Privacy Statement
Welcome to SCLBC. This Internet Web Site (the "Site") is owned and operated by The South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus (“The Caucus”). Access to and use of the Site is provided subject to the following terms and conditions. PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY AS YOUR ACCESS AND USE OF THE SITE CONSTITUTES AGREEMENT TO ALL TERMS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES CONTAINED OR REFERENCED HEREIN.
ALL TEXTUAL GRAPHICAL AND OTHER CONTENT APPEARING ON THIS WEB SITE ARE THE PROPERTY OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS AND ITS AFFILIATES, 207 SOLOMON BLATT BUILDING, COLUMBIA, SC 29211, (803) 734-3041 (PHONE) (803) 734-8711 (FAX).
SC Legislative Black Caucus is sensitive to privacy issues with respect to the use of customer information provided to us over the Internet. We believe it is important for you to know how we treat the information about you that is received by us when you visit. In general, you can visit SC Legislative Black Caucus on the World Wide Web without telling us who you are or revealing any information about yourself. Our web servers collect domain names, and not the email addresses of our visitors. This information is aggregated to measure the number of visits, average time spent on the site, number of pages viewed, and methods by which our site was found. SC Legislative Black Caucus uses this information to evaluate the use of our site and to continuously improve the content being provided.
There are times however, when we may need information from you, such as your name and address and other contact information. This information is usually required to process requests initiated by visitors to our site such as: on-line ordering, product & service information, developing profiles for receiving news alerts, and for sweepstakes entry. When such information is needed, we will let you know how we will use the personal information at the time of collection. While SC Legislative Black Caucus may use this information to contact or send materials to you for marketing purposes, we will take commercially reasonable steps to safeguard the information from unauthorized access and, unless we specifically disclose it to you at the time of collection, we will not make customer-specific information that is gathered on our site available to unaffiliated organizations for commercial purposes unrelated to the business of SC Legislative Black Caucus.
1. What Information does The Caucus gather and how?
We strive to provide our members with a superior, personalized and customized Internet experience. To do so, The Caucus gathers information through optional, voluntary registration about each of our members' geographic location, personal interests, and preferences, all the while ensuring the privacy protection of that information. We may also collect navigational information, by using a feature of your browser called "cookies." Through our site's registration form, periodic online surveys and contests we ask you to voluntarily give us contact information such as your name and e-mail address, as well as demographic information (e.g. age, gender, income) and might also ask for financial information like account or credit card numbers, when necessary. Additional personalization features might in certain areas of the site enable you to further customize content areas or topics of specific interest to you. Our servers automatically collect information about which sites users visit and which pages are viewed within our sites, by using a feature of your browser called "cookie" which assigns a random number, or "User ID," to your browser. The cookie automatically identifies your computer, when you visit the site. We may also use cookies placed by third party servers to target the advertising delivered to you.. We may also collect "Log Files" to analyze the traffic on our advertisements, develop member patterns and derive basic statistics. The "Log Files" are collected solely for internal use and will not be passed on to Third Parties."
Please note that personal information that you voluntarily disclose is displayed in the user profile. You can modify or update your user profile by clicking on "Edit Profile" after login.
2. Use of information in general
The Caucus uses the information voluntarily given to us as a means to tailor parts of our service to your needs. We may also use the information in order to analyze and evaluate member preferences, comments, and suggestions of The Caucus' offerings in order to improve the present and future versions of our website.
The Caucus will never willfully disclose individually identifiable information about our members to any third party without first receiving that member's permission unless we believe in good faith that the law requires it, to protect the rights or property of The Caucus.
3. Use of individual Information
Individually identifiable information provided to The Caucus is used throughout the service to provide an experience that is tailored to the needs of our members. As part of our community-building features, The Caucus allows members to participate in various chat rooms and message boards. Please be aware that any information disclosed in a chat room or news group, or on a message board, becomes public information. Members should exercise serious caution when deciding to disclose individually identifiable information in one of these areas. Your personal privacy is important to us, however, The Caucus cannot ensure the protection or security of information disclosed within these areas.
4. Opt-out policy
The Caucus gives users options wherever necessary and practical. Our policy on communications directed to our members is very clear:
You can opt not to receive communication from The Caucus, such as our e-mail newsletters announcing contests, new features, or offerings from our content partners, when you first provide the information.
If you originally opted in and would like to opt out, you will find instructions in each newsletter on how to unsubscribe to future communications of this type.
