Effective May 13, 2025
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (“DBSA”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how DBSA collects, uses, and shares your Personal Data when you use and interact with our Services and applies to all persons who use our Services (“Users”). Our Privacy Policy governs your access to and use of all DBSA operated and controlled websites including www.dbsalliance.org (collectively the “Websites”), all other publicly available online services controlled or provided by DBSA (collectively, the “Services”).
If you have questions about DBSA’s Privacy Policy or practices, or if you need to contact us about the Personal Data we collect about you, our contact Personal Data is at the end of this Privacy Policy.
Applicability & Eligibility
Applicability
This Privacy Policy applies only to the Services, and DBSA’s collection, use, disclosure, and protection of your Personal Data (defined below). It does not apply to third party websites, applications, or services.
Before accessing, using, or interacting with the Services you should carefully review the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy.
Individuals under the age of 18
We do not knowingly collect, solicit or maintain Personal Data from anyone under the age of 18 without parental consent. If you are under 18, please do not send any Personal Data to us. In the event that we learn that we have collected Personal Data from a child under age 18 without verification of parental consent, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to delete that Personal Data from our database. Please contact us if you have any concerns.
Information Collection & Use
When using our Services, DBSA collects data that can reasonably identify you (“Personal Data”). We collect Personal Data through various means, including when you provide Personal Data to us such as when you join, sign up for a membership, donate, register for events and webinars, and when we automatically collect Personal Data about you when you access, use, or interact with the Services. We use this Personal Data for a variety of different reasons, including to improve the Services and to tailor the Services to you.
Information You Provide To Us:
The types of Personal Data DBSA may collect about you include:
DBSA Membership & Event Information: DBSA collects certain Personal Data from you when you join the DBSA or register for DBSA events, Personal Data such as your first name, last name, title, email address, phone number, mailing address, and health Personal Data. DBSA uses this Personal Data to provide your membership, include your Personal Data in the DBSA directory, register you for events, provide Personal Data about memberships and events, and administer your registrations with DBSA.
DBSA Account Information: DBSA may require you to register for an account (a “DBSA Account”) in order to use certain Services. We do not require you to register to use all our Services. However, if you do register for Services offering a DBSA Account, you will gain access to those areas and features of the Services that require registration. DBSA will collect certain Personal Data about you in connection with your registration for your DBSA Account, which may include Personal Data and other Personal Data such as a username, password, personal profile, pictures, your location, and Personal Data about your contacts. Some of your DBSA Account Personal Data may be displayed publicly. You are not required to provide your Personal Data; however, if you choose to withhold certain Personal Data, we may not be able to provide you with certain Services.
Payment Transaction Information: We may collect, and store Personal Data related to purchases and donations made through the Services. You may provide certain Personal Data to complete payments via the Services, including your credit or debit card number, card expiration date, CVV code, and billing address (collectively, “Payment Information”), along with your name and billing, delivery and shipping address, to complete payment transactions through certain Services.
Please note DBSA works with Service Providers (as defined below) to handle payment transactions. DBSA does not itself collect or maintain your credit card or other financial account Personal Data; this Personal Data is handled for DBSA by our Service Providers. You are subject to the Privacy Policies and Terms and Conditions of our Service Providers when purchasing an DBSA membership, shopping for DBSA products, or making donations, the terms of which may differ from those of DBSA for the DBSA Services. Please review the Service Providers’ Privacy Policies and Terms and Conditions before using their services.
Form Information: We may use online forms to request certain Personal Data from you in order to perform certain Services, such as your location to assist you in locating our products, or your contact Personal Data to assist with contacts or service requests. This Personal Data may include Personal Data.
Correspondence Information: If you sign up for a membership, attend a conference or event, email us, subscribe to our newsletters, mailing lists, publications, or blogs, we may keep your message, email address, and contact Personal Data to respond to your requests, provide the requested products or Services, and to provide notifications or other correspondences to you. If you do not want to receive email from us in the future, you may let us know by sending us an email or by writing to us at the address below. Please note requests to remove your email address from our lists may take some time to fulfill. We may also still contact you as needed to provide important announcements or notifications regarding the Services.
Support Information: You may provide Personal Data to us via a support request submitted through the Services. We will use this Personal Data to assist you with your support request and may maintain this Personal Data to assist you or other Users with support requests. Please do not submit any Personal Data to us via a support submission, including confidential or sensitive Personal Data that you do not wish for DBSA or our Service Providers to have access to or use in the future.
