Effective Date: 12 June 2024

The Company (as defined below) is committed to handling the personal information of those who use the platform available at (https://fipcop.us.hivebrite.com/) (the “Platform”) appropriately and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

The purpose of this Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) is to explain the practices of the Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) Community of Practice (CoP) as coordinated by Scaling Blue, LLC (collectively, the “Company) and its affiliates with respect to the collection, use, and treatment of your personal information that we receive through the Platform (sometimes referred to as the “Data”).  THIS POLICY APPLIES ONLY TO THE COMPANY’S PRACTICES RELATED TO DATA ASSOCIATED WITH THE PLATFORM; it does not apply to any other privacy practices of the Company.  For reference on the Company’s other privacy practices, please visit https://www.fipcop.org/privacy-policy.

The Company provides the Platform using a solution called “Hivebrite,” which enables the import and export of user lists and data, the management of content and events, the organization of emailing campaigns and opportunity research and sharing as well as the management of funds and contributions of any kind.  The Platform is for the benefit of users who have subscribed to the platform and as such have a user account (the “Users”).  The Platform is intended to foster communication and community among the Users and to provide a resource and forum for Users to exchange information of interest to them.

By using the Platform, you consent to the Company’s collection and use of information about you in accordance with this Policy.  This Policy is part of the Terms of Use that govern your use of the Platform.  Please read these terms carefully and in their entirety.  If you do not accept this Policy, please do not use the Platform.

Any individual using the Platform must be at least eighteen (18) years of age.

The Company does not sell, and has not sold in the preceding twelve (12) months, personal information or Data of any kind to third parties.

Personal Information Collected. 

The Company may collect or generate personal information about you, or a third party acting on your behalf at your instruction, through the Platform.

The following is a list of categories of personal information, along with some descriptions and examples, that the Company may collect or generate through the Platform.  This information may be provided by you, generated automatically (via cookies or similar tools), or be obtained from third parties.  Some Data or Data elements that the Company collects may fall into multiple categories.

Data Collected When Subscribing to the Platform.  When subscribing to the Platform, the User is informed that the following personal data is collected for the purpose of creating a user account.

Mandatory data.  The user is informed that it is not possible to access the Platform without providing the following mandatory data strictly necessary to create an account and to authenticate the User.

  • First Name

  • Last Name

  • Primary Email

  • Position

  • Organization Name

  • Country/Location

  • FIP Engagement

  • Sector

  • Time Zone

Optional data for user profile.

  • Summary

  • FIP Engagement Information (Current FIPs engaged in, Past FIPs engaged in, FIP Locations)

  • Information regarding professional experience (Organization Name, Position)

  • Contact Information (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Website, Emails [primary, secondary, preferred contact]) 

Data Generated During Use of Platform.  The User may validly publish, at their own initiative, content on the Platform, such as:

  • Live Feed – creating posts, check-ins, trips, events, and making comments on Live Feed

  • Discussion Forum – creating discussion posts and commenting on discussions

  • Events – commenting on events

  • Resources – commenting on resources

  • News – commenting on news

The User is aware that when using the Platform, the User may decide to provide sensitive data (for example, Data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or sexual orientation).  By providing such sensitive data, the User agrees to their processing by the Platform on the conditions set forth in this Policy.

Use of Personal Information.

The Company collects and uses your personal information for the following business purposes, which are necessary for operations, fulfilling the Company’s various obligations, or protecting the Company and the Users’ legitimate interests, such as monitoring and improving the Platform.

Creation and Management of User accounts.

Authenticating User identities, mitigating fraud, and enhancing the security of the Platform.

Providing the User with all functionalities of the Platform, meaning: sending invitations for events, if the User has accepted to receive such invitations; sending offers; and inviting the User to events organized through the Platform.

Contacting and communicating with you, including sending communications that you have requested, such as emails and newsletters, as well as other marketing activities, such as developing models, identifying marketing recipients, and delivering marketing communications.

Presenting services or products that may be of interest, whether of the Company or of a third party.

Responding to any communications about the Company or the Platform.

Administering, operating, and managing the User’s relationship with the Company.  This may include disclosing Data internally as well as to third parties.  Examples include providing customer support, enabling communication with the User, or responding to complaints.

Meeting any regulatory and compliance obligations, and complying with contractual obligations, relevant industry standards, and our other policies.

Performing analytics concerning use of the Platform, including responses to our emails and the pages and information that is viewed.

Enabling Platform administration and management.

Operation, evaluation, and improvement of the Platform, including managing risk, fulfilling legal and regulatory requirements, developing new services, improving existing services, performing accounting, auditing, and other internal functions.

Investigate or address claims or disputes relating to use the Platform, to satisfy requirements under applicable laws, regulations, or operating licenses or agreements, or pursuant to legal process or governmental request, including from law enforcement.

The Company may also use Data for any other purpose that it discloses at the time a User provides, or when the Company collects, Data, and other purposes permitted by applicable law.

The Company may also use Data on an aggregate or anonymous basis for various business purposes, where permissible under applicable laws and regulations.

Disclosure of Personal Information.

The Company may disclose personal information as set forth below. 

