Terms of Use

THESE TERMS OF USE, dated June 6, 2018, including Annex A hereto, as applicable, form a legal agreement (the “Agreement”) between The News Literacy Project Inc. (“NLP”) with offices at 5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 440, Washington, DC 20015 and the educational institution (“You” or the “Subscriber”) identified on the online registration page for the Services (the “Registration Page”). This Agreement governs Your use of the Platform (as defined below).

BY CLICKING THE “I ACCEPT” BUTTON DISPLAYED AS PART OF THE REGISTRATION PROCESS FOR THE PLATFORM, YOU AFFIRM THAT YOU ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE, THAT YOU AGREE TO THESE TERMS OF USE, THE PRIVACY POLICY, AND THE CHECKOLOGY® STUDENT PRIVACY NOTICE, AND THAT YOU WILL COMPLY WITH SUCH TERMS, PRIVACY POLICY, AND CHECKOLOGY® STUDENT PRIVACY NOTICE IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM. YOU AGREE THAT (i) YOU ARE AN EMPLOYEE, DIRECTOR, OR AGENT OF THE SUBSCRIBER; (ii) YOU HAVE CONFIRMED THAT SUBSCRIBER HAS AGREED TO BE BOUND TO THESE TERMS OF USE, THE PRIVACY POLICY, AND THE CHECKOLOGY® STUDENT PRIVACY NOTICE; AND (iii) THE SUBSCRIBER HAS AUTHORIZED YOU TO USE THE PLATFORM ON ITS BEHALF.

1. THE PLATFORM. NLP has developed an online virtual classroom called “Checkology®,” where students learn skills and concepts of news literacy (the “Platform”), which is accessible through NLP’s websites and which may be made available in the future through smartphone applications and otherwise. Your use of the Platform is governed by these Terms of Use.

2. LICENSE TO USE PLATFORM. Subject to these Terms of Use, NLP hereby grants Subscriber a personal, limited, terminable, revocable, royalty-free, worldwide, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicenseable license to access and use the Platform, and allow its End Users (defined below) to access and use the Platform solely for educational purposes (the “License”). Subscriber shall be responsible, at Subscriber’s sole expense, for procuring, operating, and maintaining the computer system, mobile device, hardware, software, telecommunications applications and providers, Internet connectivity and other items necessary or appropriate to enable Subscriber and End Users to exercise their rights and licenses hereunder.

3. USER NAMES AND ACCESS CODES. NLP shall provide an individualized user name and access code to initiate access to the Platform by Subscriber’s designated administrator(s) identified on the Registration Page or designated by Subscriber in writing (the “Subscriber Administrator(s)”). The Subscriber Administrator(s) shall create an individualized user name for each administrator, faculty member, and student enrolled by the Subscriber (each a designated “End User”). NLP will provide Subscriber with an access code for the End Users to access the Platform (the “Access Code”). Subscriber shall be solely responsible for keeping an accurate record of the Access Code and user name assigned to each End User. Subscriber is responsible for ensuring that all such Access Codes and user names are kept secret, safe, and secure at all times. NLP shall not be held responsible or liable for any misuse of Subscriber’s account in the event that a third party has access to and uses any such Access Code or user name. The Platform enables Subscriber and its End Users access to certain online educational products and services (the “Services”). All use of the Services is subject to these Terms of Use and any additional terms agreed to in writing by Subscriber and NLP in connection with the Platform and such Services. Subscriber is responsible for its End Users’ use of the Platform and the Services and compliance with these Terms of Use.

4. GENERAL RESTRICTIONS ON USE. You agree to use the Platform and the Services only for purposes that are permitted by these Terms of Use in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and generally accepted practices and guidelines in the relevant jurisdictions. You may only use the Platform and Services for educational purposes. You will not (and will not attempt to):

  1. Gain unauthorized access to NLP’s computer system or engage in any activity that interferes with the performance of, or impairs the functionality or security of the Platform, the Services, or NLP’s networks and computer systems.
  2. Access the Platform or any of the Services through any automated means or with any automated features or devices (including use of scripts or web crawlers, data mining, scraping, robots, spiders, or any other data gathering or extraction tools), except to the extent the Platform is indexed by general purpose consumer-accessible search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing.
  3. Reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, trade, make derivatives, modify or resell any aspect of the Platform or the Services for any purpose, including commercial purposes.
  4. Upload, post, or otherwise transmit, through the Platform, any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, “junk mail,” “spam,” “chain letters,” “pyramid schemes,” “phishing” or any other form of solicitation.
  5. Reverse-engineer, decompile, circumvent or otherwise attempt to discover any NLP source code that form the Platform.
  6. Reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, trade, or resell any products or services bearing any trademark, service mark, trade name, logo, or other signifier owned by NLP in a way that is likely or intended to cause confusion about the owner or authorized user of materials.

