Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 21, 2022

This policy (“Privacy Policy”) has been compiled to assist you (“you,” “your,” or “User”) to understand how ThePublicIndex (“we”, “our,” “us” or "ThePublicIndex "), and our affiliates, parents, and subsidiaries, collect, use, and disclose information that we collect through your use of the ThePublicIndex website, available at https://thepublicindex.org (the “Website”). This Privacy Policy is part of and supplements the Website Terms of Service (the “Terms”), available here: Terms and Conditions

This Privacy Policy does not apply to information collected or obtained by any website that may be linked from the Website. Each such linked website may have its own privacy notice and terms of service, and it is your responsibility to review them before you use the linked website.

By accessing, browsing, or otherwise using the Website, you acknowledge and consent to our collection and use of information as set forth in this Privacy Policy. PLEASE READ THIS PRIVACY POLICY CAREFULLY. YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE CONSTITUTES YOUR CONSENT TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY. DO NOT USE THE WEBSITE IF YOU ARE UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO CONSENT TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY.

If you are a California resident, please click here for your California privacy rights, which supplements the Privacy Policy as to California Residents only.

1.  Information Collection

When you use the Website, we may collect the following types of personal information about you, which are described in more detail below: (A) personal information you provide to us; and (B) personal information we automatically collect.

A. Information We Request.

We generally do not request any personal information from you when you visit or use the Website. However, if you choose to contact us, you may provide (and we will collect) your name, email address, and comments/questions.

B. Information We May Automatically Collect About You.

We may now or in the future use tools, including third-party analytical software, to automatically collect certain information about the computer or other device you use to reach the Website, without any active submission of information from you. We may automatically and through third-party tracking services (e.g., Google Analytics) gather certain non-personal information about your use of the Website and store it in log files. This information may include IP addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider (“ISP”), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamps, and related data.

This information may be collected via several technologies, including cookies, web beacons, clear GIFs and other means described in Section 2 below. All of this information belongs to us, and we use it to improve effectiveness, content, layout, and/or operation of our website. You can remove certain cookies by following the directions in your Internet browser’s “help” file or through our Cookie Preferences described below. If you disable cookies, your ability to use areas of the Website may be limited.

2.  Usage of Cookies and Other Network Technologies

  A. Cookies

The Website uses "cookies" and other web tracking tools to enhance your online experience with us. We may store information about you using the cookies on our website. A cookie (also called web cookie, Internet cookie, browser cookie, or simply cookie) is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored on the user’s computer by the user’s web browser while the user is browsing. We use cookies to improve your site experience, to assess content usage, to distinguish you from other users of our Website, and to support the marketing of our Website.

You can adjust the cookies we collect by visiting the Cookie Notice, available at https://florida.thepublicindex.org/privacy#cookieInfo. You are free to decline to accept cookies, but by doing so, you may not be able to take full advantage of our Website and all of our offerings. Certain of the cookies are necessary in order for the Website to function. In certain circumstances, we may link the information we store in cookies to personal information you submit while using the Website.

Further, if you want to delete any cookies that are already on your computer, please refer to the file management software to locate the file or directory that stores cookies under the following file names. Other information on deleting or controlling cookies is available at www.allaboutcookies.org.

  B. GIFs

We or our service providers may also use "pixel tags," "web beacons," "clear GIFs," “embedded links,” and other commonly used information-gathering tools in connection with some website pages and HTML-formatted email messages. We use these tools for such purposes as compiling aggregate statistics about website usage and response rates. A pixel tag is an electronic image (often a single pixel), that is ordinarily not visible to website visitors, and may be associated with cookies on visitors’ hard drives. Pixel tags allow us and our service providers to count users who have visited certain pages of the Website, to deliver customized services, and to help determine the effectiveness of the Website and services. When used in HTML-formatted email messages, pixel tags can inform the sender of the email whether and when the email has been opened.

  C. Clickstreams

As you use the Internet, you leave a trail of electronic information at each website you visit. This information, which is sometimes referred to as "clickstream data”, can be collected and stored by a website's server. Clickstream data can reveal the type of computer and browsing software you use and the address of the website from which you linked to the website. We may use clickstream data as a form of non-personal information to determine how much time visitors spend on each page of the Website, how visitors navigate through the Website, and how we may tailor our web pages to better meet the needs of visitors. We will only use this information to improve the Website.

  D. Advertising

Note that we may use cookies and other technologies for purposes of on-line advertising. This means that when you use the services, we or third-party ad servers, ad network providers, or advertisers (collectively “Ad Providers”) may use cookies that they collect or that we provide to them. Such Ad Providers may collect information about your use of the services (including mobile applications) or your online activities over time and across different websites and devices. Collected information may include the content you viewed, the date and time that you viewed this content, and the website that referred you to the services. This information may be associated with your unique browser, device identifier, or IP address. Ad Providers may provide you with advertisements that you may see on the services or on affiliated websites. To improve the relevancy and help measure the effectiveness of such advertisements, the Ad Providers may use cookies, web beacons, clear GIFs, or similar technologies. These practices help tailor advertisements that are relevant and of use to you. You may control or opt-out of such advertising by changing the cookie settings in your browser as described above.

