Terms of Use

United Policyholders created this privacy policy to tell you what information we collect about visitors to our website, uphelp.org. It also tells you how we use the information we collect, how you can control your information and how we protect your information.

Last updated: April, 2012

1. How we collect information

Website usage information. You can view most of the content on the uphelp.org website without registering or submitting any information. We occasionally review non-personal information about how people use our website through mechanisms such as cookies, web beacons and/or internet tags. We occasionally review the pages you visit within our website and transaction details (sharing to Facebook, donations etc). You can set your browser to notify you when a cookie is sent, or to refuse or delete cookies altogether, but in such cases certain features of our Website might not function as expected. We also occasionally review anonymous, non-personal information about your use of the emails and newsletters we may send to you (such as “open rates” and link click-throughs).

All pages on the United Policyholders website utilize a technology known as Google Analytics. This technology allows us to gather general statistics regarding how our web site is used. For example, if we know what technology (phones, tablets, etc) our users have, we are better able to design pages that suit our users. Also, if we see that few people use a particular page, then we can remove it from our site. The statistics we gather are aggregated. We do not retain any specific information about any particular user. To learn more about Google Analytics, please see the Google Web site.

If you would prefer not to have your data collected by Google Analytics, you can download and install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. To learn more, read the Google Analytics privacy policy.

Personal Information. The uphelp.org website may ask you to register and provide personal information when you choose to access our Ask an Expert content, sign up for a newsletter, request an amicus brief, request documents, share your story, become a sponsor, donate to United Policyholders or fill out a form on our “Contact Us” page. In addition, from time-to-time you may choose to participate in United Policyholders surveys.

United Policyholders does not intentionally collect personally identifiable information from users under the age of 13. If we find out that we have such personal information we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

If you access a third party site from a link on the uphelp.org website, any information you review on that site is not subject to this privacy policy and United Policyholders is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites.

2. How we use information

Personal Information. United Policyholders may use information about you to help enhance and personalize your use of our Website and the services we offer. This information also allows us to provide you with targeted content and information. We also use anonymous and aggregated data to create statistics and reports.

Website Usage Information The website usage information we collect (e.g., cookies, Internet tags, web beacons, etc.) is used by United Policyholders to monitor the operation, technical functions, and quality of our website and services. This information is also used to provide general statistics regarding use of our Website. We may also use such information for research or improvements of our website and the services we offer you. This data may also used by United Policyholders to deliver customized content to you when your online behavior indicates that you are interested in a particular subject area.

Disclosure of Data United Policyholders keeps your personally identifiable information confidential. We do not disclose it to third parties or others that do not have a need to know such information, except under certain circumstances. In addition, United Policyholders will not sell, rent, or otherwise disclose United Policyholder’s e-mail list or address list except as explicitly set forth in this Privacy Policy.

Set forth below are various circumstances under which United Policyholders may share your personal information:

  • Certain of our employees, independent contractors and third party service providers such as Network for Good have access to your personally identifiable information for the sole purpose of helping us run our organization. These employees and contractors have confidentiality and security obligations.
  • Although we do not provide your personally identifiable information to anyone we may aggregate and supply anonymous data to partners, media and sponsors. For example, “80% of our Ask an Expert users are interested in insurance claim information”.
  • Information shared in our Ask an Expert area of our Website is only accessible to those who have registered on the uphelp.org website.
  • We may also share your personally identifiable information to respond to law enforcement requests, court orders, or other legal processes; or if we believe that such disclosure is necessary to investigate, prevent, or respond to illegal activities, fraud, and physical threats to you or others; or as otherwise required by any applicable law or regulation. In the event that we are legally compelled to disclose your Personal Information to a third party, we will notify you unless doing so would violate the law or court order.
  • Before we voluntarily disclose your personally identifiable information for any other reasons, we will first obtain your consent, via e-mail, click-through, an online opportunity to enter your preference, or some other manner.

Prohibited Disclosures Except as set forth above, United Policyholders will not disclose your personally identifiable information to any third party without your explicit consent.

3. How you can control your information

Uphelp.org offers its users choices for the collection, use, and sharing of personally identifiable information at the time a user decides to register. In addition, users may stop the delivery of future communications from uphelp.org by unsubscribing at any time. For instance, each e-mail you receive (aside from “service e-mails”) contains instructions explaining how to stop receiving such e-mails.

If your personally identifiable information changes or if you no longer desire our service, we provide a way for you to correct, update, or delete/deactivate your personally identifiable information. This can be done by visiting the Profile page on our website or by e-mailing us at info@uphelp.org.

4. How we protect your information

United Policyholders is committed to protecting the security of your personal information. We use a variety of up-to-date security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For example, we store any personal information you provide on computer systems with limited access. These systems are located in controlled facilities. You should keep in mind that no Internet communication is ever completely secure or error-free.

5. Changes to this statement

We may periodically update this Statement to reflect changes in our services and policies. When we post changes to this Statement, we will revise the “last updated” date at the top of this Statement. We encourage you to periodically review this Statement to be informed of how we are protecting your information.

6. Contact information

If you have questions or complaints regarding this Statement, you should first contact us at privacy@uphelp.org with any questions or concerns. All customer requests will be formally reviewed by uphelp.org.

United Policyholders

381 Bush Street, 8th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104

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Note also that your use of the Website is subject to our Terms of Use.