Privacy Policy
Last amended April 2015
The present website, including all information and materials contained on it, are managed and controlled by Bridge Publications, Inc., 5600 East Olympic Blvd., Commerce, CA 90022, USA ("BPI")
This Privacy Notice applies to this website, and to all other websites managed and controlled by Bridge Publications, Inc. and all its US-based affiliated organizations. There will be a link to this same Privacy Notice on all those sites.
The contact details of BPI are provided on our contact page.
This Privacy Notice does not apply to pages hosted by other organizations, including the websites of Church of Scientology churches, missions or other entities, outside the USA, even if there are links on the present website to such other Scientology non-USA entities. These non-USA Scientology entities will have their own Privacy Notices and –Policies, with links to those provided on their websites.
This Privacy Policy also does not apply to websites of other entities, not related to Scientology, to which links may be provided. BPI is not in any way responsible for the contents of such other websites.
The terms and conditions set out in this Privacy Notice apply in conjunction with the more detailed BPI Privacy Policies. The full texts of these policies are still in preparation. When they are finalized, a link to them will be provided here.
Our Commitment
BPI is committed to respecting and ensuring the privacy of all the users of this website. We will be transparent about the purposes for which we collect data, including personal data, and about the kinds of data we collect and how we use them.
Your Consent
By using this website, you consent to the terms of this Privacy Notice and the BPI Privacy Policies. BPI may change the terms of this Notice and these Policies from time to time. If such changes are made, we will promptly place notices on all the websites so that you can be aware of those changes.
Your continued use of this and other BPI-managed websites subsequent to such notified changes will mean that you accept those changes, and will be on the terms of this Privacy Notice and those Privacy Policies, as amended from time to time.
What types of information do we collect and store?
Personal information
You can access most of the pages on the website without telling us who you are and without revealing any personal information.
We do not collect personal information (such as your name, address, phone number or e-mail address, or other personal details) on the website unless you choose to provide them. For example, where you express an interest in joining or donating to one of our organizations, subscribe to our email updates, or buy a book or CD or DVD, we will often provide you with an online form that you can fill in and submit online. In all these cases, we will inform you of the purpose of the form (unless that is obvious) and provide you with options as concerns the uses of the data (see below: "Your Rights: Right to object"). We only collect personal information that is relevant and adequate and not excessive for the purposes in question.
Non-personal, aggregate data; the use of "cookies" and of Google Analytics
General
Our web servers create anonymous logs during user visits to the website, which are used by us to create aggregate statistics, for example about when the website is accessed, the pages which refer visitors to the website, the type of web browsers visitors use and which pages are viewed. These statistics help us understand how the website is used and provide us with valuable information for improving it in the future. In this, we use both our own "cookies" and a special tool, Google Analytics, as described below.
Use of cookies
A cookie is a text-only piece of information that a website transfers to your computer's hard disk so that the website can remember who you are. A cookie will normally contain the name of the Internet domain from which the cookie has come, the "lifetime" of the cookie, and a value, usually a randomly generated unique number.
We use cookies and collect IP addresses (an IP address is a number that can uniquely identify a specific computer or other network device on the internet). We use our own analysis software to look at IP addresses and cookies for the purpose of enhancing your user experience. This information is not used to develop a personal profile of you.
Users have the opportunity to set their devices to accept all cookies, to notify them when a cookie is issued, or not to receive cookies at any time. To prevent the download of cookies, or otherwise control how cookies are used on your computer, please read the help information supplied with your Internet browser software or go to: http://www.allaboutcookies.org. However please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.
Google Analytics
Our website also uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses “cookies” to help the website analyze how users use the site (as described above). The information generated by the Google Analytics cookie about your use of the website (including a truncated IP address: see below) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers which, like ours, are in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators such as us, and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf.
As explained above, you may refuse the use of cookies—and thus also the use of the Google Analytics cookie—by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, but this too may affect the extent to which you can fully use the website.
Your agreement
In accordance to what we already said at the beginning of this Notice, by using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you, and of aggregate data, by us and by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.
How do we use information collected?
Your personal information will be retained by BPI and its service providers in a secure environment, will be kept confidential, and will only be used in connection with the purposes for which it is submitted, or as necessary for us to comply with our legal obligations. For example, personal information submitted for the purposes of making a donation will be used to process that donation and personal information submitted with an expression of interest in joining a Scientology or associated entity will be used to action your expression of interest and provide you with information about Scientology in general, and with information on relevant Scientology and Scientology-related entities in your area.
Sharing of your personal information
Other than as described below, the information you provide will not be sold or rented nor will it be shared with any person or entity unrelated to Bridge Publications, Inc. or the worldwide Church of Scientology International, unless we are required to disclose the information by law.
We may share relevant personal data, obtained through this website (or any of the other BPI-managed websites) in the following circumstances:
Sharing with other Church of Scientology entities:
In addition to BPI in California, USA, there are numerous other entities, in the USA and elsewhere in the world, that are associated with it in the worlwide Church of Scientology. In particular, in many countries there are national, regional and/or local organizations belonging to the worldwide Church. BPI may share the personal information on you that it obtains through this website (or any BPI-managed website) with such other entities, as appropriate. For example, if you have expressed an interest in joining BPI or BPI-related body or group or program, we may share your contact details with such bodies in your area, so that they can contact you (subject to the exercise of your right to object, as set out under the heading "Your Rights", below).
Hosting and processing:
Some of the BPI-managed websites may be hosted by a third party service provider and therefore any personal details you submit through this website may be processed by such a third party service provider. We may also use other third parties to process some of your personal details, for example to send you books or other goods you have ordered (so-called "fulfillment"). All of these third party services providers will process your personal information only on our behalf and will be bound by strict confidentiality conditions.
Payment processing and fraud:
Your card or other details may be disclosed to banks or relevant financial institutions to arrange payments. In the case of a suspected fraudulent transaction, your details may be further disclosed for the sole purpose of performing further checks (for example, disclosure to a credit checking agency).
Trans-border data flows
If you have accessed this webpage from within the European Union or the European Economic Area, you should be aware that the disclosure of your personal information discussed above will involve transfer of that information to us in the United States. The USA do not have data privacy laws as strong as those in force in the European Union.
Your rights
Right of access to your personal information:
You have a right of access to any personal information that we collect about you on this website (and on any BPI-managed site) and that is retrievable from this website by reference to you personally.
Right of correction:
You have a right to correct the information we hold on you, or to have it deleted, if it is incorrect, irrelevant or out of date.
Right to object:
When we ask for your contact information in various forms, we will explain to you what we want to use those details for, and we will offer you options in regard of their use. Specifically, we will explain if we want to use certain information, such as your phone number or mobile phone number or email address, to contact you. You can also, at any time, let us know by simple email if you do not want to be contacted any more, either in general or by certain special means (e.g., by text or phone call). We will then, within a short period, ensure that such follow-up contacts are stopped.
