Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY FOR TWIN CITIES PUBLIC TELEVISION (“TPT”) DONORS AND TPT’S NON-COMMERCIAL WEBSITES AND ONLINE SERVICES

We have created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our commitment to ensuring the privacy of any information you may provide to us. This Privacy Policy discloses how we use, share, and protect information gathered or provided to us through your use of TPT’s websites and online services, email newsletters or applications that TPT operates and that link to this Privacy Policy (collectively, the “Services”). The Services include tpt.org, tptoriginals.org, nextavenue.org, rewire.org, and scigirlsconnect.org and other applications, digital platforms, and content (downloadable and non-downloadable) through the aforementioned websites.

Some of our Services are designed for children and pre-teens (collectively, “Children’s Services”). Specific privacy information pertaining to Children’s Services can be found in Section 5 below.

We are committed to ensuring the privacy of any identifiable information (such as name, address, e-mail address, and telephone number) you may provide to us. By using the Services, you signify your agreement to the terms and conditions of TPT’s Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, please do not use the Services. TPT reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this Privacy Policy at any time. Please check this page periodically for any changes. Your continued use of the Services after the posting of any changes to these terms means that you accept those changes.

1. Information We May Gather

Use of cookies and third-party tools

TPT uses cookies and third party tracking pixels as part of the Services. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer or device  to collect information about your visit, personalize your experience, and “remember” you when you return. Tracking pixels are used to trigger cookies, or the saving of information, in your web browser. TPT solely uses this information to aid the technical administration of the Services and better understand how the Services are functioning for their users.

If you register for the tpt.org User Portal, TPT will keep track of your actions taken on tpt.org and associate that information with the personal information you supply in your User Portal profile to personalize your tpt.org and User Portal experience.

You may turn off cookies that have been placed on your computer by following the instructions on your browser, but if you block our cookies, it may be more difficult (and maybe even impossible) to use some of the Services.

TPT uses services such as Google Analytics, Google Universal Analytics, Google Universal Analytics, Tag Manager, Google Optimize, Sumo, Get Site Control, Crazy Egg and our web server logs to gather information about the users of our Services. Our web servers and analytics tools will create log files which contain some or all of the following information:

• The Internet Protocol Address (IP Address) of the computer accessing our Services
  • The date, time, location, and length of each visit from each IP Address
  • Certain technical information such as browser being used
  • The path taken through our web site and actions taken throughout a session
  • Clicks to links on our Services that lead to other sites
  • A record of files downloaded and/or the amount of time spent viewing any video or audio files
  • Any errors encountered
  • Other third party metrics

Third Party Advertising:

TPT uses third-party advertising companies to serve ads when users use our Services. These companies may use information (not including name, address, email address or telephone number) about visitors to the Services in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to such visitors.

TPT utilizes Google Ads and Outbrain for managing, displaying, and reporting performance of advertisements on the Services. A cookie may be dropped on your browser when an ad is viewed or clicked. Third party vendors, including Google and Outbrain use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior web site visits.

These advertisers will collect and report some or all of the following per advertising unit:

• Impressions
  • Clicks
  • Geo-location of impressions and clicks
  • Certain technical information such as the browser being used
  • Other third party metrics

If you want to opt-out of Google services, please view this site for more information.

2. Information You Give Us

When you visit a TPT website or other Service, we will not collect personally identifiable information from you, other than what you supply to us on a voluntary basis. However, in order to participate in some activities, you might be asked to provide personally identifiable information. For example, this could be in connection with:

• Requests from you which require our direct response
• Information you provide to register for and use TPT Passport (information for members’ use of TPT Passport is handled through MVault, PBS’s station membership registry software)
• Information you provide to register for the tpt.org User Portal
• Subscription registration for sites or Services which require subscription (such as email newsletters third party service providers, which may include, for example, MailChimp, Survey Monkey, Genoo, Get Site Control or Sumo. (TPT maintains a current list of third party service providers which is available upon request)
• Contest registration
• Making pledges or donations
• Purchases of merchandise
• Gathering your comments and feedback
• Content submissions and suggestions
• Participation in community postings, bulletin boards or “chat rooms”
• Participation in surveys
• Event registration

Except as discussed above, personally-identifying information collected by TPT is not provided to outside parties except (i) TPT affiliates (such as PBS, our program co-producers, and other public broadcasting stations), (ii) all third party service providers, and (iii) Member List Exchange, as further detailed in Section 4 below. Except as specified below for (iii), the information is provided for the sole purpose of — and only to the extent necessary for — delivering the requested goods or services to the user, delivering communications from TPT and TPT affiliates to users who have “opted in” to the receipt of these communications, providing services for and on behalf of TPT, or serving other internal TPT purposes.

