Privacy Policy

COMMITMENT TO YOUR PRIVACY

This website is owned and operated by Oceana, Inc. on behalf of itself and its world-wide affiliates (collectively “Oceana”, “we”, “our”, or “us”). We understand that you value your privacy. This Privacy Policy governs information you provide to us or that we learn from your use of Oceana’s websites, other contacts with Oceana, and from third parties. It explains how we collect, use, and in some instances share your Personal Information. If you have questions concerning this Privacy Policy, you may contact the appropriate Oceana regional entity listed in the Contacting Oceana section.

It applies to all “our sites” – that is, all sites within the “oceana.org” domain name and other Oceana-managed sites. In some of our sites, you can create accounts, order merchandise, make donations, and apply for jobs. Those sites generally have their own specific privacy policy, but if they don’t, this Privacy Policy applies.

Definitions

“Personal Information” means any information that alone or when in combination with other information may be used to readily identify, contact, or locate you, such as: name, address, email address, phone number, and IP address. Personal Information does not include information that has been anonymized so that it does not allow a third party to easily identify a specific individual.

“Sensitive Personal Information” means Personal Information revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation.

INFORMATION OCEANA COLLECTS AND HOW WE USE IT

We may collect Personal Information about you when you attend our fundraising events, use our sites, donate, register for or attend an event, sign up for a newsletter, or otherwise interact with us (collectively, “services”). We may also collect Personal Information from third parties or publicly available sources. The information we collect falls into three categories: (a) information you provide to us; (b) information we collect through automated methods when you use our website or when we send you emails; and (c) information we collect from other sources as set forth below.

Unless we specifically request or invite it, we ask that you not send or otherwise disclose Sensitive Personal Information to us.  In those cases where we may request or invite you to provide the foregoing information, we will only do so with your express consent, in accordance with applicable data protection law requirements.  We try to limit our requests for Personal Information to information we believe is minimally necessary to achieve our stated collection purposes.

Categories of Personal Information We Collect

As set forth in more detail in the How We Collect Your Personal Information section below, the information we collect from you directly or from third parties with whom we work, may include:

Name;
Address;
Email address;
Telephone number;
Contact preferences;
Bank account details for setting up a regular direct debit;
Credit card details for processing credit card payments;
Employer details for processing a payroll gift; and
Date of birth or age to confirm you are over 18.

When you visit Oceana’s websites or interact with Oceana through email, we may automatically collect the following information:

IP addresses;
The unique identifiers of your device;
Browser type and plug-in details;
Device type (e.g. Desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, etc.);
Operating system;
Local time zone;
Preferences you enter on the website, such as whether or not you would like to see interest-based ads and your preferred language;
The websites you visited before coming to our website or through which you were referred to our website;
How you interact with the website, such as dates and times of website visits, information on actions taken by you on our website, website pages you accessed, and items added to your cart; and
Details relating to whether you engage with our emails, such as whether you opened the email.

How We Collect Your Personal Information

Personal Information When You Contact Us or Create an Account

We may ask you to provide us with Personal Information if you would like to participate in some activities available on, or benefit from services offered on, this website. We may use forms to collect information such as your name, email address, and/or mailing address to help provide you with Oceana services and respond to your requests. We may ask for information through forms including, but not limited to, when you communicate with our donor services team. When you sign up for emails or text messages or otherwise make inquiries, the information we collect from you may include your name, email, and telephone number.

Personal Information Provided When You Make a Donation

If you choose to donate or engage in other activity that requires payment, we collect information about your purchase or donation, and we may also ask for information required for billing and shipment, such as your credit card number, card verification value code, billing address, phone number, and email address. Oceana will not share or sell a donor’s Personal Information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations. This policy is applicable to both online and offline donors.

Information Collected through Automated Methods

We track website usage data to improve our website. We collect user traffic patterns throughout our website using web logs, cookies, and similar technologies, such as your IP (Internet Protocol) address, domain name, browser type, operating system, and information such as the web site that referred you to us, the files you downloaded, the pages you visit, and the dates/times of those visits.

This information is collected to help improve website flow and usability. In addition, when we send emails to our members and supporters, we track information on clicks-through to our website, including IP addresses, and whether users are opening our emails to track engagement. This is done to gauge the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns and to discourage fraudulent use.

