Privacy Policy

Last updated April 2024.

Welcome to our website (the “Site”). The mission of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is to cure MS while empowering people affected by MS to live their best lives. We value your trust, and we understand the importance of protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share information we collect through the Site and any apps that we operate (together, the “Online Platform”). Please note that this Privacy Policy is incorporated by reference into the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (“Society” or “we”) Terms of Use (TOU). Our Terms of Use can be found here.

By accessing this Site, you agree to this Privacy Policy and its terms.

What Information Do We Collect?

We collect both personally identifiable information (“Personal Information”) and non-personally identifiable information. This information includes Personal and Non-Personal Information.

Personal Information

“Personal Information” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person; an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier, or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity of that natural person. We collect the following types of Personal Information:

• Name
• Physical Address
• E-mail Address
• Phone Number
• Personal Health Information that you choose to disclose
• Geolocation Information
• Financial Information

Non-Personal Information

Non-Personal Information is information that by itself typically cannot be used to identify or contact you, such as demographic information (e.g., age, profession, or gender), browser types, domain names, and other anonymous statistical data involving the use of our Online Platforms.

Non-Personal Information includes certain information that we automatically collect when you visit or interact with the Online Platforms (“User Information”). User Information may include the browser you use to access the Online Platforms, URL that referred you to the Online Platform, the areas within the Online Platforms you visit, time of day, geographic location, and other information. The Society may utilize User Information for various purposes, including but not limited to, enhancing or otherwise improving the Online Platforms. In addition, we collect your IP address or other unique identifier (“Device Identifier”) for your computer, tablet, mobile, or other Device used to access the Online Platforms (each a “Device”). A Device Identifier is a number that is automatically assigned to your Device used to access the Online Platforms, and our computers identify your Device by its Device Identifier. User Information may be associated with you or it may be non-identifying. Whenever we associate User Information or a Device Identifier with your Personal Information, we will treat it as Personal Information.

Information Third Parties May Provide About You

We may, from time to time, supplement the information we collect about you through the Online Platforms or mobile application with information from third parties in order to provide operational services to serve you. We may combine such information with information we collect through the Online Platforms. We will apply this Privacy Policy to any Personal Information received unless we disclose otherwise.

Anonymous Data

The Society may monitor the Online Platforms to analyze trends, administer the Online Platforms, track your actions and use of the Online Platforms, record transactions, and gather demographic information for aggregate use. Such analysis is not linked to Personal Information. We use Google Analytics 4 to track where visitors come from and what they are doing on our Online Platforms. This information helps us evaluate our marketing efforts and how visitors use our Online Platforms, so we can make improvements to the user experience. This information is anonymous. The Society may share aggregated demographic and usage information with its vendors, consultants, and contractors. This aggregated information is not linked to any Personal Information that can identify any individual person.

Cookies and Other Technologies

We use the technologies below to collect Personal and Non-Personal Information.

Cookies

We collect information, such as anonymous usage statistics, by using cookies, server logs, and other similar technology as you use the Online Platforms. When you visit a Society Online Platform, your web server automatically logs (records) domain name and standard information about the operating system and web browser you are using, as provided by your web browser. To track your progress through the Online Platforms and to help us evaluate usage of the Online Platforms, the server places a "cookie" — a small text file with an identification number — on your machine or Device. This automatically collected information is used to help us manage the Online Platforms, but it does not identify you in any way.

If you accept the use of cookies on the cookie consent banner, you are consenting to the use of all cookies. The use of those cookies provides us information that will allow us to better understand user preferences, tailor our messaging, and perform analytics. If you decline the use of cookies on the cookie consent banner, you are rejecting the use of all non-essential cookies, and your usage will not be tracked.

Essential cookies are cookies that are required for all website functionality for visitors to the Site. Non-essential cookies are all other cookies that track the user during the visit to the website and may be used to analyze user preferences and collect marketing data. If you disable or refuse essential cookies, some parts of this Online Platform may then be inaccessible or not function properly.

