US Ignite Privacy Policy

At the US Ignite, Inc. (referred to as “US Ignite,” “us” or “we”), we recognize that your privacy is important. This Policy discloses the privacy practices for US Ignite’s website https://www.us-ignite.org, including but not limited to the SURGE site linked thereto (collectively, the “Site”), as well as related products and services we may offer to you (collectively referred to as the “Services”). This Policy also covers how personal and other information that we receive or collect about you is treated. Please read the information below to learn the following regarding your use of this Site.

You acknowledge that this Privacy Policy is designed to be read in connection with the Site Terms and Conditions of Use, which is available at https://www.us-ignite.org, and that by accessing or using our Site, you agree to be bound by the Site’s terms and conditions, as well as this Policy.

We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you about significant changes in the way we treat PII by placing a prominent notice on our Site and by updating any privacy information on this page. Your continued use of the Site and or Services available through this Site after such modifications will constitute your: (a) acknowledgment of the modified Policy; and (b) your agreement to abide and be bound by that Policy.

If you have any questions about this Policy, please feel free to contact us at: [email protected].

IMPORTANT: BY USING THE SITE AND/OR OFFERINGS AVAILABLE ON THE SITE, YOU GIVE YOUR CONSENT THAT ALL PERSONAL DATA THAT YOU SUBMIT MAY BE PROCESSED BY US IN THE MANNER AND FOR THE PURPOSES DESCRIBED BELOW. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, DO NOT USE THE SITE.

1. Types of Information We Collect

In the preceding 12 months, we have collected the following two types of information about our users: Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) and Aggregate Information.

Personally Identifiable Information: This refers to information that lets us know the specifics of who you are. When you engage in certain activities on the Site, such as registering for an account, submitting project summaries or program materials, we may ask you to provide certain information about yourself.

Examples of PII may include your first and last name, email address, mailing address (including zip code), employer, job title and department, telephone and facsimile numbers, social media handles, and other potential identifying information.

Aggregate Information: This refers to information that does not by itself identify a specific individual. We gather certain information about you based upon where you visit on our Site and what other sites may have directed you to us. This information, which is collected in a variety of different ways, is compiled and analyzed on both a personal and an aggregated basis. This information may include the Website’s Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) that points to the site you just came from, which URL you go to after visiting our Site, what browser you are using, and your Internet Protocol (“IP”) address.

2. How We Collect and Use Information

We collect most of the PII about you directly from you via our Site when you elect to participate in certain programs or use certain products or services available on the Site. These may include: (a) registering for or requesting access to, an account on our Site; (b) your submission of materials in connection with your participation in a program we are running; (c) signing up for special offers from selected third parties; (d) sending us an email message; or (e) submitting a form or transmitting other information by telephone or letter.

However, we may also collect information from the following categories of sources:

Publicly accessible sources;
Third party (e.g., sanctions screening providers, advertising networks, internet service providers, social networks, data analytics providers, government entities, and data brokers;
Third party with your consent;
Cookies on our Site;
Automated information collection;
Automated monitoring of the Site and other technical systems, such as our computer networks and connections, communications systems, email, and instant messaging systems.

We will primarily use your PII to provide product or service offerings to you. We will also use certain forms of PII to enhance the operation of our Site, improve our internal marketing and promotional efforts, statistically analyze Site use, improve our product and service offerings, and customize our Site’s content, layout, and services. We may use PII to deliver information to you and to contact you regarding administrative notices. Finally, we may use your PII to resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems, and enforce our agreements with you, including our Site Terms of Use and this Privacy Policy.

Our third-party partners may collect certain Aggregate Information. For example, they may use your IP address to diagnose problems with our servers, software, to administer our Site, and to gather demographic information. Our third-party partners may also provide us with aggregate, but not individual, reports that will tell us how many ads were presented and clicked upon at our Site.

We use a tool called “Google Analytics” to collect information about use of the Site. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit the Site, what pages they visit when they do so, and what other sites they used prior to coming to this site. We use the information we get from Google Analytics only to improve our Site. Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit this site, rather than your name or other identifying information. We do not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with PII. Although Google Analytics plants a permanent cookie on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit the Site, the cookie cannot be used by anyone but Google. Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to this Site is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Use (as amended for government websites) and the Google Privacy Policy. You can prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you on return visits to this Site by disabling cookies on your browser.

3. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for the operation, security, and functionality of our Site.

A cookie is a small text file stored on your device that helps the Site function properly. Cookies may contain a unique session identifier or preference setting. Cookies do not store passwords or other sensitive credentials.

We use cookies for purposes such as:

Maintaining secure login sessions
Enabling account authentication
Protecting against fraud and unauthorized access
Supporting core site functionality

We may also collect aggregate, non-identifiable information about how users access and interact with the Site (such as page views and general traffic trends). This information is used to understand overall site performance and improve user experience. We do not use cookies for cross-site tracking or to build behavioral profiles of visitors.

Most browsers allow you to manage cookie preferences, including blocking or deleting cookies. Please note that disabling necessary cookies may cause certain features of the Site, including login functionality, to not operate properly.

