Privacy Notice
USAConnects
Effective Date: 2/1/2022
This privacy notice describes how USAConnects collects, uses, and discloses Personally Identifying Information (also known as “PII”) or Personal Data (collectively “Personal Information”) from and about users of USAConnects websites. This privacy notice also applies to any associated paper forms. Please read this privacy notice before using USAConnects websites or submitting any personal information.
These practices may be changed at any time. Changes will be posted along with the date of the change. You should review this privacy notice when you visit USAConnects websites to make sure that you understand how Personal Information is collected, used, and disclosed.
Why We Collect Information
The Personal Information you provide to us is only used to:
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Fulfill your specific request or provide the service or information you requested
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Comply with legal requirements and to protect our legal rights
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Improve our programs and services
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In any other way, if you have provided us with express permission to do so
We may use non-Personal Information for additional reasons described in the remainder of this privacy notice.
If you identify yourself to us by sending us an email with questions or comments, we may retain your comments for future reference.
What Information We Collect
USAConnects collects Personal Information, which is information that on its own or in combination with other information may be used to identify, contact, or locate an individual. Examples include:
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Name
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Address
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Email address
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Username and password for our websites
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Credit card, other payment information and financial and economic information
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Social Security number or other government-issued identification number
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IP addresses
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Telephone number
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Social media account names
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Passport number or other similar travel-related information, such as a visa
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Personal interests, activities, hobbies, etc.
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Health-related information
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Family history
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Religious and philosophical affiliation
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Gender and/or sex
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Ethnicity
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Date of birth and/or birthday
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Country of citizenship
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Work and volunteer History
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Family information (e.g. names, email, phone numbers)
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Photographs and videos
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Education information (e.g. school attended, diplomas, transcripts)
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Extra-curricular Activities
USAConnects collects other information that relates to you but does not identify you. Examples include clickstream data and web-browsing information (such as the date and time you visit a website, whether you click on various advertisements or links and the search terms you enter when using a website), and information about your computer, device and internet connection, and geographic location.
How We Collect Personal Information
We collect Personal Information from you in the following ways:
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When you register for one of our websites or submit an inquiry through one of our websites;
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When you complete and submit a paper or electronic form associated with USAConnects;
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When you send us an email or use other features of one of our websites to contact or interact with us;
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When you contact us by telephone regarding USAconnects; or
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Automatically when you visit USAConnects websites (n.b., the only Personal Information we automatically collect is your IP address, which is only considered Personal Information in certain circumstances)
Distribution of Information
We may share information gathered by us from USAConnects websites with governmental agencies or other companies assisting us in providing services to you. We may do so when:
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Permitted or required by law;
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We apply for or assist you in applying for a visa or other documentation necessary for you to participate in one of our programs;
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Interacting with third parties who are involved in, assist in the provision of or are otherwise involved with our programs, products, and services (e.g., host families, travel agencies, schools, U.S. Department of State); or
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Trying to protect against, prevent or investigate actual or potential fraud or unauthorized transactions.
Information provided under one of the four preceding bullet points will not be used by those receiving it for marketing purposes, unless specifically authorized by the user.
Third parties who provide web-hosting services or other services that make possible the operation of Greenheart International websites and the services you request through the websites may have access to information that you provide us to the extent that those third parties require access to our databases to service the websites.
In connection with the sale or transfer of all or part of our assets, we reserve the right to transfer information we have obtained from or about you.
We are not responsible for any breach of security or for any actions of any third parties that receive information from us.
Transfer of Information
USAConnects websites are hosted and maintained in the United States of America. Your Personal Information may be transmitted to countries outside of the European Economic Area, including the United States of America. You can obtain details of the mechanism under which your personal data is transferred outside the EU by contacting us. If your Personal Information is transferred outside the European Economic Area to third party service providers, we will take steps to ensure that your Personal Information receives the same level of protection as if it remained within the European Economic Area, including by entering into data transfer agreements using the European Commission approved Standard Contractual Clauses, or by relying on certification schemes such as the EU–US Privacy Shield.
Cookie/Tracking Technology - Use of Non-Personal Information
USAConnects websites use cookie and tracking technology to collect non-Personal Information. Our system also automatically gathers information about areas you visit on our websites, and about the links you select from within one of our websites to the other areas of the World Wide Web or elsewhere online. We use such information in the aggregate to understand how our users as a group use the services and resources provided on our websites. This way we know which areas of our websites are preferred by our users, which areas need improvement, and what technologies are being used so that we may continually improve our websites. Personal Information cannot be collected via cookies and other tracking technology, however, if you previously provided us with your Personal Information, cookies may be tied to such information. Aggregate cookie and tracking information may be shared with third parties but that aggregate information does not identify individual website users. Our web servers do not record visitor email addresses unless that information is submitted by the visitor. We may determine what technology is available through your browser to provide you with the most appropriate version of a web page. USAConnects uses Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Gravity Forms, Formstack, Calendly, GoOverseas, and other web traffic tracking tools.
Links to Other Websites
USAConnects websites contain links to other websites. These links are for your convenience. We do not control, endorse or review the privacy notices of other websites, which may be different than this privacy notice. You should review the privacy notice of other websites before choosing to disclose Personal Information.
Data Security
USAConnects takes steps to secure your Personal Information. We exercise care in providing secure transmissions when we need to transfer your Personal Information from our servers. Our websites use secure server software encryption, which is indicated by https in the url of the website. Encryption is a common method of ensuring that information remains private. USAConnects cannot guarantee or warrant that the information that you transmit to us, or any communications is completely secure.
Retention of Personal Information
USAConnects only retains data for as long as necessary for the purposes indicated in this privacy notice or for such other period as may be permitted or required by law.
Children's Privacy
For children age 14-16, USAConnects takes additional steps to protect their Personal Information. We do not intend to collect Personal Information from children aged 13 or younger. These additional steps include:
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Notifying parents about our privacy practices, including the types of Personal Information we may collect, how the Personal Information is used, and with whom (and how) it is disclosed;
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Obtaining consent from the parent for the collection of Personal Information, which may be done in a paper format;
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Collecting and storing only the Personal Information reasonably necessary for the purpose we for which we are receiving it; and
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Providing parents with the right to request access to or a copy of their children’s Personal Information.​
Trademarks
The marks USAConnects, USAConnects Logo, are either registered or unregistered trademarks of USAConnects. All Rights Reserved. Any unauthorized use is prohibited.
Your Rights
Certain jurisdictions provide their residents or citizens with certain rights about their Personal Information. These may include the right to request access to the data we hold about you, to obtain a copy of your Personal Information, to request that your Personal Information be erased, to correct inaccurate information, to ask us to restrict how we process your Personal Information, or to withdraw your consent to our processing of your Personal Information. Your individual rights will depend on your residency and citizenship.
Please contact us using the following information for more information about this privacy notice, to notify us of a concern or complaint, or to exercise any of the individual rights you may have.
Data Protection Officer
By mail:
By email:
By phone: +1
Additionally, all marketing emails and newsletters from USAConnects allow you to opt out of further correspondence. You can do so by clicking the link within the emails, which will guide you on how to opt-out.