Effective Date: September 30, 2025
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
Effective Communication Research ("we," "us," "our") operates the website effectivecommunicationresearch.org and the Associate platform at app.effectivecommunicationresearch.org (collectively, the "Services"). This Privacy Policy describes our practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of information we receive through our Services.
Effective Communication Research is operated by Casey Whalen, located in Okemos, Michigan, United States.
We collect information you provide directly to us, information we collect automatically when you use our Services, and information from third-party sources.
We use the information we collect to:
We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share your information only in the following circumstances:
We share information with third-party service providers that perform services on our behalf, including:
Our AI features may involve automated decision-making, such as analyzing text for effectiveness and clarity. You have the right to opt out of such processing where required by law (e.g., under CPRA or GDPR).
User content sent to OpenAI/DeepSeek may be used for their model training unless you opt out via their mechanisms. Please review their privacy policies for opt-out instructions.
We conduct risk assessments for high-risk AI processing as required by applicable laws and will provide explanations of automated decisions upon request.
We may disclose information if required to do so by law or in response to valid legal requests, including to:
In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity.
We may share your information with your explicit consent or at your direction.
We may share aggregated or anonymized information that meets legal standards for irreversible anonymization and cannot reasonably be used to identify you.
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include:
In the event of a personal data breach, we will notify affected individuals and relevant authorities as required by applicable laws, such as GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and other state privacy laws. Notifications will include details of the breach, potential impacts, and mitigation steps. We maintain procedures to ensure compliance with notification timelines (e.g., 72 hours for GDPR supervisory authorities).
However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide our Services and fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Specifically:
When we no longer need personal information, we will securely delete or anonymize it using industry-standard methods.
Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:
If you are located in the EEA or UK, you have the following rights:
Legal Basis for Processing: We process personal information based on:
If you are a California resident, you have the following rights:
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
Categories of Personal Information Collected:
| Category | Examples | Sources | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | Name, email address, IP address | Directly from you | Account creation, service provision |
| Personal Information | Contact information, payment information | Directly from you, payment processor | Service provision, billing |
| Internet Activity | Browsing history, usage data | Automatic collection | Service improvement, analytics |
| Geolocation Data | Approximate location from IP address | Automatic collection | Service customization, security |
| Professional Information | Communications content for processing | Directly from you | AI processing, service provision |
If you reside in states with comprehensive privacy laws (including but not limited to Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, Minnesota, Maryland, Indiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas, Connecticut, Colorado, Utah, and Virginia), you may have similar rights to those described above, including:
We comply with these laws and will respond to verified requests accordingly. Specific rights vary by state. Please contact us for more information about your state's specific rights.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@effectivecommunicationresearch.org. We will verify your identity through email confirmation or government-issued ID verification as appropriate to prevent unauthorized access. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law (generally within 30-45 days).
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit our Services. We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to:
We obtain consent for non-essential cookies where required by law (e.g., GDPR, state privacy laws). You can manage your cookie preferences through:
Note that disabling certain cookies may limit your ability to use some features of our Services.
Our Services are operated from the United States. If you are located outside the United States, please be aware that information we collect will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States and other countries where our service providers operate.
We ensure transfers comply with applicable laws using mechanisms such as:
By using our Services, you consent to the transfer of your information to countries outside your country of residence, which may have different data protection laws.
Our Services are not intended for children under 13 years of age (or under 16 in certain jurisdictions). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent as required by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and its 2025 amendments.
If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without proper consent, we will take steps to delete such information promptly. We do not share children's personal information with third parties without opt-in parental consent.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at info@effectivecommunicationresearch.org.
Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not want to be tracked. Currently, there is no industry standard for handling DNT signals, and our Services do not respond to DNT signals. However, you can use the privacy settings in your browser and our cookie management tools to control tracking.
Our Services may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing them with personal information.
Depending on your location or how you interact with our Services, additional privacy notices may apply. These supplemental notices will be provided when relevant, such as:
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by:
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about our data practices. Your continued use of our Services after changes indicates acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.
Data Controller:
Effective Communication Research
Operated by: Casey Whalen
Location: Okemos, Michigan, United States
Email: info@effectivecommunicationresearch.org
Website: effectivecommunicationresearch.org
For privacy-related inquiries, please include "Privacy Request" in the subject line of your email.
Response Times: We will acknowledge receipt within 5 business days and provide a substantive response within the timeframe required by law (typically 30-45 days).
We are committed to ensuring this Privacy Policy is accessible to individuals with disabilities. If you need this Privacy Policy in an alternative format, please contact us at info@effectivecommunicationresearch.org.
You can manage your privacy choices through the following mechanisms:
Last Updated: September 30, 2025
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