Privacy Policy
Thank you for visiting PAOrganic.org! This privacy policy tells you how we may use your personal information collected on this site. Please read this privacy policy. By using this site you are accepting the practices described on this page.
PCO Privacy Policy
This website is owned and operated by Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO). We recognize that visitors to our site may be concerned about the information they provide to us, and how we treat that information. This privacy policy addresses those concerns. This policy may be changed or updated from time to time. If you have any questions about our privacy policy, please contact us!
We are available to answer your questions and hear your concerns.
Our Commitment
PCO does not collect any personal information about users, except that which is knowingly and specifically supplied. PCO is committed to ensuring the privacy of your personal information. We will not sell or pass on your information to any other organization. We only share general, non-specific data with Strategic Partners in the interests of achieving PCO’s mission-based activities.
Credit Card and Banking Information
We care about the safety and security of your transaction. We use high-grade encryption and the HTTPS security protocol to communicate with your browser software. This method is the industry standard security protocol, which makes it extremely difficult for anyone else to intercept the credit card or banking information you send to us. Companies we work with to process credit card or bank transactions also use high-grade encryption and security protocols. We will only retain credit card and banking information as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes.
Personal Information
PCO uses the same high-grade encryption and HTTPS security protocols when collecting personal information as we do when collecting credit card and banking information. We will only retain personal information as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes.
Non-Personal Information and “Cookies”
Non-personal information and data may be automatically collected by the PCO website through the use of cookies. Cookies are small text files that we (and most websites) pass to your computer’s hard disk through your web-browser. They are used to determine how many individuals use our site, how many people visit on a regular basis, which pages are most popular, and which pages are least popular. This information DOES NOT tell us anything about who you are, where you live, or what files you have on your computer; it simply allows us to monitor and improve our website. For more information about cookies, please visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
Release of Information
PCO prints the names and resident states of sustaining members in various publications, including but not limited to, PCO Quarterly Organic Matters, Monthly E-News, and annual Membership Directory. This is a great way for us to thank and recognize our supporters. In addition, PCO publishes certified operations on its Farm Finder on the PCO Website. Farm Finder lists the farmer and/or business name, address, phone number, email address, and categories of certification. Aside from the information printed in the magazine, directory, or Farm Finder, PCO does not release any personal, non-personal, credit card, or banking information collected on our site. If you are a sustaining member of PCO or a certified operator, you may request that we withhold your the respective information by e-mailing us at pco@paorganic.org. Note that PCO is required to share certifier information with the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program as part of ongoing regulatory requirements.
External Links
For your convenience the PCO website provides many links to other websites outside of our service. The operation of these web sites is beyond our control and PCO does not endorse or accept responsibility for their content or privacy policies. We encourage our users to read the privacy statements of every website that collects personal or credit card or banking information. These sites may also send their own cookies to your computer. Please be aware that PCO is not responsible for the collection and use of information on sites outside our domain.
For Parents and People Under 18
PCO is concerned about the protection of online privacy for all our website users. If you are under 18, be sure to obtain your parent’s or guardian’s permission before you send information about yourself over the internet. We encourage parents to get involved with their children’s usage of the Internet and to be aware of the activities in which they are participating.