  E. User Behavior Tracking

We may track the webpages and links our users visit within the Website, in order to determine what services are most popular. We may use such tracking data to deliver customized content and advertising to users whose behavior indicates they are interested in a particular subject area. We may also collect user data to track the areas of a webpage where users most frequently move the mouse or click. These tracking activities make it possible to monitor and analyze web traffic and evaluate user behavior to customize our services.

  F. Do Not Track Notice

Many modern web browsers give you the option to send a “Do Not Track” signal to the websites you visit, indicating that you do not wish to be tracked. At this time, the Website and services do not specifically respond to “Do Not Track” signals.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of our third-party advertisers and analytics service providers to learn about your choices about information they collect from you. In addition, the Network Advertising Initiative offers information about some of the Internet advertising companies we may use, including how to opt-out of interest-based advertising they deliver. For all the details, including how to turn on Do Not Track, visit www.donottrack.us.

  G. Location Choices

You may be able to change the privacy settings of your mobile device at any time to turn off the sharing of this location information with our Website. If you choose to turn off location services, this could affect certain features or services of our Website. If you have specific questions about the privacy settings of your device, we suggest you contact the manufacturer of your device or your mobile service provider for help.

3.  How We Use Your Information

We may use the personal information we collect for the following reasons:

  • To provide you with the Website.
  • To operate and improve the Website and content therein.
  • To respond to your comments, inquiries, and questions.
  • To deliver a more personalized experience based on your preferences, including to store information about your preference, speed up your searches, and recognize you when you return to the Website.
  • To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights.
  • To fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it or for which you have given us consent to use it.

4.  Disclosure and Sharing

We may share your personal information as set forth in this Privacy Policy in the following circumstances:

  • With Your Consent. We may share personal information with your consent.
  • For Legal and Administrative Reasons. We may disclose your personal information without notice: (i) as may be required by law (e.g., in response to a court order or subpoena, or in response to a law enforcement agency request); (ii) to protect our organization or others from injury (e.g., when we believe that someone is causing, or is about to cause, injury to or interference with the rights or property of another); (iii) as necessary to comply with applicable law; and (iv) to enforce or apply our Terms of Service.
  • Third-Party Service Providers. We may share your personal information with persons or organizations with whom we contract to carry out internal and external site operations or as necessary to render the Website. Additionally, we may also exchange personal information with third parties for fraud protection and credit risk reduction.
  • Aggregate Sharing. We may share anonymous, deidentified aggregate information with third parties, including affiliated and non-affiliated organizations such as advertisers.
  • Business Transfers. We may transfer your personal information to our successor-in-interest in the event of an acquisition, sale, merger, or bankruptcy. In the event we go through a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition by another company, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, any personal information we have on record will likely be among the assets transferred. The transferred personal information will remain subject to the provisions of this Privacy Policy as it is updated from time to time.
  • Information Shared with our Subsidiaries and Affiliates. We may share your personal information with our subsidiaries and affiliates. If you do not want us to share your personal information with our subsidiaries and affiliates, please contact us.

5.  Information Removal

As a courtesy, we provide you with a method of removing certain information about you from  ThePublicIndex.org. Please  click here to contact us for more information about our removal policy.

6.  Links To Third Party Sites

Occasionally, at our discretion, we may link to third party sites or content on third party sites. We may do this for the convenience of you and other users of the Website, but we do not have control over the operation of these third-party websites. These third-party sites have separate and independent privacy notices. We, therefore, have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites.

We urge you to review the privacy notices posted on these third-party websites at the time you first visit such sites.

7.  Information Security and Storage

We use commercially reasonable measures to provide the Website. However, you acknowledge that no security safeguards or method of transmission over the Internet are completely secure, and although we believe the measures implemented by us reduce the likelihood of security problems to a level appropriate to the type of data involved, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to or from our Website. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We do not guarantee that your personal information will not be misused by third parties. We are not responsible for the circumvention of any privacy settings or security features. You agree that we will not have any liability for misuse, access, acquisition, deletion, or disclosure of your personal information.

The safety and security of your personal information also depends on you. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone.

If you believe that your personal information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorized person, you must promptly Contact Us so that we can quickly take necessary measures.

We store personal information for as long as reasonably required for its purpose or for any additional period required or allowed by applicable law (if any). The length of time for which we retain personal information depends on the purposes for which we collected and use it and/or as required to comply with applicable laws.

