Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy has been compiled to better serve those who are concerned with how their personal information is being used by our company. Personal Information means information about an identifiable individual. Please read our Privacy Policy carefully to get a clear understanding of how we collect, use, protect, or otherwise handle your personal information.

This Privacy Policy applies to information that we collect about you when you:

• Use our websites, www.sonosim.com and all other sites on the sonosim.com domain
• Use our services, such as the SonoSim SonoSimulator® software application, SonoSim LiveScan®, My SonoSim Dashboard, and all other SonoSim® offerings
• Voluntarily provide us with contact information during online or in-person interactions

What personal information do we collect or is provided to SonoSim by you?

We collect personal information directly from you when you register for an account, purchase products, use our services, or otherwise interact with SonoSim online or at events. We also collect certain usage information automatically when you access our websites or applications.

The table below summarizes the categories of personal information we collect, how we use it, the lawful basis we rely on (where required), and how long we keep it.

Categories of Personal Data, How We Use It, and How Long We Keep It

SonoSim generally retains personal information for up to two (2) years after the end of your relationship with us, unless a longer period is required by law (for example, seven years for tax and financial records). Backup copies are retained for three (3) months before secure deletion. At the end of the retention period, information is either securely deleted or anonymized in accordance with NIST SP 800-88 standards.

The table below provides additional detail by data category.

Categories of Personal Data (CCPA/CPRA)	Purpose of Processing	Lawful Basis (GDPR)	Retention
Identifiers (name, email, login credentials, institution)	Account creation, authentication, service access	Contract	Term of account + up to 12 months dormant
Contact Information (address, phone, professional info)	Customer support, billing, institutional account management	Contract	Business relationship + 12 months
Financial Information (credit card, billing records)	Transaction processing, fraud prevention, tax compliance	Contract, Legal obligation	Credit card information is not stored by SonoSim; credit transactions are processed via payment provider; billing records are retained for 7 years for tax records
Commercial Information (e-commerce purchase history)	Order fulfillment, tax reporting	Contract, Legal obligation	7 years (tax law)
Education Information (course progress, scores, assessments)	Deliver training, report results, comply with FERPA	Contract, Legal obligation	Term of account + 12 months dormant
Internet or Other Network Activity (IP address, device/browser, app usage, session logs)	Improve services, ensure security, troubleshoot issues	Legitimate interest (service improvement, security)	Up to 24 months; aggregated/anonymized thereafter
Preferences (newsletter opt-ins, event registrations)	Provide communications and promotional materials	Consent	Until opt-out or withdrawal
Geolocation (approx. via IP)	Regional usage analytics, service access	Legitimate interest	Until deletion request; backups 3 months
Support Records (tickets, chat, email logs)	Respond to inquiries, resolve incidents, maintain service quality	Contract, Legitimate interest	Minimum 24 months

How long do we store your information?

Retention periods depend on the type of information and applicable legal requirements. See the table above for specific timelines. In general:

• Account and service data are kept for the duration of the account plus up to 12 months dormant.
• Transaction and tax-related records are retained for 7 years.
• Website backups are retained for 3 months before secure deletion.

When do we collect information?

We collect information at the time you:

• Register for an account, purchase products, or use SonoSim services
• Subscribe to newsletters, event notifications, or surveys
• Engage with us during conferences, trade shows, or training sessions
• Automatically, through usage metrics and analytics during website or application access

Chat and Interface Interactions: Information provided via our public search utilities or live support modules is processed to address your requests. Content entered into these fields is managed locally or via secure subprocessors, ensuring that data is never disclosed to unauthorized parties.

For details on the types of data collected and their use, see the table above.

We also collect usage information associated with SonoSim provided services.

How do we use your information?

We use personal information to:

• Provide and improve SonoSim services
• Authenticate users and manage accounts
• Process transactions and meet contractual and legal obligations
• Respond to customer support requests
• Communicate with you, including marketing communications if you have opted in
• Monitor usage, maintain security, and prevent fraud

We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information without your explicit consent except as necessary to provide requested services, ensure security, and/or comply with the law. See the table above for a detailed mapping of purposes and lawful bases.

How do we protect visitor information?

Your personal information is contained in secured networks and is only accessible by a limited number of SonoSim personnel who have special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential. Access to these information systems is logged to enable us to verify that no unauthorized access has occurred. In addition, all sensitive/credit card information you supply is encrypted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.

