PRIVACY POLICY
Additional Information
HCU.org Privacy Policy
Thank you for visiting Hyperbaric Consumer Union. This Union is committed to protecting your privacy and maintaining your trust. This Privacy Policy describes the ways in which HCU protects your privacy and applies to all interactions you may have with HCU, including online on one of HCU’s various websites* (the “HCU Websites” or the “Websites”), via your mobile device, when using HCU Passport, in person, by phone, or in any other medium now known or hereafter created (collectively, “HCU”). HCU protects your privacy by adhering to a strict privacy policy. The information gathered by HCU falls into two categories: (1) personally identifiable information that you voluntarily supply, such as your name, address, phone number, email address, credit card information, or other information that can identify you personally; and (2) tracking information that does not identify you personally and that is routinely gathered as online visitors navigate through the HCU Websites, such as your computer’s IP address and browser or computer platform information.
This Policy will first describe the methods by which HCU may collect your voluntarily supplied, personally identifiable information. Next, this Policy explains how HCU uses your personally identifiable information and how you may opt out of such uses by HCU. Thereafter this Policy addresses the privacy of children who interact with HCU. And finally, your acceptance of this Policy is addressed.
1. Voluntarily Supplied Information:
You may visit the Websites, enjoy HCU’s television and radio broadcasts, and participate at some HCU events without voluntarily supplying any personally identifiable information about yourself. The Websites do not collect any personally identifiable information about you unless you voluntarily provide that information. To make use of certain features on the Websites, such as Contact Us forms, subscribing to various newsletters, or supporting HCU with a monetary donation made online, you will need to provide your personally identifiable information. For some interactions with HCU, for example, to participate in some HCU in-person events or to make a monetary donation to HCU by phone or by mail, you may also need to provide your personally identifiable information. The information you supply will help us to offer you more personalized features and to tailor our Websites to your interests and make them more useful to you. Supplying such information is entirely voluntary. If you don't supply the information, however, we may be unable to provide you with services and opportunities for participation and engagement with HCU that are available to others. The following provides additional detail on some of the forums in which HCU may collect your personally identifiable information.
A. EMAIL AND EMAIL NEWSLETTERS
HCU may collect personal information from you in connection with your subscription to HCU’s email lists and email newsletters. Subscribing to email lists or email newsletters is voluntary and optional, but you must provide some personally identifying information, such as your email address, to participate in this HCU service. Your personally identifiable information will be used for the purposes of your participation in the email service for which you are subscribing. Additionally, unless you opt out by clicking the links to unsubscribe or manage your email preferences which appear at the bottom of every HCU email, HCU may contact you via email to alert you to new HCU services that may be of interest to you.
B. HCU DONORS
Most of HCU’s Websites ** offer users the opportunity to make a donation in support of HCU, or a particular project of HCU. You may also make a donation to HCU by phone or by mail. To make a donation you must provide personally identifiable information including, but not limited to, your name, address, credit card number or information for another payment method. To provide the highest level of security possible to protect your personally identifiable information, HCU may hire trusted third parties to process your donations. We require these select third parties to hold your personally identifiable information in strict confidence. The third parties with whom HCU works are selected for their high security standards, and understanding of HCU’s expectation that they will treat your personally identifiable information confidentially and responsibly. When making an online donation, you will know that you have left a HCU Website and have entered the website of a trusted third party by looking at the URL in the location bar on your browser window.
C. FORUMS, FEEDBACK, AND OTHER SUBMISSIONS
The HCU Websites may offer you various opportunities to interact with HCU or other Website visitors, such as with online forums, bulletin boards, feedback forms, surveys, or contests. HCU may require that you submit select personally identifiable information to participate in these opportunities for interaction. For example, you must complete a free registration process, which requires select personally identifiable information, to participate in online forums. Your participation and submission of personally identifiable information in connection with your participation will always be optional, however, if you choose not to provide your personally identifiable information, you may not be eligible to participate in these activities.
D. HCU PASSPORT SERVICE
If you are viewing on-demand video on HCU’s Websites via the HCU Passport service or player, you have agreed that PBS may collect your viewing and usage information and that PBS may share this information with HCU. Your individual and usage viewing information will only be shared with HCU, but PBS may share anonymized aggregate viewing and usage information with its member stations and service providers, as well as HCU. PBS’s collection, storage, and use of Passport information is subject to PBS’s Terms and Conditions and PBS’s Privacy Policy.
