Privacy Policy

1. INTRODUCTION

Natural Resources Defense Council India Private Limited (hereinafter referred to as “Company” or “we” or “our” or “us” or “NRDC India”) is a company incorporated in India under the Companies Act, 2013 and having its registered office at A - 24/9, Mohan Co-operative. Industrial Estate, Mathura Road, Saidabad Mohan C, Bolck B-1, Mohan Cooperative Industrial Estate, Badarpur, New Delhi, Delhi 110044. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., a company incorporated under the Laws of United States of America and having its registered office at 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY – 10011, is our Parent Entity (Parent Entity). “You” or “User” or “your" refers to visitors of our website, and persons who avail Services offered by the company or participate in related activities undertaken by it.

Services includes without limitation:

1. research, communication, and project implementation support on a range of policy issues through our website www.nrdcindia.org or other engagements and activities;
2. gathering, accumulating, organising, tabulating, managing, obtaining, collecting, purchasing, importing, disseminating, and disposing all types of information on existing issues and areas of engagement and additionally, identify potential new areas of engagement and advocacy.
3. providing services in relation to organisational management, strategic and operational planning and human resource development along with taking effective measures to maximise the work output and impact of the existing and any new projects of Parent Entity in India and fostering, maintaining and expanding strategic relationships with the relevant stakeholders.
4. undertaking and carrying out communication activities in India, including periodical newsletter, on behalf of Parent Entity.
5. monitoring and providing technical and operational assistance in relation to any existing and/or any new projects of Parent Entity internationally as well as in India.
6. Advocacy and online activism - We inform and encourage policy makers and other stakeholders to adopt innovative solution through our advocacy and campaigns.
7. Donation campaign – We may facilitate interested stakeholders to financially support our activities through voluntary donations.
8. Carrying out all services that are incidental and conducive to the attainment and furtherance of the above-mentioned services.

In the course of providing services or undertaking the aforesaid activities, we may collect and/or otherwise gain access to certain Personal Information including Sensitive Personal Data or Information (“SPDI”) about you.

We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The purpose of this Privacy Policy (“Policy”) is to explain the manner in which the Company may collect and process such personal information. Unless otherwise explicitly provided under this Policy, your use of our website and/or Services offered by the Company, signifies your explicit consent to processing of your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and your agreement to be legally bound by the same.

This Policy applies to personal information including sensitive personal information collected by the Company by any means, including personal information collected through the website or through other sources, affiliates, or third-parties. If you visit any unaffiliated website linked to other sources (for example, Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites), you are subject to that entity’s own privacy policies, which we do not control or monitor.

Please note that the headings herein are included for convenience and identification only, and are not intended to describe, interpret, define or limit the scope, extend or intend of this Policy.

2. PERSONAL INFORMATION COLLECTED

2.1. The Company may collect one or more of the following types of personal information of the Users:

1. name
2. Address
3. contact details, including email, telephone numbers
4. Gender, date of birth ;
5. storing cookies to record users preferences and activity;
6. technical data, including internet protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform and other technology on the devices you use to access our Site
7. any other information that may be required to provide our services or that is provided by you or provided to us in course of performance of our services or as a result of your use or access of the website.

2.2. In addition to above, the Company may also collect such personal information which may constitute SPDI under applicable laws, including but not limited to passwords for accounts created on websites maintained by the Company;

2.3. Except as otherwise provided in this policy, the Company does not collect any other categories of SPDI and asks that you do not share your SPDI, unless required specifically to provide our Services, with the Company and/or its employees or representatives. The Company may however collect your feedback in relation engagements you may have had with our website and/or services availed by you.

2.4. At any time while availing the services provided by the Company, you will have the option to withdraw your consent to the use/disclosure/retention of such SPDI, provided that the same is communicated to the Company in writing. You may do so by emailing the Company at grievance@nrdcindia.org. In such an event, the Company will be entitled to immediately terminate the services offered.

2.5. The Company collects your personal data through information you provide us, through registration, petitions, sign-ups, donation forms, and/or through third parties including without limitation, social media, vendors providing list-swaps or other users who share your information with us.

3. PURPOSES AND USE

We will use your personal information with your consent and/or for compliance with applicable laws. Following are the purposes for which we may use or process your personal information

3.1. Account Registration and Profile Creation: Your Personal information is used to create a profile linked to the personal data. This profile will be updated based on activity where the same personal data is used or shared with us. You may review and update such information provided through your profile page or emailing us at grievance@nrdcindia.org.

3.2. Identification of potential new areas of policy and advocacy work in India for our Parent Entity.

3.3 Providing research, communication, and project implementation support on a range of policy issues.

3.4 Activism and advocacy: We may use your personal information to identify yourself by name, address, email address, and phone number for the purpose of activism and advocacy in relation to our activities and the services offered by us.

