Dawn Harris Sherling  – Privacy Policy

Effective Date: August 3, 2022

Dawn Harris Sherling (“Author”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), welcomes you the website,  https://www.dawnharrissherling.com (including, without limitation, all subdomains, collectively, the “Website”).  Your privacy is very important to us, and in order to best protect your information, we have adopted this privacy policy (this “Privacy Policy”), which describes the types of information we collect from end users (each, a “User”, “you” or “your”) of the Website, how such information is used, processed and in certain cases disclosed by us, and your rights and choices regarding the information you provide to us.  Please read this Privacy Policy carefully prior to accessing or using the Website.  If you do not agree to abide by this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Website.   

By accessing and using the Website, you are deemed to have read, accepted, executed and be bound by this Privacy Policy, including, without limitation, the information collection, use, and disclosure practices described herein.

  1. Information We Collect and Receive

In order for us to provide you with the products, services, features, and functionalities offered via the Website, engage in troubleshooting activities, and improve upon the Website’s performance, safety and security, we may collect and process information (i) from you directly when you provide it to us through the Website and when you engage in certain actions via the Website, or (ii) about you automatically from you or your smartphone or other device when you use, access, or interact with the App, as well as from third parties, including, but not limited to the following information:

Information You Provide

We may collect and process information you provide when you use our Website or otherwise engage or communicate with us, as described in more detail below.

  • Identity Data.  This includes information that could be directly associated with you, or used to contact or identify you, without the aid of additional information, including, without limitation, your name or e-mail address when signing up to receive Email Notifications (as defined herein) , or any other information that you provide to us that is defined as personal or personally identifiable information under an applicable law or any other identifier by which you may be contacted online or offline (collectively, “Personal Information”);
  • Additional Data You Provide.  This includes information you provide when you contact us for customer support reasons, and as applicable may also include information you provide in connection with focus groups, survey responses, contests/sweepstakes, or other means. We may also collect Personal Information at other points on our Website where you voluntarily provide it or where we state that Personal Information is being collected.

Information Collected Automatically

As is true of many digital platforms, we also may collect and process certain information about you automatically when you use the Website, as described in more detail below.

  • Usage Information.  This includes information regarding your activity on the Website, including browser types and mobile device identifiers, pages or features you use, interact with, or click on, time and date of access and other similar usage history, usage preferences such as language, resolution settings, etc., and other similar usage information.

Lawful Basis for Collecting Information

Certain jurisdictions where Users of the Website are citizens or residents have laws and regulations that require a “lawful basis” for collecting and retaining Personal Information (e.g., the European Union General Data Protection Act 2016/679 [“GDPR”] and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 [“CCPA”]). 

In accordance with these laws and regulations, the “lawful basis” for the information collection and processing described in this Privacy Policy is: (i) your consent, (ii) in order to comply with our legal obligations under applicable law (such as retention of certain records for tax purposes), and (iii) to pursue our legitimate interests in connection with the provision of the Website and the fulfillment of our obligations thereof, including, without limitation, keeping the Website safe and secure, improving the user experience, and introducing new services, features, and functionalities.

  1. How We Use Your Information

We may use the information that we collect and process for a variety of purposes related to the App, including, without limitation, to:

  • Provide customer support;
  • Respond to your requests and inquiries;
  • Identify you and potentially improve and/or customize the Website;
  • Send you Email Notifications via email;
  • Solicit feedback, reviews, and other information regarding your experience with the Website, including, without limitation, with respect to certain features and functionalities that you would like to see on the Website, or that we have recently rolled out onto the Website;
  • Prevent, detect, and respond to illegal or unauthorized activities;
  • Communicate with any suppliers we use to perform any of the above; and
  • Comply with the law.

We may also use certain collected information on an aggregated and/or anonymized basis in order to conduct market research, engage in project planning, for troubleshooting purposes, to help detect and protect against error, fraud, or other criminal activity.

Email Notifications and Opt-Out

We maintain a strict “no-spam” policy.  As applicable, by providing us with your email address, you expressly agree that we may use your information to contact you by email in order to deliver you information that is relevant to your use of the App such as administrative notices, product/service enhancements or “newsletters” (collectively, “Email Notifications”). You may choose to stop receiving Email Notifications from us by following the instructions included in such communications. If a third party vendor provides such Email Notifications, you may unsubscribe in accordance with the instructions provided by such third party.  If you are having problems unsubscribing, please contact us at privacy@dawnsherlingmd.com (forwarding the Email Notification, if applicable, and including in the subject line the words “Unsubscribe”), and you will be removed within seven (7) business days. Please note that we will not process any unsubscribe requests submitted as direct replies to any Email Notification.

 

  1. How We Share Your Information

We may share aggregated usage information and may otherwise disclose non-Personal Information that we collect to third parties.  However, absent your prior consent, we will share your Personal Information with third parties only in the ways that are described in this Privacy Policy, including as set forth below, and we do not otherwise sell your Personal Information to third parties.