Flash Cookies

Certain features of our Online Platforms may use local stored objects (or flash cookies) to collect and store information about your preferences and navigation to, from, and on our Online Platforms. Flash cookies are not managed by the same browser settings that are used for browser cookies.

Web Beacons

Pages of our Online Platforms and our e-mails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear GIFs, pixel tags, and single-pixel GIFs) that permit us to count users who have visited those pages or opened an e-mail and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain Online Platform content and verifying system and server integrity).

GPS Location

If you are traveling in a vehicle when accessing the Online Platforms, your Device may send your GPS coordinates. GPS enabled mobile Devices can define your location to within 50 feet. We collect this information for various purposes — including to provide you geographically relevant information.We may associate your unique mobile Device Identifier or mobile application usage information with any Personal Information you provide. We will treat the combined information as Personal Information.

Behavioral Advertising

We also may use Behavioral Advertising cookies, which are a way of providing advertisements on the websites you visit and making them more relevant to your interests. Your web browsing activity is grouped together with your shared interests, and advertising is then displayed to you when you visit a website that matches these interests. Behavioral advertising works based on your web browsing over time.

We partner with third-party ad networks to display advertising on our Online Platforms. Our ad network partners use cookies and web beacons to collect Non-Personal Information about your activities on our Online Platforms to provide you targeted advertising based upon your interests. Because our service provider serves ads on many different websites, it is able to compile information over time about where you, or others who are using your computer, saw and/or clicked on the advertisement it displays. Our service provider may share that information with us. Our service provider and/or the Society may use this information to make predictions about your characteristics, interests, or preferences, and to display targeted advertisements that our service provider believes may be of interest to you. Our service provider may also associate this information with your subsequent visit in order to determine the effectiveness of the advertisements.

While a service provider may use some of the information it collects in order to personalize the ads it shows you, its system(s) are typically designed to select ads only on data that does not personally and directly identify you. For example, it may select the ads it displays according to certain general interest categories or segments that it has inferred based on (a) demographic or interest data, including any you may have provided when creating an account on the Online Platforms (e.g., age, address, zip or postal code, gender), demographic or interest data acquired from other companies, and a general geographic location derived from your IP address and (b) the pages you view and links you click when using our service provider’s and its advertising partners’ websites and services. For more information about how targeted ads work, visit Managing Your Privacy at the Network Advertising Initiative website.

How To Opt Out of Behavioral Advertising
You can opt out of targeted advertising by e-mailing mailinglist@nmss.org.

Additional Ways To Opt Out of the Use of Cookies
You have the right to opt out or block cookies from being installed. As mentioned above, you can decline non-essential cookie usage using the banner at the bottom of our website. You can opt out using the following tools: (1) the Networking Advertising Initiative Opt-Out Tool, (2) the Digital Advertising Alliance Opt-Out Tool, or (3) the Google Opt-Out Browser Add-On. You can also remove cookies in the settings of your internet browser.

How We Collect Information

We collect Personal Information when you transmit any form or e-mail to us or make a donation. We may also collect information under the circumstances below.

Registration and Account Information

Certain Online Platforms, including our event platforms, require that you register. To register, you will be prompted to provide Personal Information, such as your name and e-mail address. You may also provide other optional information.

Social Connect

When you choose to connect your social media account to your profile in an Online Platform, we collect Personal Information from that social media website. For example, when you connect your Facebook account, we may collect the Personal Information you have made publicly available in Facebook, such as your profile picture, gender, age range, locale and friend list. We may also obtain other non-public information from the social network website with your permission.

Other Sources

Additionally, we collect the information you post through the Online Platforms. For example, when you interact with other users by posting messages or uploading photographs, the Online Platforms will collect the information you provide in such submissions, including any Personal Information. Any health-related information added to your profile may be used to include you as part of related interest groups.

