Privacy Policy

Georgia Technology Student Association (“GATSA,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of our members, advisors, schools, volunteers, judges, sponsors, conference attendees, and visitors.

This Privacy Policy explains how GATSA collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal information obtained through:

• gatsa.org, GATSA’s public informational website;
• my.gatsa.org, GATSA’s conference, chapter, and membership management system;
• Activate GATSAMobile, GATSA’s official mobile application;
• Conference registration systems;
• Electronic communications; and
• Any other digital services operated by GATSA (collectively, the “Services”).

This Privacy Policy applies to all users of the Services, regardless of whether they are students, advisors, volunteers, judges, parents, guardians, school personnel, sponsors, or visitors.

By using the Services, you acknowledge that your information will be collected, used, and disclosed as described in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy governs only information collected through GATSA-operated Services.

It does not apply to:

• National TSA systems;
• School district information systems;
• Third-party websites linked from the Services;
• Third-party payment processors beyond the information necessary to complete transactions; or
• Services operated independently by sponsors, exhibitors, hotels, conference venues, or other organizations.

Those organizations maintain their own privacy practices and policies.

The information collected by GATSA depends upon how an individual interacts with our Services.

Membership Information

GATSA may collect information necessary to administer membership and participation in GATSA programs, including:

• Name;
• School;
• Chapter affiliation;
• Advisor association;
• Membership status;
• Leadership positions;
• Conference participation;
• Competitive event participation;
• Awards and recognitions; and
• Other information reasonably necessary to administer GATSA programs.

Certain membership information may be synchronized from National TSA after official chapter affiliation.

Account Information

When an account is created within my.gatsa.org or another authenticated Service, GATSA may collect:

• Name;
• Email address;
• Username;
• Encrypted password;
• User role;
• School affiliation;
• Chapter affiliation; and
• Other information required to administer the account.

Student accounts are generally created by chapter advisors or through authorized affiliation processes rather than direct public registration.

Conference Information

When participating in conferences or events, GATSA may collect information including:

• Conference registrations;
• Competitive event selections;
• Workshop selections;
• Housing assignments;
• Emergency contact information;
• Accessibility accommodations;
• Dietary accommodations;
• Liability waivers;
• Medical information voluntarily provided for emergency purposes; and
• Other information necessary to administer the event.

Collection of this information is limited to information reasonably necessary for conference administration and participant safety.

Payment Information

Conference registrations and other purchases may require payment.

Payments are processed through trusted third-party payment providers.

GATSA does not store complete payment card numbers.

GATSA may retain transaction identifiers, payment confirmations, invoice information, and financial records necessary for accounting, auditing, tax reporting, and organizational recordkeeping.

Communications

When individuals communicate with GATSA, we may collect information contained within:

• Emails;
• Contact forms;
• Support requests;
• SMS messages;
• Surveys;
• Feedback forms; and
• Other communications voluntarily submitted to GATSA.

These communications may be retained as organizational records.

Technical Information

When users access the Services, certain technical information may be collected automatically, including:

• IP address;
• Browser type;
• Operating system;
• Device information;
• Date and time of access;
• Pages viewed;
• Login activity;
• Error reports;
• Security logs; and
• Other information generated through normal operation of the Services.

This information helps GATSA maintain system security, troubleshoot technical issues, improve system performance, and protect the integrity of the Services.

GATSA collects information through several methods depending on how an individual participates in our programs and uses our Services.

Information Provided by Users

Users may voluntarily provide information when they:

• Activate an account;
• Register for conferences;
• Submit competitive event materials;
• Complete forms;
• Contact GATSA;
• Respond to surveys; or
• Participate in other GATSA programs.

Users are responsible for ensuring the information they provide is accurate and current.

Information Provided by Advisors

Because GATSA primarily serves school-based chapters, chapter advisors are responsible for establishing and maintaining chapter rosters.

Advisors may provide student information necessary to administer membership, conference registration, competitive events, and other organizational activities.

Advisors are responsible for ensuring that information submitted to GATSA is accurate and that any required permissions have been obtained in accordance with applicable school district policies and law.

Information Synchronized from National TSA

Following official chapter affiliation, GATSA may synchronize membership information from National TSA to facilitate administration of state conferences, membership verification, eligibility, and related organizational functions.

Information synchronized through this process is used only for legitimate educational and organizational purposes.

Automatically Collected Information

Certain information is collected automatically when users access the Services.

This information may include technical and diagnostic information necessary to:

• Maintain security;
• Detect unauthorized activity;
• Improve system reliability;
• Diagnose software issues;
• Improve user experience; and
• Maintain operational records.

GATSA uses personal information only for legitimate educational, organizational, operational, legal, and administrative purposes.

Examples include:

• Administering membership;
• Managing chapter information;
• Processing conference registrations;
• Conducting competitive events;
• Verifying eligibility;
• Assigning judges and volunteers;
• Processing payments;
• Sending conference communications;
• Providing technical support;
• Maintaining historical organizational records;
• Complying with legal obligations;
• Meeting insurance requirements;
• Maintaining financial records;
• Protecting the security of the Services; and
• Improving GATSA programs and operations.

GATSA does not use personal information for targeted advertising and does not sell personal information.

Recognition of student achievement is central to GATSA’s educational mission.

Accordingly, certain information may be made publicly available through GATSA publications, websites, conference materials, newsletters, social media, or other official communications.

Public information may include:

• Student names;
• Advisor names;
• School names;
• Chapter names;
• Competitive event placements;
• Officer listings;
• Scholarship recipients;
• Award recipients;
• Conference programs;
• Historical conference results; and
• Other official organizational recognitions.