4. Release of Information

We will not sell, trade, or rent your PII to others. We have not sold to a third party any PII that identifies, relates to, describes, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular individual or household.

In the preceding 12 months we have shared PII with the United States Government in connection with information, materials and submissions which are submitted onto our Site in connection with one or more government sponsored or public private initiatives we administer.

We do provide some of our product and service offerings through contractual arrangements made with affiliates, service providers, partners and other third parties (“Service Partners”). We and our Service Partners may need to use some PII in order to perform tasks between our respective sites, to comply with the requirements of a government program or to deliver products or services to you.

We will encourage our Service Partners to adopt and promote strong privacy policies. However, the use of your PII by our Service Partners is governed the respective privacy policies of those providers and is not subject to our control. Except as otherwise discussed in this Privacy Policy, this document only addresses the use and disclosure of information we collect from you. Other Sites accessible through this Site, including our Advertising and Service Partners, have their own privacy policies and data collection, use and disclosure practices. Please consult each Site’s privacy policy. We are not responsible for the policies or practices of third parties.

Occasionally, we may be required by law enforcement or judicial authorities to provide PII to the appropriate governmental authorities. In such cases, we will disclose PII upon receipt of a court order, subpoena, or to cooperate with a law enforcement investigation. We fully cooperate with law enforcement agencies in identifying those who use our services for illegal activities. We reserve the right to report to law enforcement agencies any activities that we in good faith believe to be unlawful.

We may also provide Aggregate Information about our Site users’ sales, traffic patterns, and related Site information to third party advertisers, but these statistics do not include any PII.

5. Updating and Correcting Information

We believe you should have the ability to access and edit the PII that you have provided to us. You may change any of your PII in your account online at any time by linking to your account in accordance with instructions posted elsewhere on this Site. You may also access and correct your PII and privacy preferences by emailing or writing us at:

US Ignite, Inc.

1150 18th Street, NW, Suite 750

Washington, DC 20036

Attn: Privacy Compliance Officer

Email: [email protected]

Please include your name, address, and/or email address when you contact us.

We encourage you to promptly update your PII if it changes. You may ask to have the information on your account deleted or removed; however, some information, such as past transactions, logs of technical support calls, or other information may not be deleted. In addition, it may be impossible to completely delete your information without some residual information because of backups.

6. User Choices on Collection and Use of Information

We may, from time to time, send you emails regarding new offerings, programs and services that we feel may interest you. In addition, if you indicated upon registration that you are interested in receiving offers or information from us and our partners, we may occasionally call or send you direct mail about products and services that may be of interest to you. Only US Ignite (or agents working on behalf of US Ignite and under confidentiality agreements) will send you these solicitations, and only if you have previously indicated that you wish to receive them. If you do not want to receive solicitations from us, you can “opt-out” by accessing your account online editing your account information to no longer receive such offers and mailings.
You also have choices with respect to cookies, as described above. By modifying your browser preferences, you have the choice to accept all cookies, to be notified when a cookie is set, or to reject all cookies. If you choose to reject all cookies some parts of our Site may not work properly in your case.

7. Security of Your PII

At our Site you can be assured that your PII is secure, consistent with current industry standards. We strive to take appropriate security measures to protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure or destruction of your PII. For example:

We work hard to ensure that the data we collect is reliable, accurate, complete and current. We encrypt all PII to prevent unauthorized parties from viewing such information when it is transmitted to us. We also only keep collected information only for as long as reasonably necessary and use it only for the purposes for which it was collected or to comply with any applicable legal or ethical reporting or document retention requirements.

We limit access to PII only to specific employees, contractors and agents who have a reasonable need to come into contact with your information. For example, we may provide members of our technical support team with limited access to your account in order to allow them to troubleshoot problems you may be having with the Site.
Additionally, we also employ a number of physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect PII. Our secure servers and our data centers are protected by industry-standard encryption, and our servers reside behind firewalls and employ high-level password protection.

Finally, access by you to your PII is available through a password and unique user ID selected by you. This password is encrypted. We recommend that you do not divulge your password to anyone.

Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet or any wireless network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your PII, you acknowledge that: (a) there are security and privacy limitations inherent to the Internet which are beyond our control; and (b) the security, integrity and privacy of any and all information and data exchanged between you and us through this Site cannot be guaranteed.

8. Your Rights Under the CCPA/CPRA

If you are a California resident You have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA), and certain other privacy and data protection laws, as applicable, to exercise free of charge:

Disclosure of PII We Collect About You

You have the right to know, and request disclosure of:

The categories of PII we have collected about you, including sensitive personal information;
The categories of sources from which the PII is collected;
Our business or commercial purpose for collecting, selling, or sharing PII;
The categories of third parties to whom we disclose PII, if any; and
The specific pieces of PII we have collected about you.

Please note that we are not required to:

Retain any PII about you that was collected for a single one-time transaction if, in the ordinary course of business, that information about you is not retained;
Reidentify or otherwise link any data that, in the ordinary course of business, is not maintained in a manner that would be considered PII; or
Provide the PII to you more than twice in a 12-month period.