How We May Use Your Information

The information we collect is used to provide you with information about events, programs, and services available through the Society. Specifically, we may use Personal Information:

• To provide you with information that you request or agreed to receive including, but not limited to, newsletters, announcements, information about multiple sclerosis, special offers or promotional materials on our or third parties’ behalf
• To process your Online Platform or event registration, including verifying your information is active and valid
• To process your credit card and event signup
• To enable you to use the Online Platforms’ features
• To contact you with regard to your use of the Online Platforms and, in our discretion, changes to the Online Platforms and/or policies
• For internal business purposes and to improve the Online Platforms, to customize your experience, or to serve you specific content that is tailored to your interests
• For fundraising purposes, including but not limited to soliciting donations, organizing events, and communicating with donors
• For inclusion in our data analytics
• For purposes disclosed at the time you provide your information or as otherwise set forth in this Privacy Policy

For United States Residents

If you provide your postal address, telephone number, or e-mail address to the Society online, you may receive any of the following periodic contacts from us:

• Mailings with information about MS and the Society's programs and events
• Mailings to invite you to join the Society or to help achieve our mission
• Telephone contact to invite you to help the Society achieve its mission
• E-mail contact to respond to your questions, comments or suggestions
• E-mail contact to alert you to MS news updates and programs, as well as invitations to join the Society or to help the Society achieve its mission

How and When We Will Disclose Information to Third Parties

We may share Non-Personal Information, such as aggregated user statistics and log data, with third parties to deliver targeted advertising about other products or services, for industry analysis, demographic profiling, or for other business purposes. We do not sell, share, rent, or trade the information we have collected about you, including Personal Information, other than as disclosed within this Privacy Policy or at the time you provide your information. We will not share your Personal Information with third parties for such third parties’ direct marketing purposes unless you consent at the time you provide your Personal Information. Media containing credit card information is never distributed.

We also may share your information with the following entities or under the circumstances that follow.

Third Parties Providing Services on Our Behalf

We may use third-party companies and individuals to assist us in the operation of the Online Platforms and related activities (“Vendors”). Such Vendors provide or perform certain services on our behalf (e.g., host the Online Platforms, track the analytics, process credit card payments, provide automated e-mail services, engage security measures, provide customer support, provide GPS location information, and perform technical services without limitation, maintenance services, database management, web analytics and improvement of the Online Platforms, or perform other administrative and back office services). We may use these vendors to process your usage and Personal Information. We limit such sharing to only the minimum information needed by the Vendor to carry out the services they are performing for you or for us. We require each Vendor to protect the Personal Information and User Information and not to use or disclose the Personal Information for any other purpose.

Google Analytics 4

We use Google Analytics 4 to track website user data, website usage, and Personal Information to better serve you. This information is collected by the user consenting to the installation of cookies. When you consent to the installation of cookies, we gather and record your demographic, interests, and other analytical data. Google Analytics 4 does not collect personally identifiable information (PII). You will be able to consent or decline to cookie usage on a banner that appears at the bottom of the website when you first arrive on the website.

Additionally, when you consent to cookie usage by Google Analytics 4, information regarding your use of the website is sent to Google and stored for analytical purposes. Third parties may have access to this information. Information regarding which subpages of the website you have visited and for how long you interacted with each page is recorded so that we can understand which parts of our website are the most used and how users interact with our website. By using Google Analytics 4, the Society can provide you with a better website experience.

Cookies installed on your browser on behalf of Google Analytics 4 can be removed at any time by using the settings on your internet browser. However, when you visit the website again, you will be prompted with the cookie consent banner.

Find more information regarding Google Analytics 4 and cookie usage. Read Google's Privacy Policy Google’s Terms of Service, and Google Analytics’ Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and learn how Google Analytics 4 uses cookies to process and collect data.

