Privacy Policy
The Bill of Rights Institute (“BRI,” “Institute,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to respecting the privacy of individuals who visit our websites, create accounts, communicate with us, participate in our programs, apply for employment, or otherwise interact with BRI.
This Privacy Policy explains the types of personal information we may collect, how we collect and use that information, when we may disclose it, how we protect and retain it, and the choices and privacy rights that may be available to individuals.
Scope of This Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to personal information collected through BRI websites and digital services and through other interactions with BRI, including communications, educational programs, events, applications, registrations, surveys, contests, donations, purchases, and employment inquiries.
This Privacy Policy does not apply to websites, applications, or services operated independently by third parties, even when those services are linked from a BRI website. Third-party services are governed by their own privacy policies and practices.
Certain BRI programs or activities may be governed by additional privacy notices, terms, releases, authorizations, school agreements, or other program-specific requirements. Where applicable, those additional terms supplement this Privacy Policy.
Personal Information We Collect
The information BRI collects depends on how an individual interacts with us. We may collect the following categories of information where reasonably necessary for the applicable activity.
Identification and Contact Information
Name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, mobile number, and similar contact information.
Account Information
Information used to create and maintain an account, including account identifiers and authentication-related information.
Educational and Professional Information
School, organization, professional role, grade level, subject areas, educational affiliation, or similar information.
Program and Participation Information
Applications, submissions, projects, surveys, communications, participation records, contest information, and related materials.
Transaction and Payment Information
Information reasonably necessary to process purchases, donations, awards, stipends, reimbursements, prizes, or other payments.
Website and Technical Information
IP address, browser type, operating system, device information, pages visited, referring pages, interaction information, and similar technical data.
Communications
Information contained in emails, forms, support requests, comments, inquiries, feedback, or other communications with BRI.
Employment Information
Resumes, employment history, professional qualifications, contact information, and other information submitted in connection with employment opportunities.
How We Collect Personal Information
BRI may collect personal information in several ways, including:
- Directly from individuals when they create an account, request educational materials, submit a form, register for a program, participate in an event, apply for a contest, contact us, make a donation or purchase, or otherwise provide information to BRI.
- Through schools, educators, parents, guardians, or organizations where information is provided in connection with an authorized educational program or activity.
- Automatically through our websites and digital services using cookies, analytics tools, server logs, and similar technologies.
- From service providers and other authorized sources that support BRI's programs, communications, transactions, technology, security, and organizational operations.
How We Use Personal Information
BRI may use personal information for purposes reasonably related to an individual's interaction with BRI. Depending on the nature of that interaction, these purposes may include:
Educational Resources & Services
Provide educational resources, websites, accounts, services, programs, and other materials requested by users.
Account Administration
Create, authenticate, secure, administer, and support user accounts and account access.
Transactions & Applications
Process registrations, applications, submissions, purchases, donations, awards, stipends, reimbursements, and other transactions.
Programs & Events
Administer educational programs, contests, events, surveys, promotions, and other BRI activities.
Communications
Communicate with users about accounts, programs, resources, transactions, events, updates, and requested information.
Support & Accessibility
Provide technical support, accessibility support, customer service, and assistance related to BRI resources and services.
Security & Fraud Prevention
Maintain the security, integrity, availability, and functionality of BRI systems and detect, investigate, and prevent misuse, fraud, security incidents, and other potentially harmful activity.
Analytics & Improvement
Conduct internal analytics, program evaluation, research, and improvement of BRI resources, programs, websites, and services.
Recordkeeping
Maintain appropriate organizational, accounting, tax, operational, program, and transaction records.
Legal & Contractual Compliance
Comply with applicable legal, regulatory, contractual, and organizational obligations.
BRI seeks to use personal information in ways that are reasonably related to the purpose for which the information was collected or to legitimate operational needs associated with BRI's services, programs, security, administration, and legal obligations.
How We Disclose Personal Information
Service Providers
BRI may provide personal information to service providers that perform services on BRI's behalf, including website hosting, authentication, communications, data storage, analytics, security, accessibility, payment processing, program administration, recruiting, and technical support.
BRI requires service providers to process personal information only for authorized purposes and subject to appropriate confidentiality, security, use, and retention restrictions.
Program Administration and Authorized Activities
BRI may provide limited personal information to individuals, organizations, program partners, judges, event providers, schools, or other parties where reasonably necessary to administer a program or activity or carry out a use authorized by the individual.
Legal, Safety, and Security Purposes
BRI may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request; protect the rights, safety, property, or security of BRI, individuals, or others; investigate suspected fraud or misuse; enforce applicable terms; or respond to a security incident.
Organizational Changes
If BRI undergoes a merger, restructuring, reorganization, transfer of operations, or similar organizational change, information may be transferred as reasonably necessary to support that transition, subject to applicable law, contractual obligations, and appropriate privacy protections.
BRI does not sell Student Data or provide Student Data to third parties for their independent advertising, marketing, solicitation, or profiling purposes. Additional protections applicable to student information are described in BRI's Student Privacy & Data Compliance page.