3.5 Communications, mailing list and newsletter. We may use your personal information to facilitate the subscription to our newsletter or for establishing communication with you. We also create a mailing list, using email address provided by you at the registration, used for regular newsletters and occasional promotional e-mails that you may subscribe.

We may contact users regarding account status, changes to the subscriber agreement, and to confirm registration via e-mail.

3.6 Voluntary donation. We may use your personal information for accepting the financial support in form of voluntary donation.

3.7 Compliance with internal policies and procedures of the Company.

3.8. Providing our services.

3.9. Improving the website and its content to provide better features and to improve our services.

3.10. Sharing our newsletter, articles, postcards. You may be required to submit your name, email address and email address(es) of intended recipient to forward an article, postcard or action alert provided by us. When you submit personal information about others, you represent and warrant that you have full authority to do so.

3.11. Employment and volunteer purpose. You may decide to submit personal information while seeking employment or a volunteer position with NRDC India. All information entered into any online or offline forms related to employment or volunteering will be kept confidential and will be viewed by us only to assess your qualifications as an employee or volunteer for NRDC India.

3.12. In pursuance of these purposes, we may sometimes be required to share your information, including without limitation, personal and/or sensitive personal data or information with Third Parties that may utilize the same for rendering their services that we have engaged

4. DISCLOSURE & TRANSFER

Except as otherwise provided in this Policy, the Company discloses your personal information only to such employees and representatives who it reasonably believes need that information to fulfil their duties and to provide the services sought.

Additionally, the Company may share your personal information with:

4.1 third parties to perform functions and provide services to the Company, including, web hosting and maintenance, database storage and management, payment transaction services, etc. We share your personal information with these third parties only to the extent necessary to perform their functions and for providing their services.

4.2 our parent entity or affiliates to the extent required for our internal business and/or administrative purposes and/or general operations and for provision of services.

4.3 government agencies in limited circumstances, including when complying with legal process, for verification of identity, or for preventing, detecting, investigating and for prosecution and punishment of incidents including cyber incidents, fraud or imminent harm, and ensuring the security of our network and services.

4.4 to establish or respond to a legal claim against the Company

4.5 courts, tribunals and other authorities pursuant to orders issued by them or pursuant to mandate under law.

4.6 such persons and entities for the purposes of:

1. Advocacy, online campaigns and activism: We may provide our analysis and information relating to your participation in the advocacy, online campaign and activism, and the use of our website by you and other users with policy makers and third parties. The purpose of providing such analysis and information to the third parties is to demonstrate the public support in favour of public interest cause and to persuade the concerned stakeholders to act upon it.
   We may also use anonymised and aggregated information collected while running our advocacy, online campaigns and activism program.
2. Processing Information relating to Minors: Minors may avail our Services subject to consent from a parent or a legal guardian (“Guardian”). During the course of providing our Services, we will collect information as described in this Policy, in relation to which, appropriate consent will be deemed to have been given from the Guardian of the Minor.
   If a user registers as a Minor and has provided consent through a Guardian, once such a user reaches the age of majority (18 years), they will be provided with the option to revoke or provide their consent for any data related to them. If the user decides to revoke their consent all data related to them will be deleted immediately. In such an event, the Company will be entitled to immediately terminate the services offered.

4.7. Third Parties and Partners for reasons mentioned under this section and/or for fulfilling purposes under the section on “Purposes and Use” of this Policy in accordance with the conditions thereunder in order to facilitate such third parties and partners to utilize the same for rendering the services.

5. DATA SECURITY

The Company has implemented appropriate security practices and procedures designed to protect your personal information from accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, damage, alteration, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized access, unauthorized use, etc. in accordance with applicable law. Please ensure that any personal information that you share with the Company is shared securely.

6. Access, Accuracy and Managing the Personal Information

You may review, update and correct your personal information that the Company holds. Should you need to update or correct any Personal Information provided by you, please contact the Company’s Grievance Officer whose details are provided below, and we will make reasonable efforts to incorporate the changes in your personal information that we hold, as soon as practicable.

You can also opt out of any type of communication from NRDC India, at any time. You can choose not to receive requests to become a member, to opt out of any type of communication, or otherwise change or update your information by contacting our membership department at info@nrdcindia.org

To unsubscribe from specific publications that you are receiving by e-mail, click a link that appears in the email publication itself .

7. DATA RETENTION

We shall retain your personal information for such period of time as is required to fulfil the purposes for which such information is collected, as outlined in this Privacy Policy, subject to such longer time periods of retention as may be required under any applicable laws. In case you revoke your consent or cancel your registration, we will retain your personal information for such period of time as necessary under applicable laws.

