The American Phytopathological Society ("APS") is a global society of plant pathology professionals. We understand that you are aware of and care about your own personal privacy interests, and we take that seriously. This privacy policy describes our policies and practices regarding the collection and use of your personal data and sets forth your privacy rights. As information privacy is an ongoing responsibility, we will continue to update this page as we undertake new personal data practices or adopt new privacy policies.
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Event Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
I. Applicability and Eligibility
This privacy policy applies to our collection, use, disclosure, and protection of your data. It does not apply to third-party websites, applications, or services. Before accessing, using, or interacting with our services, carefully review the terms and conditions of this privacy policy. Services are not directed to children under the age of 16. You may not use our services if you are under the age of 16.
II. Website Usage
As is true of most other websites, our website (“Site") collects certain information automatically and stores it in log files. The information may include internet protocol (IP) addresses, the region or general location where your computer or device is accessing the internet, browser type, operating system, and other usage information about the use of our website, including a history of the pages you view. We use this information to help us design our Site to better suit our users' needs. We may also use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our website, analyze trends, track visitor movements, and gather broad demographic information to assist us in identifying visitor preferences. Our website also uses cookies and web beacons.
Cookies & Beacons
In order to help enhance the performance and functionality of the Site, we may utilize session, persistent, and third-party “cookies" that store a small piece of data on users' computers and collect certain information about the users' visit to our Site. We may also use cookies to understand users' browsing and buying activities so that we can measure the success of online advertising campaigns we run on the Site. Our Site also uses web beacons (either directly or from our partners), along with cookies, to determine if a user has visited a particular website. These beacons aid in providing more relevant advertising to the user, as well measuring the success of an advertising campaign, but provide no personally identifiable information.
Cookies are small text files that web servers typically send to users' computer when they visit a website. Cookies are stored as text files on users' hard drive and can be accessed by web servers when the user visits a website or views an advertisement. A session cookie is a cookie that stores information as a user is using the Site but is deleted once the browser session is finished. A persistent cookie is a cookie that stores information as a user utilizes the Site and stores and uses that information in connection with future visits of the user to the Site. Third-party cookies and/or web beacons are cookies or web beacons provided by our technology and/or advertising partners. Any third-party cookie or web beacon that we authorize for use on the Site only collects that information described below for the same stated purposes as if we were directly collecting the information. For a third-party cookie or web beacon, the third-party will have access to the collected information in order to provide us with information or services to enhance the performance and functionality of the Site.
The cookies and web beacons we use collect non-personally identifiable information about users of the Site, including: browser used to access the Site, date and time, the URL of the page being loaded, users who have visited a particular website(s), any previously assigned cookie identification (a unique identifier assigned to a user to identify repeat visitors), browser window size, the geographic location of the user, device and operating system used to access the Site. The information we collect from these cookies and web beacons is used to determine information about a user's visit to our Site, including the number of visits, average time spent, pages viewed, navigation history through the website, and other statistics. This information is used to enhance the users experience while visiting our Site and to improve the performance of our Site by, among other things, allowing us to monitor Site performance, making the Site easier to use, measuring the effectiveness of promotional placements, and tailoring the Site (including the ads and offers a user receives) to better match a user's interests and preferences.
Users who prefer not to accept cookies can set their Internet browser to notify them when they receive a cookie or to prevent cookies from being placed on their hard drive. If you consent to our collection of cookies and you subsequently wish to withdraw your consent, you will need to manage the settings on your web browser to delete all cookies and disallow further acceptance of cookies. Please note that disabling cookies on your browser will prevent us from tracking your activities in relations to our Site, however, it may also disable some of the functions and features of the Site and the Site may not work properly.
If you would like to determine your consent status, please contact us at:
apshq@scisoc.org.
By continuing to use our Site, you are agreeing to our placing cookies and/or web beacons on your computer in order to analyze the way you use our Site. Please read this cookie policy carefully for more details about the information we collect when you use the Site.
If you do not wish to accept cookies or web beacons in connection with your use of this Site, please discontinue use of the Site.
III.
Collection and Use of Personal Information
We collect personal information about our members and other users. This information includes, but is not limited to, first name, last name, job title, employer name, work address, work email, and work phone number. This information is used to provide members and customers with goods and services, including membership services, event notifications, training, and more. We do not sell personal information to anyone, we never share phone numbers and only share other data in the following ways:
- Where necessary with services provided by third parties who provide APS with office, administrative, information technology, production, payment, or business management services, and who are required to comply with this policy. For example, when someone submits their abstract for the annual meeting or an article to a journal through vendor-owned platforms.