Information We Collect Automatically:
Cookies, Web Beacons, Links, And Other Tracking Technologies: DBSA may keep track of how you use and interact with the Services through the use of cookies, web beacons, links, and other tracking technologies. We do this to help analyze the use of and improve the Services. Through these technologies, we may automatically collect Personal Data about your use of the Services and other online activities, including our email correspondences, third-party services, and client applications, and certain online activities after you leave the Services. Link Personal Data is generally only analyzed on an aggregate basis. Some Services may not function properly if you disable cookies. Such data may include analytics Personal Data, sites visited before visiting the Services, browser type, operating system, and tracking of your interactions with our content and emails.
Meta Pixel: We incorporate “pixels” provided by Meta Platforms, Inc. on our Services. This enables us to track user behavior after a user clicks on a Facebook ad and is redirected to our website. By doing so, we can assess the effectiveness of Facebook ads for statistical and market research purposes and sometimes retarget certain users. Please note that the data collected through this process remains anonymous to us, meaning we do not have access to Personal Data of individual users. However, Facebook stores and processes this data. Therefore, we are providing you with this Personal Data based on our current understanding. It is important to be aware that Facebook may associate this Personal Data with your Facebook account and utilize it for its own promotional activities, in accordance with Facebook’s Data Usage Policy available here. You have the option to authorize Facebook and its partners to display advertisements on and off Facebook (see here). Additionally, a cookie may be stored on your computer for these purposes.
Unique Identifiers: When you use or access the Services, we may access, collect, monitor, store on your device, and/or remotely store one or more “Unique Identifiers,” such as a universally unique identifier (“UUID”). A Unique Identifier may remain on your device persistently, to help you log in faster and enhance your navigation through the Services. Some features of the Services may not function properly if use or availability of Unique Identifiers is impaired or disabled.
Log File Information: When you use our Services, we may receive log file Personal Data such as your IP address, browser type, access times, domain names, operating system, the referring web page(s), pages visited, location, your mobile carrier, device Personal Data (including device and application IDs), search terms, and cookie Personal Data. We receive log file data when you interact with our Services, for example, when you visit our websites, sign into our Services, or interact with our email notifications. DBSA uses log file data to provide, understand, and improve our Services, and to customize the content we show you. DBSA may link this log file to other Personal Data DBSA collects about you via the Services.
Public Information: DBSA may also collect Personal Data about you from publicly available sources. Information you make publicly available in any public or open forum, such as on a social network, may be considered public Personal Data for the purposes of this Privacy Policy, and may be accessed and collected by DBSA. Please be aware that any content or Personal Data you share with or provide to third parties using or related to your use of the Services is neither private nor confidential. DBSA is not responsible for any content or Personal Data you post or share with third parties. If you do not wish for certain Personal Data to be public, please do not share it.
Information Sharing
DBSA Personnel: DBSA’s personnel may have access to your Personal Data as needed to provide and operate the Services in the normal course of business. This includes Personal Data regarding your use and interaction with the Services.
Service Providers: DBSA works with various organizations and individuals to help provide the Services to you (“Service Providers“), such as website and data hosting companies and companies providing analytics Personal Data, like Google Analytics. We may share your Personal Data with our Service Providers for the purpose of providing the Services. The Personal Data we share to our Service Providers may include both Personal Data you provide to us and Personal Data we collect about you, including Personal Data and Personal Data from data collection tools like cookies, web beacons, log files, Unique Identifiers, and location data. DBSA takes reasonable steps to ensure that our Service Providers are obligated to reasonably protect your Personal Data on DBSA’s behalf. If DBSA becomes aware that a Service Provider is using or disclosing Personal Data improperly, we will take commercially reasonable steps to end or correct such improper use or disclosure.
Business Transactions: DBSA may purchase other businesses or their assets, sell our business assets, or be involved in a bankruptcy, merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of assets (a “Business Transaction”). Your Personal Data, including Personal Data, may be among assets sold or transferred as part of a Business Transaction.
Lawful Requests: We may be required to disclose User Personal Data pursuant to lawful requests, such as subpoenas or court orders, or in compliance with applicable laws. We generally do not disclose User Personal Data unless we have a good faith belief that an Personal Data request by law enforcement or private litigants meets applicable legal standards. We may share your Personal Data when we believe it is necessary to comply with applicable laws, to protect our interests or property, to prevent fraud or other illegal activity perpetrated through the Services or using the DBSA name, or to protect the safety of any person. This may include sharing Personal Data with other companies, lawyers, agents, or government agencies. Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to limit any legal defenses or objections that you may have to a third party’s, including a government’s, request to disclose your Personal Data.