Governmental, Law Enforcement, and Similar Disclosures

We may access, preserve, and disclose your Personal Information, other account information, and content if we believe doing so is required or appropriate:

• To satisfy or comply with any applicable law, regulation, subpoenas, governmental requests, or legal process
• To protect and/or defend the TOU or other policies applicable to the Online Platforms or mobile application, including investigation of potential violations thereof
• To protect the safety, rights, property, or security of the Society or any user or any third party
• To protect the safety of the public for any reason
• To detect, prevent or otherwise address fraud, security, or technical issues
• To prevent or stop activity we may consider to be, or to pose a risk of being, an illegal, unethical, or legally actionable activity

Further, we may use IP address and/or Device Identifiers to identify users and may do so in cooperation with third parties such as copyright owners, internet service providers (ISPs), service providers and/or law enforcement, including without limitation, disclosing such information to third parties, all in our discretion. Such disclosures may be carried out without notice to you.

The Society complies with all applicable laws, regulations, and Google Analytics 4 policies and terms including, but not limited to, cookie usage, data analysis, collection of user information, the Google Terms of Service, and the Google Privacy Policy.

Merger, Sale, or Other Asset Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financial due diligence, reorganization, bankruptcy, receivership, sale of assets, or transition of service to another provider, your Personal Information may be sold or transferred as part of such a transaction as permitted by law and/or contract or as a standalone asset. We cannot control how such entities may use or disclose such information. We also reserve the right to disclose and transfer all such information: (i) to a subsequent owner, co-owner, or operator of the Services or applicable database; or (ii) in connection with a corporate merger, consolidation, restructuring, the sale of substantially all of our membership interests and/or assets, or other corporate change, including during the course of any due diligence process.

Marketing

Except as described below, we do not rent, sell, or share Personal Information about you with other people or nonaffiliated companies for their direct marketing purposes, unless we have your permission. We may allow access to other data collected by the Online Platforms to enable the delivery of online advertising on this website, or otherwise facilitate transmittal of information that may be useful, relevant, valuable, or otherwise of interest to you.

Other

From time to time, the Society makes postal addresses available to other reputable non-profit organizations whose products, programs, or activities may be of interest to you. The Society carefully screens all organizations before allowing the use of our list. The list is never sold.

Children’s Information

We do not knowingly collect Personal Information of users under the age of 13 without the consent of a parent. Parents have the ability to control what, if any, Personal Information about their child may be disclosed to third parties by regulating the actions and behavior of their children using the internet.If you believe we have collected the Personal Information of an individual under the age of 13, please let us know immediately by e-mailing mailinglist@nmss.org.

Payment Processing

All media containing credit card information is stored at third-party datacenters with physical access controls in place that meet PCI (payment card industry) standards and is subject to those third-party policies regarding data privacy and security. Online credit card donations are made through Luminate Online™ operated by Blackbaud Inc. and payments processed through Blackbaud Merchant Services and DonorDrive. See Blackbaud’s privacy policy and DonorDrive’s policy.

Third-Party Websites

This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by us. This Privacy Policy does not apply to other websites that are accessible through the Online Platforms, including but not limited to any third-party websites that process payments on behalf of us. Please be aware that third-party websites for our advertisers, sponsors, affiliated entities, and other third parties that are accessible through the Online Platforms may have their own privacy and data collection policies and practices. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of such sites and will not be responsible for any actions or policies of such third parties. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave the Online Platforms and to read the privacy statements of each and every website that you visit.

How We Protect Personal Information

We maintain reasonable technical, physical, and administrative safeguards to help protect against loss, misuse or unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction of the information you provide through our Online Platforms.

Personal data stored within our systems have no public facing interfaces and are password-protected behind our firewall. Data exchanged between systems is secured and encrypted using HTTPS.

All Third-Party Systems (“Vendors”) that collect personal and/or payment information on our behalf (e.g., our online donation platform) are thoroughly vetted from a security perspective and must follow the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) if they process or store credit cards.Unfortunately, no data transmission over the internet or stored on a server can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your Personal Information and privacy, we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you disclose or transmit to us online and cannot be responsible for the theft, destruction, or inadvertent disclosure of your Personal Information.

