The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is committed to protecting the privacy of its members and customers. ACM recognizes the interest of its members and customers in the confidentiality of their personal information. ACM only maintains personal information that is relevant to ACM activities and seeks to maintain accurate, complete, and timely information.

The security of personal information is important to ACM. ACM maintains all personal data with technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect against loss, unauthorized access, destruction, misuse, modification, and improper disclosure. No computer system or information can ever be fully protected against every possible hazard. ACM provides reasonable and appropriate security controls to protect personal information against foreseeable hazards.

ACM maintains member databases that contain mailing, billing, and member profile information, as well as a record of each member's product and service purchases. ACM also maintains databases of member and non-member purchases and of registrations for conferences and other ACM activities. The information in these databases is used by authorized ACM staff members to process orders; mail invoices, purchases, renewal notices, and announcements; respond to member inquiries; and help us improve our offerings. Member records are maintained as long as an individual is an ACM member and for two years following a membership lapse. Purchases and credit card transactions are retained for as long as appropriate to meet contractual, tax, or auditing needs.

All personally identifiable information contained in ACM membership, purchase, and registration databases is treated as confidential and will be used only for the purposes stated in this policy, except where required by law.

Just like any other record keeper, ACM may be required to disclose personal information in response to valid legal process. This includes a search warrant, subpoena, or court order. Disclosures may also be appropriate to protect ACM's legal rights or during emergencies if physical safety is believed to be at risk. These disclosures are possible although unlikely.

Personal data about ACM members and customers may, from time to time, be collected or shared with outside contractors, auditors, consultants, and others hired by ACM to assist in carrying out financial or operational activities. ACM informs recipients about safeguarding personal information, and requires them to use it only for an authorized purpose consistent with this privacy policy, and to return it or destroy it upon completion of the activity.

ACM members may access the information contained in their membership records and correct and update their member profile and mailing information by going to the following web page. - http://www.acm.org/membership/dir/profile.html In order to update your postal tolerance you will need to contact ACM's Member Services Department by phone: +1-212-626-0500, 1-800-342-6626, fax: +1-212-944-1318, or email: [email protected].

      Email Policies

ACM does not sell, rent, or exchange email addresses of its members and customers. ACM uses email addresses to send the following:

1. "Must Have" messages that help to service ACM members including answers to member questions; acknowledgments of the receipt of membership applications, renewal notices, and other orders.
2. Occasional "Member Update" announcements about ACM services that we believe to be of some importance to members. These announcements are short, straightforward messages that contain pointers to online resources where members can explore the information more fully.
3. Email messaging that is part of a program for which the member has registered (e.g. an ACM Digital Library early alert email system).
4. Email distribution lists targeted at ACM groups (e.g. special interest group members, chapter officers, etc.). Only ACM headquarters staff can create and support "acm.org" email distribution lists.

All ACM created and supported email distribution lists have "unsubscribe" instructions.

      Postal Mail Policies

ACM provides four [postal] mailing list options to its members:

1. ACM Subscription & Renewal Notices Only: receive only products subscribed to plus renewal invoices.
2. ACM Announcements: information about ACM's Member Value Plus Program (a program offering discounts on products and services other than ACM's), Calls for Papers, Advance Conference Programs, Local Chapter Announcements.
3. ACM Announcements & Sister Society Announcements: receive all of the above plus mailings from other computing societies (e.g. IEEE-CS).
4. ACM Announcements, Sister Society Announcements, and selected Information Technology Offers: receive all of the above, plus selected non-ACM information technology offers from publications, conference sponsors, software/hardware vendors. (This is the default option for members).

The names and mailing addresses of members who have selected options #2, #3, or #4 (above) may be rented to outside organizations for the purposes of sending mailing packages that have been carefully screened by authorized ACM staff for their suitability. Managers in ACM's Membership Department are responsible for the screening of materials used by those companies or organizations renting ACM's mailing list. Materials must be of an educational nature for ACM to rent its list. ACM licenses mailing list usage for one-time only -- the standard mailing list rental practice, and renters are asked to sign their agreement to this practice. ACM's Mailing List Manager does not "enhance" or overlay any data on ACM's mailing list. ACM does not rent telephone or email addresses.

In order to update your postal tolerance you will need to contact ACM's Member Services Department by phone: +1-212-626-0500, 1-800-342-6626, fax: +1-212-944-1318, or email: [email protected].

      Online Membership Directory

The ACM Membership Directory was created to identify the members of ACM to one another, and to promote the sharing of ideas among members. This Directory is accessible only to ACM members and ACM Special Interest Group (SIG) members. Members can search the Directory for ACM members by name, and members of Special Interest Groups can search the directory for names of individuals belonging to that particular group.

By default, each member's name, city, state or province, and country are included in the Directory. No other information about an ACM member (including street address) is included in the Directory unless the member decides to add this information, making it "public" or "not public". The information included in a member's Directory listing is taken from the member's profile data, and members can "make public" as much or as little information as they wish. Members can remove personal information from the Membership Directory or add information by updating their online profiles.

The Directory should not be used for the unsolicited promotion of products and/or services. In order to prevent the harvesting of Directory information, searches will return a limited number of names that match the search criteria. To see any additional information that a member has chosen to include in the Directory, the searcher must select a particular member name.

      ACM Web Site

This policy applies to the "acm.org" Web site maintained by ACM.

Other than in the restricted-access portions of ACM's site that requires an ACM Web Account, ACM does not log the identity of visitors. However, we may keep access logs, for example containing a visitor's IP address and search queries. We may analyze log files periodically to help maintain and improve our Web site and enforce our online service polices. Cookies are only set when users visit restricted portions of our website. Raw log files are treated as confidential and retained for no longer than two years.

On some pages of our site we allow individuals to submit information for the purposes of joining ACM; renewing or updating their membership; ordering products and services; or registering for a conference, contest, or other activity. Information collected on these pages will be used according to ACM's Privacy Policy.

      ACM Web Account Policy

Some portions of the ACM Web site, specifically the ACM Digital Library, require an ACM Web Account for both members and visitors. To create an account, ACM members and customers must provide their name, ACM member number (if applicable), and email address. They are assigned a "username" (which they may change) and asked to create a password and provide the day and month of their birth (for account verification purposes).

Customers must setup an ACM Web account in order to use the "Search" facility in the ACM Digital Library. Non-members are asked for their name, email address, and postal address when they create their account. By default, ACM may send information about ACM products and services to non-member ACM Web account holders via email. Customers may request that they not receive such information via email.

Information collected about ACM Web account usage -- including logs of Web pages visited, searches performed, and Digital Library content downloaded -- will be stored in an anonymized form and used to improve the ACM Digital Library and other ACM Web offerings. Other information provided in the process of creating or using a Web account is used according to the ACM Privacy Policy.

      Questions/Comments:
If you have any questions or comments on the above policy please direct them to [email protected].

Also see the ACM Forwarding Service Anti-Spam Policy