PRIVACY STATEMENT FOR PSA 2022
Last updated: August 10, 2022
Introduction
We at Philosophy of Science Association ("Philosophy of Science Association", "we", "us", and "our") know that your privacy is important. This Privacy Policy (the "Policy") is designed to assist you in understanding how we will process your personally identifiable information ("Personal Data") on our website located at philsci.org (the "Website"). Please read this Policy to learn more about the ways in which we collect and use your Personal Data. If we make any material changes to this Policy, we will notify you in accordance with the process described in the Changes to This Policy section below. By signing up for our services and by using our Website, you consent to our collection, use, disclosure, and all other types of processing of your Personal Data, as described in this Policy.
Data Controllership
In the context of this Policy, we act as a data controller for the Personal Data that we process.
Basis of Processing
Within the scope of this Policy, we may rely on one or more of the following legal grounds for processing of your Personal Data:
- your consent;
- the need to perform our obligations under a contract or to perform related pre-contractual duties;
- the legitimate interests pursued by us, such as to recruit new members, as well as to retain the data of previous members to facilitate re-enrollment; and
- any other ground, as required or permitted by law in the specific respective context.
Please note that you may withdraw your consent at any time by visiting https://www.viethconsulting.com/members/contactus_page.php?org_id=PSA&gdpr=Y. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing, based on consent before the withdrawal.
Where you provide us Personal Data with regard to the performance of a contract, we require this information to be able to enter into a contract with you.
Categories of Personal Data
Personal Data collected by us could include:
- contact information, such as first and last name, e-mail address, phone number, and residence address;
- events attendance data;
- online store purchases;
- sponsorship commitments;
- proposal system submissions; and
- any other type of information we may ask you for or that you may choose to provide us with.
How We Receive Personal Data
We may receive your Personal Data through our Website. In particular, we receive Personal Data when:
- you sign up as a member of our association using our Website;
- you interact with our Website when, for example, registering for an event; or
- your information that you have provided to us by any other means is entered into our system by us, e.g., for the purpose of sending email newsletters.
We may also receive your personal data from third parties, in which case, we will notify you, where required by applicable laws, without undue delay.
Purposes of Processing
We may process your Personal Data for the purposes of:
- registering you as a member of our association;
- enabling your use of the features of our Website;
- handling dues and fee billings for membership, events, and other association business;
- retaining statistical information about your involvement, activity, and dues/fee payment;
- tracking donations and store purchases;
- tracking event attendance and committee membership;
- listing your contact details so that other members can connect with you [if applicable for association]
- scheduling volunteer activity;
- tracking proposal submissions for a call-for-proposals;
- tracking online learning participation;
- recording of continuing education credits;
- featuring news articles/press releases related to your association activity;
- accounting;
- responding to your inquiries and/or other requests or questions; and
- periodically sending you newsletters and other marketing materials.
Data Retention
When the purposes of the processing are satisfied, we will purge/anonymize your Personal Data within 6 months.
Sharing Personal Data with Third Parties
We may share your Personal Data with other entities. Such third parties may include those providing:
- association management software;
- web development services;
- association management software;
- hosting services;
- cloud storage services;
- IT support services;
- analytics services;
- customer support services;
- publishers and presses;
- payment services; and
- any other type of external services we might need for us to be able to operate our Website and to provide you with our services.
We may share your Personal Data with these third-party vendors, solely to enable them to perform the services for us. In providing such Personal Data, we require that those third-party vendors maintain at least the same level of security that we maintain for such Personal Data.
If we would need to transfer your Personal Data to third countries, we will ensure that this will be subject to appropriate safeguards and other requirements, as stated in the applicable laws.
Other Disclosure of Your Personal Data
We may disclose your Personal Data:
- to the extent required by law or if we have a good-faith belief that such disclosure is necessary, in order to comply with official investigations or legal proceedings initiated by governmental and/or law enforcement officials, or private parties, including but not limited to: in response to subpoenas, search warrants, or court orders;
- if we sell or transfer all or a portion of our company's business interests, assets, or both, or in connection with a corporate merger, consolidation, restructuring, or other company change; and
- to our subsidiaries or affiliates, only if necessary for business and operational purposes.
We reserve the right to use, transfer, sell, and share aggregated, anonymous data, which does not include any Personal Data, about our Website users as a group for any legal business purpose, such as analyzing usage trends and seeking compatible advertisers, sponsors, clients, and customers.
If we must disclose your Personal Data, in order to comply with official investigations or legal proceedings initiated by governmental and/or law enforcement officials, we may not be able to ensure that such recipients of your Personal Data will maintain the privacy or security of your Personal Data.
