The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Inc. (“ASC CAN”) values your trust, and we understand the importance of protecting your privacy. We want to make sure that you understand how your information is collected and used by ACS CAN. This privacy statement (“Privacy Statement”) describes what information we collect about you, including when and how we collect it; how we use it; with whom we may share it; and what choices you have regarding our use of your information.
This Privacy Statement applies to all information collected through your communications with ACS CAN, whether electronic, written or oral. Examples include but are not limited to online forms, information provided at events, petitions collected on support for public policy, storytelling collection forms about experiences with cancer, health insurance, medical debt, issues impacting health, etc. Information may be collected through an ACS CAN mobile application, ACS CAN website, in person, or otherwise. Information collection includes any other information about you that we may collect offline or online, including information that we receive from affiliates, partner organizations or other third parties (collectively, the “Sites”) by other means. By accessing our Sites or providing your information to us, you accept and agree to the practices described in this Privacy Statement.
This Privacy Statement describes our privacy practices. The links below go straight to more detailed information on that topic.
- What types of personal information we collect about you
- How we collect personal information about you
- How we may use your personal information
- With whom we may share your personal information
- Donor Privacy
- Internet activity information
- Our data security protections
- Text (SMS) Terms and Conditions
- Your privacy rights and choices
- Notices and Disclosures
- How to contact us / How to exercise your privacy rights
- Updates to this privacy statement
What types of personal information we collect about you
When you engage with ACS CAN, we collect a variety of information about you. In general, the type and amount of information we collect on you will depend on how you choose to interact with ACS CAN.
ACS CAN collects information that identifies you as an individual or information which is linked or linkable to you as an individual, which will collectively be referred to throughout this Privacy Statement as “Personal Information.” The specific categories include contact information, demographic information, health information, household information, financial information, social media information, employment information, internet (web) activity information including information from cookies, if you opt-in. These categories are further explained below.
Contact Information and Preferences. We may request contact information such as your name, mailing address, telephone number, mobile phone number, e-mail address, and your preferences for issue interests.
Demographic Information. We may request demographic information such as your geographic location, gender identity, race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, and/or primary language. We may also use publicly available data or third-party services to supplement this information. We use demographic information to help us understand community needs and to seek representation for advocacy purposes.
Mission Related Information – In order to further our mission advocating for policies that improve the lives of cancer patients, we may request information from you which will be shared with government representatives in support of our policy positions. Such information may include your experience with cancer, insurance information, whether you are a registered voter, etc.
Financial Information. ACS CAN appreciates and will accept online contributions. If you make a contribution online, you will be asked to submit contact information for verification purposes, and such information will be stored in a secure location. We may use a third-party payment service to process contributions made through the ACS CAN Site. However, financial information will not be stored except when it is needed for record-keeping purposes. We may also ask about your household income for insurance verification purposes or amount of medical debt.
Contributions or membership payments to ACS CAN are not tax deductible.
Social Media Information. We may collect social media identifiers and/or interests or opinions expressed if you engage with us directly on social media platforms.
Employment Information. If you apply for employment with us, we may collect employment information including title and organization(s) with whom you work or have worked. We may also ask about your work experience or industry as it relates to health insurance.
Internet Activity. We may collect web server traffic activity and browsing history which may be tied to your Internet Protocol address or device type. We use this information to measure engagement on the Sites, effectiveness of our campaigns and to determine areas of interest of our constituency. You can read more about the Internet Activity data we collect below in the Internet Activity Section below.
How we collect personal information about you
ACS CAN and its service providers may collect Personal Information in a variety of instances. For example, we may collect information about you in the following circumstances:
Site Use. We may collect Personal Information through your use of the Sites. For example, if you create your own fundraiser using our Sites, your name and the amount of money raised may appear on the Sites. If you sign a petition or provide additional personal information (such as a personal experience) in support of a petition, such information may be disclosed to public officials. ACS CAN does not control the way public officials may use personal information shared in this way.