2. How HCU Uses Your Information
HCU uses your information, both personally identifiable and non-personally identifiable, to provide you with a requested service, improve your experience while visiting our Websites and to improve HCU’s communication with you outside of the HCU Websites. HCU also analyzes the information we collect for the overall aggregate trends such information reveals about our site visitors.
HCU may also share some of your information, both personally identifiable and non-personally identifiable, with third parties for advertising purposes. For example, HCU may share your information with Facebook, or another online forum, so that HCU may make use of various advertising capabilities and provide you with relevant advertisements for HCU when you visit other websites. HCU may also share your personally identifiable information with third parties, such as Google, so that HCU may use demographic information to help HCU improve our marketing and communication with our community. Finally, unless you instruct us otherwise, HCU may exchange your name and mailing address with other organizations that may interest you.*** HCU will not sell, rent or share your email address with a third party.
HCU or HCU’s trusted third parties, may also release your personally identifiable information if we believe in good faith that the law or legal process requires it, we have received a valid administrative request from a law enforcement agency, or such release is necessary to protect a person’s rights, property, or safety.
3. Opting Out of HCU’s Information Sharing
You may opt out of any sharing of your personally identifiable information by HCU at any time by writing to us at: HCU Member Services, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. You may also contact us via email patient@Hbotinfo.org, or by phone: (310) 344-4316.
4. Privacy of Children
HCU is very proud to provide high-quality children’s television programming and Web content. Working to maintain the privacy of the many children who make use of HCU’s services is of the utmost importance. HCU’s policy is not to collect personally identifiable information of children. Some of the HCU Websites do allow children to participate in Website activities. For example, LD Online provides the opportunity to submit children’s drawings or writings for publication to the site. Parents may request the removal of any work submitted by their child. The HCU Websites do not collect more information from children than is reasonably necessary for the child to participate in activities, and HCU discards children’s information once the activity is complete. HCU will not entice children, by the prospect of a special game, prize or other activity, to provide more information than is necessary to participate in an activity. HCU also will not share any personally identifiable information about children with third parties. For more information about the privacy of children please see the Children’s Privacy Policy.
5. About Cookies
To improve our Websites and your experience using our Websites, HCU uses a standard technological feature called a “cookie” which helps HCU to collect non-personally identifiable information, such as your computer’s IP address and browser or computer platform information. At no time will the cookie identify you or supply your personal information to HCU without your permission. Our online advertisers and trusted third parties may also use cookies to track users’ experiences on their own web pages, a process that we don't control. You can set your browser to refuse cookies, to alert you when cookies are used by a website you visit, or to delete the cookies stored on your computer. You do not need to have cookies enabled to use the HCU Websites, however, some features on the Websites will not function properly if you refuse cookies.
6. Third Party Website Providers
To make our site more valuable to our visitors, we offer some features in conjunction with other providers, for example links to other websites not managed by HCU. You’ll know that you are no longer on a HCU Website by checking the URL in the location bar on your browser window. Websites that are not managed by HCU are not governed by this Privacy Policy, but rather by the policy of the site you’re visiting.
7. Acceptance of this Privacy Policy
By using this site, you, or your parent or guardian if you are a minor child, signify your agreement to the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, please do not use this site. We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this policy at any time. Please check this page periodically for changes. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Terms & Conditions
The opinions and conclusions expressed on this site are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Hyperbaric Consumer Union (HCU). Furthermore, any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA).
HCU provides lists of books, resources, and links to other websites for the user's convenience. Listing of materials and resources on this website should not be cons trued or interpreted as an endorsement by HCU. The inclusion of links is not intended to endorse any views expressed on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites. HCU does not control or guarantee the quality of this outside information.
The following rules govern the use by you of HCU, a project of the Hyperbaric Consumer Union, Inc. The rules set forth herein apply to all materials, online communications, and other information that is or becomes available on HCU (collectively, "Information"). BY SIGNING ON AND USING HCU, YOU SPECIFICALLY AGREE TO ABIDE BY THESE RULES AND ANY MODIFICATIONS THERETO.