Use of Cookies
A "cookie" is a small file stored on your device which potentially contains (or may be linked to) information about you, your device, and your use of our Website. We may use cookies to enable your use of the Website. The use of cookies is industry standard, so your browser may be set to accept cookies. If you would prefer not to accept cookies, you can alter the configuration of your browser to reject all cookies or some cookies. Note, if you reject certain cookies, you may not be able to access all of the features of our Website. For more information, please visit https://www.aboutcookies.org/.
Automated Decision-Making
We do not perform automated decision-making activities, such as profiling.
Data Integrity and Security
We have implemented and will maintain technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are reasonably designed to help protect your Personal Data from unauthorized processing, such as unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.
Access, Correction, and Deletion
If you are a data subject about whom we store Personal Data, you may have the right to request access to, and the opportunity to update, correct, or delete such Personal Data. You may always e-mail us at the e-mail address found in the Contact Us section of this Policy. We will implement your requested changes as soon as we reasonably can.
Restriction and Objection to Processing, Portability
If you are a data subject whose Personal Data we process, you may have the right to ask that we limit our processing of your Personal Data, as well as the right to object to our processing of your Personal Data. You may also have the right to ask to have your Personal Data exported in a machine-readable format. To exercise such rights, where applicable, please contact us using the information in the Contact Us section of this Policy.
Privacy of Children
Our Website is not directed at, or intended for use by, children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly allow anyone under 18 to provide any Personal Data on our Website. Children should always get permission from a parent or guardian, before sending personal information over the Internet. If you believe your child may have provided us with Personal Data, you can contact us using the information in the Contact Us section of this Policy and we will delete that Personal Data.
Supervisory Authority Oversight
If you are a data subject whose Personal Data we process, you may also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection regulator in one or more of the European Union Member States.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time by posting a new version on this web page. You should visit this page occasionally to ensure you agree with any changes. We will post our revised Policy on this web page and update the "Effective" date above to reflect the date of the changes. By continuing to use our Website after we post any such changes, you agree that you accept the Policy as modified.
Contact Us
If you have a complaint, dispute, or questions regarding this Policy or our treatment of your Personal Data, please contact us at:
General Contact
Max Cormendy
DPO Contact
Max Cormendy
Philosophy of Science Assoc.
ML 0374, Univ. of Cincinnati
Cincinnati OH 45221-0374
United States
Article 27 Contact
Max Cormendy
Philosophy of Science Assoc.
ML 0374, Univ. of Cincinnati
Cincinnati OH 45221-0374
United States
Please allow up to 30 days for us to reply.
DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEY FAQs
What will we do with the data?
Our primary aim in collecting demographic data is to monitor longitudinal trends in the PSA membership, conference and journal submissions, and conference participation. More specifically, we will:
Scrutinize composite data retrospectively to identify potential inequities in acceptance/rejection rates and in participation rates and roles in PSA-sponsored conference and publication programs, as well as in PSA governance.
Provide the PSA President and Governing Board, the biennial conference program committees and the journal editorial team, with composite data that can inform the design of policies and procedures to counteract any inequities identified through retrospective analysis.
Share composite data with PSA committees that are charged with developing inclusiveness initiatives designed to recruit and support members of groups traditionally under-represented in philosophy of science, and in philosophy, the sciences, and academia more generally. These include, for example, facilitating mentoring programs such as UPSS (Underrepresented Philosophy of Science Student Mentoring Initiative), and the work of the Women's Caucus, and the Diversity and Climate Committee.
Compare the demographic profile of the PSA with that of peer societies as a basis for assessing how the PSA is doing with respect to inclusiveness, and for consulting with them about effective strategies for recruiting, retaining, and meeting the needs and interests of a diverse membership.
Why ask the questions in these formats?
We are using a mix of field-tested categories that will allow comparison with existing demographic databases, and open-ended questions that allow respondents to self-identify in terms of categories that best reflect their identities.
The former – the pre-defined options included in the sections on gender identity, sexual orientation and race/ethnicity categories – have been drawn from demographic survey instruments that are based on extensive empirical testing and stakeholder consultation. These include the guidelines for constructing inclusive and functional demographic questions from the Consortium of Higher Education and of LGBTQ Affairs (University of Arizona) and question sets used by sister organizations in philosophy, for example, in the APA member surveys and Underrepresented Groups in Philosophy Directory.
Given the dearth of broad-spectrum demographic data on the PSA we hope that the open-ended and "please specify" questions will provide us the qualitative guidance we need to design future surveys that track demographic trends relevant to our goals and programs. This will be an ongoing process: as PSA's makeup changes, so must our survey tools.
Are these kinds of demographic questions going to be asked from now on?
All demographic methods should be treated as iterative. As we learn from your responses to open-ended questions, as the demography of the PSA changes, and as our programming requirements evolve we will be revising the questions we ask. We welcome your advice and input! Please contact the PSA Assistant Director, Walter Orozco, M.A. at office@philsci.org.
