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Privacy Policy

Effective date: November 2025

The International Carwash Association (“ICA”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how ICA collects, uses, and shares your information, including Personal Information when you use and interact with our Services and applies to all persons who use our Services (“Users”). Our Privacy Policy governs your access to and use of all ICA operated and controlled websites including http://www.carwash.org (the “Website”), all other publicly available online services controlled or provided by ICA (collectively, the “Services”). 

If you have questions about ICA’s Privacy Policy or practices, or if you need to contact us about the information we collect about you, our contact information is at the end of this Privacy Policy. 

Applicability & Eligibility

Applicability:

This Privacy Policy applies only to the Services, and ICA’s collection, use, disclosure, and protection of your data. It does not apply to third party websites, applications, or services. 

Before accessing, using, or interacting with the Services you should carefully review the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy. 

Eligibility To Use The Services:

The Services are not directed to children under the age of 16. You may not use the Services if you are under the age of 16.

Information Collection & Use

ICA collects data, including Personal Information about you and your use of the Services through various means, including when you provide information to us such as when you activate a subscription, purchase products, complete an inquiry, register for events and programs, and when we automatically collect information about you when you access, use, or interact with the Services. We use this information for a variety of different reasons, including to improve the Services and to tailor the Services to you. “Personal Information” means any information that can reasonably identify an individual.

ICA processes Personal Information collected through the Services on the lawful basis of legitimate interests to provide the Services to you. Such processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by ICA or by our Service Providers related to the Services.

The types of information ICA may collect about you include:

Information You Provide To Us:

ICA Subscription & Event Information: ICA collects certain Personal Information from you when you join the ICA or register for ICA events. “Personal Information” refers to information about you that may be used to identify you, such as your first name, last name, title, email address, phone number, mailing address, company information and dietary restrictions.  ICA uses this information to provide your subscription, register you for events, provide information about subscriptions and events, and administer your registrations with ICA.

ICA Account Information: ICA may require you to register for an account (an “ICA Account”) in order to use certain Services, such as the ICA Subscription Portal. We do not require you to register to use all of our Services. However if you do register for Services offering an ICA Account, you will gain access to those areas and features of the Services that require registration. ICA will collect certain information about you in connection with your registration for your ICA Account, which may include Personal Information and other information such as a username, password, personal profile, pictures, your location, and information about your contacts. Some of your ICA Account information may be displayed publicly. You are not required to provide your Personal Information; however, if you choose to withhold certain Personal Information, we may not be able to provide you with certain Services.

Payment Transaction Information: We may collect and store information related to purchases made through the Services. You may provide certain information to complete payments via the Services, including your credit or debit card number, card expiration date, CVV code, and billing address (collectively, “Payment Information”), along with your name and billing, delivery and shipping address, to complete payment transactions through certain Services. 

Please note ICA works with Service Providers (as defined below) to handle payment transactions. ICA does not itself collect or maintain your credit card or other financial account information; this information is handled for ICA by our Service Providers. You are subject to the Privacy Policies and Terms and Conditions of our Service Providers when purchasing an ICA subscription, shopping for ICA products, or making donations, the terms of which may differ from those of ICA for the ICA Services. Please review the Service Providers’ Privacy Policies and Terms and Conditions before using their services.

Form Information: We may use online forms to request certain information from you in order to perform certain Services, such as your location to assist you in locating our products, or your contact information to assist with contacts or service requests. This information may include Personal Information. 

Correspondence Information: If you sign up for a subscription, attend a conference or event, email us, sign up for our newsletter mailing lists, publications, or blogs, we may keep your message, email address, and contact information to respond to your requests, provide the requested products or Services, and to provide notifications or other correspondences to you. If you do not want to receive email from us in the future, you may let us know by sending us an email or by writing to us at the address below. Please note requests to remove your email address from our lists may take some time to fulfill. We may also still contact you as needed to provide important announcements or notifications regarding the Services.

Mobile Communications Program: If you opt in to receive text messages or other mobile communications from us (the ‘Mobile Program’), we will collect and use your mobile phone number and message interaction data (e.g., delivery status, opt‑in/opt‑out, timestamp, device and carrier information) to send you the types of messages you request, which may include transactional or informational messages (such as event reminders, service alerts, and account notifications) and, if you separately consent, promotional or marketing messages. Message frequency will vary. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out at any time by replying STOP to any message from us; you may obtain help by replying HELP. We may share limited Personal Information with our messaging service providers to deliver the Mobile Program and to maintain records of consent and opt‑out requests. Your consent to receive mobile messages is not a condition of purchasing any goods or Services. We will retain Mobile Program data for as long as needed to provide the program and as otherwise required by law.

Support Information: You may provide information to us via a support request submitted through the Services. We will use this information to assist you with your support request and may maintain this information to assist you or other Users with support requests. Please do not submit any information to us via a support submission, including confidential or sensitive information that you do not wish for ICA or our Service Providers to have access to or use in the future.

Public Information: ICA may also collect information about you from publicly available sources. Information you make publicly available in any public or open forum, such as on a social network, may be considered public information for the purposes of this Privacy Policy, and may be accessed and collected by ICA. Please be aware that any content or information you share with or provide to third parties using or related to your use of the Services is neither private, nor confidential. ICA is not responsible for any content or information you post or share with third parties. If you do not wish for certain information to be public, please do not share it. 

Information We Collect Automatically:

Cookies, Web Beacons, Links, And Other Tracking Technologies: ICA may keep track of how you use and interact with the Services through the use of cookies, web beacons, links, and other tracking technologies.  We do this to help analyze the use of and improve the Services. Through these technologies we may automatically collect information about your use of the Services and other online activities, including our email correspondences, third-party services, and client applications, and certain online activities after you leave the Services.

