American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery

 Privacy Policy

 Effective Date: April 24, 2025

This Privacy Policy applies to both the online and offline collection of information by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (“ABFAS,” “we,” “us” or “our”). By using our websites and services where this Privacy Policy is posted (collectively, the “Services”), you acknowledge that you have read and understood the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Services. If you have a question about how your personal information is being used, you can contact us through the methods provided in the “Contact Us” section at the end of this Privacy Policy.

Your use of the Services is also governed by our Terms of Use.

INFORMATION COLLECTED

We may collect the following information from and about you:

  • Name, title, phone and/or fax numbers, institute name, address and email address when you sign up for a verification account, register for an exam, or update your profile. 
  • Name and address when you register for an exam.
  • Payment information, including billing address and billing information, when you submit a verification request form, pay annual fees, or register for an exam.
  • Name, email address and phone number if you contact us with a question and provide this information to us.
  • Other information you provide to us or ask to be provided to us in connection with registration with us or receiving services from us.
  • Usage information, such as how you and your device interact with our websites (e.g., the pages you visit, the search terms you enter), is collected through cookies when you use our websites. Please see the “Cookies” section below for more information.

We may also receive personal information from accredited podiatry schools in the United States, podiatry residency training programs, and the National Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners.

COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES 

We, and third parties we allow, use cookies and other similar technologies. Cookies are small text files placed on your device that uniquely identify your device and which a website can transfer to a consumer’s hard drive to keep records of his or her visit to a website. We only use session cookies, which only last for the specific duration of your visit and are deleted when you close your browser. We may also use web beacons. A web beacon is an electronic image, also called a "gif," that may be in the form of a "png" image, as well as iframe, script, input link, embed, object, and other tags to track usage. These web beacons may be used to deliver cookies, and to count visits and compile statistics on usage and effectiveness of our websites and emails. 

Different cookies are used to perform different functions, which we explain below:

  • Essential. Some cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around our websites and use their features, such as accessing secure areas of our websites. Without these cookies, we cannot enable appropriate content based on the type of device you are using. 
  • Analytics. We use Google Analytics to measure how you interact with our websites and to improve your user experience. To learn more about Google Analytics privacy practices and opt-out mechanisms, please visit the Google Analytics Security and Privacy Principles page at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en. Google also provides a complete privacy policy and instructions on opting-out of Google Analytics at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

There are several ways to manage cookies. You can control the use of cookies at the browser level, by instructing your browser to accept cookies, disable cookies or notify you when receiving a new cookie. Please note that if you reject cookies, you may still use our websites, but your ability to use some features or areas of our websites may be limited. At this time our websites do not recognize automated browser signals regarding tracking mechanisms, which may include “Do Not Track” instructions.

USE OF INFORMATION COLLECTED

We use the information we collect from you for the following purposes:

  • To provide our Services.
  • To send you newsletters and informational alerts.
  • To respond to inquiries.
  • To process verification requests.
  • To improve user experiences by making our websites easier to use and navigate.
  • For other purposes where we receive your consent.
  • For other legitimate business purposes. 

SHARING AND DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION COLLECTED

We may share or disclose your information to the following categories of third parties and for the following reasons:

  • With affiliates and partners, such as the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons and the American Podiatric Medical Association, if you agree that we can.
  • To third-party service providers, agents or independent contractors who help us maintain our Services and provide other administrative services to us.
  • We may share your personal information in the course of any reorganization process including, but not limited to, mergers, acquisitions, and sales of all or substantially all of our assets.
  • We may disclose your personal information to law enforcement, government agencies, and other related third parties, in order to comply with the law, enforce our policies, or protect our or others’ rights, property or safety.

ASSIGNMENT

In the event that all or part of our assets are sold or acquired by another party, or in the event of a merger, you grant us the right to assign the personal information collected via the Services.

COLLECTION AND USE OF INFORMATION FROM CHILDREN

Our Services are not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13, and none of our Services are designed to attract children. In the event that we learn that a person under the age of 13 has provided personal information to us, we will delete such information as soon as possible. If you become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us at info@abfas.org.

THIRD-PARTY LINKS AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLUG-INS

Our Services contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of such other websites. If you have any questions about how these other websites use your information, you should review their policies and contact them directly.  