We may place a text file called a “cookie” in the browser files of your computer. A cookie cannot read data off your hard disk or read cookie files created by other websites. Oceana may use cookies to track user traffic patterns (as described above) and to perform personalized marketing to you with your consent. For example, we may use cookies to help keep track of items you put into your cart (including when you have abandoned your cart), and this information is used to determine when to send cart reminder messages via text or email. In addition, Oceana uses encrypted cookies to authenticate the user on each page after the user logs onto the website. You can refuse cookies by turning them off in your browser. If you have set your browser to warn you before accepting cookies, you will receive a warning message with each cookie. Some Oceana website features and services may not function properly if your cookies are disabled.

You may learn more about our usage of cookies and how to disable them by visiting our Cookies Policy and/or Your Privacy Choices. For more information about text messaging and email, please see the Communications section below.

Social Media

Our website may include social media tools, including social media widgets or plug-ins, to connect you to your social media accounts.  These features may set a cookie or use other automatic collection and tracking technologies to collect information about you and your use of the social media features through and in connection with our website.  These social media tools may be hosted by a third party.  Your interactions with these tools and the corresponding social media platforms are governed by the privacy policies of the companies that provide such platforms.

Third Parties

We may obtain Personal Information from third parties for marketing and business purposes. If we obtain Personal Information from third parties for any of these purposes, we will require that any third parties from whom we may obtain such Personal Information represent to us that they have acquired the Personal Information in compliance with all applicable laws and have the right to provide us such Personal Information for our marketing purposes. We may also collect Personal Information from publicly available sources.

How We Use Your Personal Information

We process Personal Information as described above and also for such internal and service-related purposes as:

To advance our mission, including delivering information that may be of interest to our supporters;
For our business purposes, such as data analysis, audits, recordkeeping, developing new products or services, enhancing the website, improving our services, identifying website usage trends, optimizing your experience on the website, and determining the effectiveness of our fundraising campaigns;
To alert you to news updates and related developments, special offers, and other new Oceana offerings, such as upcoming events and how to make donations. We provide you with controls so that you can determine whether or not you would like to continue to receive such communications if you so choose (as described below);
To tailor advertising that is presented to you on the Internet according to your interests, preferences, and other characteristics (as described below);
To respond to your questions and provide related services;
To remind you that you have put items in your cart, but have not completed a purchase;
To contact you in response to requests for information, such as requests made through the Contact Us page of our website.

We only retain Personal Information for as long as necessary to fulfill the above purposes or as permitted or required by applicable law.

How We Share Your Personal Information

Oceana does not sell your Personal Information.  We may share your Personal Information with third parties as described in this Privacy Policy or as otherwise described at the point where we collect the information from you, including:

To our affiliates and other Oceana organizations for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. For example, we may share your Personal Information with a regional Oceana entity, such as in connection with your participation in local Oceana events or where you have expressed interest to update you about Oceana’s programs and campaigns organized by local Oceana affiliates, or to solicit donations through your local Oceana entity.
To the companies or individuals that we hire to provide services to us, such as website hosting and data analysis services, customer service, marketing partners and companies, legal, accounting, consulting, auditing, and payment processing providers.
To social media providers. We may also use your email address and phone number to match to your Facebook or other social media account(s) in order to show you Oceana content while you use those services. We only do this where you have consented to receiving marketing emails, either by opting in (where you reside in the European Economic Area) or by not opting out (where you reside in other jurisdictions not requiring opt-in consent). In addition, we may also use your email address and phone number to link to Facebook or other social media sites in order to identify other users of these sites whom we believe would be interested in Oceana. You may opt out of this sharing by changing your privacy settings with these social media companies, by visiting Your Privacy Choices, and/or by adjusting your cookie settings as described in our Cookies Policy. Please note that updating your preferences with Oceana will not guarantee that you will never see Oceana content on social media, because the social media site may select you based on other criteria.
To a third party in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer, or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, or assets (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings).
Where legally required, such as in response to subpoenas, warrants, court orders, government inquiries, or investigations; to comply with relevant laws and regulations; or to establish, exercise, or protect the rights of Oceana, its employees, agents, and affiliates.
Other instances with your consent. We may use your Personal Information for other purposes consistent with your reasonable expectations. Where required by law, we will ask if you would like us to disclose your information to other third parties who are not described elsewhere in this Privacy Policy.

