Addgene - Privacy Information

Addgene, Inc. ("Addgene") values customer trust and promises to protect their privacy. This statement discloses the privacy policies and practices for Addgene, and its security precautions designed to protect customer privacy.

Information Collection

The only personal information Addgene collects, stores and uses is the information customers give Addgene voluntarily. Addgene is the sole owner of this information and will use it solely for communicating with Addgene's customers.

Addgene receives and stores any information customers enter on Addgene's Web site or give Addgene in any other way. For instance, a customer must provide contact information (such as name, email, and shipping address) and financial information (such as credit card number, expiration date) to place an order. This information is used for billing purposes and to fill customer orders. If Addgene has trouble processing an order, the information is used to contact the customer.

Communications from the Site

Personal information collected is used for the purpose of Addgene communicating with customers as described below. However, a customer may opt-out or unsubscribe to these communications. Please see our Choice and Opt-out section below.

Customer Service Addgene may need to contact a customer in regards to their order. Addgene may communicate with customers on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regards to issues relating to their account. Upon initial contact, Addgene will reply via email or phone in accordance with the customer's wishes.

Newsletter, Special Offers, and Updates If a customer wishes to subscribe to Addgene's notification emails, which will allow customers to receive automatic emails notifying them when a certain type of plasmid is available, and/or newsletter, Addgene will ask for contact information such as name and email address. Out of respect for its customers privacy Addgene provides a way to opt-out of these communications. Please see the Choice and Opt-out sections. Service Announcements On rare occasions it may be necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if Addgene's service is temporarily suspended for maintenance Addgene might send customers an email.

Sharing Information

Information about Addgene's customers is an important part of Addgene's business and Addgene does not sell, rent or trade customer's name and personal information to others. Addgene may share customer information only as described below.

Legal Requirements Addgene may need to disclose personal information when required by law wherein Addgene has a good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a current judicial proceeding, a court order or legal process served on Addgene's Web site.

Third Party Intermediaries Addgene typically receives plasmids from academic and research institutions. Addgene may be required by such institutions to disclose certain personal information about those requesting plasmids. Disclosure will be limited to the source institution for each plasmid request.

Addgene uses an outside shipping company to ship orders, and a credit card processing company to bill customers for goods and services. These companies do not retain, share, store or use personally identifiable information for any secondary purposes.

Business Transitions In the event of a business transition, such as a merger, being acquired by another company, consolidation, change in control, reorganization, liquidation or selling a portion of its assets, Addgene may transfer, sell or assign information concerning customers' use of this site, including without limitation, customers' personal information that they provide and other information concerning their use of the site, to such acquiring company. Customers will be notified via email and prominent notice on our site for 30 days prior to a change of ownership or control of their personal information. If as a result of the business transition, the customers' personally identifiable information will be used in a manner different from that stated at the time of collection they will be given choice consistent with Addgene's notification of changes section, below.

Choice/Opt-out

Customers who no longer wish to receive Addgene's newsletter and promotional communications may opt-out of receiving these communications by replying to unsubscribe in the subject line in the email or contacting the Customer Care Team at the contact information below in the manner most convenient for them.

Customers of Addgene's Web site are always notified when their information is being collected by any outside parties other than as mentioned in this Privacy Policy. Addgene does this so our customers can make an informed choice as to whether or not they should proceed with services that require an outside party.

Links

This Web site contains links to other Web sites. Please be aware that Addgene is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other Web sites. Addgene encourages customers to be aware when they leave Addgene's Web site and to read the privacy statements of each and every Web site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Web site.

Security

Addgene takes every precaution to protect customer's information. When customers submit sensitive information via the Web site, their information is protected both online and off-line.

Addgene protects customers account information by placing it on the secure portion of Addgene's web site. That is why customers have to enter a unique User Name and Password each time they access their information. Customer's Password should never be shared with anyone.

Addgene will not reveal any payment information, such as full credit card or purchase order number, to anyone else after an order has been submitted; another user with your password cannot gain such information from Addgene.

When Addgene's registration form asks customers to enter non-public information, that information is encrypted and is protected with the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, the leading encryption technology. While customers are on a secure page, such as Addgene's registration form, the lock icon on the bottom of Web browsers, such as Netscape navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer, becomes activated, as opposed to unlocked, or open, when "surfing". SSL works like this: information that customers enter becomes a string of unrecognizable numbers before entering the Internet. When customers' encrypted data reaches Addgene, its server decodes the information and stores it in its database. Both Addgene's server and the browser customers use to navigate the Web understand the mathematical formulas used to turn customers' personal data into numeric code and then back again. So every time customers enter information and every time saved information is accessed from Addgene's database, it gets encrypted before it travels onto the Internet. Each time customers log on to the Addgene site, its server and customers' Web browser agree on a random number (customer session I.D.) which serves as the "decoding key" while customers are logged into the site. What that random number could be depends on the level of encryption customers' browser supports.

Notification of Changes to this Privacy Policy

If Addgene decides to change its privacy policy, Addgene will post those changes to this privacy statement, the homepage, and other places Addgene deems appropriate so customers are always aware of what information Addgene collects, uses it, and under what circumstances, if any, discloses it. Addgene will use information in accordance with the privacy policy under which the information was collected.

If, however, Addgene was going to use customers' personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time of collection Addgene will notify customers via email. Customers will have a choice as to whether or not Addgene use their information in this different manner. However, if customers have opted out of all communication with the Web site, or deleted/deactivated their account, then they will not be contacted, and their personal information will be not used in this new manner. In addition, if Addgene makes any material changes in its privacy practices that do not affect customer information already stored in our database, Addgene will post a prominent notice on our Web site notifying customers of the change. In some cases where Addgene posts a notice Addgene will also email customers, who have opted to receive communications from Addgene, notifying them of the changes in Addgene's privacy practices.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.