In particular, our Services use the following social media plug-ins: Meta and LinkedIn. The plug-ins can be identified by the social media buttons marked with the logo of the provider of the respective social media networks. We have implemented these plug-ins using a 2-click solution, which means that when you use our websites, personal information will not initially be collected by the providers of these social media plug-ins. Only if you click on one of the plug-ins will your personal information be transmitted. By activating the plug-in, information is automatically transmitted to the respective plug-in provider and stored by them. We neither have influence over the information collected nor the processing operations conducted by the providers. Information on the purpose and scope of information collection and its processing by the plug-in provider can be found in the respective privacy policies of these providers, where you will also find further information on your rights and options for privacy protection:

DISCLAIMER REGARDING VIDEO CONTENT

The Services may contain video content, audiovisual content, or content of a like nature (collectively, “Video Content”).  In connection with our provision of Video Content, the Services may utilize online tracking technologies and code-based tools, including, but not limited to, Software Development Kits (“SDKs”), pixels, and cookies (i.e., advertising or analytics cookies) that track information about your activity and webpage-viewing history on the Services (collectively, “Tracking Tools”). Tracking Tools on the Services may result in information about your activity on the Services being transmitted from your browser to us and third parties, which, in turn, may result in the display of targeted advertisements on third-party websites, platforms and services, including advertisements for our content. In addition, whether Tracking Tools on the Services result in your browser’s transmission of information to third parties depends on a number of factors that may be outside of our knowledge or control, including what third-party websites you use, what information you have provided to such third parties, and whether (and the extent to which) you have limited the use of cookies by the operators of those third-party websites, platforms, and services.

DISCLAIMER REGARDING SESSION REPLAY TECHNOLOGY

We may use session replay technology offered by third parties to monitor how you interact with our Services. The information collected by this technology may include which links you click on, pages and content you view, information that you type into our online forms, recordings of mouse clicks and movements, and information about your device or browser. Please discontinue use of the Services if you do not consent to the collection of such information by us and third parties. 

SECURITY

We implement reasonable technical and organizational security measures to secure your personal information, both during transmission and once it is received. Please understand, however, that no data transmissions over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Consequently, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us and you understand that any information that you transfer to us is done at your own risk. If we learn of a security system breach we may attempt to notify you electronically so that you can take appropriate protective steps. By using the Services or providing personal information to us, you agree that we can communicate with you electronically regarding security, privacy and administrative issues relating to your use of the Services. We may post a notice via our websites if a security breach occurs. We may also send an email to you at the email address you have provided to us in these circumstances. Depending on where you live, you may have a legal right to receive notice of a security breach in writing.

DATA RETENTION 

We may retain your information for as long as needed to provide you with the Services, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. In certain circumstances, we may be required by law to retain your personal information, or may need to retain your personal information in order to continue providing access to the Services. 

Even if you delete an account you have with us, keep in mind that the deletion by our third-party providers may not be immediate, and that the deleted information may persist in backup copies for a reasonable period of time. 

INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS

ABFAS is based in the United States (“US”). If you are visiting from other regions with laws governing information collection and use that may differ from US law, please note that you are transferring your personal information to the US. We may transfer your personal information to our affiliates and subsidiaries or to other third parties, across borders, and from your country or jurisdiction to other countries or jurisdictions around the world. If you are visiting from the European Union (“EU”) or other regions with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from US law, please note that you are transferring your personal information to jurisdictions which may not have the same data protection laws as the EU. You acknowledge you understand that by using the Services and providing your personal information to us: (i) your personal information will be used for the uses identified above in accordance with this Privacy Policy; and (ii) your personal information may be transferred to the US and other jurisdictions as indicated above, in accordance with applicable law. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that information about you is treated securely in accordance with this Privacy Policy, and that all information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers or those of our service providers. 

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES TREAT YOUR INFORMATION IN A MANNER THAT MAY BE SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT FROM, AND LESS PROTECTIVE THAN, THE TREATMENT REQUIRED UNDER THE LAWS OF OTHER COUNTRIES AND JURISDICTIONS. IF YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR INFORMATION TRANSFERRED TO THE UNITED STATES, YOU SHOULD NOT SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH US, OR MAKE USE OF THE SERVICES.

YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

Opt-Out of Communications. At any time, you can add or remove your name from an ABFAS list by contacting us at info@abfas.org. We will endeavor to comply with your request as soon as reasonably practicable. You may sign up to receive emails or other communications from us. If you would like to discontinue receiving this information, you may update your email preferences by using the “Unsubscribe” link found in emails we send to you or by contacting us at info@abfas.org. Please note: if you unsubscribe from marketing communications, you may still receive transactional or relationship emails from us. 

California “Shine the Light”.California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits visitors to the Services who are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please contact us using the contact information provided below.   

Nevada Disclosure. Residents of Nevada have the right to opt-out of the sale of certain pieces of their information sold to third parties. Currently, we do not engage in such sales. If you are a Nevada resident and would like more information about our data sharing practices, please contact us by sending your request via email to info@abfas.org.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY  

We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will also revise the “Effective Date” at the top of this Privacy Policy. If we make material changes to the Privacy Policy, we will notify you by placing a prominent notice on our websites and via email at the email address we have on file for you. We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy to keep up to date on how we are handling your personal information.  

CONTACT US

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

American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery
445 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-3404
415-553-7800
info@abfas.org