5. APPLICABLE LAW. Subscriber is familiar with and agrees to be responsible for compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (“COPPA”), the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation effective as of May 25, 2018 (“GDPR”), the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the U.S. Department of Education’s implementing regulations at 34 CFR Part 99 (collectively, “FERPA”); and all other laws rules or regulations concerning the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information about End Users accessing the Services that are the subject of this Agreement (collectively, “Applicable Law”). “Personal Information” means any and all information that could, individually or when combined with other information, identify an individual, and includes any personal data governed by applicable privacy or security laws. Subscriber and NLP agree that Maryland law governs this Terms of Use agreement and Subscriber hereby expressly submits to the jurisdiction of the courts of the District of Columbia in connection with this Terms of Use agreement.

6. SUBSCRIBER INFORMATION. All Personal Information concerning Subscriber and End Users (collectively, “Subscriber Information”) shall belong to the Subscriber. Subscriber assumes sole responsibility for: (a) providing notice to End Users to the extent required under FERPA, COPPA, GDPR, or other Applicable Law in connection with the collection, use and/or disclosure of Personal Information as described in the Privacy Policy and Checkology® Student Privacy Notice from End Users; (b) obtaining verifiable prior parental consent as required under FERPA, COPPA, GDPR, or other Applicable Law in connection with the collection, use, and/or disclosure of Personal Information obtained from End Users as set forth in the Privacy Policy and Checkology® Student Privacy Notice; (c) obtaining verifiable prior parental consent to the extent required under GDPR with regard to the transfer of any data of an End User residing in the EU to the NLP in the United States; (d) providing a reasonable means for parents to review Personal Information provided by End Users to the extent required by FERPA, COPPA, GDPR, or other Applicable Law; and (e) establishing and maintaining reasonable procedures to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of the Personal Information. With respect to any Subscriber Information, feedback, or other information or materials contributed by Subscriber or any End User to NLP through the Platform (“User Content”), Subscriber hereby represents and warrants to NLP that Subscriber has full right to provide such User Content and that such User Content shall not (i) infringe any intellectual property rights of any third party or any rights of publicity, personality, or privacy of any person or entity; (ii) violate any Applicable Law, including without limitation FERPA, COPPA and GDPR, (iii) be defamatory, libelous, unlawfully threatening, or unlawfully harassing, or promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age; (iv) contain or otherwise transmit any material that contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment; (v) be obscene, child pornographic, or indecent; (vi) violate any community or Internet standard; (vii) constitute misappropriation of any trade secret or know-how; or (viii) constitute disclosure of any confidential information owned by any third party.

NLP agrees to cooperate with and assist Subscriber in responding without undue delay to any requests, complaints, or inquiries from an End User, including from End Users exercising their rights of access, correction, data portability, and/or deletion under Applicable Laws. In the event that an End User contacts NLP directly, NLP agrees to direct the End User to contact Subscriber and to notify Subscriber that a request, complaint, or inquiry from an End User has been made. NLP shall notify Subscriber promptly, and in any event within forty-eight (48) hours, of learning of any breach of the security of Personal Information, including any accidental or intentional loss or unauthorized or unlawful access, use or disclosure of Personal Information (collectively, a “Security Breach”). NLP shall mitigate, to the extent reasonably practicable, any Security Breach. NLP shall notify End Users and/or any supervisory authority of the Security Breach to the extent required by any Applicable Law.

7. NLP USE OF SUBSCRIBER INFORMATION. As a service provider to Subscriber, NLP will establish and maintain reasonable procedures in accordance with its policies and practices and Applicable Law that are designed to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of Personal Information and Subscriber Information received by NLP in connection with provision of the Platform to Subscriber. Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that NLP has the right to use the Personal Information, including the Subscriber Information, collected in connection with the provision of the Platform for purposes of performing its obligations under this Agreement, and as described in NLP’s Privacy Policy and Checkology® Student Privacy Notice. Subject to Section 6 hereof, NLP agrees to collect, use, disclose, and otherwise process all Personal Information obtained from End Users in accordance with Applicable Law, its Privacy Policy, and the Checkology® Student Privacy Notice.

