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Terms and Conditions

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Last Updated: July 19, 2022

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The following Terms and Conditions of Use (“Terms”) are entered into by and between You and Infinite Capacity LLC/ Ben+STEM.

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These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, and any other documents expressly incorporated by reference, govern your use of the website BEN+STEM.COM (“Website”), including all materials, resources, information, and services on the Website, whether as a guest or registered user.

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Your access to and use of the Website is conditioned on your acceptance of and compliance with these Terms. These Terms apply to all visitors, users, customers, and others who access or use the Website.

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By accessing or using the Website you agree to be bound by these Terms, without modification, and acknowledge reading them. If you disagree with any part of the Terms, you may not access the Website.

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PRIVACY POLICY

Your use of the Website is also subject to the Company’s Privacy Policy. Please review our Privacy Policy, which also governs the Website and informs users of our data collection practices. Your agreement to the Privacy Policy is hereby incorporated into these Terms.

 

DISCLAIMER

Your use of the Website is also subject to the Company’s Disclaimer. Please review our Disclaimer, which also governs the Website and informs users of various limitations regarding the information provided on the Website. Your agreement to the Disclaimer is hereby incorporated into these Terms.

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USE OF THE WEBSITE

To access or use the Website, you must be 18 years of age or older and have the requisite power and authority to enter into these Terms. Children under the age of 18 are prohibited from using the Website. Information provided on the Website and any resources provided on or available for download from the Website are subject to change. The Company makes no representation or warranty that the information provided, regardless of its source, is accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free. The Company disclaims all liability for any inaccuracy, error, or incompleteness in the information provided.

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The Company reserves the right to withdraw or amend this Website and any service or material provided on the Website in its sole discretion without notice. The Company will not be liable if, for any reason, all or any part of the Website is unavailable at any time or for any period. From time to time, the Company may restrict access to some parts of the Website, or the entire Website, to users, including registered users.

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LAWFUL PURPOSES

You may use the Website for lawful purposes only. You agree to be financially responsible for all purchases made by you or someone acting on your behalf through the Website. You agree to use the Website and to purchase services or products through the Website for legitimate, non-commercial purposes only. You shall not post or transmit through the Website any material that violates or infringes the rights of others, or that is threatening, abusive, defamatory, libelous, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, vulgar, obscene, profane, or otherwise objectionable, contains injurious formulas, recipes, or instructions, that encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any law.

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ACCOUNT CREATION AND SECURITY

In order to use the Website or make a purchase on the Website, you may be required to provide information about yourself including your name, email address, username and password, and other personal information. You agree as a condition of your use of the Website and any resources downloaded from the Website that any registration information you give to the Company will always be accurate, complete, and up to date. You must not impersonate someone else or provide account information or an email address other than your own. Your account must not be used for any illegal or unauthorized purpose.

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You agree that all information you provide to register with this Website or otherwise, including but not limited to through the use of any interactive features on the Website, is governed by our Privacy Policy, and you consent to all actions we take with respect to your information consistent with our Privacy Policy.

If you choose, or are provided with, a username, password or any other piece of information as part of our security procedures, you must treat such information as confidential, and you must not disclose it to any other person or entity. You also acknowledge that your account is personal to you and agree not to provide any other person with access to this Website or portions of it using your username, password or other security information. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to or use of your username or password or any other breach of security. You also agree to ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. You should use particular caution when accessing your account from a public or shared computer so that others are not able to view or record your password or other personal information.

We have the right to disable any user name, password or other identifier, whether chosen by you or provided by us, at any time in our sole discretion for any or no reason, including if, in our opinion, you have violated any provision of these Terms of Use.

 

REFUSAL OF SERVICE

The products and services available on the Website are offered subject to our acceptance of your order or request. We reserve the right to refuse service to any order, person or entity, without cause or explanation. No order is deemed accepted by us until payment has been processed. We may at any time change or discontinue any aspect or feature of the Website, subject to us fulfilling our previous responsibilities to you based on acceptance of your payment.

 

ORDER CONFIRMATION

We will email you to confirm placement of your order and with details about product delivery. If you do not receive email order confirmation, it is your responsibility to inform us as soon as possible.

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CANCELLATIONS, REFUNDS & RETURNS

Upon determining that you are entitled to a cancellation/refund pursuant to this policy, the Company will promptly issue an instruction to its payment processor to issue the refund. The Company does not control its payment processor and will not be able to expedite any refunds.

If you receive a refund of any purchase through the terms and conditions, that shall immediately terminate any and all licenses granted you to use the material provided to you under these Terms of Use or any other agreement. You shall immediately cease using the material and shall destroy all copies of the information provided to you, including without limitation: video recordings, audio recordings, forms, template documents, slide shows, membership areas, social media groups limited to paying members, and other resources.

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PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS

We try to describe and display any products and services available for purchase on the Website as accurately as possible. While we try to be as clear as possible in explaining the product or service, we do not guarantee that the Website is entirely accurate, current, or error-free. From time to time we may correct errors in pricing and descriptions. We reserve the right to refuse or cancel any order with an incorrect price listing.

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USE OF FREE DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT

The Company may make resources on this Website accessible to users in exchange for providing an e-mail address (“Gated Content”). The Company grants you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Gated Content for your own personal or internal business use. Except as otherwise provided, you acknowledge and agree that you have no right to modify, edit, copy, reproduce, create derivative works of, reverse engineer, alter, enhance or in any way exploit any of the Gated Content in any manner.

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By accessing or downloading the Gated Content, you agree that the Gated Content you may only be used by you for your personal or internal business use and may not be sold or redistributed without the express written consent of the Company.

By accessing downloading the Gated Content, you further agree that you shall not create any derivative work based upon the Gated Content and you shall not offer any competing products or services based upon any information contained in the Gated Content.

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MATERIAL YOU SUBMIT TO THE WEBSITE

By posting, uploading, submitting, inputting, providing, or otherwise making available any artwork, photos, written works, or other media, including feedback and suggestions (collectively, “Submissions”), you are granting the Company, our affiliated companies, and any necessary sub-licensees a worldwide, nonexclusive, irrevocable license to use your Submission for promotional, business development, and marketing purposes including, without limitation, the right to: copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, translate, and reformat your Submission; and to publish your name in connection with your Submission.

 

We claim no intellectual property rights over the Submissions you supply to the Company. You retain copyrights and any other rights you may rightfully hold in any Submissions that you submit through the Website.

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You shall not upload, post, submit, input or otherwise make available on the Website any Submissions protected by copyright, trademark, or other proprietary right without the express written permission of the owner of the copyright, trademark, or other proprietary right, and the burden of determining that any Submissions are not so protected rests entirely with you. You shall be liable for any damage resulting from any infringement of copyrights, trademarks, or other proprietary rights, or any other harm resulting from such a Submission.

 

For all Submissions submitted by you to the Website, you automatically represent or warrant that you own or otherwise control all the rights to your Submission described herein including the authority to use and distribute the Submission, and that the use or display of the Submission as contemplated in this section will not violate any laws, rules, regulations, or rights of third parties. You agree to hold the Company harmless from and against all claims, liabilities, and expenses arising out of any potential or actual copyright or trademark misappropriation or infringement claimed against you arising from Submissions you submit through the Website.

 

You further you grant us the right to use your Submission for the purpose of improving our Website, products or services (and for any other purpose we deem necessary or desirable) without being obliged to pay you any compensation for our use of your Submission. The Company is under no obligation to post or use any Submission you may provide and may remove any Submission at any time in the Company’s sole discretion. If you do send us unsolicited ideas, such ideas will be deemed non-confidential, and we will not be required to provide any acknowledgement of their source.

 

OUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The Website contains intellectual property owned by the Company, including trademarks, copyrights, proprietary information, and other intellectual property. We reserve all rights in and to our common law and registered trademarks, service marks, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights, including but not limited to text, graphics, photographs, video, design, and packages, belonging to the Company or to our licensors (“IP”).  You may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, create derivative works from, distribute, display, reproduce or perform, or in any way exploit in any format whatsoever any of our IP in whole or in part, without our prior written consent. We reserve the right to immediately block your access to the Website and remove you from any service, without refund, if you are caught violating this intellectual property policy.

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You are granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Website and the resources available for download from the Website (the “Content”) strictly in accordance with these Terms of Use.

 

As a condition of your use of the Website, you warrant to the Company that you will not use the Content for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these Terms. You may not use the Content in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Website or interfere with any other party’s use and enjoyment of the Website. You may not obtain or attempt to obtain any materials or information through any means not intentionally made available or provided for through the Website.

 

All content included as part of the Content, such as text, graphics, logos, images, as well as the compilation thereof, and any software used on the Website, is the property of the Company or its suppliers and protected by copyright and other laws that protect intellectual property and proprietary rights. You agree to observe and abide by all copyright and other proprietary notices, legends or other restrictions contained in any such content and will not make any changes thereto.

 

You will not modify, publish, transmit, reverse engineer, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works, or in any way exploit any of the Content, in whole or in part.

 

The Content is not for resale. Your use of the Content does not entitle you to make any unauthorized use of any protected content, and in particular you will not delete or alter any proprietary rights or attribution notices in any Content. You will use protected content solely for your individual use and will make no other use of the Content without the express written permission of the Company and the copyright owner. You agree that you do not acquire any ownership rights in any protected content. We do not grant you any licenses, express or implied, to the intellectual property of the Company or our licensors except as expressly authorized by these Terms.

 

The Company name, the Company logo, the Company slogan, and all related names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans are trademarks of the Company or its affiliates or licensors. You must not use such marks without the prior written permission of the Company. All other names, logos, product and service names, designs and slogans on this Website are the trademarks of their respective owners.

