Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 3/24/2025

Privacy policy

Your privacy is important to us at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Center for Science in the Public Interest Action Fund, and their affiliates (collectively “CSPI,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), and we are committed to safeguarding, preserving, and respecting your privacy rights.  This online privacy statement (the “Statement” or “Policy”) describes how we collect, use, disclose, and secure the personal information (defined below) we gather about you through our websites, https://www.cspinet.org/, https://store.nutritionaction.com/, and any other sites that display authorized links to this policy, including all mobile websites (the “Sites”), our applications, publications and when you interact with us as a customer or otherwise (collectively, the “Services”).

For the purposes of this Statement, “Personal Information” means data that classifies as personal information, personal data, personally identifiable information, or similar terms under applicable data privacy and security laws and regulations.  It does not include data excluded or exempted from those laws and regulations.  Nothing in this Statement will constitute an admission or evidence that any particular data privacy or information security law or regulation applies to CSPI generally or in any specific context.

This Policy expressly incorporates any privacy notices we may issue to supplement this Policy, for example if required by law.  Depending on your residency, a supplemental privacy notice may apply to you.

1.  You consent to this statement

Please read this Statement carefully so that you understand our privacy practices.  We recommend printing and retaining a copy for your future reference.  By accessing, browsing, interacting, downloading, or otherwise using the Services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed with this Statement.  If you do not agree to this Statement, you may not use the Services.

This Statement applies regardless of how the Services are accessed and will cover any technologies or devices by which we make the Services available to you.

We may provide you with additional privacy notices where we believe it is appropriate to do so. It is important that you read this Statement together with any other privacy notice or terms we may provide on specific occasions so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data.  This Statement supplements these other notices and is not intended to override them.

Your use of our Services, and any dispute over privacy, is subject to this Policy and our Terms of Service  (“Terms of Service”), which is incorporated by reference into this Policy.

If you have any questions or concerns about our Personal Information policies or practices, you can contact us in the methods described in the “Contact Us” section below.

2.  What types of information do we collect? 

We collect information you voluntarily provide directly to us, information that we collect automatically when you interact with the Services, and information collected from third parties.  The categories of Personal Information that we collect and the purposes for which we collect that information are described below.

We may disclose, exchange, or sell certain Personal Information we collect to organizations such as marketers, other magazine publishers, retailers, and non-profit organizations that want to market products or services to you or solicit donations.  If you do not want us to disclose, exchange, or sell your Personal Information with third parties, please contact customer service at 1-866-293-2774 or customercare@cspinet.org.

Categories of personal information we collect and the purposes for which we collect that information

The following list describes the categories of Personal Information we collect and the purposes for which we collect that information.

• Account Information includes name, zip code, email address, username, and password.  We collect this information when you provide it directly to us.  We use this information for the purposes of account creation and management, newsletter, email, the purchase of goods and services, and donation solicitation.

• Analytics Information includes information we automatically collect as you navigate our Services. This includes cookies, tracking pixels, tags, or similar tools. For more information, please view the “How do we use ‘cookies’ and other tracking technologies?” section below. We use this information for the purposes of newsletter, email, website security and maintenance, and customer service.

• Contact Information includes name, zip code, address, email address, and phone number.  We collect this information when you provide it directly to us such as signing up for email updates, requesting information about CSPI products, or filling out a form.  We may also collect this information from third-party data suppliers from whom we purchase information to supplement the data we collect.  We use this information for the purposes of newsletter, email, purchase of goods and services, customer service, and donation solicitation.  We may disclose, exchange, or sell your contact information to organizations such as marketers, other magazine publishers, retailers, and non-profit organizations that want to market products or services to you or solicit donations.

• Commercial History includes information regarding the purchases you have made through our Services and your subscription information.  We collect this information when you provide it directly to us.  We collect this information for the purposes of customer service and the purchase of goods and services.  We may disclose, exchange, or sell your commercial history, such as that you subscribe to Nutrition Action, to organizations such as marketers, other magazine publishers, retailers, and non-profit organizations that want to market products or services to you or solicit donations.