Comments and Public Submissions
Certain BRI services may allow individuals to submit comments, feedback, essays, responses, or other content that is intended to be displayed publicly.
Information voluntarily included in publicly visible comments or submissions may be viewed by other users. Individuals should avoid including sensitive personal information in content intended for public display.
Program-specific terms may apply to submissions made as part of contests, events, publications, or other BRI activities.
Communications and Marketing Choices
Email Newsletters and Updates
Individuals may choose to receive email newsletters, educational updates, program announcements, or other communications from BRI. Information provided for these communications may be used to deliver the requested messages and administer communication preferences.
Marketing or promotional emails generally include an unsubscribe option. Individuals may use the unsubscribe link contained in an email to stop receiving those types of communications.
Transactional, account, security, legal, or program-administration communications may still be sent where necessary even if an individual has opted out of promotional communications.
Text Messages
If an individual chooses to receive text messages from BRI, we may collect and use the mobile telephone number and related information necessary to provide those communications.
Mobile information will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for their independent marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will not be shared with third parties except as necessary to provide the messaging service or as otherwise required by law.
Employment Applicants
Individuals who apply for employment with BRI may provide personal information through an application form, email, recruiting platform, resume, cover letter, or other materials.
BRI may use employment-related information to evaluate qualifications, communicate with applicants, conduct recruiting and hiring activities, maintain appropriate employment records, and comply with applicable legal obligations.
BRI may provide applicant information to authorized service providers that assist with recruiting, application management, evaluation, or related employment functions.
Children and Student Information
BRI provides educational resources and programs that may be used by students and minors. BRI applies additional privacy protections where personal information is collected in connection with student accounts, educational programs, contests, events, or other student activities.
Depending on the activity and applicable requirements, BRI may require age verification, parent or guardian consent, acknowledgments, media authorizations, school authorization, or other permissions.
Parents or legal guardians may contact BRI regarding personal information associated with a minor child. BRI may need to verify the identity and authority of the individual making the request.
When BRI receives Student Data from a school, school district, or educational agency, additional contractual and legal requirements may apply.
Student Privacy & Data Compliance
Review BRI's dedicated Student Privacy & Data Compliance page for additional information about student and educator accounts, student programs, school relationships, Student Data, program authorizations, and student privacy requests.
Security
BRI maintains reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.
Safeguards may include access controls, authentication controls, encryption or other technical protections where appropriate, monitoring, security procedures, staff practices, and vendor-management measures.
BRI also requires appropriate privacy and security protections from service providers that process personal information on BRI's behalf.
No electronic transmission, storage system, or information system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Individuals should use appropriate care when transmitting sensitive information electronically.
Security Incident Response
If BRI becomes aware of a security incident involving personal information, BRI will investigate and respond in accordance with applicable legal, contractual, and operational requirements.
Where required, BRI will take appropriate measures to contain and remediate the incident and provide notifications to affected individuals, regulators, schools, partners, or other parties as required by applicable law or agreement.
Retention
BRI retains personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and for legitimate operational, legal, contractual, security, accounting, tax, recordkeeping, and program-administration purposes.
Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information, the nature of the applicable program or relationship, contractual requirements, legal obligations, and whether the information is necessary to document permissions, transactions, awards, payments, disputes, or security matters.
Where appropriate, information may be deleted, de-identified, anonymized, or otherwise disposed of when it is no longer reasonably necessary to retain it.
Additional retention or deletion requirements may apply under particular school agreements, program terms, student privacy agreements, or applicable law.
Privacy Rights and Requests
Individuals may contact BRI to request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information associated with them. Parents or legal guardians may make appropriate requests regarding information associated with a minor child.
BRI will respond to requests as required by applicable law and may need to verify the identity or authority of the person making the request before fulfilling it.
Certain information may be retained where reasonably necessary or permitted by law for purposes such as legal compliance, security, payment and tax administration, recordkeeping, program integrity, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, or documentation of consents and authorizations.
Depending on an individual's place of residence and applicable law, additional privacy rights may apply. BRI will evaluate requests in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
If you need to report a privacy concern or request, security concern, accessibility issue, AI concern, vendor issue, data governance request, intellectual property concern, or other compliance matter, please use BRI's dedicated reporting form.
Communication Preferences
Individuals may unsubscribe from promotional email communications by using the unsubscribe link included in those messages.
Requests concerning contact information or communication preferences may also be submitted to info@billofrightsinstitute.org .
Changes to This Privacy Policy
BRI may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, programs, services, legal requirements, or organizational operations.
When this Privacy Policy is updated, BRI will revise the updated date displayed at the top of this page. Where required by applicable law or appropriate based on the nature of a material change, BRI may provide additional notice.
Contact BRI About Privacy
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, BRI's privacy practices, information associated with you, or a privacy request, please contact:
Email: info@billofrightsinstitute.org
Phone: 703-894-1776
c/o Website Queries
1310 North Courthouse Road
Suite 620
Arlington, VA 22201