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Privacy Policy

The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) respects your personal privacy and is committed to adhering to federal and state privacy laws and industry guidelines in order to protect you and your identity. This privacy policy describes how we handle the personal information that you provide to us on this site. This policy applies only to the metroplanning.org site; not to any third party sites that may be accessible from here.

After reading this privacy policy, which is incorporated into and is a part of this site’s terms and conditions, you will know:

  1. What information MPC collects from you
  2. How MPC uses your information
  3. What choices you have about how MPC treats your information
  4. How MPC protects your privacy
  5. What MPC does about children visiting this site
  6. How you can contact MPC

Please be sure to read this policy before using this site or submitting information to us. Our privacy policies may change from time to time and your continued use of this web site is acceptance of such changes, so please check this area periodically for updates to this policy.

1. INFORMATION MPC COLLECTS FROM YOU

Active Information Collection

Like many other web sites, we actively collect information from our visitors when they interact with the site, register for an event or subscribe to our email newsletter. Also, if you communicate with MPC via email, some of the information that you submit may be personally identifiable (that is, information that can be uniquely identified with you, such as your name, address, email address, phone number, etc.).

When you use our site to register for an event or subscribe to MPC email, we specifically ask for your full name, home and work telephone numbers and addresses, your organization name and job title, email address and areas of interest. Your name and email address are the only required information. You must supply your email address to receive MPC email updates, and a home or work address to receive MPC mailings. Registered users who provide this information can benefit from MPC email updates and invitations to events. Communication of your interest areas, which is optional, allows us to target emails to your specific interests. Remember, if you send us an email, you provide us with your email address. If you register for an event, become a member or make a donation on the MPC web site, we will collect your credit card number and the other information necessary to fill your request.

Some event registration is handled through Eventbrite, which is subject to the Eventbrite Privacy Policy.

Comments submitted to news items are handled by Disqus and are subject to the Disqus Privacy Policy.

Passive Information Collection 

As you navigate through a web site, certain information can be passively collected (that is, gathered without you actively providing the information) using various technologies and means, such as navigational data collection. Like most web site operators, we track IP addresses and use both session and persistent cookies. Our system also automatically gathers information about the areas you visit on this site and collects operational information about the technology you use, such as your browser, type of computer, operating systems and Internet service providers.

We collect such passive information to understand what areas of this site are most popular, which areas may require improvement and what technologies are being used by our visitors. This information helps us to update and improve this site. This information can also be used for security purposes, to detect and to block security breaches and to provide you with a safe online environment.

2. HOW MPC USES YOUR INFORMATION

MPC’s mission of serving the public interest through outreach, advocacy and partnerships begins with your support. When you register in an area of interest on our web site, or use the site to register for an event, become a member or make a donation, we add you to our mailing lists, which we use to contact you about events or developments in which we believe you may be interested.

MPC does not rent, sell or otherwise share your information with third parties. MPC will not disclose your personal information to other parties without your express consent.

MPC also uses your personal information to enhance the operation of this site and allow you to use all of its features. MPC will disclose any information that it is required to disclose by law, as requested by an appropriate regulatory authority or as needed in an investigation of improper or illegal conduct in connection with our web site (e.g., fraud, misrepresentation, intellectual property infringement, hacking or any other activity that may put MPC at risk). MPC reserves the right to transfer any information provided in the event of a merger.

MPC may provide aggregate statistics about our web visitors, event registrations, online traffic patterns and related information to reputable third parties, but these statistics will not include any personally identifying information.

Our web site contains links that direct visitors to web sites maintained by or on behalf of our sponsors and other third parties. Such third-party sites may solicit, or contain technology to collect, information about our users. This information is collected and used by our sponsors, and is outside of our control. If you have any questions about a web site to which you link from MPC’s site, you should contact the responsible sponsor directly.

3. CHOICES YOU HAVE ABOUT HOW MPC USES YOUR INFORMATION

We strive to provide you with as many choices and as much control as possible regarding the personal information you provide to us. We have created mechanisms to provide you with the following control over your information:

In the event you no longer wish to receive emails from MPC, you may unsubscribe.

To be removed from our mailing list for written communications, please send an email to info@metroplanning.org with your request. Be sure to include your full name as it appears on your mailing label. You may also call 312 922 5616. Please understand that we will need a reasonable time to process a request for removal, and that you may continue to receive mail from us until we have processed your removal request.

If you wish to ascertain what personal information is saved in the MPC database, send an email to info@metroplanning.org or call 312 922 5616. After verifying your identity, we will provide it. We will correct or delete information pursuant to your request.

If you do not wish us to collect cookies, you may set your browser to refuse cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you do so, please note that some parts of this site may then be inaccessible or not function properly.

You should review this privacy policy carefully, because if you do not agree with our practices, your ultimate choice is not to use this site. Remember, by using any part of this site, you accept and agree to our privacy practices. If we update this privacy policy, your continued use of this site (following the posting of the revised policy) means that you accept and agree to the terms of the revised privacy policy.

4. HOW MPC PROTECTS YOUR INFORMATION

We work hard to protect your personal information. We use both technical and procedural methods to maintain the integrity and security of our databases, including SSL encryption for data transfer, firewalls, restricted access to certain data and employee training. The web site is coded with security in mind so that there is no “open” vulnerability that would allow unauthorized individuals to access or otherwise view user data. The safety and security of your information also depends on you. Please do not submit comments if you do not wish for them to be published on this web site. When you provide information via email on this web site you do so at your own risk.

This site contains links to other web sites operated by third parties that may be of interest to you, including web sites of our sponsors. We cannot control these third party sites, which may collect personal information from you. When you follow a link and leave this site, you do so at your own risk.

5. WHAT MPC DOES ABOUT CHILDREN VISITING THIS SITE

This site is not intended for children under the age of 13. We will not knowingly collect information from site visitors in this age group. We encourage parents to talk to their children about their use of the Internet and the information they disclose online.

6. HOW YOU CAN CONTACT MPC

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or the information practices of this site, please contact us at:

Metropolitan Planning Council
140 S. Dearborn St.
Suite 1400
Chicago, Ill. 60603
312 922 5616
info@metroplanning.org