Communication Preferences

If you would like to opt out of any or all of these types of contacts, please either send us an e-mail at mailinglist@nmss.org, call 1-844-MS LISTS (1-844-675-4787), or write us at National MS Society, P.O. Box 289, Canton, MA 02021. Please state your wishes clearly, referencing the following contact types:

• No e-mail for fundraising purposes
• No postal service mail for fundraising purposes
• No telephone calls for fundraising purposes

If you provide Personal Information changes by e-mail or physical mail, we will endeavor to process the request expediently.

Notice to EU Residents

If you are located in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland, we rely on several legal basis to process your Personal Information. These include:

• The processing is necessary to perform our contractual obligations, such as to provide you with our services
• You have given your prior consent, which you may withdraw at any time (such as for marketing purposes or other purposes we obtain your consent for from time to time)
• The processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, a court order or to exercise or defend legal claims
• The processing is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests, such as in improving, personalizing, and developing our services, marketing new features or products that may be of interest, and promoting safety and security as described above

Marketing Cloud Personalization keeps data for 7 years for authenticated and unauthenticated website visitors. If you have any questions about or would like further information concerning the legal basis on which we collect and use your Personal Information, please e-mail us at mailinglist@nmss.org.

Your Privacy Rights and Choices

In the EEA, EU, Switzerland, New Jersey, Oregon, California, Colorado, and Delaware, you have specific rights regarding your Personal Information. This section describes your rights and explains how to exercise those rights. Subject to certain limitations (such as our legal obligations), you have the right to access, to obtain a copy of, to correct, to opt-out of the sale or sharing, and to delete your Personal Information.

For personal data that we have about you, you may request the following:

• Access/request a copy of your Personal Information
• Opt out of sharing
• Correction or deletion
• Right to portability

If you wish to exercise one of these rights, please e-mail us at mailinglist@nmss.org.

If you are an EEA, EU, or Switzerland resident, you also have the right to lodge a complaint to your local data protection authority. Further information about how to contact your local data protection authority is available at https://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/bodies/authorities/index_en.htm.

Obligations to Data Protection Authority (DPAs)
We will respond diligently and appropriately to requests from DPAs about this policy or compliance with applicable data protection privacy laws and regulations. We will, upon request, provide DPAs with names and contact details of the individuals designated to handle this process. With regard to transfers of Personal Information, we will (1) cooperate with inquiries from the DPA responsible for the entity exporting the data and (2) respect its decisions, consistent with applicable law and due process rights. With regard to transfers of data to third parties, we will comply with DPAs’ decisions relating to it and cooperate with all DPAs in accordance with applicable legislation.

Additional Privacy Rights

You have the right to request information from us regarding the manner in which the Society shares certain categories of Personal Information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes, in addition to the rights set forth above. Under New Jersey, Oregon, California, Colorado, and Delaware state laws, you have the right to send us a request at the designated address listed below to receive the following information:

• The categories of information we disclosed to third parties for their direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year
• The names and addresses of the third parties that received the information
• If the nature of the third party's business cannot be determined from their name, examples of the products or services marketed

If you are a California resident under the age of 18 and a registered user of the Online Platform, you may ask us to remove content or information that you have posted to the Site.

This information may be provided in a standardized format that is not specific to you. The designated e-mail address for these requests is mailinglist@nmss.org.

Also, please note that we have not yet developed a response to browser “Do Not Track” signals and do not change any of our data collection practices when we receive such signals. We will continue to evaluate potential responses to “Do Not Track” signals in light of industry developments or legal changes.

Updates to Our Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. If we do this, we will post the changes on this page and will indicate the date those terms will be effective. We reserve the right to make such modifications immediately if required. It is your responsibility to check to determine if there have been changes to the Privacy Policy and to review such changes. We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our privacy practices.

Contact Information

The National MS Society is a tax exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and our Identification number (EIN) is 13-5661935.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

E-mail: mailinglist@nmss.org
Phone: 1-844-675-4787
Address: National Multiple Sclerosis Society
P.O. Box 289
Canton, MA 02021