The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (“FDD”) is committed to protecting your privacy.  This Privacy Policy describes the information we collect through our website staging.fdd.org (the “Site”), how we use and share it, and how you can make choices about our use of that information.  

Please note that this Privacy Policy may be amended from time to time, so please check back regularly.  By using the Site after we have posted an updated Privacy Policy, you agree to that updated Privacy Policy.

By using the Site, you consent to our collection, use, and sharing of information as described in this Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect


Information You Provide to Us

You can browse the Site without submitting any personally identifiable information (“Personal Information”) to us. We collect Personal Information, such as your name, email address, and other information, when you voluntarily provide it to us. Below are the most common ways in which you would provide your Personal Information:

  • When you sign up for our mailing list
  • When you contact us with an inquiry
  • When you make a donation to FDD
  • If you sign up for an event through the Site
  • If you interact with the Site through social media
  • If you submit job/internship application materials to FDD

Information Automatically Collected

We may also collect information about users when you interact with the Site.  This includes the IP address of the device you use to access the Site, the browser type, the time and date of visits to the Site, and the website that referred or linked you to the Site.  We may use this information to analyze how visitors use our Site so we can improve the quality of the information and services we provide.  

We or our Service Providers (as defined below) may collect some of this information through cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, clear gifs or similar technologies. You are not required to accept cookies from the Site and may disable the cookies function, or delete existing cookies, by using your web browser’s options.  If you disable or delete cookies, certain features of the Site may not work as intended.

The Site uses Google Analytics, a third-party website analytics tool that collects automated information about visitor traffic. The information collected by Google Analytics is transmitted to and stored by Google and will be subject to Google’s privacy policies.  You can learn more about how to opt out of Google Analytics here.

We do not use information derived from this information automatically collected by the Site to identify visitors individually except in circumstances where we may deem it necessary in connection with legal process or to protect our rights or the rights of a third party as further described below.

How We Use Your Information

We or our Service Providers (as defined below) will use your Personal Information for the following purposes:

  • To send you information about news, events, or opportunities that we think may be of interest to you
  • To respond to inquiries from you and communicate with you if you participate in an event
  • To process your donation
  • To ensure and improve the quality of our Site
  • To improve the content or services offered through our Site and research and development
  • To notify you about substantive changes to our privacy practices
  • To detect, investigate, and protect against any activities that may violate our policies or the law and to establish, defend against, or enforce any related claims


How We Share Your Information

We may share your Personal Information with our third party service providers (“Service Providers”) that help us operate and provide services in connection with the Site. 

We also reserve the right to disclose and use Personal Information and other information in special circumstances, including to enforce this Privacy Policy, to comply with legal process or law enforcement, to address actual or suspected illegal activity, to protect our property or rights, to protect the rights and safety of anyone, or for other reasons we determine in good faith are necessary, appropriate, or required by law.  If we ever merge with, are acquired by, or otherwise consolidate with another organization, Personal Information may be transferred along with our other assets. 

Third-Party Web Sites

The Site may contain links to third-party web sites (“Third-Party Sites”).  Third-Party Sites may collect information about you when you interact with them through links on our Site.  If you follow any link to a Third-Party Site, you should review those sites’ privacy policies to find out how they protect your privacy.  We are not responsible for Third-Party Sites or their privacy practices.

Donor Privacy

FDD values and respects the privacy of its donors.  As with all other Personal Information, we do not loan, trade, rent, or sell our donor information to any other organization, nor will we send mailings to our donors on behalf of any other organization. 

We maintain historical records of donor giving histories for certain types of gifts. This information is gathered so FDD can properly acknowledge gifts for IRS purposes and is also used by FDD to analyze giving histories.

Online donations to FDD are processed by a Service Provider and subject to the Service Provider’s privacy practices and terms of use. 

This section applies to donations and donor information received online or offline.  

Social Media Features

The Site may include social media features, such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter links and widgets.  When you interact with the Site through a social media platform, we may collect the Personal Information that you make available to us on that page, including your account ID or username and other information included in your posts.  Social media features may be hosted and controlled by Third-Party Websites and your interactions with these features are governed by those respective companies’ privacy practices.

Record Retention

We will keep your Personal Information for as long as we need it, or as otherwise prescribed by law, for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.

Security 

We use reasonable efforts to safeguard your Personal Information.  All traffic on the Site is encrypted using a TLS protocol, including transmission of Personal Information to the Site.  Of course no transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so you provide your Personal Information at your own risk.

Location of Servers and Transfer of Information

Information collected through the Site will be accessed and processed in the United States.  In addition, your information may be transferred outside the United States by our Service Providers with locations in other countries.  By using the Site and providing your Personal Information to us, you consent to this transfer and to the collection, storage, processing and use of your Personal Information both within and outside of the United States.

Your Choices Regarding Our Use of Your Personal Information

If you wish to review, update, correct, or delete the information we have for you, please fill out this form so that we may process your request. 

If you no longer wish to receive communications from us, you can also unsubscribe by clicking on the “unsubscribe” button in any email communication you receive from us.

Some browsers have incorporated Do Not Track (“DNT”) preferences. The Site currently honors DNT requests.

Children

The Site is directed at an adult audience and we do not knowingly collect information from or about children.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

FDD reserves the rights to modify this Privacy Policy from time to time without notice to you.  If we make substantial material changes to our Privacy Policy, we will notify you.  FDD may update this Privacy Policy by posting a new version on this webpage.

Contact Us

For any questions you may have about this Privacy Policy or our data practices please contact info@fdd.org.