8. EU PERSONAL DATA. Subscriber understands and acknowledges that NLP is located in the United States and that Personal Information about End Users will be transferred to and processed by NLP in the United States. If Subscriber is established in the EU, the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland, or the United Kingdom, and/or is otherwise subject to the GDPR, then (i) Subscriber and NLP each agree that the Standard Contractual Clauses issued by the European Commission set forth in Annex A will apply to the processing of Personal Information hereunder, and (ii) Subscriber represents that it has secured all necessary approvals for the transfer from applicable supervisory authorities.

9. OWNERSHIP. No intellectual property rights of any kind are assigned or transferred to Subscriber under this Agreement. NLP owns all information and materials, including without limitation designs, titles, phrases, images, illustrations, icons, photographs, copyrights, trademarks, services marks, trade dress, and other intellectual property rights associated therewith, in or made available through the Platform (the “NLP Content”). Subscriber’s license with respect to the Platform and any other materials provided hereunder is only as expressly set forth in these Terms of Use. Subscriber shall have no right to use the Platform for any purpose other than as set forth herein. Subscriber shall not challenge, or assist any person or entity in challenging, NLP’s right, title, and interest in the Platform. You agree not to remove or alter any copyright notice or any other proprietary notice on the Platform or on any NLP Content.

10. RESTRICTIONS ON USE. Subscriber shall not, and shall cause its employees, officers, directors, members, managers, partners, agents, third party service providers, or other designated persons (its “Representatives”) not to, take any of the following actions: (a) creating or enabling the creation of derivative works, modifications, or adaptations of the Platform; (b) decompiling, reverse engineering or disassembling the Platform, (c) distributing or disclosing the Platform to third parties; (d) removing or modifying any proprietary marking or restrictive legends placed on the Platform; or (e) using any robot, spider, other automatic device or program or manual process to monitor, copy or reproduce the Platform.

11. TERM AND TERMINATION. These Terms of Use shall remain in full force and effect unless and until terminated as provided in these Terms of Use. In the event that Subscriber commits a material breach of this Agreement, NLP may terminate these Terms of Use on five (5) business days prior written notice to Subscriber; provided that Subscriber fails to cure such breach within such five (5) business day period. Subscriber may terminate these Terms of Use by (a) providing NLP with no less than thirty (30) days prior written notice or (b) ceasing all access to the Platform for six (6) months or longer.

12. EFFECT OF TERMINATION OR EXPIRATION. Subscriber’s right to use the Platform shall end immediately upon any termination of these Terms of Use, and Subscriber shall immediately cease any use of the Platform upon such termination. The following provisions shall survive any termination or expiration of this Agreement: Section 9 (“Ownership”), Section 10 (“Restrictions on Use”), this Section 12 (“Effect of Termination or Expiration”), Section 13 (“Confidentiality”), Section 14 (“Representations and Warranties; Disclaimer”), Section 15 (“Liability”), Section 16 (“Indemnification”), and Section 17 (“Miscellaneous”).

13. CONFIDENTIALITY. The parties acknowledge and agree that, as a result of negotiating, entering into and performing this Agreement, each party (the “Receiving Party”) has and will have access to certain confidential information (“Confidential Information”) of the other party (the “Disclosing Party”). Personal Information of End Users is considered Confidential Information of Subscriber. At all times the Receiving Party shall: (i) use the same standard of care to protect the Confidential Information as it uses to protect its own confidential information of a similar nature, but not less than a commercially reasonable standard of care, (ii) not use the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information other than as necessary to perform its obligations under this Agreement, (iii) not disclose, distribute, or disseminate the Confidential Information to any third party (except to Representatives, as expressly permitted below), and (iv) disclose the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information to its Representatives on a “need to know basis;” provided that each Representative is bound by confidentiality obligations at least as restrictive as those contained in this Agreement.

14. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES; DISCLAIMER. Each party represents and warrants that this Agreement constitutes its valid and binding obligation and is enforceable against it in accordance with its terms. NLP DOES NOT WARRANT THE COMPLETENESS, ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, OR USEFULNESS OF THE PLATFORM, THE SERVICES, OR ANY NLP CONTENT. THE PLATFORM, THE SERVICES, AND THE NLP CONTENT ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS WITH ALL DEFECTS. NLP EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, ERROR-FREE OR UNINTERRUPTED OPERATION AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, NLP MAKES NO WARRANTY THAT (i) THE PLATFORM, THE SERVICES, OR ANY NLP CONTENT WILL MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF SUBSCRIBER, (ii) THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, (iii) THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE PLATFORM WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE, OR (iv) ANY ERRORS IN THE NLP CONTENT WILL BE CORRECTED. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR COMMUNICATIONS GIVEN BY NLP, ITS EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS WILL INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THE ABOVE WARRANTY OR CREATE ANY NEW OR ADDITIONAL WARRANTIES. To the extent that NLP may not as a matter of applicable law disclaim an implied warranty, the scope and duration of such warranty will be the minimum permitted under such law.

15. LIABILITY. IN NO EVENT SHALL EITHER PARTY BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER PARTY (OR TO ANY OTHER PERSON CLAIMING RIGHTS DERIVED FROM SUCH PARTY’S RIGHTS) FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES OF ANY KIND (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION LOST REVENUES OR PROFITS, LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF COST OR OTHER SAVINGS, LOSS OF GOODWILL OR REPUTATION) OR LOSS OF DATA WITH RESPECT TO ANY CLAIMS BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE AND STRICT LIABILITY) ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THE PLATFORM, THE NLP CONTENT OR OTHERWISE ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OF USE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH PARTY WAS ADVISED, HAD OTHER REASON TO KNOW, OR IN FACT KNEW OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF. NLP’S MAXIMUM LIABILITY ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THE PLATFORM, THE NLP CONTENT OR OTHERWISE ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OF USE, REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE OF ACTION (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR OTHERWISE), WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNTS PAID BY SUBSCRIBER TO NLP HEREUNDER. To the extent the foregoing exclusion of liability is not permitted under Applicable Law, each Party’s liability in such case will be limited to the greatest extent permitted by law.

16. INDEMNIFICATION. Subscriber shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless NLP, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and employees from and against any and all liabilities, claims, demands, losses, damages, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, related to or arising out of use of the Platform by Subscriber or any End User, except to the extent that such claim arises from NLP’s negligence or willful misconduct.

17. MISCELLANEOUS. The Agreement contains the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and commitments with respect thereto. There are no other oral or written understandings, terms or conditions with respect to the subject matter of the Agreement, and neither party has relied upon any representation, express or implied, not contained in the Agreement. The rights and remedies of the parties are cumulative and not alternative. No waiver of any rights is to be charged against any party unless such waiver is in writing signed by an authorized representative of the party so charged. Neither the failure nor any delay by any party in exercising any right, power, or privilege under the Agreement will operate as a waiver of such right, power, or privilege, and no single or partial exercise of any such right, power, or privilege will preclude any other or further exercise of such right, power, or privilege or the exercise of any other right, power, or privilege. No modification of or amendment to the Agreement will be effective unless in writing signed by authorized representatives of both parties. If any provision of the Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, the other provisions of the Agreement will remain in full force and effect, and, if legally permitted, such offending provision will be replaced with an enforceable provision that as nearly as possible effects the parties’ intent. Subscriber may not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations under the Agreement without the prior written consent of NLP, which consent NLP may grant or withhold in its sole and absolute discretion. Subject to the foregoing, the Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their permitted successors and assigns. Any purported or attempted assignment or other transfer or delegation in violation of this Section shall be null and void. These Terms of Use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Maryland, without application of its choice of law principles. Subscriber and NLP agree to irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Washington, D.C., for the purposes of any suit, action or other proceeding arising out of these Terms of Use, the Privacy Policy, the Checkology® Student Privacy Notice, or the use of the Platform.

 

ANNEX A

STANDARD CONTRACTUAL CLAUSES (PROCESSORS)

For the transfer of Personal Data to processors established in third countries which do not ensure an adequate level of data protection the Subscriber End User (the data exporters) and News Literacy Project, Inc. (the data importer) HAVE AGREED on the following Contractual Clauses (the ‘Clauses’) in order to adduce adequate safeguards with respect to the protection of privacy and fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals for the transfer by the data exporter to the data importer of the personal data specified in Appendix 1 to the Clauses, such transfer arising from the processing of personal data from data exporters as permitted pursuant to the Agreement between Subscriber and NLP.

