THE MIDDLE GROUND Privacy Policy

What information does The Middle Ground collect from visitors to its website, TheMiddleGround.org?   How is this information used?

When you visit The Middle Ground’s website, your browser automatically sends us an Internet Protocol (“IP”) address and certain other information (including the type of browser you use). We may use that IP address and other information to help manage our website. 

We will not install any cookies on your browser without your consent.  A “cookie” is a piece of data stored on the user’s machine that enables the browser to store and recall information and only has meaning to TMG’s website. 

If you choose to interact with us while visiting, we will ask you to provide additional contact information, including personal information.  That may include your name, street address, city, state, zip code, phone number, and billing information.  What we get from you depends on which of the following you choose to do:

    • Sign up to receive email or texts from us;
    • Sign up to contribute videos to our YouTube channel;
    • Sign up to submit video scripts or ideas for our YouTube channel;
    • Sign up as a volunteer to help us accomplish our mission; or
    • Make a donation to The Middle Ground

What information does The Middle Ground collect when I submit videos or video scripts for posting on the TMG YouTube channel?   How is this information used?

When you visit The Middle Ground’s YouTube channel, your browser automatically sends an Internet Protocol (“IP”) address and certain other information (including the type of browser you use) to YouTube and Google. Those companies may use that IP address and other information in the ways described in the Google Privacy Policy, which is posted at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en 

Before TMG will allow you to become a TMG Volunteer or submit a video, script or idea for posting, we will ask you for certain personal information so that we can confirm that you are a real person and not a hacker, bot or someone else trying to damage or injure the website or YouTube channel.    We will also ask you to confirm that you are not a candidate for political office or an agent of a political candidate, political party or special interest group.  We may use the information you provide to us, such as your name, street address, city, state, zip code, phone number, and email address, to verify these representations.  This vetting process is crucial to our ability to maintain the website and YouTube channel as safe havens for constructive, participatory democracy.

When you submit the video or script, we will also ask you to confirm that you own all legal rights to the submitted material and to assign those rights to us, even if we don’t post your video or use your script. 

IF YOU CHOOSE TO INCLUDE ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION IN A VIDEO OR SCRIPT YOU SUBMIT FOR POSTING ON TMG’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL OR WEBSITE, YOU ARE WAIVING YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO THAT PERSONAL INFORMATION.  THAT WAIVER CANNOT BE RETRACTED OR WITHDRAWN.

The Middle Ground will not provide any of your personal information, including but not limited to your email address, phone number, street address or billing information with any third party unless we are required to do so by law.

Period.  We will never seek or obtain any benefit from your personal information and we will always do our very best to protect it. The only way we ever receive money or financial benefit is by the receipt of voluntary, tax deductible, donations. 

How does TMG protect your information?

TMG takes all reasonable precautions to protect the personal or sensitive information that the website and YouTube channel visitors provide to us.  When you submit information to us, your information is protected both online and off-line.  Our online transactions (sign up, post a video, donate, etc.) use encryption and other security measures to protect your personal information during and after processing.  We use a third party service to process donations, so we never obtain credit card or other billing information ourselves.  Of course, it’s possible that TheMiddleGround.org or the third party payment processor will be attacked by an online intruder, or hacked, but we will always make our best efforts to prevent it.  If we ever believe that your personal information may have been compromised, we will inform you by email no later than ten (10) days after we detect the potential intrusion.  If we become aware that our third party payment processor has been hacked and your personal information compromised, we will notify you as promptly as possible.

How can I contact TMG about correcting or removing my personal information?  

You may contact TMG by emailing us at info@TheMiddleGround.org or phoning us at 303.759.5725 to request a review of your personal information and provide corrections.  You may also request permanent deletion of some or all of the personal information you previously provided to The Middle Ground, which will ordinarily be granted except as provided below. 

You do not have the right to delete videos, video scripts, comments or website text that you have previously submitted for posting on the TMG YouTube channel or website but TMG may, in its discretion, honor your request to do so. 

If your submitted video, video script, comment or website text has been posted on the YouTube channel or website, The Middle Ground will decline to delete your personal information from its database until the materials you submitted are no longer posted or otherwise available online.  TMG retains sole discretion as to whether to remove some or all of your submitted materials that have been posted on the website or YouTube channel.