222 Palisades Creek Drive
Richardson, TX 75080
Phone: 972-952-9393
Fax: 972-952-9435
Email: [email protected]
Introduction
The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (“NCEES” or “we” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who use NCEES products and services, as set forth in this policy document.
The purpose of this privacy policy is to assist end users in understanding NCEES’ use of personally identifiable information (PII) collected through ncees.org. It explains the types of information we collect, how and why we use it, the choices you have regarding the use of your information, and under what circumstances we may disclose it.
This policy covers ncees.org and all other NCEES-affiliated sites that link to this policy.
Please read this privacy policy carefully to understand our policies and practices related to your personal information. By using the NCEES website, you agree to be bound by and comply with the NCEES Terms of Use agreement and this privacy policy. If you do not agree with this privacy policy and/or our terms of use, you should not visit or use the NCEES website.
Information we collect
We collect and use your personally identifiable information (PII) to facilitate the licensure process with our member boards, which are the engineering and surveying licensing boards in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; and to provide various services relating or in support of that process, including licensure verification.
We collect certain personal information to provide and develop NCEES services and programs, to engage in research for specific, defined purposes, and to share as explained below in the Information Sharing section. Such personal information may include names, identification numbers, contact information, academic records, medical information (for individuals who request accommodations on NCEES exams), institutional affiliation, and other biographical information.
When you agree to use a service or purchase a product provided by NCEES, you form an agreement with NCEES for the processing of your personal information in accordance with this privacy policy and the applicable examinee agreement or other terms of use presented to you when you agree to use the service or purchase the product.
Personal Information
On our website, you may have the opportunity to register for an online account to access exam-related materials and information, register for and schedule an exam, and/or complete information required for an NCEES Record, Credentials Evaluation, or continuing professional competency (CPC) tracking. Many of these activities and services require you to provide personal information such as education, work experience, employers, supervisors, and work performance. We may also ask you to provide additional information such as name, postal address, telephone numbers, email address, date of birth, and country of citizenship.
Technical information gathered automatically
While browsing our website or accessing any of our products and services, we may also collect certain information by automated means, such as cookies and web beacons. A “cookie” is a text file that websites send to a visitor’s computer or other internet-connected device to uniquely identify the visitor’s browser or to store information or settings in the browser. A “web beacon,” also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs, may be used to count users who have visited those pages, to count users who have opened an email, and to compile other related website statistics. We may also use third-party analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) that collect information about use of services and user traffic. The information we collect by automated means may include, without limitation, information about the devices you use to access NCEES websites, products, and services (such as the IP address, browser type, operating system, and type of device); dates, times, and duration of use (including whether you are a repeat or first-time visitor); and information on actions taken (such as page views and website navigation patterns).
Our sites may also contain links whose related cookies may collect data and track your movement and behavior on other sites. We are not responsible for these links, as they are not controlled by NCEES.
Use of information
NCEES collects and uses personal information to enable us to provide reliable and convenient delivery of products and services and to improve our products and services. We use information that we collect about you or that you provide us, including any personal information, to:
- Present our website and improve its content;
- Administer our relationship with you, our business, and third-party providers (e.g., to process payments, ship products, and schedule exam appointments);
- Provide you with information, products, and services that you request from us;
- Set up and administer your account; provide training, education, information about professional licensing and regulation and laws and related requirements, test preparation assistance, licensing application assistance, professional record maintenance, and communication with licensing regulators and agencies; and fulfill and enforce our agreement with you;
- Administer your account and provide technical and customer support to verify your identity and maintain your sign-in as you use our website;
- Personalize your experience with our services;
- Communicate with you about our products and services;
- Analyze trends and statistics, protect the security of our sites and our exams and other intellectual property, and evaluate our products and services;
- Enforce our Terms of Use; and
- Comply with applicable legal requirements and industry standards.
Information sharing with third parties
NCEES may, in its sole discretion, share personal information with certifying boards, licensing bodies, and/or other governmental entities or not-for-profit organizations involved in the engineering and surveying professions (i) to verify an individual’s eligibility for licensure or to participate in a given service; (ii) to ensure that credentials are attributed to the proper person; and (iii) to support other proper purposes that protect the integrity of our examination programs and the licensure processes of our member boards. NCEES may charge reasonable fees when providing information to other parties as permitted herein.
NCEES reserves the right to use or disclose information where we reasonably believe it is needed to (i) investigate and help prevent security threats, fraud, malicious activity, or unauthorized or illegal activity involving our services or networks or those of our member boards; or (ii) enforce or protect NCEES’s rights and property. In such circumstances, personal information may be disclosed without notice to the individual.
Your choices
NCEES may use the personal information we collect to provide requested information and materials or to offer you products and services that may be of interest to you. You may opt out of receiving commercial emails from us by clicking on the unsubscribe link included in every commercial email we send.
Commonly used web browsers will allow you to block, disable, or delete cookies from your computer. Review your browser’s privacy and security features to learn more about these user options. Please note that without cookies you will not be able to take full advantage of all NCEES products and services.
Disclosure of information
NCEES may disclose aggregated and statistical data without restriction when publishing reports about NCEES products and services or for other purposes.
In addition to the sharing of information discussed above, NCEES may disclose personal information collected about you to
- Share with third parties that we use to support our operations and who are bound by contractual obligations to keep personal information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them;
- Comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request; and
- Enforce or apply our Terms of Use and other agreements.
Credit card information
Credit card information that you provide to NCEES is shared with the credit card processing company. NCEES may retain partial credit card information for future identification of the transaction, including some (but not all) of the digits of your credit card number and your billing address when provided. Any such credit card information retained by NCEES is kept within a secure database with limited access. Alternatively, a third-party service provider might process your payment to NCEES under an agreement with NCEES.
Data security
NCEES uses reasonable precautions to protect your personal information. Safeguards are in place to protect the integrity, security, and privacy of personal information collected through our sites. However, it is important to note that electronic transmission via the internet is not 100 percent secure. Also, access to personally identifiable information is restricted to those who need the information to perform a specific job related to the licensure process.
Accessing and changing your information
You have the right to access your personal information and correct certain types of information (e.g., the spelling of your name, your mailing address, or your email address) by logging in to your online account or by contacting NCEES Client Services through one of the methods listed here. You also have the right to request that certain of your personal information be deleted. We will make reasonable attempts to comply with such requests, but NCEES may deny such requests, in whole or in part, where we are legally required or permitted to retain the information or where the requested deletion would require disproportionate staff or technical effort, risk the privacy of others, or is otherwise deemed by NCEES in its sole discretion to be impractical or unwarranted.
California privacy rights
California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits users of our services who are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please write us at:
NCEES
200 Verdae Boulevard
Greenville, SC 29607
Children under the age of 13
NCEES does not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under the age of 13.
Changes to our privacy policy
We reserve the right to change or update this privacy policy at any time. You are responsible for reviewing this privacy policy periodically, and your continued use of our sites following changes to this privacy policy will be considered acceptance of any changes. Any changes or updates will be effective immediately upon posting to the site. The date this privacy policy was last revised is at the top of this page.
Governing law
NCEES is based in the state of South Carolina in the United States. Our sites are controlled, operated, and administered entirely within the United States. If you are located outside of the United States, any information you provide will be transferred to the United States. By visiting and using our website and services, you consent to the transfer to and processing and storage of your information in the United States and in accordance with the laws of the United States, which may have different data protection laws than those in the country where you reside.