Privacy policy

Effective Date: August 22, 2024

This Privacy Policy describes the data protection practices of the J. Paul Getty Trust (“Getty”). It applies to information that we collect and use about you when you access or use our websites (including https://www.getty.edu(opens in a new tab)) that link to this Privacy Policy, engage our services, or otherwise interact with us online or offline. We refer to our website and other ways of interacting with you collectively as the “Services.”

Please read this privacy policy carefully to understand how we handle your information. If you do not agree to this privacy policy, please do not use the Services

The Information We Collect

We obtain information about you through the means discussed below when we provide the Services.

1. Information You Provide to Us

We collect a variety of information that you provide directly to us. For example, we collect information from you through:

• First and last name
• Registering to use our Services that require account creation
• Requests or questions you submit to us via online forms, email, or otherwise, including when you sign up to receive our newsletters
• When you engage with our Services, including when you make donations, apply for a grant, apply to be a research scholar, participate in our art loan programs, or plan a school visit
• Your participation in surveys, focus groups, or events

Information About You

The types of data we collect directly from you includes:

• First and last name
• Title, role, and company or organization name
• Email address
• Address
• Phone number, if you request to receive communications from us via telephone call or text message exchange
• Payment and donation information
• Any other information you choose to directly provide to us in connection with your use of the Services, such as information you submit in support of a grant

2. Information We Collect through Automated Means

When you use our websites, we and our service providers use cookies, pixels, web beacons, and similar technologies to automatically collect certain information to analyze your use of our websites and to serve you with more relevant advertising as you browse the web. Such information includes browser type, browser language, operating system, software and hardware attributes platform type, the number of clicks, pages viewed and the order of those pages, the date and time you used the websites, error logs, and other similar information. We also collect your IP address for purposes of understanding the city and state in which our website visitors are located. Please see our Cookies Notice for more information about the types of information we collect via cookies, how we use and share such information, and how you can manage cookies.

3. Information We Collect from Others

We may receive additional information such as demographic and statistical information from third parties, such as partners, researchers, analysts, and others. We use this information to supplement the information we collect directly from you for purposes of generating our reports and providing our Services.

4. Information We Collect from You About Others

The Services may permit you to send free e-cards or Getty Bookmarks to friends. In such circumstances, we will ask for your friend’s name and email address to send the message. We will not store or use this information for other purposes.

How We Use Your Information

We use your information for various purposes depending on the types of information we have collected from and about you, to:

Provide our Services

• Respond to your requests for information and provide you with more effective and efficient customer service
• Contact you by email, postal mail, or phone regarding Getty, as well as third-party organizations, surveys, research studies, projects, and other subjects that we think may be of interest to you
• Help us better understand your interests, and improve and customize our Services
• Secure our Services and resolve technical issues being reported
• Engage in research and analytics regarding the use of our Services
• Comply with any procedures, laws, and regulations which apply to us where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of others
• Establish, exercise, or defend our legal rights where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of others

Aggregate/De-Identified Information

We may aggregate and/or de-identify information collected through our Services so that such information can no longer be linked to you (“Aggregate/De-Identified Information”). We may use Aggregate/De-Identified Information for any purpose, including without limitation for research and marketing purposes, and may also share such data with any third parties, including advertisers, partners, and sponsors.

Legal Bases for Use of Your Information

The legal bases for using your information as set out in this Privacy Policy are as follows:

• Where use of your information is necessary to perform our obligations by contract with you (for example, to provide the requested Services to you, and to comply with, as applicable, our privacy policy or terms of service of our website)
• Where use of your information is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of others (for example, to provide security for our website; operate our Services; defend our legal rights; analyze use of and improve our Services)
• Where we have a reason to process the data in accordance with applicable laws
• Where we have your consent to engage in a particular information processing activity

How We Share and Disclose Your Information

Getty will share your information in the following ways:

• Service Providers: We provide access to or share your information with select third parties who perform services on our behalf. They provide a variety of services to us, including billing and payment services, transaction processing, data storage, marketing and online advertising, communications services, security, fraud prevention, and legal services.
• Affiliates: We share information with affiliated entities that assist us in managing and providing our Services.
• Blogs: If you choose to post comments on our public blogs, please note that the information you post will be viewable by others and we have no control over how such others will use this information. Always be careful when posting publicly online.
• Protection of Getty and Others: By using our Services, you acknowledge and agree that we may access, retain, and disclose the information we collect and maintain about you if required to do so by law or in a good faith belief that such access, retention or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process (e.g. a subpoena or court order); (b) enforce any contracts with you, if relevant; (c) respond to claims that any content violates the rights of third parties; (d) respond to your requests for customer service; and/or (e) protect the rights, property or personal safety of Getty, its agents and affiliates, its users and/or the public.
• Aggregate/De-Identified Information: From time to time, we may share Aggregate/De-identified Information about use of the Services or our user base with partners and others, but such information will not identify you personally.
• We will not sell or share your mobile phone number or your message consent preferences with third parties for their promotional or marketing purposes. To opt out of receiving texts, you may reply STOP to the text at any time.

Your Rights and Your Choices

You have certain rights with respect to your information as further described in this section.

1. Your Legal Rights

If you would like further information in relation to your legal rights under applicable law or would like to exercise any of them, please contact us using the information in the “Contact Information” section below at any time. Your local laws may permit you to request that we:

• Provide access to and/or a copy of certain information we hold about you
• Update information which is out of date or incorrect
• Delete certain information which we are holding about you
• Restrict the way that we process and disclose certain of your information
• Revoke your consent for the processing of your information

We will consider all requests and provide our response within the time period stated by applicable law and as otherwise required by applicable law. Please note, however, that certain information may be exempt from such requests in some circumstances, which may include if we need to keep processing your information for our legitimate interests or to comply with a legal obligation. We may request you provide us with information necessary to confirm your identity before responding to your request.

2. Marketing Communications

You may instruct us not to use your contact information to contact you with marketing communications that we believe will be interesting to you by contacting us using the information below. If we send you marketing email messages or newsletters, you can also opt out by following the instructions located at the bottom of such emails. Please note that, in accordance with applicable law, it may take up to ten (10) days to process your request. Also, note that you may not opt out of certain transactional emails from us, such as those confirming your requests or providing you with updates regarding our Privacy Policy or other terms.

Third Party Links and Features

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. If you choose to use these sites, please note that we are not responsible for their content or privacy practices. The collection, use, and disclosure of your information will be subject to the privacy policies of the third-party websites, and not this Privacy Policy. We urge you to read the privacy policies of these third parties.

International Users

Because Getty is based in the United States, please note that your information may be processed and stored in the United States and other jurisdictions around the world where our service providers are located, and that such jurisdictions may have different privacy laws than those in your jurisdiction. By using the Services, you acknowledge that your information may be processed and stored outside of your country of residence. We may work with external parties including legal counsel, the appropriate regulatory authorities, and/or local data protection authorities, to resolve any complaints regarding our processing of information. You can contact your local data protection authority if you have concerns regarding your rights under local law.

How We Protect Your Information

Getty takes a variety of technical and organizational security measures to protect the information provided to us from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no Internet or email transmission is ever fully secure or error free. Please keep this in mind when disclosing any information to us online.

Retention of Your Information

We keep your information for no longer than necessary for the purposes for which it is processed. The length of time for which we retain information depends on the purposes for which we collected and use it and/or as required to comply with applicable laws.

Children

Our Services are intended for general audiences and are not directed at children. If we become aware that we have collected data without legally valid parental consent from children under an age where such consent is required, we will take reasonable steps to delete it as soon as possible.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in the law, our data collection and use practices, or advances in technology. We will make the revised Privacy Policy accessible on our Services, so you should review the Privacy Policy periodically. You can know if the Privacy Policy has changed since the last time you reviewed it by checking the “Effective Date” included at the beginning of the document. If we make a material change to the Policy, you will be provided with appropriate notice in accordance with applicable legal requirements. By continuing to use the Services, you are confirming that you have read and understood the latest version of this Privacy Policy.

Contact Information

Please feel free to email us(opens in a new tab) if you have any questions about Getty’s Privacy Policy or our information processing practices.