PRIVACY POLICY

The Ellicott City Partnership (ECP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the economic, social, and cultural development of Historic Old Ellicott City, located in Ellicott City, Maryland.  Our mission is to advance and maximize opportunities in Historic Ellicott City for businesses, communities and people to thrive.

Here at ECP, we take your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to administer your account and provide the information and services you have requested from us. ECP will be the controller of your personal data provided to, or collected by or for, our organization in accordance with the following privacy policy.

As a non-profit dedicated to economic and community development, ECP’s services ECP’s services are provided for constituent members and are directed at businesses, consumers, residents, tourists, and those considering Historic Ellicott City for business development/expansion, or relocation.  ECP services, thus, are not targeted toward anyone under the age of 16.  Users are cautioned that the collection of personal information volunteered by children online or by email will be treated the same as information given by an adult, including the same rights to erasure subject to Maryland public records law.

INFORMATION COLLECTED AND HOW IT IS USED

If you do nothing during your visit to the ECP website and social media but browse, click on external links or download information, we may automatically collect and store the following information about your visit:

The Internet Protocol Address and domain name used but not the email address (The Internet Protocol Address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet service provider or directly to your computer.  We use the Internet Protocol Address to direct Internet traffic to you.)

The type of browser and operating system you used and your connection speed

The date and time you visited this site

The Web pages or services you accessed at this site and the time you spent on each page

The links you have clicked to access external sites

The website you visited prior to coming to this site

Your location by country

Search terms used to find this site

The information we automatically collect or store is used to improve the content of our Web services and to help us understand how people are using our services.  Most devices allow you to prevent location data from being sent to us and we honor your settings.  We analyze our website logs to continually improve the value of the materials available on our site.

If during your visit to the ECP Internet site or social media profiles, you voluntarily provide information through an online-submitted form, direct message, online post, survey or email, the following additional information will be collected:

Your mail address, your name and/or screenname (if provided) and contents of the message

Any information you volunteered in response to a survey, message or form

The information collected is not limited to text characters and may include audio, video and graphic information formats you send us.

How we use your personal information will depend on which Services you request, how you use those Services and the choices you make in your settings.  We use your email to respond appropriately.  This may be to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to further improve our website and/or social media, to provide relevant newsletters, marketing messages or certain email notifications, or to forward the message to another agency for appropriate action.  Survey information is used for the purpose designated, though contact information associated with surveys may be used for the aforementioned purposes as authorized by you.

CONSENT

By submitting your information, you consent to the collection, use and sharing of your personal data under this Privacy Policy.

You acknowledge and consent to the application of Wisconsin laws to the information and documents.

You also consent to ECP’s use of processors who, under the direction of ECP, may receive your information in order to assist ECP in providing information or services requested by you.  ECP will work with external processors that provide sufficient guarantees to implement the appropriate technical and organizational measures that will meet legal requirements necessary to ensure the protection of your rights.

Your agreement with us includes our Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use.  You acknowledge that you have read and understood the agreements, accept these agreements, and agree to be bound by them.  If you don’t agree with (or cannot comply with) the Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use, then you may not use the ECP’s service or consume any Content.

We may modify this Privacy Policy, and if we make material changes to it, we will provide notice through our Services, or by other means, to provide you the opportunity to review the changes before they become effective.  If you object to any changes, you may inform ECP and we will dispose of your records in accordance with Maryland law.  Your continued use of our Services after we publish or send a notice about our changes to this Privacy Policy means that you are consenting to the updated Privacy Policy.

PERSONAL INFORMATION AND CHOICE

“Personal information” is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. Personal information includes personal identifiers such as an individual’s name, address and phone number.  The electronic interaction logs are not considered personal information.

We collect no personal information about you unless you voluntarily provide information (i.e. sending an email or participating in a survey).  If you choose not to participate in these activities, your choice will in no way affect your ability to use any other feature of ECP websites.

If personal information is volunteered by the user, then that information may be protected by law; including but not limited to state law, the federal Privacy Act of 1974, and the CAN-SPAM Act.  However, you recognize that any information provided to ECP will be governed by Maryland laws which may mandate record retention and disclosure requirements that may subject your information to public inspection and copying if not otherwise protected.

PUBLIC DISCLOSURE

It is possible that we will need to disclose information about you when required by law, subpoena, or other legal process or if we have a good faith belief that disclosure is reasonably necessary to (1) investigate, prevent, or take action regarding suspected or actual illegal activities or to assist government enforcement agencies; (2) enforce our agreements with you, (3) investigate and defend ourselves against any third-party claims or allegations, (4) protect the security or integrity of our Service (such as by sharing with companies facing similar threats); or (5) exercise or protect the rights and safety of ECP, our Members, personnel, or others.

ACCESS, CORRECTION AND ERASURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

You can review any personal information we collect about you. You may recommend changes to your personal information you believe in error by submitting a written request that credibly shows the error. If you believe that your personal information is being used for a purpose other than what was intended when submitted, you may contact us. In all cases, we will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections. You can contact us through the form on this page.

If you have questions or complaints regarding this Policy, please first contact us by completing the form on this page.

By providing personal information to ECP, including those who live outside of the United States, you and ECP agree that the laws of the State of Maryland, U.S.A., shall exclusively govern any dispute.  You agree that any dispute can only be litigated in the federal courts of Maryland or state courts in Howard County, Maryland, USA, and you and ECP agree to personal jurisdiction in those courts.

COOKIES

What is a Cookie?

A cookie is a small amount of data, which may include an anonymous unique identifier, that is sent to your browser from a website’s computers and may either be used only during your session (a “session” cookie) or may be stored on your computer’s hard drive (a “persistent” cookie).  Cookies can contain data about user movement during the visit to the website.  If your browser software is set to allow cookies, a website can send its own cookie to you.  A website that has set a cookie can only access those cookies it has sent to you, it cannot access cookies sent to you by other sites.

Why are Cookies Used on Websites?

Cookies can be used to recognize you when you visit ECP websites, remember your preferences, and give you a personalized experience that’s in line with your settings.  Cookies also make your interactions with ECP websites faster and more secure.

We use two types: persistent cookies and session cookies.  A persistent cookie helps us recognize you as an existing user, so it’s easier to return to ECP websites or interact with our services without signing in again.  After you sign in, a persistent cookie stays in your browser and will be read by ECP websites when you return to one of our sites.  Session cookies only last for as long as the session (usually the current visit to a website or a browser session).

ECP, as developer and manager of the ECP websites, has taken steps to safeguard the integrity of its telecommunications and computing infrastructure.  Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation and day-to-day practices of the entire operating environment as part of its continuing commitment to risk management.  This information should not be construed in any way as giving business, legal or other advice. This information should not be construed as warranting as fail-proof the security of information provided through ECP-supported websites and online profiles.  This system is for authorized use only.

Disclaimer: the ECP Internet site and social media accounts have links to other websites.  These include links to websites operated by government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private businesses.  These links are being provided for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by ECP of any of the products, services or expressed opinions.  When you link to another site, you are no longer on the ECP Internet site and/or profiles, and this Privacy Notice will not apply. ECP bear no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site.  Contact the external site with questions regarding its content.

This privacy statement is subject to change.  We will post such changes as they occur.  This was lasted modified April 2019.

For questions on ECP’s Privacy Policy, please contact us.