Privacy Policy

Personal information is anything that can identify you directly or indirectly in combination with other information about you. Personal information does not include publicly available information and information that cannot be linked to you.

When you become an AEC Unites member, we may need your name, firm name, contact information, and payment details. If you sign up for an AEC Unites account or join the AEC Unites HUB, we may ask for your phone number, month and day of birth, and account password.

Depending on the settings you choose for your browser and device, we may also receive details about the device you use, how you browse our website, and your use of our app. You can choose to give us additional personal information by completing surveys, contacting us, or engaging with AEC Unites on social media.

We primarily use personal information to provide the information, member services, programs, and digital experiences you request from AEC Unites. If you create an account or join the AEC Unites HUB, we may use personal information such as your engagement history and content preferences to better understand your needs and manage member communications.

We use your personal information to send marketing communications unless you unsubscribe. We also use personal information as needed to operate our business, including to advertise, improve member services, and decide on new content and programming.

We do not sell personal information in exchange for money. We may share personal information with vendors to support targeted advertising and cross-context behavioral advertising. If you agree to receive text messages, we will not sell your mobile number or share it with other companies for their own marketing purposes.

You may opt out of the sharing of personal information and its use for targeted advertising or cross-context behavioral advertising by contacting us at info@aecunites.org or calling +1 202 964-2958. Additional ways to opt out are identified in this Policy.

We generally keep personal information for as long as we are using it for the reasons described in this Policy, or longer if required by law. When deciding how long to keep personal information, we consider our legal obligations, the amount and sensitivity of the information, and whether we reasonably need to keep it.

We collect the following categories of personal information. We do not collect every type of personal information from every person. The specific personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us.

We collect personal information from the following sources.

We typically use personal information in one or more of the following ways, or for another reasonably expected or compatible purpose.

Personal information we collect may be disclosed to AEC Unites vendors and other parties as reasonably necessary to facilitate the uses identified in this Policy. Personal information may be shared within AEC Unites and may be disclosed when you direct us to disclose it.

We do not disclose text message program opt-in consent data to third parties for their own marketing or promotional use.

To determine an appropriate retention period for personal information, we consider factors such as the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the information; the potential risk of unauthorized access, use, or disclosure; the purposes for which we process the information; and applicable legal requirements.

In general, we retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide the AEC Unites solutions or services you request, while you have an open account with us, and as needed for the purposes described in this Policy. We may retain personal information for longer if necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or as permitted or required by applicable law.

We may also retain information in a deidentified or aggregated form so that it can no longer be associated with you and is no longer considered personal information.

We use cookies, pixels, and other tracking technologies, together called Tracking Technologies, on our website and app as well as in email communications and targeted advertising. Tracking Technologies can uniquely identify your browser or device and store and transmit information back to us or to a service provider or vendor.

Tracking Technologies may help identify fraudulent website users, recognize that you are already logged in, track website pages or products you view, or deliver targeted advertising. Marketing emails may contain clear gifs or web beacons that let us see whether you opened an email or clicked a link.

Tracking Technologies can permit us and our vendors to track information about you over time and across websites, applications, or devices. This information may be used to associate activity across devices and browsers, deliver targeted advertising, limit ad frequency, and measure advertising campaign effectiveness.

We may partner with companies, including social media companies, that use Tracking Technologies to collect information about you on our behalf. Your use of AEC Unites websites and apps may also be associated with an existing user profile through companies such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok.

We may use third-party analytics tools, including Google Analytics Advertising features, to better understand how visitors use our website. Information generated by Google Analytics is subject to Google's privacy policies. To opt out of Google Analytics, visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Our website may contain embedded content, such as videos hosted by another service. Tracking Technologies associated with embedded content are those of the content provider, and any personal information collected will be subject to that provider's privacy practices.

We may offer social media sharing features or other integrated tools that let you share AEC Unites content on social media. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policies of the companies that provide them.

You can choose to block some Tracking Technologies when you visit our website, but some parts of the website may not work as expected if Tracking Technologies are blocked. Opting out of targeted advertising will not prevent you from receiving advertising about AEC Unites or other companies, but the advertising you see may be less relevant to your interests.

You may be able to disable Tracking Technologies using your web browser settings. Please review your browser's instructions or visit All About Cookies for general information. Like many websites, our website is not currently designed to respond to Do Not Track signals received from browsers.

The Digital Advertising Alliance and Network Advertising Initiative provide self-regulatory programs that help users opt out of targeted advertising from participating vendors. You can visit the Digital Advertising Alliance's Your Ad Choices website or use its AppChoices tool, and you can visit the Network Advertising Initiative's Opt Out of Interest-Based Advertising resources.

You can stop collection of personal information by our app by uninstalling it or unsubscribing. Opt outs are typically specific to a browser or device, so you may need to opt out separately on each browser or device you use.

We may send marketing communications by email or use a vendor to send these messages on our behalf. To opt out of marketing emails, click the unsubscribe link in any marketing communication you receive.

You can also choose to receive text messages from us. When you sign up to receive text messages, we may text you marketing communications, reminders, and information about your preferences. You may opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP to any text message you receive.

Data obtained from text messages will not be shared with other parties for their own marketing purposes. You may update communication and advertising preferences by logging into your AEC Unites account and updating your account settings or by changing relevant app settings on your device.

Our website and app are not intended for children under the age of 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 18 on our website or app.

If we become aware that we have received personal information from a child under the age of 18, we will delete such information in accordance with applicable law.

Higher-education members may use applicable AEC Unites services. This Policy does not authorize children under 18 to use the AEC Unites HUB unless otherwise permitted by the specific program and applicable law.

This section supplements the information provided throughout this Policy and applies to residents of California and other states with comprehensive privacy laws in effect, including Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, unless otherwise stated. All other provisions of this Policy continue to apply.

Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights under applicable U.S. state privacy laws.

If you would like to exercise privacy rights under an applicable law, you or a person you designate may submit a privacy request by emailing privacy@aecunites.org or calling +1 202 964-2958.

We use commercially reasonable efforts to verify your identity after you submit a request by comparing details provided in your request with personal information in our systems. We may ask you to provide more information to confirm your identity or clarify your request before it can be processed.

If someone else submits a request for you, we may ask you to verify your identity or confirm the request. If we cannot confirm your request or identity, we may not be able to act on your request.

We endeavor to respond to privacy rights requests within 45 days of receipt of the request and any identity verification or clarifying information. We will let you know if it will take longer to respond. We will typically respond by email unless you specify a different method of response, such as postal mail.

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy request, you can ask us to reconsider our decision by responding to the communication you received regarding your request. We will not discriminate against you for exercising legal rights.

California residents may make one Shine the Light request per calendar year asking for information about personal information disclosed to other parties for those parties' direct marketing purposes during the immediately preceding calendar year. In your request, state that you are a California resident and provide a current California mailing address for our response.

AEC Unites operates in the United States. If you use our website or app outside the United States, personal information we obtain about you will be processed in the United States.

The privacy and data protection laws and regulations that apply to your personal information in the United States may be different from the laws in your home country.

We reserve the right to change this Policy at any time. We post our Policy with the date of the most recent updates.