Privacy Policy

Welcome to www.fusia.net, the official website owned, operated, and maintained by FUSIA Communications, Inc.

FUSIA is a leading provider of immersive learning experiences and programs that help global growth-minded young individuals to cultivate their leadership potential, embrace diverse perspectives, and make a positive impact in their communities and beyond. We are also a program sponsor of the United States Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program BridgeUSA in the J-1 intern visa category, offering a range of programs aimed at cultivating the next generation of globally minded young men and women.

All programs and services offered by FUSIA are exclusively available for application and administration through our website at www.fusia.net.

By accessing our website, services, and programs offered through our website, users are subject to our Terms of Use (www.fusia.net/terms), and Privacy Policy (www.fusia.net/privacy).

Our website’s resources (documents, orientation, and compliance) section contains further details on the terms that users should be aware of when applying, getting involved, and/or participating in FUSIA’s programs or services. All individuals or entities associated with our programs and services - partners, applicants, current and past participants, third-party agents/associates, host organizations, etc. - should carefully review these terms and provide consent through the signing of a PDF document, as applicable.

Your ongoing use of our website implies acceptance of the associated terms and indicates your commitment to adhering to them. If you cannot agree to these terms, we ask that you do not utilize our website or any of our programs or services made available through our website.

1 Privacy principles

At FUSIA, protecting users’ personal information is a top priority. Our privacy policy and privacy principles guide our approach to collecting and handling personal data, which include the following:

- We collect users’ personal information solely for administrative purposes and within the scope of the intended use.
- We do not sell or rent personal information to third parties.
- We do not work with marketing companies or entities that may have an interest in using our users’ data for commercial or any other purposes beyond those explicitly stated.
- Our website is free of any advertisements, whether explicit or implicit.
- We collect personal information and files from users who apply to or participate in our programs, as well as from those who inquire for assistance or have questions.
- We collect personal information via www.fusia.net/contact.

2 How we collect

We collect personally identifiable information from users who knowingly and voluntarily provide it to us through our website when engaging in the following activities:

- Registering for a user account
- Applying to program(s) and/or subscribing to service(s) offered by our website
- Requesting help, information, support, or contacting us through www.fusia.net/contact
- Responding to surveys, background checks, professional reference requests, validation requests, evaluation questions, or similar activities

We may collect both personally identifiable and non-personally identifiable information to enhance the performance and functionality of our website and for statistical purposes. While we typically collect information that users voluntarily submit to us, there may be instances where non-personally identifiable information is collected without the user’s explicit submission.

- Session cookies: Built into the programming code of our website and deleted once the user’s browser is closed.
- Persistent cookies: Also built into the programming code and capture information about a user's visit to enhance their experience during future visits. These cookies remain stored on the user’s browser even after it is closed, unless explicitly removed.
- Third-party cookies: Incorporated into the programming code used by third-party services, such as Google Analytics, to anonymously track and store statistical data.
- Pixel tags or web beacons: Invisible elements embedded within webpages or emails that are used to determine if a user has displayed a particular webpage or opened an email.
- Similar technologies: Other technologies may be used to automatically log anonymous information about users, their computers or mobile devices, and their activity.

3 What we collect

Personally identifiable information we collect includes, but is not limited to:

- Personal information, company profile, and contact information
- Educational, employment, immigration, and health profile/history
- Financial status and immigration history
- Resumes, self-introductions, and related information
- Survey feedback and evaluations
- Images and videos
- Internship/training plans
- Supporting documentation in PDF format
- Photos and images in JPG format

When users share third-party information with us, it may include but is not limited to the following:

- Emergency contact information
- Professional references
- Physician contact information
- Images and videos
- Potential hosts shared by J-1 applicants/participants or potential J-1 applicants/participants shared by hosts
- Health insurance company contacts
- Lawyer, school contacts, and/or any individuals who assist with their applications
- Financial funders, biological parents, local contacts, and any third-party information required when participants apply for a US visa

NOTE: Before sharing any third-party information with us, users are responsible for ensuring that these individuals have acknowledged, understood, and agreed to the content of our Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and any other applicable disclosures provided or made available.

Information we collect when users access our webpage without knowingly providing it includes, but is not limited to:

- Device data: Device identifier, hardware model/location, manufacturer and model, operating system type and version number, system configuration
- Usage data: Search terms, pages view, IP addresses, browser type and setting, version, and language, top level domain name (e.g., .com), documents downloaded, the previous site you visited, navigation paths between pages, information about your activity on a page
- Network & internet: ISP or mobile carrier
- IP: Numerical label assigned to devices connected to a network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication

NOTE: We link non-personally identifiable information to any personally identifiable information that users voluntarily provide us only for application assessment, necessary program administration, website improvement, or emergency situations, such as a cyberattack.

4 How we use

Personal data collected from users will only be used for program administration, improvement, statistical purposes, or related matters such as visa applications, activity sign-ups/participation, and any other activities associated with their participation or involvement in our program. Examples include:

Program operation and site administration:

- Register and manage user accounts
- Process applications and administer programs
- Contact you via phone or in email, text, and electronic messages regarding program related matters
- Provide information and facilitate communications with users
- Provide necessary support
- Respond to requests, questions, or feedback
- Use program photos, videos, and testimonials on our website or social media channels
- Share information with potential hosts or intern participants, or associated partners, to facilitate program operations
- Provide emergency assistance and support during program participation
- Facilitate visa applications abroad and at border entries
- Register users with the SEVIS and other US government-related sites/systems related to their participation in the EVP

Research and statistics:

- Analyze trends, our users, Site, and programs
- Track members or visitors’ movements
- Gather broad demographic information for aggregate use

Improvement:

- Personalize and improve user experience with FUSIA Sites
- Improve functionality, safety, security, and visibility of FUSIA Sites
- Facilitate social media engagement
- Improve the quality of our services and programs

5 How we contact

By registering for our program, users acknowledge and permit us to send them holiday greetings, marketing communications and materials, and administrative or transactional messages related to their participation in the respective program, such as confirmation of program details or updates on application status.

We may contact both registered and non-registered users, such as individuals making general inquiries, using the contact information they provide.

Communications sent to registered users, including but not limited to applicants and past program participants, are associated with their participation or involvement in a registered program and may occur before, during, and after its completion.Communications sent to non-registered users are generally responses to their inquiries.

We typically use email to communicate with users, but we may also contact them through phone and social media platforms such as WhatsApp, WeChat, Skype chat, and other similar channels.

Registered users, including applicants and past program participants, cannot opt-out of receiving communications related to their program participation or involvement. However, applicants may cancel their registration if they no longer wish to receive emails from us or are no longer interested in our program. A cancel email link can usually be found in most system emails they receive. Current and past participants cannot opt-out of receiving emails from us.

California Civil Code Section 1798.83 requires businesses to respond to requests from California customers asking about the businesses’ practices disclosing personal information to third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes.

6 How we safeguard

At FUSIA, we place a high value on the security and confidentiality of the information we collect from our users. We have implemented various security measures to safeguard this information, and continuously review and improve our practices. These measures include, but are not limited to:

- Encryption for the transfer of data
- Non-storage of credit card information in our files
- User password-protected logins
- Use of password-encrypted file folders

7 How long we retain

To ensure we can provide ongoing support and assistance to our users throughout and after their participation in our programs, information and files voluntarily submitted to us are retained permanently. This retention is crucial to maintain accurate records and provide efficient service.

NOTE: Program sponsors of the Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program, as per the guidelines stated in 22 CFR Part 62.10(g), are required to retain user submissions for a minimum of three years after program completion. However, the exact duration of retention may be at the discretion of the sponsor.