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Website Privacy Policy

Updated May 3rd, 2023

Below is the Privacy Policy that applies to users of the Foundation for Critical Thinking website found at www.criticalthinking.org ("the website," "website," "criticalthinking.org"). If you are unable or unwilling to agree to any part of this policy, you may not use the website.


Please note that this policy does not apply to the Center for Critical Thinking Community Online, found at community.criticalthinking.org, which is also owned and operated by the Foundation for Critical Thinking. To read the privacy policy for the Center for Critical Thinking Community online, please visit:
https://community.criticalthinking.org/privacyPolicy.php


We reserve the right to change the policy below at any time.

 

 

Usage of Functionality Cookies
Functionality cookies are data clusters stored locally on your computer upon visiting the website or performing certain functions through the website. Criticalthinking.org uses functionality cookies to remember choices you have made which enable the website to operate properly; this includes:

1.    Enabling you to log into your web account and perform functions exclusive to logged-in users, such as registering for events or ordering materials.

2.    Enabling your web browser to remember items you have added to your shopping cart, including physical materials or registrations for events or courses.

 

3.    Regulating the display frequency of certain pop-up announcements, so that you do not need to repeatedly close the same pop-ups over short periods of time.

 

Collection and Usage of Data that is Manually Volunteered

This section refers to data that is submitted manually by visitors of the website, including:

1.      In the creation of a criticalthinking.org web account.

2.      In placing an order for materials through the website.

3.      In registering for an event through the website.

4.      In submitting questions or comments through our website’s contact form.

Depending on what information you choose to submit, these types of data can include your email address, first and last name, mailing address, phone number, profession, employing institution, whether you have attended our past events, and financial information (see additional details under the heading, “Usage of Financial Data During Monetary Transactions”). These are used to provide goods and services that you have ordered, to maintain a record of past shipments made and services provided, and to maintain a record of service-related communication. This data is also used to send announcements of various learning opportunities and other news, such as upcoming events or new publications, to those who have opted into our email list (see below for details).

 

This manually-volunteered data is maintained in a secure database and is never sold or otherwise transferred to third parties without your explicit consent, with the following exceptions:

1.      Where required by law.

2.       Where website users have opted into our email list. (See details below.)

 

2a. Those who opt-in to our email list will receive emailed announcements of various learning opportunities and other news, such as upcoming events or new publications. To facilitate this communication, the Foundation for Critical Thinking operates an account with Consant Contact, Inc. – with web presence located at https://www.constantcontact.com/ - which enables us to safely maintain our email list and send announcements to its subscribers. In most cases, this data will include only email addresses, but may occasionally include first and last names.

 

Requesting Deletion of Personal Data
You have the right to request the deletion of your personally-identifiable data, including the existence of any web account you may have created on the website. We comply with these requests as required by privacy laws in various jurisdictions.

To do this, please contact us in writing by one of the means below.

Email
cct@criticalthinking.org

Web Contact Form
https://www.criticalthinking.org/contact.php


Fax
+1 800-878-9111

Mail
PO Box 31080
Santa Barbara, CA 93130
USA



Usage of Financial Data During Monetary Transactions

This type of data usage applies to any financial transaction made through the website, whether initiated by a visitor through the web interface or by a Foundation or Critical Thinking employee at the request of a customer.

 

During a financial transaction, the website will make a one-time submission of securely-encrypted financial data to our payment gateway, Braintree, which is located on the web at:
https://www.braintreepayments.com/

Braintree is owned by PayPal, which is located on the web at:
https://www.paypal.com/

 

This transmission of encrypted data is used to complete a one-time monetary transaction for whatever good or service is ordered. The encrypted data will typically include a credit or debit card number, expiry date, card-verification code, ZIP or postal code, and the name of the card owner. This data is never stored by the website or elsewhere by the Foundation for Critical Thinking.

 

You can read PayPal’s privacy policy (which governs Braintree’s usage of data) at:
https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full


Account Access Logs

The website maintains a record of both successful and failed attempts to log into any criticalthinking.org web account. It also maintains a record of successful attempts to log out of any criticalthinking.org web account. This data includes the email address attached to each web account, as well as the time and date that a login or logout was attempted.



Collection and Usage of Data through Google Analytics

The website uses Google Analytics to record website visitor data. This involves the usage of analytical cookies and can involve IP addresses, device information, web browser and operating-system information, website usage information, and information about how visitors have arrived at the website (e.g. directly or by following  an outside link). The Foundation for Critical Thinking uses this information to determine how visitors are using our website, which enables us to better manage and update the website. We do not sell or otherwise redistribute this data, but a copy of it is retained by Google, located on the web at:
https://www.google.com/

To see what types of data are collected by Google, how Google stores and uses this data, how to opt out, and how to request deletion of data previously logged by Google, please visit:
https://policies.google.com/privacy

 

 

Data Collected by Website Administrators, but Not by the Website

Persons may contact a website administrator via media outside of the website itself (e.g. telephone, email, physical mail, or fax) in order to obtain assistance. When providing assistance to any such person, a website administrator may request and/or collect personal data in order to facilitate said assistance. This data may include names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and/or billing or shipping information. (This data may also include personal data volunteered by the person requesting assistance, but not requested by any website administrator.) Where this data is collected in written form, and does not contain sensitive information (such as full credit card numbers), it is stored indefinitely to maintain a record of communication and service. Such data containing sensitive information (such as full credit card numbers) is stored only long enough to facilitate assistance to the person requesting said assistance, and is destroyed after said assistance has been provided.



Please do not pass this message by.

CRITICAL THINKING IS AT RISK.

Here are some of the big reasons why:

  1. Many people believe that critical thinking should be free and that scholars qualified to teach critical thinking should do so for free. Accordingly, they do not think they should have to pay for critical thinking textbooks, courses, or other resources when there is "so much free material online" - despite how erroneous that material may be.
  2. There are many misguided academicians, and some outright charlatans, pushing forth and capitalizing on a pseudo-, partial, or otherwise impoverished concept of critical thinking.
  3. Little to no funding is designated for critical thinking professional development in schools, colleges, or universities, despite the lip service widely given to critical thinking (as is frequently found in mission statements).
  4. Most people, including faculty, think they already know what critical thinking is, despite how few have studied it to any significant degree, and despite how few can articulate a coherent, accurate, and sufficiently deep explanation of it.
  5. People rarely exhibit the necessary level of discipline to study and use critical thinking for reaching higher levels of self-actualization. In part, this is due to wasting intellectual and emotional energy on fruitless electronic entertainment designed to be addictive and profitable rather than educational and uplifting.
  6. On the whole, fairminded critical thinking is neither understood, fostered, nor valued in educational institutions or societies.
  7. People are increasingly able to cluster themselves with others of like mind through alluring internet platforms that enable them to validate one another's thinking - even when their reasoning is nonsensical, lopsided, prejudiced, or even dangerous.
  8. Critical thinking does not yet hold an independent place in academia. Instead, "critical thinking" is continually being "defined" and redefined according to any academic area or instructor that, claiming (frequently unsupported) expertise, steps forward to teach it.

As you see, increasingly powerful trends against the teaching, learning, and practice of critical thinking entail extraordinary challenges to our mission. To continue our work, we must now rely upon your financial support. If critical thinking matters to you, please click here to contribute what you can today.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO CONTINUE OUR WORK.

Thank you for your support of ethical critical thinking.