Privacy Policy

The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church (General Board) respects the privacy of visitors to our Web site (Site). As the custodian of our participants' data, we are committed to protecting the personal information of over 66,000 participants. We are honoring that commitment by disclosing here the nature of the limited information that is collected from www.gbophb.org and how such information is used.

Information Collected by the General Board

The General Board gathers two types of information about users:

• Information that users provide through optional, voluntary submissions. These are voluntary submissions including but not limited to: communicating with the General Board via online forms, requesting materials that require mailing, receiving any electronic newsletters, and from participation in online polls and surveys.
• Information the General Board gathers through aggregated tracking information derived mainly by tallying page views throughout the Site. This information allows us to better understand our audience's interests and thus tailor our content to readers' needs. Under no circumstances does the General Board divulge any information gathered from our Site about users to a third party.

Usage tracking

The General Board tracks user traffic patterns throughout the Site based upon aggregate server statistics. However, we do not correlate this information with personally identifiable data about individual users. The General Board does break down overall usage statistics according to a user's domain name, browser type, and MIME type by reading this information from the browser string (information contained in every user's browser).

The General Board also tracks and catalogs the search terms users enter in our Search function, but this tracking is never associated with individual users. We use tracking information to determine both the effectiveness of existing content and audience demand for future content. This helps us continue to better our service to visitors and participants.

Cookies

We may place a text file called a "cookie" in the browser files of your computer. The cookie itself does not contain personal information, although it will enable us to relate your use of this site to information that you have specifically and knowingly provided. However, the only personal information a cookie can contain is information you voluntarily supply. A cookie cannot read data off your hard disk or read cookie files created by other sites. The General Board may use cookies to track traffic patterns or provide enhanced functionality to the Site.

You can refuse cookies by turning them off in your browser. If you've set your browser to warn you before accepting cookies, you will receive the warning message with each cookie. You do not need to have cookies turned on to use the Site. However, may need cookies to utilize certain functions within the Site.

Notification Of Changes To This Policy

The General Board is continually improving and adding new functionality and features to this web site and improving and adding to its existing services and programs. Because of these ongoing changes, changes in the law and the changing nature of technology, the General Board's data practices will change from time to time. If and when our data practices change, the General Board will post the changes on the Site to notify you of the changes. We encourage you to check this page frequently.

Governing Law

This privacy policy forms part of our Web site Terms and Conditions, and as such shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois.

What the General Board Does about Children Visiting This Web Site

We will not knowingly collect information from Site visitors under the age of 13.

Effective Date

This Privacy Policy is Effective as of 8/1/2006.

Questions About Our Privacy Policy

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or concerns about the way the General Board uses personal data, please contact us by calling 1-800-851-2201 or using our online contact form.