• Demographic Information includes name, age, email address, type of employment, place of employment, income, and net worth.  We collect this information when you provide it directly to us, as part of voluntary market research surveys. We may also collect information, such as income and net worth, from various sources, including Candid/Guidestar and third-party data suppliers from whom we purchase information to supplement the data we collect.  We use this information for the purposes of account creation and management, marketing, analytics, and donation solicitation.

• Device Information includes hardware model, screen size, language and other settings, memory capacity, plug-ins, internet service provider, internet domain, TCP configuration parameters, operating system, application version number, browser, names, versions, and package IDs of software on your device, and IP addresses.  We collect this information automatically as you navigate our Services.  We use this information for the purposes of newsletter, email, marketing and advertising, and website security and maintenance.

• Donation History includes information regarding the donations you have made to CSPI.  We collect this information when you provide it directly to us.  We collect this information for the purposes of marketing, advertising, and fundraising.  As noted above, we may disclose, exchange, or sell your contact information to organizations such as marketers, other magazine publishers, retailers, and non-profit organizations that want to market products or services to you or solicit donations.  This information may indicate that you previously donated to CSPI, but will not include the amount of that donation.  In the interest of transparency, we disclose on our website the identity of individuals and foundations that provide donations of $5,000 or more, although donors may opt to remain anonymous.

• Email Interaction Information includes IP address, location information, unique device identifier or characteristics, internet service provider, mobile carrier, mobile phone number, browser, operating system, and cookies.  We collect this information when you interact with our marketing, newsletter, event, and similar emails, such as by clicking on links in those emails.  If you email us, we will collect your email address and any information contained in the email.  We collect this information for the purposes of marketing and advertising and soliciting donations.

• Interests and Preferences include industry, field of interest, interested products, policy priorities, locations of interest, and information regarding newsletters and author alerts you would like to receive.  We collect this information when you provide it directly to us.  We use this information for the purposes of account creation and management, newsletter, email, and soliciting donations.

• Payment Information includes name, address, phone number, and debit or credit card information.  We collect this information when you provide it directly to us, such as when you order a subscription, become a CSPI member, and/or make a donation.  We use this information for the purchase of goods and services, processing donations, and customer service.

• Responses to Surveys and Questionnaires include any information you provide to us when you respond to voluntary market research surveys, such as email address, place of employment, type of employment, industry, and household income.  We use this information for the purposes indicated in the survey or questionnaire and for the purposes of analytics and research.

• Social Media Information includes information that you post by sharing on a blog or another social media platform.  We collect this information when you provide it directly to us or interact with us on social media.  Please note that because your comments will be visible to the public, you should never share Personal Information that you would like to keep private.  We use this information for the purposes of account creation and management, marketing and advertising, and soliciting donations.

Other ways we may collect, use, or share the information 

We may also reserve the right to collect, use, or share Personal Information for the following purposes:

• For legal purposes.  We reserve the right to cooperate with local, provincial, state, federal, and international officials in any investigation requiring either Personal Information or reports about lawful of unlawful user activity on the Sites.  We also reserve the right to share your Personal Information to establish, exercise, or defend our legal and property rights, including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention.  We may also share your Personal Information with any person who we reasonably believe may apply to a court or other competent authority for disclosure of that Personal Information where, in our reasonable opinion, such court or authority would be reasonably likely to order disclosure of that Personal Information. 
  
  If we are ordered by a legal process or government to provide data about one or more individual users, we will notify those users of our compliance with that order, to the extent permitted by law.

• Business transactions or mergers.  We reserve the right to share your Personal Information with third parties as part of any potential business or asset sale, merger, acquisition, investment, round of funding, or similar type of transaction.  Additionally, if we are entering into a corporate transaction with a third party, we may receive Personal Information in connection with the diligence.  If we close a transaction, the third party may transfer Personal Information, which we would use as described in this Policy.

• Bankruptcy or insolvency.  In the event of bankruptcy, insolvency, or dissolution proceedings, we may share your Personal Information with third parties as part of the sale or reorganization process.

• Information from our partners.  We may collect information from our partners such as market research firms and our affiliates, subsidiaries, joint ventures, or other companies under common control.  We may combine that information with other information we collect about you, but we will always use the information as described in this Policy.