Legal Basis for Collecting and Processing Data

Generally, our processing of Personal Information for EU residents (or countries with similar data protection law) as described in this Privacy Policy is allowed based on one or more lawful grounds, including:

Where you have provided your consent to us using your Personal Information in a certain way. For example, we only use EU residents’ information to send you marketing communications by email or text with your consent. We may ask for your explicit consent if you share Sensitive Personal Information with us.
Where the processing is reasonably necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request prior to entering a contract. For example, we may rely on this basis where you apply to work for us.
Where the processing is reasonably necessary to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject. For example, we may rely on this basis where we are obliged to share your Personal Information with a regulator or other legal authority.
Where the processing is reasonably necessary for the purpose of a legitimate interest pursued by us or a third party and your privacy rights do not override the legitimate interest. Our “legitimate interests” include pursuing the aims and ideals of Oceana through advocating and campaigning for the protection of the world’s oceans, which includes fundraising through direct marketing campaigns, emergency appeals, special events and our retail shops. However, “legitimate interests” can also include your interests, such as when you have requested information from us, and those of third parties, such as our beneficiaries.

For example, we rely on consent or legitimate interests for activities such as sending marketing communications by post or telephone unless you have told us that you would prefer not to hear from us in this way, contacting you as a representative of an organization about charity partnerships or in order to organize an event, and analyzing your interaction with us to improve our internal business processes.

In any event, where we are relying on legitimate interests to process your Personal Information, we will consider any potential impact on you (positive or negative), your rights under data protection laws, and will not use your Personal Information for activities where the impact on you overrides the legitimate interests in the processing or where you request to opt out of such communications.

Where we process Sensitive Personal Information (as mentioned above), we will make sure that we only do so in accordance with one of the additional lawful grounds for processing that type of data, such as where we have your explicit consent or you have made that information manifestly public.

CHILDREN’S DATA

Oceana does not knowingly collect, maintain, or use any Personal Information from children under 16 years of age. If we become aware that we have collected any Personal Information from children under 16, we will promptly delete such information from our databases. If you are a parent or guardian and discover that your child under the age of 16 has used the website, then you may alert us at wavemaker@oceana.org and request that we delete that child’s Personal Information from our systems.

HOW LONG WE KEEP YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We retain Personal Information for as long as needed or permitted considering the purpose(s) for which it was obtained and consistent with applicable law. The criteria used to determine our retention periods include:

The length of time we have an ongoing relationship with you and provide the services to you (for example, for as long as you have an account with us, make donations, or continue using the services);
Whether there is a legal obligation to which we are subject (for example, certain laws require us to keep records of your transactions or communications for a certain period of time before we can delete them); or
Whether retention is advisable in light of our legal position (such as in regard to applicable statutes of limitations, litigation or regulatory investigations).

DATA RIGHTS

If any of the information that we have about you is incorrect, or you wish to have information (including Personal Information) deleted from our records, please contact us via one of the methods listed below.

Additionally, if you prefer not to receive marketing messages from us, please let us know by clicking on the unsubscribe link within any marketing message that you receive or by contacting us by email at wavemaker@oceana.org.

Please note that you may not be entitled to all the consumer rights listed below depending upon your country of residence. If you reside within the European Economic Area (“EEA”) or another country with similar privacy rights, you may have the right to:

Request access to your Personal Data
Request correction of your Personal Data
Request erasure of your Personal Data
Object to processing of your Personal Data
Request restriction of processing your Personal Data
Request transfer of your Personal Data
Withdraw your consent

You may raise your concerns with your local data protection authority directly. We would, however, encourage you to contact us in the first instance as we aim to promptly, efficiently and satisfactorily resolve any concerns or complaints you may have in relation to our processing of your Personal Information by contacting us at info@oceana.org.

If you are based in the UK or EEA and believe that we have not complied with data protection laws, you can complain to the UK ICO (www.ico.org) or your local EEA supervisory authority. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) makes a list of EEA data protection authorities available at: https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/about-edpb/members_en. Depending upon your jurisdiction, you may have a similar right to complain to the supervisory authority in your applicable jurisdiction.

Exercising Your Rights

If you would like to submit a data access, correction, restriction, or deletion request, you can do so by contacting us at info@oceana.org, by calling Oceana’s membership department at +1.202.833.3900, or by writing to the postal address listed below, and we will process such request with respect to any Personal Information that we are able to link to you individually based on the information that you can provide to us. These rights and options that you have with respect to Personal Information are subject to limitations and exceptions under applicable law. You may exercise certain of these rights by using the contact information provided below or by choosing to opt out of particular cookies in the Your Privacy Choices banner. As mentioned above, these rights may not be available to individuals in all jurisdictions.