 

CHANGED TERMS

We may at any time amend these Terms, including our Privacy Policy and Disclaimers. The date of the last revision will be indicated by the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Such amendments are effective immediately upon notice to you by us posting the new Terms on this Website. We reserve the right to update any portion of our Website, including these Terms, at any time. If you continue to use our Website after we have made revisions, your continued use constitutes consent to the revised Terms, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers.

 

WARRANTIES 

While we make every effort to ensure that the content on this Website is free from errors, we do not give any warranty or other assurance as to the accuracy, completeness, timeliness or fitness for any particular purpose of the content and materials on this site beyond reasonable efforts to maintain the site. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we provide our website and related information and services on an "as is" and “as available” basis without any warranties, representations, or guarantees of any kind (whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise) including but not limited to warranties of non-infringement, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose.

 

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

YOU AGREE THAT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL WE BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE OR RESOURCES, PRODUCTS OR SERVICES AVAILABLE THROUGH THE WEBSITE.

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ADDITIONALLY, THE COMPANY IS NOT LIABLE FOR DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH (I) ANY FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE, ERROR, OMISSION, DENIAL OF SERVICE, ATTACK, INTERRUPTION, DELETION, DEFECT, DELAY IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, COMPUTER VIRUS, OR LINE OR SYSTEM FAILURE; (II) LOSS OF REVENUE, ANTICIPATED PROFITS, BUSINESS, SAVINGS, GOODWILL OR DATA; AND (III) THIRD PARTY THEFT OF, DESTRUCTION OF, UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO, ALTERATION OF, OR USE OF YOUR INFORMATION OR PROPERTY, REGARDLESS OF OUR NEGLIGENCE, GROSS NEGLIGENCE, FAILURE OF AN ESSENTIAL PURPOSE AND WHETHER SUCH LIABILITY ARISES IN NEGLIGENCE, CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER THEORY OF LEGAL LIABILITY, EVEN IF THE COMPANY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF OR COULD HAVE FORESEEN THE DAMAGES.

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IN THOSE STATES THAT DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR THE DAMAGES, OUR LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY’S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU EXCEED THE TOTAL PURCHASE PRICE OF ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES YOU HAVE PURCHASED FROM THE COMPANY.

 

AVAILABILITY

Your use of the Website and any associated services may sometimes be subject to interruption or delay. Due to the nature of the Internet and electronic communications, we and our service providers do not make any warranty that our Website or any associated resources or services will be error-free, without interruption or delay, or free from defects in design. We will not be liable to you should our Website or the resources or services supplied through our Website become unavailable, interrupted or delayed for any reason.

 

MALICIOUS CODE

Although we endeavor to prevent the introduction of viruses or other malicious code (“malicious code”) to our Website, we do not guarantee or warrant that our Website, or any data available on the Website, does not contain malicious code. We will not be liable for any damages or harm attributable to malicious code. You are responsible for ensuring that the process you employ for accessing our Website does not expose your computer system to the risk of interference or damage from malicious code.

 

SECURITY 

The security of your contact information is of utmost importance to us.  However, you acknowledge the risk of unauthorized access to, or alteration of, your data. We do not accept responsibility or liability of any nature for any losses you may sustain as a result of such unauthorized access or alteration.  All information transmitted to or from you is transmitted at your own risk, and you assume all responsibility and risks arising in relation to your use of this Website and the internet. We do not accept responsibility for any interference or damage to your computer system that may arise in connection with your access of this Website or any outbound hyperlinks.

 

THIRD PARTY RESOURCES

The Website contains links to third party websites and resources. You acknowledge and agree that we are not responsible or liable for the availability, accuracy, content, or policies of third-party websites or resources. Links to such websites or resources do not imply any endorsement by or affiliation with the Company. You acknowledge sole responsibility for and assume all risk arising from your use of any such websites or resources.

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The Company may, from time to time, provide information from a third party in the form of a guest post or interview, in written, audio, video, or other medium. The Company does not control the information provided by such third-party guests, is not responsible for investigating the truth of any information provided and cannot guarantee the veracity of any statements made by such guests.

 

INDEMNIFICATION

You shall indemnify and hold us harmless from and against any and all losses, damages, settlements, liabilities, costs, charges, assessments, and expenses, as well as third party claims and causes of action, including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, arising out of your breach of any of these Terms, your use of the Website, its content, and any product or service purchased from the Website, or your failure to maintain the confidentiality and/or security of your password or access rights to this Website and its resources. You shall provide us with such assistance, without charge, as we may request in connection with any such defense, including, without limitation, providing us with such information, documents, records, and reasonable access to you, as we deem necessary. You shall not settle any third-party claim or waive any defense without our prior written consent.

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EFFECT OF HEADINGS; SEVERABILITY

The subject headings of the paragraphs and subparagraphs of this Agreement are included for convenience only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of any of its provisions. If any portion of these Terms are held to be unenforceable or contrary to law, such portion shall be construed in accordance with applicable law so as to best accomplish the objectives of the original provision to the fullest extent allowed by law, and the remainder of the provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

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ENTIRE AGREEMENT; WAIVER

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Disclaimers, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company pertaining to the Website and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, representations, and understandings between us. Any waiver by us of a breach of or right under these Terms will not constitute a waiver of any other or subsequent breach or right. No waiver shall be binding unless executed in writing by the Company.

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GOVERNING LAW; JURISDICTION; MEDIATION

These Terms, including with the Privacy Policy and Disclaimers shall be construed in accordance with, and governed by, the laws of the State of Indiana, and the courts of Indiana shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine any dispute arising in relation to these Terms.  You agree that any proceeding relating to use of this site must be filed exclusively in the appropriate courts located in Indiana and you submit to the jurisdiction of those courts and waive any objection based on an inconvenient forum or other reasons.

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The parties agree to attempt to resolve any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms by mediation. The parties further agree that their respective good faith participation in mediation is a condition precedent to pursuing any other available legal or equitable remedy, including litigation, arbitration, or other dispute resolution procedures.

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FORCE MAJEURE 

Neither Party will be liable for any failure or delay in performing an obligation under this Agreement that is due to any of the following causes (which causes are hereinafter referred to as “Force Majeure”), to the extent beyond its reasonable control: acts of God, accident, riots, war, terrorist act, epidemic, pandemic (including the Covid-19 pandemic), quarantine, civil commotion, breakdown of communication facilities, breakdown of web host, breakdown of internet service provider, natural catastrophes, governmental acts or omissions, changes in laws or regulations, national strikes, fire, explosion, or generalized lack of availability of raw materials or energy.For the avoidance of doubt, Force Majeure shall not include (a) financial distress nor the inability of either party to make a profit or avoid a financial loss, (b) changes in market prices or conditions, or (c) a party's financial inability to perform its obligations hereunder.

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

All rights not expressly granted in these Terms are reserved by us. If you do not see a usage scenario here that applies to your intended usage contact us at contact@benplusstem.com.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

The owner of this website is BEN+STEM. You may contact us by email at contact@benplusstem.com, or by mail at 9247 N. Meridian St. Suite 375 Indianapolis, IN 46260.

Ben + STEM PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: October 22, 2021

 

This Privacy Policy describes how Ben+STEM (“we” or “us”) collects, uses, and shares your personal information when you use our website BEN+STEM.COM (the “Site”). 

Topics:

  • Personal information we collect

  • How we use your personal information

  • How we share your personal information

  • How we store your data

  • Email marketing

  • Behavioral advertising

  • Your data protection rights

  • Third party websites

  • Changes

  • Contact Us

 

 

Personal information we collect 

When you visit the Site, we automatically collect certain information about your device, including information about your web browser, IP address, time zone, and some of the cookies that are installed on your device. Additionally, as you browse the Site, we collect information about the individual web pages or products that you view, what websites or search terms referred you to the Site, and information about how you interact with the Site. We refer to this automatically collected information as “Device Information”. 

We collect Device Information using the following technologies: 

  • “Cookies” are data files that are placed on your device or computer and often include an anonymous unique identifier. For more information about cookies, and how to disable cookies, visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org

  • “Log files” track actions occurring on the Site, and collect data including your IP address, browser type, Internet service provider, referring/exit pages, and date/time stamps. 

  • “Web beacons”, “tags”, and “pixels” are electronic files used to record information about how you browse the Site. 

 

We use Device Information for:

  • Functionality: To recognize you on our website and recognize your previously selected preferences, including your preferred language and your location.

  • Advertising: To collect information about your visit, the content you viewed, the links you followed, and information about your web browser, device, and IP address. We sometimes share limited aspects of this data with third parties for advertising purposes.

 

You can set your browser not to accept cookies, and the website above tells you how to remove cookies from your browser. Some of our website features may not function if you disable cookies. Please note that we do not alter our Site’s data collection and use practices when we see a Do Not Track signal from your browser. 

 

We also collect data you provide to us directly. We refer to the data you provide as “Provided Information.” We collect and process data you provide when you:

  • Register online or place an order for any of our products or services

  • Voluntarily complete a customer survey or provide feedback on any of our message boards or via email

  • Submit a grant proposal

 

The Provided Information we collect may include:

  • Personal identification information (name, email address, phone number, etc.)

  • Billing information (billing address, shipping address, payment information, including credit card numbers, etc.)

  • School Letters of Support


When we talk about “Personal Information” in this Privacy Policy, we are talking both about Device Information and Provided Information. 

How we use your Personal Information

We use the Provided Information that we collect generally to fulfill any orders placed through the Site (including processing your payment information, delivering products, and providing you with invoices and/or order confirmations). Additionally, we use Provided Information to: 

  • Communicate with you; 

  • Screen our orders for potential risk or fraud; and 

  • When in line with the preferences you have shared with us, provide you with information or advertising relating to our products or services. 

