Privacy Policy

Last Updated: November 6, 2024

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (“PCRM,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects the privacy of members and website visitors. Because protecting your privacy is important to us, we created this Privacy Policy to communicate our practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information (defined below).

This Privacy Policy applies to Personal Information collected or processed through PCRM-operated websites and applications, including http://www.pcrm.org/ and https://www.nutritioncme.org/ (collectively the “Site”). This Privacy Policy does not extend to external sites linked to the PCRM Marketplace or non-PCRM websites to which there might be a link from the Site. Please check with these companies or organizations and sites for their policies regarding data privacy, including the use of “cookies.”

What types of information does PCRM collect?

We collect information that you provide to us (for example, when you register for an event or community forum), through third-party service providers (for example, if you pay membership fees or make a donation through our third-party payment processor), and automatically through your use of the Site (for example, through the use of cookies on the Site, as discussed in more detail, below).

The information we collect includes “Personal Information,” which is information that, either alone or in combination with other information, identifies you. We collect Personal Information such as your name, e-mail address, and mailing address when you sign up to become a PCRM member. When we combine Personal Information with other information that does not, on its own, identify you, we treat the combined information as Personal Information.

How does PCRM use information that is collected?

Enabling Your Participation in Certain Activities. 

To participate in certain activities, you might be asked to provide Personal Information. For example, we may collect Personal Information in connection with the following:

• Registering for PCRM’s events or online community, NutritionCME, the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart program, or ongoing communications such as Recipe of the Week or Breaking Medical News
• Participating in PCRM’s action alerts, petitions, and other outreach
• Making contributions or membership gifts
• Ordering literature or merchandise

Sending Information to You. 

We use your Personal Information to send you details about our campaigns, events, activities, volunteer opportunities, action alerts, and opportunities to support our lifesaving work. We may send you information on events or opportunities based on your postal code. We may send out e-mail messages that include information about or on behalf of like-minded organizations and companies, but we do not provide such organizations with access to any Personal Information that you have provided to us, including your e-mail address. If you opt in to receive action alerts on your mobile phone, we may use the phone number that you provide to send text messages (“SMS”) with information on PCRM programs. Although we do not charge for this service, standard messaging and data rates may apply. You may unsubscribe from receiving communications from PCRM at any time. Please see Can I unsubscribe from communications from PCRM? below for more information on how to unsubscribe from receiving communications from PCRM.

For Legal and Other Purposes. 

If you submit or we collect Personal Information, then such Personal Information may also be used in the following ways: (i) to provide, analyze, administer, and improve our Site and activities; (ii) to identify and authenticate your access to the parts of our Site and services that you are authorized to access; (iii) for recruiting and human resources administration purposes; (iv) to protect our rights or our property and to ensure the technical functionality and security of our Site; and (v) as necessary to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.

Does PCRM use “cookies” on this Site?

We use “cookies” on our Site. A cookie is a small piece of data that is stored on a visitor’s hard drive. Cookies enhance a visitor’s experience by preventing the visitor from having to log in or provide information each time the visitor returns to a Web page and by customizing content based on a visitor’s interests. Visitors can configure their browsers to refuse cookies or to be alerted when a site is attempting to send a cookie, although some PCRM e-commerce pages may not function properly on a browser that does not accept cookies.

We use cookies to administer our Site, track visitor movement, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. Specifically, we use Google Analytics, an analytics service to help us analyze the traffic on the Site. For more information on Google Analytics’ processing of Personal Information, please see https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

Some of our service providers may use cookies or other methods to gather information regarding your use of our Site. Such third parties may use these cookies or other tracking methods for their own purposes by relating information about your use of our Site with any of your Personal Information that they may have. The use of such information by a third party depends on the privacy policy of that third party.

Without an industry or legal standard of interpreting Do Not Track (“DNT”) signals sent to us by your browser, we do not respond to DNT signals at this time. To learn more about how DNT works, please visit http://allaboutdnt.com.

Is information shared with other organizations?

The information that we gather from subscribers or others who provide their e-mail addresses or phone numbers is not shared with non-PCRM-affiliated organizations or companies, except as provided in this Privacy Policy or with your consent.

This section describes to whom we disclose Personal Information and for what purposes:

Advocacy and Nonprofit Organizations, Candidates and Candidates’ Campaign Committees. 

