PRIVACY POLICY
CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN is highly sensitive to the privacy interests of others and believes that the protection of those interests is one of its most significant responsibilities. In acknowledgment of its obligations, it has adopted the following Privacy Policy applicable to information that it acquires in the course of its business:
Acquisition of Information. We do not acquire any more information about Site visitors than is required by law or is otherwise necessary to provide a high level of service efficiently and securely or than is acquired by the host of the Site. Information regarding visitors to the Site is not provided to anyone outside CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, without prior written approval from the visitors. If We ask for Your email address or personal information to provide other services to You, or to supply You with direct, ongoing information, We will maintain that information in a safe and secure server at Our ISP only for Our own internal use.
Disclosure to Third Parties. Other than as detailed herein, We will provide individually‑identifiable information about Site visitors to third parties only if We are compelled to do so by order of a duly‑empowered governmental authority (including, but not limited to, a court order) or to comply with laws or regulations or in order to provide services You request. In these circumstances, Your information may be divulged without Your consent.
Privacy and Business Partners. We do work with certain business partners (e.g., Southern Illinois University - Carbondale). We will not share with them any more user information than is necessary; and We will make every reasonable effort to assure, by contract or otherwise, that they use Our Site in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy.Â
Cookies. We may use "Cookies." Cookies are pieces of information that a website transfers to Your computer hard drive. Cookies can identify a particular computer, but not an individual user.
While We may not use all these categories, cookies may be of the following types:
1.    Strictly Necessary Cookies. These cookies enable You to browse Our Site and use features.
2.    Performance Cookies. These cookies collect information about how visitors utilize Our Site, allowing Us to improve Our Site. These cookies also let affiliates know if You came to Our Site from an affiliate and if Your visit resulted in a download of any information. No personal information is collected.
3.    Functionality Cookies. These cookies allow Our Site to remember choices You make well browsing Our Site. We may store geographic location to ensure the Site is optimized for Your area or We may store text, font or other customizable Site elements. These cookies will not collect any information that personally identifies You and will not track your browsing activity on other websites.
Access To and Control Over the Use of Your Information. You are able to access, correct or update Your personal information. You will be asked for Your ID and password so that We may be able to process Your changes. We will use reasonable efforts to correct any factual inaccuracies in Your information.
Security of Your Information. It is important that You protect Your ID and password to keep Your information confidential and to protect Your account, if any. Always be sure to log out when You are done using the Site. We also take certain steps to keep usernames and passwords confidential. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, We cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information You transmit to Us or that We transmit to You. We disclaim any and all liability for disclosure of any information obtained due to errors in transmission or the unauthorized acts of third parties as more specifically detailed in the disclaimer (above).
Linked Sites. If a hyperlinked website from Our Site exists, that other website may ask for personal information – for instance, if You are purchasing a product or service. We have no control of third parties' use of any personal information You provide. We urge You to exercise care when providing personal information to anyone.
Email Inquiry. If You send an email inquiry to Us, the return email address is used for the answer. We do not use the return email address for any other purpose and do not share it with any third party.
Protecting children's privacy is especially important to Us. It is Our policy to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and all other applicable laws. While individuals under the age of 13 may access and view Our Site; and We make every effort to ensure that pages are appropriate for Our audience, We ask that You carefully monitor Your children's activities on the Site. We believe that there is no substitute for proper parental supervision. We recommend that children ask a parent for permission before sending personal information to Us, or to anyone else online.
Verifiable consent from a child's parent or guardian is required before collecting, using or disclosing personal information from a child under the age of 13. We collect no information about You or Your child, other than that detailed in this Privacy Policy, when You visit Our Site unless You choose to provide information to Us. If We need to collect information about a child under 13 years old, the specific web page will specify exactly what information is being collected. The web page will specify exactly what the information will be used for, who will see it, and how long it will be kept.
There are several exceptions that permit collection of a child's email address without receiving parental consent in advance:
To provide the parents with notice and to seek consent for communications with the child. Note: this may require collection of the parent's email address as well.
To respond to a one-time request from a child.
To respond more than once to a child's request; i.e., subscription to a newsletter, however, parental consent is required prior to the second communication.
To protect the safety of a child who is participating on the Site; i.e., in a chat room.
To protect the Site or to respond to law enforcement; i.e., in the case of a website compromise.
Personal information about children under 13 years of age may be needed to respond to their communication to Us, such as to receive a publication. Personal information about Your child will be destroyed immediately upon completion of its intended purpose.
Finally, We provide many online tools and services in support of Our mission. A child under 13 years old may inadvertently provide personal information to one of these services. If this should happen, the information about the child will be deleted immediately as soon as We know of it.
Public Areas of Site. Please remember that any information You may disclose in any public areas of Our Site or on the internet generally becomes public information. You should exercise caution when deciding to disclose personal information in these public areas. Information disclosed in a password-protected area of the Site will only be available to other users of that protected area. You should still be cautious of disclosing confidential or protected information as We are not responsible for any misuse of Your information by other users.
Hackers. CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN's Site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under Our control. While We make every effort to ensure the integrity and security of Our network and systems, We cannot guarantee that Our security measures will prevent third-party "hackers" from illegally obtaining this information.
Contact. If You have any questions regarding Our Site or these Terms of Use, Disclaimer or Privacy Policy, please contact: CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois 60022. Email:  info@plantsofconcern.org Tel: (847) 835-5440.