Privacy Policy | Seismological Society of America

This Privacy Policy describes the types of personal and non-personal information we collect on the SSA website and through the Editorial Manager, a third-party vendor that we contract with to provide services to SSA, how we use such information and to whom and under what circumstances we may disclose it. Every Society director, officer, volunteer, staff worker and member who has access to these data is charged with respecting the privacy of those who provided it and is to act in accord with this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy is intended to help individuals understand:

By using this website or Editorial Manager, which is maintained by ARIES, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not use any of these sites. The provision of your personal information to use this website is voluntary. However, without providing us with your personal information, your use of our services or your interaction with us may be impaired.

About the Society

The Seismological Society of America (SSA) is a non-profit society headquartered in Albany, California. Created in 1906 in response to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, SSA is committed to advancing the science of seismology and sharing research with the public to help build an earthquake-aware world. SSA publishes three peer-reviewed journals, hosts an international technical conference and supports the development of seismologists through training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

What personal data are collected?

“Personal data” is defined as any information relating to you where it is possible to identify you, directly or indirectly, from that information, by reference to an identifier such as your name, location data, online identifier or one or more factors specific to your identity. We may collect personal data about you when you give it to us directly, when we obtain it indirectly (e.g., your personal information may be shared with us by third parties), when it is publicly available, and when you visit our website.

SSA gathers personal data at its headquarters, at various events, and in external offices, primarily those of editors, about members, authors and all others who participate in any way in the Society’s activities.

Other demographic information, such as age, student status, and employment data, is collected when individuals apply for membership or are suggested for various positions in the Society. Except as described below, these data and any other information of a personal nature, such as age, race and gender are collected on a purely voluntary basis. Constituents who elect to provide such data may be assured that it will never be made available publicly in any form that identifies individuals.

How collected data may be used

Information such as addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, other contact information and information related to scientific interests are processed or collected from SSA constituents as necessary to complete individual membership orders or to provide SSA services such as meeting registration, abstract submission, or article submission.

Principal uses of collected data are for internal assessments of SSA programs and the membership. Additionally, these data, in a consolidated form, may be used in publicly distributed statistical descriptions and studies of the SSA constituency.

Demographic data are needed from time to time to help understand such matters as membership trends and age differences with respect to the evaluation of programs. These data are retained to provide a statistical overview of the Society so that the leadership can better understand how the population is changing and consider how to meet changing needs.

What personal data may be shared?

SSA’s online Membership Roster contains basic contact information and membership data. It is provided to facilitate personal communication between members only. The roster is available only to members and requires a personal log-in. Members share the responsibility for the security of their data with others and help ensure it by keeping their access codes confidential. The downloading of large numbers of records is forbidden.

Postal membership mailing lists may be exchanged with or sold to other scientific societies or publishers for one-time use. Such exchanges are made only if the material to be sent is deemed beneficial to the SSA members to be contacted and advances the scientific missions of both societies. Such exchanges are reviewed by SSA management and/or Society officers, depending on the nature of the message and the distributions they are to be given. Lists for approved mailings may be selected by scientific specialty, geographic location and/or student status. SSA will occasionally mail or e-mail a notice on behalf of another organization to selected groups of SSA members. Such mailings are subject to the same review process. Electronic mail addresses are not sold. Personal data may occasionally be transferred to third parties, such our vendors who support our publishing and meeting programs, who act for us for further processing in accordance with the purposes for which the data was originally collected.

How individuals may control and access their data

Every individual who provides information to SSA through this website is asked to review and agree to this Privacy Policy. Any individual may decline to provide information requested by SSA, and that may make it impossible for SSA to provide the services for which such information is needed for security and/or identification purposes. By joining, all members agree to provide basic personal information and demographic data to SSA.

When SSA sends emails, such as the “3-Minute” newsletter or mass e-mail letters, users have the option to “unsubscribe” from future mailings.

SSA members may add, correct, limit, modify or update their personal information through a form on the SSA website or by contacting Member Services by phone at: +1-510-525-5474 or by e-mail at membership@seismosoc.org. We store data until it is no longer necessary to provide our services, or until you request to have your membership profile deleted – whichever comes first. This is a case-by-case determination that depends on a number of factors.

Furthermore, a member may request not to be included on any list to be used by an organization other than SSA by sending an e-mail to membership@seismosoc.org asking to be excluded from mailing lists exchanged with other societies. It is the intent of SSA policies to ensure that members are kept informed but do not feel burdened by what they receive as a “benefit” of membership. The officers of the Society and staff welcome comments from members as to the effectiveness of e-mail and mail as a communication tool on any specific case.

Storing and securing personal data

SSA is committed to honoring the privacy rights of its members and users and protecting any data collected from its constituents. We have taken certain physical, electronic, contractual and managerial steps to safeguard information we collect from visitors to the websites listed in first paragraph of this Privacy Policy.

Sensitive demographic, payment and activity information is stored in a separate, secure database that is not accessible via the Membership Directory. Credit card information provided to SSA via its website is transmitted via a secure server with commercial encryption software. Those not able to use a secure server may opt to make payment by another means, such as by phone, fax, or postal mail.

We retain your contact information and transaction history for as long as necessary to support the legitimate interests of SSA for the duration or business or contractual relationships, to maintain historical records of transactions, and to fulfill legal requirements. In some jurisdictions, there are limits on how long we may retain your personal information. Where these limits apply, in general, unless still required in connection with the purpose(s) for which it was collected and/or processed, we remove your personal information from our records 6 years after the date it was collected.

We take appropriate and proportionate technical, physical and administrative measures to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the data you provide to SSA. Your personal information is only accessible by appropriately trained staff, volunteers and contractors, and stored on secure servers with features enacted to prevent unauthorized access. We take similar measures to evaluate the security of the third-party processors we employ. Although we use security measures to help protect your information against loss, misuse or unauthorized disclosure, we cannot assure you that information will never be breached, disclosed, altered or destroyed in a manner that is inconsistent with this Policy.

Cookies

A “cookie” is a file a website stores in a user’s computer for future reference. SSA uses cookies occasionally to improve some of its services. Individuals may set their browsers to reject cookies; however, there may be SSA services that will not function unless the user accepts the SSA cookie. Information supplied through an SSA cookie is used only by SSA and not shared with others.

Links to other sites

SSA links to other websites that are not controlled by SSA. A link from the SSA website is not an SSA endorsement for any company, organization or individual. SSA is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of those sites.

Governing law

This Privacy Policy and the privacy practices of SSA will be subject exclusively to the laws of the State of California within the United States of America. You agree to submit any dispute arising out of your use of this Web site to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in the State of California. SSA makes no representation that this Privacy Policy and such practices comply with the laws of any other state or country. If you reside outside of the United States, by using the SSA website, you consent to the transfer and use of your information outside your country. This data transfer is necessary to provide the membership services to you.

Questions regarding the Privacy Policy

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or the use of the SSA website in general, please contact us by e-mail by writing the Membership Office at info@seismosoc.org or by letter at 400 Evelyn Avenue, Suite 201, Albany, CA 94706.

Do Not Track Setting Disclosure Requirement

We are committed to providing you with meaningful choices about the information collected on our website for third-party purposes. However, we do not recognize or respond to browser-initiated Do Not Track signals.

Changes to the Privacy Policy

SSA reviews its Privacy Policy annually, and if and when our data practices change, we will (as soon as practicable) post the changes on our website to notify you of the changes. We encourage you to check this page frequently.

Approved by the SSA Board of Directors, August 14, 2024.

About SSA