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Privacy Policy and Terms of Service

Boston College is respectful towards the preservation and protection of the privacy of those individuals who visit its websites. It is possible to visit Boston College’s websites without self-revealing any personal information. There are, however, certain features and advanced functions on Boston College’s websites, for which it is necessary that Boston College requests and receives personal information from the visitor, in order for the features and functions to be properly utilized. Should you decide to provide Boston College with personal information, the University will limit the use of your personal information to University business and will not disclose it to persons or entities unaffiliated with the University unless

  • You have expressly granted your permission to do so, or
  • Disclosure is necessary to enforce University policy, or
  • The University is required to disclose in order to comply with State law, Federal law or other legal process.

I. Information Gathering

Boston College may use or disclose your IP address, and data connection-specific information, to help us diagnose problems with our servers and to administer our websites by identifying

  • Which parts of our site are most heavily used, and
  • Where our audience comes from, both internal and external to the Boston College data network.

II. Use of Cookies

Cookies are text files stored on computers to enhance the usability and regular operation of a website. Boston College may use cookies to store information during and after an individual accesses Boston College websites. The use of cookies enables Boston College to tailor the use of our websites to individual visitors, and to tell if individuals have visited us before so we can be aware of an individual’s choices and interests the next time they visit. Any information, including personal information, which you expressly choose to provide, may be stored in a cookie. Your Web browser can be configured to refuse cookies or to notify you when a Boston College website attempts to send you a cookie, however making this choice could detract from the usability of certain Boston College websites.

III. Individual Accounts

Certain Boston College websites allow individuals to create and maintain individualized accounts. Where these sites are concerned, individuals have the responsibility of maintaining the confidentiality of their accounts and passwords, and for restricting access to their computers. Individuals agree to accept responsibility for all activities that originate from their accounts.

IV. Security Measures

Boston College follows industry-standard security measures, to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control.

V. Third-Party Linked Sites

As a courtesy, Boston College websites include links to third-party websites. If you use these links, be aware that Boston College’s Privacy Policy does not apply to such third-party websites. You use these third-party websites at your own risk and you should review the applicable terms and policies, including privacy and data gathering practices, of any site to which you navigate from a third-party link on a Boston College website.

VI. Analytics Tools

We use Google Analytics and DoubleClick Cookies to collect non-personal information in the form of various usage and user metrics when you use our Boston College Alumni Sites. These tools and technologies collect and analyze certain types of information, including cookies, IP addresses, device and software identifiers, referring and exit URLs, onsite behavior and usage information, feature use metrics and statistics, usage and donation history, MAC Address, mobile unique device ID, and other similar information.

The third-party analytics companies who collect information on our Sites may combine the information collected with other information they have independently collected from other websites and/or other online or mobile products and services relating to your activities across their network of websites as well as online and/or mobile products and services. Many of these companies collect and use information under their own privacy policies.

In addition to our use of technologies as described herein, we may permit certain third-party companies to help us tailor content we think may be of interest to you based on your use of Boston College sites and to otherwise collect and use data about your use of Boston College Sites. For more information about this practice, please see the Third-Party Linked Sites section.

You may opt out of the DoubleClick cookie by visiting the Google advertising opt-out page or you may opt out of Google Analytics by visiting the Google Analytics opt-out page.

Google has additional information available about their Remarketing Privacy Guidelines, and Restrictions.