 

We use the Device Information that we collect to help us screen for potential risk and fraud (in particular, your IP address), and more generally to improve and optimize our Site (for example, by generating analytics about how our customers browse and interact with the Site, and to assess the success of our marketing and advertising campaigns). 

 

How we share your Personal Information 

We share your Personal Information with third parties to help us use your Personal Information, as described above.  For example, we use Google Analytics and  to help us understand how our visitors use the Site - you can read more about how Google uses your Personal Information here: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/. You can also opt-out of Google Analytics here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.]

 

The types of third parties with whom we might share elements of your Personal Information include:

  • Payment processors engaged by us to securely store and handle payments information, such as credit or debit card information

  • Providers of email management and distribution tools

  • Providers of security and fraud prevention tools and services,

  • Providers of data aggregation and analytics software services that allow us to effectively monitor and optimize our site

 

We may also share your Personal Information to comply with applicable laws and regulations, to respond to a subpoena, search warrant or other lawful request for information we receive, or to otherwise protect our rights. 

 

How we store your data

We use commercially reasonable security measures to protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure or destruction of information stored on our servers. Of course, no computer network or data transmission on the internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure and so you submit your information at your own risk.

 

We will maintain your Personal Information for our records unless and until you ask us to delete this information. 

 

Email Marketing

If you make a purchase on this Site and/or opt in to receive emails, you agree to receive email communications from this site, including but not limited to newsletters, site updates, promotions, and other announcements and correspondence.  We are not responsible for the receipt of any such emails. You are responsible for ensuring that our email address(es) are not blocked or forwarded to your spam folder.

 

You have the right at any time to stop us from contacting you for marketing purposes. If you opt to unsubscribe from receiving emails, you understand that you may no longer receive information or updates from this Site, including promotions.

Behavioral advertising 

As described above, we use your Personal Information to provide you with targeted advertisements or marketing communications we believe may be of interest to you. For more information about how targeted advertising works, you can visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s (“NAI”) educational page at http://www.networkadvertising.org/understanding-online-advertising/how-does-it-work.


You can opt out of targeted advertising by using the links below: 


Additionally, you can opt out of some of these services by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out portal at http://optout.aboutads.info/. 

Your data protection rights 

If you are a European resident, you have the right to access personal information we hold about you and to ask that your personal information be corrected, updated, or deleted. Under certain conditions, you may also have the right to restrict or object to our processing of your data, and to request that we transfer your Personal Information to another organization. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us through the contact information below. 

Additionally, if you are a European resident, we note that we are processing your information to fulfill contracts we might have with you (for example if you make an order through the Site), or otherwise to pursue our legitimate business interests listed above. Please note that your information will be transferred outside of Europe, including to Canada and the United States. 

 

Third Party Websites

Our privacy policy applies only to our website. We are not responsible for the data collection, privacy practices or policies of any third-party site to which we may provide a link or that may link to our site. We encourage you to read the privacy statement and terms of use of other sites.

 

Changes 

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect, for example, changes to our practices or for other operational, legal or regulatory reasons. 

Complaints

Please contact us if you have any complaints about how we use your Personal Information so we can resolve the issue whenever possible. Residents of the European Union also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection regulator, such as the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK.

 

Contact us 

For more information about our privacy practices, if you have questions, or if you would like to exercise your data protection rights, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Email us: contact@benplusstem.com

Write to us: 9247 N. Meridian St. Suite #375 Indianapolis, IN 46206

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Privacy Policy

WEBSITE DISCLAIMER

DISCLAIMER

This website is owned and operated by Ben+STEM (“Company,” “we,” or “us”).

This Disclaimer, together with the Terms & Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy, governs your access to and use of Ben+STEM including any content, functionality, products, and services offered on or through BEN + STEM.COM  (the “Website”), whether as a guest or a registered user.

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Please read the Disclaimer carefully before you start to use the Website. By using the Website or by clicking to accept or agree to the Terms & Conditions of Use when this option is made available to you, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by the Disclaimer. If you do not want to agree to the Disclaimer, you must not access or use the Website.

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FOR EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

The information contained on this Website and the resources, information, webinars, videos, blog posts, courses, downloads, and/or products available through this Website, whether free or paid, (the “Resources”) are for educational and informational purposes only. The Company assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Website.

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EXTERNAL LINKS

The Website may contain links to external websites that are not provided or maintained by or in any way affiliated with the Company. Please note that the Company does not guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any information on these external websites.

 

NOT LEGAL ADVICE

The information contained on this Website and the Resources are not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, legal advice. While we may provide some supplemental and occasional trainings or articles on legal topics taught or written by attorneys or legal professionals, the information contained on this Website is not a substitute for legal advice from a licensed attorney who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation.

We have done our best to ensure that the information provided on this Website and the Resources are accurate and provide valuable information. Regardless of anything to the contrary, nothing available on or through this Website should be understood as a recommendation that you should not consult with an attorney to address your particular information. The Company expressly recommends that you seek advice from an attorney prior to taking any actions.

Neither the Company nor any of its employees, owners, or contributors shall be held liable or responsible for any errors or omissions on this Website or the Resources or for any damage you may suffer as a result of failing to seek competent legal advice from a licensed attorney who is familiar with your situation.

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NOT TAX ADVICE

The information contained on this Website and the Resources are not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, tax advice. The information contained on this Website is not a substitute for tax advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation.

We have done our best to ensure that the information provided on this Website and in the Resources are accurate and provide valuable information. Regardless of anything to the contrary, nothing available on or through this Website should be understood as a recommendation that you should not consult with a tax professional to address your particular situation. The Company expressly recommends that you seek advice from a professional.

Neither the Company nor any of its employees, owners, or contributors shall be held liable or responsible for any errors or omissions on this Website or for any damage you may suffer as a result of failing to seek competent tax advice from a professional who is familiar with your situation.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

The information contained on this Website and in the Resources is not intended to take the place of medical advice from a health care professional. Exercise, diet and health related matters vary from person to person. Nothing on this website shall be considered, construed as, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Any action taken based on the contents of this Website or the Resources is solely at your own discretion, risk and liability. You should always consult the appropriate health professionals on any matter that is related to your health and well-being before proceeding with any action pertaining to health-related issues. The Company assumes no liability for the use or misuse of information on this Website or in the Resources.

We have done our best to ensure that the information provided on this Website and in the Resources are accurate and provide valuable information. Regardless of anything to the contrary, nothing available on or through this Website should be understood as a recommendation that you should not consult with a professional to address your particular situation. The Company expressly recommends that you seek advice from a health care professional.

Neither the Company nor any of its employees, owners, or contributors shall be held liable or responsible for any errors or omissions on this Website or for any damage you may suffer as a result of failing to seek competent advice from a health care professional who is familiar with your situation.

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NOT PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

The information contained on this Website and in the Resources is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, professional advice. While the contributors, employees and/or owners of the Company are professionals and the information provided on this Website relates to issues within the Company’s area of professionalism, the information contained on this Website is not a substitute for advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation.

We have done our best to ensure that the information provided on this Website and the resources available for download are accurate and provide valuable information. Regardless of anything to the contrary, nothing available on or through this Website should be understood as a recommendation that you should not consult with a professional to address your particular situation. The Company expressly recommends that you seek advice from a professional.

Neither the Company nor any of its employees or owners shall be held liable or responsible for any errors or omissions on this Website or for any damage you may suffer as a result of failing to seek competent advice from a professional who is familiar with your situation.

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NO PROFESSIONAL-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP

Your use of this Website, including implementation of any suggestions set out in this Website and/or use of any of the Resources, does not create a professional-client relationship between you and the Company or any of its professionals.

You recognize and agree that we have not created any professional-client relationship by the use of this Website.

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USER’S PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

By using this Website, you accept personal responsibility for the results of your actions. You agree to take full responsibility for any harm or damage you suffer as a result of the use, or non-use, of the information available on this Website and in the Resources. You agree to use judgment and conduct due diligence before taking any action or implementing any plan or policy suggested or recommended on this Website or in the Resources.

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NO GUARANTEES

You agree that the Company has not made any guarantees about the results of taking any action, whether recommended on this Website or not. The Company provides educational and informational resources that are intended to help users of this website succeed in life, business, and otherwise. You nevertheless recognize that your ultimate success or failure will be the result of your own efforts, your particular situation, and innumerable other circumstances beyond the control and/or knowledge of the Company.

You also recognize that prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.  Thus, the results obtained by others, whether clients or customers of the Company or otherwise, applying the principles set out in this Website are no guarantee that you or any other person or entity will be able to obtain similar results.

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ERRORS AND OMISSIONS

This Website is a public resource of general information that is intended, but not promised or guaranteed, to be correct, complete, and up to date.  We have taken reasonable steps to ensure that the information contained in this Website is accurate, but we cannot represent that this Website is free of errors. You accept that the information contained on this Website may be erroneous and agree to conduct due diligence to verify any information obtained from this Website and/or the Resources prior to taking any action.  You expressly agree not to rely upon any information contained in this Website or in the Resources.

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TESTIMONIALS

At various places on this Website, you may find testimonials from clients and customers of the products and services offered on this Website or by the Company. The testimonials are actual statements made by clients and/or customers and have been truthfully conveyed on this Website.

Although these testimonials are truthful statements about results obtained by these clients and/or customers, the results obtained by these clients and/or customers are not necessarily typical. You specifically recognize and agree that the testimonials are not a guarantee of results that you or anyone else will obtain by using any products or services offered on this Website or by the Company.

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REVIEWS

At various times, we may provide reviews of products, services, or other resources.  This may include reviews of books, services, and/or software applications. Any such reviews will represent the good-faith opinions of the author of such review. The products and services reviewed may be provided to the Company for free or at a reduced price as an incentive to provide a review.

