Science Exchange, Inc. Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 24, 2024

Introduction

Science Exchange, Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries (collectively, "Science Exchange", "we" or "us") is a US-headquartered company that connects researchers with scientific service providers. We aim to enable scientific discoveries by making it easy for researchers to access the world’s leading scientific service providers and most innovative scientific technologies. Science Exchange, Inc. is the controller for the personal information we process, unless otherwise stated. For information on how to contact us, please see the “Contact Us” section below.

Protecting your privacy is important to us. Accordingly, we’re providing this Privacy Policy to explain our practices regarding the collection, use and disclosure of Personal Information (defined below) that we receive when you use our website (www.scienceexchange.com and its subdomains) ("Website") or our Services. Also, please note that, unless we define a term in this Privacy Policy, all capitalized words used in this Privacy Policy have the same meaning as in the Science Exchange Terms of Use, available at Terms of Use.

How do we collect and use information?

Our primary goals in collecting information are to provide and improve our Services, to administer your use of the Services (including your account), and to enable you to enjoy and easily navigate our Services.

Account Information. If you create an account to use the Services, we’ll collect certain information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (“Personal Information”) that you provide to us, such as your name, email address, job title, and phone number. If you provide it, we may also collect your photograph, the names of organizations you are affiliated with and other profile information.

Supplier Information. If you create an account to use the Services as a Supplier, in addition to the information listed above, we’ll also collect additional information including the address of your facilities, the names of individuals who work in your facilities, and services offered by you.

Order and Payment Information. We may collect Personal Information and details associated with your orders, including payment information. If you choose to use our ACH payment method, we may collect information such as your name, bank account number, and routing number in order to process your orders and payments. Any credit card payments made via our Services are processed by third-party payment processors, such as Stripe. We do not directly collect or store any payment card information entered through our Services, but we may receive information associated with your payment card information (e.g., your billing details). For more information about Stripe’s privacy practices, please see Stripe’s Privacy Policy.

Job Applicant Information. If you are using our Website to explore job opportunities with us, please see our Job Applicant Privacy Notice, which explains how we collect, use, store and share Personal Information in connection with your application through the "Careers" page of our Website.

Your Communications with Us: You may also give us Personal Information, such as your name, email address, and phone number, through our Website, for example, when you make inquiries about our Services, sign up for updates, or otherwise communicate with us. If you contact us by email, or in any other way, we will keep a copy of your communications with us.

Surveys. We may contact you to participate in surveys. If you decide to participate, you may be asked to provide certain information which may include Personal Information.

Interactive Features. We and others who use our Services may collect Personal Information that you submit or make available through our interactive features (e.g., blogs and social media pages). Any information you provide on the public sections of these features will be considered “public”, unless otherwise required by applicable law, and is not subject to the privacy protections referenced herein.

Conferences, Trade Shows, and Other Events. We may collect Personal Information from individuals when we attend conferences, trade shows, and other events.

Information Collected Automatically Using Cookies and other Web Technologies. Like many website owners, we and our third-party providers use automated data collection tools such as Cookies and Web Beacons to collect certain information. Please see the section entitled "Cookies and Do Not Track Signals" below for more information.

Information Related to Use of the Services. Our servers automatically record certain information about how a person uses our Services (we refer to this information as “Log Data”), including information about Requesters, Suppliers and non-account holders (together, “Users”). Log Data may include information such as a User’s Internet Protocol address, browser type, operating system, search terms entered on the Services, information submitted in connection with Orders, and transaction-related information and other statistics. We will retain and evaluate Log Data for analytics purposes to understand how people use our Website so that we can make it more intuitive and useful.

Use of Information. We may use the information we collect, including Log Data, for the following purposes:

• to provide, optimize and improve our Websites and Services;
• to identify and repair errors with our Services;
• to administer your use of the Services (including your account);
• to enable you to enjoy and easily navigate our Services;
• to tailor our Website and the Services to your needs and preferences;
• to analyze use of our Website and Services in order to expand their features and functionality;
• to analyze your use of the Services for trend monitoring and marketing;
• to conduct short-term, transient use, such as contextual customization of ads;
• to deal with your online inquiries or provide access to resources you have requested from us;
• to send you communications such as account information, service updates and marketing information in accordance with your communication preferences;
• to process and complete transactions and send related information including invoices and agreements;
• to detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent or illegal activity, and prosecute those responsible for that activity;
• to investigate and prevent fraud, spam, malware, identity theft or other unauthorized access to the Services;
• to conduct auditing related to interactions, transactions, and other compliance activities; and
• for other legitimate business purposes and any other purposes about which we may notify you from time to time.

