Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 31, 2023

We are OpenAnesthesia (“OA,” “we,” “us,” “our”), an informational and educational resource sponsored by the nonprofit International Anesthesia Research Society (“IARS”).

This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes how we collect, use, and disclose information from and about you via our website at https://www.openanesthesia.org, our SelfStudyPLUS (“SSP”) website https://selfstudyplus.learnswell.io and service at https://ssp.openanesthesia.org, any other website or service we offer, and any other online or offline interactions you have with us (collectively, the “Services”). By using the Services, you agree to this Policy.

Please read this Policy carefully to understand how we handle your information. By using the Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understand this Policy and that we collect, use, and share your information as set forth below.

1. Information We Collect

a. Information You Provide

We collect information that you provide to us when you interact with us or the Services, such as when you create an account, engage with content on the Services, fill out a webform or questionnaire, or contact us. This information may include, but is not limited to, your name, email address, position (if you are a department user), and the username that will be displayed on the Services.

b. Information Collected Automatically

When you interact with our online Services, we and our vendors may collect certain information about your automatically via cookies, pixels/web beacons, and similar technologies. Cookies are small text files placed on your device that perform a variety of functions, including recognizing your device, remembering your preferences, enabling the Services to function, assisting with security, and improving our advertising and analytics. Cookies and similar technologies may collect technical information about your device and your use of the Services, such as your IP address, device identifiers, and information about your web browser (such as language and preferences), operating system, device (such as model and manufacturer), and activity on our online services (such as pages you visit, links you click, and the webpages you visit before and after visiting the Services). We or our vendors may also infer your general location from your IP address.

c. Information From Other Sources

We may collect information about you from other sources, such as social media networks (for example, when you interact with us by liking us or our posts on Facebook or following us on Twitter or LinkedIn).

2. How We Use Information

We may use the information we collect in various ways, depending on the type of information, including for the following purposes:

To provide you with the Services, including to register you for an account and fulfill your requests;
To communicate with you, such as to communicate about your account, notify you of changes to our terms and policies, or respond to your questions or requests;
To manage and remember your preferences and customize the Services;
To monitor, analyze, and improve the Services;
To authenticate you and allow you to log into your account (as explained above, login credentials are collected and processed by a third-party authentication service provider, not by us)
To test and create new products, features and services;
To advertise and market our services to you, including on third-party websites and via email (subject to any opt-out preferences you have communicated to us);
To maintain the security and integrity of the Services and for fraud prevention;
To comply with legal requirements, relevant industry standards, and our policies;
To protect the rights, safety, property, or security of OA, our users, employees, third parties, members of the public and/or our Services;
To exercise our legal rights and enforce our terms and policies; and
For any other purpose, subject to obtaining any required consent.

We may combine information that we collect automatically or that you provide to us with information that we obtain from other sources for any of the purposes above.
We may aggregate or appropriately de-identify any information we collect. We may use and disclose aggregated or appropriately de-identified information for any purpose and to any third parties, in our discretion.

3. How We Disclose Information

We disclose the information we collect as follows:

Internally and to Affiliates. OA employees may access your information, and we may provide information to OA-owned or affiliated entities, for the purposes above.
Vendors. We may disclose your information to third parties that provide business, professional, or technical support functions on our behalf, including by providing website and database hosting and maintenance, information security, fraud detection and prevention, email management, user authentication services, marketing and advertising, and data analytics.
Legal matters and safety. We may disclose your information as we deem necessary or appropriate to comply with applicable laws and regulations, respond to legal process (such as subpoenas or regulatory inquiries), obtain legal counsel, exercise our legal rights (including to enforce our terms and policies), or protect the rights, safety, property, or security of OA, our users, employees, third parties, members of the public and/or our Services.
Business transfers. We may disclose your information if we undergo organizational restructuring (e.g., a sale, merger, or acquisition), or in the event of insolvency, bankruptcy, or receivership. In such transactions or events (including in contemplation of transactions, e.g., due diligence), we may disclose your information. If any of our assets are sold or transferred to a third party, your information may be one of the transferred business assets.
With your permission. We may disclose your information in ways you consent to at the time of collection or as you otherwise permit us.

