Effective date: July 18, 2026
Last updated: July 18, 2026
Who we are
This policy covers psc-sc.org, operated by the
Photonics Society of Chinese Heritage, a California
nonprofit public benefit corporation and a tax-exempt organization under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, with its principal
executive office in Chino Hills, California
(“PSC,”
“we,” “us”).
Our website address is:
https://psc-sc.org. Contact us about privacy questions at
photonicschinese@gmail.com.
What personal data we collect, and why
Corporate sponsorship applications
When an organization applies to become a Corporate Sponsor via
/sponsor-application/, we collect the information submitted
in the application form:
- Organization name, website, and organization type
- How the applicant heard about PSC’s sponsorship program
- Primary contact name, title, email, and phone number
- Billing contact name and email (if different from the primary contact)
We use this information to evaluate and process the sponsorship application, create the sponsor’s account, send invoices/renewal notices, and — for active, paid sponsors — to display the organization’s name/logo per the sponsorship benefits described in the Sponsorship Agreement.
Sponsor accounts and payments
Completing sponsorship registration (/membership-checkout/)
creates a WordPress user account (email address, chosen username, and a
hashed password) and a sponsorship record tracking the
sponsor’s tier, status, and renewal date.
- Card and bank payments are handled by Stripe. We do not receive or store full card numbers, CVV codes, or bank account numbers on this site — Stripe processes and stores that data under its own privacy policy and PCI-compliant systems. We do receive and retain Stripe transaction and invoice identifiers, payment method type, and payment status metadata.
- Check payments require Sponsor to mail a physical check; we retain the mailing correspondence (name, organization, amount, and payment status) needed to confirm and record receipt of payment.
Contact forms and email
If you email us or use a contact form on the site, we collect the contact details and message content you provide, in order to respond to you. We send transactional emails related to sponsorship (application received, account created, payment confirmation/reminders, renewal notices) to the address on file.
Media
If you (as a sponsor) upload a logo or other image to the site, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.
Technical and security information
When you access or use the website, our hosting provider (Bluehost), WordPress software, and security tools (e.g., WP Defender and firewall/security plugins) may automatically process your IP address, browser and device type, login timestamps, pages requested, error logs, and security-event information. We use this information for website operation, fraud prevention, troubleshooting, and security.
Cookies
If you visit our login page, we set a temporary cookie to check whether your browser accepts cookies. It contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in — including logging in to a sponsor account — we also set cookies to save your login information and screen display choices. Login cookies last two days, and screen-option cookies last a year. If you select “Remember Me,” your login persists for two weeks. Logging out removes the login cookies.
Beyond these standard WordPress account/login cookies, we don’t currently use third-party advertising or analytics cookies (e.g., Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel). If that changes, we’ll update this policy.
Do Not Track signals
Our website does not currently respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals. We do not currently use advertising cookies or engage in cross-context behavioral advertising. Third-party embedded content (see below) may apply its own tracking technologies and privacy choices.
Embedded content from other websites
Pages on this site may include embedded content (e.g., YouTube videos). Embedded content from other websites behaves exactly as if the visitor had visited the other website directly, and that website may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
Who we share data with
- Stripe — payment processing for card/ACH payments.
- Bluehost — hosting infrastructure for the
site and its database, and for the mail server
(
mail.psc-sc.org) that delivers transactional emails (application confirmations, invoices, renewal notices).
If you request a password reset (e.g., for a sponsor account), your IP address is included in the reset email.
We do not sell sponsor or contact data to third parties, and we do not share it for third-party advertising purposes.
How long we keep data
We keep different categories of data for different periods:
- Financial records (invoices, payment records, and related tax documentation): 7 years.
- Sponsor account and profile data for lapsed sponsorships: up to 2 years after the sponsorship lapses (for renewal outreach and reactivation), then deleted or anonymized. If you ask us to stop renewal outreach, we will, keeping only a minimal suppression record.
- Sponsorship applications that are not approved or completed: up to 24 months.
- Security and server logs: up to 180 days, unless reasonably needed for an active investigation.
- General contact-form and email inquiries: up to 24 months after the inquiry is resolved.
- For users who register on our website (including sponsor accounts), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they can’t change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
Your rights over your data
If you have an account on this site, submitted a sponsorship application, or contacted us directly, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including anything you’ve provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include data we’re obliged to keep for administrative, legal, tax, or security purposes (e.g., completed payment records). Send requests to photonicschinese@gmail.com.
How we protect your data
The site runs over HTTPS/TLS. We use security and monitoring plugins to help guard against unauthorized access, and card payment data never touches our servers because it is handled directly by Stripe.
Where your data is sent
Sponsor application and payment data may be transmitted to and processed by service providers located outside of the country where you submitted it (for example, Stripe’s payment infrastructure). Such providers are bound by their own privacy and security commitments.
Children’s privacy
This site and its sponsorship program are directed at organizations and professional contacts, not children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the relevant age of consent in your jurisdiction).
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, e.g., if we add new tools or change payment processors. We will update the “Last updated” date above when we do. If we make material changes, we will post a prominent notice on the website and, where the changes materially affect active sponsor accounts, send notice to the primary contact email on file before or when the changes take effect.
Contact information
Questions about this policy or your personal data: photonicschinese@gmail.com