Clause 1

Definitions

For the purposes of the Clauses:

  1. ‘personal data,’ ‘special categories of data,’ ‘process/processing,’ ‘controller,’ ‘processor,’ ‘data subject’ and ‘supervisory authority’ shall have the same meaning as in Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data;
  2. ‘the data exporter’ means the controller who transfers the personal data;
  3. ‘the data importer’ means the processor who agrees to receive from the data exporter personal data intended for processing on his behalf after the transfer in accordance with his instructions and the terms of the Clauses and who is not subject to a third country’s system ensuring adequate protection within the meaning of Article 25(1) of Directive 95/46/EC;
  4. ‘the subprocessor’ means any processor engaged by the data importer or by any other subprocessor of the data importer who agrees to receive from the data importer or from any other subprocessor of the data importer personal data exclusively intended for processing activities to be carried out on behalf of the data exporter after the transfer in accordance with his instructions, the terms of the Clauses and the terms of the written subcontract;
  5. ‘the applicable data protection law’ means the legislation protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals and, in particular, their right to privacy with respect to the processing of personal data applicable to a data controller in the Member State in which the data exporter is established;
  6. ‘technical and organisational security measures’ means those measures aimed at protecting personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction or accidental loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access, in particular where the processing involves the transmission of data over a network, and against all other unlawful forms of processing.

Clause 2

Details of the transfer

The details of the transfer and in particular the special categories of personal data where applicable are specified in Appendix 1 which forms an integral part of the Clauses.

Clause 3

Third-party beneficiary clause

  1. The data subject can enforce against the data exporter this Clause, Clause 4(b) to (i), Clause 5(a) to (e), and (g) to (j), Clause 6(1) and (2), Clause 7, Clause 8(2), and Clauses 9 to 12 as third-party beneficiary.
  2. The data subject can enforce against the data importer this Clause, Clause 5(a) to (e) and (g), Clause 6, Clause 7, Clause 8(2), and Clauses 9 to 12, in cases where the data exporter has factually disappeared or has ceased to exist in law unless any successor entity has assumed the entire legal obligations of the data exporter by contract or by operation of law, as a result of which it takes on the rights and obligations of the data exporter, in which case the data subject can enforce them against such entity.
  3. The data subject can enforce against the subprocessor this Clause, Clause 5(a) to (e) and (g), Clause 6, Clause 7, Clause 8(2), and Clauses 9 to 12, in cases where both the data exporter and the data importer have factually disappeared or ceased to exist in law or have become insolvent, unless any successor entity has assumed the entire legal obligations of the data exporter by contract or by operation of law as a result of which it takes on the rights and obligations of the data exporter, in which case the data subject can enforce them against such entity. Such third-party liability of the subprocessor shall be limited to its own processing operations under the Clauses.
  4. The parties do not object to a data subject being represented by an association or other body if the data subject so expressly wishes and if permitted by national law.

Clause 4

Obligations of the data exporter

The data exporter agrees and warrants:

  1. that the processing, including the transfer itself, of the personal data has been and will continue to be carried out in accordance with the relevant provisions of the applicable data protection law (and, where applicable, has been notified to the relevant authorities of the Member State where the data exporter is established) and does not violate the relevant provisions of that State;
  2. that it has instructed and throughout the duration of the personal data processing services will instruct the data importer to process the personal data transferred only on the data exporter’s behalf and in accordance with the applicable data protection law and the Clauses;
  3. that the data importer will provide sufficient guarantees in respect of the technical and organisational security measures specified in Appendix 2 to this contract;
  4. that after assessment of the requirements of the applicable data protection law, the security measures are appropriate to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction or accidental loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access, in particular where the processing involves the transmission of data over a network, and against all other unlawful forms of processing, and that these measures ensure a level of security appropriate to the risks presented by the processing and the nature of the data to be protected having regard to the state of the art and the cost of their implementation;
  5. that it will ensure compliance with the security measures;
  6. that, if the transfer involves special categories of data, the data subject has been informed or will be informed before, or as soon as possible after, the transfer that its data could be transmitted to a third country not providing adequate protection within the meaning of Directive 95/46/EC;
  7. to forward any notification received from the data importer or any subprocessor pursuant to Clause 5(b) and Clause 8(3) to the data protection supervisory authority if the data exporter decides to continue the transfer or to lift the suspension;
  8. to make available to the data subjects upon request a copy of the Clauses, with the exception of Appendix 2, and a summary description of the security measures, as well as a copy of any contract for subprocessing services which has to be made in accordance with the Clauses, unless the Clauses or the contract contain commercial information, in which case it may remove such commercial information;
  9. that, in the event of subprocessing, the processing activity is carried out in accordance with Clause 11 by a subprocessor providing at least the same level of protection for the personal data and the rights of data subject as the data importer under the Clauses; and
  10. that it will ensure compliance with Clause 4(a) to (i).