- Where the third party is a person leading a committee, course, or other initiative that involves you as a volunteer or registrant.
- Where APS is required to disclose personal information in response to lawful requests by public authorities and government agencies.
- Where all or substantially all the business or assets of APS relating to our services are sold, assigned, or transferred to another entity.
- Where we provide publishing services in conjunction with third parties, such as partner publishers, APS may disclose navigational and transactional information in the form of anonymous, aggregate usage statistics and demographics information that does not reveal your identity or personal information.
- No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
IV.
Correspondence Information
If you correspond with us by email, the postal service, or other form of communication, we may retain such correspondence and the information contained for purposes of responding to your inquiry; to notify you of our conferences, publications, or other services; or to keep a record of your complaint, accommodation request, etc. As a member of APS, you are authorizing APS to contact you via various methods (email, SMS, postal service or other form of communication) concerning matters related to your APS membership and other offerings. Users may opt-out of receiving certain communications by following the unsubscribe process described in an email communication, SMS communication, or by contacting our office directly at
apshq@scisoc.org.
V. Access to Your Information
Certain tools and settings are provided to help you access, correct, delete, or modify your personal information. We welcome you to contact us regarding the information we have collected about you, including the nature and accuracy of the data collected about you, to request an update, modification, or deletion of your information, to opt out of certain services, or to withdraw any consent you may have granted. Please note that if you choose to delete your information or opt out of the collection and use of your information, certain communications, Site features, and member benefits may no longer be available to you.
VI. Purposes for Processing Your Data
As explained above, we process your personal information for membership administration, to deliver member benefits, and to inform you of our events, publications, and other benefits or opportunities associated with your membership. We may also use this information to help us understand our members' needs and interests to better tailor our products and services to meet your needs.
VII. Payment Information
We may collect and store information related to purchases if you choose to purchase goods and services from us. You may provide certain information to complete payments, including your credit or debit card number, card expiration date, CVV code, and billing address (collectively, “Payment Information"), along with your name and billing, and shipping address, to complete payment transactions. Per PCI Compliance, we do not accept credit card information via email. Credit card information received via fax, phone, or mail is entered into a secure system and then deleted and destroyed.
VIII. Membership
When you become a member, we collect information about you including (but not limited to) your name, your employer's name, your work address, and your email address. We may also collect a second email address, a mailing address, and a mobile phone number. Members may voluntarily provide additional information in their membership profile, such as demographic information and details about their educational background, number of years in the industry, and the like. Members may
edit their profile at any time to change, add, or remove personal information.
Sharing Information
Information about your purchases are maintained in association with your membership or profile account. The personal information we collect from you is stored in the membership database.
APS works with third-party vendors to provide a more customized experience for you. To do so, we disclose personally identifiable information about you (specifically, your name and email address) to those vendors, though we do not allow them to re-sell or use that information for their own purposes.
Member Directory
By default, members are listed in our Member Directory, which is accessible to other members using this Site. Members may opt out of having their information shared in the Member Directory.
Member Directory searches are produced as a service of APS. Per the APS Member Directory Terms of Use, use of this information and/or membership lists for any type of unsolicited sales or distribution of product information/literature is strictly prohibited.
Member Directory Terms of Use
We encourage your use of the APS online membership directory for professional networking purposes with your peers for guidance and insight on best practices and experiences in the philanthropic sector. However, you are not permitted to use the APS name, or the name of an APS meeting, program, product, or service, in your communications with directory APS in a way that implies the APS participates in, or approves of, the communication, or that implies APS endorsement or sponsorship of the content of your communications, without prior APS approval in writing.
The directory may not be used to sell or market a business, product, or service; to solicit contributions, sponsorships, or business opportunities; or for any unlawful use. The contents of the directory may not be used to generate mailing lists, e-mail lists, phone lists, or other lists for any commercial purposes. You agree not to solicit the members included on this list unless your solicitation is a direct result of having obtained the members' contact information from another source in the ordinary course of your business. You agree not to release or sell the directory or its contents to any third parties. Nothing herein shall prohibit or limit the use of information generally available to the public.
APS reserves the right to change the contents, format, or access of this directory or to discontinue it at any time, as well as the right to deny access to the directory to any person or party the APS has reasonable grounds to believe may be using the directory for an unlawful or unauthorized purpose. Check back periodically for any modifications to the Terms of Use. Should you later object to the Terms of Use or subsequent modifications, your only recourse is to immediately discontinue your use of the directory. Your continued use of the directory after any change constitutes acceptance of the change.