Regardless of any such discounts, we will provide honest reviews of these products and/or services. You recognize that you should conduct your own due diligence and should not rely solely upon any reviews provided on this website.

We will disclose the existence of any discounts or incentives received in exchange for providing a review of a product. If you would like more information about any such discounts and incentives, send an email to contact@benplusstem.com that includes the title of the reviewed product as the subject line. We will respond via email and disclose any incentives or discounts we received in association with any such review.

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AFFILIATE LINKS

From time to time, the Company may participate in affiliate marketing and may allow affiliate links to be included on some of our pages. This means that we may earn a commission if/when you click on or make purchases via affiliate links.

As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, coaches, consultants, and other experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.

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The Company will inform you when one of the links constitutes an affiliate link.

You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you or your business and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.

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NO ENDORSEMENTS

From time to time, the Company will refer to other products, services, coaches, consultants, and/or experts. Any such reference is not intended as an endorsement or statement that the information provided by the other party is accurate. The Company provides this information as a reference for users. It is your responsibility to conduct your own investigation and make your own determination about any such product, service, coach, consultant, and/or expert.

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EARNINGS DISCLAIMER

From time to time, the Company may report on the success of one of its existing or prior clients/customers. The information about this success is accurately portrayed by the Company. You acknowledge that the prior success of others does not guarantee your success.

As with any business, your results may vary and will be based on your individual capacity, business experience, expertise, and level of desire. There are no guarantees concerning the level of success you may experience. There is no guarantee that you will make any income at all and you accept the risk that the earnings and income statements differ by individual.  Each individual’s success depends on his or her background, dedication, desire and motivation.

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The use of our information, products and services should be based on your own due diligence and you agree that the Company is not liable for any success or failure of your business that is directly or indirectly related to the purchase and use of our information, products, and services reviewed or advertised on this Website.

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CONTACT US

We welcome your questions or comments regarding the Disclaimer:

Mailing Address: 9247 N. Meridian St. Suite #375 Indianapolis, IN 46206

Email Address: contact@benplusstem.com

Website Disclaimer

California Consumer Privacy Act

1798.100

  1. A consumer shall have the right to request that a business that collects a consumer’s personal information disclose to that consumer the categories and specific pieces of personal information the business has collected.

  2. A business that collects a consumer’s personal information shall, at or before the point of collection, inform consumers as to the categories of personal information to be collected and the purposes for which the categories of personal information shall be used. A business shall not collect additional categories of personal information or use personal information collected for additional purposes without providing the consumer with notice consistent with this section.

  3. A business shall provide the information specified in subdivision (a) to a consumer only upon receipt of a verifiable consumer request.

  4. A business that receives a verifiable consumer request from a consumer to access personal information shall promptly take steps to disclose and deliver, free of charge to the consumer, the personal information required by this section. The information may be delivered by mail or electronically, and if provided electronically, the information shall be in a portable and, to the extent technically feasible, in a readily useable format that allows the consumer to transmit this information to another entity without hindrance. A business may provide personal information to a consumer at any time, but shall not be required to provide personal information to a consumer more than twice in a 12-month period.

  5. This section shall not require a business to retain any personal information collected for a single, one-time transaction, if such information is not sold or retained by the business or to reidentify or otherwise link information that is not maintained in a manner that would be considered personal information.

1798.105

  1. A consumer shall have the right to request that a business delete any personal information about the consumer which the business has collected from the consumer.

  2. A business that collects personal information about consumers shall disclose, pursuant to Section 1798.130, the consumer’s rights to request the deletion of the consumer’s personal information.

  3. A business that receives a verifiable consumer request from a consumer to delete the consumer’s personal information pursuant to subdivision (a) of this section shall delete the consumer’s personal information from its records and direct any service providers to delete the consumer’s personal information from their records.

  4. A business or a service provider shall not be required to comply with a consumer’s request to delete the consumer’s personal information if it is necessary for the business or service provider to maintain the consumer’s personal information in order to:

    1. Complete the transaction for which the personal information was collected, fulfill the terms of a written warranty or product recall conducted in accordance with federal law, provide a good or service requested by the consumer, or reasonably anticipated within the context of a business’ ongoing business relationship with the consumer, or otherwise perform a contract between the business and the consumer.

    2. Detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity; or prosecute those responsible for that activity.

    3. Debug to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality.

    4. Exercise free speech, ensure the right of another consumer to exercise his or her right of free speech, or exercise another right provided for by law.

    5. Comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act pursuant to Chapter 3.6 (commencing with Section 1546) of Title 12 of Part 2 of the Penal Code.

    6. Engage in public or peer-reviewed scientific, historical, or statistical research in the public interest that adheres to all other applicable ethics and privacy laws, when the businesses’ deletion of the information is likely to render impossible or seriously impair the achievement of such research, if the consumer has provided informed consent.

    7. To enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with the expectations of the consumer based on the consumer’s relationship with the business.

    8. Comply with a legal obligation.

    9. Otherwise use the consumer’s personal information, internally, in a lawful manner that is compatible with the context in which the consumer provided the information.

1798.110

  1. A consumer shall have the right to request that a business that collects personal information about the consumer disclose to the consumer the following:

    1. The categories of personal information it has collected about that consumer.

    2. The categories of sources from which the personal information is collected.

    3. The business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling personal information.

    4. The categories of third parties with whom the business shares personal information.

    5. The specific pieces of personal information it has collected about that consumer.

  2. A business that collects personal information about a consumer shall disclose to the consumer, pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 1798.130, the information specified in subdivision (a) upon receipt of a verifiable consumer request from the consumer.

  3. A business that collects personal information about consumers shall disclose, pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 1798.130:

    1. The categories of personal information it has collected about that consumer.

    2. The categories of sources from which the personal information is collected.

    3. The business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling personal information.

    4. The categories of third parties with whom the business shares personal information.

    5. The specific pieces of personal information the business has collected about that consumer.

  4. This section does not require a business to do the following:

    1. Retain any personal information about a consumer collected for a single one-time transaction if, in the ordinary course of business, that information about the consumer is not retained.

    2. Reidentify or otherwise link any data that, in the ordinary course of business, is not maintained in a manner that would be considered personal information.

1798.115

  1. A consumer shall have the right to request that a business that sells the consumer’s personal information, or that discloses it for a business purpose, disclose to that consumer:

    1. The categories of personal information that the business collected about the consumer.

    2. The categories of personal information that the business sold about the consumer and the categories of third parties to whom the personal information was sold, by category or categories of personal information for each category of third parties to whom the personal information was sold.

    3. The categories of personal information that the business disclosed about the consumer for a business purpose.

  2. A business that sells personal information about a consumer, or that discloses a consumer’s personal information for a business purpose, shall disclose, pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 1798.130, the information specified in subdivision (a) to the consumer upon receipt of a verifiable consumer request from the consumer.

  3. A business that sells consumers’ personal information, or that discloses consumers’ personal information for a business purpose, shall disclose, pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 1798.130:

    1. The category or categories of consumers’ personal information it has sold, or if the business has not sold consumers’ personal information, it shall disclose that fact.

    2. The category or categories of consumers’ personal information it has disclosed for a business purpose, or if the business has not disclosed the consumers’ personal information for a business purpose, it shall disclose that fact.

  4. A third party shall not sell personal information about a consumer that has been sold to the third party by a business unless the consumer has received explicit notice and is provided an opportunity to exercise the right to opt-out pursuant to Section 1798.120.

1798.120

  1. A consumer shall have the right, at any time, to direct a business that sells personal information about the consumer to third parties not to sell the consumer’s personal information. This right may be referred to as the right to opt-out.

  2. A business that sells consumers’ personal information to third parties shall provide notice to consumers, pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1798.135, that this information may be sold and that consumers have the “right to opt-out” of the sale of their personal information.

  3. Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a business shall not sell the personal information of consumers if the business has actual knowledge that the consumer is less than 16 years of age, unless the consumer, in the case of consumers between 13 and 16 years of age, or the consumer’s parent or guardian, in the case of consumers who are less than 13 years of age, has affirmatively authorized the sale of the consumer’s personal information. A business that willfully disregards the consumer’s age shall be deemed to have had actual knowledge of the consumer’s age. This right may be referred to as the “right to opt-in.”

  4. A business that has received direction from a consumer not to sell the consumer’s personal information or, in the case of a minor consumer’s personal information has not received consent to sell the minor consumer’s personal information shall be prohibited, pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 1798.135, from selling the consumer’s personal information after its receipt of the consumer’s direction, unless the consumer subsequently provides express authorization for the sale of the consumer’s personal information.

1798.125

    1. A business shall not discriminate against a consumer because the consumer exercised any of the consumer’s rights under this title, including, but not limited to, by:

      1. Denying goods or services to the consumer.

      2. Charging different prices or rates for goods or services, including through the use of discounts or other benefits or imposing penalties.

      3. Providing a different level or quality of goods or services to the consumer.

      4. Suggesting that the consumer will receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.

    2. Nothing in this subdivision prohibits a business from charging a consumer a different price or rate, or from providing a different level or quality of goods or services to the consumer, if that difference is reasonably related to the value provided to the consumer by the consumer’s data.

    1. A business may offer financial incentives, including payments to consumers as compensation, for the collection of personal information, the sale of personal information, or the deletion of personal information. A business may also offer a different price, rate, level, or quality of goods or services to the consumer if that price or difference is directly related to the value provided to the business by the consumer’s data.

    2. A business that offers any financial incentives pursuant to this subdivision shall notify consumers of the financial incentives pursuant to Section 1798.130.

    3. A business may enter a consumer into a financial incentive program only if the consumer gives the business prior opt-in consent pursuant to Section 1798.130 that clearly describes the material terms of the financial incentive program, and which may be revoked by the consumer at any time.