8.  NOTICE TO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS

To the extent any California data privacy law applies to the collection of your Information, this supplemental section of our Privacy Policy outlines how California residents can receive their personal Information and what you can receive and applies solely to California residents. We provide the supplemental selection below to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), and any terms defined in the CCPA have the same meaning when used below.

  A. Right to Know and Access to Specific Information

California residents have the right to request that we disclose certain information to you about our collection and use of your Information over the past twelve (12) months. Once we receive and confirm a verifiable consumer request from you, we will disclose to you, to the extent permitted by law:

  • The categories of Information we collected about you.
  • The categories of sources for your Information we collected about you.
  • Our business or commercial purpose for collecting your Information.
  • The categories of third parties with whom we share your Information.
  • If we disclosed your Information for a business purpose, the Information categories that each category of recipient obtained.

You shall have the right to request that the Information described above be provided to you in a portable and readily useable format, to the extent technically feasible (“data portability”). We do not sell your Information.

  B. Deletion Request Rights

You have the right to request that we delete certain of your personal Information that we collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.

To the extent that we can delete your Information, once we receive and confirm your verifiable consumer request, we will delete (and direct our service providers to delete) your Information, unless an exception applies.

We may deny your deletion request if retaining the Information is necessary for us or our service providers to:

  • Complete the transaction for which we collected your Information, provide a good or service that you requested, or take actions reasonably anticipated within the context of our ongoing business relationship with you.
  • Detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, or prosecute those responsible for such activities.
  • Debug products to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality.
  • Exercise free speech, ensure the right of another consumer to exercise their free speech rights, or exercise another right provided for by law.
  • Comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (Cal. Penal Code § 1546 seq.).
  • 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 Information’s deletion may likely render impossible or seriously impair the research’s achievement, if you previously provided informed consent.
  • Enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with consumer expectations based on your relationship with us.
  • Comply with a legal obligation.
  • Make other internal and lawful uses of that information that are compatible with the context in which you provided it.

  C. Exercising Your Right to Know and Right to Deletion

To exercise the rights described above, please submit a verifiable consumer request to us by either:

Emailing us at  https://florida.thepublicindex.org/privacy#contact-us

Only you or a person registered with the California Secretary of State that you authorize to act on your behalf may make a verifiable consumer request related to your Information. You may also make a verifiable consumer request on behalf of your minor child.

You may only make a verifiable consumer request for access or data portability twice within a twelve (12) month period. The verifiable consumer request must:

  • Provide sufficient information that allows us to reasonably verify you are the person about whom we collected Information or an authorized representative.
  • Describe your request with sufficient detail that allows us to properly understand, evaluate, and respond to it.

  D. Authorized Agent

You may use an authorized agent to submit verifiable consumer requests on your behalf. An authorized agent is a natural person or a business entity that you have authorized to act on your behalf. If you use an authorized agent, we will require: (1) proof of written permission for the authorized agent to make requests on your behalf, and identity verification from you; or (2) proof of power of attorney pursuant to California Probate Code sections 4000 to 4665. We may deny a request from an authorized agent that does not submit proper verification proof.

  E. Non-Discrimination

We may not, and will not, treat you differently because of your Data Subject Request activity. As a result of your Data Subject Request activity, we may not and will not deny goods or services to you, charge different rates for goods or services, provide a different level quality of goods or services, or suggest any of the preceding will occur. However, we can and may charge you a different rate, or provide a different level of quality, if the difference is reasonably related to the value provided by your Information.

  F. Verifying Requests

To help protect your privacy and maintain security, if you request access to or deletion of your Information, we will take steps and may require you to provide certain information to verify your identity before granting you access to your Information or complying with your request. In addition, if you ask us to provide you with specific pieces of Information, we may require you to sign a declaration under penalty of perjury that you are the consumer whose Information is the subject of the request. If you designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf, we may require you to provide the authorized agent written permission to do so and to verify your own identity directly with us (as described above).

  G. Shine the Light Requests

California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits you to opt out of the disclosure of your Information by us to third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes. To make an opt-out request of such disclosures, please send an email to  https://florida.thepublicindex.org/privacy#contact-us

  H. Additional Information

To the extent permitted by applicable law, we may charge a reasonable fee to comply with your request. This statement is available in alternative formats upon request by contacting here.

9.  Changes to this Policy

Because our business needs may change over time, we reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy. If at any time in the future we plan to use your personal information in a way that differs from this Privacy Policy, we will revise this Privacy Policy as appropriate. In the event of a change to our Privacy Policy, we will notify you via email or through a notice on the Website homepage, at our discretion. Your continued use of the Website following our notice of changes to this Privacy Policy means you accept such changes.

10.  Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the personal information we have collected about you, please contact us at the following:

Email:  Click here

Write us:

The Public Index

867 Boylston St.

5th Floor #1345

Boston, MA 02116