Privacy statement

ICEO Privacy Statement

Introduction

This privacy statement explains how the Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO) handles and uses the personal information collected as part of applications to all programs the ICEO directs or administers, all events the office sponsors or cosponsors, and all requests for more information regarding our office and any of its activities.

What personal information we collect

We may collect information that identifies you or that can be used to contact or distinguish you as an individual (“Personal Information”). If you do not provide Personal information, we may not be able to consider your application to our program or support your participation.

We will only collect Personal information for one or more legitimate purposes, or as required by law. We collect the following types of Personal Information:

a) Personal Information that we collect directly from you:

We collect Personal Information directly from you when you submit application materials, complete enrollment forms, provide information during participation in one of our programs, or otherwise submit information directly to us. This includes, but may not be limited to:

Demographic information—name, gender, birth date, citizenship
Contact information—home address, phone number, email address
Other application materials—supporting documentation including essays, recommendations, and references

b) Sensitive Personal information:

We generally avoid collecting sensitive personal information, such as health data (“Sensitive Personal Information”), however if you participate in any of our programs, you may be encouraged to provide this information voluntarily for any requests for accommodations in order to support your participation.

c) Your likeness and voice:

If participating in ICEO virtual meetings or webinars, the office or one of its cosponsors may also collect your image, likeness, and/or voice through event recordings. You will be asked to consent to any such recording in advance.

How we use your personal information

By providing your Personal Information, you agree that, where it is permitted by law, we may use your Personal Information:

To communicate with you, including by mail, phone, email, and SMS text messaging
To notify you of important updates or information related to your application to or enrollment in our programs
To notify you of updates and provide you with information, newsletters, tips, resources, or other helpful information
To seek your feedback on our programs, events or applications
To monitor our regulatory compliance
To respond to your inquiries and requests
To consider your application for employment or admission to our programs
For our own administrative purposes, such as to perform data analysis
When there is serious concern about the health or safety of you or someone else, reports of sexual misconduct, or when the law requires us to release information; when possible, every effort will be made to consult with you and secure your permission
For other purposes detailed on this site

If you have concerns about any of these purposes or how we communicate with you, please contact us at iceo@mit.edu. Subject to legal obligations, we will always respect a request by you to stop processing your Personal Information.

When we share your personal information

To perform the functions listed above, the ICEO may use third-party services to collect and process your personal information. ICEO is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of these websites. We encourage you to review privacy statements and policies published by these third-party sites.

How your information is stored and secured

MIT uses risk-assessed administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your personal information. There are reasonable security measures in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of storage is 100% secure.

How long we keep your information

Your application data will be kept and secured by us until or unless you make a request to delete the data.

Rights for Individuals in the European Economic Area

You have the right in certain circumstances to (1) access your personal information; (2) to correct or erase information; (3) restrict processing; and (4) object to communications, direct marketing, or profiling. To the extent applicable, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation provides further information about your rights. You also have the right to lodge complaints with your national or regional data protection authority.

If you are inclined to exercise these rights, we request an opportunity to discuss with you any concerns you may have. To protect the personal information we hold, we may also request further information to verify your identity when exercising these rights. Upon a request to erase information, we will maintain a core set of personal data to ensure we do not contact you inadvertently in the future, as well as any information necessary for MIT archival purposes. In the event of an actual or threatened legal claim, we may retain your information for purposes of establishing, defending against or exercising our rights with respect to such claim.

By providing information directly to MIT, you consent to the transfer of your personal information outside of the European Economic Area to the United States. You understand that the current laws and regulations of the United States may not provide the same level of protection as the data and privacy laws and regulations of the EEA.

You are under no statutory or contractual obligation to provide any personal data to us. The controller for your personal information is MIT.

If you are in the EEA or UK and wish to assert any of your applicable GDPR rights, please contact dataprotection@mit.edu. You may also contact MIT’s representatives listed below:

MIT Representative in the European Union

J-PAL Europe
Email: jpaleurope@povertyactionlab.org
Address: 48 Boulevard Jourdan, 75014 Paris, France

MIT Representative in the United Kingdom

MIT Press UK
Address: 71 Queen Victoria Street, London, United Kingdom, EC4V 4BE

Additional Information

We may change this Privacy Statement from time to time. If we make any significant changes in the way we treat your personal information we will make this clear on our MIT websites or by contacting you directly.

This policy was last updated in October 2024