TMS Privacy Policy

PLEASE READ THIS PRIVACY POLICY CAREFULLY

BY SIGNING UP FOR A TMS MEMBERSHIP AND/OR USING TMS PRODUCTS, SERVICES, WEBSITES, AND MOBILE APPLICATIONS, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY AND ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THIS PRIVACY POLICY. ANY TMS MEMBER’S OR NON-TMS MEMBER’S USE OR CONTINUED USE OF TMS PRODUCTS, SERVICES, WEBSITES, AND MOBILE APPLICATIONS CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY.

The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (“TMS”) cares about your privacy. For this reason, TMS collects and uses personal data only as it might be needed for TMS to deliver membership, products, services, websites, and mobile applications (collectively, the “Services”). Your personal data includes information such as:

• Name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Date of birth
• Billing and delivery information
• E-mail address
• Financial account information
• Other data collected that could directly or indirectly identify you

This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) explains what data TMS collects, how TMS collects data, and how TMS uses your personal data. This Policy also describes options TMS provides for you to access, update, or otherwise take control of your personal data that TMS processes. If at any time you have questions about TMS practices or any of your rights described below, you may reach the TMS Data Protection Team by contacting TMS at privacy@tms.org. This inbox is actively monitored and managed so that TMS can deliver an experience that you can confidently trust.

As the Services may change from time to time, this Policy is expected to change as well. TMS reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to amend this Policy at any time, for any reason, which amendment(s) will be effective upon posting to our website. The date of the last revision to this Policy will be indicated by the "Last Updated" date located at the end of this Policy. Your use of the Services after such changes or modifications have been made shall constitute your acceptance of this Policy as last revised. If you do not agree to be bound by this Policy as last revised, do not use (or continue to use) the Services. In addition, TMS may occasionally notify you of changes or modifications to this Policy by e-mail. It is therefore important that you keep your membership account information accurate. TMS assumes no liability or responsibility for your failure to receive an e-mail notification if such failure results from an inaccurate e-mail address.

A. Personally Identifiable Information: TMS may collect information (online, by phone or paper) that identifies you (“Personally Identifiable Information”) when you: provide such information on the TMS website(s) or social media website(s), apply or register for a TMS event(s) or program(s), or otherwise interact with TMS, including, but not limited to, applying for TMS membership, joining a TMS committee, submitting abstracts or manuscripts for conferences and/or journals, submitting an award or travel grant application, completing surveys, utilizing event or membership Mobile Apps, or purchasing the Services. The types of Personally Identifiable Information collected may include your name, address, phone number, birth date, billing and delivery information, e-mail address, information about your business, credit card, or other financial account information.

B. Non-Personal Data: As you interact with TMS through our online resources, TMS may also collect information about your browsing history or certain other information that is not considered Personally Identifiable Information through your use of and visits to these resources through a variety of technologies, including, but not limited to, cookies, tags, beacons, Internet Protocol (IP) address, and other tools. "Cookies" are pieces of code or text placed on your computer when you browse a website. Cookies may be placed by TMS or our web analytics third party vendors or partners. “Tags” and web beacons refer to code scripts that are primarily used to track visitor activities by web analytics software. The types of non-personal data collected on TMS website(s) through the use of these, and other tools may include: the search terms you used, new or returning user, browser information, computer type, operating system, internet service providers, website usage, referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, number of clicks, ads viewed, among other non-personal data (collectively, all of the foregoing data is considered "Non-Personal Data"). Additionally, Cookies, Tags and other tools placed by our web analytics third party vendors or partners may collect other information about you and your visits to websites and elsewhere on the Internet including, but not limited to, your industry, company size, among other Non-Personal Data. You may opt-out from receiving targeted advertisements from certain vendors by visiting the NAI website opt-out page or the DAA opt-out page or, for EU users, the EDAA opt-out page. You may also control the use of cookies by regularly reviewing and adjusting your privacy settings on your personal device under your device privacy settings.

TMS strongly believes in both minimizing the data we collect and limiting its use and purpose to only that (1) for which TMS has been given permission, (2) as necessary to deliver the Services, or (3) as TMS might be required or permitted for legal compliance or other lawful purposes.