    4. A business shall not use financial incentive practices that are unjust, unreasonable, coercive, or usurious in nature.

1798.130

  1. In order to comply with Sections 1798.100, 1798.105, 1798.110, 1798.115, and 1798.125, a business shall, in a form that is reasonably accessible to consumers:

      1. Make available to consumers two or more designated methods for submitting requests for information required to be disclosed pursuant to Sections 1798.110 and 1798.115, including, at a minimum, a toll-free telephone number. A business that operates exclusively online and has a direct relationship with a consumer from whom it collects personal information shall only be required to provide an email address for submitting requests for information required to be disclosed pursuant to Sections 1798.110 and 1798.115.

      2. If the business maintains an internet website, make the internet website available to consumers to submit requests for information required to be disclosed pursuant to Sections 1798.110 and 1798.115.

    1. Disclose and deliver the required information to a consumer free of charge within 45 days of receiving a verifiable consumer request from the consumer. The business shall promptly take steps to determine whether the request is a verifiable consumer request, but this shall not extend the business’ duty to disclose and deliver the information within 45 days of receipt of the consumer’s request. The time period to provide the required information may be extended once by an additional 45 days when reasonably necessary, provided the consumer is provided notice of the extension within the first 45-day period. The disclosure shall cover the 12-month period preceding the business’ receipt of the verifiable consumer request and shall be made in writing and delivered through the consumer’s account with the business, if the consumer maintains an account with the business, or by mail or electronically at the consumer’s option if the consumer does not maintain an account with the business, in a readily useable format that allows the consumer to transmit this information from one entity to another entity without hindrance. The business may require authentication of the consumer that is reasonable in light of the nature of the personal information requested, but shall not require the consumer to create an account with the business in order to make a verifiable consumer request. If the consumer maintains an account with the business, the business may require the consumer to submit the request through that account.

    2. For purposes of subdivision (b) of Section 1798.110:

      1. To identify the consumer, associate the information provided by the consumer in the verifiable consumer request to any personal information previously collected by the business about the consumer.

      2. Identify by category or categories the personal information collected about the consumer in the preceding 12 months by reference to the enumerated category or categories in subdivision (c) that most closely describes the personal information collected.

    3. For purposes of subdivision (b) of Section 1798.115:

      1. Identify the consumer and associate the information provided by the consumer in the verifiable consumer request to any personal information previously collected by the business about the consumer.

      2. Identify by category or categories the personal information of the consumer that the business sold in the preceding 12 months by reference to the enumerated category in subdivision (c) that most closely describes the personal information, and provide the categories of third parties to whom the consumer’s personal information was sold in the preceding 12 months by reference to the enumerated category or categories in subdivision (c) that most closely describes the personal information sold. The business shall disclose the information in a list that is separate from a list generated for the purposes of subparagraph (C).

      3. Identify by category or categories the personal information of the consumer that the business disclosed for a business purpose in the preceding 12 months by reference to the enumerated category or categories in subdivision (c) that most closely describes the personal information, and provide the categories of third parties to whom the consumer’s personal information was disclosed for a business purpose in the preceding 12 months by reference to the enumerated category or categories in subdivision (c) that most closely describes the personal information disclosed. The business shall disclose the information in a list that is separate from a list generated for the purposes of subparagraph (B).

    4. Disclose the following information in its online privacy policy or policies if the business has an online privacy policy or policies and in any California-specific description of consumers’ privacy rights, or if the business does not maintain those policies, on its Internet Web site, and update that information at least once every 12 months:

      1. A description of a consumer’s rights pursuant to Sections 1798.100, 1798.105, 1798.110, 1798.115, and 1798.125 and one or more designated methods for submitting requests.

      2. For purposes of subdivision (c) of Section 1798.110, a list of the categories of personal information it has collected about consumers in the preceding 12 months by reference to the enumerated category or categories in subdivision (c) that most closely describe the personal information collected.

      3. For purposes of paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 1798.115, two separate lists:

        1. A list of the categories of personal information it has sold about consumers in the preceding 12 months by reference to the enumerated category or categories in subdivision (c) that most closely describe the personal information sold, or if the business has not sold consumers’ personal information in the preceding 12 months, the business shall disclose that fact.

        2. A list of the categories of personal information it has disclosed about consumers for a business purpose in the preceding 12 months by reference to the enumerated category in subdivision (c) that most closely describe the personal information disclosed, or if the business has not disclosed consumers’ personal information for a business purpose in the preceding 12 months, the business shall disclose that fact.

    5. Ensure that all individuals responsible for handling consumer inquiries about the business’ privacy practices or the business’ compliance with this title are informed of all requirements in Sections 1798.100, 1798.105, 1798.110, 1798.115, and 1798.125, and this section, and how to direct consumers to exercise their rights under those sections.

    6. Use any personal information collected from the consumer in connection with the business’s verification of the consumer’s request solely for the purposes of verification.

  2. A business is not obligated to provide the information required by Sections 1798.110 and 1798.115 to the same consumer more than twice in a 12-month period.

  3. The categories of personal information required to be disclosed pursuant to Sections 1798.110 and 1798.115 shall follow the definition of personal information in Section 1798.140.

1798.135

  1. A business that is required to comply with Section 1798.120 shall, in a form that is reasonably accessible to consumers:

    1. Provide a clear and conspicuous link on the business’s Internet homepage, titled “Do Not Sell My Personal Information,” to an Internet Web page that enables a consumer, or a person authorized by the consumer, to opt-out of the sale of the consumer’s personal information. A business shall not require a consumer to create an account in order to direct the business not to sell the consumer’s personal information.

    2. Include a description of a consumer’s rights pursuant to Section 1798.120, along with a separate link to the “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” Internet Web page in:

      1. Its online privacy policy or policies if the business has an online privacy policy or policies.

      2. Any California-specific description of consumers’ privacy rights.

    3. Ensure that all individuals responsible for handling consumer inquiries about the business’s privacy practices or the business’s compliance with this title are informed of all requirements in Section 1798.120 and this section and how to direct consumers to exercise their rights under those sections.

    4. For consumers who exercise their right to opt-out of the sale of their personal information, refrain from selling personal information collected by the business about the consumer.

    5. For a consumer who has opted-out of the sale of the consumer’s personal information, respect the consumer’s decision to opt-out for at least 12 months before requesting that the consumer authorize the sale of the consumer’s personal information.

    6. Use any personal information collected from the consumer in connection with the submission of the consumer’s opt-out request solely for the purposes of complying with the opt-out request.

  2. Nothing in this title shall be construed to require a business to comply with the title by including the required links and text on the homepage that the business makes available to the public generally, if the business maintains a separate and additional homepage that is dedicated to California consumers and that includes the required links and text, and the business takes reasonable steps to ensure that California consumers are directed to the homepage for California consumers and not the homepage made available to the public generally.

  3. A consumer may authorize another person solely to opt-out of the sale of the consumer’s personal information on the consumer’s behalf, and a business shall comply with an opt-out request received from a person authorized by the consumer to act on the consumer’s behalf, pursuant to regulations adopted by the Attorney General.

1798.140

For purposes of this title:

  1. “Aggregate consumer information” means information that relates to a group or category of consumers, from which individual consumer identities have been removed, that is not linked or reasonably linkable to any consumer or household, including via a device. “Aggregate consumer information” does not mean one or more individual consumer records that have been de­identified.

  2. “Biometric information” means an individual’s physiological, biological or behavioral characteristics, including an individual’s deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), that can be used, singly or in combination with each other or with other identifying data, to establish individual identity. Biometric information includes, but is not limited to, imagery of the iris, retina, fingerprint, face, hand, palm, vein patterns, and voice recordings, from which an identifier template, such as a faceprint, a minutiae template, or a voiceprint, can be extracted, and keystroke patterns or rhythms, gait patterns or rhythms, and sleep, health, or exercise data that contain identifying information.

  3. “Business” means:

    1. A sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, association, or other legal entity that is organized or operated for the profit or financial benefit of its shareholders or other owners, that collects consumers’ personal information, or on the behalf of which such information is collected and that alone, or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of consumers’ personal information, that does business in the State of California, and that satisfies one or more of the following thresholds:

      1. Has annual gross revenues in excess of twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000), as adjusted pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 1798.185.

      2. Alone or in combination, annually buys, receives for the business’s commercial purposes, sells, or shares for commercial purposes, alone or in combination, the personal information of 50,000 or more consumers, households, or devices.

      3. Derives 50 percent or more of its annual revenues from selling consumers’ personal information.

    2. Any entity that controls or is controlled by a business, as defined in paragraph (1), and that shares common branding with the business. “Control” or “controlled” means ownership of, or the power to vote, more than 50 percent of the outstanding shares of any class of voting security of a business; control in any manner over the election of a majority of the directors, or of individuals exercising similar functions; or the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management of a company. “Common branding” means a shared name, servicemark, or trademark.

  4. “Business purpose” means the use of personal information for the business’s or a service provider’s operational purposes, or other notified purposes, provided that the use of personal information shall be reasonably necessary and proportionate to achieve the operational purpose for which the personal information was collected or processed or for another operational purpose that is compatible with the context in which the personal information was collected. Business purposes are:

    1. Auditing related to a current interaction with the consumer and concurrent transactions, including, but not limited to, counting ad impressions to unique visitors, verifying positioning and quality of ad impressions, and auditing compliance with this specification and other standards.

    2. Detecting security incidents, protecting against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, and prosecuting those responsible for that activity.

    3. Debugging to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality.

    4. Short-term, transient use, provided the personal information that is not disclosed to another third party and is not used to build a profile about a consumer or otherwise alter an individual consumer’s experience outside the current interaction, including, but not limited to, the contextual customization of ads shown as part of the same interaction.