• In certain cases, TPT contracts with other companies to provide services on our behalf. Some service providers maintain customer databases with email addresses of web site visitors who have provided them to us by registering at our site, signing up for a newsletter or email, emailing us questions about TPT’s services, submitting online contributions, or making a purchase. Other service providers maintain personally identifiable information provided in connection with a donation in order to process the donation. Our service providers have access to your personally identifiable information only as necessary to provide certain services on TPT’s behalf. They are required to maintain the privacy of all such information in their possession or control and only use the information on our or your behalf for the purpose that we have contracted them. They are not authorized to use your information for any other purpose. While we strive to work with reputable third- party vendors, we do not have direct control over third parties.
• TPT also may disclose personal information if it believes that such action is necessary to (a) comply with the law or with legal process, (b) protect against misuse or unauthorized use of TPT services, or (c) protect the personal safety or property of users of TPT Services, the public, or TPT and its employees.
• If you register for marketing emails, we may send you email relating to your membership or other online accounts. This includes order confirmations, renewal/expiration notices, notices of credit card processing problems, other transactional emails, and notifications about major changes to our Services. If you have registered for online discussions or other services, you may receive email specific to your participation in those activities. You may opt out of such notices at any time by sending an email to [email protected] for TPT or [email protected]        for Next Avenue.
• We offer email newsletters. If you no longer wish to receive a specific newsletter, you may opt out by following the “unsubscribe” instructions located near the bottom of each newsletter.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to any information or content, including any personally identifiable information that you may provide in any public forums contained on the Services, including, but not limited to comments, forums, message boards, reviews, recommendations, ratings, and chat rooms. TPT will not be responsible or liable for any personally identifiable information you may choose to submit to such public forums.

3. Security and Confidentiality of Donor and Member Information

TPT makes every effort to ensure that EFT and credit card transactions that occur on its Services are secure. TPT has in place what we believe to be appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online. Credit card information provided on the Services is protected against unauthorized use by Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) security features. The TLS protocol is the industry standard method for creating an encrypted, secure connection between your web browser and a web server, such as the web site’s server. You should, however, keep in mind that no Internet or e-mail transmission is ever fully secure or error free. Because most e-mail is not encrypted, you should take special care in deciding what information you send to us via e-mail.

TPT may publish a list of donors (for example, as part of our Annual Report.) This listing may indicate a monetary range into which each donor’s gift falls. If you wish to be excluded from any such listing, contact us as indicated below. In addition, TPT is required to disclose the identity of all donors who provide direct funding for any content produced by TPT.

4. Member List Exchange Policy

TPT will not sell or rent our member’s names with any organization. TPT will, on occasion, exchange membership lists with other well-established charitable, cultural non-profit organizations. We believe that the opportunities for increased financial support and the cost reductions resulting from list exchanges conducted within the guidelines of this policy will help us deliver more mission-related services to the public.

In exchanging lists, the following principles will always apply:

1. We will not sell, rent, give or exchange member’s names to, with or from any candidate for public office, committees or organizations supporting a candidate, political parties, or organizations that solicit funds for use in political campaigns for any purpose.
2. We will respect the privacy of all members by offering a means by which their names may be suppressed upon their request and we will honor their requests. We will provide notice of this option in our magazine and in other mailings to members. Also, we will endeavor to provide additional notices of this option throughout the year in other ways including on our Services. Members are encouraged to contact our Customer Service department at 651-229-1330 if they wish to be removed from any list.
3. We will maintain active control of our membership lists by informing others, including any list brokers we may hire, of this policy and by taking steps to enforce this policy. We will have a written agreement, which contains provisions consistent with this policy, with all list brokers we hire.
4. When we use a list broker to facilitate a list exchange we will ensure that the list is only for specifically approved uses and the only information provided will be the member’s name, address and/or telephone number.
5. We may enter into agreements with outside companies in fulfillment of member premiums or an “affinity” program which would use our member or donor lists for marketing such a program. We will only enter into an “affinity” program which would offer our members a quality product at or below market price and which would provide revenue to TPT.
6. We will maintain complete and accurate records of all uses of membership and donor lists for at least such time as required by law or regulation.
7. We will comply with the laws and regulations of the Internal Revenue Service, the State of Minnesota, the United States Postal Service, and the certification requirements of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

5. Children’s Services

The Services are geared towards a general audience and do not knowingly collect or store personally identifiable information about children under the age of 13. In addition to the Services, TPT provides products and services for children, which include tpt.org/kids, scigirlsconnect.org, and the “MNO Play and Learn” app (“MNO App”). Neither the MNO App nor tpt.org/kids collect personally identifiable information, and the MNO App collects no information from users and does not require an account set-up process.

Several features on tpt.org/kids link to PBS Kids at pbskids.org. Any information collected through PBSKids.org is subject to PBSKids’ privacy policy.

Scigirlsconnect.org collects information voluntarily provided by users, and does not allow users under 13 to create an account. The information you provide to register for an account on scigirlsconnect.org is treated in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

6. Other Terms

TPT Passport is operated by PBS and is subject to PBS’s privacy policy.

Services operated by TPT may contain links to other sites. TPT is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such other web sites.

Services operated by TPT may include comment sections, ratings, chat rooms, forums, message boards and/or other interactive elements and public areas where users can post information. Please remember that any information or content that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information, including credit card or other payment information, in these areas. TPT is not responsible or liable for any personally identifiable or any other information or content presented in such areas by users or for other user’s actions with respect to that information.

TPT complies with all laws and regulations as applicable to the Services, as well as the certification requirements of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. TPT supports the Consumer Reports WebWatch guidelines to promote credible information practices on the Web. (Click here for more information on Consumer Reports WebWatch.)

Terms of Use Agreement

Please also review our Terms of Use Agreement.

Effective Date
This Policy was last updated on March 16, 2020.

Contact Us

If you have questions regarding this Policy, please contact Customer Service at 651-229-1330 or send an email to [email protected] or send mail to Member Services, Twin Cities Public Television, 172 E. 4th St., St. Paul, MN 55101.