Privacy Policy

The Silicon Project (“Organization,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a nonprofit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (EIN 39-2727360). We collect donated computers and related equipment and provide free and low-cost devices to students and families in the United States.

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect personal information in connection with thesiliconproject.org and related websites, web applications, donor and applicant portals, and the programs we offer through them (collectively, the “Services”). It also describes the choices and rights available to you.

This Policy forms part of, and should be read together with, our Terms and Conditions. Capitalized terms not defined here have the meanings given in the Terms.

We do not provide data wiping, erasure, sanitization, or destruction services for donated devices, and we do not issue certificates of data destruction.

Donors are solely responsible for removing all data from devices before donating them, as set out in Section 7 of our Terms. We do not knowingly access, review, copy, or use any information that remains on a donated device (“Device Data”), we do not collect Device Data for any purpose, and we do not combine it with any other information. Because we do not inspect devices for Device Data, we cannot guarantee that it will be found, erased, or protected, and devices may be handled by our personnel, refurbishment and recycling partners, and subsequent recipients and purchasers. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim responsibility for Device Data. If we become aware of Device Data, we may delete or destroy it without notice.

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of personal information:

Some eligibility documents may be considered sensitive. We request them only to determine eligibility for our programs, and we limit access to personnel who need them for that purpose.

We use personal information for the following purposes:

1. to create and administer accounts, including verifying telephone numbers;
2. to receive, evaluate, schedule, and process donations, arrange pickups and shipping, collect any applicable fees, and issue written acknowledgments;
3. to review applications and verify eligibility for device programs;
4. to process orders and payments, fulfill and ship items, and provide customer support;
5. to communicate with you about your donation, application, order, or account, and, where you have opted in, to send newsletters and program updates;
6. to coordinate volunteers and events;
7. to secure the Services, including rate limiting, fraud prevention, and detecting and investigating abuse;
8. to analyze and improve the Services and our programs, including through aggregated reporting;
9. to comply with legal, tax, and accounting obligations, respond to lawful requests, and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims; and
10. for any other purpose disclosed to you at the time of collection or with your consent.

If you provide a mobile telephone number, we and our SMS provider will use it to send one-time verification codes and service-related messages about your account, donation, application, or order. We do not send marketing text messages without your separate express consent. Message and data rates may apply. Mobile information, including telephone numbers and text messaging opt-in data and consent, will not be sold or shared with third parties or affiliates for their marketing or promotional purposes.

1. We use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary to operate the Services, such as authentication cookies that keep you signed in and cookies that record your cookie preferences.
2. With your consent, we use analytics tools, including Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, to understand how visitors use the Services. These tools collect information such as pages visited, time spent, and approximate location derived from IP address. Google’s use of this information is governed by Google’s privacy policy. You may opt out of Google Analytics using Google’s browser add-on.
3. You can accept or decline non-essential cookies through our cookie banner and can change your choice by clearing cookies for our site. You can also control cookies through your browser settings; blocking necessary cookies may prevent parts of the Services from working.
4. Our Services do not currently respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.

We disclose personal information only as follows:

1. Service providers. To vendors that process information on our behalf and under obligations of confidentiality, including providers of website hosting and databases, authentication, SMS delivery and phone verification, payment processing, shipping labels and carriers, email delivery, cloud document and spreadsheet tools, internal team communication and notification tools, and analytics.
2. Program partners. To refurbishment, recycling, logistics, and partner nonprofit organizations, only to the extent needed to carry out a donation, pickup, or device distribution (for example, a pickup address and contact name).
3. Legal and safety. When we believe in good faith that disclosure is required by law, subpoena, or other legal process; to comply with tax and reporting obligations; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Organization, our users, or others, including to prevent fraud.
4. Organizational changes. To a successor organization in connection with a merger, reorganization, dissolution, or transfer of our programs, subject to this Policy.
5. With your consent or at your direction, including public recognition of Donors who have consented to it.

We may also share aggregated or de-identified information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you, for example in impact reports.

1. We retain personal information for as long as needed to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, including to maintain your account and to provide the Services, unless a longer period is required or permitted by law.
2. Records of donations, acknowledgments, transactions, and fees may be retained for the periods required by federal and state tax, accounting, and nonprofit record-keeping laws.
3. Donation requests that we decline are generally deleted automatically approximately thirty (30) days after the request is declined, except where retention is required for legal or security reasons.
4. When information is no longer needed, we delete it or de-identify it. Residual copies may persist in backups for a limited period before being overwritten.

We maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information, including encryption in transit, access controls and row-level authorization on our databases, limits on personnel access, and monitoring for abuse. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

If we discover a security breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and the appropriate authorities as required by applicable law, including the New York SHIELD Act.

1. Account information. You may review and update your profile information at any time by signing in to your account.
2. Access, correction, and deletion. You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information, or a copy of it in a portable format. You may also delete your account through your account settings where that option is available.
3. Email. You may unsubscribe from newsletters through the link in any newsletter email, and you may manage donor-portal email notifications in your account settings. We may still send transactional and service messages.
4. State privacy rights. Residents of certain states may have additional rights under applicable state privacy laws, to the extent those laws apply to us. We will honor such requests as required by law.

To make a request, contact us at info@thesiliconproject.org. We will verify your identity before acting on a request, which may require you to confirm information associated with your account. An authorized agent may submit a request on your behalf with proof of authorization. We will respond within forty-five (45) days, or as otherwise required by law. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights. We may decline or limit a request where permitted by law, for example where we must retain information to meet legal obligations.

The Services are not directed to children under thirteen (13), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under thirteen (13) without verifiable parental consent. Users between thirteen (13) and seventeen (17) should use the Services only with the involvement of a parent or legal guardian. If you believe a child under thirteen (13) has provided personal information to us, contact us at info@thesiliconproject.org and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

We are based in the United States, and the Services are intended for users in the United States. Information is stored and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those of your jurisdiction.

The Services may link to or integrate with third-party websites and services, such as payment processors and shipping carriers. Their collection and use of information is governed by their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated Policy on this page and revise the “Last updated” date. If we make material changes, we will provide additional notice, such as by email or a notice on the Services, before the change takes effect. Your continued use of the Services after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

Questions, requests, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices may be directed to The Silicon Project at info@thesiliconproject.org or through our contact page.