Privacy Policy
AD COUNCIL PRIVACY POLICY
Last modified and effective: January 1, 2025
WELCOME!
We take your privacy seriously and we know you do too. This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes how we collect, use, and share Personal Information, your rights and choices, and other important information about how we handle your Personal Information.
SCOPE OF THIS POLICY
The Advertising Council, Inc. (“Ad Council”) operates, hosts, and manages a number of websites and related online services (collectively, “Websites”). This Policy applies to our Websites and describes, among other things, the types of information Ad Council collects, how we may collect and use the information, with whom it is shared and what rights you may have regarding such information.
Please read our Policy carefully before accessing or using the Websites. When you access or use our Websites, you acknowledge the processing described in this Policy. If you do not agree with how we will process your Personal Information (as defined below), do not access or use our Websites. Your use of our Websites is also subject to our Terms of Use.
COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT
We may collect and use information that is defined as Personal Information under applicable privacy laws (“Personal Information”). The specific categories of Personal Information we may collect are as follows:
Identity and Contact Data
We may collect information you provide such as your name, email address, mailing address, phone number and other contact information, date of birth, age range, account login details, and usernames or similar information in connection your use of our Websites or enrollment in Campaign Communications (as defined below). We may collect this information when you contact us, make a donation or pledge, download requested material on our Websites, complete questionnaires or surveys in connection with a campaign, or in connection with participating in events or promotions related to our campaigns.
Device/Network Data
We may collect information relating to your device, browser, or application, IP address, identifiers from cookies, session history and browsing metadata, pixels/beacons and related identifiers, advertising identifiers, and other data generated through software applications and browsers, including via cookies and similar technologies.
General Location Data
We may collect non-precise location data derived from IP addresses. We may also collect your zip code when you submit it to search for services, events, or services near you in relation to certain campaigns.
Biographical Data
We may collect data relating to your background, employment, or employment history in connection with an application for employment. We may also collect information about your employer and information about your profession that you submit in connection with surveys or questionnaires related to certain campaigns.
Preference Data
We may collect or create Personal Information that reflects your preferences, characteristics, inferred interests, and similar information. For example, we may collect information about the nature of the content you are interested in, your demographics, and inferences related to you or a given campaign.
Transaction Data
We may collect information about transactions you make with us through our Websites. For example, we collect financial information and payment data in connection with your donations and financial pledges.
User Content
We may collect unstructured/free-form data that may include any category of Personal Information that you provide us in free text fields on a Website form or email, or in comments, questions, suggestions or other responses that you post or submit to us.
Sensitive Personal Information
We will not intentionally collect any sensitive Personal Information (or equivalent concept under applicable law) without your explicit or express consent for one or more specified purposes unless otherwise permitted or required by applicable law.
SOURCES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We collect Personal Information from sources based on the context in which the Personal Information will be used. For example, we may collect Personal Information if you create an account, engage with a campaign, contact us, sign up for Campaign Communications (defined below), download campaign materials, make a donation or pledge, or complete a survey, questionnaire or test in connection with a campaign. In addition to the information we collect directly from you, we may also receive the categories of information described above from other sources including organizations that we partner with to build a campaign (“Sponsors”), advertising partners, internet service providers, data analytics providers, operating systems and platforms, and social media networks such as Facebook or Instagram. We, certain partners, social media companies, and authorized third parties operating on our behalf, may also create Personal Information such as aggregate data or profiles based on our observations or analysis of other Personal Information processed under this Policy.
HOW WE PROCESS PERSONAL INFORMATION
We generally collect and process Personal Information in the following contexts and for the following purposes, in addition to the general Business Purposes described below.
Our Websites
We process Identity Data, Device/Network Data, Preference Data, and General Location Data when you use our Websites. You may also be able to sign up for Campaign Communications, make donations, or create an account on our Websites (as described further below).
We process this Personal Information as necessary to operate our Websites, such as keeping you logged in, delivering pages, and the like. We also use this Personal Information to ensure the security of our Websites and other technology systems, and for certain service improvement purposes such as evaluating how users interact with and use the Websites to help understand and make improvements to the Website’s layout and navigation.
