OUR PROGRAMS ARE FUNDED BY BOATERS LIKE YOU.

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: May 11, 2021

This privacy policy is provided by the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water (“BoatU.S. Foundation”) and applies to all of our courses.

BoatU.S. Foundation is committed to protecting your privacy when you visit our website. We want you to know what information is collected, how we use that information, and how you can update it. BoatU.S. Foundation reserves the right to change this privacy statement at any time, and we will notify you of any changes to our policy by posting them here, so please re-visit this page regularly to check for changes.

BoatU.S. Foundation collects various types of information from our visitors so we can offer our services and adjust our site to meet our users' needs and expectations. Some of this information is collected automatically and other information is collected when you provide it to us.

Information Collected Automatically

The types of information your browser or Internet session automatically sends us each time you visit our site, which we automatically collect, include information such as:

  • Your browser, e.g., Internet Explorer® or Firefox®
  • Your Internet domain
  • Your computer’s operating system, e.g., Windows®, MacOS®
  • Your navigation path, i.e., the URLs of where you come to our site from, which of our pages you visit, and where you go as you leave
  • Your IP address

This information lets us see how users are finding our site and tells us which pages are visited the most often so we can make our website more useful.

Information You Provide to Us

In addition to information automatically collected, BoatU.S. Foundation also collects information that you provide when you register for an online course.

You are free to browse the courses and take the quizzes and/or Final Exam without identifying yourself. But if you wish to register, which is required in order to receive a certificate of completion, we will ask you to supply certain personal information, including your name, contact information, birth month and year, sex, and information needed to bill you.

How We Use Information

BoatU.S. Foundation uses the information you provide to fulfill your requests for products or services and otherwise operate our business. Your payment information will be used for processing your applicable fee(s) or payments. We may share your information as disclosed below.

If you opt into our mailing list, we may also use certain directory information that we have collected to send you information about products and services, or updates and other information we think may be of interest to you. Please see below for your choices regarding these communications.

Third Party Links

Our web site may contain links to other sites. When you click on these links you are leaving the BoatU.S. Foundation site and going to another website. BoatU.S. Foundation is not responsible or liable for the content of such Web sites or their collection and use of your personal information. Please remember that any information that is disclosed in these other sites will be handled according to their privacy policies and you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information.

How We Share Information

BoatU.S. Foundation may share your information as follows:

  • If you take an online boating safety exam, we may share with state agencies responsible for certification;
  • If you register for a course that is offered by a third party, we may share with the third party administering the course;
  • If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, partial or total sale of assets, including through bankruptcy, or other corporate change, data may be a transferred asset;
  • We may share with our affiliated institutions;
  • We may share with third parties that provide services to us;
  • We may share with non-affiliated third parties that offer services and products that we believe may be interesting to you;
  • We may share as permitted or required by law:
    • To a government institution or other person or entity that has asserted its lawful authority to obtain the information;
    • Where we believe the information could be useful in the investigation of unlawful activity;
    • To protect BoatU.S. Foundation, our users, or our property, or to enforce our terms;
    • To comply with a subpoena, warrant, or other legal process, or an order made by a court, person or entity with jurisdiction to compel the production of information;
    • To comply with court rules regarding the production of records and information; and
    • To our legal counsel.

Please remember that any information that is disclosed to another entity may be handled and disclosed by that entity for its own purposes and according to that entity’s privacy policies.

Your Choices

If you opt in to our email list, we may, on occasion, use certain directory information that we have collected to send you information about products and services, or updates and other information we think may be of interest to you. You can opt out of such contacts by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email or by sending an email to smartboating@boatus.com with your request. Even if you opt out, we may contact you for other reasons such as to deliver services you have requested.

Updating Your Information

If you would like to update your information in BoatU.S. Foundation’s records, you can log into the “My Account” section of the website, go to “My Profile” and change the information as desired.

California Residents’ Privacy Rights

As explained above, we may share personal information with third parties such as entities that offer courses through our websites and other entities that offer products and services that we believe may interest you. These third parties may use such information for a variety of purposes including direct marketing. Upon request submitted by mail or email using the contact information at the bottom of this policy, we will provide you with a list, no more than annually, detailing the categories of information shared and the entities to which such information was provided. In accordance with California law, California residents may file grievances and complaints with California Department of Consumer Affairs, 400 R Street, Suite 1080, Sacramento, CA 95814; or by phone at 916-445-1254 or 800-952-5210; or by email to mailto:dca@dca.ca.gov.

Our Security Measures

BoatU.S. Foundation websites have reasonable security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control.

Children’s Online Privacy

The BoatU.S. Foundation website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. BoatU.S. Foundation encourages parents and guardians to spend time with their children online, and to be familiar with the sites their children visit. If a parent or legal guardian believes that a child has provided personal information to BoatU.S. Foundation, the parent or legal guardian may contact BoatU.S. Foundation to have this information deleted.

When contacting BoatU.S. Foundation for this purpose, please include your e-mail address and telephone number where we can reach you. BoatU.S. Foundation takes steps to verify the identity of anyone requesting information about a child and to ensure that the person is in fact the child’s parent or legal guardian.

Contacting BoatU.S. Foundation

If you have any questions about this privacy statement or the practices of this site, you can contact us at:

BoatU.S. Foundation
147 Old Solomons Island Road, Suite 513
Annapolis, MD 21401
Telephone: 703-461-2878 ext. 3208
smartboating@boatus.com