Your Rights and Choices Regarding Your Information
Your Rights – United States
Certain states in the U.S. provide their state residents with rights related to their Personal Data. To the extent that these laws apply, you may exercise the following rights:
- The Right to Know and Access Information – Note that much of the information you are entitled to know, or access is disclosed in this Privacy Policy. With this said, you have the right to know about our information practices. You also have the right to access the categories of data we collect, with whom we share or sell that information if applicable, and, in some cases, what specific Personal Data we associate with you or your account.
- The Right to Data Portability – If you request a copy of your Personal Data then we will provide it in an easily accessible format.
- The Right to Deletion or Erasure – You may request that we delete the Personal Data we have collected about you. Depending on the applicable law, in some cases we are required or permitted to retain your information, even if you validly request, we delete or erase it.
- The Right to Correct Information – You may request we correct or rectify inaccurate Personal Data we have collected about you.
- The Right to Opt Out of Targeting Advertising, Sales, or Profiling – You may opt-out of our use of your Personal Data for targeted advertising, sales, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects. Please note that we do not use information collected about you for these purposes at this time.
We do not charge a fee to process or respond to your request unless it is excessive, repetitive, or manifestly unfounded. If we determine that the request warrants a fee, we will tell you why we made that decision and provide you with a cost estimate before completing your request.
If we deny your rights request, you have the right to request an appeal of our decision. To initiate an appeal, follow the instructions provided in the communication denying your request, or contact us at the information provided in this Privacy Policy.
You have the right to not experience discrimination from us for exercising the rights listed in this section. What we mean by discrimination is denying you access to our Services or limiting the quality of our Services. If applicable, you can exercise these rights by contacting us at the information provided below.
Your Rights – EU/UK
Relevant data protection laws in the European Union and the United Kingdom provide you certain rights regarding the protection of your data, including:
- The Right to Access – Upon request, DBSA will confirm any processing of your Personal Data, and provide you with a copy of that Personal Data in an acceptable machine-readable format;
- The Right to Rectification – You have the right to have DBSA correct any inaccurate Personal Data or to have DBSA complete any incomplete Personal Data;
- The Right to Erasure – You may ask DBSA to delete or remove your Personal Data and we will do so in some circumstances, such as where we no longer need it (we may not delete your data when other interests outweigh your right to deletion).;
- The Right to Restrict Processing – You have the right to ask DBSA to suppress the processing of your Personal Data but DBSA may still store your Personal Data;
- The Right to Object to Processing – You have the right to object to your Personal Data being used in the following manners: (a) processing based on legitimate interests or the performance of a task in the public interest/exercise of official authority (including profiling); (b) direct marketing (including profiling); and (c) processing for purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics;
- The Right to Data Portability – you have the right to obtain your Personal Data from us that you consented to give us or that is necessary to perform fulfillment of member benefits with you. We will give you your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format;
- The Right to Complain to a Supervisory Authority – You have the right to file a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the European Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement if you consider that the processing of Personal Data relating to you infringes upon your rights.; and
- The Right to Withdraw Consent – We rely on your consent to process your Personal Data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on your prior consent.
More Personal Data about your rights relating to DBSA and the Services is provided via this Privacy Policy. If applicable, you can exercise these rights by contacting us at the information provided below.
Access To the Information DBSA Has Collected About You
DBSA provides certain tools and settings within the Services to help you access, correct, delete, or modify your Personal Data associated with the Services. DBSA welcomes you to contact us regarding the Personal Data we have collected about you, including regarding the nature and accuracy of the data that has been collected about you, to request an update, modification, or deletion of your Personal Data, to opt-out of certain Services uses of your Personal Data, or to withdraw any consent you may have granted to DBSA.
Please note requests to delete or remove your Personal Data do not necessarily ensure complete or comprehensive removal of the content or Personal Data posted and removed Personal Data may persist in backup copies indefinitely. Please note that if you choose to delete your Personal Data or opt-out of the collection and use of your Personal Data, you understand that certain features, including but not limited to access to the Services, may no longer be available to you.
We may store the Personal Data we collect about you indefinitely, but Personal Data generally will be retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which the Personal Data was collected, or as otherwise required by law. Following termination or deactivation of an DBSA Account, DBSA may retain your Personal Data and content for a commercially reasonable time for backup, archival, and audit purposes.
