U.S. Info

Standards Developing Organizations

Trade Associations

Conformity Assessment Bodies

U.S. Standards Strategy

U.S. Conformity Assessment Principles

International Trade Resources

ANSI Privacy Policy

Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI) and its affiliated companies, the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and Workcred, Inc. (collectively, “ANSI-affiliated companies,” “we,” “our” or “us”), collect, use, share with one another and disclose Personal Information.  As stated below, the term "Personal Information" is intended to cover all information subject to personal data processing and privacy laws applicable to our businesses.  We value your trust and are committed to protecting your Personal Information and complying with applicable privacy requirements in a trustworthy, transparent and responsible manner.

This Privacy Policy applies to information we collect from you or that you may provide when you visit one of our company websites (our “ANSI Sites”).

This Privacy Policy also applies to information we collect:

• On other websites used by us for scheduling and planning purposes, e.g., MailChimp, CVENT, GoogleForms, SurveyMonkey,  Enterprise Quality Management Software Systems (EQMS), ShareFile, OneDrive and Audeee
• In email, text, and other electronic messages between you and the ANSI Sites; and
• Through Webinar, Webex and other online workshops or events sponsored by us
• Through interaction with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the United States National Committee of the International Electrotechnical Commission (USNC/IEC)

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your Personal Information and how we will treat it. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, your choice is not to use our ANSI Sites or otherwise participate in activities and services provided by us. By accessing or using the ANSI Sites, you agree to this Privacy Policy, which may change from time to time. Your continued use of our ANSI Sites after we make changes to the Privacy Policy is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check the Privacy Policy periodically for updates.

Information We Collect about You and How We Collect It

We only collect information from or about you that is reasonably necessary for us to provide you or those on whose behalf you act the relevant service, business relationship and/or communication that is consistent with the nature of such service, business relationship and/or communication. As a result, we collect several types of information from and about users of our ANSI Sites, including:

• Information by which you (or those on whose behalf you act) may be personally identified, such as name, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, or any other information the website collects that is defined as personal or personally identifiable information under an applicable law, and any other identifier by which you may be contacted (”Personal Information”);
• Information that is about you but does not identify you individually; and/or
• Information about your internet connection, the equipment you use to access our ANSI Sites and usage details.

As detailed below, we collect this information in three ways:

• Directly from you when you provide it to us;
• Automatically as you navigate through the ANSI Sites; information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies; and
• Indirectly from other sources, including from you or your principal's involvement in ISO USNC, and IEC, developing American National Standards, conformity assessment activities, and research, consulting and educational services.

Information You Provide to Us Directly

The information we collect on or through our ANSI Sites may include:

• Information that you provide by filling in forms on our ANSI Sites. This includes information provided at the time of becoming a member of ANSI, registering to use our ANSI Sites, subscribing to one of our services, posting material, or requesting further services. We may also ask you for information when you register for an event sponsored by us or when you report a problem with our ANSI Sites;
• Records and copies of your correspondence (including email addresses), if you contact us;
• Your responses to surveys that we might ask you to complete for research or scheduling purposes; and
• Your search queries on the ANSI Sites.

You also may provide information to be published or displayed (hereinafter, “posted”) on public areas of the ANSI Sites, or transmitted to other users of the ANSI Sites or third parties (collectively, “User Contributions”). Your User Contributions are posted on and transmitted to others at your own risk. Although we do our best to protect your Personal Information, please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable. Additionally, we cannot control the actions of other users of the ANSI Sites with whom you may choose to share your User Contributions. Therefore, we cannot and do not guarantee that your User Contributions will not be viewed by unauthorized persons.

Information We Collect Automatically through Data Collection Technologies

As you navigate through and interact with our ANSI Sites, we may use automatic data collection technologies to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns, including:

• Details of your visits to our ANSI Sites, including traffic data, location data, logs, and other communication data and the resources that you access and use on the ANSI Sites; and
• Information about your computer and internet connection, including your IP address, operating system, and browser type.

We also may use these technologies to collect information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites or other online services (behavioral tracking). For example, when someone visits a particular page of an ANSI Site they may receive future ads from Google on other sites they visit.  You can disable cookies in your browser settings and you can opt out of Google’s use of cookies at https://www.google.com/settings/ads.