Please exercise caution when deciding whether to disclose your Personal Information in public forums. ACS CAN does not control the acts of other visitors to its Sites, so please be cautious when deciding to reveal personal information on a public area of any site. Please contact us if you believe a visitor to an ACS CAN Site is improperly collecting or using information about you or other users.
Contributions or Membership Payments. If you make a contribution or a membership payment to ACS CAN, we will collect Personal Information from you that may include: your name, address, and/or e-mail address so that we can send you thank you for your contribution. We may also collect limited financial information to process your contributions.
Employment or Volunteer Participation. If you seek employment with ACS CAN or volunteer for ACS CAN, we will collect information related to your role. For instance, we will collect employment history information if you submit a resume to ACS CAN or if you are volunteering to be a community leader, we will collect information on your location.
Social Media Interfaces. If you elect to connect to engage with ACS CAN using your social media account, certain Personal Information from your social media account may be shared with us, which may include Personal Information that is part of your profile or your friends’ profiles; in addition, if you use a “like” button or use other social media features while visiting our website, those social media companies may collect information about you. Your interactions with social media companies and the use of their features are governed by their privacy policies.
Forms. If you decide to complete a membership form, online petition or sign up, volunteer form, or story collection form, we will collect information from you in paper or electronic form on tablets or through our website. Personal Information may include your contact information, your position on public policy, your cancer story, etc. Such information is optional but helps to show the true impact cancer and access to health care have on specific communities. We may also collect your contact information if you join a petition to alert your public policy makers of government action needed in the fight against cancer.
Service Provider. If you partner with ACS to provide services, we may collect information such as name, employer, title, and business contact information. We collect this information for the purposes of contacting you about the partnership. If it is necessary for purposes of paying you for services provided, we may also collect bank account information, employer identification number or Social Security number, address, etc.
Other Sources. We may receive your Personal Information from other sources, including, but not limited to, our affiliated organization, the American Cancer Society, Inc., and/or various partner corporations or public policy coalitions, voter rolls, or third-party supplemental data sources to supplement or link the information we collect from you.
How we may use your personal information
We and our service providers may use Personal Information for the following purposes:
Mission. The primary use of your Personal Information is to execute on our mission to eliminate cancer as a major public health problem. Your Personal Information may be used at the direction of ACS CAN by vendors, affiliates like the American Cancer Society, aligned coalitions like ballot measure committees, volunteers, or others to engage you on our mission.
Data Analytics. We also perform data analysis to gain a greater general understanding of how individuals engage with ASC CAN. This analysis can help us improve mission delivery and support. When we perform data analytics, we may also use Other Information also includes information that has been anonymized or aggregated in a manner that it no longer reveals your specific identity.
Targeted Fundraising. We may use certain information (name, address, telephone number or e-mail information, dates of engagement, etc.) to contact you for the purpose of raising money for ACS CAN, but any such communication will provide you with the opportunity to opt-out of receiving such future communications.
Other Business Purposes. We may use Personal Information for other business purposes, such as conducting audits, fraud monitoring and prevention, developing new Sites, enhancing, improving or modifying our programs and our Sites, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of fundraising campaigns and mission activities, and updating and expanding our business activities.
With whom we may share your personal information
ACS CAN will not sell or share the personal information you provide or that we collect through our websites, with the following exceptions.
Coalitions. IACS CAN sometimes forms coalitions with like-minded organizations, and if we collect personal information through a coalition website or page we host, we may share that information with coalition member organizations. We cannot make representations about how the other coalition members use the information provided. From time to time, we may send your information from other like-minded organizations whose products or services we think subscribers might find interesting, but we do not exchange, trade, rent, or give email lists to third parties or groups with which ACS CAN is not working directly on mission-related activities. For instance, if we are working on a ballot measure, we may license our mailing list, including your contact information, to a political committee for use on awareness campaigns and mailings consistent with our mission. We will limit use in the license to the mission purpose.
Focus Groups. We may, from time to time, invite you to participate in a focus group so that we can hear your opinions and understand your needs and priorities in connection with our mission.