Legal Basis (EEA visitors only). If you are a visitor from the EEA, our legal basis for collecting and using Personal Information will normally be in a situation where (i) we need the Personal Information to perform a contract with you (e.g., to connect a researcher with a project), (ii) the processing is in our legitimate interests and not overridden by your rights, or (iii) we have your consent to do so. In some cases, we may also have a legal obligation to collect Personal Information from you. If you have questions about or need further information concerning the legal basis on which we collect and use your Personal Information, please contact us using the contact details provided under the section below entitled “How to Contact Us Through Our Data Protection Representative”.

What information do we share with third parties?

We may share and disclose Personal Information that we have collected from you in the following ways:

Information Shared with Requesters and Suppliers. When Requesters submit Orders, we will share relevant information about the Order, including the name of the Requester, with the Supplier receiving such Order. Requesters and Suppliers may disclose additional information, including Personal Information, to each other over the course of negotiating or performing their Orders. If such information is transmitted via the Services, our use of such information is governed by this Privacy Policy; however, the use of such information by a party to an Order is governed by the terms of such Order, including, without limitation, any agreements entered into with us. Please see the section below entitled "Privacy Policy Applicability" in relation to information we collect about Requesters and Suppliers who use our Services.

Information Shared with our Group Companies: We may share your Personal Information with other members of the Science Exchange group of companies for purposes consistent with this Privacy Policy, including activities such as IT management, for them to provide services to you, or to support and supplement the Services we provide.

Information Shared with Our Third-Party Service Providers. We may engage third-party service providers to work with us to administer and provide the Services (for example, to support the delivery of, provide functionality on, or help to enhance the security of the Website). These third-party services providers (and any others we engage in the future) may have access to your information, including your Personal Information, for the purposes of performing services on our behalf and the purposes set forth in their privacy policies. We will only share your Personal Information with third parties to the extent necessary to perform these functions and in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable laws. We nonetheless encourage you to review their applicable privacy policies before using the Services.

Information Shared with Third Parties. We may share aggregated information and non-identifying information with third parties for industry research and analysis, demographic profiling and other similar purposes. Additionally, if you have applied for a position on the "Careers" page of our Website, we may share your non-aggregated, identifying information with third parties in accordance with our Job Applicant Privacy Notice.

Information Disclosed in Connection with Business Transactions. Information that we collect from our users, including Personal Information, is considered to be a business asset. As a result, if we go out of business or enter bankruptcy or if there is a corporate reorganization such as a merger, acquisition, asset sale or similar event, your Personal Information may be disclosed or transferred to the third-party in connection with or during negotiations of the transaction. In such cases, we will inform the third-party of the need to protect the Personal Information in accordance with the standards described in this Privacy Policy and applicable law.

APIs/SDKs. We may use third-party Application Program Interfaces (“APIs”) and software development kits (“SDKs”) as part of the functionality of our Services. For more information about our use of APIs and SDKs, please contact us as set forth below.

Information Disclosed for Our Protection and the Protection of Others. We cooperate with government and law enforcement officials or private parties to enforce and comply with the law. We may disclose any information about you to government or law enforcement officials or private parties as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate: (i) to respond to claims, legal process (including subpoenas) or to exercise, establish or defend our legal rights; (ii) to protect our property, rights and vital interests and the property, rights and vital interests of a third party or the public in general; and (iii) to stop any activity that we consider illegal, unethical or legally actionable.

The security of your information

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect the information that we collect from or about you (including your Personal Information) from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. These measures include the use of Transport Layer Security (TLS), a cryptographic protocol, to encrypt communications and other information sent through our Services. Please be aware, however, that no method of transmitting information over the Internet or storing information is completely secure. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of any information. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we do not accept liability for unauthorized disclosure.

By using our Services or providing Personal Information to us, you agree that we may communicate with you electronically regarding security, privacy, and administrative issues relating to your use of our Services. If we learn of a security system’s breach, we may attempt to notify you electronically by posting a notice on our Services, by mail or by sending an email to you. Please contact us at privacy@scienceexchange.com if you’d like more information about the measures we take to protect your information and the Services.

