VEA Privacy Statement

I. Introduction

The Virginia Education Association (“VEA”) values the trust and privacy of its members and other supporters. This Privacy Policy sets forth VEA’s practices regarding: (1) what personal information we collect about you — both online via the The Virginia Voter Guide website and VEA Intranet and offline via traditional, hard copy forms; (2) how we use that information; (3) under what circumstances we disclose it; (4) what choices are available to you regarding such information collection; and, (5) what security we use to protect such information. This Privacy Policy also provides some additional information for users of the The Virginia Voter Guide website and VEA Intranet.

II. Definitions

As used in this Privacy Policy, the following terms have the meanings indicated below: The term “we” or “us” means VEA.

1. The term “you” means a current or former VEA member or other person who has provided personal information to us in connection with obtaining a VEA product or service (e.g. who subscribes to a VEA-produced electronic newsletter).
2. The term “personal information” means any piece of information that on its own can specifically identify a current or former VEA member or other person who has provided personal information to us in connection with obtaining a VEA product or service. This would include, but is not limited to, full name, postal address, e-mail address, social security number, or financial information.
3. The term “The Virginia Voter Guide website” means VEA’s external website located at: thevirginiavoterguide.com and any future websites that we may develop.
4. The term “VEA Intranet” means VEA’s internal, private, and secured website for local leaders and staff.
5. The term “VEA-related organizations” means NEA’s Member Benefits Corporation, NEA Member Insurance Trust, NEA Foundation, and any other entity created by VEA or NEA.
6. The term “third party” means a legal entity that is separate and independent from VEA, other state and local affiliates, or any NEA-related organization.
7. The term “cookie” means a small file that is placed on your computer that allows a website to store, and sometimes track, information about how you use that website.
8. The term “discussion forum” means an asynchronous website component that enables users to exchange ideas by posting questions and answers on relevant subjects. Discussion forums are also commonly referred to as “discussion groups,” “discussion boards,” “message boards,” “bulletin boards,” and “online forums.”

III. Personal Information Collected

We may collect personal information about you from the following sources:

1. Personal Information that you voluntarily provide to us on your membership application and other VEA forms — whether online via the The Virginia Voter Guide website or VEA Intranet or offline via traditional, hard copy forms (such as your name, postal address, telephone number, e-mail address, social security number, etc.).
2. Other Personal Information that you voluntarily provide to us via the The Virginia Voter Guide website or VEA Intranet (such as an e-mail address if you subscribe to an VEA produced electronic newsletter or other personal information contained in an e-mail that you send to us via the feedback feature of the The Virginia Voter Guide website).
3. Personal Information that we receive from our national and local affiliates or other NEA-related organizations (such as your name, postal address, telephone number, e-mail address, social security number, etc.).
4. Personal Information that we receive from third parties (such as insurance claim information in connection with the NEA Educators Employment Liability Program and publicly available voter registration information).

IV. How We Use That Information

The personal information that VEA collects about you helps us and our national, local affiliates and VEA-related organizations to efficiently and effectively represent you and provide you with valuable member benefits.

V. Information Sharing

In order to provide you with efficient and effective representation and member benefits, we routinely share all of the personal information that we collect about you, as described in Section III above, with our national and local affiliates and VEA-related organizations, as well as third parties that perform services on our behalf.

Additionally, we may share any of the personal information that we collect about you, as described in Section III above, with certain third parties that share our interests or as otherwise permitted by law.

VI. Available Choices

Any personal information that you provide to us is voluntary. VEA members may update their personal information at any time. Just contact us. If you subscribe to any VEA produced electronic newsletter, you may cancel your subscription at any time by following the instructions at the bottom of all such newsletters. If you have any problems canceling such a subscription, please contact us.

VII. Information Security

We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to: (1) insure the security and confidentiality of your personal information; (2) protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information; and (3) protect against unauthorized access to or use of such information. For more information on our information security, contact VEA directly to request a copy of the NEA Information Security Program.