3.  How do we use 'cookies' and other tracking technologies?

We may send one or more cookies to your computer or other device.  We may also use other similar technologies such as tracking pixels, tags, or similar tools when you visit our Services.  These technologies can collect data regarding your operating system, browser type, device type, screen resolution, IP address, and other technical information, as well as navigation events and session information as you interact with our Services.  This information allows us to understand how you use the Services.

What are 'cookies'?

“Cookies” are small files created by websites, including our Services, that reside on your computer’s hard drive and that store information about your use of a particular website.  When you access our Services, we use cookies and other tracking technologies to:

• Estimate our audience size and usage patterns;

• Store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize our Services according to your individual needs;

• Contact you to provide you with information or services that you request from us;

• Advertise new content, events, and services that relate to your interests;

• Provide you with more personalized content that is most relevant to your interest areas; and

• Recognize when you return to our Services.

We set some cookies ourselves, and others are set by third parties. You can manage your cookies preference as described in the “Managing your cookies” section below.

What types of cookies do we use and why?

The following chart lists the different types of cookies that we and our service providers use on the Services, examples of who serves those cookies, and links to the privacy notices and opt-out information of those cookie servers.  Because the specific cookies we use may vary over time, as well as differ by the specific page you are browsing, the chart below is illustrative only.

How long do cookies stay on my device?

Some cookies operate from the time you visit the Services until the end of that particular browsing session.  These cookies, which are called “session cookies,” expire and are automatically deleted when you close your internet browser.

Some cookies will stay on your device between browsing sessions and will not expire or automatically delete when you close your internet browser.  These cookies are called “persistent cookies” and the length of time they will remain on your device will vary from cookie to cookie.  Persistent cookies are used for a number of purposes, such as storing your preferences so that they are available for your next visit and to keep a more accurate account of how often you visit the Services, how your use of the Services may change over time, and the effectiveness of advertising efforts.

Managing your cookies

It may be possible to block cookies by changing your internet browser settings to refuse all or some cookies.  If you choose to block all cookies (including essential cookies), you may not be able to access all or parts of the Services.

You can find out more about cookies and how to manage them by visiting www.AboutCookies.org.

Do the sites respond to “Do Not Track” signals?

There is currently no industry agreed-upon response to a Do Not Track signal. At this time, our sites do not respond differently based on a user’s Do Not Track signal.

4.  Advertising and marketing choice

We respect your rights in how your Personal Information is used and shared.  If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, you can email us at customercare@cspinet.org or follow the instructions at the bottom of each email, and we will promptly remove you from email marketing correspondence.  Please note, however, that we may still need to contact you regarding other matters.

5.  Our commitment to data security

The security of your Personal Information is important to us. We take various reasonable organizational, administrative, and technical measures that are designed to protect your Personal Information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.  These security measures include: (a) encryption technologies that make it difficult for bad actors to intercept your Personal Information; (b) adaptive firewalls enabled on our Sites that protect against vulnerabilities, bot attacks and malicious traffic; (c) proactive maintenance and scans to prevent and detect security threats and patch vulnerabilities; and (d) real-time monitoring and incident response by our authorized personnel.

If required by law to do so, we will notify you and/or the relevant supervisory authority in the event of a data breach.

However, we cannot and do not guarantee complete security, as it does not exist on the internet.

6.  Children’s privacy

Protecting the privacy of the very young is especially important.  Our Services are not intended for children under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under 13.  In the event that we learn that we have collected Personal Information from a child under age 13 without verification or parental consent, we will immediately delete that information. If you believe that we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us using the information provided in the “Contact Us” section below.

7.  Third-party links

CSPI’s Services may contain links to third-party websites.  When we provide links, we do so only as a convenience, and we are not responsible for any content of any third-party website or any links contained within.  It is important to note that this Statement only applies to CSPI’s Services.  We are not responsible and assume no responsibility for any Personal Information collected, stored, or used by any third party as a result of you visiting third-party websites.  We also advise that you carefully read the privacy notice of any third-party websites you choose to visit.

8.  Policy changes

This Statement may change from time to time.  If we need to change this Statement at some point in the future, we will post any changes on this page.  Please check these terms when you use the Sites or Services so that you are aware of changes.  Your continued use of the Sites or Services constitutes acceptance of the most current version of this Statement.

9.  Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us by email at customercare@cspinet.org, via phone at 1-866-293-2774, or via mail at 1250 I Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005.