Cookies and Similar Tracking Technologies
We process Device/Network Data, Contact Data, Identity Data, Preference Data, Transaction Data, and General Location Data in connection with our use of cookies and similar technologies on our Websites. In some cases, and subject to your consent, we may collect certain sensitive Personal Information (including health data, race/ethnic origin data, religion, or information about your sexual orientation). We may collect some of this data automatically.
We and authorized third parties may use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes: (a) for “essential” purposes necessary for our Websites to operate (such as maintaining user sessions and content delivery; (b) for “functional” purposes, such as to enable certain features of our Websites; (c) for “analytics” purposes and to improve our Websites, including analyzing the traffic to and on our Websites (for example, we can count how many people have looked at a specific page, or see how visitors navigate a Website when they use it, to distinguish unique visits/visitors to our Websites, and what website they visited prior to visiting our Websites, and use this information to understand user behaviors and improve the design and functionality of the Websites); (d) for “targeting” or “retargeting” advertising purposes, including technologies so that we can deliver, buy, or send messages about the Ad Council campaigns; and (e) in connection with our integration with “social media” services via third-party social media cookies, or when you share information using a social media sharing button or “like” button on our Websites or you link your account or engage with our content on or through a social networking website such as Facebook or TikTok.
Please note: We use Google Analytics on our Websites. In some cases, third parties, including Google, may view, edit, or access data directly from you as a result of cookies and similar technologies in use on our Websites. We, or third-party providers, may be able to use these technologies to collect information about you across platforms, devices, sites, and Websites. Third parties have their own privacy policies and their processing is not subject to this Policy.
See the Rights and Choices section below for information regarding opt-out rights for cookies and similar technologies.
User Account & User Profiles
We process Identity Data, Contact Data, and Device/Network Data when you register and create an account on our Websites. We use this Personal Information to create and maintain your account, so you can access or download materials relating to our campaigns, and to provide the services you may request in connection with a specific campaign.
Campaign Communications
We process Contact Data, and Identity Data in connection with emails or similar communications we send regarding Ad Council campaign launches, activations and/or initiatives (“Campaign Communications”). You may receive Campaign Communications if: you create an account, participate in a campaign related program, contact us, sign up for our communications, make a donation or pledge, or complete a survey, questionnaire or test in connection with a campaign.
We process this Personal Information to communicate with you, fulfill your requests, and evaluate the reach of our Campaign Communications. See the Rights & Choices section below to limit or opt out of receiving Campaign Communications.
Donations and Pledges
We process Transaction Data, Contact Data, and Identity Data when you make a financial pledge or donation to Ad Council. We do not permanently store your payment related data, except at your request. We may also collect User Content if you provide it in free text or comment field on a donation page on our Website.
We primarily process this Personal Information as necessary to perform or initiate a transaction with you, process your order or payment, and document transactions. We may engage third parties (“Payment Processors”) to process donations or other payments you make to us. In some cases, such donations or payments are made directly through one of our sites and tools. If so, we may ask you to provide payment, credit card, or other financial information, which we will share with the Payment Processor for the purpose of processing your payment. In other cases, you may be redirected to the Payment Processor’s site to make your donation or other payment. If so, the data collection and use practices of the Payment Processor’s site will be governed by that site’s privacy notice, statement or policy and its terms of use.
Contact Us
When you contact us though our Websites using a contact us box or via email, we use Contact Data, User Content, and any Personal Information contained within any User Content. We use Contact Data and User Content as necessary to communicate with you about the subject matter of your request and related matters.
COMMON PROCESSING PURPOSES
In addition to the uses described above, we generally use Personal Information for several common purposes in connection with our business and internal operations, as follows (“Business Purposes”):
Operate our Websites and Fulfill Obligations
We use any Personal Information as is necessary to provide the Websites, and as otherwise necessary to fulfill our obligations to you such as providing you with the information, features, and webpages you request.