We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of personal information when a user places an order or enters, submits, or accesses their information, but we make no assurances about our ability to prevent any loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information.

All transactions are processed through a gateway provider and no financial information is stored or processed on our servers.

Do we use ‘cookies’?

Yes. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer’s hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow) that enables the site’s or service provider’s systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information. For instance, we use cookies to help us remember and process the items in your shopping cart. They are also used to help us understand your preferences based on previous or current site activity, which enables us to provide you with improved services. We also use cookies to help compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We may also use trusted third-party services that track this information on our behalf.

You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies. You do this through your browser (e.g., Google Chrome) settings. Each browser is a little different, so look at your browser’s Help menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies.

If you turn off cookies, some features might be disabled that make your site experience more efficient. Additionally, turning off cookies might impede how some of our services function, such as remembering shopping cart items, store sorting preference, and/or other website user preferences. However, you can still place orders over the telephone by contacting customer service.

Sharing Information

We utilize trusted third-party service providers to facilitate website analytics, localization, user support, and promotional tracking. For an explicit index of these entities, please review our public tracking disclosures at sonosim.com/sub-processors.

We share information about you in the limited circumstances spelled out below and with appropriate safeguards on your privacy:

• Subsidiaries, Employees, and Independent Contractors: We may disclose information about you to SonoSim subsidiaries, employees, and/or independent contractors as required to help our Services or to process the information on our behalf. We require our subsidiaries, employees, and independent contractors to adhere to SonoSim’s Privacy Policy.
• Third Party Vendors: We may share information about you with third party vendors who require it in order to provide their services. This group includes vendors that help us provide our Services to you, those that assist us with our marketing efforts, those that help us understand and enhance our services, and those who may need information to provide technical or other support services to you.
• Third Party Websites: Our website may contain links to other websites. If you choose to visit other websites, we are not responsible for their privacy practices or content, and it is your responsibility to review their privacy policies and practices.
• Business Transactions: If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, sale of assets, corporate reorganization, bankruptcy, or other change in ownership or control of our business, your personal information may be disclosed to prospective or actual purchasers, investors, lenders, or other relevant parties as part of the transaction and transferred to the successor or acquiring entity. Any such disclosure or transfer will be subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations and applicable law.
• Legal Requests: we may disclose personally identifiable information if required by law or to comply with legal process, to protect our rights or property, or to enforce our Terms of Service.

For additional details and a list of the third parties we use, see SonoSim’s Subprocessors.

How do our web applications handle Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals?

SonoSim honors Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals. When our platform detects an inbound GPC signal from your browser, our consent management infrastructure automatically interprets it as a valid request to opt out of the sharing of personal information for behavioral tracking, ensuring no non-essential marketing scripts or pixels initialize for your session.

Does our site allow third party behavioral tracking?

In order to better serve you with advertisements for services, we may allow third party behavioral tracking with trusted partners. You may opt-out of third-party behavioral tracking by disabling cookies while visiting this site.

Children’s Data

SonoSim’s products and services are designed for adult learners in higher education, graduate programs, professional training, and healthcare institutions. They are not directed at or intended for use by individuals under eighteen years of age.

SonoSim does not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we learn or have reason to believe that personal information has been collected from an individual under eighteen years of age without appropriate authorization, we will promptly delete such information.

SonoSim does not market to or provide services for children under thirteen. In compliance with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), any personal information inadvertently collected from a child under thirteen will be deleted immediately.

In addition, SonoSim does not sell or share the personal information of minors under sixteen as defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA).

California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), provides you with specific rights regarding your personal information.

While SonoSim does not sell your personal information for monetary compensation, we may share internet network activity and usage metrics with third-party advertising networks (such as Meta and Microsoft) to evaluate and optimize our marketing efforts. This sharing is deactivated by default and occurs exclusively if you explicitly opt-in via our website cookie consent banner.

California residents have rights of access, correction, deletion, and portability, which are already described in the Your Rights section below. California law requires us to restate these rights here and to inform you that you may submit requests by email at privacy@sonosim.com or by phone at 323-473-3800. Requests will be verified and fulfilled within 30 days, subject to lawful exemptions.

California residents also have the right to limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information. SonoSim does not use sensitive personal information for any purpose other than providing its services, so this right is not applicable to our practices.

California Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance

Because we value your privacy we have taken the necessary precautions to be in compliance with the California Online Privacy Protection Act. We therefore will not distribute your personal information to outside parties without your consent.

California Data Broker and Delete Act Disclosure

SonoSim does not operate as a “data broker” under California law. We do not sell or license personal information of consumers with whom we have no direct relationship. Accordingly, SonoSim is not subject to registration or obligations under California’s Delete Act. Requests to delete personal information are handled directly under the rights afforded by the CCPA/CPRA and other applicable laws, as described in this Privacy Policy.

Breach Notification

If a personal data breach occurs, SonoSim will notify affected users and applicable authorities in accordance with applicable laws and contractual obligations:

• Supervisory Authorities (GDPR): We will notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach affecting personal data, unless the breach is unlikely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals.
• United States (including California): We will notify affected individuals without unreasonable delay and within legally required timeframes, generally within 30 to 45 days depending on jurisdiction.
• Texas State Data (TX-RAMP): If the breach involves Texas state-controlled information, we will notify the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) in accordance with TX-RAMP Level 2 requirements.
• Notification Methods: We will use email and may provide in-product notifications. A toll-free phone number will also be available for questions or concerns.
• Content of Notices: Notifications will describe the nature of the breach, categories of data involved, recommended steps individuals can take to protect themselves, and contact information for further inquiries.

CAN-SPAM Act

The CAN-SPAM Act is a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have emails stopped from being sent to them, and delineates tough penalties for violations.

We collect your email address in order to:

• Send order information, respond to inquiries, and/or other requests or questions.
• Process orders and to send information and updates pertaining to orders.
• Potentially send you additional information related to your product and/or service.
• Market to our mailing list or continue to send emails to our clients after the original transaction has occurred.

To be in accordance with CAN-SPAM we agree to the following:

• NOT use false, or misleading subjects or email addresses.
• Identify the message as an advertisement in some reasonable way.
• Include the physical address of our business or site headquarters.
• Monitor third party email marketing services for compliance, if one is used.
• Honor opt-out/unsubscribe requests quickly.
• Allow users to unsubscribe by using the link at the bottom of each email.

If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, you can either

• Follow the instructions at the bottom of each email.
• Send an email to marketing@sonosim.com with the subject line “Unsubscribe”.

Your Rights

If you are located in certain countries, including those that fall under the scope of the European General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), or U.S. state privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), you have specific rights regarding your personal data. Subject to applicable exemptions, these include the rights to:

• Request access to your personal data;
• Request rectification of inaccuracies in your personal data;
• Request deletion of your personal data;
• Object to our use and processing of your personal data;
• Request that we limit our use and processing of your personal data; and
• Request portability of your personal data.

You may also designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. We may require the agent to provide signed permission from you and may also require you to verify your identity directly with us. If information relates to a household, we will only fulfill requests when all verified members of that household jointly make the request. At this time, SonoSim accounts are designed for individual use, so household requests are generally not applicable.

SonoSim will respond to verified requests within 30 calendar days. If additional time is legally permitted (for example, in the case of complex requests), you will be notified of the extension and the reason.

To exercise your rights, please contact us as indicated in the Contacting Us section below.

 

EU individuals also have the right to make a complaint to a government supervisory authority.

Non-Discrimination and Financial Incentives

SonoSim will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights under applicable law. This includes not denying goods or services, charging different prices or rates, or providing a different level or quality of goods or services because you exercised your rights.

SonoSim may from time to time offer programs, benefits, or financial incentives related to the collection or use of personal information. Participation in any such program is voluntary and requires your opt-in consent, which you may withdraw at any time. When offering a financial incentive, SonoSim will provide a description of the material terms of the program, including the categories of personal information involved, how the incentive is reasonably related to the value of that information, and how you may opt in or withdraw.

Contacting Us

You may submit a request regarding your personal information through any of the following methods:

• Phone Number: 323-473-3800
• Email: privacy@sonosim.com or security@sonosim.com
• Mail: SonoSim, Inc., 606 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA, 90291, United States

We will respond to all verified requests within 30 days, subject to applicable law.

Updates and Changes

SonoSim may change, update or modify this policy from time to time. Substantial changes will be communicated through in-product communications or as required by applicable law. Upon making changes, the “Last Updated Date” will be modified to reflect when those changes were made effective. The updated Privacy Policy supersedes all prior Privacy Policies.