The information we collect automatically is statistical data and does not include Personal Information, but we may maintain such data or associate it with Personal Information we collect in other ways or receive from third parties. Automatic data collection helps us to improve our ANSI Sites and to deliver a better and more personalized service, including by enabling us to:

• Estimate our audience size and usage patterns;
• Store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize our ANSI Sites according to your individual interests;
• Speed up your searches; and
• Recognize you when you return to our ANSI Sites.

The ANSI Sites automatically collect visitor data, which is not personally identifiable.  The data is used to understand the use of the site and to better understand the needs of our visitors.  The type of information that is collected about you for analytics may include demographics for age, gender, geographic location and language.  The ANSI Sites also collect information about which pages were visited, how long a visit lasted, and browser type or device and other information which is not personally identifiable. 

The technologies we use for this automatic data collection may include:

• Cookies (or browser cookies). A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our ANSI Sites. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to our ANSI Sites;
• Web Beacons. Pages of our ANSI Sites and our e-mails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit ANSI, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain website content and verifying system and server integrity).

Information We Collect from Other Sources

As you participate in standardization, conformity assessment, and related educational and research activities, you may undertake activities or work with entities that, in turn, provide information which is collected by our companies. Here are a few examples of how we collect information from other sources. 

ANSI is the sole U.S. representative to ISO, and ANSI has a team that interfaces with ISO and plays an active role in ISO’s governance. Similarly, ANSI, through the USNC, serves as the focal point for U.S. parties interested in development, promulgation and use of globally-relevant standards for the electrotechnical industry.  When you or your principal participate in ISO and IEC standards development processes, we might acquire information from or about you, including in connection with your participation in U.S. Technical Advisory Groups, voting, committees, events, educational programs and research. 

ANAB is engaged in the assessment of conformance to standards, undertaking work and training in areas such as testing, certification, and accreditation of management systems, laboratories, products, and inspection bodies in a global marketplace.  ANAB is a member of international organizations of conformity assessment bodies, including the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC),  International Accreditation Forum (IAF), Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) and Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC). When you or your principal participate in ILAC and IAF activities, ANAB might acquire information from or about you, including in connection with your participation in voting, committees, events, educational programs and research.

Workcred, through research, consulting, education and training, and stakeholder collaboratives, is dedicated to increasing the quality, market value, and effectiveness of credentials.  Among its many activities, Workcred presents at national workforce conferences and serves on national task forces, panels and boards.  When you or your principal participate in these activities, Workcred might acquire information from or about you. 

Third-Party Use of Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies

Some content or applications, including advertisements, on the ANSI Sites are served by third-parties, including advertisers, ad networks and servers, content providers, and application providers. These third parties may use cookies alone or in conjunction with web beacons or other tracking technologies to collect information about you when you use our ANSI Sites.  The information they collect may be associated with your Personal Information or they may collect information, including Personal Information, about your online activities over time and across different websites and other online services. They may use this information to provide you with interest-based (behavioral) advertising or other targeted content.

We do not control these third parties’ tracking technologies or how such technologies may be used. If you have any questions about an advertisement or other targeted content, you should contact the responsible provider directly. For information about how you can opt out of receiving targeted advertising from many providers, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information.

How We Use Your Information

We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any Personal Information:

• To present our ANSI Sites and their contents to you;
• To provide you with information, products, or services that you request from us;
• To fulfill the purpose for which you provided the information;
• To provide you with notices about your ANSI membership account, including expiration and renewal notices;
• To notify you about changes to our ANSI Sites or any products or services we offer or provide through it;
• To allow you to participate in interactive features on our ANSI Sites;
• To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request;
• To enforce or apply our terms of use and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes;
• To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts entered into between you and us, including for billing and collection;

• To support our business by providing information to trusted businesses, contractors, service providers and other third parties who are bound by contractual obligations to keep personal information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them;

• When we have your consent, to provide information to third parties to market their products or services to you. We contractually require these third parties to keep Personal Information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them. For more information, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information;
• If we believe that disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of ANSI, our customers, or website users, and others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction.
• In any other way we may describe when you provide the information; and
• For any other purpose for which you consent.

We may also share your information among our companies and use your information to contact you about our own and third-parties’ goods and services that may be of interest to you. For more information, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information.

We may use the information we have collected from you to enable us to display advertisements to our advertisers’ target audiences. Even though we do not disclose your Personal Information for these purposes without your consent, if you click on or otherwise interact with an advertisement, the advertiser may assume that you meet its target criteria.

We may disclose aggregated information about our users, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction.

We do not sell your information.

Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information

We strive to provide you with choices regarding the personal information you provide to us.