• Provide service communications such as dues bill reminders, order confirmations, program registrations, author notifications, award recognition notices, and customer service messages. Also provide membership information related to addressing a crisis event or situation that affects the provision of membership benefits and services or TMS policies and practices that impact members.
• Contact you via mobile phone text messages with critical communications including member dues renewal and deadlines regarding presentations, journal submissions, or events you are attending
• Respond to your e-mails or online requests for products, services, or information
• Deliver and process surveys
• Personalize and improve the usability of TMS website(s) and/or Mobile Applications
• Fulfill and/or deliver services
• Determine TMS membership grade
• Publish membership directories and registration lists as described below in section IV.B
• Share with certain other companies to offer you products and services that may be of interest to you as described below in section IV.D
• Tailor content, advertising and marketing to you
• Share with third parties as required by law or to protect TMS as described below in section IV.E
• Share your e-mail address as permitted under the TMS Privacy Policy as described below in section IV.F
• Communicate with you
• Improve and optimize the operation and performance of the Services
• Diagnose problems with and identify any security risks, errors, or needed enhancements to the Services
• Detect and prevent fraud and abuse of our Services and systems
• Collect aggregate statistics about use of TMS Services and programs, including membership and committee activities
• Understand and analyze how you use the Services and what products and services are most relevant to you

Transfer of personal data abroad: If you utilize the Services from a country other than the country where TMS servers are located, your communications with TMS may result in transferring your personal data across international borders. Also, when you call TMS, TMS may provide you with support from our headquarters location which may be outside of your country of origin. In these cases, your personal data is handled according to this Policy.

B. Publication of Your Personally Identifiable Information for Membership Directories and Registration Lists. To allow other TMS members, minerals, metals, and materials professionals, and the public to find you, the Personally Identifiable Information we collect may be published on websites and other print or digital media, in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, directories, membership lists, and other types of registration lists for TMS programs and events (collectively, “Directory Lists”). Directory Lists will not include sensitive information, such as credit card or bank information.

C. Sharing Your Personally Identifiable Information to Fulfill Service Requests and Perform Business Functions. When fulfilling service requests initiated by you, we may share your Personally Identifiable Information with certain third parties to fulfill the requests. We may also share such information with service providers that perform business functions for us. For example, TMS occasionally hires third party companies to provide limited services on our behalf including, but not limited to, packaging, mailing, and delivering promotional offers, answering customer questions about products or services, consulting services, data modeling, printing, sending postal mail, processing event registrations, and delivering and processing surveys. In such cases, TMS may share your Personally Identifiable Information.

D. Sharing Your Personally Identifiable Information with Certain Other Companies and Organizations. TMS may share Personally Identifiable Information, except for e-mail addresses, with certain other companies providing services as part of TMS membership benefits offerings (Affinity Programs). TMS may also share Personally Identifiable Information with organizations that co-organize conferences, including, but not limited to, MS&T conferences, in order to fulfill and/or deliver products and services of the co-organized conference. TMS may also share Personally Identifiable Information with the partner societies of the Material Advantage student membership program in order to fulfill and/or deliver products and services of the Material Advantage membership program. TMS may also share Personally Identifiable Information with certain Mobile Application providers for select conferences or TMS membership to enhance the attendee/member experience. TMS may share Personally Identifiable Information with third-party companies to leave voicemail member dues reminders or to send text message reminders for critical items only such as member dues renewal, journal submissions or other events you are attending. Users may request not to have their information shared by contacting TMS at privacy@tms.org.

E. Sharing Your Personally Identifiable Information When Legally Necessary or to Protect TMS’s Interests. TMS may disclose your Personally Identifiable Information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to legal requirements or comply with legal process served on TMS, including, but not limited to, compliance with legal, regulatory, and law enforcement requests. In such instances, TMS cooperates with government and law enforcement officials and private parties to enforce and comply with the law. TMS will disclose any information about you to government or law enforcement officials or private parties as TMS, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate to respond to claims and legal process (such as subpoena requests), to protect our property and rights or the property and rights of a third party, to protect the safety of the public or any person, or to prevent or stop activity TMS considers to be illegal or unethical. To the extent TMS is legally permitted to do so, TMS will take reasonable steps to notify you in the event that TMS is required to provide your Personally Identifiable Information to third parties as part of legal process; (b) protect and/or defend the rights or property of TMS; (c) protect the personal safety of TMS personnel or members of the public in appropriate circumstances; or (d) if TMS and/or its assets (or a portion of its assets) are sold, assigned, transferred, or merged or if TMS undergoes some other change including a change to its corporate form as part of a bankruptcy proceeding or otherwise, information may be transferred as part of that transaction or change.