The contents of the directory are owned by and are the exclusive property of APS. Unauthorized use of the directory is prohibited and can subject you to damages plus attorney's fees. You acquire only the right to use the directory as authorized herein, and not any right of ownership in the directory.
By accessing the directory, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions.
IX. Online Member Community
We provide an online community where our members can engage with each other through discussion forums. This service is maintained through a third-party provider. Refer to the
online community terms and privacy policy for details about how the platform manages user data.
X.
Job Board
We maintain a Job Board, managed by a third-party provider, where members can post and search job listings in the field. Refer to the
Job Board privacy policy for details about how the platform manages user data.
XI.
Events
APS may host events throughout the year, including (but not limited to) society-wide meetings and conferences, webinars, courses, and any other educational and professional training we might offer as part of our programming (collectively “events"). If you are a member and register for one of our events, we will access the information in your member account to provide you with information and services associated with the event. If you are not a member and you register for one of our events, we will collect your name and contact information, which we will store in our database and use to provide you with information and services associated with the event. If you are a presenter at one of our events, we will collect information about you including your name, employer, and contact information, and photograph, and we may also collect information provided by event attendees who evaluated your performance as a presenter. As an attendee, speaker, or sponsor/exhibitor, we will keep a record of your participation to provide you with post-event information including details on upcoming events you may be interested in.
For more information, see the
event terms and conditions.
XII. Email Communications
In addition to producing original content, we may link to content produced by other parties from our website or in email communications. This means you may find yourself on our website or reading an email where we will offer you a link to another organization's website for additional relevant content. At these times, you will be leaving our website. We are not responsible or liable for content provided by these third-party websites or personal information they may happen to gather from you.
You may have the option to subscribe to some of our email communications without becoming a member. To receive emails, you might need to create a profile on our Site. We do not share profile information with any third party other than to store the information in our database.
You may manage your email preferences by subscribing or unsubscribing at any time. If you have any difficulties managing your email or other communication preferences, please contact us at
apshq@scisoc.org.
XIII. Social Media
We maintain active society accounts on various social media platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter), among others. Our Site also uses interfaces with these social media sites. In the course of promoting our events and sharing content of interest to our members, we may include publicly available information, such as social media handles of event speakers and links to other user profiles on those platforms. We also repost content from other social media accounts of interest to our members, which may include
images from our events. By tagging our official society social media accounts or using our society hashtags, you consent to the reposting of your content on our official channels. Refer to each individual social media platform for the specific privacy and data policies related to use of their platforms, including the impact of “liking" or sharing information from our Site through these social media platforms.
XIV. Apps
We may offer access to apps on our Site that you can download from the Google Play and Apple App Store. Please view the privacy policy and data settings available within those individual apps. We do not collect any data from the use of our apps.
We also use an app to provide an enhanced experience for attendees at our Plant Health Annual Meeting. This app is offered through a third party. When you download the event app, it is recommended that you review the app's privacy policy.
XV.
Changes and Updates to the Privacy Policy
By using this Site, you agree to the terms and conditions contained in this privacy policy. As our organization, membership, and benefits change from time to time, this privacy policy is expected to change as well. We reserve the right to amend the privacy policy at any time, for any reason, without notice to you, other than the posting of the amended privacy policy on our website. We may email periodic reminders of our notices or terms and conditions. We will email members of material changes.
XVI. Questions & Concerns
We are headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. If you have any questions or concerns about our data policies or practices, contact:
Member Services
American Phytopathological Society
3285 Northwood Circle, Ste. 100
St. Paul, MN 55121, U.S.A.
Event Terms & Conditions
Attendee Information
A full list of attendees will be viewable in the mobile and/or web-based apps for select events. Attendees can direct message through the apps to connect, set appointments, and network with other attendees. The full attendee list will be available in the app for a limited time post-event. A PDF document will be provided to exhibitors and sponsors including attendee’s full name, role, organization/affiliation, and mailing address.
Cancellation and Substitution Policy
Registration cancellations must be made in writing and emailed to APS at
apsmeeting@scisoc.org by the date specified for each event. Cancellations received by this date may be subject to a cancellation fee. Registration cancellations received after that date, are not subject to a refund. - Registration fees will be refunded the same way they were paid to APS.
- Attendee substitutions are permitted. If the original registrant is a member, the substitute must also be a member, pay the membership fee or the difference between the member and nonmember rate.