    5. Performing services on behalf of the business or service provider, including maintaining or servicing accounts, providing customer service, processing or fulfilling orders and transactions, verifying customer information, processing payments, providing financing, providing advertising or marketing services, providing analytic services, or providing similar services on behalf of the business or service provider.

    6. Undertaking internal research for technological development and demonstration.

    7. Undertaking activities to verify or maintain the quality or safety of a service or device that is owned, manufactured, manufactured for, or controlled by the business, and to improve, upgrade, or enhance the service or device that is owned, manufactured, manufactured for, or controlled by the business.

  5. “Collects,” “collected,” or “collection” means buying, renting, gathering, obtaining, receiving, or accessing any personal information pertaining to a consumer by any means. This includes receiving information from the consumer, either actively or passively, or by observing the consumer’s behavior.

  6. “Commercial purposes” means to advance a person’s commercial or economic interests, such as by inducing another person to buy, rent, lease, join, subscribe to, provide, or exchange products, goods, property, information, or services, or enabling or effecting, directly or indirectly, a commercial transaction. “Commercial purposes” do not include for the purpose of engaging in speech that state or federal courts have recognized as noncommercial speech, including political speech and journalism.

  7. “Consumer” means a natural person who is a California resident, as defined in Section 17014 of Title 18 of the California Code of Regulations, as that section read on September 1, 2017, however identified, including by any unique identifier.

  8. “Deidentified” means information that cannot reasonably identify, relate to, describe, be capable of being associated with, or be linked, directly or indirectly, to a particular consumer, provided that a business that uses deidentified information:

    1. Has implemented technical safeguards that prohibit reidentification of the consumer to whom the information may pertain.

    2. Has implemented business processes that specifically prohibit reidentification of the information.

    3. Has implemented business processes to prevent inadvertent release of deidentified information.

    4. Makes no attempt to reidentify the information.

  9. “Designated methods for submitting requests” means a mailing address, email address, Internet Web page, Internet Web portal, toll-free telephone number, or other applicable contact information, whereby consumers may submit a request or direction under this title, and any new, consumer-friendly means of contacting a business, as approved by the Attorney General pursuant to Section 1798.185.

  10. “Device” means any physical object that is capable of connecting to the Internet, directly or indirectly, or to another device.

  11. “Health insurance information” means a consumer’s insurance policy number or subscriber identification number, any unique identifier used by a health insurer to identify the consumer, or any information in the consumer’s application and claims history, including any appeals records, if the information is linked or reasonably linkable to a consumer or household, including via a device, by a business or service provider.

  12. “Homepage” means the introductory page of an internet website and any internet web page where personal information is collected. In the case of an online service, such as a mobile application, homepage means the application’s platform page or download page, a link within the application, such as from the application configuration, “About,” “Information,” or settings page, and any other location that allows consumers to review the notice required by subdivision (a) of Section 1798.135, including, but not limited to, before downloading the application.

  13. “Infer” or “inference” means the derivation of information, data, assumptions, or conclusions from facts, evidence, or another source of information or data.

  14. “Person” means an individual, proprietorship, firm, partnership, joint venture, syndicate, business trust, company, corporation, limited liability company, association, committee, and any other organization or group of persons acting in concert.

    1. “Personal information” means information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household. Personal information includes, but is not limited to, the following if it identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could be reasonably linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household:

      1. Identifiers such as a real name, alias, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, internet protocol address, email address, account name, social security number, driver’s license number, passport number, or other similar identifiers.

      2. Any categories of personal information described in subdivision (e) of Section 1798.80.

      3. Characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law.

      4. Commercial information, including records of personal property, products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies.

      5. Biometric information.

      6. Internet or other electronic network activity information, including, but not limited to, browsing history, search history, and information regarding a consumer’s interaction with an internet website, application, or advertisement.

      7. Geolocation data.

      8. Audio, electronic, visual, thermal, olfactory, or similar information.

      9. Professional or employment-related information.

      10. Education information, defined as information that is not publicly available personally identifiable information as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g; 34 C.F.R. Part 99).

      11. Inferences drawn from any of the information identified in this subdivision to create a profile about a consumer reflecting the consumer’s preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes.

    2. “Personal information” does not include publicly available information. For purposes of this paragraph, “publicly available” means information that is lawfully made available from federal, state, or local government records. “Publicly available” does not mean biometric information collected by a business about a consumer without the consumer’s knowledge.

    3. “Personal information” does not include consumer information that is deidentified or aggregate consumer information.

  15. “Probabilistic identifier” means the identification of a consumer or a device to a degree of certainty of more probable than not based on any categories of personal information included in, or similar to, the categories enumerated in the definition of personal information.

  16. “Processing” means any operation or set of operations that are performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means.

  17. “Pseudonymize” or “Pseudonymization” means the processing of personal information in a manner that renders the personal information no longer attributable to a specific consumer without the use of additional information, provided that the additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organizational measures to ensure that the personal information is not attributed to an identified or identifiable consumer.

  18. “Research” means scientific, systematic study and observation, including basic research or applied research that is in the public interest and that adheres to all other applicable ethics and privacy laws or studies conducted in the public interest in the area of public health. Research with personal information that may have been collected from a consumer in the course of the consumer’s interactions with a business’s service or device for other purposes shall be:

    1. Compatible with the business purpose for which the personal information was collected.

    2. Subsequently pseudonymized and deidentified, or deidentified and in the aggregate, such that the information cannot reasonably identify, relate to, describe, be capable of being associated with, or be linked, directly or indirectly, to a particular consumer.

    3. Made subject to technical safeguards that prohibit reidentification of the consumer to whom the information may pertain.

    4. Subject to business processes that specifically prohibit reidentification of the information.

    5. Made subject to business processes to prevent inadvertent release of deidentified information.

    6. Protected from any reidentification attempts.

    7. Used solely for research purposes that are compatible with the context in which the personal information was collected.

    8. Not be used for any commercial purpose.

    9. Subjected by the business conducting the research to additional security controls limit access to the research data to only those individuals in a business as are necessary to carry out the research purpose.

    1. “Sell,” “selling,” “sale,” or “sold,” means selling, renting, releasing, disclosing, disseminating, making available, transferring, or otherwise communicating orally, in writing, or by electronic or other means, a consumer’s personal information by the business to another business or a third party for monetary or other valuable consideration.

    2. For purposes of this title, a business does not sell personal information when:

      1. A consumer uses or directs the business to intentionally disclose personal information or uses the business to intentionally interact with a third party, provided the third party does not also sell the personal information, unless that disclosure would be consistent with the provisions of this title. An intentional interaction occurs when the consumer intends to interact with the third party, via one or more deliberate interactions. Hovering over, muting, pausing, or closing a given piece of content does not constitute a consumer’s intent to interact with a third party.

      2. The business uses or shares an identifier for a consumer who has opted out of the sale of the consumer’s personal information for the purposes of alerting third parties that the consumer has opted out of the sale of the consumer’s personal information.

      3. The business uses or shares with a service provider personal information of a consumer that is necessary to perform a business purpose if both of the following conditions are met:

        1. The business has provided notice that information being used or shared in its terms and conditions consistent with Section 1798.135.

        2. The service provider does not further collect, sell, or use the personal information of the consumer except as necessary to perform the business purpose.

      4. The business transfers to a third party the personal information of a consumer as an asset that is part of a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, or other transaction in which the third party assumes control of all or part of the business, provided that information is used or shared consistently with Sections 1798.110 and 1798.115. If a third party materially alters how it uses or shares the personal information of a consumer in a manner that is materially inconsistent with the promises made at the time of collection, it shall provide prior notice of the new or changed practice to the consumer. The notice shall be sufficiently prominent and robust to ensure that existing consumers can easily exercise their choices consistently with Section 1798.120. This subparagraph does not authorize a business to make material, retroactive privacy policy changes or make other changes in their privacy policy in a manner that would violate the Unfair and Deceptive Practices Act (Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 17200) of Part 2 of Division 7 of the Business and Professions Code).

  19. “Service” or “services” means work, labor, and services, including services furnished in connection with the sale or repair of goods.

  20. “Service provider” means a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, association, or other legal entity that is organized or operated for the profit or financial benefit of its shareholders or other owners, that processes information on behalf of a business and to which the business discloses a consumer’s personal information for a business purpose pursuant to a written contract, provided that the contract prohibits the entity receiving the information from retaining, using, or disclosing the personal information for any purpose other than for the specific purpose of performing the services specified in the contract for the business, or as otherwise permitted by this title, including retaining, using, or disclosing the personal information for a commercial purpose other than providing the services specified in the contract with the business.

  21. “Third party” means a person who is not any of the following:

    1. The business that collects personal information from consumers under this title.

      1. A person to whom the business discloses a consumer’s personal information for a business purpose pursuant to a written contract, provided that the contract:

        1. Prohibits the person receiving the personal information from:

          1. Selling the personal information.

          2. Retaining, using, or disclosing the personal information for any purpose other than for the specific purpose of performing the services specified in the contract, including retaining, using, or disclosing the personal information for a commercial purpose other than providing the services specified in the contract.

          3. Retaining, using, or disclosing the information outside of the direct business relationship between the person and the business.

        2. Includes a certification made by the person receiving the personal information that the person understands the restrictions in subparagraph (A) and will comply with them.

      2. A person covered by this paragraph that violates any of the restrictions set forth in this title shall be liable for the violations. A business that discloses personal information to a person covered by this paragraph in compliance with this paragraph shall not be liable under this title if the person receiving the personal information uses it in violation of the restrictions set forth in this title, provided that, at the time of disclosing the personal information, the business does not have actual knowledge, or reason to believe, that the person intends to commit such a violation.

