Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's

Privacy Policy Privacy policy | Information we collect | Information sharing and opt-out | Data security | EU law | Disclaimers

We want to share with you all the ways that we use and protect the important information you provide to us. We collect information in order to further our mission to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. When we collect information, that allows us to help you on a more personal level. We can better respond to your questions, understand your needs, and quickly provide you with relevant information. We can also compare your information with that of others to identify trends. The information below details our policy, procedures and practices, as well as how you can opt out from sharing your information with us.

What information do we collect and how do we use it?

We collect a variety of personally identifying and non-identifying data about our website users, donors, and others who interact with us.

• You may browse our website without identifying yourself or providing any personally identifiable information. However, we do record certain non-identifying site-usage data, such as your IP address, computer ID, and your number of visits to our website pages.
• When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain Non-Personally Identifiable information through the use of electronic tools like Cookies, Web beacons, Pixel tags or Log Data.
  • We use Non-Personally Identifiable Information to troubleshoot, administer our site, analyze trends, gather demographic and engagement information, enhance and customize our site, measure the effectiveness of our links, content and programming, comply with applicable law, and cooperate with law enforcement activities.
  • 'Cookies,' are alphanumeric identifiers that are transferred to your computer through your web browser. Cookies allow us to collect Non-Personally Identifiable Information from you, like which pages and applications you visited and what links you clicked on.
    • Use of this information helps us to create a more user-friendly experience for all visitors.
    • You may configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is sent.
    • We also use cookies to save you time while using the Websites, remind us who you are, and track and target user interests in order to provide a customized experience.
  • Examples of information stored include your IP address, unique device identifiers, session ids, computer or mobile device make and model, operating system, browser program and version, pages you requested and history.
  • We may use this data collected from your computer to, among other things, tailor, customize and enhance services and your online experience, as well as to help diagnose, operate and administer our site. We may also share this information with our authorized third-party service providers.
  • If you elect to donate, register for an event, or sign up for any of our publications, you will be asked to provide personal information such as your name, address, city, state, zip, phone number, and email address.
    • We may use this information to communicate with you by email, SMS (text) message, or postal mail from time to time.
    • The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation keeps all names, addresses, and all other personal information supplied by participants of our website strictly confidential.
    • The Foundation discourages sharing of personal information in public online forums. Please keep in mind, however, that whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information on message boards, through email, or in chat areas, that information may be collected and used by others.
    • We may receive confirmation via HTML code when you open an email from us, which helps us measure our reach and ensure reduce or eliminate duplicate e-mails.
    • If you no longer wish to receive e-mails from us, please unsubscribe or change your profile settings. If you receive an automated SMS message from us and would like to unsubscribe, simply follow the instructions provided within the text (this usually entails replying with the word STOP, but different campaigns may vary).
    • Children under the age of 13 should receive parental consent prior to disclosing any personal information.
  • Our site also automatically collects aggregated user information, such as the numbers and frequency of visitors to our website and their components. This data is only used in the aggregate, that is, as a statistical measure, and not in a manner that would identify you personally. We use this information to design and improve our sites, and may provide this information to partners so they can understand how often users visit different areas of our websites.

Donor privacy policy/donor information sharing and opt-out

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation will sometimes share our donor’s names and physical mailing addresses with other reputable healthcare non-profit organizations in order to maintain an active and growing donor list, which is part of our efforts to fulfill our mission. We have found this to be a very cost-effective approach to finding new donors who care about finding cures for IBD.

