Privacy Policy

Knowledge Architecture (“we,” “our”, or “us”) respects and is committed to protecting your privacy. That is why we have adopted this privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”). This Privacy Policy lets you know how and for what purposes we are collecting, processing, and using your Personal Information and under what circumstances we may disclose that Personal Information to others. We pledge that we will take reasonable steps to ensure that your Personal Information will only be used in ways that are in compliance with this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy is in effect for any web page or intranet platform owned by us, including, but not limited to, Synthesis, our social intranet for architects and engineers, no matter the method of collection, including collection through mail, facsimile, sign-up/sign-in page, and any online features, services, and/or programs we offer (collectively, the “Web Properties”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Privacy Policy is not applicable to any other web page, mobile application, social media site, generic information, or personal information collected and/or owned by any entity other than Knowledge Architecture. This Privacy Policy also applies to information collected by or for us through means other than the Web Properties.

Typically, we serve as a data processor who provides a service and collects User Content (as defined below) pursuant to your direction or that of your company, and we have no direct relationship with the individuals whose Personal Information is included in such User Content. If you have contracted with Knowledge Architecture to provide you, your employees, and other personnel with access to the Web Properties, then you, or your company, act as the data controller (the “Controller”) who determines the policy regarding the storage, access, modification, sharing, deletion and retention of User Content or any Personal Information related to your associated user accounts (each, a “User Account”).

Types of Personal Information Collected

Knowledge Architecture collects personal information (1) directly when you, or someone acting on your behalf, provides such information to us or (2) indirectly when you access the Web Properties, (collectively, “Personal Information”). The following are categories of Personal Information we may collect about you:

Individual Identifiers and Demographic Information: We receive individual identifiers and demographic information directly from you or someone acting on your behalf, including, among other things: (1) contact information (e.g., name, address, phone number, email address); (2) demographic information (e.g., date of birth, gender); (3) your physical location; and (4) User Account registration information for use in connection with the Web Properties for you, your employees, and other personnel.

User Content: The Web Properties permit the direct submission of various forms of data submitted by you and other users, such as materials, statements, reviews, ratings, opinions, documents, images, graphics, logos, designs, videos, text files, audio files, and comments that may contain personal data (collectively, “User Content”) and the hosting, sharing, downloading, publishing and/or republishing of such User Content.

Internet and Network Information: The types of internet and network activity information we automatically collect may include, among other things: (1) Internet Protocol (or IP) address, protocol and sequence information, browser language, browser type, number of clicks, hypertext transfer protocol headers; (2) device ID/UDID or similar device-specific code used for application crash tracking purposes (3) web beacons or clear pixels; and (5) subject to your device settings, geolocation of your mobile device.

How Personal Information Is Collected

We may collect Personal Information about you from the following sources:

information we receive from you, or on your behalf, through forms you complete, or if you contact us, for example to raise a query;
information we receive when you download and register for Web Properties, or when an User Account is created on the Synthesis;
information submitted when you upload User Content;
information we automatically receive through cookies and similar technologies;
information we automatically receive from your computer or mobile device;
information we receive from third party integrations and other sources, as permitted by applicable laws, rules and regulations; and
information we receive from you, even if we have not requested such information.

Use of Collected Personal Information

The Personal Information that we collect may be used for three main purposes:

To enable the features of the Web Properties, including, but not limited to setting up and managing your User Account, our processing your requests for information, and/or providing support services and other services to you;
To improve the Web Properties and to enable us to provide services to you and develop new features, functionality and services, and otherwise for our internal business purposes; and
To communicate with you and to inform you about our products, services, and features. We may send you and keep you updated with information about existing and new services, products, features and educational events by email, telephone, mail, or by means of any other contact details you provide to us. We may use your contact information or other Personal Information for our own marketing or advertising purposes. Information shared through Synthesis is not collected for third party marketing or advertising purposes.

This Privacy Policy is not intended to place any limits on what we can do with information that is aggregated or de-identified such that it cannot reasonably be linked to or used to identify an individual, household, or device.

When Personal Information is Disclosed

Law Enforcement and Legal Disclosures: In addition to the other times or occasions on which we might disclose Personal Information about you, we might also disclose Personal Information when required by law or in the good-faith belief that such disclosure is necessary to: (1) comply with legal processes and applicable law; (2) enforce this Privacy Policy; (3) take precautions against liability and to respond to any claim that any material, document, image, graphic, logo, design, audio, video, and any other information provided to, from or on the Web Properties by you violates the rights of third parties; (4) assist government enforcement agencies; or (5) protect our rights, property, or safety or the rights, property, or safety of our customers and the public.

Service Providers: We may provide Personal Information to other businesses or persons for the purposes of processing such Personal Information on our behalf (“Service Providers”). We may use the services of Service Providers to process data such as media uploaded to Synthesis, to deliver email notifications, or for analytics, among other services. We require that our Service Providers have reasonable and appropriate security measures in place. We also use reasonable efforts to limit a Service Provider’s access to Personal Information to only what is necessary or otherwise permissible under applicable data privacy laws. If you require additional information on our Service Providers, please contact us using the contact information listed at the end of this Privacy Policy.

Business Sale or Restructuring: We reserve the right to transfer your Personal Information, as well as any information about or from you, in connection with the merger, sale, or other disposition of all or part of our business and/or assets.