We have created mechanisms to provide you with the following control over your information:

• Tracking Technologies and Advertising. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this site may then be inaccessible or not function properly;
• Disclosure of Your Information for Third-Party Advertising. If you do not want us to share your personal information with unaffiliated or non-agent third parties for promotional purposes, you can opt-out by checking the relevant box located on the form on which we collect your data (the registration form) or email [email protected]. You can also always opt-out by logging into the Website and adjusting your user preferences in your account profile by checking or unchecking the relevant boxes or by sending us an email stating your request to [email protected];
• Promotional Offers from Us. If you do not wish to have your email address/contact information used by ANSI to promote our own or third parties’ products or services, you can opt-out by checking the relevant preferences located on the form on which we collect your data (the registration form) or at any other time by logging into the Website and adjusting your user preferences in your account profile by checking or unchecking the relevant preferences or by sending us an email stating your request to [email protected]. If we have sent you a promotional email, you may send us a return email asking to be omitted from future email distributions. This opt out does not apply to information provided to ANSI as a result of a product purchase, warranty registration, product service experience or other transactions;
• Targeted Advertising. If you do not want us to use information that we collect or that you provide to us to deliver advertisements according to our advertisers’ target-audience preferences, you can: (1) opt-out of Google’s use of cookies at https://www.google.com/settings/ads and opt-out of ANSI’s sharing your personal information with its Standards Development Organization from ANSI’s webstore registration page https://webstore.ansi.org/; or (2) email [email protected]. You need to disable cookies to opt out of third party ads, and you need to enable cookies to edit your account profile information on the ANSI Sites; and
• We do not control third parties’ collection or use of your information to serve interest-based advertising. However, these third parties may provide you with ways to choose not to have your information collected or used in this way. You can opt out of receiving targeted ads from members of the Network Advertising Initiative (”NAI”) on the NAI’s website www.networkadvertising.org.

Accessing and Correcting Your Information

You can review and change your Personal Information by logging into the ANSI Sites and visiting your account profile page.

You may also send us an email at [email protected] to request access to, correct or delete any Personal Information that you have provided to us. We cannot delete your Personal Information except by also deleting your user account. We may not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect.

If you delete your User Contributions from the ANSI Sites, copies of your User Contributions may remain viewable in cached and archived pages, or might have been copied or stored by other Website users. Proper access and use of information provided on the ANSI Sites, including User Contributions, is governed by our terms of use.

Data Security

We have implemented measures designed to secure your Personal Information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure.

Online transactions utilize a secure server and automated credit or debit card authorization service.  For security reasons, this system will store approval codes, but not credit card numbers.  Credit card information must be re-entered for all future transactions.

The safety and security of your information also depends on you. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our ANSI Sites, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone. We urge you to be careful about giving out information in public areas of the Website like message boards. The information you share in public areas may be viewed by any user of the ANSI Sites.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to our ANSI Sites. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any settings or security measures contained on the ANSI Sites.

California Residents' Rights

California residents have the following rights:

• The right to know what personal information is being collected about them.
• The right to know whether their personal information is sold or disclosed and to whom.
• The right to say no to the sale of personal information.
• The right to access their personal information.
• The right to equal service and price, even if they exercise their privacy rights.

Children Under the Age of 13

Our ANSI Sites are not intended for children under 13 years of age. No one under age 13 may provide any information to the ANSI Sites. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, do not use or provide any information on the ANSI Sites or on or through any of its features/register on the ANSI Sites, make any purchases through the ANSI Sites, use any of the interactive or public comment features of the ANSI Sites or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, or any screen name or user name you may use. If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe, we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at [email protected] or [email protected].

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

We change this Privacy Policy from time to time.  When we make a change to the Privacy Policy, we indicate at the top of the policy the date the last revised version was published. If we make changes that are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice.  This may include, for certain services, notification by email to the primary email address specified in your account and/or through a notice on the home page of the ANSI Sites. You are responsible for ensuring we have an up-to-date active and deliverable email address for you, and for periodically visiting our ANSI Sites and this Privacy Policy to check for any changes.

By registering under an ANSI Site, you have opted-in to the terms of the Privacy Policy.

In that regard, if you would prefer not to have your Personal Information stored by ANSI after opting in, you can opt-out here or by sending an email to [email protected].

Please note that your decision to opt-out means that you will no longer be able to post content on or otherwise use this site.

Contact Information

To ask questions or comment about this statement and our practices, contact us at:
[email protected], 888-302-4980