We occasionally partner with other organizations to offer programs such as events. If you provide Personal Information while registering for or participating in such programs, we may share that information with any partner organizations that we identify in the program material prior to collecting your Personal Information. We occasionally make the names and postal addresses of donors (gathered online or otherwise) available to advocacy and nonprofit organizations and commercial companies at our sole discretion. Such information is also available to candidates and candidates’ campaign committees, regardless of their political party affiliation or policy positions. This information is sent to mail processors, and such entities do not receive this information unless you respond. If you are a PCRM donor and you do not want your information exchanged with other organizations and companies, please email us at membership [at] pcrm.org (membership[at]pcrm[dot]org) or call us at 202-527-7304 to speak to our membership staff. If you are not a PCRM member or donor, your information will not be exchanged with such organizations.

Our Service Providers. 

We employ service providers to perform tasks on our behalf and to assist us in providing the Site. For example, we use service providers for membership management, donation management, and credit card processing (e.g., Blackbaud Inc., CiviCRM LLC, Direct Connect, EveryAction, Omatic Software LLC, PayPal); analytics (e.g., FireBase, Google Analytics); marketing (e.g., Path2Response, LLC); and social media integration (e.g., AddThis by Oracle America, Inc., Facebook, Twitter). To help us connect with new audiences, some of these third parties may temporarily process limited amounts of Personal Information on our behalf. During that process, we take steps to avoid or minimize the use of Personal Information, such as converting information into a cryptographic hash and then providing only the hash to a service provider.

Organizations Involved in Mergers, Acquisitions, and Transactions.

 If we sell or otherwise transfer part or the whole of PCRM or our assets to another organization (for example, in the course of a transaction like a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, dissolution, or liquidation), any information that we collect, including Personal Information, may be among the items sold or transferred.

Law Enforcement, Government Agencies, and Courts. 

We may disclose Personal Information at the request of law enforcement or government agencies or in response to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process to establish, protect, or exercise our rights or to defend against a legal claim or as otherwise required or allowed by law or to protect the rights, property, or safety of any other person. We also may disclose Personal Information to investigate or prevent a violation by you of any contractual or other relationship with us or your unlawful or harmful activity.

Can I access or correct my Personal Information?

If you are a PCRM member, please contact our membership staff at membership [at] pcrm.org or 202-527-7304. If you are not a PCRM member, please send requests to access or correct Personal Information about you to info [at] pcrm.org.

Depending where you live, you may have additional rights, such as the right to erase, export, object to, or restrict the processing of Personal Information. We will promptly review all such requests in accordance with applicable laws.

Can I unsubscribe from communications from PCRM?

All e-mail messages sent to e-mail newsletter subscribers contain a link that allows you to unsubscribe or modify your profile. You may subscribe to or unsubscribe from e-mail communication from PCRM at any time.

To unsubscribe from receiving text messages, simply text “STOP” to 40649. You may also send an email to info [at] pcrm.org if you need help opting out.

To unsubscribe from receiving postal mail, please submit your request by phone to 202-527-7304, by e-mail to info [at] pcrm.org, or in writing to PCRM Membership Department, 5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Ste. 400, Washington, DC 20016. Please be sure to provide the full name and address information so that we may honor your request. Once your request is processed, your information will not be included in any future mailing lists that we generate. Please note that you may receive mail for up to eight (8) weeks after your request is processed if your information was on a list that had already been released.

If you have any questions about PCRM communications, please e-mail info [at] pcrm.org.

How does PCRM protect Personal Information?

We protect the information gathered through our membership and Site. Our Site has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. Our Web infrastructure is located in a locked, secure environment. When you contribute to PCRM online or make a purchase through the PCRM Marketplace, we engage a third-party payment processor to provide a secure server and encryption to protect your financial and other personal information during transmission. However, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Personal Information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Where does PCRM transfer and store Personal Information?

If you are using the Site from outside the United States, please be aware that Personal Information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States. The data protection laws of the United States might not be as comprehensive as those in your country. By using the Site, you consent to your Personal Information being transferred to the United States for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Personal Information from children

We do not knowingly collect or solicit any Personal Information from children. In the event that we learn that we have collected Personal Information from a child without parental consent, we will promptly take steps to delete that information.

Your California rights

If you are a California resident, California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits you to request information regarding the disclosure of your Personal Information (as defined by California law) by PCRM to third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please e-mail legaldept [at] pcrm.org or write to PCRM Legal Department, 5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Ste. 400, Washington, DC 20016.

Additional questions

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, the information that we have collected from you online, the practices of this Site, or your interaction with this Site, please e-mail legaldept [at] pcrm.org. You can also reach us via postal mail at PCRM Legal Department, 5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Ste. 400, Washington, DC 20016.

Depending where you live, you may have a right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority or other regulatory agency if you believe that we have violated any of the rights concerning your Personal Information. We encourage you to first reach out to us so we have an opportunity to address your concerns directly before you do so.