Privacy policy

Scope of this Privacy Policy

At GED Testing Service LLC, we recognize the importance of protecting the privacy of your Personally Identifiable Information (as defined below).  This Privacy Policy governs our collection and use of Personally Identifiable Information on all websites and web pages offered by GED Testing Service LLC that provides a link to this Privacy Policy, including principally www.gedtestingservice.com  (collectively, the “Site”).  This Privacy Policy does not govern Personally Identifiable information collected by our foreign affiliates, on other GED Testing Service LLC websites or web pages having separate privacy policies or not linking to this Privacy Policy.  GED Testing Service LLC is a joint venture of the American Council on Education (“ACE”) and NCS Pearson, Inc., whose operations and data servers, where your data is sent and held, are located wholly within the United States.  By providing information to us on the Site, you accept the terms of this Privacy Policy.  As used in this Privacy Policy, “we” or “our” refers to GED Testing Service LLC.

Personally Identifiable Information Collected

GED Testing Service LLC collects certain Personally Identifiable Information that you provide voluntarily when using the Site.  “Personally Identifiable Information” includes information that can identify you as a specific individual, such as your name or address.  “Personally Identifiable Information” does not include anonymized, aggregate or statistical information.  Under the following circumstances, GED Testing Service LLC may collect Personally Identifiable Information from you:

• Test Registration and Services. When you register for a test or to use GED Testing Service LLC’s services, we may collect your name, home address, email address, telephone number, e-mail address, facsimile, social security number, date of birth, debit/credit card information, and other Personally Identifiable Information such as educational background and interests. Certain information is requested but not mandatory to provide.  We will identify to you at the time of collection which information fields are required.
• Online Orders or Questions.  When you are ordering materials or requesting information from GED Testing Service LLC we may collect your name, address, email address and other Personally Identifiable Information, such as job title or other information necessary to process your request for materials. If you are purchasing materials, we additionally collect debit/credit card information.    
• You may access other interactive tools or functions on the Site which may collect other Personally Identifiable Information from you.

Aggregation of Non-Person-Specific Data.

We may statistically aggregate in non-person-specific form test responses and other information collected in the certification admission test registration and delivery process and transfer this information to scoring vendors, to independent testing centers, and to other third parties.  Such aggregated non-person-specific information may be used for quality control, operations management, security and marketing purposes and to enhance, develop or improve licensure, certification, and academic admission testing processes, testing services, tests and related products and services.  By registering for a test through us, you give your consent to this non-person-specific data aggregation and the use and transmission of this aggregated statistical data as outlined above.

Email Newsletters.

We may use your email address to send you an email newsletter about certification, admission testing.  You may opt out of receiving the newsletter at any time by notifying us by email at communications@GEDtestingservice.com or following the opt-out instructions in the email newsletter.

How We Use Your Personally Identifiable Personal Information

GED Testing Service LLC uses your Personally Identifiable Information to:

• Administer the GED® test, which is a battery of examinations administered by states and jurisdictions to measure the skills and knowledge similar to a high school course of study.  GED® graduates earn a GED® credential.  The type of credential issued, diploma or certificate, varies by state.
• Process your requests for other products, services, or information and communicate with you regarding such requests.
• Verify your identity, process payments and collect debts you owe us.
• Improve the Site and our other business systems and procedures.
• Conduct research and produce aggregate statistical studies and analysis related to our products and services.
• Ask you to participate in brief surveys regarding the products and services offered by GED Testing Service LLC.
• Provide you with information about products, services or special offers from GED Testing Service LLC.  Please see the section below entitled “Your Choices” to better understand your choices with regard to these communications from GED Testing Service LLC.

Transfer of Information to Jurisdictions.

By registering for the GED® test through us, you give your consent for your Personally Identifiable Information (with the exception of your debit/credit card information) to be transmitted by GED Testing Service LLC to the jurisdiction from whom you seek the GED® credential.  The jurisdiction requires this Personally Identifiable Information so that (a) tests can be correctly administered; (b) a GED® credential can be processed and issued; and (c) you can receive further information about academic testing. For further information about how a specific jurisdiction may use your Personally Identifiable Information, please contact the jurisdiction.