Story Collection. We may, from time to time, invite you to tell us about your experience with cancer, medical insurance, care giver or other health care issues to include in our advocacy efforts.
Third-Party Service Providers. We may need to share Personal Information with third parties that provide operational Sites on our behalf (such as website hosting, information technology and infrastructure, data analytics, email delivery, or other services of an administrative or technical nature). Your information is shared solely for the purpose of providing such services and is subject to confidentiality obligations.
ACS CAN Affiliates. We will provide your information to affiliated organizations that share a common mission with ACS CAN, such as the American Cancer Society (“ACS”). Use of your information by ACS is governed by ACS’s Privacy Statement available at cancer.org/privacy.
If You Sign Up as a Member or Volunteer or Through Other Means. ACS CAN is committed to providing timely updates to our users by email. For instance, by signing a petition and providing your email, we are interested in keeping you informed. You will be able to unsubscribe from email communications you receive from us by following the directions included in each such communication.
Social Media. You may share Personal Information with your friends associated with your social media account, to other website users and to your social media account provider, in connection with your social sharing activity. Please note that any information you post within these public forums or social media pages may become public and may be read, collected, and used by anyone. Please exercise caution when deciding whether to disclose your Personal Information in these forums.
If You Submit Information to Share with Elected Officials. From time to time, ACS CAN will circulate petitions or conduct similar activities online or at events, where we will ask you to submit personal information to influence elected officials ("Petitions"). This may include contact information, photographs or a personal experience or opinion. We may transmit to elected officials some or all the personal information you provide. However, we cannot control what an elected official will do with your personal information.
Other Uses or Disclosures of Personal Information. We may also use and disclose your Personal Information as we believe to be necessary or appropriate: (a) to comply with applicable law, which may include laws outside your country of residence, to respond to requests from public and government authorities, which may include authorities outside your country of residence, to cooperate with law enforcement, or for other legal reasons; (b) to enforce our Terms of Use; (c) to protect our rights, privacy, safety or property, and/or that of our affiliates, you or others. In addition, ACS CAN may use, disclose or transfer your information to a third-party in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer or other disposition of all or any portion of our organization (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings).
Your Consent. In addition to the other disclosures described in this section, we may also disclose your information as you expressly authorize us to do so.
Donor Privacy
ACS CAN shares personal information (including name, contact information, and donation history) in the context of cooperatives managed by third-party vendors Wiland. The personal information provided is used by the third-party vendors to create a score or profile which may then be used to send solicitations on behalf of other organizations. These organizations will not have direct or continued access to your personal information unless you choose to provide it to them directly by responding to an appeal.
You, as a donor, may have your name excluded from any donor list sharing activity by submitted a Data Request Form.
Internet activity information
ACS CAN may also collect information that does not reveal your specific identity or does not directly relate to an identifiable individual, referred to throughout this Privacy Statement as “Other Information,” including browser and device information, App usage data, Internet Protocol address, information collected through cookies, pixel tags and other technologies. Other Information also includes information that has been anonymized or aggregated in a manner that it no longer reveals your specific identity.
If we are required to treat Other Information as Personal Information under applicable law, then we may use and share it for the purposes for which we use and share Personal Information as detailed in this Privacy Statement.
Browser and Device Information. Certain information is collected by most browsers or automatically through your device, such as your Media Access Control (MAC) address, computer type (Windows or Mac), screen resolution, operating system name and version, device manufacturer and model, language, Internet browser type and version and the name and version of the Sites (such as the App) you are using. We use this information to ensure that the Sites function properly.
ACS CAN App Usage Data. When you download and use ACS CAN Apps, we and our service providers may track and collect App usage data, such as the date and time your device accesses our servers and what information and files have been downloaded to the App based on your device number.
Internet Protocol Address. Your IP address is automatically assigned to your computer by your Internet Service Provider. An IP address may be identified and logged automatically in our server log files whenever a user accesses the Sites, along with the time of the visit and the page(s) that were visited We use IP addresses for purposes such as calculating usage levels, diagnosing server problems and administering the Sites. We may also derive your approximate location from your IP address. We track page hits in the aggregate to track the popularity of pages that people visit. With that information we can improve the quality of the site.
