Privacy Policy

Purpose and Background
The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Internet Privacy Protection Plan discloses how AORN protects its members' and customers' privacy by controlling the use of information AORN collects from them. AORN has created this Internet Privacy Protection Plan to demonstrate its commitment to its members' and customers' right to privacy. The following information discloses AORN's information gathering and dissemination practices for the website located at aorn.org. Through its interaction with you, AORN has various sources for acquiring member/customer information, for example, membership forms, conference registration, purchases, and Internet interaction. AORN stores all the information it collects in its central database, and does not handle the information from one source differently from another source. Although the following provisions constitute AORN's Internet Privacy Protection Plan, they apply in principle to all customer/member information held by AORN.

Availability
AORN will post this plan on its website at aorn.org and it will be linked from the front page and from any page where member information is collected.

Information Collected by AORN
AORN forms collect only the information for which they ask you explicitly and which you enter in them. AORN does not collect any information beyond form information except through log files and discussion forums ("Membertalk"). AORN collects information through the following pages:

Nurse Consultation
Continuing Education Contact Hour History
Call for Education Session Proposals
Perioperative Nursing Clinical Improvement/Innovation Posters or Research Call for Abstracts
Perioperative Nursing Data Set Online Education
AORN's Legislative Grassroots Network
Sign me up for an AORN Discussion List
Change your Login Name/Password
Specialty Assemblies: General Information
AORN Password Retrieval
CINAHL®
Career Center
Your Comments
Chapter Roster
AORN Headquarters News & Information Request
Nominating Committee
Press/Media Contact Information
Membership/Associate Application
Meeting Registration
Hotel Reservations
Membertalk

AORN also keeps Internet log files of the IP addresses and click sequences, and session variables such as browser type, of visitors to aorn.org. AORN will modify this section as necessary as it adds new features to aorn.org.

Personal Information from Children and Adults
AORN does not intentionally or knowingly collect information from children. AORN neither identifies information as originating from children nor does AORN market its goods and services to children. AORN restricts its collection of personal information to demographic characteristics which help it understand its members/customers and their needs (see below), and to information used in authorized transactions (for example: address and credit card number for online purchases.)

AORN's Use of the Collected Information
AORN uses the information it collects in three ways: (1) some information is used internally and for AORN marketing purposes; (2) some information is used in the sale of mailing lists; and (3) some information remains in computer files, which are the basis of statistical reports, with no member/customer detail extracted. Each of these uses is discussed below.

(1) Information Used Internally and for AORN Marketing Purposes: Name, address, fax, email, affiliation, industry, job title, race, gender, age and other similar information is used by AORN to understand its audiences and to offer member benefits and products to members/customers who are likely to be interested in them.

(2) Information Used in the Sale of Mailing Lists: AORN rents addresses collected from members and nonmembers. Prior to renting an address, the requesting renter must provide AORN with their exact intended use of the address and a sample of the mailing that will be sent out. AORN's decision on whether or not to rent an address is based on the educational nature of the mailing piece and whether it furthers the overall interests of AORN. AORN rents addresses segmented on the basis of geographic location or conference attendance, but does not rent lists based on purchase of specific products or services, or other demographic information. AORN and its agents use "dummy" addresses in rented lists to detect and prevent renter abuse or multiple use of lists. Under no circumstances does AORN rent telephone or fax numbers, or email addresses.

(3) Information Used for AORN Statistical Reports: AORN collects IP addresses for information about the geographic spread of internet users. AORN may record type and version of browser, sequence of pages viewed, and length of session for use in improving site navigation and usefulness. This information is for statistical analysis and is not correlated with any specific user.

Information Not Currently Used
AORN does not use the names and email addresses of forum ("Membertalk") participants.

Information Collected by Third Parties
Users of AORN's website may have occasion to enter the sites of third parties under contract with AORN for provision of specific website features. AORN's agreements prohibit these organizations' use of information gathered.

Opting Out
AORN recognizes that members/customers may wish to limit AORN's use of personal information, and that this decision may occur after information is provided. If desired, AORN will mark a member's/customer's records in its central database to exclude their address in various ways. To accomplish this, members/customers should email complete contact information and instructions to custserv@aorn.org or call 800-755-2676, Ext. 1. AORN is able to modify records in the following ways:

Exclude from mail - cuts off all AORN member communication via mail or email (most often used when two members in the same household want only one copy of AORN materials, when the Post Office returns mail as undeliverable, or when Association charges remain unpaid).
Exclude from vendor mail - keeps address off mailing lists or labels rented/sold by AORN to providers of products and services.
Exclude from AORN Congress mail - cuts off all mail and email information about AORN's Congress.
Exclude from MBNA partner mail - cuts off all mail from the partners of AORN's affiliate credit card program bank.
Exclude from mass email - cuts off all AORN email, except specific lists for which the member/customer has registered.
Exclude from e-chapter listserv - cuts off the email from all AORN e-chapters.
Exclude from specialty assembly directory - prevents inclusion in the published directory of AORN's special interest groups.
Exclude from AORN telemarketing - prevents AORN marketing telephone calls.
Delete fax number - deletes fax numbers from the member/customer record.

Requesting that AORN modify a record in one or more of these ways could deprive the member/customer of some of the many benefits of their association with AORN.

Data Security
AORN uses several methods to transmit information submitted by customers. Increasingly, transactions are protected using SSL encryption software. This means that your credit card information, name, address, and email cannot be read as they travel across the Internet. SSL encryption is the standard for transactional security and it is used by virtually all other e-commerce systems on the web. AORN joins the Internet community's concern for data safety. Some AORN systems use unencrypted posting, in which your data is sent like email from your browser to AORN's server. The server retransmits this information to AORN's Association Service Representatives by email. AORN's web servers and its in-house association management systems are protected by advanced security measures.

AORN's Guarantee
We have NEVER had a bank confirm fraudulent use of a customer credit card as a result of ordering from AORN via the Internet. Because we are so confident of this record, we offer this guarantee: if you ever experience unauthorized use of your credit card as a result of ordering from AORN via the Internet through our SSL secured servers, we will reimburse you up to a maximum of $50 if your bank holds you liable for the charges. EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED IN THIS PARAGRAPH, AORN HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY GUARANTEE AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER. AORN MAKES NO GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY REGARDING THE OPERATION OR PERFORMANCE OF ANY SECURITY MEASURE OR DEVICE INSTALLED ON ITS WEBSITE OR USED IN PROCESSING ONLINE TRANSACTIONS. THE FOREGOING STATES THE ENTIRE LIABILITY OF AORN WITH RESPECT TO DATA THEFT OR CORRUPTION.

Your Permission
By using AORN's website, you consent to the collection and use of the information by AORN unless you have OPTED OUT (see above). If we change our privacy or security policies in the future, those changes will be posted here so you always know what information we collect, how we use it, and how we protect it.

Further Explanations
We would be happy to explain any of our privacy and security policies to you in person. Questions regarding information privacy may be directed to the AORN Customer Service Department. Please include a phone number so we may respond directly.