4. Security

We take reasonable physical, administrative, and technical steps to help safeguard the information we collect from and about you. While we take efforts to protect the integrity and security of our network and systems, no security measures are perfect, and we cannot guarantee that our security measures will work perfectly. Whenever you transmit information over the Internet or other networks, you do so at your own risk. You are responsible for any activity that takes place under your account.

5. Retention

We retain your information for as long as we deem necessary to fulfill the purposes for which such information was collected. In determining how long to retain information, we take a number of factors into account, including, but not limited to, the nature of the information, the purpose for which the information is used, legal requirements, and technical requirements of our Services (e.g., system backups).

6. Your Choices

a. Marketing communications

You may opt out of marketing emails from us by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the emails. Please note that if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still send you service-related communications such as an email informing you about a volunteer opportunity that you signed up for, a transaction you completed on the online store, or a notice of changes to our legal terms, including this Policy.

b. Cookies

As mentioned above, we and our vendors use cookies and similar technologies to collect certain information about you. You may be able to set your internet browser or device to stop accepting new cookies, notice when you receive a new cookie, or disable existing cookies. Please consult the “Help” section of your browser for more information. The setting will apply only to the browser or device you are using, so you will need to reset the setting on a different browser or device. If you disable some or all cookies, the Services may not function as intended and some features may be unavailable.

c. Online Analytics

We and our vendors may use third-party analytics services on the Services to help us understand how users engage with the Services, including Google Analytics. These parties may use cookies and other technologies to help collect, analyze, and provide us with reports and/or data. For more information about Google Analytics and how it collects and processes data, please visit: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. To opt out of Google Analytics using your information for analytics purposes, see: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

d. Online advertising

We may allow third-party advertising technologies (e.g., ad networks and ad servers, or other advertising partners) to place cookies or other tracking technologies on your browser or device to collect information about you to assist in the delivery of relevant advertising on other websites you visit and other online services you use. These ads may be based on your current activity or your activity over time and across other websites and online services and may be tailored to your interests. For example, if you visit the SSP website, you may see ads for SSP on other websites you visit.

We neither have access to, nor does this Policy govern, the cookies or other tracking technologies that may be placed on the device you use to access the Services by such non-affiliated third parties. If you are interested in more information about tailored browser advertising and how you can generally control cookies from being put on your computer to deliver tailored advertising, you may visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s Consumer Opt-Out link, the Digital Advertising Alliance’s Consumer Opt-Out link, or Your Online Choices to opt out of receiving tailored advertising from companies that participate in those programs. You also may opt-out from Google Analytics for Display Advertising or the Google Display Network by using Google’s Ads Settings.

e. “Do Not Track”

Do Not Track (“DNT”) is a setting that users can enable in certain web browsers. DNT signals do not have a commonly agreed up meaning and we do not currently recognize or respond to DNT signals.

7. Third-party links and content

The Services may have links to third-party websites or services that may have privacy policies that differ from ours. We are not responsible for the practices of such websites or services. You should check their privacy policies to understand how they handle your information.
Likewise, the Services may have third-party content. We are not responsible in any way for third-party content on our Services and do not make any representations concerning the accuracy of such content. You interact with third-party content at your own risk.

8. Supplemental Notice for Non-United States Residents

Please note that OA is located in the United States. If you are located outside of the United States, please be aware that we process and store your information in the United States. Your information will be protected subject to this Policy and United States laws, which may not be as protective as the data protection laws in your country. To understand your rights with regard to your information, please visit the website of the appropriate data protection authority for your region.

9. Changes to this Policy

We may change this Policy from time to time. If we make any changes, we will change the Last Updated date above. We encourage you to read this Policy carefully and regularly check for changes. You acknowledge that your continued use of the Services after we publish changes to this Policy means that the collection, use, and sharing of your information is subject to the updated Policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Policy, please contact us at [email protected].