- Membership fees paid with PLUS registrations are non-refundable after 30 days from registration.
- In the event APS cancels the event or associated ticketed events, APS is not liable for any charges including nonrefundable hotel charges, airfares or change penalties imposed by an airline.
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By registering for this event, you agree to the cancellation and refund terms and conditions.
Code of Conduct
APS is committed to providing safe and inclusive opportunities for interaction among members and attendees at our events.
View the Code of Conduct
Expected Behavior Policy
We are dedicated to providing a harassment-free meeting experience for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. We ask all attendees, exhibitors, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, guests and other participants be considerate and respectful to all members and refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech. Please note, if you register a guest for the meeting, you may be held responsible for the actions of the guest. Violations of this policy should be reported to meeting staff.
APS reserves the right to remove any individual from attendance or other participation in any APS sponsor event without prior warning or refund, and to take additional action as determined necessary, up to and including expulsion from participation in APS. Any course of action recommended by APS is final.
Force Majeure
If APS is prevented from carrying out its obligations as it pertains to any event as a result of any cause outside of our control, or the event cannot be conducted virtually because of a software issue or issue with the hosting platform, APS shall have the right to immediately terminate all or a portion of the event without liability and shall be relieved of its obligations to any registrant. An event outside of our control includes, but is not limited to: acts of God, strikes or labor disputes, government requisitions, restrictions or war or apparent act of war, terrorism, disaster, civil disorder, epidemic or pandemic curtailment or restriction on transportation. If the event is terminated due to Force Majeure occurrence before the first day of the event, APS will reschedule the event and your registration fee will be applied to the rescheduled event.
Limitations on Use
By registering for a paid APS event, you agree not to share, sell or trade your access. By registering for an APS event you agree not to sell, trade, transfer, or share your complimentary access link and/or code, unless such transfer is granted by APS. If APS determines that you have violated this policy, APS may cancel your access, retain any payments made by you, charge an additional fee, and/or prohibit you from attending future events.
Recording, Live Streaming, and Videotaping
To encourage open communication and the sharing of unpublished data and ideas participants agree to not record, broadcast, video, post to social media or otherwise distribute sessions at any APS events without the consent of the presenter.
Virtual (Zoom) Meeting Policy
Consistent with APS privacy and security policies, APS does not permit 3rd party note-takers or AI assistants in Zoom meetings.
The Zoom AI is available to Zoom attendees and the transcriptions can be made available to all attendees after a meeting.
Failure to comply with this policy may result in the 3rd party tool being removed from the meeting.
Use of Likeness
By participating in an APS event, you acknowledge and agree to grant APS the right to record, film, live stream, photograph, or capture your likeness in any media now available or hereafter developed and to distribute, broadcast, or use without any further approval from you or any payment to you. APS reserves the right to edit such media, the right to use the media alone or together with other information, and the right to allow others to use or disseminate the media.
Onsite Safety Protocols
APS is dedicated to keeping everyone safe onsite at the meeting venue. By registering for this meeting, you agree to follow all safety protocols that APS has in place prior to the start of and during the meeting. APS reserves the right to refuse entry and/or remove anyone from the onsite conference without prior warning or refund if they choose not to comply with the safety protocols put in place by APS. Any decision made by APS is final.
The health and well-being of our attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, and staff is our top priority. As restrictions are lifted and we hold our events, APS continues to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on in-person events and we are working closely with our various partners to ensure we provide a healthy and safe environment.
Further, you understand and agree that APS may share any COVID-related information about you that APS receives as part of such health and safety protocols with public health authorities or other regulatory agencies, as required under applicable laws.
All onsite APS staff will be vaccinated.
Housing
Booking a room at a contracted hotel under the official APS room block benefits you and it supports the association. When you "book within the block," you help our organization secure future meeting sites, you enable us to provide some important features that participants have come to enjoy, and you help keep the meeting registration fees lower. Please book responsibly.
By selecting the housing discount during registration, if available, you are agreeing to stay at the event hotel in exchange for a discount on your registration fee. If you choose other accommodations after registration and/or we are unable to confirm your stay, you will be charged for the amount of that discount after the event. In accordance with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) you are consenting to APS's use of your information solely for the purpose of communicating with you and the hotel regarding your room reservations and related services.
APS is aware of companies pretending to be the “official” APS housing company, offering special non-refundable rates, and requesting credit card information. There is NO company that is authorized to solicit directly by telephone for hotel bookings or special discounts. We encourage attendees to book directly with our contracted hotel via the reservation link on the hotel travel page.