We will also collect your IP address, along with basic contact information you provide on our website forms, such as the “Contact Us” form, “Volunteer sign-up” form and “Story Collection” form.
Web Server Traffic Pattern Information and Browsing History. We collect standard web server traffic pattern information and your browsing history. General traffic, Site usage, browser information and length of stay information is collected and stored in log files.
Cookies. We use “cookies,” small files that are sent to your web browser and stored on your computer's hard drive, to enhance your online experience. The cookies collect information about your use of our Sites, such as the type of browser you use, your home domain or Internet service provider, your referrer URL (which is the URL for the website that you were viewing prior to visiting the website), how you were directed to the Sites, which specific pages you accessed, how long you view each page, the time and date you access our Sites and anonymous traffic data. If you do not want information collected by cookies, most browsers allow you to automatically decline cookies or be given the choice of declining or accepting a particular cookie (or cookies) from a particular website. . You can also reject all but strictly necessary cookies by selecting the “Reject Cookies” option in the banner which appears when you enter the site, or you may choose specific cookies by selecting “Manage Cookies. You may also wish to refer to http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/index.html. If, however, you do not accept cookies, you may experience some inconvenience in your use of the site.
Using pixel tags and other similar technologies. Pixel tags (also known as web beacons and clear GIFs) may be used to, among other things, track the actions of users of the Sites (including email recipients), measure the success of our marketing campaigns and compile statistics about usage of the Sites and response rates.
Targeted Outreach and Advertising. We may work with third-party service providers to target our advertisements and outreach to you based on your preferences or other internet activity information, in some cases combining data we collect from you through online cookies and other technologies with other de-identified data (such as a hashed, non-readable email or postal address). In addition, we may use third-party service providers to display content-specific advertisements to you after you have left our Sites when you go to other websites. These third-party service providers may use cookies, web beacons or similar technologies to tailor advertisements to interests shown by browsing our Sites or other by visiting other websites. We do not control the third-party service providers' tracking technologies or how they may be used. The collection of your information or use of technologies by third-party service providers is subject to those third parties’ privacy policies, not ACS CAN’s. For more information on these practices or to learn how to opt-out of receiving targeted advertising from many service providers, please visit http://optout.aboutads.info/#!/ and http://optout.networkadvertising.org/.
Do Not Track. Some browsers have a “Do Not Track” feature that lets you tell websites that you do not want to have your online activities tracked. We do not currently respond to browser do-not-track signals.
Analytics. We use Google Analytics features based on Display Advertising, which uses cookies and similar technologies to collect and analyze information about the use of the Sites and report on activities and trends. (Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting). This service may also collect information regarding the use of other websites, apps, and online resources. You can opt-out of Google Analytics for Display Advertising and customize Google Display Network ads using the Ads Settings. In addition, you can use the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on to disable tracking by Google Analytics. We will use the data provided by Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting to develop the site and content around our users’ interests.
Anonymous or Aggregate Information. We use Anonymous Information and Aggregate Information for activities including data analysis and research to gain a greater general understanding of cancer, cancer treatment and the related needs of patients and their caregivers. “Anonymous Information” means information where identifiers have been removed so that it does not directly or indirectly identify and cannot reasonably be used to identify an individual. “Aggregate Information” means information about groups or categories of individuals which does not identify and cannot reasonably be used to identify an individual. For example, we may use Aggregate Information to compare the types of Sites our constituents utilize in one geographic location with another to understand how the two groups are different or similar.
Uses and Disclosures of Other Information. We may use and disclose Other Information for any purpose, except where we are required to do otherwise under applicable law. In some instances, we may combine Other Information with Personal Information. If we do this, we will treat the combined information as Personal Information. For example, we may work with data providers to tailor our communications to you, including fundraising and outreach communications, based on your areas of interest and other information about you. To do this, we may place cookies on your browser and combine IP address or browsing history with other de-identified data (such as a hashed, non-readable e-mail or postal address). We may then communicate with you through mail, email, or other channels.
