Privacy Policy

Palm Beach District ARES (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the site.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect information about you in a variety of ways. The information we may collect on the Site includes:

Personal Data You Provide: We collect personally identifiable information, such as your name, email address, phone number, and amateur radio call sign, that you voluntarily give to us when you fill out our contact form, membership inquiry form, or event support request form.
Automatically Collected Data: When you access the Site, our servers may automatically log “Usage Data,” which includes your IP address, browser type, operating system, the pages you view, and the dates/times of your visit. This information is used for internal analytics to help us improve the website.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To respond to your inquiries, questions, and comments.
To process and manage your application to volunteer with our organization.
To coordinate communications for public service events you have registered for or requested support for.
To send you operational updates or information about ARES activities (if you are a member).
To monitor and analyze site usage and trends to improve your experience.
To maintain the security and integrity of our Site.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

3. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not share your personal information except in the limited circumstances described below:

With Partner Agencies: For the express purpose of coordinating emergency communications or public service events, we may share necessary information (such as your name, call sign, and phone number) with our official, served agencies (e.g., American Red Cross, FEMA, Palm Beach County EOC).
With Service Providers: We may share your information with third-party vendors who perform services for us, such as website hosting.
By Law or to Protect Rights: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation or protect the safety and rights of our organization or the public.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website may use cookies to help customize the Site and improve your experience. A cookie is a small file placed on your computer.

What we use them for: We use cookies for essential site functions and for anonymous analytics (e.g., Google Analytics) to understand how our site is used.
Your choice: Most browsers are set to accept cookies by default. You can usually choose to set your browser to remove or reject cookies. Please note that if you choose to remove or reject cookies, this could affect the availability and functionality of the Site.

5. Data Security and Retention

We use reasonable administrative and technical security measures to help protect your personal information from loss, theft, misuse, and unauthorized access. However, please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable.

We will retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy or as required by law.

6. Your Data Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information under laws like the GDPR. These rights may include:

The right to access – You can request copies of your personal data.
The right to rectification – You can request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate.
The right to erasure – You can request that we delete your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to restrict or object to processing – You have the right to object to or request restrictions on our processing of your personal data.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information below.

7. Children’s Privacy (COPPA)

Our website is not directed to individuals under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.

8. Links to Other Websites

Our Site may contain links to other websites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the “Last Updated” date at the top.