F. Sharing Your E-mail Address Pursuant to TMS Policy. Your e-mail address will only be used by TMS and its entities, including, but not limited to, the TMS Foundation or conference co-organizers as part of a TMS co-organized meeting. We do not sell or rent e-mail addresses to anyone outside of TMS. TMS will also not share e-mail addresses to unrelated third-parties or affiliates. However, your e-mail address may be visible to others who have interest in the minerals, metals, and materials sciences and engineering community and TMS events through Directory Lists as set forth above. TMS may also share your e-mail address with third parties to enable TMS to take security measures to help protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure, or destruction of data. Finally, TMS may share e-mail addresses with third parties as necessary for TMS to perform certain services on our behalf, such as packaging, mailing, and delivering products, processing event registrations, delivering and processing surveys, and responding to your service requests.

You can manage your membership profile and e-mail preferences, including opting out of e-mail either online or by contacting TMS Customer Service. Additionally, if you prefer to receive mailings only from TMS and have your name and address removed from the list we provide to certain companies, contact TMS at privacy@tms.org.

Through the use of various technological tools, TMS may collect Non-Personal Data to improve the usability of TMS websites, TMS event/membership Mobile Applications, provision of services, and for other business reasons. TMS may share the Non-Personal Data collected with third parties or permit third parties to place tools like Cookies, Tags, and web beacons, to collect additional Non-Personal Data when you browse TMS websites. TMS does not share Personally Identifiable Information with third parties with whom it shares your Non-Personal Data. Please note that you may be subject to the privacy policies of non-TMS companies when you select an advertising link or other link that takes you to sites not operated by TMS.

In addition to the rights as explained in this Policy, under various U.S state laws and international regulations TMS members or Non-TMS members who provide personal information in obtaining products or services for personal, family, or household use are entitled to request and obtain from TMS, information about the personal information it shared, if any, with other businesses for marketing uses. TMS will respond to requests within 30 days. If applicable, this information would include the categories of personal information and the names and addresses of those businesses with which TMS shared such personal information. To obtain this information please send your request to:

The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society
Attn: Membership—Privacy Law
5700 Corporate Drive Suite 750
Pittsburgh, PA 15237

Please include your full name and address and TMS Member Number (if applicable)

Non-TMS Members or Associates who have provided TMS a Canadian, European Union, or Brazilian mailing address will not receive unauthorized Commercial Electronic Messages (CEMs) as defined under CASL, GDPR, and LGPD unless these individuals have opted-in to receive CEMs. To opt-in to receive messages from TMS, please subscribe here. You may manage your subscriber profile here.

TMS does not knowingly collect personal data online from or market online to children under the age of 13. If you know of or have reason to believe anyone under the age of 13 has provided TMS with any personal data, please contact us.

TMS implements commercially reasonable security measures to help protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure, or destruction of data. Except for Directory Lists and the sharing of information as set forth in this Policy, TMS restricts access to personal information to certain companies who may need to know that information in order to operate, develop, or improve the Services. These individuals or partner organizations are bound by confidentiality obligations and may be subject to discipline, including termination and criminal prosecution, if they fail to meet these obligations.

Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Accordingly, TMS cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you transmit to the Society, or to or from TMS online products or services. If you have questions about this Policy, please contact TMS at privacy@tms.org.

Certain areas of the TMS website(s) may require the use of a user ID, e-mail address, or password, as an additional security measure that helps protect your information. To help you protect your privacy, the TMS website(s) has tools to help you log in and log out.

You should be aware that other Internet sites that are linked from TMS websites or from a TMS e-mail message may contain privacy provisions that differ from the provisions of this Policy. To ensure your privacy is protected, we recommend that you review the privacy statements of these other linked sites, applications, or other digital platforms.

If you are a registered user of the TMS website(s), a subscriber to TMS publications, purchaser of the Services, an abstract and/or manuscript submitter, or TMS member, you may review and update/correct your profile information directly on TMS’s website (www.tms.org) or by contacting us. E-mail preferences should be updated using the TMS E-mail Preference Form. To opt-in to receive messages from TMS, please subscribe here.

Last Updated: April 18, 2022