8. COOKIES, TRACKING AND ANALYTICS

When you visit any website (including our sites), it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. We use cookies and other user tracking and analytics tools to provide statistics that help us to give you the best experience of our sites. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the Sites work as you expect them to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience.

You can switch cookies and other tracking tools off if you prefer. However, by continuing to use our sites without changing settings, you consent to our use of cookies and other tools on the Sites.

9. CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY POLICY

The Company may amend or modify the terms of this Policy from time to time. However, we shall notify you regarding changes made to the Policy at least once a year. You should therefore review the Privacy Policy, from time to time. Any changes will be effective immediately upon the posting of the revised Privacy Policy unless explicitly provided otherwise.

10. Rights of Individuals in the European Union.

This section applies only to individuals in the European Union (the “EU”).

10.1. With respect to the personal data we collect directly from you, we are the “data controller,” as defined in the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”).

10.2. We will only use your personal data when we have a lawful basis to do so under the GDPR. Usually, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:

• when it is necessary for our legitimate interests, and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests;
• when we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation; or
• when we have obtained your consent.

10.3. Under the GDPR, individuals in the European Union (“EU Individuals”) have certain rights in relation to their personal data, which are summarized below. These rights are subject to your exercising them in good faith and are subject to our legitimate interests or other valid basis to continue processing your personal data, in accordance with our policies and applicable law

10.4. Access

If asked by an EU Individual and if we are obligated to do so under applicable law, we will inform that individual about whether we are processing his/her personal data. If we are processing such EU Individual’s personal data, we will provide access to the personal data that we have about that individual. If you request additional copies of your personal data, we may charge you a reasonable fee.

10.5. Rectification (i.e., Correction)

If the personal data we hold about an EU Individual is inaccurate or incomplete, that individual may ask us to have it corrected.

10.6. Erasure

EU Individuals may request that we erase (i.e., delete or remove) their personal data in certain circumstances. If you are legally entitled to erasure, and if we have shared such personal data with third parties, we will take reasonable steps (taking into account available technology and the cost of implementation) to inform such third parties of your request, to the extent we are required to do so by applicable law

10.7. Restriction of Processing

EU Individuals have the right to restrict the processing of their personal data in certain circumstances, such as if they contest the accuracy of that personal data, if the processing of the personal data is unlawful, or if we no longer need the personal data for our business purposes. If you are legally entitled to restriction, and if we have shared your personal data with others, we will use reasonable efforts to inform such third parties of your request, if we are required to do so.

10.8. Data Portability

EU Individuals may ask to receive their personal data from us, where the legal basis of our processing is their consent, and where we carry out the processing of their personal data by automated means. If EU Individuals so request, we may transmit their personal information directly to another organization if it would be technically feasible to do so.

10.9. Objection to Processing

EU Individuals may object to the processing of their personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party). As noted above, you also have the right to object (i.e., opt out of) our processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes.

10.10. Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

EU Individuals have the right not to be subject to a decision when it is based on automatic processing, including profiling, if it produces a legal effect or similarly significantly affects you, unless such profiling is necessary for entering into, or the performance of, a contract between you and us. We do not engage in decision-making based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning an individual or similarly significantly affects an individual.

10.11. Processing of Special Categories of Personal Data

There are certain types of personal data that require a higher level of protection, known as “special categories” of personal data under the GDPR. We do not process special categories of personal data unless (a) we have obtained such individuals’ explicit consent or (b) we are otherwise legally permitted to do so.

10.12. Withdrawing Consent

In certain circumstances, EU Individuals have the right to withdraw their consent to our processing of their personal data. However, withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing that had been carried out before consent is withdrawn. Moreover, if we rely on another legal basis (e.g., legitimate interest) to process your personal data, we may continue to process your personal data in accordance with such other legal basis even after you withdraw your consent. If you decide to withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain services to you

Please note that where we rely on consent to use your personal data, all users worldwide have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This includes the option to unsubscribe from our email list at any time or to contact us to request to be excluded from our online campaign promotion lists or text messaging.

EU Individuals who wish to exercise any of the rights they have under the GDPR should contact our data privacy team at gdpr@nrdc.org We may need to request specific information to help us confirm your identity, so that your personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request.

Generally, EU Individuals will not have to pay a fee to exercise the rights described above. However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with the request in such circumstances.

EU Individuals may lodge a complaint with the appropriate regulatory body or supervisory authority in the country where they reside, where they work, or in the place of the alleged infringement of the law.

11. CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at info@nrdcindia.org or you can send all your privacy related communications at Natural Resources Defense Council India Pvt Ltd, Inc., Attn: Membership Services,

16/655, G/F, Gali Lac Faiz Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi – 110005, India

12. GRIEVANCES AND COMPLAINTS

In case of any grievances or complaints in relation to the processing of your personal information by the Company, the same may be addressed by emailing us at grievance@nrdcindia.org.