Other Transfer of Information.

In addition to transmitting certain Personally Identifiable Information about you to a jurisdiction, we may disclose Personally Identifiable Information in the following situations: (a) in response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted and required by law; (b) to protect your security, or the security of other persons, consistent with applicable law; (c) to address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities; (d) in connection with a sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of the assets of GED Testing Service LLC or its parent companies NCS Pearson, Inc. and American Council on Education; (e) to our contractors or agents, including independent testing centers, who are committed or obliged to protect your privacy in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy. For purposes of validating test and user integrity and security, we may supply audio- and video-tapes of test candidates in a testing center at a particular time to any jurisdiction whose examination was being administered at that time in such test center. By registering for an examination through us, you give your consent for your Personally Identifiable Information to be transmitted in the situations outlined above.

Marketing by Third Parties

GED Testing Service LLC honors your preferences with regard to sharing your Personally Identifiable Information outside GED Testing Service LLC for marketing purposes.  Prior to our sharing your Personally Identifiable Information with our affiliates or other third parties for marketing purposes, you will be given the opportunity to indicate whether you wish your Personally Identifiable Information to be shared with such parties.

Disclosure of Your Personal Information

Generally

Additionally, GED Testing Service LLC will not sell or disclose your Personally Identifiable Information to third parties except with your consent, or as set forth below:

• If you are under 18 years of age, we may provide your Personally Identifiable Information to your parent or guardian, who may direct us to release the information to third parties.  We may also provide your Personally Identifiable Information to the jurisdiction from whom you seek the GED® credential.
• We may share Personally Identifiable Information within the GED Testing Service LLC family of companies.
• We may employ third party contractors to perform functions on our behalf, which may include assisting us in processing your Personally Identifiable Information.  These contractors are contractually required to maintain the confidentiality of the information and are restricted from using the information for any purposes other than those authorized by GED Testing Service LLC.
• GED Testing Service LLC may provide your Personally Identifiable Information to government agencies or others as necessary to comply with the law or in response to legal or administrative processes such as subpoenas. In addition, GED Testing Service LLC may release your Personally Identifiable  Information as permitted by law in the unlikely event GED Testing Service LLC deems release necessary to protect the health and safety of its customers or others, or to legally protect GED Testing Service LLC, its customers or service providers.

Registration for Tests and Other GED Testing Service LLC Services

Personally Identifiable Information collected from you in connection with test registration is used in accordance with this policy, your consent or applicable U.S. law.  For example, your Personally Identifiable Information and scores may be additionally provided to parties you designate to receive your scores and may, where applicable, be shared with the school district or other entity that has paid the fee for you to take the test or to receive a certificate of achievement or credential relating to the test, testing centers, selected scholarship programs and agencies, government agencies having authority over your school and more rarely, parties approved by GED Testing Service LLC’s executive management to engage in research to inform and improve educational practices.  Such researchers must meet certain standards and are required to sign confidentiality agreements.  In certain situations, GED Testing Service LLC may also provide your Personally Identifiable Information to parties providing support services to any of the organizations described in this Privacy Policy.

Your Choices

GED Testing Service LLC strives to provide you with choices with regard to our use of your Personally Identifiable Information.  For example, although we may occasionally use your Personally Identifiable Information to contact you regarding products or services of GED Testing Service LLC we think might interest you, you will be given instructions on how to opt out of receiving further communications of this nature by email.  Note, however, that in such a case, you would still receive program-related messages and similar transactional communications by email.  In addition, as noted above, you will have the opportunity to choose not to receive marketing materials from our affiliates or third parties.

Information Received from Internet Service Providers Through This Website

This website receives information that is automatically generated by a user’s Internet service provider (ISP).  This information may include the IP address (a number automatically assigned to a computer by the ISP), the associated URLs, domain types, the browser type used to access our site, the country, state and telephone area code, the location of the ISP’s servers, the pages of our site that the user views, any search terms entered on this site, and the user’s website address and email address.  This information may be collected for system administration purposes, to gather broad demographic information and to monitor the level of activity on the site.  GED Testing Service LLC does not routinely link IP addresses to Personally Identifiable Information; however, we reserve the right to link IP addresses and other information supplied by the ISP to Personally Identifiable Information in order to protect the integrity of our system and for security purposes.

