Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Howard EBV Dataset ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines our practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of your information when you use our website (the "Site") for accessing and reviewing the African American Vernacular English (AAVE) dataset and related research materials.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information to provide and improve our services, and to support our research goals. The types of information we collect include:

• Personal Data You Provide: When you register on our Site, request dataset access, or contact us, we may collect personal information such as your name, email address, affiliation and project details when you submit an access request.
• Automatically Collected Data: When you interact with our Site, we automatically collect certain information from your device, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, and dates/times of access. This data helps us understand website usage and improve our services.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance user experience, analyze site usage, and for essential website functions. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• To Provide and Manage the Site: To operate, maintain, and improve our Site, including user account management, dataset access control, and technical support.
• Research and Dataset Improvement: To analyze dataset usage, improve the AAVE transcription model, and advance research in African American Vernacular English. This may include aggregated and anonymized data for statistical analysis.
• Communication: To communicate with you, including responding to your inquiries, processing access requests, sending notifications about your account or service updates, and, if you opt-in, sending research-related updates.
• Security and Compliance: To ensure the security of our Site, prevent fraud, and comply with legal obligations.

4. Sharing and Disclosure of Your Information

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• With Reviewers: For dataset access requests, your submitted information (including project details and uploaded documents) will be shared with designated reviewers to evaluate and process your access request.
• With Service Providers: We may engage third-party service providers to assist with website hosting, data analysis, email communication, and security. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.
• Legal Compliance and Protection: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., court order, subpoena). We may also disclose information to protect our rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of others.
• Aggregated and Anonymized Data: We may share aggregated and anonymized data that does not personally identify you with researchers, partners, or the public for research and statistical purposes.

5. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. These measures include encryption, access controls, and regular security assessments. However, please be aware that no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Your Rights and Choices

You have certain rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: You can update and correct your personal information through your profile settings.
• Deletion: You can request deletion of your account and associated personal data, subject to legal and contractual obligations.
• Opt-out of Communications: You can opt-out of receiving non-essential communications from us by adjusting your notification preferences or contacting us directly.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the details provided in the "Contact Us" section below.

7. Data Retention

We will retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

8. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and maintained on computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction. If we transfer your personal data outside of your jurisdiction, we will implement appropriate safeguards to ensure your data is protected.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: aavehu@elevateblackvoiceshu.com

Additional Resources

For more detailed information on using the dataset and platform, please refer to our User Guide.