Internal Processes and Website Improvement
We may use any Personal Information we process through our Websites in connection with the development, operation, improvement, and maintenance of the Websites, to determine how the Website is used or functions, for user service purposes, in connection with the creation and analysis of logs and metadata relating to the use of our Websites, and to improve the security and stability of our Websites. Additionally, we may use Personal Information to understand what parts of our Websites are most relevant to users, how users interact with various aspects of our Websites, how our Websites perform or fails to perform or we may analyze use of the Websites to determine if there are specific activities that might indicate an information security risk or risk of harm to us or our users.
Analytics
We use Personal Information as necessary in connection with our creation of analytics relating to how our Websites are used, the pages and content users view, and the creation of reports regarding the use and performance of our Websites or our initiatives, campaigns, and other similar information and metrics.
Compliance, Safety & Public Interest
We may, without your consent or further notice to you, and to the extent required or permitted by law, use any Personal Information subject to this Policy for purposes determined to be in the public interest or otherwise required by law. For example, we may use information as necessary to fulfil our legal obligations, to protect the vital interests of any individuals, or otherwise in the public interest or as required by a public authority. Please see the Data Sharing section below for more information about how we disclose Personal Information in extraordinary circumstances.
Targeted Advertising
We may engage in online advertising (also known as cross-contextual advertising or online behavioral advertising) related to certain Ad Council campaigns promoted by Ad Council. These advertisements may be related to the content on our Websites and you may see these advertisements when you visit third party websites and services following your visit to our Websites (“Targeted Advertising”). Targeted Advertising involves various parties and service providers, including third party data controllers, engaged in the processing of Personal Information to deliver and tailor ads you see. These parties may collect Personal Information such as unique IDs, IP addresses, device information, OS/browser type, and other similar data, as well as information about the ads you see and view, to develop and assess aspects of a profile about you to deliver more relevant advertisements such as those relating to campaigns promoted by Ad Council, to determine whether and how ads you see are effective, and to enable and assess advertisements you see from us on other sites. These third parties may maintain and augment a profile relating to you or your device that includes demographic and other preferences data derived from these observations, and may also track whether you view, interact with, and how often you have seen an ad, or whether you complete a transaction relating to an advertisement. These parties may be able to identify you across sites, devices, and over time. You can control how these third parties use your data, and the ads you see on these platforms, using the tools described in the Rights and Choices section below.
DATA SHARING
Personal Information we collect may be shared with a variety of parties, depending upon the purpose for and context in which that information was provided. We generally share data with third parties as follows:
Vendors and Service Providers
We may disclose Personal Information to certain vendors, licensors and service partners we engage for the purpose of administering, operating, hosting, developing, configuring, maintaining and providing internal support for our Websites. We may also share information with companies we engage to send emails for us, provide analytics reporting, process transactions, facilitate event planning, conduct internal research, perform data analysis, improve our services and support information technology infrastructure. These companies are authorized to use your personal information only as necessary to provide these services to us and are required to maintain the confidentiality and security of your information.
Sponsors
We may share Personal Information with our campaign Sponsors for the purpose of promoting certain campaign initiatives. Additionally, we may share this information to help our Sponsors understand the effectiveness of their campaigns, improve their outreach strategies, and tailor their messaging to better reach their target audiences. Our Sponsors are required to use this information solely for these purposes and to maintain the confidentiality and security of your Personal Information.
Advertisers and Social Media Platforms
We may share certain Personal Information with social media platforms, advertisers, ad exchanges, data management platforms, and the like in support of our Business Purposes and Targeted Advertising. We may allow these third parties to operate on or through our Websites. For example, we may share email information with social media platforms so they can serve promotional content to you on their platform. These parties may be third party controllers, and may have their own privacy policies and their processing is not subject to this Policy.
Safety, Security and/or Legal Purposes
In limited circumstances, we may share Personal Information if we think we are obligated to do so to comply with the law, or to protect ourselves, or others. For example, we may share your information when we are compelled by a governmental agency, law, regulation, a court or other legal process; in order to enforce any law or regulation; to safeguard against a threat to safety, property, interests or rights of us or others; and to investigate, respond to or resolve problems or inquiries or defend our interests. We may, in our sole discretion (but without any obligation), object to the disclosure of your Personal Information to such parties.
