KICA Website

Privacy Policy

The Kiawah Island Community Association (KICA or the “Association”) is dedicated to making your online experience convenient and safe. KICA’s general Privacy Policy can be found here. This Privacy Policy describes our practices in connection with information that we collect through (1) websites operated by us from which you are accessing this Privacy Policy, including, but not limited to, the KICA website, Member Portal, and GateAccess.net (the "Websites"); (2) social media pages managed by us, including, but not limited to, social media pages managed by us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, which social media pages are located, as of the dated this Privacy Policy was last revised (collectively, our "Social Media Pages"); and (3) electronic communications, including, but not limited to, email, posts to the Around Kiawah Listserv, and text messages, from or to us ("Electronic Communications") (collectively, the Websites, Social Media Pages, and Electronic Communications are referred to herein as the "Services").

By using the Services, or providing us with your personal information in any way, you agree to accept the conditions stated in our Privacy Policy.

What kind of information do we collect?

We define “Personal Information” as data about an identifiable individual, which may include name, address, telephone number, email address or other information which may be used to identify someone, particularly as defined by privacy laws. KICA maintains a database of its members, with personal information collected in various ways, including correspondence through the U.S. Postal Service, by telephone, internet, email and on the member portal. Information such as a member’s mailing address, Kiawah address, home telephone number, work telephone number, Kiawah telephone number, and e-mail address is entered into KICA’s database and property files.

We collect several types of information from and about users of the Services, including information:

  • that is about you but individually does not identify you; and/or
  • about your internet connection, the equipment and software you use to access the Websites, and usage details.

We collect this information:

  • directly from you when you provide it to us;
  • automatically as you navigate the Websites, which automatically-collected information may include usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies; and
  • from third parties, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social media websites.

You also may provide information by publishing or displaying it on public areas (hereinafter, "Posted") of the Social Media Pages or Electronic Communications, such as KICA’s Around Kiawah Listserv, or by transmitting it to other users of the Social Media Pages, or third parties. All comments, content and materials you Post or transmit on or through the Social Media Pages and/or that you provide to us or our affiliates through other means, such as electronic communications, are collectively referred to herein as "User Contributions". Your User Contributions are Posted on and transmitted to others at your own risk. Although we limit access to certain pages, please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable. Additionally, we cannot control the actions of other users of the Websites or Social Media Pages with whom you may choose to share your User Contributions. Therefore, we cannot and do not guarantee that your User Contributions will not be viewed by unauthorized persons.

If you submit any information relating to other people to us or to our service providers in connection with your use of the Services, you represent that you have the authority to do so and to permit us to use the information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use.

Information We Collect Through Automatic Data Collection Technologies

As you navigate through and interact with the Websites and Social Media Pages, we may use automatic data collection technologies to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns, including:

  • details of your visits to the Websites and Social Media Pages, including traffic data, location data, logs, and other communication data and the resources that you access and use on the Websites and/or and Social Media Pages; and
  • information about your computer equipment, software and/or internet connection, including your IP address, operating system, and browser type.

If you receive our email marketing material, we may also use these technologies to collect information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites or other online services.

The information we collect automatically may include Personal Information, and we may maintain it or associate it with Personal Information we collect in other ways or receive from third parties. It helps us to improve the Websites and/or Social Media Pages and to deliver a better and more personalized service, including by enabling us to:

  • estimate our audience size and usage patterns;
  • store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize the Services according to your individual interests;
  • speed up your navigation; and
  • recognize you when you return to the Websites.

The technologies we use for this automatic data collection may include:

  • Cookies (or browser cookies). A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of websites. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to the Websites.
  • Web Beacons. Pages of the Websites and our emails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear GIFs, pixel tags, and single-pixel GIFs) that permit the Association, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics, such as recording the popularity of certain website content and verifying system and server integrity.

How We Use Your Information

The board is committed to protecting members’ privacy while allowing communications from the association.

We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any Personal Information:

  • to present the Websites and their contents to you;
  • to provide you or anyone you have selected with information, or services that you request from us;
  • to fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it;
  • to carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts entered into between you and us, including for billing and collection;
  • to notify you about changes to the Association, the Websites, or services we offer or provide through it;
  • in any other way we may describe when you provide the information; and
  • for any other purpose with your consent.

Information Shared With Third Parties

KICA will not sell, give or generally make available Personal Information to members or outside agencies. Occasionally, the association may release members’ contact information to a neighbor, or to island officials for important business. Please note that the contact information for all KICA committee members, or volunteer group members, is available to other members of that committee or group for communicating with each other.

KICA may disclose Personal Information to third parties with which the Association contracts to conduct its essential functions, such as gate access, election administration, email communications, and the listserv, for the express purposes of Association business.

The Websites, Social Media Pages, and Electronic Communications do provide links to other Kiawah and non-Kiawah websites. KICA cannot be held responsible for another agency’s misuse of a member’s personal information when that member has left the KICA website or mobile app by clicking on one of the links.

We have taken significant steps to ensure that all personal and financial information entrusted to us is handled and stored through secure methods.

For more information about our Privacy Policy, contact the Association’s Communications Department here.