The contents of HBOTINFO.ORG (the “Web Site”), such as text, graphics, images, information obtained from the Web Site’s licensors and/or consultants, and other material contained on the Web Site (collectively, the “Content”) are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for medical, legal, or other professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Specifically, with regards to medical issues, always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Web Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. The Web Site does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Web Site. Reliance on any information provided by the Web Site or by employees, volunteers or contractors or others associated with the Web Site and/or other visitors to the Web Site is solely at your own risk.
1. Personal Uses Permitted
No material from HCU or any website owned, operated, licensed, or controlled by HCU may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way, except that you may download one copy of the materials on any single computer for your personal, non-commercial home use only, provided you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices. Modification of the materials or use of the materials for any other purpose, WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF HCU, is a violation of HCU's copyright and other proprietary rights. For purposes of this Agreement, the use of any such material on any other website or networked computer environment is prohibited. All trademarks, service-marks, and trade names are proprietary to the Hyperbaric Consumer Union Inc. (A Non-Profit Organization and its partners)
2. User's Obligation to Abide By Applicable Law
In connection with the use of HCU, you shall abide by all applicable federal, state, or local laws, including those to such areas as libel, slander, defamation, trade libel, product disparagement, harassment, invasion of privacy, tort, obscenity, indecency, and copyright or trademark infringement ("Applicable Law"). The Information available on HCU may include intellectual property that is protected under the copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws of the United States and/or other countries ("Intellectual Property Laws"). Such Intellectual Property Laws generally prohibit the unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or exhibition of all text, photographic and graphic (art and electronic) images, music, sound samplings, and other protected materials. The violation of applicable Intellectual Property Laws may give rise to civil and/or criminal penalties.
3. Disclosure of Online Communications
You are cautioned that any online communications may not be fully confidential. In addition, you should be aware that federal postal regulations do not protect electronic mail. You should be aware that some administrative personnel of HCU may, in the course of their regular duties, have access to communications for technical or operational purposes. HCU may also disclose any communications to the extent permitted or required by law.
4. Prohibition Against Rogue Programming
You shall not post, transmit, or make available in any way through HCU any software or other materials which contain a computer virus, trojan horse, timebomb, worm, or other rogue programming ("Rogue Programming"). HCU has no obligation to detect the presence of any Rogue Programming. Any downloading of software or other materials or any other use of the Information on HCU is at your risk, and you are advised to take adequate precautions to minimize any loss to your system caused by Rogue Programming, including use of anti-virus programs and proper backup of files.
5. Content of Information
You are responsible for the content of any Information you put on HBOTINFO.ORG. The HCU has no obligation to, and does not in the normal course, monitor or control any Information that is or becomes available on hbotinfo.org or hbotnow.org. The HCU group reserves the right to review any Information that is or becomes available on HCU’s site. HCU reserves the right to refuse to post or to remove any Information that is, in HCU's sole discretion, unacceptable, undesirable, or in violation of these rules. However, HCU has no obligation to exercise such reservation of rights by HCU.
6. Disclaimer of Warranties
HCU is provided on an "as is" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including without limitation warranties of title, noninfringement, or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. HCU does not warrant that any information is complete or accurate, that HCU will be uninterrupted or error free or that any information is free of rogue programming.
7. Limitation of Damages
Under no circumstances, including negligence, shall HCU be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages that may result from the use or inability to use HCU, including without limitation use of or reliance on information available on HCU interruptions, errors, defects, mistakes, omissions, deletions of files, delays in operation or transmission, nondelivery of information, disclosure of communications, or any other failure of performance.
8. Release and Indemnity
You hereby release and waive any and all claims and/or liability against HCU arising from or in connection with your use of HCU. You also agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless HCU from and against any and all claims or liability, including costs and attorney’s fees, arising from or in connection with your use of HCU or failure to abide by applicable law.
9. Modifications
These rules may be modified by HCU from time to time and such modifications will be binding on you when placed online.
10. Privacy Policy
Please also make sure to read HCU's Privacy Policy to understand the additional terms and conditions which apply to your use of our site.