Consent
We may share information about you with other companies if you gives us permission or direct us to share such information.
Corporate Event
We may share Personal Information with a successor to all or part of our organization. If there is a change in our corporate structure, such as with a merger or acquisition, we may include information as part of that transaction and/or the negotiation and diligence related to that transaction or our organization in general.
YOUR RIGHTS
You may have certain rights and choices regarding the Personal Information we process. Please note, these rights may vary based on where you reside, and our obligations under applicable law. We are able to fulfill rights requests regarding Personal Information that we control or use. We may not have access to or control over Personal Information controlled by third parties. Please contact the third party directly to exercise your rights in third party-controlled information. For information regarding the rights you may have under U.S. state laws, please see the State Specific Rights section below.
VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
All rights requests we receive directly must be verified to ensure that the individual making the request is authorized to make that request, to reduce fraud, and to ensure the security of your Personal Information. For example, we may require that you verify that you have access to the email on file in order to verify your identity. If an agent is submitting the request on your behalf, we reserve the right to validate the agent’s authority to act on your behalf.
YOUR CHOICES
You may have the following choices regarding the Personal Information we use to the extent required under applicable law:
Change Your Information
To change your Personal Information, you can update your information in your account settings (if you have an account) or you can contact us at privacy@adcouncil.org.
Consent
If you consent to our use of Personal Information, you may withdraw your consent at any time. You may be required to close your account to withdraw consent where your consent is necessary to perform essential aspects of our Website.
Campaign Communications
You may opt out of receiving Campaign Communications from Ad Council. Our email communications will provide you with instructions and the procedures you can use to opt out when applicable. Even if you opt out of receiving Campaign Communications, we still may send you messages in connection with the provision of our services that you engage with respect to a specific campaign, including but not limited to responses to your questions or inquiries.
Cookies & Similar Technologies
If you do not want Personal Information collected through the use of cookies and similar technologies, you can manage/deny cookies and certain similar technologies using your browser’s settings menu. You must opt out of the use of some third party Websites directly via the third party. For example, to opt-out of Google’s analytic services, visit Google Analytics Terms of Use, the Google Privacy Policy, or Google Analytics Opt-out.
Users in the United States may opt out of many third-party ad networks. For example, you may go to the Digital Advertising Alliance (“DAA”) Consumer Choice Page for information about opting out of interest-based advertising and your choices regarding having information used by DAA companies. You may also go to the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”) Consumer Opt-Out Page for information about opting out of interest-based advertising and your choices regarding having information used by NAI members.
Opting out from one or more companies listed on the DAA Consumer Choice Page or the NAI Consumer Opt-Out Page will opt you out from those companies’ delivery of interest-based content or ads to you, but it does not mean you will no longer receive any advertising through our Websites or on other websites. You may continue to receive advertisements, for example, based on the particular website that you are viewing (i.e., contextually based ads). Also, if your browsers are configured to reject cookies when you opt out on the DAA or NAI websites, your opt-out may not be effective. Additional information is available on the DAA’s website at www.aboutads.info or the NAI’s website at www.networkadvertising.org.
Global Privacy Control (GPC)
Our Websites may support certain automated opt-out controls, such as Global Privacy Control (“GPC”). GPC is a specification designed to allow Internet users to notify businesses of their privacy preferences, such as opting-out of the sale/sharing of Personal Information. To activate GPC, users must enable a setting or use an extension in the user’s browser or mobile device. Please review your browser or device settings for more information regarding how to enable GPC.
Do Not Track
Some web browsers have a “Do Not Track” preference that transmits a “Do Not Track” header to the websites you visit with information indicating that you do not want your activity to be tracked. We currently do not respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals, as there is no standard for how online services should respond to such signals.
SECURITY
We implement and maintain commercially reasonable security measures to secure your Personal Information from unauthorized use. While we endeavor to protect our Websites and your Personal Information against unauthorized access, use, modification and disclosure, we cannot guarantee that any information, during transmission or while stored on our systems, will be absolutely safe from intrusion by others.