To exercise your rights, you should be prepared to provide your name, domicile, email address, and/or an appropriate form of identification, along with a description of the rights you intend to exercise. Depending on the sensitivity of your request, you may be required to provide additional information to verify your identity and request before further action is taken. If your request is for access to your Personal Information, we will confirm your email and one or more additional pieces of information provided in your request to verify against information already in our possession, such as name and state or country of residence. If we are unable to confirm that the data provided in your request matches our records, we will ask for additional information to verify your identity. Oceana will confirm receipt of any data subject request and strive to respond to your request within 30 days or any other period as permitted by applicable law depending upon your jurisdiction.

Your authorized agent may make a request on your behalf. We will consider any evidence the agent submits to demonstrate that you gave the agent signed permission to submit the request. We may email you to confirm that the agent is indeed acting on your behalf.

COMMUNICATIONS

We may send you future promotional electronic and/or telephone communications and will obtain your opt-in consent where required by applicable law. We may use the information to communicate with you regarding our mission and campaigns; update you on our progress and initiatives or provide you with other information that you request. Text messaging originator opt-in data will not be shared with any third party, except: (1) with vendors, consultants and other service providers who need access to such information to carry out work on our behalf (and who will not use such information for their own purposes); or (2) if we believe disclosure is required by any applicable law, rule, or regulation or to comply with law enforcement or legal process. You will have the opportunity to “unsubscribe” from us at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the email. We provide an ongoing opportunity to unsubscribe or opt-out by contacting us at wavemaker@oceana.org, or as otherwise described in our messages to you.

If you decide to unsubscribe, we will only contact you thereafter: (i) for the purposes allowed under applicable law; and (ii) to receive service-related messages. For example, if you unsubscribe from marketing communications, it will not limit our ability to send transactional communications to you regarding Oceana.

Users will be given a choice to opt-in to our e-mail marketing, text message marketing, or telephone marketing list where required by applicable law. If you opt-in to receive Oceana e-mails or text messages, we may send you periodic e-mails or text messages from Oceana (including marketing or cart reminder messages). If you opt-out, you will not receive these e-mails or text messages. To stop receiving marketing e-mails, please click the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the email. To stop receiving marketing text messages please reply STOP. To stop receiving marketing calls, you can contact us at wavemaker@oceana.org.

OCEANA TRANSFER AND INFORMATION SHARING POLICY

We do not rent, sell, or share Personal Information collected on this website with third parties for their direct marketing purposes. We may provide Personal Information to or permit access to Personal Information by vendors and service providers who are contracted to help us administer this website. These service providers may process Personal Information on our behalf or use Personal Information to assist Oceana in administering our website. Oceana does not otherwise share Personal Information about website users with third parties unless doing so is appropriate to carry out a user’s request or Oceana reasonably believes that doing so is legally required or is in Oceana’s interest to protect its property or other legal rights or the rights or property of others.

Affiliated Websites, Other Websites, and Advertisements

This Privacy Policy applies to websites and services that are owned and operated by Oceana. We do not exercise control over the websites of third parties that you may link to or view as part of a frame on a page on this website. These other sites may place their own cookies or other files on your computer, collect data, or solicit Personal information from you. We are not responsible for the actions or policies of such third parties. You should check the applicable privacy policies of those third parties when providing information on a feature or page operated by a third party.

INTERNATIONAL VISITORS AND CUSTOMERS

This website is hosted in the United States and/or Canada. If you are visiting from the EEA or other regions with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from U.S. or Canadian law, please note that we may transfer your Personal Information to the United States, Canada, and/or other countries, where a statutory level of data protection applies that is not comparable to the level of data protection within the EEA or your applicable jurisdiction. Whenever such transfer occurs and the destination country does not provide an adequate level of protection as determined by your jurisdiction, such transfer will be based on adequate transfer mechanisms, such as standard contractual clauses (according to EU Commission Decision 87/2010/EC or any future replacement, or a similar transfer mechanism appropriate for your jurisdiction), with your consent, or using one or more of the other approved data transfer mechanisms in order to provide that your Personal Information is subject to a level of data protection.