  22. “Unique identifier” or “Unique personal identifier” means a persistent identifier that can be used to recognize a consumer, a family, or a device that is linked to a consumer or family, over time and across different services, including, but not limited to, a device identifier; an Internet Protocol address; cookies, beacons, pixel tags, mobile ad identifiers, or similar technology; customer number, unique pseudonym, or user alias; telephone numbers, or other forms of persistent or probabilistic identifiers that can be used to identify a particular consumer or device. For purposes of this subdivision, “family” means a custodial parent or guardian and any minor children over which the parent or guardian has custody.

  23. “Verifiable consumer request” means a request that is made by a consumer, by a consumer on behalf of the consumer’s minor child, or by a natural person or a person registered with the Secretary of State, authorized by the consumer to act on the consumer’s behalf, and that the business can reasonably verify, pursuant to regulations adopted by the Attorney General pursuant to paragraph (7) of subdivision (a) of Section 1798.185 to be the consumer about whom the business has collected personal information. A business is not obligated to provide information to the consumer pursuant to Sections 1798.100, 1798.105, 1798.110, and 1798.115 if the business cannot verify, pursuant to this subdivision and regulations adopted by the Attorney General pursuant to paragraph (7) of subdivision (a) of Section 1798.185, that the consumer making the request is the consumer about whom the business has collected information or is a person authorized by the consumer to act on such consumer’s behalf.

1798.145

  1. The obligations imposed on businesses by this title shall not restrict a business’s ability to:

    1. Comply with federal, state, or local laws.

    2. Comply with a civil, criminal, or regulatory inquiry, investigation, subpoena, or summons by federal, state, or local authorities.

    3. Cooperate with law enforcement agencies concerning conduct or activity that the business, service provider, or third party reasonably and in good faith believes may violate federal, state, or local law.

    4. Exercise or defend legal claims.

    5. Collect, use, retain, sell, or disclose consumer information that is deidentified or in the aggregate consumer information.

    6. Collect or sell a consumer’s personal information if every aspect of that commercial conduct takes place wholly outside of California. For purposes of this title, commercial conduct takes place wholly outside of California if the business collected that information while the consumer was outside of California, no part of the sale of the consumer’s personal information occurred in California, and no personal information collected while the consumer was in California is sold. This paragraph shall not permit a business from storing, including on a device, personal information about a consumer when the consumer is in California and then collecting that personal information when the consumer and stored personal information is outside of California.

  2. The obligations imposed on businesses by Sections 1798.110 to 1798.135, inclusive, shall not apply where compliance by the business with the title would violate an evidentiary privilege under California law and shall not prevent a business from providing the personal information of a consumer to a person covered by an evidentiary privilege under California law as part of a privileged communication.

    1. This title shall not apply to any of the following:

      1. Medical information governed by the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (Part 2.6 (commencing with Section 56) of Division 1) or protected health information that is collected by a covered entity or business associate governed by the privacy, security, and breach notification rules issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Parts 160 and 164 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations, established pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-191) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (Public Law 111-5).

      2. A provider of health care governed by the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (Part 2.6 (commencing with Section 56) of Division 1) or a covered entity governed by the privacy, security, and breach notification rules issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Parts 160 and 164 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations, established pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-191), to the extent the provider or covered entity maintains patient information in the same manner as medical information or protected health information as described in subparagraph (A) of this section.

      3. Information collected as part of a clinical trial subject to the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, also known as the Common Rule, pursuant to good clinical practice guidelines issued by the International Council for Harmonisation or pursuant to human subject protection requirements of the United States Food and Drug Administration.

    2. For purposes of this subdivision, the definitions of “medical information” and “provider of health care” in Section 56.05 shall apply and the definitions of “business associate,” “covered entity,” and “protected health information” in Section 160.103 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations shall apply.

    1. This title shall not apply to an activity involving the collection, maintenance, disclosure, sale, communication, or use of any personal information bearing on a consumer’s credit worthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, or mode of living by a consumer reporting agency, as defined in subdivision (f) of Section 1681a of Title 15 of the United States Code, by a furnisher of information, as set forth in Section 1681s-2 of Title 15 of the United States Code, who provides information for use in a consumer report, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 1681a of Title 15 of the United States Code, and by a user of a consumer report as set forth in Section 1681b of Title 15 of the United States Code.

    2. Paragraph (1) shall apply only to the extent that such activity involving the collection, maintenance, disclosure, sale, communication, or use of such information by that agency, furnisher, or user is subject to regulation under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, section 1681 et seq., Title 15 of the United States Code and the information is not used, communicated, disclosed, or sold except as authorized by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

    3. This subdivision shall not apply to Section 1798.150.

  3. This title shall not apply to personal information collected, processed, sold, or disclosed pursuant to the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (Public Law 106-102), and implementing regulations, or the California Financial Information Privacy Act (Division 1.4 (commencing with Section 4050) of the Financial Code). This subdivision shall not apply to Section 1798.150.

  4. This title shall not apply to personal information collected, processed, sold, or disclosed pursuant to the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994 (18 U.S.C. Sec. 2721 et seq.). This subdivision shall not apply to Section 1798.150.

    1. Section 1798.120 shall not apply to vehicle information or ownership information retained or shared between a new motor vehicle dealer, as defined in Section 426 of the Vehicle Code, and the vehicle’s manufacturer, as defined in Section 672 of the Vehicle Code, if the vehicle or ownership information is shared for the purpose of effectuating, or in anticipation of effectuating, a vehicle repair covered by a vehicle warranty or a recall conducted pursuant to Sections 30118 to 30120, inclusive, of Title 49 of the United States Code, provided that the new motor vehicle dealer or vehicle manufacturer with which that vehicle information or ownership information is shared does not sell, share, or use that information for any other purpose.

    2. For purposes of this subdivision:

      1. “Vehicle information” means the vehicle information number, make, model, year, and odometer reading.

      2.  “Ownership information” means the name or names of the registered owner or owners and the contact information for the owner or owners.

    1. This title shall not apply to any of the following:

      1. Personal information that is collected by a business about a natural person in the course of the natural person acting as a job applicant to, an employee of, owner of, director of, officer of, medical staff member of, or contractor of that business to the extent that the natural person’s personal information is collected and used by the business solely within the context of the natural person’s role or former role as a job applicant to, an employee of, owner of, director of, officer of, medical staff member of, or a contractor of that business.

      2. Personal information that is collected by a business that is emergency contact information of the natural person acting as a job applicant to, an employee of, owner of, director of, officer of, medical staff member of, or contractor of that business to the extent that the personal information is collected and used solely within the context of having an emergency contact on file.

      3. Personal information that is necessary for the business to retain to administer benefits for another natural person relating to the natural person acting as a job applicant to, an employee of, owner of, director of, officer of, medical staff member of, or contractor of that business to the extent that the personal information is collected and used solely within the context of administering those benefits.

    2. For purposes of this subdivision:

      1. “Contractor” means a natural person who provides any service to a business pursuant to a written contract.

      2. “Director” means a natural person designated in the articles of incorporation as such or elected by the incorporators and natural persons designated, elected, or appointed by any other name or title to act as directors, and their successors.

      3. “Medical staff member” means a licensed physician and surgeon, dentist, or podiatrist, licensed pursuant to Division 2 (commencing with Section 500) of the Business and Professions Code and a clinical psychologist as defined in Section 1316.5 of the Health and Safety Code.

      4. “Officer” means a natural person elected or appointed by the board of directors to manage the daily operations of a corporation, such as a chief executive officer, president, secretary, or treasurer.

      5. “Owner” means a natural person who meets one of the following:

        1. Has ownership of, or the power to vote, more than 50 percent of the outstanding shares of any class of voting security of a business.

        2. Has control in any manner over the election of a majority of the directors or of individuals exercising similar functions.

        3. Has the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management of a company.

    3. This subdivision shall not apply to subdivision (b) of Section 1798.100 or Section 1798.150.

    4. This subdivision shall become inoperative on January 1, 2021.

  5. Notwithstanding a business’ obligations to respond to and honor consumer rights requests pursuant to this title:

    1. A time period for a business to respond to any verified consumer request may be extended by up to 90 additional days where necessary, taking into account the complexity and number of the requests. The business shall inform the consumer of any such extension within 45 days of receipt of the request, together with the reasons for the delay.

    2. If the business does not take action on the request of the consumer, the business shall inform the consumer, without delay and at the latest within the time period permitted of response by this section, of the reasons for not taking action and any rights the consumer may have to appeal the decision to the business.

    3. If requests from a consumer are manifestly unfounded or excessive, in particular because of their repetitive character, a business may either charge a reasonable fee, taking into account the administrative costs of providing the information or communication or taking the action requested, or refuse to act on the request and notify the consumer of the reason for refusing the request. The business shall bear the burden of demonstrating that any verified consumer request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

  6. A business that discloses personal information to a service provider shall not be liable under this title if the service provider receiving the personal information uses it in violation of the restrictions set forth in the title, provided that, at the time of disclosing the personal information, the business does not have actual knowledge, or reason to believe, that the service provider intends to commit such a violation. A service provider shall likewise not be liable under this title for the obligations of a business for which it provides services as set forth in this title.

  7. This title shall not be construed to require a business to collect personal information that it would not otherwise collect in the ordinary course of its business, retain personal information for longer than it would otherwise retain such information in the ordinary course of its business, or reidentify or otherwise link information that is not maintained in a manner that would be considered personal information.

  8. The rights afforded to consumers and the obligations imposed on the business in this title shall not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of other consumers.

  9. The rights afforded to consumers and the obligations imposed on any business under this title shall not apply to the extent that they infringe on the noncommercial activities of a person or entity described in subdivision (b) of Section 2 of Article I of the California Constitution.

