PRIVACY POLICY.

Effective Date: 15OCT2024 
Last Updated: 15OCT2024 

 

At the Institute of Strategy and Tactics Research Corporation, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is handled securely and responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal data in compliance with international guidelines and privacy laws, including but not limited to **GDPR (EU)**, **CCPA (California)**, **PIPEDA (Canada)**, and other global privacy regulations. This policy also ensures compliance with most payment processing systems and platforms such as **Shopify**, **Stripe**, **PayPal**, and others.

​

---

### **1. Information We Collect**

#### a. **Personal Data**
We may collect the following personal data from you:
- **Identity Information:** Name, email address, postal address, phone number, and other contact details when you interact with our website (e.g., sign up for newsletters, participate in events, or purchase from our website).
- **Payment Information:** Credit/debit card details, billing information, and transaction history. Payment data is processed securely in compliance with PCI DSS standards via trusted third-party payment processors (e.g., Shopify, Stripe, PayPal). We do not store full credit card details on our servers.
- **Technical Information:** IP address, browser type, device information, operating system, and referral source, collected through cookies or similar technologies.
- **Usage Data:** Information about how you use our website, including page views, time spent on our site, and interaction with content.

#### b. **Cookies and Tracking Technologies**
We use cookies, pixels, and other tracking technologies to collect information that helps improve your experience on our website. You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings.

---

### **2. How We Use Your Data**

We use your personal data for the following purposes:
- **Processing Orders & Transactions:** To process and deliver your orders securely via third-party payment platforms like **Shopify** or **Stripe**.
- **Communication:** To send you information related to our services, events, research updates, and newsletters (with your consent).
- **Personalization:** To personalize your experience on our website and recommend content or products based on your preferences.
- **Improving Services:** To analyze user behavior, improve website functionality, and optimize user experience.
- **Compliance:** To comply with legal obligations, such as record-keeping, tax filings, and fraud prevention.
 
We will only process your personal data when we have a legal basis to do so, such as fulfilling a contract, complying with a legal obligation, or with your consent.

---

### **3. Data Sharing and Disclosure**

We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes. However, we may share your data with:
- **Service Providers:** Third-party providers who help us with payment processing (e.g., **Stripe**, **PayPal**, **Shopify**), website hosting, email services, and other operational functions. These providers have their own privacy policies and comply with international data protection laws.
- **Legal Compliance:** If required by law, we may disclose your information to comply with legal processes, protect our rights, and respond to law enforcement or regulatory requests.

---

### **4. Data Security**

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. This includes:
- **Encryption:** We use SSL/TLS encryption to protect data transmitted through our website.
- **PCI Compliance:** For payment processing, we adhere to **PCI DSS** standards to safeguard payment information.
- **Access Controls:** We restrict access to personal data to authorized personnel only.

Despite our efforts, please note that no transmission of data over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

---

### **5. International Data Transfers**

As a global organization, we may transfer and process your data outside your home country, including to countries that may not have the same level of data protection as your jurisdiction. However, we ensure that appropriate safeguards (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent) are in place to protect your data in compliance with applicable laws, such as **GDPR**.

---

### **6. Your Data Protection Rights**

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- **Access:** The right to request access to the personal data we hold about you.
- **Correction:** The right to request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete data.
- **Deletion:** The right to request the deletion of your personal data, subject to legal obligations.
- **Restriction:** The right to request the restriction of processing under certain circumstances.
- **Data Portability:** The right to request the transfer of your data to another service provider.
- **Withdrawal of Consent:** Where we rely on your consent for processing, you can withdraw your consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at **[Insert Email Address]**. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable law.

---

### **7. Retention of Data**

We will retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Payment information is stored only as long as required by PCI DSS guidelines and legal obligations.

---

### **8. Third-Party Links**

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, plug-ins, or applications. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any site you visit.

---

### **9. Children’s Privacy**

Our website is not directed at individuals under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child without parental consent, we will delete such information.

---

### **10. Updates to This Policy**

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or technological developments. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised "Effective Date."

---

### **Contact Us**

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us at:  
info[at]istrglobal.org

Thank you for trusting the **Institute of Strategy and Tactics Research**. Your privacy is of utmost importance to us.