Our Privacy Policy explains why we collect particular information through our website and how we work to protect your personal privacy while you explore our digital resources. Many people ask whether simply visiting our Site can be cause for concerns about privacy and security. Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS) is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization. Our visitors span the spectrum from veterans, active duty military, families, psychedelic and medical marijuana users, scientists, law enforcement, educators, researchers, doctors, therapists, patients, and students. VETS is a strong supporter of individual privacy and we do everything we can to safeguard information about our visitors and contributors.
In order to fully understand your rights, we encourage you to read this Privacy Policy. VETS reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time simply by updating this page. Any such change will be effective immediately upon posting, unless otherwise stated. If we make material changes to the way we collect or process personal data, we will send a notice via email, or post an update on pages that are directly impacted by the change.
To demonstrate our commitment to your privacy, this Privacy Policy notifies you of:
What personally identifiable information is collected through the Site; How such information is used; With whom your information may be shared; What security procedures are in place to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of information under our control; How you can correct any inaccuracies in your information, and request to be forgotten.
Questions regarding this statement should be directed to VETS by sending an email to info@vetsolutions.org. Please reference this Privacy Policy in your subject line. Information We Collect and How We Use It
Our online forms ask users to give us contact information that may include name, email address, format preference (HTML vs. text), address, interests, and similar information. We do not request or store sensitive information from our visitors, such as credit card or social security numbers. To protect your privacy, we will never send you mail with the word “psychedelic” or “psychedelics” on the outside of the envelope.
Internet Protocol (IP) Address
We collect an Internet Protocol (IP) address from all visitors to our Site. An IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when you use the Internet. We use IP addresses to help diagnose problems with our server, administer our Site, analyze trends, gather broad demographic information for aggregate use to help us to improve the site, and deliver customized, personalized content. IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information.
As with almost all websites, temporary log files are kept which identify some information about our visitors, including the IP addresses of machines that access the site. Our Web logs are not available to the public. These logs allow Site administrators to see how many people visit the Site, how many pages have been accessed, which pages are accessed most frequently, and which links are leading people to the site.
Standard logs (including ours) also track which pages are visited by each IP address. This information is important for us to have because it allows us to catch “denial of service” attacks (for example, individual computers accessing hundreds of thousands of pages per day). We take great care to make sure this information cannot be used to compromise the privacy and security of our visitors.
Use of “Cookies”
Our Site may use “cookies” to enhance your experience while using our Site. Cookies are pieces of information that some Web sites transfer to the computer that is browsing that Web site and are used for record-keeping purposes at many Web sites. Use of cookies makes Web-surfing easier by performing certain functions such as saving your passwords, your personal preferences regarding your use of the particular Web site and to make sure you don’t see the same ad repeatedly. The use of cookies is an industry standard.
Your browser is probably set to accept cookies. If you would prefer not to receive cookies, you can alter the configuration of your browser to refuse cookies. If you choose to have your browser refuse cookies, it is possible that some areas of our Site will not function properly when you view them.
Third Party Providers
VETS uses a number of third-party providers to host our website and constituent database, process donations, sell event tickets and merchandise, and manage our communications. We may share information from or about you with these third party providers so that they can perform their services or complete your requests. All shared data is transferred and stored securely, in accordance with the privacy policies of each provider. We endeavor to work with providers with privacy standards that match our own, but in some cases, third-party providers collect more information on you than VETS does, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies.
Analytics and Tracking
VETS uses Google Analytics in order to gain insights into how our website is being used and to provide more relevant information to our visitors. IP anonymization is a requirement of GDPR, and we encourage all of our supporters to learn more about Google Analytics. Google has also provided a tool for opting out of Google Analytics that can be installed on all major browsers.
Removal of Identifying Information
If you have previously submitted information to our Site and would like to have your name or contact information removed from the submission, please email info@vetsolutions.org. Our public digital archives include several independent collections of information. Some of these archives may display names or contact information without the permission of the author. We are happy to anonymize submissions, though we will need to verify that you are the original submitter. We are also happy to delete your information from our database, in accordance with the “right to be forgotten.”
Security
All information provided to the Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS) is transmitted using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption. SSL is a proven coding system that lets your browser automatically encrypt, or scramble, data before you send it to us. We also protect account information by placing it on a secure portion of our Site that is only accessible by certain qualified employees of VETS. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of such information.
Other Web Sites
Our Site contains links to other Web sites. Please note that when you click on one of these links, you are entering another Web site for which Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS) has no responsibility. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on all such sites as their policies may be different than ours.
Online Store and Donor Privacy Policy
VETS respects the privacy of all its donors. We believe in safeguarding personal information and ensuring that donor privacy is protected. Your name, address, and any other personal data you provide will be used only by VETS to keep you informed of our activities including our programs, special events, and funding needs.
Information Collected
Here are the types of donor information that we collect and maintain:
Contact information: name, organization/company (if applicable), complete address, phone number, and email address. Payment information: credit card number and expiration date, and billing information needed to complete transactions (no credit card numbers are retained by VETS). Gift designation information by program, fund, or event, as provided by donor at time of gift. Information you have shared, such as general feedback, comments, or questions. Requests to receive periodic updates via our online e-newsletters or through printed VETS publications.
We may publish donor names in our Annual Report and e-newsletters to recognize donor support and both are available for viewing online. We honor requests from donors who prefer to give anonymously and safeguard such preferences along with stored donor contact information.
Our website contains links to third-party websites. If you use these links, you will leave our sites. VETS is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites.
Our Commitment to Donor Privacy
VETS will not sell, rent, or lease your personal information to other organizations. Donor information is maintained in a secured database; only authorized personnel have access to this information, and only for appropriate business purposes. Credit card numbers submitted to process gifts or transactions are not retained by VETS. Credit card numbers are retained by our payment processor to process recurring credit card donations (e.g. monthly, quarterly, or yearly donations). However, stored credit card numbers are not readily accessible to VETS, and are totally inaccessible to any third parties. If at any time you choose not to receive VETS communications, you may contact us at info@vetsolutions.org and we will gladly remove your name from our mailing list. We encourage you to contact us with any questions or suggestions you may have regarding our Privacy Policy.
Authorized Release of Information VETS may be legally required to disclose information to the IRS in the case of an audit. VETS complies with all applicable legal requirements and standards.
Contacting Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this Site, or your dealings with this Site, you can contact:
Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS) P.O. Box 92040 Southlake, TX 76092
You can also send an email to info@vetsolutions.org.