Cookies and do not track signals

Our website, like many others, stores and retrieves information on your browser using cookies. This information is used to make the site work as you expect it to. For a full explanation on what cookies we use and why we use them, please see our Cookies Policy. Additionally, some Internet browsers may be configured to send “Do Not Track” signals to the online services that you visit. We currently do not respond to “Do Not Track” or similar signals. To find out more about “Do Not Track,” please visit http://www.allaboutdnt.com.

Your privacy rights

You can access and modify the Personal Information associated with your account by logging into your account on the Services. If you have any other requests relating to your Personal Information, you can also contact us using the contact information at the end of this Privacy Policy.

Email Communications. You may at any time ask us to remove you from any mailing list you previously signed up to by sending us an email at privacy@scienceexchange.com or by clicking "Unsubscribe" in any e-mail communications we send you. Note that you will continue to receive transaction-related emails regarding products or Services you have requested. We may also send you certain non-promotional communications regarding us and our Services, and you will not be able to opt out of those communications (e.g., communications regarding our Services or updates to our Terms or this Privacy Policy).

Your Privacy Rights: In accordance with applicable law, you may have the following rights in relation to your Personal Information: 

• to access Personal Information about you, including: (a) confirming whether we are processing your Personal Information; (b) obtaining access to or a copy of your Personal Information
• to request correction of your Personal Information where it is inaccurate, incomplete or outdated
• to request deletion of your Personal Information
• to object to processing of your Personal Information
• to ask us to restrict processing of your Personal Information
• to request portability and receive an electronic copy of your Personal Information that you have provided to us
• to be informed about third parties with which your Personal Information has been shared
• to be informed about our business and commercial purposes for collecting and sharing Personal Information
• to opt-out of the sale or sharing of your Personal Information
• to opt-out of targeted advertising or cross-context behavioral advertising
• to object to or opt-out of automated decision-making
• to non-discrimination related to exercising your privacy rights 

You can exercise these rights by contacting us using the contact details provided below. We will process such requests in accordance with applicable laws. 

Authorized Agent. Only you, or someone legally authorized to act on your behalf, may make a verifiable consumer request related to your Personal Information. You may also make a verifiable consumer request on behalf of your minor child. To designate an authorized agent, please contact us as set forth below.

Verification. To protect your privacy, we will take the following steps to verify your identity before fulfilling your request. When you make a request, we will ask you to provide sufficient information that allows us to reasonably verify you are the person about whom we collected Personal Information or an authorized representative, which may include your name, email address, physical address, and/or phone number.

Withdrawing Consent. Where our processing of your Personal Information is based on your consent, you can withdraw consent at any time. Please note, however, that if you refrain from providing Personal Information or withdraw your consent to processing, some features of our Service may not be available. 

EEA, Switzerland and UK Residents. If you reside in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom, please also review our GDPR Plan to better understand your rights. You may also have the right to complain to a data protection authority about our collection and use of your Personal Information.

International Data Transfers: Your Personal Information may be transferred to, and maintained on, computers located outside of your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your jurisdiction. If you’re located outside the United States and choose to provide your Personal Information to us, we may transfer your Personal Information to the United States and process it there (or any other country in which we operate). We endeavor to safeguard your information consistent with the requirements of applicable laws.

For Personal Information we receive from the EEA, Switzerland and the UK, Science Exchange complies with GDPR. For more information on GDPR compliance at Science Exchange, please review our GDPR Plan.

How to Contact Us Through Our Data Protection Representative (EEA, Switzerland, and UK visitors only). Science Exchange, which processes the Personal Information of individuals in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, in either the role of 'data controller' or 'data processor', has appointed DPR Group as its Data Protection Representative for the purposes of GDPR. Please visit our Data Request page for contact information. The independent dispute resolution body designated to address complaints and provide appropriate recourse free of charge to the individual (1) in the EU is the panel established by DPAs, (2) in the UK is the Information Commissioner’s Office, and (3) in Switzerland is the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC).

Data Protection Framework (DPF) Program

Science Exchange complies with the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (EU-U.S. DPF), the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF, and the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (Swiss-U.S. DPF) as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Science Exchange has certified to the U.S. Department of Commerce that it adheres to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework Principles (EU-U.S. DPF Principles) with regard to the processing of personal data received from the European Union in reliance on the EU-U.S. DPF and from the United Kingdom (and Gibraltar) in reliance on the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF. Science Exchange has certified to the U.S. Department of Commerce that it adheres to the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework Principles (Swiss-U.S. DPF Principles) with regard to the processing of personal data received from Switzerland in reliance on the Swiss-U.S. DPF. If there is any conflict between the terms in this privacy policy and the EU-U.S. DPF Principles and/or the Swiss-U.S. DPF Principles, the Principles shall govern. To learn more about the Data Privacy Framework (DPF) program, and to view our certification, please visit Data privacy framework website.