If you have explicitly authorized The Caucus to provide personally identifiable information to a third party, any request not to receive any communication from such third party should be directed to the third party site.
5. Corrections and Update-policy
We offer registered users choices regarding our use of your personal information. You can edit certain personal information you supplied to us by clicking on "Edit Profile" after login in using your username and password. You can also send e-mail to cooperj@scstatehouse.net or call 803-734-3041 to have your personal information edited. If you delete personal information, it cannot be used by us or disclosed to third parties in the future. Personal information previously disclosed by us to third parties will be used according to such third parties' privacy policies. In addition, even if you delete or change some personal information in our registration database, it may remain in other databases (including those kept for archival purposes and by third parties.
6. What are The Caucus's Data Security Procedures?
We have taken industry-standard measures to ensure that your private communications and personal information is accessible only to select individuals with a "need to know" at The Caucus. Any sensitive information that is collected through our online-shopping form will be sent to us through encryption. All information is stored on a secured database and is accessible only after a password has been entered. However, please remember though that "absolute security" does not exist on the Internet.
7. What is The Caucus's Policy Towards Children?
The Caucus has no intention of collecting any personally identifiable information from individuals under the age of thirteen years of age. Where appropriate, The Caucus will specifically instruct children not to submit such information on our websites or advertisements. If a child has provided us with personally identifiable information, a parent or guardian of that child may contact us at the email address or address listed in this Privacy Statement if they would like this information deleted from our records. We will use reasonable efforts to delete the child's information from our databases.
You acknowledge that this privacy policy is part of our user agreement and you agree to be bound by all of its terms and conditions.
Disclaimer of Warranty/ Limitation of Liability
Your use and browsing of this Site is at your own risk. While The Caucus is determined to provide you with the most current and accurate information that is available, the services information data and other materials made available on this Site are provided "AS IS", without any warranties of any kind.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, The Caucus EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITIES FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF THIS WEBSITE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NO INFRINGEMENT.
The Caucus DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE CONTENT ON THIS SITE OR ON THIRD PARTY SITES IS ACCURATE, RELIABLE, TIMELY OR CORRECT OR THAT MERCHANDISE THAT IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THIS SITE IS RELIABLE. YOU SPECIFICALLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT The Caucus IS NOT LIABLE FOR THE DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF OTHER CUSTOMERS OR THIRD PARTIES AND THAT THE RISK OF INJURY FROM THE FOREGOING RESTS ENTIRELY WITH YOU.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL The Caucus BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR INJURY CAUSED BY ANY FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE, ERROR, OMISSION, INTERRUPTION, DELETION, DEFECT, DELAY IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, COMPUTER VIRUS, COMMUNICATION LINE FAILURE, THEFT OR DESTRUCTION OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO, ALTERATION OF, OR USE OF RECORD, WHETHER FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORTUOUS BEHAVIOR, NEGLIGENCE, OR UNDER ANY OTHER CAUSE OF ACTION. THIS LIMITATION APPLIES EVEN IF The Caucus HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MIGHT NOT APPLY TO YOU. IN SUCH STATES, THE LIABILITY OF The Caucus, THIRD PARTY CONTENT PROVIDERS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE AGENTS SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE GREATEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless The Caucus and its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, owners, agents, information providers and licensors from and against any and all claims, liability, losses, costs and expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred by The Caucus in connection with your use or misuse of this Site. The Caucus reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, and in such case, you agree to cooperate with The Caucus's defense of such claim.
Idea Submissions
The Caucus does not accept any unsolicited ideas concerning this Site. We employ a highly trained and educated staff that may be working on similar ideas you have thought up. This policy is to avoid confusion about our ownership of new concepts. If you do send us a message about a proposed new idea, your message will be treated as non-proprietary and non-confidential and becomes our property and may or may not be used by us for any purpose.
Choice of Law
If any disputes arise regarding your use of this Site, such disputes shall be resolved according to the laws of the State of South Carolina, without reference to its choice of law provisions, and the federal or state courts of the City of Columbia and County of Richland shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all claims.
Procedure for making claims of copyright infringement
The Caucus has registered a designated agent with the Copyright Office pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 512(c). If you believe your copyright material is being used on this Site without permission, please notify The Caucus's designated agent at:
SCLBC General Counsel
207 Solomon Blatt Building
Columbia, SC 29211
PHONE: (803) 734-3041
FAX: (803) 734-8711
The Caucus reserves the right to alter this Legal Notice by posting a revised Legal Notice without advance notice.