Cookies and Web Beacons

Cookies are small text files that a web server places on your computer.  Cookies contain information that can later be read by the web server that originally placed the cookie on your computer.  Like most websites, we use cookies to allow us to remember information about your preferences and passwords, to measure traffic patterns, personalize content, control security and allow you to move within our website without the need to repeatedly enter the same information.  The cookies we use supply non-Personally Identifiable Information, but they may identify your computer, browser and Internet specifications.

Web Beacons are small strings of code that provide a method for delivering a graphic image on a web page for the purpose of transferring data. For example, when you visit a page on this website, the code for a page being visited may be transferred to us. The information transmitted to us is used internally, and not shared with third parties, except as provided in this policy. We use this information for the following purposes:

• Allow us to better understand the traffic patterns within our websites and, subsequently, adjust our content to better respond to your interests; and
• Use this information to suggest information and resources that may be of interest to you based on your use of our website and products.

By using www.gedtestingservice.com, unless otherwise specified by local law or regulation, you agree to the use of cookies and web beacons for the collections of information in order to provide the services you requested and to improve those services.

Transmission of Information

Data collected and received by us in connection with the delivery of the GED® test may be transmitted within the United States and to other countries.  GED Testing Service LLC’s computer operations are currently based in the United States.  The Internet is a global environment.  By using this site and sending information to us electronically, you consent to transborder and international transmission of any data that you may choose to supply us.  Information transmissions to this site and emails sent to us may not be secure. Given the inherent operation and nature of the Internet, all Internet transmissions are done at the user’s own risk.

Links to Other Sites

The Site may contain links to other sites provided by third parties.  GED Testing Service LLC does not control the privacy policies or practices of these websites.  You should review the privacy policy of the third party offering the website before providing any Personally Identifiable Information at these websites.  GED Testing Service LLC is not responsible for the content or practices of any linked third party websites, and we provide these links solely for the convenience and information of our visitors.

Information from Children

This website and our GED Testing Service LLC are not directed to children or anyone under the age of 13.  GED Testing Service LLC will not, through this website or through its GED test registration and administration process, knowingly collect, maintain or use any Personally Identifiable Information about anyone under the age of 13.

Security

The security of your Personally Identifiable Information is important to us. When you enter sensitive information (such as credit card numbers or social security numbers) on your registration or order forms, we encrypt that information using secure socket layer technology (SSL).  However, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure.  Therefore, while we strive to use commercially reasonable means to protect your Personally Identifiable Information, we cannot guarantee that your Personally Identifiable Information will never be disclosed in a manner inconsistent with this Privacy Policy (for example, as a result of unauthorized acts by third parties that violate applicable law).

Independent Testing Centers.

GED® examinations are administered through independent testing centers.  These centers may provide unrelated services and may collect and use Personally Identifiable Information for other purposes under different terms and policies.  If you have any questions or concerns about an independent testing center’s collection or use of any of your Personally Identifiable Information, please talk to the independent testing center directly. If you have unaddressed concerns about an independent testing center relating to examination services supplied by GED Testing Service LLC, please contact us at GEDTestingServicecontracts@GEDtestingservice.com.

Information Access and Corrections.

To access and correct the Personally Identifiable Information that we have collected under this policy, please contact us or send us an email. To protect your privacy and security, we will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making alterations.

Resolution of Concerns.

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we handle Personally Identifiable Information, please contact us at gedtestingservice.com.  If we are unable to satisfactorily address your concerns, you should contact the Data Protection Authority, or other relevant organization, in your area.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to change the terms of this Privacy Policy from time to time by posting an updated Privacy Policy.  We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes or updates.

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at GEDTestingServiceContracts@GEDtestingservice.com. You may also contact us at +1 952-681-3444.

Effective Date of this Privacy Policy is 1/30/2012.