CHILDREN
Our Websites are neither directed at nor intended for use by persons under the age of majority. If a child under the age of 13 in the U.S. has provided us with Personal Information and if the parent or guardian of the child would like the information submitted by the child deleted from our database, we ask that the parent or guardian of the child contact us at privacy@adcouncil.org. If we learn that we have collected Personal Information from a child under the age of 13, we will take reasonable steps to promptly delete that information.
DATA RETENTION
We retain Personal Information for so long as it is reasonably necessary to achieve the relevant purposes described in this Policy, or for so long as is required by law. What is necessary may vary depending on the context and purpose of use. We generally consider the following several factors when we determine how long to retain data, such as: the retention periods established under applicable law; common industry practices; IT systems design considerations/limitations; and the safety, security, and usability of our Websites. We will review retention periods periodically and may pseudonymize or anonymize data held for longer periods.
THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND SERVICES
This Policy applies only to our Websites. Our Websites may offer links to websites and/or other applications that are operated by third parties and not by Ad Council. If you visit one of these linked websites, you should read the website’s privacy notice, terms and conditions, and their other policies. We are not responsible for the policies and practices of third parties. Any information you give to those organizations is governed under their privacy notice, terms and conditions, and other policies.
As a public service organization, we often collaborate with Sponsors and other parties to bring you public service advertising. This means that some websites or web pages may display our logo, name, or reference us, but are not necessarily owned or controlled by us. If you enter, provide, or submit information on a co-branded website or web page that we do not host, you will be subject to the terms, conditions, and privacy policies of the third party.
INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS
We operate in and use service providers located in the United States. If you are located outside the U.S., your Personal Information may be processed in the U.S. and other jurisdictions where we or our service providers or Sponsors operate. These jurisdictions may not provide the same legal protections guaranteed to Personal Information in your home country.
CHANGES TO OUR POLICY
We may revise this Policy from time to time. Please visit this page regularly so that you are aware of our latest updates. Your use of our Websites following notice of any changes indicates acceptance of any changes. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any new features that augment or enhance our Websites will be subject to this Policy.
YOUR RIGHTS UNDER CERTAIN U.S. STATE LAWS
Depending on where you live, to the extent applicable to the Ad Council, you may be entitled to certain additional rights with respect to your Personal Information as described below.
Confirmation
You may have the right to confirm whether we process your Personal Information.
Access/Know
You may have the right to request any of following: (1) the categories of Personal Information we have collected, shared, or disclosed for a business purpose; (2) the categories of sources from which your Personal Information was collected; (3) the purposes for which we collected or shared your Personal Information; (4) the categories of third parties to whom we have shared your Personal Information, or disclosed it for a business purpose; and (5) the specific pieces of Personal Information we have collected about you.
Portability
You may have the right to request that we provide certain Personal Information in a common, portable format.
Deletion
You may have the right to delete certain Personal Information that we hold about you.
Correction
You may have the right to correct certain Personal Information that we hold about you.
Opt-Out (Sales, Sharing, Targeted Advertising)
We do not sell your information for monetary or valuable consideration. You may have the right to opt out of having your Personal Information shared for purposes of Targeted Advertising.
Opt-out or Limit Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information
You may have the right to opt-out of the processing of certain sensitive Personal Information, or request that we limit certain uses of sensitive Personal Information. This right does not apply in cases where we only use sensitive Personal Information where necessary, or for certain Business Purposes authorized by applicable law.
Right to Withdraw your Consent/Opt-Out
You may withdraw any consent you have provided at any time. The consequence of your withdrawing consent might be that we cannot perform certain services to you, such as send you Campaign Communications, and other processing based on your consent.
Non-Discrimination
Individuals have the right to not receive discriminatory treatment as a result of their exercise of rights in their Personal Information.
SUBMISSION OF REQUESTS
You may submit requests by contacting us via email to our privacy team at privacy@adcouncil.org. If you have any questions or wish to appeal any refusal to take action in response to a rights request, contact us at privacy@adcouncil.org. We will respond to any request to appeal within the period required by law.
CONTACT US
To contact us, please email us at: privacy@adcouncil.org or contact via mail at:
The Advertising Council
815 Second Avenue
9th Floor
New York, NY 10017