Data Ethics Statement

Destination Cleveland understands that as an employer and partner its community and business partners, Destination Cleveland is trusted with, and responsible for, meaningful, sometimes private data. This Data Ethics Statement is about the responsible and sustainable use of that data and the implementation of new technologies in Destination Cleveland’s practices.

Destination Cleveland collects and uses a variety of data to build and grow its relationships with the people it serves. This includes anonymized data, personal data, HR data, market data, and more. This data may include personally identifiable data, such as names, addresses, emails, and demographic information.

To ensure Destination Cleveland continues its commitment to protecting the data you provide, Destination Cleveland, in addition to its Privacy Policy, applies the following framework in its everyday business practice.

This statement covers all data provided to Destination Cleveland, whether through individuals or businesses. This includes information collected through participation in Destination Cleveland events, service offerings, through online website use, or advertising.

Data Ethics Principles

Below highlights the principles that govern Destination Cleveland’s use of data and technology.

• Applicable Laws. Data and technology are to be used in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner. Destination Cleveland complies with all applicable laws and regulations, and it remains up to date on technology changes.
• Privacy and Confidentiality. Destination Cleveland does not collect data without your consent, and it protects the data you do provide. This includes protection from outside third parties and our internal employees; we work to keep your data free from inappropriate access and use.
• Accuracy and Quality. Destination Cleveland’s collection of data is limited to what is necessary and relevant for the purpose it is collected and processed for. The data is also kept up to date and accurate.
• Responsible Use. Destination Cleveland’s collection of data and use of new technologies take place in a responsible manner, ensuring that data and technology are used to report information and avoid results that may be overgeneralized, biased or discriminatory.

Use of Data and New Technologies

At Destination Cleveland, data is an integrated part of the services we offer to our customers and business partners. When we do use data, we use only what is relevant, with the proper legal basis, and in accordance with applicable laws, agreements, our Privacy Policy, or other Terms of Use. Our Privacy Policy includes more detailed information about that use, when and why we use data, and our use of cookies.

These policies also include the deployment of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence or machine learning. Destination Cleveland strives to use these new technologies in the same responsible and ethical way as our data use. In practice, Destination Cleveland uses new technologies to augment our team’s capabilities and do so in a way that conforms to our underlying values of confidentiality, accuracy, quality, and responsible use. Destination Cleveland does not traditionally use personally identifiable information in new technologies, but, as necessary, Destination Cleveland looks behind the data to focus on the individual and ensure any new technology outputs are free from bias.

Destination Cleveland does not buy or sell personally identifiable data. Any disclosure of anonymized data to third parties is subject to careful consideration, including the purpose and the justification of such disclosure.

Third Party Data Policy

When we use data provided from third parties, we expect that third parties are in lawful possession of the data, can legally provide Destination Cleveland with the data, and that the third parties otherwise prioritize the efforts of data protection and ethical handling of data.

Awareness about Data Ethics

At Destination Cleveland, we strive to ensure that our employees are well-informed about data protection, data ethics, and that our employees use of data is handled in a consistent manner. We train our employees on data protection and continue to support the understanding and implementation of data ethics throughout the organization.

Should you have any questions about Destination Cleveland’s Data Ethics Policies, our Privacy Policy, or our Terms of Use, please contact us at [email protected].