VIII. Information Systems

• VEA employs a combination of electronic badges and intelligent keys to secure access to VEA offices.
• VEA restricts access to databases and documents containing personal information to authorized users at VEA and its national and local affiliates, and those users have access only to the personal information relevant to their assignments.
• VEA shall take appropriate steps to ensure that documents containing personal information are securely sent to and from NEA and its local affiliates.
• VEA provides users of the VEA website or VEA Intranet with a secure connection to transmit all personal information, including social security numbers.
• VEA provides users of the Membership System (IMS/NEA360) at VEA and its national and local affiliates a secure connection for Internet access to that system.
• VEA shall not require users of the VEA website or VEA Intranet to log on using a social security number.
  VEA shall not print member social security numbers on any identification cards or badges; nor shall member social security numbers appear on any documents mailed to members.
• VEA shall take appropriate steps to destroy documents containing personal information in a secure way, such as shredding, erasing, or otherwise modifying the personal information in those documents to make it unreadable or undecipherable, in accordance with the VEA Document Retention Policy.
• Oversight of Third Parties: VEA requires that: (1) the VEA Executive Director approves any request to share member personal information, in part or its entirety, contained in the Membership System with a third party; and (2) any approval is subject to VEA Board policy.

IX. Additional Information for Users of the The Virginia Voter Guide Web Site or VEA Intranet

1. Collection and Use of Non-Personal Information
   If you use the The Virginia Voter Guide website or the VEA Intranet, you provide us with certain non-personal information in addition to any personal information that you may voluntarily provide. For example, if you browse the The Virginia Voter Guide website or VEA Intranet or download information, our operating system automatically records the following non-personal information:
   1. The Internet domain for your Internet service (such as “xcompany.com” or “xcompany.net” if you use a private Internet access account, or “yourcollege.edu” if you connect from a college or university domain);
   2. The type of browser that you use (such as “America Online version 7” or “Microsoft Internet Explorer 5”);
   3. The type of operating system that you use (such as Windows or Macintosh);
   4. The date and time that you visit the The Virginia Voter Guide website or VEA Intranet and the web pages that you view;
   5. The address of the previous website that you visited if you linked to us from another website; and
   6. The address of the next website that you visit if you link to it from the The Virginia Voter Guide website or VEA Intranet.

   We use the above non-personal information to diagnose technical problems and track user interests so that we can provide content that interests you.

   We gather this non-personal information in the aggregate and we share it in the same manner that we share personal information, as described in Section V above.

2. Cookies

We use cookies to track what you are viewing when you visit the The Virginia Voter Guide website and VEA Intranet, and to enhance your user experience. In order to provide you with customized content and an enhanced user experience, certain cookies used by VEA identify you as an individual. If you are concerned about VEA’s use of cookies, check your Internet browser. Most have a setting that will allow you to reject cookies. However, some VEA features and services may not function properly if your cookies are disabled.

Additionally, VEA allows third parties who advertise or provide content on the NEA website or VEA Intranet to use cookies. Third parties’ use of cookies is subject to their own privacy policies, and is not governed by this Privacy Policy.

3. Discussion Forums

If you participate in a discussion forum on the The Virginia Voter Guide website or VEA Intranet, your comments, along with any personal information that you voluntarily disclose, may be collected, used, and shared by anyone with access to that forum. We are not responsible for the personal information that you choose to submit in a discussion forum.

4. Children

The Virginia Voter Guide website and VEA Intranet are general websites, and we do not knowingly collect any personal information from children under the age of 13.

5. External Links

This Privacy Policy applies only to the The Virginia Guide website and VEA Intranet. It does not cover any websites that are linked to or from the VEA website or VEA Intranet for which we are not responsible (“linked-sites”). These linked-sites will have their own policies and practices which may be different from ours. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the policies and practices of the linked-sites especially if you provide personal information to them.

X. Effective Date, Amendments, and Consent to This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is effective April, 2009. We retain the right to amend or otherwise update this Privacy Policy at any time for any reason. By joining VEA or using the The Virginia Voter Guide website or VEA Intranet, you consent to the collection, use, and sharing of personal information as we have described herein. If we amend or update our Privacy Policy, we will post the changes online at the The Virginia Voter Guide website and VEA Intranet so that you are always aware of VEA’s current practices. You may also contact us at any time to request an up-to-date hard copy version of the Privacy Policy.

XI. Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, contact VEA.