This privacy statement applies to the information the Division of Continuing Education (“DCE”) collects, uses, and discloses on the following websites: dce.Harvard.edu, the main DCE website; Extension.Harvard.edu, the Harvard Extension School website; Summer.Harvard.edu, the Harvard Summer School website; Alumni.Extension.Harvard.edu, the Harvard Extension Alumni Association; Professional.dce.Harvard.edu, the Harvard Professional & Executive Development; and hilr.Harvard.edu, the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement (together, the “Sites”). We understand that the privacy of our users is important. To that end, we have adopted the following policy with regard to our privacy practices with respect to the Sites. Personal information is information associated with a user’s name or personal identity. We are providing this policy below so that you may understand the terms and conditions associated with the provision of any personal information to us. Please note, however, that this Privacy Statement has been developed with the recognition that Internet technologies continue to develop and evolve rapidly, and that such changes may require us to alter our Privacy Statement. Any such alterations will not affect our general commitment to the protection of our visitors’ privacy. We will post any changes to our Privacy Statement on this page. Your continued use of this Website constitutes acceptance of such terms and policies.
How We Collect and Use Information
Information You Provide Us
The registration and admissions processes require users to provide personal information and preferences. You also have the option of providing additional company information during this process. When you send email or other communications to us, we may use the communications in order to process your inquiries, respond to your requests and improve our services.
Usage Information Collected Automatically
We may collect certain usage information about visitors to our websites, such as data about usage and service operation. The following summarizes the types of information that we may collect.
System Information, IP Addresses, and Referrers
When you connect to one of our Sites, our web server may record the numerical Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer you are using, information about your browser and operating system, date and time of access and the Internet address and page which linked you to our site. We use such information to help diagnose problems with our server, to administer and improve our website and to generate aggregate statistical reports that analyze general user information and demographics.
If you submit identifying information to our website — e.g., to join a mailing list or to establish user credentials to access registration-only pages — we may tie server log information to the information you have disclosed and make internal use of the resulting information set.
In addition, we ordinarily do not disclose to third parties site usage by individual IP addresses, but may do so in very limited circumstances when complying with law or legal processes, working with consultants assisting us in fixing or improving our site, or in monitoring and improving the security of our network. Our staff monitors search terms that users enter into our search engine, but this tracking is never associated with individual users.
Cookies and Similar Technologies
Cookies are unique bits of computer data that many websites will transfer to your computer the first time that you visit. Cookies are stored on your system and may be later accessed by the website to track usage and other information. We use cookies and pixels, or transparent GIF files, to help manage online advertising. These GIF files are provided by our ad management partners. These files enable the ad servers to recognize the unique cookies on your Web browser, which in turn enables us to learn which advertisements bring users to our website. The cookie was placed by us, or by our ad management partner. The information we collect using these technologies does not contain your name, address, telephone number, or email address.
A cookie may also be used to deliver customizable and personalized services and information by tracking which pages a user has already visited. We may also use cookies to track session information, such as pages visited or duration of visit, which will help us continue to improve our format and content.
You can find more information about the individual cookies we use and the purposes for which we use them by clicking here.
You can review your Internet browser settings, typically under the sections “Help” or “Internet Options,” to exercise your options for certain cookies. If you disable or delete certain cookies in your settings, you may not be able to use features of the site.
To learn more about the use of cookies by Google for analytics and to exercise choice regarding those cookies, please visit the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
To learn more about certain third-party cookies used for interest-based advertising, including through cross-device tracking, and to exercise certain choices regarding such cookies, please visit the Digital Advertising Alliance and Network Advertising Initiative.
The opt-outs described above are device- and browser-specific and may not work on all devices. If you choose to opt-out through any of these opt-out tools, this does not mean you will cease to see advertising. Rather, the ads you see will just not be based on your interests.
Marketing Communications
If you have requested program information or marketing communications, we may provide you with information about Harvard Extension School programs, Harvard Professional Development programs, Harvard Summer School programs, and other content that may be of interest to you via phone, email, and/or text messages. To stop receiving our phone, email, and/or text marketing communications, you can follow the “unsubscribe” or “manage preference” instructions provided in the footer of any marketing email you receive from us. You may also reply “STOP” to any text message you receive from us or inform a caller by phone that you no longer wish to receive such communications. Lastly, if you wish to communicate your opt-out via email, you can do so by emailing us at the following email addresses:
- Extension School: Inquiry@Extension.Harvard.edu
- Professional & Executive Development: ExecDev@DCE.Harvard.edu
- Summer School: Inquiry@Summer.Harvard.edu
How We Disclose Information
As a general rule, we will not sell, swap, rent, or otherwise disclose any personal information to third-parties other than as described in this Privacy Statement. We may disclose the information we collect to our employees, consultants, agents, other service providers or Harvard University Schools, Centers, and other Harvard units and controlled entities to further the conduct of our operations or the operations of the university. We may also disclose this information under special circumstances, including disclosures required by law, court order or circumstances under which disclosure, in our sole discretion, is necessary to protect the our legal rights, including intellectual property rights, or the rights of the university.
Users Located Outside of United States of America
If you are located in a country outside of the United States which has enacted a personal data protection law, please click here for additional privacy disclosures that may apply to you.
Children
We do not intentionally collect personally identifiable information about children age 13 or younger. If you suspect that we have personal, identifying information about your child, please notify us immediately so that we may remove this information from our database.
External Links
Our Sites contain links to other independently run websites both within and outside the Harvard network that are not under the control of DCE. DCE is not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of such websites. These websites may have their own privacy notices or terms of use, which you should review if you visit any sites linked through our Sites.
Security Precautions
This site has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. Unfortunately, due to the nature of Internet communications, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. While we remain committed to protecting the privacy of our users, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk.
If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this website, or your dealings with this website, please contact us at Inquiry@Extension.Harvard.edu.
Changes to This Policy
We may change this privacy policy from time to time without advance notice. If we change the policy, we will post the modified policy on this page, and will note the date of modification. We encourage visitors to check this page frequently for any changes to this Privacy Statement.
This privacy policy was last updated November 6, 2020.