Our data security protections
We seek to use reasonable organizational, technical and administrative measures reasonably designed to secure the information to protect Personal Information within our organization. Unfortunately, no data transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure, please immediately notify us in accordance with the “How to contact us” section below.
Text (SMS) Terms and Conditions
ACS CAN will send you no more than four text messages per month. Message and Data Rates May Apply, and charges may appear on your wireless bill or be deducted from your prepaid balance. To request more information or seek help, contact [email protected] or call 202 661 5700. To opt-out of text communications directly, reply “STOP” to any text you receive from us. You may receive a confirmation message after you have texted STOP. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
Text messaging opt-in data are not being shared with third parties.
Your privacy rights and choices
Contact Restrictions.
If you do not wish to be contacted via email, please contact us with an opt-out request, and we will honor the request in accordance with timelines set forth in applicable law. Please note that if you opt-out of receiving e-mails, we may still send you important administrative messages, from which you cannot opt-out.
To opt-out of text communications, reply “STOP” to any text you receive from us.
Mobile Applications. You can stop collection of information by mobile applications easily by uninstalling the application. You may use the standard uninstall processes available as part of your mobile device or network. To discontinue the collection of geolocation data, you can modify your privacy settings on your mobile device.
Notices and Disclosures
Children’s Privacy. ACS CAN does not knowingly request or collect information from any person under 13 years of age without parental consent. If you believe that your child has submitted Personal Information to ACS CAN without your consent and you would like this info restricted or removed, please contact us using one of the methods provided in “How to contact us / How to exercise your privacy rights” below.
Links to Third-Party Websites. Our Sites may contain links to third-party websites, whose privacy practices may be different from ACS CAN’s. This Privacy Statement does not address, and we are not responsible for, the privacy, information or other practices of any third parties, including any third-party operating any website or service to which the Sites link. Links to other sites do not imply ACS CAN’s endorsement of the products or Sites or privacy or security practices of those websites. In addition, we are not responsible for the information collection, use, disclosure or security policies or practices of other organizations, such as Facebook, Apple, Google, Microsoft, RIM or any other app developer, app provider, social media platform provider, operating system provider, wireless service provider or device manufacturer, including with respect to any Personal Information you disclose to other organizations through or in connection with the Sites or our Social Media Pages.
For California Residents. California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of Personal Information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year. To make such a request, please contact us using one of the methods provided in “How to contact us / How to exercise your privacy rights” below. In addition, if you are a California resident under the age of 18 and a registered user of the Sites, you may ask us to remove content or information that you have posted to the Sites. To request removal, please contact us using one of the methods provided in “How to contact us / How to exercise your privacy rights” below. We will respond to your request consistent with applicable law. Please note that your request does not ensure complete or comprehensive removal of the content or information, as, for example, some of your content may have been reposted by another user.
Jurisdiction and Cross-Border Transfer. The Sites are controlled and operated by us from the United States and are not intended to subject us to the laws or jurisdiction of any state, country, or territory other than that of the United States. Your Personal Information may be stored and processed in the United States where our servers are located and where our central database is operated. In certain circumstances, courts, law enforcement agencies, regulatory agencies or security authorities may be entitled to access your Personal Information.
Information on Third parties. If you disclose any Personal Information relating to other people to us, you represent that you have the authority to do so and to permit us to use the information in accordance with this Privacy Statement.
How to contact us / How to exercise your privacy rights
In some countries and in some in certain states, such as Colorado, you have specific rights regarding your Personal Information. This section describes your rights and explains how to exercise those rights. Subject to certain limitations (such as our legal obligations), you have the right to access, to obtain a copy of, to correct, to opt-out of the sale or sharing, and to delete your Personal Information. You also can limit the means or frequency of some communications and to appeal responses to your requests.
