow you access to “members only” areas of the Site
- Answer your emails or online requests
- Measure the success of any promotional placement we run on the Site so that we may better match your interests and preferences to any ads or offers we have available
Except as described in this Privacy Policy or at the time we request the information, we do not otherwise use, share or disclose the personally identifiable information of EU Citizens to any third parties.
SMSNA adheres to the GDPR for all EU Citizens. This allows for the “right to rectification” and the “right to erasure (right to be forgotten)”. GDPR compliance is managed using the following procedures:
SMSNA invites EU citizens to opt-in to commercial or promotional electronic mailings. Electronic email will not be sent to any EU citizen that has not actively granted permission to do so.
You have the right to access, review, update, correct, or delete the personal information held about you. In some circumstances you may also have the right to restrict or object to processing and to receive your personal information in a portable form. To initiate a request, please contact
The SMSNA sends "transactional or relational email messages," which include, but are not limited to, electronically transmitted news, informational bulletins, meetings and member-benefit announcements, and surveys. You may opt-out of a specific email list by following the "unsubscribe" instructions of any email message sent to you from the SMSNA or its component or affiliated organizations. If you are an EU citizen, you will be asked to expressly give SMSNA permission to send these types of messages. Additionally, the SMSNA will:
- Ensure it uses email and mailing lists for SMSNA operational activities. Additionally, it ensures this email policy—including unsubscribe requests or EU Citizens whom have not granted permission—is strictly enforced.
- Ensure its email promotional announcements are sent to recipients whom have an interest in the subject matter or in the case of an EU citizen, has actively approved promotional/commercial announcements be sent.
- Ensures all promotional announcements contain a marketing-specific subject line, concise promotional copy, accurate reply instructions, a link to the SMSNA’s privacy policy, and clear unsubscribe instructions.
- Honor all "unsubscribe" requests and adhere to GDRP for all EU citizens in a timely manner.
Individuals applying for membership through the website may be required to provide personally identifiable information. This information is temporarily retained in the SMSNA database until which time that are approved or not approved. If approved, the information provided by the new member is retained. If not approved for membership, any personally identifiable information will be removed from the SMSNA database.
We retain your personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the Site, newsletters, and Standard Set subscriptions to you, or as otherwise required by law. Due to inactivity we may contact you to see if you still wish us to hold your data or if we should delete it.
SMSNA member email addresses may be made available to other SMSNA members through the SMSNA Member Directory. The SMSNA does not share, rent or sell email addresses to commercial vendors.
Information Sharing
The SMSNA may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to legal requirements or comply with legal process served on the SMSNA; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of SMSNA; or (c) protect the personal safety of SMSNA personnel or members of the public in urgent circumstances.
Banner Advertising
Banner advertisements on the SMSNA's website do not collect any personally identifiable information on individual visitors. The SMSNA does collect aggregate data on visitors such as time of day and Web browser type, which may be shared with advertisers to determine their advertising effectiveness.
Information Safeguarding
User ID and Password
Aspects of the Site require the use of a user ID and password. The user ID and password enables the SMSNA to verify your identity and thereby, allows you access to member information such as your SMSNA account, CME Credit history, ISSM University, etc.
When you have finished using a secure area of the SMSNA's website, make sure you always click on the "Log Out" link which appears on every secure page. When you click on the "Log Out" link, you will be given the option to end your secure session. No further secure transactions can be conducted without re-entering your user ID and password. You should be aware, browser software often "caches" a page as you look at it, meaning some pages are saved in your computer's temporary memory. Therefore, you may find when clicking on your "Back" button it shows you a saved version of a previously viewed page. Caching in no way affects the security of your confidential user ID or password.
Links
This Site may contain links to or from other websites e.g. to our partnering organizations or other medical associations, etc. The SMSNA cannot take any responsibility for the privacy practices of other websites. This Privacy Policy applies only to the information we collect on the Site. We encourage you to read the privacy policies and any other terms of other websites you link to from the Site.
SSL Technology
The SMSNA realizes the importance of security, so we have taken steps to enhance the protection of information sent to or from the SMSNA over the Internet. We require a "secure session" be established, using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology, each time you supply or access information in one of our secure online areas. SSL technology creates a private conversation only your computer and the SMSNA systems can understand. The SSL technology encodes information as it is being sent over the Internet between your computer and systems used by SMSNA, helping to ensure the transmitted information remains confidential.
No Guarantee
No data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100 percent secure. Accordingly, and despite our efforts, the SMSNA cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, or to or from our online products or services.
To request certain information regarding the SMSNA's disclosure of personally identifiable information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes or to make such a request, please contact us:
SMSNA Executive Office
14305 Southcross Drive
Suite 100
Burnsville, MN 55306
Changes to the Privacy Policy
The SMSNA reserves the right to modify, alter, or otherwise update this Privacy Policy at any time and for any reason; however in no event will future changes to the Privacy Policy jeopardize or negate the assurances now stated in the Policy. You should visit this page from time to time to review the current terms. To assist you in knowing when the Privacy Policy was last updated, the month and year of the most recent updated Policy will appear at the bottom of this page.
Your feedback
We welcome feedback on our Privacy Policy. Please send us any comments to
Last updated: 21 June 2018
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