Cooperative Action Network Privacy Policy

While NRECA remains committed to bringing relevant legislative updates and regulatory agendas that impact you to your attention, we recognize the importance of protecting the privacy of your personally identifiable information made available to us when accessing this webpage. This privacy policy contains important information on how we use, maintain and disclose information collected on this webpage.

Your use of the Cooperative Action Network indicates your acceptance to be bound by the provisions of this privacy policy in effect as of the date of your use.

1. Information Collected and Stored Automatically – NRECA automatically collects and stores anonymous information about site visitors to enable us to make this webpage more useful and improve the overall quality of the visitor’s online experience. Anonymous information refers to data that cannot be tied back to a specific individual. NRECA may collect the following anonymous information from you every time you access the NRECA website:
   1. Internet domain from which you access our website (e.g. aol.com, yourschool.edu, yourcompany.com).
   2. IP address. An IP address is automatically assigned to your computer or mobile device when you surf the web. In some cases, these addresses may be individually or regionally identifiable. However, even when an IP address is identifiable, it usually takes additional effort to link a particular IP address to a specific individual. For many users, an IP address cannot be linked to a specific individual.
   3. Type of browser and operating system used to access our website.
   4. Date and time of access.
   5. Pages visited.
   6. Address of the website (if any) from which you linked to NRECA.

   Web logs may also be automatically created and used to identify visitors who seek to damage the website, use the website in unauthorized ways, or interfere with operations. Information about users who try to engage in any unapproved activities may be shared with law enforcement agencies. NRECA does not collect any personal information about a routine visitor unless the visitor provides information to NRECA.

2. Personal Information Collection and Use – Because the Cooperative Action Network is designed to help you take action on important issues you and your community are facing, you may be asked to provide personal information when you send NRECA an e-mail, elect to receive alerts, enroll in an advocacy campaign, or use our webpage to contact an elected official.When you use our webpage to contact an elected official, you understand and agree that based upon your instruction, we will send communications directly to your elected representatives on your behalf, using the contact information that you provide us. Subject to Section 6.a and 6.c of this privacy policy, the information we collect and retain will not be disclosed to anyone not working with NRECA on these important policy issues, except to send it, along with your message, to targeted government officials for action.Personally identifiable information refers to data that tells us specifically who you are (e.g. your name, address, phone number, social security number, credit card number, e-mail, etc.). In the situations described above, your personally identifiable information will be retained by NRECA and may be included in our contact databases. NRECA may use your personally identifiable information provided through this webpage to authenticate your information as well as help maintain accurate and up-to-date information of you in our membership databases or to use your information to contact you regarding an important policy issue. NRECA may choose to share your information with local electric power supply or distribution service providers (“Local Systems”) or a statewide association of rural electric systems to which your Local System belongs in order to keep you informed of local, state and federal political issues that could have an impact on you or your community.

   In no event will NRECA sell, rent or lease your personally identifiable information to any third parties.

3. Linking to other sites – From time to time, this page may provide links to other websites, not owned or controlled by NRECA, that we think might be useful or of interest to you. We cannot, however, be responsible for the privacy practices used by other website owners or the content or accuracy of those other websites. Links to various non-NRECA websites do not constitute or imply endorsement of NRECA of these websites, any products or services described on these sites, or of any other material contained in them. You should read and review the relevant privacy policies available on all third party sites.
4. Security and Data Quality
   1. NRECA maintains its website and its information with technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect against loss, unauthorized access, destruction, misuse, modification, and improper disclosure. NRECA is committed to maintaining accurate, timely, relevant, and appropriate information about our users. No computer or mobile operating system can ever be fully protected against every possible hazard. NRECA provides reasonable and appropriate security to protect against foreseeable hazards.
   2. NRECA requires that employees who have access to personally identifiable information from this webpage acknowledge in writing that they have read this privacy policy and that they are expected to follow it. Any employee who fails to comply with these rules may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
   3. Please note that certain information collected through this webpage is encrypted through Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption when collected. If you browser supports SSL encryption to protect communications, then you can share personal information with a high degree of confidence that the information cannot be intercepted or read.
   4. “Phishing” is a scam designed to steal your personal information. If you receive an e-mail that looks like it is from us asking you for your personal information, do not respond. NRECA will never request your passwords, user names, credit card information or other personally identifiable information through e-mail.
5. Cookie Policy – A “cookie” is an element of data that a website can send to your browser and store your preferences when you link to that website. It is not a computer program and has no ability to read data residing on your device or instruct your device to perform any step or function. By assigning a unique data element to each visitor, the website is able to recognize repeat users, track usage patterns and better serve you when you return to our site. The cookie does not extract personally identifiable information about you.In order to better understand how NRECA uses cookies, the following descriptions below account for the different types of cookies which may be utilized on our website.First party cookies are cookies set by the website you are visiting (e.g. cookies set by nreca.coop).

