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Legal

Privacy Policy

Effective

1. Who we are and what this policy covers

MERIT (Methane Emissions Reduction and Intensity Tiers, "MERIT," "we," "us") is an independent certification body for on-site gas generation at data centers. This policy explains what personal information we collect through meritcert.org, how we use it, and the choices you have.

It covers this website and the forms on it. It doesn't cover other websites we link to.

2. Information we collect

Information you give us

  • Design review applications: your first and last name, email address, organization and role; your phone number and project location if you choose to give them; who you are in relation to the project, the size of the data center, what you tell us about the project, and any file you attach.
  • Expert committee expressions of interest: your first and last name, email address, organization and role; which best describes you; the expertise you would bring; and a LinkedIn or website address if you choose to give one.
  • Emails you send us: your email address and whatever you choose to send.

Information collected automatically

  • Hosting and security. Our hosting provider, Cloudflare, receives standard technical information when you visit: your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you request and the time of your visit. Our forms use Cloudflare Turnstile, which checks signals from your browser to tell people apart from automated scripts. When you submit a form we store a one-way hash of your IP address, not the address itself, to limit abuse.
  • Cloudflare Web Analytics. A small script reports the page you viewed, the site that referred you, your browser, operating system and device type, your country and page-load timing. It doesn't use cookies, and we see this only as totals.
  • Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors find and use the site: pages viewed, how you arrived, approximate location (city or region), and device and browser details. It sets first-party cookies (named _ga and _ga_…) that last up to two years. We've turned off Google's advertising features and Google signals, and we don't use Google Analytics to identify you. For visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, Google Analytics runs without cookies and sends Google only limited, cookieless measurements.

3. How we use information

We use personal information only to:

  • respond to design review applications, schedule reviews and carry them out;
  • consider expressions of interest in the expert committee and follow up about it;
  • answer questions and keep a record of our correspondence;
  • keep the site and forms secure and working, and understand how the site is used so we can improve it;
  • meet legal obligations.

We don't sell personal information. We don't share it for targeted advertising, and we don't send marketing emails unless you've asked to hear from us.

4. Who we share it with

We share personal information only with service providers that handle it on our behalf, to provide their services to us:

  • Cloudflare hosts the website, protects it and its forms from attacks and automated abuse, stores form submissions and attached files, delivers our emails, and provides cookie-free website analytics.
  • Google provides Google Analytics, and Google Workspace hosts the team mailbox where form notifications and your emails to us arrive.

We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect our rights or others' safety, or as part of a reorganization, merger or transfer of MERIT's operations.

5. Cookies

  • Google Analytics sets the analytics cookies described above, except for visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or install Google's opt-out browser add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
  • Cloudflare may set strictly necessary cookies to protect the site from bots and attacks.
  • We don't use advertising cookies, and we don't track you across other sites.

6. How long we keep information

  • Form submissions and attached files: 24 months after you submit them, then deleted. Notification copies in our team mailbox are kept for the same period.
  • Deleted records may remain in our providers' backups for up to 30 days before they are overwritten.
  • Google Analytics data: no more than 14 months.
  • Technical data held by our providers: according to each provider's own retention policy.

7. Your choices and rights

  • Access, correction and deletion. Email us to ask what personal information we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it. We'll respond within 30 days.
  • Emails. We only email you about your application or expression of interest, and in reply to messages you send us.
  • Do Not Track. We don't track visitors across sites, so we don't change our practices in response to Do Not Track signals.
  • Privacy rights where you live. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under local privacy laws. We'll honor requests as those laws require.

8. Security, children and international visitors

  • Security. We limit access to personal information to the people who need it, use providers with strong security practices, and serve the site only over encrypted connections. No system is perfectly secure, but we'll tell you as the law requires if a breach affects your information.
  • Children. The site isn't meant for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information. If you think a child has given us information, contact us and we'll delete it.
  • International visitors. MERIT is based in the United States, and our providers store information in the United States. If you use the site from another country, your information is processed in the United States.

9. Changes and contact

We may update this policy as the website and our programs change. We'll post the new version here with a new effective date.

Questions or requests about your information: info@meritcert.org.