Opting-Out Of Communications From DBSA
Users may opt-out of receiving certain communications from DBSA by following the unsubscribe process described in an email communication, or by contacting us using the contact Personal Data provided below. However, please note you may not opt-out of Services-related communications, such as account verification, changes or updates to features of the Services, or technical and security notices.
Do Not Track
DBSA does not currently employ a process for automatically responding to “Do Not Track” (DNT) signals sent by web browsers, mobile devices, or other mechanisms. Per industry standards, third parties may be able to collect Personal Data, including Personal Data, about your online activities over time and across different websites or online services when you use Services. You may opt out of online behavioral ads at http://www.aboutads.info/choices/. You also may limit certain tracking by disabling cookies in your web browser.
Information Security
Security Of Your Information
DBSA takes reasonable efforts to secure and protect the privacy, accuracy, and reliability of your Personal Data and to protect it from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. DBSA implements security measures as we deem appropriate and consistent with industry standards. As no data security protocol is impenetrable, DBSA cannot guarantee the security of our systems or databases, nor can we guarantee that Personal Data we collect about you will not be breached, intercepted, destroyed, accessed, or otherwise disclosed without authorization. Accordingly, any Personal Data you transfer to or from Services is provided at your own risk.
Please do your part to help us keep your Personal Data secure. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and DBSA Account and are fully responsible for all activities that occur under your password or DBSA Account. DBSA specifically reserves the right to terminate your access to the Services and any contract you have with DBSA related to the Services in the event it learns or suspects you have disclosed your DBSA Account or password Personal Data to an unauthorized third party.
Additional Provisions Regarding The Services & Your Information
Transfer And Storage Of Your Information
Please note Personal Data DBSA collects about you may be transferred, processed and/or accessed by us in the United States, or another country where we, or our Service Providers operate. Please be aware Personal Data may be transferred to, and maintained on, computers located outside of your state or country where privacy laws may differ from and may not be as protective as those where you live. If you are located outside the United States and choose to allow us to collect Personal Data about you, please be aware that DBSA may transfer your Personal Data to the United States and process and store it there.
If you are located in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) or other regions with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from U.S. law, please note that we may transfer Personal Data to a country or jurisdiction that does not have the same data protection laws as your jurisdiction, as disclosed in this Privacy Policy. It may also be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of Service Providers, also as disclosed.
Websites Hosting: DBSA works with HeyPeers, Vervocity Interactive, Switchfast Technologies, and EveryAction as its Websites hosting services provider. HeyPeers is in Pasadena, CA, Vervocity Interactive is located in Quincy, IL, Switchfast Technologies is located in Chicago, IL, and EveryAction is in Washington DC. DBSA shares your Personal Data, with our website hosting Service Provider for the purposes of processing your data pursuant to your use of the Services.
Data Hosting: DBSA works with Blackbaud as its data hosting services provider. Blackbaud is located in Charleston, SC. DBSA shares your Personal Data, with our website hosting Service Provider for the purposes of processing your data pursuant to your use of the Services.
Safely Using DBSA’s Services
Despite DBSA’s safety and privacy controls, we cannot guarantee the Services are entirely free of illegal, offensive, pornographic, or otherwise inappropriate material, or that you will not encounter inappropriate or illegal conduct from other Users when using the Services. You can help DBSA by notifying us of any unwelcome contact by contacting us using the information below.
Your California Privacy Rights
Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83 (known as the “Shine the Light” law), DBSA members and customers who are residents of California may request certain Personal Data about our disclosure of Personal Data during the prior calendar year to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please write to us at the address below or at webmaster@dbsalliance.org with “Request for California Privacy Information” on the subject line and in the body of your message. We will comply with your request within thirty (30) days or as otherwise required by the statute. Please be aware that not all Personal Data sharing is covered by the “Shine the Light” requirements and only Personal Data on covered sharing will be included in our response.
Changes to Our Privacy Policy
DBSA may modify this Privacy Policy from time to time. The most current version of this Privacy Policy will govern our use of your Personal Data and will be located at www.dbsalliance.org/privacy. You may contact us to obtain prior versions.
Changes to Our Privacy Policy
DBSA may modify this Privacy Policy from time to time. The most current version of this Privacy Policy will govern our use of your Personal Data and will be located at www.dbsalliance.org/privacy. You may contact us to obtain prior versions.
Contact DBSA
Maria Margaglione
Data Protection Officer
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
55 E. Jackson Blvd., Suite 490
Chicago, IL 60604
mmargaglione@dbsalliance.org