• We DO NOT share email addresses, phone numbers, or health-related data with any other organizations.
• Your name is only available to these organizations for a very limited time and your name and address will be grouped with other donor records from other organizations, and will not be identified in the mailing list as coming from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
• Your contact information will not be reusable by these other organizations unless you choose to respond to their initial mailing.
• To opt-out from donor mailing address list sharing with other reputable health organizations at any time, simply:
  • Email us at info@crohnscolitisfoundation.org with the request “Do Not Share” in the subject line or message (please include the physical mailing address)
  • Call us at 1-800-932-2423 to ask us to update the record.
  • Send a letter to us at: 733 3rd Avenue, Suite 510, NY, NY 10017 Attention: Donor Relations
• You may also opt-out at any time to cease receiving direct communications from the Foundation; if an individual does not opt-out, permission is deemed granted. Please call us at 1-800-932-2423 to update our records or opt out of receiving direct mail. You can also email your request to info@crohnscolitisfoundation.org. You may also opt out of emails at any time by clicking "Unsubscribe" at the bottom of any email. To stop receiving texts, respond via text at any time with the word STOP (or specified short code).

What security do we provide to protect your personal information?

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation uses multiple electronic and administrative safeguards to protect your information from unauthorized access, such as firewall technologies and Secure Socket Layer (SSL) security, (described below). Access to your account information is protected via system passwords which are changed periodically. Despite use of these safeguards, we cannot guarantee and do not represent that your information will always be secure from unauthorized access.

Do we provide a secure environment for online transactions?

All credit card information collected through online transactions are processed with SSL security, an established protocol for transmitting information via the Internet which uses server authentication and data encryption to ensure that your data is safe, secure, and available only to authorized staff members of the Foundation.

Choices under EU law

If your Personal Information is subject to the protections offered by EU law, you may:

• Access, correct, update or request deletion of your Personal Information, at any time by contacting us using the contact details provided on our site;
• Object to processing of your Personal Information, ask us to restrict processing of your Personal Information or request portability of your Personal Information;
• Withdraw your consent at any time if we have collected and process your Personal Information with your consent;

To exercise any of these rights please contact us. Please note that if you are not subject to EU law, these rights do not apply to you.

How can you contact us to review, correct, or delete your personal information?

You may view or edit your personal profile by logging in to our website at www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org, where you can also view a history of your online transactions or subscribe to our e-newsletter. In addition, you may also email us at info@crohnscolitisfoundation.org or call us at 1-800-932-2423 to review, or request deletion of, your personal information.

Disclaimer on information provided on the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation website

All articles and messages that appear in our website, including notes from physicians and other Crohn's & Colitis Foundation designated participants, are provided for general information purposes only. They do not represent individual medical advice, counsel concerning individual treatments or medical care, referrals to healthcare professionals, or any other recommendations. You should not rely on any information on these pages to replace consultations with your doctor and other qualified healthcare professionals regarding your individual health needs. Statements or opinions expressed by physicians and other independent authors reflect the views of each such individual and do not necessarily reflect the views or any official policy of the Foundation.

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation makes every effort to provide accurate and up-to-date information. However, the Foundation expressly disclaims all responsibility and liability arising from your use of or reliance on this website or for the information contained therein as a reference source, and for any advice or other guidance or information provided by any health care provider contributing to this site.

Except where otherwise noted, all information on the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation website, including its design and organization, is copyrighted by the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. This material is for personal use only. Permission to otherwise reprint or electronically reproduce any document in whole or in part is expressly prohibited, unless prior written consent is obtained from the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

The Foundation's website also contains information copyrighted and owned by entities and individuals other than the Foundation. This information is for personal use only. Permission to otherwise reprint or electronically reproduce any document in whole or in part is expressly prohibited, unless prior written consent is obtained from the owner.

The Foundation's website also contains third party information. Whenever possible, such information is marked with the name of the source and does not necessarily represent the opinion of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. We do not take any responsibility whatsoever for such third party information.

The Foundation's website also contains links to other Internet sites. The Foundation does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the Internet sites to which it provides links, nor is the organization responsible for the information they contain. The content of these linked sites are the sole responsibility of such sites and their contributing authors. The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation does not intend links to other sites to be referrals or endorsements of the linked entities, but rather provides such links for convenience only.

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation maintains the right to modify this privacy policy at any time by electronic notice posted on our website. Your continued use of our website after the date that such notice is posted will be deemed to be your agreement to the changed terms.