Privacy Policy
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is committed to safeguarding your privacy and personal data. As a nonprofit research organization, the Foundation operates with a single, urgent goal — to speed a cure for Parkinson’s disease. The Foundation uses the donations it receives to fund scientific research in furtherance of that goal. The Foundation also offers digital and non-digital tools for patients, families, donors and researchers to access information on Parkinson’s and to engage with the community.
This Privacy Policy explains our online information practices and outlines the choices you can make about what information you provide, how your data is collected and how it is used. Keep in mind that the Foundation exists in order to further scientific and medical research and that research findings are intended to be shared with a wide public audience. Your choice to share information with the Foundation – including personal, private information -- is also deemed to be done with the knowledge that the Foundation’s practices further its goal to speed a cure for Parkinson’s through the sharing of medical research. From time to time, the Foundation conducts internal audits of its information practices and reserves the right to make changes to this policy. Changes to this policy are also made to comply with evolving legal and regulatory requirements, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union.
This Privacy Policy applies to all information received by the Foundation, both online and offline, any electronic, written or oral communication you share with us, and any information you provide to third-party vendors operating on behalf of the Foundation.
What Data We Collect
The Foundation collects several types of information about you, depending on the action you take. This data includes personal information that you directly submit to us as part of a registration, participation, survey or donation form, as well as through other digital and non-digital interfaces and platforms, such as e-mail and social media. The Foundation also collects information on your web behaviors as you navigate through the Foundation website through the use of cookies and other tracking technologies. The data collected by the Foundation generally falls into 3 categories:
- Personal information, including name, email address, mailing address and personal connection to Parkinson’s disease.
- Platform data, including your IP address, browsing actions and traffic patterns, which is automatically collected through cookies and other tracking technologies as you navigate our website. Our website and other digital platforms also include third-party features and widgets (e.g., social sharing) that may collect data.
- Transactional data, including personal and credit card information, through secure purchases or donations submitted on our financial transaction pages. This information is used to acknowledge receipt of your donation for tax purposes and to include you on the Foundation's mailing list, if you choose to join it. When you send a donation in honor or in memory of someone and request that an acknowledgement be sent to another individual, we will use the name and address of that individual for acknowledgement purposes only.
How We Use Your Data
The Foundation and its third-party vendors may use your personal, platform or transactional data to:
- Provide you with relevant information about our programs and services
- Carry out a request or transaction you have initiated
- Analyze trends in user behavior
- Optimize the performance of our website
- Tailor and promote opportunities for engagement to meet your interests
- Improve the technical performance and personalized experience of our website
- For any other purposes with your consent
The Foundation does not sell or rent your information to others.
Your information may also be disclosed to comply with a court order, law or legal process.
If you wish, you can modify your internet browser settings to alter which technologies are permitted, but this may limit some functionalities and features of our website.
Data Security
We care about the security of your transactions and the data you share on our website. The Foundation applies industry-standard practices and technologies to safeguard your personal and credit card information. We use high-grade encryption and the secure https protocol to communicate with your browser, which guards against interception of the credit card information you give us. We also employ several different security techniques to protect your personally identifiable information from unauthorized access by users inside and outside the organization.
The web servers for the Foundation are located in a locked, secure environment, and computer systems are maintained in accordance with industry standards to secure information. You should be aware, however, that "perfect security" does not exist on the Internet, and third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications.
Consistent with regulations of the United States and European Union, the Foundation takes many technical precautions to keep your data and privacy secure against security breaches. However, there is no guarantee that your information is completely safe from breach of our computer systems and servers. In the event of a breach, the Foundation will comply with its regulatory obligations.
Children's Privacy
None of the content and information on the Foundation's website is targeted toward children under 13 years of age. We make every effort possible to ensure that we do not collect or maintain information on our website from those we know to be younger than 16 unless parental consent has been obtained in writing.
Communication Preferences
The Foundation provides an online form to join our communications list. If you have “opted-in” to receive communications, we may send you regular communications, either via e-mail or regular mail.
You will be added to Foundation’s email list only if you register to receive emails via a form or checkbox on The Michael J. Fox Foundation website. Email subscribers may select their preferred content streams, or unsubscribe from all email communications, by visiting their Profile Center via a "Manage My Preferences" link at the bottom of all Foundation emails. To correct, change or request deletion of the personal information you have provided, please contact us at privacy@michaeljfox.org.
To protect your privacy and security and the identity of the Foundation’s donors and community members, we will take certain steps to verify your identity before granting access to your information or making corrections. You will be asked specific questions, including full name, address, phone number, and, if applicable, credit card numbers and/or expiration date.
Contact Us
If you have specific questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, or if you would like access to the personal information you have provided the Foundation, please contact us at privacy@michaeljfox.org or at the following address.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
Grand Central Station
P.O. Box 4777
New York, NY 10163-4777
Links to Other Websites
The Foundation's site includes links, some temporary and some permanent, to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy and security practices of any other website or the nature of the content contained therein.