Company affiliates.  The Company may disclose personal information with members of the Company or its affiliates.

Vendors.  The Company may disclose personal information with non-affiliated companies that perform support services for the Company, such as data analytics, risk management, security services, advertising and marketing, customer support, mail services, email delivery, information technology, or other service providers and business partners.

Legal Process.  The Company may disclose Data to third parties as permitted or required by applicable laws and regulations.  This may include responding to subpoena or similar legal process, protecting against fraud, and cooperating with law enforcement or regulatory authorities.  The Company may also disclose Data to enforce our contractual rights.

Emergencies.  The Company may disclose information if it believes it is necessary or appropriate to protect the Company’s rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety or its employees, customers, or others.

Corporate Transactions: In the event of a corporate transaction, such as a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution or other sale or transfer of any or all of our assets or liabilities, some of the personal information that the Company holds may be among the assets or liabilities transferred to a successor in interest.  The Company may also transfer to another entity or its affiliates or service providers some or all Data in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, acquisition, sale of assets or liability or any line of business, change in control, or financing transaction.

Consent or Direction.  The Company may share a User’s Data if the User consents or directs the Company to do so.

The Company may also use and disclose Data that it collects on an aggregate, de-identified or anonymous basis for various business purposes, where permissible under applicable laws and regulations.

The Company may also disclose Data to others where required or permissible under applicable laws and regulations.

Protection and Retention of Personal Information.

The Company works to limit access to personal information to authorized employees, agents, contractors, or vendors.  The Company maintains physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards designed to protect the information against loss, misuse, damage or modification and unauthorized access or disclosure while in our possession.  The Company aims to uncover vulnerabilities in the Platform and will investigate, correct, and disclose any issues as appropriate.  The Company may use cloud-based storage services for Data.

The Platform is provided using Hivebrite.  You may contact Hivebrite at 44 rue la fayette, 75009, Paris, France.  Please also review Hivebrite’s privacy policy at https://hivebrite.com/privacy-policy.

The Company retains personal information for varying time periods depending on its relationship with the User and the status of that relationship.  When determining how long to keep personal information, the Company considers our legal and regulatory obligations and our legitimate business interests (such as managing the Platform, preventing fraud, responding to regulatory or supervisory inquiries, and establishing, exercising, or defending legal claims, disputes, or complaints).

User Choice in Personal Information Collection.

Most mobile device platforms have defined certain types of device data that apps cannot access without the device owner’s permission, and these platforms have different methods for how that mission can be obtained.  Please check the available settings on your device or check with your provider.

Users may request deletion of their Data, or that the Company stop using all or some of their Data.  The Company may continue to store and process after such request only to the extent required or permitted by laws and regulations.  Users may also request correction of inaccurate Data.  Following the termination of a User’s profile on the Platform, such User’s data will be deleted after a reasonable period of time and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Please note that even if you terminate your profile, the Company may continue to send transactional or administrative emails, such as legally required, regulatory, or service notifications.

The User is duly informed that it disposes at any time, depending on the legal basis of the processing, a right to access, to rectification, to erasure, to restriction of processing, to data portability, and to object.

When processing is based on User’s consent, the right to withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of the processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

The User can exercise its rights by sending an email to the following address: [email protected]; or by mail at the following address: PO Box 964, Kittery ME 03904, provided that the User justifies his/her identity.

In addition, in the event the User considers that its rights have not been respected, the User of which the personal data is collected can lodge a complaint before the competent supervisory authority. For any additional information, you can review your rights on the websites of such authorities.

Cookies.  “Cookies” are small text files that are stored on browsers or devices by websites, apps, online media, and advertisements.  The Company, including through Hivebrite, may use cookies and similar technologies for purposes such as authenticating users, remembering user preferences and settings, determining the popularity of content, delivering, and measuring the effectiveness of certain campaigns, analyzing site traffic and trends, and generally understanding the online behaviors and interests of people who interact with the Platform.  Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default.  If you prefer, you can usually choose to set your browser to remove or reject browser cookies.  Some third parties also provide the ability to refuse their cookies directly by clicking on an opt-out link.

Other Important Information.

The Platform may connect Users or provide links to third-party websites, sharing facilities, or other applications and services.  Information collected by such third-party providers is governed by their privacy policies.  The Company is not responsible for, and this Policy does not apply to, the privacy practices of any linked website or any companies or content that the Company does not own or control.

The Company does not discriminate in any way, by reason of race, creed, color, age, disability, ethnicity, nation of original, gender, sex, sexual orientation, union membership, or any characteristic protected by law, in implementing this Policy, nor does it discriminate against Users for exercising their rights under this Policy.  The Company does not knowingly share Data with minors.

This Policy and any associated materials, notices, or statements are prepared in the English language only, and English shall be its official and controlling language in all respects. For further information about how this policy applies, may apply, or does not apply in relation to a particular country, region, or jurisdiction, please contact us here.

The Company may update this Policy from time to time.  If changes are made, the “Effective Date” at the top of this Policy will be updated.  Any changes will become effective when posted unless indicated otherwise.  Your continued use of the Platform following these changes constitutes consent to the updated notice to the extent permitted by law.