Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Privacy Policy
Effective: 02/01/2024
At the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), we respect your privacy concerns. This Privacy Policy (Policy) outlines the types of personal information we may collect when you visit and use the Tribal Member Portal (Portal) for registering for services provided by EBCI programs. It details how we may use this information, with whom we may share it, and the choices available regarding our use of the information. Additionally, the Policy describes the measures we take to safeguard your personal information and how you can contact us about our privacy practices. By accessing this site, you agree to accept, without limitation or qualification, the Policy.
Scope of the Policy
This policy applies to:
• Portal users
• Tribal Employees
• Third-party business partners
• Other individuals who interact with us or whose personal information we maintain
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to modify this policy at any time. When updates are made, the effective date at the top of this privacy notice will be revised accordingly. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about any changes. Updates become effective upon being posted on this page.
What Personal Data Do We Collect
At EBCI, we limit the types and categories of personal data collected to only what is necessary to achieve the purposes for which it was collected. We do not use personal data for purposes incompatible with its initial collection. Our policies ensure that we only collect and process data necessary to provide a world-class service.
Data We Collect Directly from You
When you interact with the Portal or use our services, you may provide us with the following categories of personal data:
• Personal Identification Information: Your email is needed to validate, create, and use our services. You must also provide identifiers such as your first and last name, last 4 digits of your Social Security Number, and your enrollment number to help maintain and support your account.
• Password: Users must create a password to access the Portal and subsites provided by different EBCI programs.
• Comments: EBCI's policy is to remove any comments containing spam or that are improper, inflammatory, off-topic, or offensive. Repeat offenders may be banned.
How We Collect Your Data
• Direct Interactions: You provide personal information when you interact with us, such as registering for services, filling in forms, and communicating with us.
• User Contributions: We collect personal information when you or others upload, share, send, or input information through our services or networks, or when you or they communicate with us.
• Automatically: We automatically collect personal information about you when you interact with us, such as using our services, opening emails or viewing advertisements from us, or communicating with us. Some of this information is collected using cookies and similar technologies.
• Third Party or Publicly Available Sources: We may receive personal information from third parties, such as business partners, your organizations, governmental agencies, and other publicly available sources.
Why We Collect Your Data
We collect your data for several reasons:
• To provide and manage our services, including processing, evaluating, communicating, and fulfilling requests and inquiries.
• To create, manage, administer, and communicate with you about your account, including identifying and authenticating you for portal access or service features.
• To provide customer and technical support.
• To improve customer service information which helps us to respond to your customer service requests and support needs more efficiently.
• To administer our services and meet obligations under applicable Terms of Use and service options.
Information Sharing
We do not sell or share personal information except as described in this policy.
Service Providers
We may employ third-party companies and individuals to facilitate our service, perform service-related tasks, or assist in analyzing service usage. These third parties have access to your personal data only to perform these tasks and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose. We may disclose personal information if required by law, to comply with legal requests, to prevent harm or financial loss, to establish or defend legal rights, in connection with fraud or illegal activity investigations, or with your consent.
Safeguarding and Securing the Data
EBCI is committed to securing your data and keeping it confidential. We implement the latest technologies and software to prevent data theft, unauthorized access, and disclosure. While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
How Long Do We Process Your Personal Data
We retain and use your personal data as necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce legal agreements and policies.
Our Cookie Policy
When you interact with our digital services or open our emails, we may obtain information through automated means, such as cookies, web beacons, device identifiers, server logs, and other technologies. Cookies allow us to uniquely identify users and store information or settings. You can manage cookies through your web browser settings. Disabling cookies may limit your ability to use all features of our digital services.
Restricting the Collection of your Personal Data
If you wish to restrict the use and collection of your personal data, contact us, and we will accommodate your request.
Children's Privacy
Our service does not address anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under 18. We do not verify the age of our users nor do we have the liability to do so. If you are a parent or guardian aware that your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us. Before we remove any information, we may ask for proof of identification to prevent malicious removal of information.