Clause 5

Obligations of the data importer

The data importer agrees and warrants:

  1. to process the personal data only on behalf of the data exporter and in compliance with its instructions and the Clauses; if it cannot provide such compliance for whatever reasons, it agrees to inform promptly the data exporter of its inability to comply, in which case the data exporter is entitled to suspend the transfer of data and/or terminate the contract;
  2. that it has no reason to believe that the legislation applicable to it prevents it from fulfilling the instructions received from the data exporter and its obligations under the contract and that in the event of a change in this legislation which is likely to have a substantial adverse effect on the warranties and obligations provided by the Clauses, it will promptly notify the change to the data exporter as soon as it is aware, in which case the data exporter is entitled to suspend the transfer of data and/or terminate the contract;
  3. that it has implemented the technical and organisational security measures specified in Appendix 2 before processing the personal data transferred;
  4. that it will promptly notify the data exporter about:
    1. any legally binding request for disclosure of the personal data by a law enforcement authority unless otherwise prohibited, such as a prohibition under criminal law to preserve the confidentiality of a law enforcement investigation,
    2. any accidental or unauthorised access, and
    3. any request received directly from the data subjects without responding to that request, unless it has been otherwise authorised to do so;
  5. to deal promptly and properly with all inquiries from the data exporter relating to its processing of the personal data subject to the transfer and to abide by the advice of the supervisory authority with regard to the processing of the data transferred;
  6. at the request of the data exporter to submit its data processing facilities for audit of the processing activities covered by the Clauses which shall be carried out by the data exporter or an inspection body composed of independent members and in possession of the required professional qualifications bound by a duty of confidentiality, selected by the data exporter, where applicable, in agreement with the supervisory authority;
  7. to make available to the data subject upon request a copy of the Clauses, or any existing contract for subprocessing, unless the Clauses or contract contain commercial information, in which case it may remove such commercial information, with the exception of Appendix 2 which shall be replaced by a summary description of the security measures in those cases where the data subject is unable to obtain a copy from the data exporter;
  8. that, in the event of subprocessing, it has previously informed the data exporter and obtained its prior written consent;
  9. that the processing services by the subprocessor will be carried out in accordance with Clause 11;
  10. o send promptly a copy of any subprocessor agreement it concludes under the Clauses to the data exporter.

Clause 6

Liability

  1. The parties agree that any data subject, who has suffered damage as a result of any breach of the obligations referred to in Clause 3 or in Clause 11 by any party or subprocessor is entitled to receive compensation from the data exporter for the damage suffered.
  2. If a data subject is not able to bring a claim for compensation in accordance with paragraph 1 against the data exporter, arising out of a breach by the data importer or his subprocessor of any of their obligations referred to in Clause 3 or in Clause 11, because the data exporter has factually disappeared or ceased to exist in law or has become insolvent, the data importer agrees that the data subject may issue a claim against the data importer as if it were the data exporter, unless any successor entity has assumed the entire legal obligations of the data exporter by contract of by operation of law, in which case the data subject can enforce its rights against such entity.
  3. The data importer may not rely on a breach by a subprocessor of its obligations in order to avoid its own liabilities.
  4. If a data subject is not able to bring a claim against the data exporter or the data importer referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, arising out of a breach by the subprocessor of any of their obligations referred to in Clause 3 or in Clause 11 because both the data exporter and the data importer have factually disappeared or ceased to exist in law or have become insolvent, the subprocessor agrees that the data subject may issue a claim against the data subprocessor with regard to its own processing operations under the Clauses as if it were the data exporter or the data importer, unless any successor entity has assumed the entire legal obligations of the data exporter or data importer by contract or by operation of law, in which case the data subject can enforce its rights against such entity. The liability of the subprocessor shall be limited to its own processing operations under the Clauses.

