Highbeam

This Privacy Policy explains how Highbeam Institute (“Highbeam,” “we,” “us” or “our”) collects, uses, shares and protects personal information when you visit highbeamai.org (the “Site”), subscribe to our updates or contact us. By using the Site, you acknowledge the practices described in this Policy.

1. Information we collect

Information you provide

Email updates. When you subscribe, we collect your email address.
Contact form. When you contact us, we collect your name, email address, organization, message, phone number if you choose to give one and the page you sent it from.
Correspondence. If you reply to our emails or write to us, we receive your email address and whatever you include.

Information collected automatically

Server logs. When you visit the Site, our hosting provider automatically records technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, the pages you request, the referring page and the date and time of your visit.
Email engagement. Our email service provider may record whether our emails are delivered and opened and which links are clicked.

We do not use analytics services, advertising networks, tracking pixels or cross-site tracking technologies.

Cookies and local storage

We set one cookie, and only if you enter the password for one of our preview tools (Highbeam Atlas or the Policy Explorer). It keeps those tools unlocked on your device for seven days, contains no personal information and is strictly necessary for that feature.

Highbeam Atlas saves the positions you mark in your browser’s local storage. That information stays on your device and is not sent to us.

You can block or delete cookies and local storage in your browser settings. If you do, you’ll need to enter the preview password again.

Information from other sources

We do not buy or receive personal information about you from data brokers or other third parties.

2. How we use information

We use personal information to:

send you the updates you asked for;
respond to your messages and requests;
operate, maintain, secure and improve the Site;
detect, prevent and address abuse, security incidents and technical problems; and
comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Use.

We do not sell personal information, use it for targeted advertising or make decisions about you based solely on automated processing.

3. How we share information

We share personal information only as described below.

Service providers. Companies that host the Site and deliver our email on our behalf: Vercel (hosting), Buttondown (email updates) and Resend (delivery of contact form messages and new sign-ups to our inbox). They may use personal information only to provide their services to us.
Content delivery. Our study pages load fonts from Google Fonts and charting code from jsDelivr, so those providers receive your IP address and browser information when you view those pages. Their use of that information is governed by their own privacy policies.
Legal and safety reasons. When we believe disclosure is required by law, subpoena or other legal process, or is necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of Highbeam, our users or others.
Organizational changes. In connection with a merger, reorganization or transfer of all or part of our operations, subject to this Policy.
With your consent. When you ask us to or agree that we may.

We do not sell or rent personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising as those terms are defined under California law.

4. Legal bases for processing

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we process personal information on these legal bases: your consent, for example to send email updates, which you can withdraw at any time; our legitimate interests in responding to inquiries and in operating, securing and improving the Site, balanced against your rights; and compliance with our legal obligations.

5. Data retention

Email updates. We keep your email address until you unsubscribe. After that we may keep it on a suppression list so we don’t email you again.
Contact messages and correspondence. We keep these as long as needed to respond and for reasonable record-keeping, then delete them.
Server logs. Our hosting provider keeps these for a limited period under its standard practices.
Preview cookie. It expires seven days after it’s set.

6. Data security

We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect personal information, including encrypted connections. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your rights and choices

Email updates. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any of our emails.
Your information. Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct or delete your personal information, to object to or restrict certain processing, to data portability and to withdraw consent. Residents of California and other U.S. states with comprehensive privacy laws may also have the right to know what personal information we collect and how we use and share it.
Making a request. Use our and tell us it’s a privacy request. We will verify your request and respond within the time required by applicable law. You may use an authorized agent where the law allows, and we will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.
Complaints. If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you may also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

8. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

We don’t track visitors across websites, so we don’t respond differently to Do Not Track signals. We treat a Global Privacy Control signal as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information, which we don’t do in any case.

9. International data transfers

Highbeam is based in the United States, and our service providers may process information in the United States and other countries. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses, for transfers of personal information from the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom.

10. Children’s privacy

The Site is not directed to children under 13, or under 16 in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

11. Links to other websites

The Site links to websites we don’t operate. We aren’t responsible for their privacy practices, so please review their policies.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version on this page and change the “Last updated” date. If we make material changes, we will provide additional notice where appropriate.

13. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or want to make a privacy request, use our . Our Terms of Use also apply to your use of the Site.