Controller: We disclose information about individual users and User Accounts to the Controller and any authorized representative of the Controller, in order that such Controller may evaluate which users are accessing Synthesis, analyze user searches and other usage patterns, and for the Controller’s other business purposes.

Consent: We may also disclose your Personal Information with your permission or as directed by you.

User Account, Password and Security

We may use encryption technologies for your protection and/or that of the User Accounts. We use reasonable precautions to protect the privacy of usernames, passwords, and User Account information. We also take reasonable efforts to ensure that information collected through the Web Properties is not lost, misused or altered inappropriately by administering appropriate security measures. While we may provide certain encryption technologies and use other reasonable precautions to protect your Personal Information and provide suitable security, we do not and cannot guarantee or warrant that any information transmitted through the internet is secure, or that such transmissions are free from delay, interruption, interception, or error.

You are ultimately responsible for protecting the usernames, passwords, and User Account information from disclosure to third parties, and you are responsible for the content, including Personal Information, you post using the Web Properties. You are not permitted to circumvent the use of any encryption technologies that the Web Properties instructs you to use. You agree to not share your password with anyone else, and immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your username, password and/or User Account and/or any other breach of security.

Privacy Outside the Web Properties

The Web Properties may now or in the future contain links to other websites. We are not and cannot be responsible for the privacy practices or the content of any website that is not owned or controlled by us. Other than as described in this Privacy Policy, we do not share any of the Personal Information with any of the websites to which the Web Properties links, although we may share aggregate or de-identified with those other websites. Please check with those websites in order to determine their privacy policies and your rights under them.

International Users

If you are accessing the Web Properties from outside the United States, please note that we may collect, use, transfer, and otherwise process your Personal Information outside your home country for any of the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. By using the Web Properties and providing us with your Personal Information, you agree to our collection, use, transfer, and processing of your Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Choices with Your Personal Information

Whether you submit any Personal Information to us is entirely up to you. You are under no obligation to provide Personal Information. However, this information is essential for the provision and quality of some uses of the Web Properties, including services through Synthesis, so we cannot provide you with certain services if you choose to withhold requested information.

Working Through a Controller: If you are a user or any individual who has created a User Account working for a Controller that is an organization or company and would no longer like to participate in the Web Properties or have your information included as part of Synthesis, please contact the individual at your organization that has granted you access to the Web Properties or Synthesis. We will work with that individual on behalf of the Controller to correct or address any issues. The Controller may have its own privacy policy with respect to information uploaded and shared on the Web Properties; we have no control over the Controller’s privacy policies and practices.

Cookie and Browser Settings: Most browsers let you remove or stop accepting cookies from the websites you visit. To do this, follow the instructions in your browser’s settings. Many browsers accept cookies by default until you change your settings. If you do not accept cookies, however, you may not be able to use all functionality of the Web Properties may not work properly. For more information about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set on your browser and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

Do Not Track Requests: Because there is no industry standard on how to respond to “do not track” requests, our policy is that we do not recognize such requests from internet browsers and other devices. To find out more about “Do Not Track,” please visit http://www.allaboutdnt.com.

Marketing Emails: You may opt out of marketing-related emails by following the opt-out or unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of the email, or by contacting us via a means provided at the end of this Privacy Policy.

Access and Correction

Please view your User Account or contact us in the manner specified at the end of this Privacy Policy to access your Personal Information in our possession and correct inaccuracies of that Personal Information in our records. We ask individuals to identify themselves and the Personal Information requested to be accessed and corrected before processing such requests, and we may decline to process requests in limited circumstances, as permitted by applicable privacy legislation.

Your California Privacy Rights

Under California’s “Shine the Light” law, California residents who provide certain personally identifiable information in connection with obtaining products or services for personal, family, or household use are entitled to request and obtain from us (once a calendar year) information about the customer information we shared (if any) with other businesses for their own direct marketing uses. If applicable, this information would include the categories of customer information and the names and addresses of those businesses with which we shared customer information for the immediately prior calendar year (e.g., requests made in 2022 will receive information regarding 2021 sharing activities, if any).

To obtain this information, please send us a request via email, using the contact information at the end of this Privacy Policy, with “Request for California Privacy Information” in the subject line. We will provide the requested information to you at your email address in response.

Please be aware that not all information sharing is covered by the “Shine the Light” requirements, and only information on covered sharing will be included in our response.

Modification of this Privacy Policy

We reserve the right, at any time, to modify this Privacy Policy. If we make revisions that change the way we collect, use, or share Personal Information, we will update this Privacy Policy and post the update Privacy Policy on our website here. You should review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you keep up to date on our most current policies and practices. We will note the effective date of the latest version of our Privacy Policy at the end of this Privacy Policy. Your continued use of the Web Properties following posted changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of such changes. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our treatment of the information you provide us, please contact us via the means indicated at the end of this Privacy Policy.

Contact

If you have additional questions or comments of any kind, or if you see anything on the Web Properties that you think is inappropriate or incorrect, please let us know by email or by sending your comments or requests to:

Knowledge Architecture
1736 Stockton Street, Suite 3A
San Francisco, CA 94133
Phone: 415-523-0410
info@knowledge-architecture.com

Effective as of: March 14, 2017
Last updated: August 1, 2022