Clause 7

Mediation and jurisdiction

  1. The data importer agrees that if the data subject invokes against it third-party beneficiary rights and/or claims compensation for damages under the Clauses, the data importer will accept the decision of the data subject:
    1. to refer the dispute to mediation, by an independent person or, where applicable, by the supervisory authority;
    2. to refer the dispute to the courts in the Member State in which the data exporter is established.
  2. The parties agree that the choice made by the data subject will not prejudice its substantive or procedural rights to seek remedies in accordance with other provisions of national or international law.

Clause 8

Cooperation with supervisory authorities

  1. The data exporter agrees to deposit a copy of this contract with the supervisory authority if it so requests or if such deposit is required under the applicable data protection law.
  2. The parties agree that the supervisory authority has the right to conduct an audit of the data importer, and of any subprocessor, which has the same scope and is subject to the same conditions as would apply to an audit of the data exporter under the applicable data protection law.
  3. The data importer shall promptly inform the data exporter about the existence of legislation applicable to it or any subprocessor preventing the conduct of an audit of the data importer, or any subprocessor, pursuant to paragraph 2. In such a case the data exporter shall be entitled to take the measures foreseen in Clause 5 (b).

Clause 9

Governing Law

The Clauses shall be governed by the law of the Member State in which the data exporter is established.

Clause 10

Variation of the contract

The parties undertake not to vary or modify the Clauses. This does not preclude the parties from adding clauses on business related issues where required as long as they do not contradict the Clause.

Clause 11

Subprocessing

  1. The data importer shall not subcontract any of its processing operations performed on behalf of the data exporter under the Clauses without the prior written consent of the data exporter. Where the data importer subcontracts its obligations under the Clauses, with the consent of the data exporter, it shall do so only by way of a written agreement with the subprocessor which imposes the same obligations on the subprocessor as are imposed on the data importer under the Clauses. Where the subprocessor fails to fulfil its data protection obligations under such written agreement the data importer shall remain fully liable to the data exporter for the performance of the subprocessor’s obligations under such agreement.
  2. The prior written contract between the data importer and the subprocessor shall also provide for a third-party beneficiary clause as laid down in Clause 3 for cases where the data subject is not able to bring the claim for compensation referred to in paragraph 1 of Clause 6 against the data exporter or the data importer because they have factually disappeared or have ceased to exist in law or have become insolvent and no successor entity has assumed the entire legal obligations of the data exporter or data importer by contract or by operation of law. Such third-party liability of the subprocessor shall be limited to its own processing operations under the Clauses.
  3. The provisions relating to data protection aspects for subprocessing of the contract referred to in paragraph 1 shall be governed by the law of the Member State in which the data exporter is established.
  4. The data exporter shall keep a list of subprocessing agreements concluded under the Clauses and notified by the data importer pursuant to Clause 5 (j), which shall be updated at least once a year. The list shall be available to the data exporter’s data protection supervisory authority.

Clause 12

Obligation after the termination of personal data processing services

  1. The parties agree that on the termination of the provision of data processing services, the data importer and the subprocessor shall, at the choice of the data exporter, return all the personal data transferred and the copies thereof to the data exporter or shall destroy all the personal data and certify to the data exporter that it has done so, unless legislation imposed upon the data importer prevents it from returning or destroying all or part of the personal data transferred. In that case, the data importer warrants that it will guarantee the confidentiality of the personal data transferred and will not actively process the personal data transferred anymore.
  2. The data importer and the subprocessor warrant that upon request of the data exporter and/or of the supervisory authority, it will submit its data processing facilities for an audit of the measures referred to in paragraph 1.

Appendix 1 to the Standard Contractual Clauses

This Appendix forms part of the Clauses and must be completed and signed by the parties.

The Member States may complete or specify, according to their national procedures, any additional necessary information to be contained in this Appendix.

Data exporter

The data exporter is (please specify briefly your activities relevant to the transfer): an education institution where the data subjects are students.

