Privacy Statement

The International Cat Association, Inc. (TICA) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Statement of Privacy relates both to the TICA Web site and general practices of TICA and governs data collection and usage. By using the TICA website, becoming a member of TICA, participating in a TICA sanctioned show, or utilizing TICA services, you consent to the data practices described in this statement and agree that you are familiar with the TICA Bylaws, Show Rules, Registration Rules and Standing Rules, as well as any other rules and procedures of TICA (collectively, the “TICA Rules”), and agree to abide by those rules.

Collection of Your Personal Information

TICA collects personally identifiable information, such as your e-mail address, name, home or work address or telephone number. TICA may also collect anonymous demographic information, which is not unique to you, such as your ZIP code, age, gender, preferences, interests and favorites TICA will also collect information relating to payments to TICA.

There may also be information about your computer hardware and software that is automatically collected by TICA. This information can include: your IP address, browser type, domain names, access times and referring Web site addresses. This information may be used by TICA for the operation of online services, to maintain quality of online services, and to provide general statistics regarding use of the TICA Web site.

TICA shows and clubs are not included in this privacy policy, because, although affiliated with TICA, are not controlled directly by TICA. Therefore, TICA does not control any information collected by such shows and/or clubs, unless specifically provided in the TICA Rules.

TICA does not own and/or control any public message boards or email lists, including any email lists maintained or owned by specific regional directors. Please keep in mind that if you directly disclose personally identifiable information or personally sensitive data through those message boards or email lists, this information may be collected and used by others.

Web sites that are linked to from the TICA Website, or otherwise referred to by TICA, including individual regional and club websites, as well as cattery and other individual websites, are also not controlled by TICA, and therefore any information that may be collected by those web sites is not subject to this privacy policy nor controlled by TICA in any way.

Use of your Personal Information

TICA collects and uses your personal information to operate TICA and deliver the services you have requested. TICA also uses your personally identifiable information to inform you of other products or services available from TICA and its affiliates.

TICA does not sell, rent or lease its customer lists to third parties, except as specifically provided for in the TICA Rules. If you wish to not be included in any such customer list, you must send a written request to be removed from that list to the TICA Executive Office which includes your name and mailing address; an email request is not sufficient.

TICA may also, from time to time, contact you on behalf of external business partners about a particular offering that may be of interest to you. In those cases, your unique personally identifiable information is not transferred to the third party. In addition, TICA may share data with trusted partners to help us perform statistical analysis, send you email or postal mail, provide customer support, or otherwise provide you services. All such third parties are prohibited from using your personal information except to provide these services to TICA, and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information.

The TICA Rules generally govern disclosure of personal information, such as your name, address, email address and telephone number and you should be familiar with those rules. For example, information relation to TICA judges, trainees, clerks, and breed committee members is regularly published. You should refer to the TICA rules regarding which information may be disclosed.

TICA does not use or disclose personal financial information in the ordinary course of business, however, you should not place financial information, such as credit card numbers, on any physical document that is a permanent record of TICA. For example, you should not place your credit card number directly on an application for registration, registration slip, or complaint form, unless specifically requested on a particular form.

Information relating to cats registered by TICA is assembled and maintained by TICA and is the proprietary information of TICA.

TICA will disclose your personal information, without notice, if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

(a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on TICA or the site;

(b) protect and defend the rights or property of TICA; and,

TICA may also disclose your name and email information in connection with tracking of individual cats via microchips or other means of identification.

Use of Cookies

The TICA Web site may use "cookies" to help you personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a Web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. The purpose of a cookie is to tell the Web server that you have returned to a specific page. For example, if you personalize TICA pages, or register with TICA site or services, a cookie helps TICA to recall your specific information on subsequent visits. This simplifies the process of recording your personal information, such as billing addresses, shipping addresses, and so on. When you return to the same TICA Web site, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use the TICA features that you customized.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the TICA services or Web sites you visit.

Security of Your Personal Information

TICA secures your personal information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. TICA secures the personally identifiable information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. When personal information (such as a credit card number) is transmitted to other Web sites, it is protected through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.

Changes to This Statement

TICA will occasionally update this Statement of Privacy to reflect company and customer feedback. TICA encourages you to periodically review this Statement to be informed of how TICA is protecting your information.