U.S. State Law Requirements

Specific disclosures are required by some U.S. state privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA), the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA); the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA); the Connecticut Act Concerning Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring (CTDPA); Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA); the Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act (ICDPA); and the Iowa Data Privacy Law (IDPL). The following chart describes the categories of Personal Information Science Exchange may collect about individuals and whether Science Exchange discloses that Personal Information for a business purpose (e.g., to a service provider) in the course of its business operations:

The categories of sources from which we collect Personal Information and our business and commercial purposes for using Personal Information are set forth above.

“Sales” of Personal Information under U.S. State Privacy Laws. For purposes of the U.S. state privacy laws listed above, Science Exchange does not “sell” Personal Information, nor do we have actual knowledge of any “sale” of Personal Information of minors under 16 years of age.

Exemptions and Exclusions. U.S. state privacy laws set forth certain exemptions and exclusions with may affect your ability to exercise your privacy rights. For example, we may deny a California resident’s request to delete Personal Information if retaining the information is necessary for us or our service providers to:

• Complete the transaction for which we collected the Personal Information, provide a good or service that you requested, take actions reasonably anticipated within the context of our ongoing business relationship with you, or otherwise perform our contract with you.
• Detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, or prosecute those responsible for such activities.
• Debug products to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality.
• Exercise free speech, ensure the right of another consumer to exercise their free speech rights, or exercise another right provided for by law.
• Comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (Cal. Penal Code § 1546 seq.).
• Engage in public or peer-reviewed scientific, historical, or statistical research in the public interest that adheres to all other applicable ethics and privacy laws, when the information’s deletion may likely render impossible or seriously impair the research’s achievement, if you previously provided informed consent.
• Enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with consumer expectations based on your relationship with us.
• Comply with a legal obligation.
• Make other internal and lawful uses of that information that are compatible with the context in which you provided it.

Accessibility. This Privacy Policy uses industry-standard technologies and was developed in line with the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 2.1. If you wish to print this policy, please do so from your web browser or by saving the page as a PDF.

Other Information

Privacy Policy Applicability. This Privacy Policy applies to the information we collect about our website visitors, the information we collect and process about Requesters, and the information we collect and process about our Suppliers.

It does not apply to the information that we may process on behalf of Requesters or Suppliers who use our services, which we process only on their behalf as a data processor and which will instead be governed by the terms of our contracts with the relevant Requester or Supplier. If you have any questions about the information we process on behalf of a Requester or Supplier, please contact the relevant Requester or Supplier.

Links to Other Sites. Our Services may contain links to other websites and services. Any information that you provide on or to a third-party website or service is provided directly to the owner of the website or service and is subject to that party's privacy policy. Our Privacy Policy does not apply to such websites or services and we’re not responsible for the content, privacy or security practices and policies of those websites or services. To protect your information, we recommend that you carefully review the privacy policies of other websites and services that you access.

Data Retention. We may retain your Personal Information as long as you continue to use the Services, have an account with us or for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined above. You can close your account by contacting us at the details below. We may however retain Personal Information for an additional period as is permitted or required under applicable laws, for legal, tax or regulatory reasons, or for legitimate and lawful business purposes.

Our Policy Toward Children. Our Services are not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected Personal Information of a child under 13 we will take steps to delete such information from our files as soon as possible, unless we have a legal obligation to keep it.

U.S. Governing Statutory Body. As a U.S. company, Science Exchange is subject to the investigatory and enforcement powers of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Liability for Onward Transfers. Science Exchange is liable in cases of onward transfers of personal data to third parties in accordance with the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.

Binding Arbitration. Under certain conditions, individuals have the right to invoke binding arbitration pursuant to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. 

Changes to Our Privacy Policy. Any information that we collect is subject to the Privacy Policy in effect at the time that information is collected. We may, however, modify and revise this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make any material changes to this Privacy Policy, we’ll notify you of those changes by posting them on the Services or by sending you an email or other notification, and we’ll indicate when those changes will become effective.

Contact us

Science Exchange, Inc.

Attn: Privacy Officer

2261 Market Street #4759

San Francisco, CA 94114 USA

privacy@scienceexchange.com