Data importer

The data importer is (please specify briefly activities relevant to the transfer): The News Literacy Project, which owns and operates an online virtual classroom called “Checkology®,” where students of data exporter learn skills and concepts of news literacy, and which is accessible through NLP’s websites and which may be made available in the future through smartphone applications and otherwise.

Data subjects

The personal data transferred concern the following categories of data subjects (please specify): Data exporter personnel and students of data exporter

Categories of data

The personal data transferred concern the following categories of data (please specify): The categories of personal data set forth in the Privacy Policy available at https://newslit.org/privacy/ and the categories of personal data set forth in the Checkology® Student Privacy Notice available at https://checkology.org/privacy-policy.

Special categories of data (if appropriate)

The personal data transferred concern the following special categories of data (please specify): None

Processing operations

The personal data transferred will be subject to the following basic processing activities (please specify): Personal data about data exporter personnel are processed as described in the Privacy Policy available at https://newslit.org/privacy/ and the personal data about students are processed as described in the Checkology® Student Privacy Notice available at https://checkology.org/privacy-policy.

Data exporter expressly consents to the use of subprocessors by NLP for such processing operations.

Appendix 2 to the Standard Contractual Clauses

This Appendix forms part of the Clauses and must be completed and signed by the parties.

Description of the technical and organisational security measures implemented by the data importer in accordance with Clauses 4(d) and 5(c) (or document/legislation attached):

1. Information Security Policies and Standards

The Data Importer will implement commercially reasonable security requirements for staff and service providers who have access to Personal Data. These are designed to:

  • Prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to Personal Data processing systems (physical access control).
  • Prevent Personal Data processing systems being used without authorization (logical access control).
  • Ensure that persons entitled to use a Personal Data processing system gain access only to such Personal Data as they are entitled to access in accordance with their access rights and that, in the course of Processing or use and after storage, Personal Data cannot be read, copied, modified or deleted without authorization (data access control).
  • Ensure that Personal Data cannot be read, copied, modified or deleted without authorization during electronic transmission, transport or storage and that the target entities for any transfer of Personal Data by means of data transmission facilities can be established and verified (data transfer control).
  • Ensure that Personal Data are Processed solely in accordance with the instructions (control of instructions).
  • Ensure that Personal Data are protected against accidental destruction or loss (availability control).
2. Physical Security

The Data Importer will maintain commercially reasonable security systems at all Data Importer sites at which an information system that uses or houses Personal Data is located. The Data Importer reasonably restricts access to such Personal Data appropriately.

Physical access control has been implemented for relevant data centers. Unauthorized access is prohibited through security camera monitoring.

Surveillance camera on entry door is installed and security monitoring by building management is implemented.

3. Organizational Security

When media are to be disposed of or reused, procedures have been implemented to prevent any subsequent retrieval of any Personal Data stored on them before they are withdrawn from the inventory.

Data Importer implemented security policies and procedures to classify sensitive information assets, clarify security responsibilities and promote awareness for employees.

All confirmed Personal Data security incidents are managed in accordance with appropriate incident response procedures.

4. Network Security

The Data Importer maintains network security using commercially available equipment and industry standard techniques, including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, access control lists and routing protocols.

5. Access Control

Commercially reasonable systems and processes are in place designed to ensure that only authorized staff can grant, modify or revoke access to an information system that uses or houses Personal Data.

User administration procedures define user roles and their privileges, how access is granted, changed and terminated; addresses appropriate segregation of duties; and defines the logging/monitoring requirements and mechanisms.

All employees of the Data Importer are assigned unique User IDs.

Access rights are implemented adhering to the “least privilege” approach.

The Data Importer implements commercially reasonable physical and electronic security to create and protect passwords.

6. Virus and Malware Controls

The Data Importer installs and maintains anti-virus and malware protection software on the relevant systems.

7. Personnel

The Data Importer implements a security awareness program to train personnel about their security obligations. This program includes training about data classification obligations; physical security controls; security practices and security incident reporting.

Service Provider has defined roles and responsibilities for the employees. Screening is implemented before employment with terms and conditions of employment applied appropriately.

Service Provider requires its employees to follow established security policies and procedures. Disciplinary process will be applied if employees committed a confirmed security breach.

8. Business Continuity

The Data Importer implements appropriate disaster recovery and business resumption plans. Data Importer reviews both business continuity plan and risk assessment regularly. Business continuity plans are being tested and updated regularly to ensure that they are up to date and effective.