Background
Increasingly, members of academic disciplines, including philosophy, are using Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms to broadcast information from professional conferences to a wider audience. However, norms around the use of social media tools at professional conferences have not yet solidified, and some conference participants may feel uneasy at the potential for social media coverage to misrepresent their claims or to broaden their audience in an unwelcome way.
Policy
The biennial conferences of the Philosophy of Science Association allow members to share their research with a wider audience. Social media can help extend that audience to members not at the meeting, and to the public. Norms around the use of social media in academic culture are still emerging. Meeting attendees using social media to broadcast content from the conference to a broader audience are asked to engage with respect and professionalism. Do not post images from presentations without consent. Be clear about when you are posting the words or claims of a presenter and when you are posting your own opinion on a presentation. Be considerate of presenters' requests for no social media coverage; they may be sharing work with their peers at this conference to foster discussion and feedback, but feel that the findings are not ready for wider consumption. If you prefer that your presentation not be shared via social media, communicate that clearly to your audience.
PSA RESPECTFUL CONDUCT STATEMENT
Statement
The Philosophy of Science Association is committed to providing a safe, hospitable, and productive environment for everyone present, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, physical appearance, sexual orientation, gender expression/gender identity, marital status, veteran status, or age. PSA values freedom of expression, constructive and respectful dialogue, and spirited discussion. Harassing behavior, including sexual harassment, undermines these goals. This statement affirms the principle that all attendees at PSA biennial meetings have an equal right to full participation, consistent with their duties and obligations as meeting participants and PSA members, without being hindered in or prevented from doing so by discriminatory practices based on race, ethnicity, religion, disability, physical appearance, sexual orientation, gender expression/gender identity, marital status, veteran status, or age, and to be free from harassment and intimidation in the performance of these duties and obligations. PSA expects its members to extend respectful treatment not only to other PSA members but also to conference volunteers and to employees of PSA conference venues.
PSA CONDUCT AND HARASSMENT POLICY
Harassment of Philosophy of Science Association ("PSA") employees, members, or volunteers and other individuals attending ("attendee") PSA operated, sponsored and/or affiliated events on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, disability, or other basis, including sexual harassment (as defined and protected by applicable law), is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment has been defined generally as including unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature whenever: (1) submission to the conduct is either an explicit or implicit term or condition of employment; (2) an individual's reaction to the conduct is used as a basis for employment decisions affecting that individual; (3) the conduct has the purpose or effect of interfering with the individual's work performance; or (4) the conduct has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.
No employee, member, volunteer, or attendee should be subjected to sexual harassment or unsolicited and unwelcome sexual overtures, nor should any employee, member, volunteer, or attendee be led to believe that any benefit will in any way depend upon "cooperation" of a sexual nature.
Sexual harassment is not limited to demands for sexual favors. It also may include such actions as: (1) sex-oriented verbal "kidding," "teasing," or jokes; (2) repeated offensive sexual flirtations, advances, or propositions; (3) continued or repeated verbal abuse of a sexual nature; (4) graphic or degrading comments about an individual or his or her appearance; (5) the display of sexually suggestive objects or pictures; (6) subtle pressure for sexual activity; and (7) inappropriate physical contact.
Sexual harassment does not refer to occasional compliments of a socially acceptable nature or consensual personal and social relationships without a discriminatory employment effect. It refers to behavior that is not welcome and that is personally intimidating, hostile, or offensive.
Other Unlawful Harassment or Conduct
Harassment on other grounds, including race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, or disability is also prohibited. Harassment may include such actions as: (1) jokes or verbal "kidding," or "teasing;" (2) verbal abuse and epithets; (3) degrading comments; (4) the display of offensive objects and pictures; (5) conduct or comments of a lewd or lascivious nature; and (6) other conduct that the individual might reasonably find to be intimidating, hostile, offensive, coercive, or threatening.
Scope of Policy
This policy prohibiting harassment, whether sexual or of another nature, is not limited to relationships between and among employees, members and volunteers, but also extends to interaction with attendees and vendors. No officer, director, members, or other volunteer shall subject any employee, member, volunteer, attendee, or vendor to sexual or other harassment of any nature, including that conduct described above. Any forms of harassment as described in this policy are reportable to the PSA President, President-Elect, and Past President.
PSA will fully investigate all complaints and will maintain confidentiality to the extent possible. Anyone who is found to have engaged in harassment will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, which may include the following: (1) a written reprimand or censure; (2) a request for resignation; (3) removal of such person from the individual's position within PSA; or (4) termination of the individual's membership, employment, engagement, and/or participation in current and/or future PSA operated, sponsored and/or affiliated events. No individual will be retaliated against for making a complaint or assisting with the investigation of a complaint.