To exercise your privacy rights, please submit a Data Request Form. Please note that when you submit your request, you will receive an email asking you to confirm the submission. If the request is submitted on behalf of another person, please provide sufficient information that allows us to reasonably verify you are authorized to make the request.
To Access/Request a Copy of your Personal Information. Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to obtain confirmation of the categories of Personal Information regarding whether ACS CAN maintains about you processes Personal Information about you and/or to request access to and receive a copy of information about the Personal Information that we maintain. To exercise your privacy rights, please submit a Data Request Form. In your request, please make clear what Personal Information you would like to review. For your protection, we may need to verify your identity before implementing your request. If you are submitting a request on behalf of someone else, we may ask for additional verification, such as written documentation or other proof of authority. We will try to comply with your request as soon as reasonably practicable, consistent with applicable law.
Subject to applicable law, although ACS CAN makes good faith efforts to provide individuals with access to their Personal Information, there may be circumstances in which ACS CAN is unable to provide access, including but not limited to: where the information would compromise others’ privacy or other legitimate rights, where the burden or expense of providing access would be disproportionate to the risks to the individual’s privacy in the case in question, or where the information is subject to legal privilege. If ACS CAN determines that access should be restricted in any instance, we will endeavor to provide you with an explanation of why that determination has been made and a contact point for any further inquiries. To protect your privacy, ACS CAN will take commercially reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access to or making any changes to your Personal Information. To exercise this right, please submit a Data Request Form.
To Opt Out of Sharing. You have the right to opt out of the sharing of your data. ACS CAN shares Personal Information (including name, contact information and donation history) in the context of cooperatives managed by third party vendors Wiland. The personal information provided is used by the third-party vendors to create a score or profile which may then be used to send solicitations on behalf of other organizations. These organizations will not have direct or continued access to your personal information unless you choose to provide it to them directly by responding to an appeal. To exercise this right, please submit a Data Request Form.
To Request Deletion. You have the right to request that we delete any of your personal information we collected from you and retained, subject to certain exceptions. Once we receive and confirm your verifiable consumer request, we will delete (and direct our service providers to delete) your personal information from our records, unless an exception applies.
Please note that in cases of deletion, limited personal information will remain to document the request. The right to access Personal Information may be limited in some circumstances by local law. To exercise this right, please submit a Data Request Form.
Right to Appeal. Although ACS makes good faith efforts to comply with privacy rights requests, there may be circumstances in which ACS is unable to provide access, including but not limited to:, where the information would compromise others’ privacy or other legitimate rights, where the burden or expense of providing access would be disproportionate to the risks to the individual’s privacy in the case in question, or where the information is subject to legal privilege.
If you exercise one of your privacy rights and we are unable to process your request, we will endeavor to provide you with an explanation as to why the request was denied. The explanation will include information on how to appeal, including the relevant regulatory authorities, based on your state or country of residence. All requests for appeal will be reviewed by the privacy office ([email protected]).
For California Residents. California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of Personal Information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year. In addition, if you are a California resident under the age of eighteen and a registered user of the Services, you may ask us to remove content or information that you have posted to the Sites. To make sure a request, please submit a Data Request Form. We will respond to your request consistent with applicable law. Please note that your request does not ensure complete or comprehensive removal of the content or information, as, for example, your public content may have been reposted by another user. Limited personal information will remain to document the request for deletion.
Privacy Questions and Requests. If you have any questions about this Privacy Statement, wish to notify us of any desired restrictions, or believe your privacy rights may have been violated, please contact us at:
Fightcancer.org//feedback
Postal Mail:
If you have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us at:
You can also reach us via US Mail at:
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
655 15th Street, NW, Suite 503
Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: 202 661 5700
Email: [email protected]
Updates to this privacy statement
ACS CAN may modify this Privacy Statement at any time. When changes are made, we will update the “last modified” section at the top of our Privacy Statement. Your use of ACS CAN’s Sites following these changes means that you accept the revised Privacy Statement.
Last Modified: May 18, 2023