  • We may use third parties to outsource one or more aspects of our business and/or Website operations, in which case, we may provide access to your Personal Information to such third parties in connection with the performance of such activities. Such third parties will only use your Personal Information to the extent necessary to perform their functions and will be contractually bound to process your Personal Information only on our behalf and in compliance with our requests.
  • In the event that we undergo re-organization, are sold to or merged with a third party, or sell all or substantially all of our assets, any Personal Information we hold about you may be transferred to that re-organized entity or third party in compliance with applicable law.
  • In the unlikely event of our bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, or assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the application of laws or equitable principles affecting creditors’ rights generally, we may not be able to control how your Personal Information is treated, transferred, or used.
  • In addition to the foregoing, we also reserve the right, and you hereby authorize us, to share or disclose (including, without limitation, to law enforcement agencies, public authorities, governmental departments, or other similar organizations) information we collect, including your Personal Information, and any other information, records or electronic communications of any kind, when we determine (in our sole discretion), that the disclosure of such information is necessary to identify, contact, or bring legal action against you if:
    • you are or may be violating this Privacy Policy, or if otherwise necessary to enforce our policies governing the Website;
    • you are interfering with our or any third party’s rights or property;
    • you are violating any applicable law, rule or regulation;
    • necessary or required by any applicable law, rule or regulation, including a subpoena or similar legal process or request/order; and/or
    • necessary or required for purposes of public importance, to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate security, technical issues or fraud, or respond to a government request.
  1. Links to Third Party Websites

The Website may include links to other websites, mobile applications or services (“Third Party Sites”), whose privacy practices may differ from those set forth herein.  Such links are not an endorsement by Author of those Third Party Sites and/or the products or services they offer.  If you visit Third Party Sites or submit Information to any of those Third Party Sites, your visit and information is governed by their privacy statements.  We encourage you to carefully read the contents of privacy statements of any Third Party Site you visit, as it may differ substantially from that of this privacy statement.  Author makes no representations or warranties with respect to, nor is Author responsible for, the privacy policies of any Third Party Sites. If you decide to click on any such links or access any Third Party Sites appearing on the Website, you do so at your own risk.

  1. Your Rights; Information Access and Control

In certain circumstances you have the right to access the Personal Information that we collect/store about you and to correct, update, or request deletion of such Personal Information. 

You have the following rights:

  • Users who are citizens or residents of the European Economic Area or United Kingdom have certain rights under the GDPR, including the right to: (i) request access to, and obtain a copy of, your Personal Information (free of charge); (ii) request rectification or erasure of your Personal Information; (iii) object to or restrict certain processing of your Personal Information; (iv) request portability of your Personal Information; and (vi) take legal action in relation to any breach of your rights regarding the processing of your Personal Information, and to lodge complaints before the competent data protection regulators. Additionally, if we have collected and processed your Personal Information with your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

 

  • If you are a California resident, you have certain rights under the CCPA. Residents of Colorado, Virginia, and other states also have (or may in the future have) certain rights under the applicable privacy laws of such state. These include the right to (i) request access to, details regarding, and a copy of the Personal Information we have collected about you and/or shared with third parties; (ii) request deletion of the Personal Information that we have collected about you; and (iii) the right to opt-out of sale of your Personal Information. As the terms are defined under the CCPA (and other applicable state privacy laws), we do not “Sell” your “Personal Information.”

 

  • If you wish to exercise your rights under the GDPR, CCPA, or other applicable data protection or privacy laws, please contact us at privacy@dawnsherlingmd.com, specify your request, and reference the applicable law. We may ask you to verify your identity, or ask for more information about your request before we can take action to address your request. We will consider and act upon any above request in accordance with applicable law. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.

 

  1. Storage of Information

We make no representation or warranty with respect to any duty to permanently store any information you may provide or that we otherwise collect about you.  We strive to keep our processing activities with respect to your Personal Information as limited as possible.  In the absence of specific retention periods set out in this Privacy Policy, we will retain the information we collect from or about you only as long as necessary to provide you with the Website or our services, which includes for the duration of, but could extend beyond, your active participation on the Website, or as otherwise set forth in this Privacy Policy, and to the extent set out in this Privacy Policy and as necessary to comply with our legal and/or statutory obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, and protect our legal rights.  Additionally, we may retain indefinitely any aggregated, anonymized, or pseudonymized information which we may collect and maintain, and may from time to time transfer or merge your information collected off-line to our online databases or store off-line information in an electronic format.  By using the Website and providing us with information (including Personal Information), you waive any claims that may arise under your own or any other local or national laws, rules or regulations or international treaties.  This Privacy Policy applies to your information for as long as your information is in our possession, even if you terminate or discontinue your use of the Website.

  1. Security

The security of your information is important to us, and we take steps to ensure that your information, both during transmission and once we receive it, is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.  However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and the complete and absolute security of any information collected, stored or used by us cannot be guaranteed.  Although we will do our best to protect your Personal Information and mitigate the nature of security risks, which are constantly evolving, we cannot guarantee the security of your information transmitted through the Website; any transmission is at your own risk.  In the unlikely event that an unauthorized third party compromises our security measures, we will not be responsible for any damages directly or indirectly caused by an unauthorized third party’s ability to view, use or disseminate such information.

  1. Updates; Notification of Privacy Policy Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to our information practices from time to time in our sole discretion.  If we make any material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by posting such changes on the Website prior to the change becoming effective.  We will also update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy, which reflects the effective date of such Privacy Policy, and we encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy for the latest information on our privacy practices.  Once a change becomes effective, your continued use of the Website shall automatically constitute your acceptance of such changes.

  1. Contacting Us

In the event that you wish to make a complaint or request concerning your Personal Information or our privacy practices, or have questions, concerns or comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact us by email at privacy@dawnsherlingmd.com and we will endeavor to deal with your request as soon as possible.  This is without prejudice to your right to launch a claim with your data protection authority.