The Georgia Advocacy Office protects and advances the legal, civil, and human rights of people with disabilities in Georgia. We respect your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect through thegao.org (the “Website”), our emails, and our text messages, how we use and share it, and the choices you have.
1. Important: Website Information vs. Advocacy Client Information
This policy covers information collected through our Website, email, and text messaging. If GAO opens a case or provides advocacy services to you, information about your situation is handled under separate confidentiality obligations, including applicable federal and state protection and advocacy laws, professional ethics rules, and attorney-client privilege where it applies. Those obligations are stricter than this policy.
Please do not send sensitive details (medical information, Social Security numbers, abuse or neglect details, legal documents) by regular email, text message, or website comment. Use the Advocacy Request form, or call us, and our staff will tell you how to share more safely. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911.
2. Information We Collect
Information you give us
- Advocacy requests: name, contact information, and the information you choose to describe about your situation, which may include disability, health, living situation, or legal matters.
- Email and text sign-ups: name, email address, and mobile phone number.
- Events, surveys, and volunteer or Citizen Advocacy interest: contact details and responses you provide.
- Job applications: resume, work history, and other information you submit.
- Messages to us: anything you send by email, phone, mail, or social media.
Information collected automatically
- Device and browser type, operating system, IP address, approximate location (city or region), pages visited, links clicked, time on site, referring website, and search terms used on our Website.
- Cookie identifiers and similar technologies (see Section 4).
Information from third parties
- Service providers (such as email, text messaging, and analytics providers) may give us delivery and engagement data, such as whether an email was opened.
3. How We Use Information
- Respond to advocacy requests and determine whether and how we can help.
- Send news, advocacy alerts, event invitations, resources, and requests for support.
- Operate, secure, and improve the Website and make it more accessible.
- Measure and improve our outreach.
- Process job applications and manage events and volunteers.
- Comply with legal obligations and protect GAO, our clients, and others.
We do not sell your personal information.
4. Cookies and Analytics
Cookie consent. When you first visit, our consent banner lets you accept, deny, or choose categories of cookies: Functional (always on, needed for the Website to work), Preferences, Statistics, and Marketing. You can change your choices at any time using the “Manage Consent” control on the Website. Non-essential cookies are used only according to your choices where required by law.
Analytics. We use analytics tools to understand how visitors use the Website, such as which pages are most helpful. These tools use cookies and similar technologies to collect usage and device information, such as your IP address, browser, and pages viewed.
Your choices
- Use the Manage Consent control on our Website to turn off non-essential cookies.
- Use your browser’s settings to block or delete cookies.
- Enable a “Global Privacy Control” or similar opt-out signal, which we treat as an opt-out request where required by law.
Blocking cookies may affect some Website features.
5. Email Communications
If you sign up for emails, we use your email address to send GAO news, alerts, events, and fundraising or advocacy requests. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email or by emailing info@thegao.org. We will honor your request promptly, and no later than 10 business days. We may still send you messages about a pending request you made to us or other non-marketing communications required by law.
Our email provider may collect information such as whether you opened a message or clicked a link. You can reduce this tracking by blocking images in your email program.
6. Text Message (SMS) Communications
Consent. We send text messages only to people who have agreed to receive them, for example by providing a mobile number and checking a consent box on a form or by texting a keyword to us. Consent to receive texts is not a condition of receiving services from GAO.
What we send. Texts may include advocacy alerts, event reminders, news, resources, and requests to take action or give. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply.
Opt out and help. Reply STOP at any time to stop receiving messages. Reply HELP for help, or contact us at 404-885-1234 or info@thegao.org. We may send one final message confirming your opt-out.
No sharing of mobile information. Mobile phone numbers and text messaging consent are not shared with or sold to third parties or affiliates for their marketing or promotional purposes. We share this information only with service providers that help us send messages for us, and who are required to protect it.
Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
7. How We Share Information
We share personal information only as described here:
- Service providers that work on our behalf, such as website hosting, email and text messaging platforms, analytics, form processing, donation processing, and IT security. They may use information only to provide services to us.
- With your permission, such as when you ask us to contact an agency or person on your behalf.
- Legal and safety reasons, such as to comply with law, court orders, or valid legal process, to enforce our rights, or to protect someone from serious harm. Where GAO’s confidentiality obligations apply, we will follow them.
- Organizational changes, such as a merger or transfer of operations, in which case the information would remain protected by this policy or a comparable one.
8. Your Choices and Rights
Regardless of where you live, you may ask us to:
- Tell you what personal information we hold about you and give you a copy;
- Correct inaccurate information;
- Delete your information, subject to legal and recordkeeping requirements; and
- Stop sending you emails or texts.
Depending on your state, you may have additional rights under laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act or other state privacy laws. To exercise any right, contact us using the details in Section 13. We may need to verify your identity, and we will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights. You may also designate an authorized person to make a request for you.
9. How Long We Keep Information
We keep information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law. Email and text subscriber information is kept until you unsubscribe, after which we keep a minimal record so we do not contact you again. Case records are kept according to GAO’s records retention requirements. Analytics and other cookies expire according to their settings, which are generally between a few days and 24 months.
10. Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information. No website, email, or text message is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we are required to notify you of a data breach, we will do so as required by law.
11. Children’s Privacy
Our Website is intended for adults and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through our marketing, email, or text programs. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it. Parents, guardians, and others may contact us about services for children and youth with disabilities.
12. Links to Other Websites
Our Website links to government agencies, service providers, and other organizations. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. Please read their policies.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The “last updated” date at the top shows when it was last changed. If we make material changes, we will post a notice on the Website and, where required, ask for your consent again.
14. Contact Us
Georgia Advocacy Office, Inc. 1 W Ct Square #625, Decatur, GA 30030 Local: 404-885-1234 · Toll free: 800-537-2329 · Fax: 404-378-0031 Email: info@thegao.org