Historical records are an important part of GATSA’s institutional history and may remain publicly available indefinitely.

Publication of awards, recognitions, and historical records is considered part of GATSA’s educational mission and organizational activities.

GATSA respects the privacy of its members and does not sell personal information.

Information is shared only when necessary to administer GATSA programs or when required by law.

Information may be shared with:

Schools and Advisors

Information may be shared with schools, chapter advisors, and authorized school officials to administer membership, conferences, competitive events, leadership programs, and related educational activities.

National TSA

Information necessary for membership administration, affiliation, eligibility verification, and related organizational purposes may be exchanged with National TSA as part of the affiliation process.

Service Providers

GATSA utilizes trusted third-party providers to operate portions of the Services.

These providers currently include services for:

• Cloud infrastructure and hosting;
• Payment processing;
• Transactional email delivery; and
• SMS messaging.

These providers receive only the information reasonably necessary to perform the services requested by GATSA and are contractually or legally expected to safeguard that information.

Legal Requirements

GATSA may disclose information when disclosure is required by law or reasonably necessary to:

• Comply with legal process;
• Respond to lawful governmental requests;
• Protect the rights, safety, or property of GATSA or others;
• Investigate suspected fraud or misuse of the Services;
• Enforce GATSA policies; or
• Protect the integrity of GATSA programs.

GATSA recognizes the importance of protecting student educational information and is committed to handling student information in a manner consistent with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) and other applicable laws.

GATSA primarily serves schools, school districts, educators, and students participating in Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) activities. Much of the information maintained by GATSA originates from chapter advisors, schools, or National TSA as part of the administration of educational programs.

GATSA uses student information solely for legitimate educational and organizational purposes, including:

• Membership administration;
• Conference registration;
• Competitive event participation;
• Leadership activities;
• Awards and recognition;
• Official communications; and
• Historical organizational records.

Schools and school districts remain responsible for determining what student information may legally be shared with GATSA under FERPA and other applicable laws.

Nothing contained within this Privacy Policy is intended to alter or limit any rights provided under FERPA.

GATSA is committed to protecting the privacy of children and complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) where applicable.

Participation in GATSA generally occurs through schools and chapter advisors rather than direct public registration by children.

Student accounts within my.gatsa.org are ordinarily created by chapter advisors or established through authorized National TSA affiliation processes.

Because GATSA operates primarily within educational settings:

• Information collected from children is limited to that reasonably necessary to administer GATSA programs.
• GATSA does not knowingly require children to disclose more personal information than is reasonably necessary.
• Schools or advisors may provide authorization for educational use where permitted by applicable law.
• Parents or legal guardians may contact GATSA regarding personal information maintained about their child, subject to applicable educational, legal, and organizational recordkeeping requirements.

GATSA does not knowingly sell personal information relating to children.

GATSA maintains reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

Security measures may include:

• Encrypted network communications;
• Secure password storage;
• Role-based administrative access;
• System monitoring;
• Security logging;
• Software updates;
• Infrastructure security controls; and
• Administrative procedures designed to protect confidential information.

Access to member information is limited to individuals who require such access to perform authorized organizational responsibilities.

While GATSA employs reasonable safeguards, no method of electronic transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Accordingly, GATSA cannot guarantee absolute security of information transmitted through the Internet.

GATSA retains records only as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill legitimate educational, organizational, financial, legal, insurance, audit, and historical purposes.

Records retained by GATSA may include:

• Membership records;
• Conference registrations;
• Competitive event records;
• Award history;
• Financial records;
• Communications;
• Liability waivers;
• Medical information submitted for conference participation;
• Incident reports; and
• Other organizational records.

Certain records may be retained for five (5) years or longer where required by:

• Applicable law;
• Insurance requirements;
• Financial recordkeeping obligations;
• Organizational policy;
• Audit requirements; or
• Historical preservation.

When records are no longer required, GATSA will securely dispose of or archive information in accordance with its records retention practices.

Subject to applicable law and GATSA’s legitimate organizational, legal, and historical recordkeeping obligations, individuals may request to:

• Review personal information maintained by GATSA;
• Correct inaccurate information;
• Update outdated information; or
• Request deletion of information where appropriate.

Certain information cannot be deleted because it forms part of:

• Official conference records;
• Historical organizational records;
• Financial records;
• Insurance documentation;
• Legal records; or
• Other records GATSA is required or permitted to retain.

Requests concerning student educational information may also be directed through the student’s school or chapter advisor where appropriate.

To operate and maintain its Services, GATSA relies on trusted third-party providers to perform certain functions on its behalf. These providers receive only the information reasonably necessary to perform the services they provide for GATSA and may process personal information in accordance with their own privacy policies and applicable law.

GATSA currently utilizes the following service providers:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides cloud hosting, application infrastructure, storage, networking, backups, and other system operations.
• Stripe securely processes conference registrations, membership fees, and other online payments. GATSA does not store complete payment card information.
• Mailgun delivers transactional email communications, including registration confirmations, password resets, account verification messages, and other service-related notifications.
• Twilio delivers SMS messages and automated text notifications related to conferences, registrations, account verification, and other organizational communications.
• GitHub is used to host GATSA’s private source code repositories and support software development. Production member data is not stored within GitHub repositories.

GATSA may add, replace, or discontinue service providers as operational needs change. When doing so, GATSA will make reasonable efforts to select providers that maintain appropriate administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information.

Although GATSA carefully selects its service providers, each provider maintains its own privacy practices. Users are encouraged to review the privacy policies of these providers for additional information regarding how they process personal information.