FIA Privacy Policy

Welcome! At Federation for Internet Alerts (FIA), we take privacy seriously because all of our partners are proud to be leaders in the field of internet network technology and a true innovator in the way people, including ourselves, obtain important information online that are relevant to us while respecting privacy. Our privacy policy is aimed to clarify what information FIA and its Partners collect for use described in this website and how we safeguard it while innovating to provide potentially life-saving alerting worldwide.

The effective date of this privacy policy is December 31, 2015.

Federation for Internet Alerts was founded with the basic premise that people empowered with timely and appropriate alerting can act to save lives and protect property. This foundation includes, with a Privacy by Design approach, the belief that each person's private information should be protected while striving to provide the positive-sum benefit of FIA's mission. Our success, in part, comes from our ability to achieve two basic technology needs in a holistic fashion:

• Preserve every person's right to receive emergency messaging anywhere in the world.
• Respect every person's privacy by not utilizing personally-identifiable information to determine what emergency messaging is appropriate to them.

FIA Partners include Internet industry leaders that have been involved in networking, Interest-Based Advertising, and consumer privacy from the very early days of the modern Internet. This experience has helped us forge FIA around one central belief: It is possible to provide each individual human being with the privacy they deserve, while giving them access to positive-sum innovation that is both valuable and potentially life-saving.

Scope of Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to Federation for Internet Alerts and not of any third party partner individually. We discuss the online method of collection and use of anonymous information gathered by us for this website www.internetalerts.org.

How Does Federation for Internet Alerts Provide People with Alerts?

We are a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that supports alerting authorities and standards bodies in developing ways to continuously provide ways to message vital details to devices such as Internet of Things, while creating messages that are easy to understand and granular in their design. For example, it is possible through the use of geo-targeting technology that is commercially available to message granular details to people in the area of a hurricane or tsunami through the Internet by using details that are often provided within complex data driven exchanges and networks whose task it is to make the Internet more advanced and valuable to online publishers. This information may include the date and time of a visit to a website, links or messages that were clicked, as well as the language of the user agent (e.g., facilitating FIA's ability to serve a tornado warning in Spanish, English, German, etc.). The information processed by FIA helps us understand your situation on the ground when combining it with publicly accessible information from alerting authorities.

FIA Partners and Supporters encompass a very broad range of technology and expertise, including publisher networks, ad technology companies, standards processes, and alerting authority operations. We utilize Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) to process alerts and disseminate them to the public. At times, where permitted, we may use anonymous data aggregated from networks to further enhance emergency messages to make them more effective and appealable to the online user.

FIA does not collect or maintain PII, personally identifiable information, for marketing or emergency alerting purposes. This means that we do not accept or use your name, address, email address, or any sensitive information such as your credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, or medical records to provide alerting.

How Does Federation for Internet Alerts Find People on the Web?

When a person visits our website or others that use networks, exchanges, and ad technology for their websites, very common tools such as cookies or pixel tags or similar technology may be used. Information collected from these technologies are not linked to PII. No PII is transferred to FIA via these technologies. FIA only knows that person by an anonymous ID, so that we can replace non-relevant ads or otherwise display alerts that are more necessary to help people and their families make decisions that could save their lives. Again, we don't know who a person is, we just know the person should get an alert through that ID. FIA also assists alerting authorities with technologies that enable the transmission of CAP through the Internet. For example, the FIA Global Alert Hub can transmit CAP around the planet in less than 200 milliseconds.

What is a Cookie, Pixel Tag, or Similar Technology?

A cookie is an industry-standard small data file placed on a person's computer. Cookies allow computers to 'remember you' when you return to a website. People have the capability of deleting cookies on their machine; however, if they enjoy the convenience of a website remembering them, want to 'opt-in' for alerts sent via FIA mechanisms in the future, consumers are advised not to delete their cookies. This website may contain, in addition to FIA cookies, other third party cookies that assist us serving alerts.

A pixel tag (also commonly known as a web beacon) is an industry-standard, often-transparent graphic image usually no larger than a 1x1 pixel that is placed in a website or e-mail. No PII is transferred in this pixel tag.

Pixel tags may be used by FIA Partners to transfer relevant anonymous data from this website or millions of others to FIA Partner servers for the purpose of providing vital life-saving as well as online advertising. Cookies are used by FIA to link this anonymous data to non-identified unique users so automated systems can make millisecond decisions about getting the right alert to the right person at the right time and in their native language. Other similar technologies relate to systems that maintain pseudonymity through anonymous IDs, like Apple's ID For Advertisers (IDFA) and Google's Advertiser ID.

Disclosure of Information

FIA Partners may disclose proprietary, anonymous information to effectively alert the public during an emergency and anonymous reporting to alerting authorities to improve the alerting effectiveness and accuracy. FIA may share anonymous, aggregated information with other third parties for alerting and analytical purposes. Federation for Internet Alerts may also need to disclose anonymous information if (1) we believe that there has been a violation of the law, of your rights, or of FIA's rights, (2) to respond to judicial process and provide information to law enforcement agencies or in connection with an investigation on matters related to public safety, as permitted by law, or otherwise as required by law, and (3) if our company or substantially all of its assets are acquired.

Data Retention

If you have contacted us or provided PII to FIA to be contacted or join our mailing list, we will retain your information for as long as you're active or as needed to provide you with information. If you wish to have your information deleted or request that we no longer use your information to provide you services, please email us at info@internetalerts.org.

Federation for Internet Alerts. Choices and Opt-Out.

If you prefer not to receive relevant alerting from FIA, please visit the NAI (Network Advertising Initiative), which allows for the central opting out of all FIA Partners of its members' cookies from a single opt-out page. To find out more, and opt-out of NAI member cookies, click here. You can also opt-out at the DAA's (Digital Advertising Alliance's) website www.aboutads.info. If you delete your cookies, use a different browser, or buy a new computer, you will need to renew your opt-out choice.

Safeguarding Information We Collect and Use.

The security of your information is important to us. We have implemented appropriate security measures to protect the information in our care, both during transmission and once we receive it. We take physical and technical security measures to protect our data from unauthorized access, as well as unauthorized disclosure.

Privacy of Children

We are committed to protecting the privacy of children. Neither FIA's website nor Federation for Internet Alerts online activities with its Marketing Partners are intended or designed to attract children under the age of 13. We do not collect personally identifiable information.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the change(s) on our website. If we change the policy in a material way, we will provide appropriate notice to you by email (sent to the e-mail address specified in your account) or by means of notice on this site prior to the change becoming effective. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices. If you have questions or concerns regarding this statement, please contact us with the form below.