DATA SECURITY

We take steps to ensure that your information is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy, including encrypting data where appropriate, using secure HTTPS protocol for transmission, and ensuring that all access to data by Oceana staff is limited. No data transmissions over the Internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Consequently, we cannot ensure or warrant that information you transmit to us will never be accessed. If Oceana learns of a security systems breach, we may need to notify you electronically so that you can take appropriate protective steps. By using this website or providing Personal Information to us, you agree that we can communicate with you electronically regarding security, privacy and administrative issues relating to your use of this website. Oceana may post a notice on our website if a security breach occurs. Oceana may also need to send an email to you at the email address you have provided to us in these circumstances. Depending on where you live, you may have a legal right to receive notice of a security breach in writing. To receive free written notice of a security breach (or to withdraw your consent from receiving electronic notice), you should notify us at info@oceana.org.

CHANGES AND UPDATES

We may occasionally update this Privacy Policy. When we do, we will also revise the “effective date” on the Privacy Policy. We will provide additional notice, such as displaying a prominent notice on our website or sending an email to you, if we make any changes that materially affect your privacy rights. For changes to this Privacy Policy that may be materially less restrictive on our use or disclosure of Personal Information you have provided to us, we will attempt to obtain your consent where required by law before implementing the change. We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy to stay informed about how we are protecting the Personal Information we collect. Your continued use of this website constitutes your agreement to this Privacy Policy and any updates.

CONTACTING OCEANA

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about Oceana or this Privacy Policy, please email us at info@oceana.org. Oceana is committed to addressing any privacy concerns you may have and cooperating to achieve a proper resolution. Oceana, Inc. is the primary controller of your Personal Information and may also be a joint controller with the regional Oceana entities listed below. You may locate your specific country/region controller by locating the applicable entity in your jurisdiction below or by contacting the global headquarters.

GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS
Oceana, Inc.
1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036
Toll-free: +1 (877) 7-OCEANA
Email: info@oceana.org

CANADA*
Oceana Canada
18 King Street East, Suite 505
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 1C4
Phone: +1 (416) 583-2350
Email: info@oceana.ca

*Note: Oceana Canada is an independent charity affiliated with the Oceana, Inc. family.

BELIZE
Oceana in Belize
P.O. Box 731
City of Belmopan, Belize
Central America
Phone: +501-822-2792
Fax: +501-822-2797
Email: belize@oceana.org

BRAZIL
Oceana Brasil
SIG Quadra 1, lote 985, sala 251
Centro Empresarial Parque Brasilia
CEP 70610-410
Brasilia – DF, Brasil/Brazil
Phone: +55 61 3247-1800
Email: brazil@oceana.org

CHILE
Oceana, Inc. – Chile
Av Suecia 0155, Off. 1001
Providencia, Santiago, Chile
Postal code: 7510114
Phone: +56 2-2925-5600
Email: AmericadelSur@oceana.org

MEXICO
Oceana México, Protegiendo los Océanos del Mundo, A.C.
Poseidon 39
Col. Credito Constructor
Ciudad de México
México CP 03940
Phone: +52 (55) 4435 9792
Email: mexico@oceana.org

PERU
Oceana, Inc. (Peru Representative Branch)
Av. del Ejército 250
Oficina 302
Lima 15074, Peru
Phones: +51 (1) 500 8190
Email: peru@oceana.org

PHILIPPINES
Oceana Philippines International
P.O. Box 255, UP Post Office,
University of the Philippines Campus,
Diliman, Quezon City 1101
Email: info@oceana.org

EU HEADQUARTERS
Fundación Oceana
Gran Via 62, 7 Izda.
28013 Madrid, Spain
Phone: + 34 911 440 880
Email: europe@oceana.org

UNITED KINGDOM
Oceana UK
C/O Bates Wells & Braithwaite
10 Queen Street Place
London EC4R 1BE, United Kingdom
Email: oceanauk@oceana.org

SWITZERLAND
Friends of Oceana
C/O Walder Wyss AG – Rue d’Italie 10
1211 Geneva 3, Switzerland
Email: oceana-geneva@oceana.org

Donation Inquiries: you can obtain copies of your donation receipts, manage your recurring donation, and change your mailing or email address in our Wavemaker Portal at https://oceana.org/wavemaker. If you need additional assistance regarding donations, please contact us at 202-996-7174 or email wavemaker@oceana.org.

Last Updated: March 29, 2024