Privacy Policy

Last modified: March, 2023

Introduction

National Speech & Debate Association (“Company” or “We“) respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it.

In this policy, we describe the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit the website https://www.speechanddebate.org (our “Website“) and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and sharing that information.

This policy applies to information we collect:

On this Website.
In email, text, and other electronic messages between you and this Website.
Through mobile and desktop applications you download from this Website, which provide dedicated non-browser-based interaction between you and this Website.
When you interact with our advertising and applications on third-party websites and services, if those applications or advertising include links to this policy.

It does not apply to information collected by:

us offline or through any other means, including on any other website operated by Company or any third party; or
any third party, including through any application or content (including advertising) that may link to or be accessible from the Website.

Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information and how we will treat it. This policy may change from time to time so please check the policy periodically for updates.

Children Under the Age of 13

Because of our efforts to provide resources to middle school students who are members of the National Speech & Debate Association, we allow those students, including those under the age of 13, to register for accounts on our Website. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 and its rules (collectively, “COPPA“) require us to inform parents and legal guardians (as used in this section, “parents“) about our practices for collecting, using, and disclosing personal information from children under the age of 13 (“children“). It also requires us to obtain verifiable consent from a child’s parent for certain collection, use, and disclosure of the child’s personal information.

This section only applies to children under the age of 13 and supplements the other provisions of this privacy policy.

Terms that are defined in the general privacy policy have the same meanings as used in this Privacy Policy for Children Under the Age of 13.

This section notifies parents of:

The types of information we may collect from children:

We require students to provide their name, city, state, and email address during the account registration process. We also request other demographic information, such as gender, race, and GPA but no such information needs to be provided in order for students to register for an account.

How we use the information we collect from children:

All information is used solely internally. We will aggregate this information to learn more about our members.

With respect to the Website, we use personal information solely for the purpose of website development and maintenance, including but not limited to diagnostic and testing purposes.

Our practices for disclosing information we collect from children:

We do not provide personal information of children to third parties for any reason.

We may provide aggregated information to potential sponsors and donors, as part of our case for why they should support the Association. A child will not be personally identified, nor will a child’s individual, disaggregated information be used as part of any such effort without the express written consent of the child’s parent.

Our practices for notifying and obtaining parents’ consent when we collect personal information from children, including how a parent may revoke consent.

We provide notice of our privacy practices to and collect verifiable consent from parents through a variety of means depending on the context and purpose for which we collect personal information from children. In some instances, we will provide notice through our Website or an email and obtain consent from a parent at an email address or phone number that is not provided by a child. In other situations, we may collect consent by engaging in a monetary transaction with a parent or by obtaining written signed consent from a parent. A parent can review a child’s personal information, direct us to delete it, and refuse to allow any further collection or use of a child’s information. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@speechanddebate.org. The parent must provide us with enough information to verify the identity and locate their child’s account.

All operators that collect or maintain information from children through this Website:

National Speech & Debate Association, 6600 Westown Parkway, Suite 270, West Des Moines, IA 50266

Information We Collect About You and How We Collect It

We collect several types of information from and about users of our Website, including information:

by which you may be personally identified, such as name, postal address, email address, telephone number, or any other identifier by which you may contact you (“personal information“);
that is about you but individually does not identify you, such as gender, race, and GPA; and/or
about your internet connection, the equipment you use to access our Website, and usage details.

We collect this information:

Directly from you when you provide it to us.
Automatically as you navigate through the site. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies.

How We Use Your Information

We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal information:

To present our Website and its contents to you.
To provide you with information, products, or services that you request from us.
To fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it.
To provide you with notices about your account, including expiration and renewal notices.
To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts entered into between you and us, including for billing and collection.
To notify you about changes to our Website or any products or services we offer or provide though it.
To allow you to participate in interactive features on our Website.
In any other way we may describe when you provide the information.
For any other legal purpose with your consent.

Disclosure of Your Information

We may disclose aggregated information about our users, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction.

We may disclose aggregated personal information that we collect or you provide as described in this privacy policy:

To our subsidiaries and affiliates.
To contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business and who are bound by contractual obligations to keep personal information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
To a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of the National Speech & Debate Association’s assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by the National Speech & Debate Association about our Website users is among the assets transferred.
To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it. For example, if you give us an email address to use the “email a friend” feature of our Website, we will transmit the contents of that email and your email address to the recipients.
For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information.
With your consent.

We may also disclose your personal information:

To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request.
To enforce or apply our terms of use and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes.
If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of the National Speech & Debate Association, our customers, or others.

Deleting Your Data

If you (or the parent of a minor child) would like to delete your personal information, you can do so by contacting us via the Website.

Cookies

We use cookies on our Website in order to help operate our website, to serve targeted advertisements, and to analyze how visitors use our Website. A cookie is a small text file which a Website places on your computer or other electronic device when you visit a website.

Targeted Advertising. We use the Services of Feathr.co on our Website. Feathr is an online marketing platform which allows us to serve you with targeted advertisements which may be of interest to you. If you would prefer not to receive targeted advertising, you can opt-out of receiving those targeted advertisements by using the options in your browser. You can also learn more about targeted advertising and user choice and privacy, at http://www.aboutads.info and at http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/.

Please note that by turning cookies off, you will not have access to certain features available on our Website.

Data Security

We have implemented measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure.

Only authorized personnel are provided access to personal information, and these employees are required to treat this information as confidential.

We also need your help in connection with the safety and security of your personal information. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

It is our policy to post any changes we make to our privacy policy on this page with a notice that the privacy policy has been updated on the Website home page. If we make material changes to how we treat our users’ personal information, we will notify you by email to the email address specified in your account and through a notice on the Website home page. The date the privacy policy was last revised is identified at the top of the page. You are responsible for ensuring we have an up-to-date active and deliverable email address for you, and for periodically visiting our Website and this privacy policy to check for any changes.

Contact Information

To ask questions or comment about this privacy policy and our privacy practices, contact us at:

National Speech & Debate Association
6600 Westown Parkway Suite 270
West Des Moines, IA 50266

Email: info@speechanddebate.org
Phone: (920) 748-6206