   Session cookies are cookies that allow website operators to link the actions of a user during a browser session. Session cookies are temporary and are deleted once you close the browser.

   Persistent cookies are cookies which remain on your device for the period of time specified in the cookie. Persistent cookies are activated each time that you visit the website that created that particular cookie.

   To help serve you better, NRECA uses persistent, first-party cookies to receive and store certain types of information whenever you interact with our website through your computer or mobile device. This information helps us identify return visitors to enhance your user experience, to tailor the website to your preferences and track usage to understand what content is most useful to website visitors.

   In certain situations you may elect to have a persistent cookie placed on your computer to remember your personal information for future visits. The “Remember Me” feature stores your personal information in a cookie on your computer so that you do not have to enter your personal information each time you use the site to contact your elected officials.

   In addition, NRECA and third parties providing support services may use session cookies to allow information provided during your session to be saved until you decide to leave the webpage and close your browser.

   You may update your “cookie” settings on your device at any time. The help function of your browser should contain instructions to allow you to set your device to accept all cookies, to notify you when a cookie is issued, or to not receive cookies at all.

   If you use Internet Explorer, click here to obtain information on how to set your cookie preferences.

   If you use Google Chrome, click here to obtain information on how to set your cookie preferences.

   If you use Firefox, click here to obtain information on how to set your cookie preferences.

   If you use Safari, click here to obtain information on how to set your cookie preferences.

   Note that if you set your preferences so your device does not receive cookies, certain features of the NRECA website cannot be provided to you, and you may not be able to take full advantage of all the NRECA website content.

6. Other Uses and Disclosures
   1. General – We may share information we collect on our website with companies that provide support services to us (such as auditors, web hosting providers, or call center service providers). These companies may need this information in order to perform their functions. NRECA generally directs recipients to agree to safeguard personal information, to use it only as authorized by NRECA, and to return it or destroy it when no longer required.
   2. Subscriptions or Email Lists – You may voluntarily sign up to receive various NRECA newsletters, legislative updates or alerts, and other such communications. By electing to receive any NRECA communication, you understand that your information will be retained by NRECA and added to our contact database. Based upon your election, NRECA may contact you directly concerning other publications or events that may be useful to you based upon your subscription. As recipient of any NRECA content email, you may unsubscribe from future messages via a link at the bottom of each email message or by calling 1-866-751-1238 to be removed from our contact list. NRECA reserves the right to remove you from our communication lists, without notice, at any time for any reason whatsoever.
   3. Legal Process – NRECA could be required to disclose personal information in response to valid legal process, such as a search warrant, subpoena, or court order. Any record keeper faces this possibility. Disclosures may also be appropriate to protect NRECA’s legal rights or during emergencies if physical safety is believed to be at risk. NRECA believes that these events are unlikely, but they are possible. NRECA will take reasonable steps to limit the scope and consequences of any of these disclosures.
7. Changes to this policy – NRECA may change this statement from time to time; when updates are made, the privacy policy version date (located at the bottom of this policy) will also be updated to reflect that a revision occurred. We encourage you to periodically reread this policy to see if there have been any changes that may affect you. This statement is not intended to and does not create any contractual or other legal rights in or on behalf of any party.
8. Children and Privacy – NRECA is committed to protecting the privacy needs of children and encourages parents and guardians to take an active role in their children’s online activities. This page does not target and is not intended to attract children under the age of 13. NRECA does not knowingly solicit personal information from children under the age of 13 nor send them requests for personal information.
9. Questions, Access, and Disputes – If you have any questions or concern about this privacy policy, you may send an email to: Patrick Ahearn at patrick.ahearn@nreca.coop or send regular mail to: Patrick Ahearn, Director of Political Affairs, Government Relations Department, 4301 Wilson Blvd. Mailcode GR 11-252, Arlington, VA 22203-1860.If we are unable to resolve your problem, you may initiate a complaint with NRECA’s counsel or his designee by sending email to james.burton@nreca.coop or sending regular mail to: James W. Burton, Esq., NRECA Corporate Counsel Office, 4301 Wilson Blvd, #933, Arlington, VA 22203-1860.