    1. The obligations imposed on businesses by Sections 1798.100, 1798.105, 1798.110, 1798.115, 1798.130, and 1798.135 shall not apply to personal information reflecting a written or verbal communication or a transaction between the business and the consumer, where the consumer is a natural person who is acting as an employee, owner, director, officer, or contractor of a company, partnership, sole proprietorship, non-profit, or government agency and whose communications or transaction with the business occur solely within the context of the business conducting due diligence regarding, or providing or receiving a product or service to or from such company, partnership, sole proprietorship, non-profit, or government agency.

    2. For purposes of this subdivision:

      1. “Contractor” means a natural person who provides any service to a business pursuant to a written contract.

      2. “Director” means a natural person designated in the articles of incorporation as such or elected by the incorporators and natural persons designated, elected, or appointed by any other name or title to act as directors, and their successors.

      3. “Officer” means a natural person elected or appointed by the board of directors to manage the daily operations of a corporation, such as a chief executive officer, president, secretary, or treasurer.

      4. “Owner” means a natural person who meets one of the following:

        1. Has ownership of, or the power to vote, more than 50 percent of the outstanding shares of any class of voting security of a business.

        2. Has control in any manner over the election of a majority of the directors or of individuals exercising similar functions.

        3. Has the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management of a company.

    3. This subdivision shall become inoperative on January 1, 2021.

 

1798.150

    1. Any consumer whose nonencrypted or nonredacted personal information, as defined in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 1798.81.5, is subject to an unauthorized access and exfiltration, theft, or disclosure as a result of the business’s violation of the duty to implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices appropriate to the nature of the information to protect the personal information may institute a civil action for any of the following:

      1. To recover damages in an amount not less than one hundred dollars ($100) and not greater than seven hundred and fifty ($750) per consumer per incident or actual damages, whichever is greater.

      2. Injunctive or declaratory relief.

      3. Any other relief the court deems proper.

    2. In assessing the amount of statutory damages, the court shall consider any one or more of the relevant circumstances presented by any of the parties to the case, including, but not limited to, the nature and seriousness of the misconduct, the number of violations, the persistence of the misconduct, the length of time over which the misconduct occurred, the willfulness of the defendant’s misconduct, and the defendant’s assets, liabilities, and net worth.

  1. Actions pursuant to this section may be brought by a consumer if, prior to initiating any action against a business for statutory damages on an individual or class-wide basis, a consumer provides a business 30 days’ written notice identifying the specific provisions of this title the consumer alleges have been or are being violated. In the event a cure is possible, if within the 30 days the business actually cures the noticed violation and provides the consumer an express written statement that the violations have been cured and that no further violations shall occur, no action for individual statutory damages or class-wide statutory damages may be initiated against the business. No notice shall be required prior to an individual consumer initiating an action solely for actual pecuniary damages suffered as a result of the alleged violations of this title. If a business continues to violate this title in breach of the express written statement provided to the consumer under this section, the consumer may initiate an action against the business to enforce the written statement and may pursue statutory damages for each breach of the express written statement, as well as any other violation of the title that postdates the written statement.

  2. The cause of action established by this section shall apply only to violations as defined in subdivision (a) and shall not be based on violations of any other section of this title. Nothing in this title shall be interpreted to serve as the basis for a private right of action under any other law. This shall not be construed to relieve any party from any duties or obligations imposed under other law or the United States or California Constitution.

1798.155

  1. Any business or third party may seek the opinion of the Attorney General for guidance on how to comply with the provisions of this title.

  2. A business shall be in violation of this title if it fails to cure any alleged violation within 30 days after being notified of alleged noncompliance. Any business, service provider, or other person that violates this title shall be subject to an injunction and liable for a civil penalty of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) for each violation or seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500) for each intentional violation, which shall be assessed and recovered in a civil action brought in the name of the people of the State of California by the Attorney General. The civil penalties provided for in this section shall be exclusively assessed and recovered in a civil action brought in the name of the people of the State of California by the Attorney General.

  3. Any civil penalty assessed for a violation of this title, and the proceeds of any settlement of an action brought pursuant to subdivision (b), shall be deposited in the Consumer Privacy Fund, created within the General Fund pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1798.160 with the intent to fully offset any costs incurred by the state courts and the Attorney General in connection with this title.

1798.160

  1. A special fund to be known as the “Consumer Privacy Fund” is hereby created within the General Fund in the State Treasury, and is available upon appropriation by the Legislature to offset any costs incurred by the state courts in connection with actions brought to enforce this title and any costs incurred by the Attorney General in carrying out the Attorney General’s duties under this title.

  2. Funds transferred to the Consumer Privacy Fund shall be used exclusively to offset any costs incurred by the state courts and the Attorney General in connection with this title. These funds shall not be subject to appropriation or transfer by the Legislature for any other purpose, unless the Director of Finance determines that the funds are in excess of the funding needed to fully offset the costs incurred by the state courts and the Attorney General in connection with this title, in which case the Legislature may appropriate excess funds for other purposes.

1798.175

This title is intended to further the constitutional right of privacy and to supplement existing laws relating to consumers’ personal information, including, but not limited to, Chapter 22 (commencing with Section 22575) of Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code and Title 1.81 (commencing with Section 1798.80). The provisions of this title are not limited to information collected electronically or over the Internet, but apply to the collection and sale of all personal information collected by a business from consumers. Wherever possible, law relating to consumers’ personal information should be construed to harmonize with the provisions of this title, but in the event of a conflict between other laws and the provisions of this title, the provisions of the law that afford the greatest protection for the right of privacy for consumers shall control.

1798.180

This title is a matter of statewide concern and supersedes and preempts all rules, regulations, codes, ordinances, and other laws adopted by a city, county, city and county, municipality, or local agency regarding the collection and sale of consumers’ personal information by a business.

1798.185

  1. On or before July 1, 2020, the Attorney General shall solicit broad public participation and adopt regulations to further the purposes of this title, including, but not limited to, the following areas:

    1. Updating as needed additional categories of personal information to those enumerated in subdivision (c) of Section 1798.130 and subdivision (o) of Section 1798.140 in order to address changes in technology, data collection practices, obstacles to implementation, and privacy concerns.

    2. Updating as needed the definition of unique identifiers to address changes in technology, data collection, obstacles to implementation, and privacy concerns, and additional categories to the definition of designated methods for submitting requests to facilitate a consumer’s ability to obtain information from a business pursuant to Section 1798.130.

    3. Establishing any exceptions necessary to comply with state or federal law, including, but not limited to, those relating to trade secrets and intellectual property rights, within one year of passage of this title and as needed thereafter.

    4. Establishing rules and procedures for the following:

      1. To facilitate and govern the submission of a request by a consumer to opt-out of the sale of personal information pursuant to Section 1798.120.

      2. To govern business compliance with a consumer’s opt-out request.

      3. For the development and use of a recognizable and uniform opt-out logo or button by all businesses to promote consumer awareness of the opportunity to opt-out of the sale of personal information.

    5. Adjusting the monetary threshold in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 1798.140 in January of every odd-numbered year to reflect any increase in the Consumer Price Index.

    6. Establishing rules, procedures, and any exceptions necessary to ensure that the notices and information that businesses are required to provide pursuant to this title are provided in a manner that may be easily understood by the average consumer, are accessible to consumers with disabilities, and are available in the language primarily used to interact with the consumer, including establishing rules and guidelines regarding financial incentive offerings, within one year of passage of this title and as needed thereafter.

    7. Establishing rules and procedures to further the purposes of Sections 1798.110 and 1798.115 and to facilitate a consumer’s or the consumer’s authorized agent’s ability to obtain information pursuant to Section 1798.130, with the goal of minimizing the administrative burden on consumers, taking into account available technology, security concerns, and the burden on the business, to govern a business’s determination that a request for information received by a consumer is a verifiable consumer request, including treating a request submitted through a password-protected account maintained by the consumer with the business while the consumer is logged into the account as a verifiable consumer request and providing a mechanism for a consumer who does not maintain an account with the business to request information through the business’s authentication of the consumer’s identity, within one year of passage of this title and as needed thereafter.

  2. The Attorney General may adopt additional regulations as follows:

    1. To establish rules and procedures on how to process and comply with verifiable consumer requests for specific pieces of personal information relating to a household in order to address obstacles to implementation and privacy concerns.

    2. As necessary to further the purposes of this title.

  3. The Attorney General shall not bring an enforcement action under this title until six months after the publication of the final regulations issued pursuant to this section or July 1, 2020, whichever is sooner.

1798.190

If a series of steps or transactions were component parts of a single transaction intended from the beginning to be taken with the intention of avoiding the reach of this title, including the disclosure of information by a business to a third party in order to avoid the definition of sell, a court shall disregard the intermediate steps or transactions for purposes of effectuating the purposes of this title.

1798.192

Any provision of a contract or agreement of any kind that purports to waive or limit in any way a consumer’s rights under this title, including, but not limited to, any right to a remedy or means of enforcement, shall be deemed contrary to public policy and shall be void and unenforceable. This section shall not prevent a consumer from declining to request information from a business, declining to opt-out of a business’s sale of the consumer’s personal information, or authorizing a business to sell the consumer’s personal information after previously opting out.

1798.194

This title shall be liberally construed to effectuate its purposes.

1798.196

This title is intended to supplement federal and state law, if permissible, but shall not apply if such application is preempted by, or in conflict with, federal law or the United States or California Constitution.

1798.198

  1. Subject to limitation provided in subdivision (b), and in Section 1798.199, this title shall be operative January 1, 2020.

  2. This title shall become operative only if initiative measure No. 17-0039, The Consumer Right to Privacy Act of 2018, is withdrawn from the ballot pursuant to Section 9604 of the Elections Code.

1798.199

Notwithstanding Section 1798.198, Section 1798.180 shall be operative on the effective date of the act adding this section.

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