Disclosure of PII Sold, Shared, or Disclosed for a Business Purpose

In connection with any PII we may sell, share, or disclose to a third party for a business purpose, you have the right to know:

The categories of PII about you that we sold or shared and the categories of third parties to whom the PII was sold or shared; and
The categories of PII that we disclosed about you for a business purpose and the categories of persons to whom the PII was disclosed for a business purpose.

You have the right to opt-out of the sale of your PII or sharing of your PII for the purpose of targeted behavioral advertising. If you exercise your right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of your PII, we will refrain from selling or sharing your PII, unless you subsequently provide express authorization for the sale or sharing of your PII.

To opt-out of the sale or sharing of your PII simply e-mail our Privacy Compliance Officer at [email protected] and type “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” in the subject line.

Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information

You have the right to limit the use and disclosure of your sensitive PII to the use which is necessary to:

Perform the services or provide the goods reasonably expected by an average consumer who requests those goods or services;
To perform the following services: (1) Helping to ensure security and integrity to the extent the use of your PII is reasonably necessary and proportionate for these purposes; (2) Short-term, transient use, including, but not limited to, non-personalized advertising shown as part of a your current interaction with US Ignite , provided that your PII is not disclosed to another third party and is not used to build a profile about you or otherwise alter the your experience outside the current interaction with US Ignite; (3) Performing services on behalf of the US Ignite, including maintaining or servicing accounts, providing support services, processing or fulfilling transactions, verifying your information, providing analytic services, providing storage, or providing similar services on behalf of US Ignite; and (4) Undertaking activities to verify or maintain the quality or safety of a service or to improve, upgrade, or enhance the service offered through the Site.

You have a right to know if your sensitive PII may be used, or disclosed to a service provider or contractor, for additional, specified purposes.

To limit the use of your sensitive PII, simply e-mail our Privacy Compliance Officer at [email protected].

How Long Your Personal Information Will Be Kept.

We will keep your PII while you have an account with us or while we are providing services to you. Thereafter, we will keep your PII for as long as is necessary:

To respond to any questions, complaints or claims made by you or on your behalf;
To show that we treated you fairly; or
To keep records required by law.

We will not retain your PII for longer than necessary for the purposes set out in this policy.

Right to Deletion

Subject to certain exceptions set out below, on receipt of a verifiable request from you, we will:

Delete your PII from our records; and
Direct any service providers or contractors to delete your PII from their records.
Direct third parties to whom the business has sold or shared your PII to delete your PII unless this proves impossible or involves disproportionate effort.

Please note that we may not delete your PII if it is reasonably necessary to:

Complete the transaction for which the PII was collected, fulfill the terms of a written warranty or product recall conducted in accordance with federal law, provide a good or service requested by you, or reasonably anticipated within the context of our ongoing business relationship with you, or otherwise perform a contract between you and us;
Help to ensure security and integrity to the extent the use of your PII is reasonably necessary and proportionate for those purposes;
Debug to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality;
Exercise free speech, ensure the right of another consumer to exercise his or her right of free speech, or exercise another right provided for by law;
Comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act;
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 our deletion of the information is likely to render impossible or seriously impair the achievement of such research, provided we have obtained your informed consent;
Enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with your expectations based on your relationship with us
Comply with an existing legal obligation; or
Otherwise use your PII, internally, in a lawful manner that is compatible with the context in which you provided the information.

Right of Correction

If we maintain inaccurate PII about you, you have the right to request us to correct that inaccurate PII. Upon receipt of a verifiable request from you, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to correct the inaccurate PII.

Protection Against Retaliation You have the right to not be retaliated against by us because you exercised any of your rights under the CCPA/CPRA. This means we cannot, among other things:

Deny goods or services to you;
Charge different prices or rates for goods or services, including through the use of discounts or other benefits or imposing penalties;
Provide a different level or quality of goods or services to you; or
Suggest that you will receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.

Please note that we may charge a different price or rate or provide a different level or quality of goods and/or services to you, if that difference is reasonably related to the value provided to our business by your PII. We may also offer loyalty, rewards, premium features, discounts, or club card programs consistent with these rights or payments as compensation, for the collection of PII, the sale of PII, or the retention of PII.

9. Miscellaneous

You must be at least 18 years old to have our permission to use this Site. Our policy is that we do not knowingly collect, use or disclose PII about minor visitors.

You should also be aware that when PII is voluntarily disclosed (i.e. your name, email address, etc.) in the public areas on this Site, that information, along with any information disclosed in your communication, can be collected and used by third parties and may result in unsolicited messages (including unwanted spam messages) from third parties. Such activities are beyond our control, and this Policy does not apply to such information. Please consult our Site Terms and Conditions of Use Agreement for our Site Conduct policies at https://www.us-ignite.org.

If you have any questions, concerns or inquiries about our Privacy Policy, or our use of your PII, or our privacy practices, please our Privacy Compliance Officer by sending written correspondence or e-mail to:

US Ignite, Inc.
1150 18th Street NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20036
Email: [email protected]

Download US Ignite’s Privacy Policy