A visit to our Services could generate the following types of cookies:

  • “Strictly necessary” cookies, which are first party cookies that must be set to allow us to deliver the Services and provide you with specific services.
  • “Performance” and “Analytics” cookies, which are first party cookies that help us collect information about how visitors use our Services and allow us to complete Services analysis and improvements. Performance cookies will remain on your computer after you close your browser.
  • “Functionality” cookies, which allow our Services to remember your choices or preferences. These cookies enable you to more easily move around our Services and use its features such as accessing secure areas (e.g. content for registered users) and allow us to offer you a personalized experience while using the Services.
  • “Analytics” cookies, which allow us to see how you use our Services.

Cookies stay on your device for different periods of time depending on the type of cookie that is placed. These include:

  • “Session Cookies” which are temporary cookies that remain on your device until you leave our Services.
  • “Persistent Cookies” which remain on your device for a longer period of time to remember your preferences.

You are able to choose your cookie settings on our Services or through your browser. Please note that some Services may not function properly if you disable cookies.

Cross‑Channel Analytics: If you interact with links in our SMS messages, we may associate that interaction with your Account and other online activity to measure performance and personalize our Services, consistent with this Privacy Policy. Where required, we will obtain your consent.

Unique Identifiers: When you use or access the Services, we may access, collect, monitor, store on your device, and/or remotely store one or more "Unique Identifiers," such as a universally unique identifier (“UUID”). A Unique Identifier may remain on your device persistently, to help you log in faster and enhance your navigation through the Services. Some features of the Services may not function properly if use or availability of Unique Identifiers is impaired or disabled.

Log File Information: When you use our Services, we may receive log file information such as your IP address, browser type, access times, domain names operating system, the referring web page(s), pages visited, location, your mobile carrier, device information (including device and application IDs), search terms, and cookie information. We receive log file data when you interact with our Services, for example, when you visit our websites, sign into our Services, or interact with our email notifications. ICA uses log file data to provide, understand, and improve our Services, and to customize the content we show you. ICA may link this log file to other information ICA collects about you via the Services.

Pixel Tracking: In addition to using cookies, the Services may employ “pixel tracking,” a common process which may be used in connection with advertisements on other sites. Pixel tracking involves the use of pixel tags that are not visible to the user and consist of a few lines of computer code. Pixel tracking measures the effectiveness of advertisements and compiles aggregate and specific usage statistics. A “pixel tag” is an invisible tag placed on certain pages of Services that is used to track an individual user’s activity. We may access these pixel tags to identify activity and interests that may allow us to better match our Services with your interests and needs. For example, if you visit our Services from an advertisement on a third party site or service, the pixel tag will allow the advertiser to track that its advertisement brought you to the Services. If you visit our Services, and we link you to a third party’s site or services, we also may be able to determine that you were sent to and/or transacted with the third-party’s site or services. This data is collected for use in our marketing, research, and other activities.

Meta Pixel: We incorporate “pixels” provided by Meta Platforms, Inc. on our Services. This enables us to track user behavior after a user clicks on a Facebook ad and is redirected to our Services. By doing so, we can assess the effectiveness of Facebook ads for statistical and market research purposes and sometimes re-target (a type of online advertising that targets users that have previously visited our website) users. Please note that the data collected through this process remains anonymous to us, meaning we do not have access to Personal Information of individual users. However, Facebook stores and processes this Personal Information. Therefore, we are providing you with this information based on our current understanding. It is important to be aware that Facebook may associate this information with your Facebook account and utilize it for its own promotional activities, in accordance with Facebook’s Data Usage Policy available here. You have the option to authorize Facebook and its partners to display advertisements on and off Facebook (see here). Additionally, a cookie may be stored on your computer for these purposes.

Google Analytics: We use, and/or some of our third-party service providers may use, Google Analytics or other analytics service to help us understand the use of our Services. Google Analytics is a web analysis service provided by Google. Google utilizes data it collects to track and examine the use of our Services to prepare reports on its activities and share them with other Google services. Google may use the Personal Information collected to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network. The Personal Information collected and processed may include cookies, usage data, and other internet information.

ICA Personnel: ICA’s personnel may have access to your information as needed to provide and operate the Services in the normal course of business. This includes information regarding your use and interaction with the Services.

Service Providers: ICA works with various organizations and individuals to help provide the Services to you ("Service Providers"), such as website and data hosting companies and companies providing analytics information, like Google Analytics. We may share your personal information with our Service Providers for the purpose of providing the Services. The information we share to our Service Providers may include both information you provide to us and information we collect about you, including Personal Information and information from data collection tools like cookies, web beacons, log files, Unique Identifiers, and location data. ICA takes reasonable steps to ensure that our Service Providers are obligated to reasonably protect your information on ICA’s behalf. If ICA becomes aware that a Service Provider is using or disclosing information improperly, we will take commercially reasonable steps to end or correct such improper use or disclosure.

Messaging Providers: We may use third‑party messaging platforms to deliver the Mobile Program and to maintain records of user consent, message delivery, and opt‑outs. These Service Providers process your mobile number and limited technical information solely to provide the Mobile Program to you. Where we process mobile numbers or messaging data of users in the EU/EEA or UK, we rely on appropriate transfer mechanisms, such as the EU/UK Standard Contractual Clauses, for transfers to our messaging Service Providers outside your jurisdiction.

Business Transactions: ICA may purchase other businesses or their assets, sell our business assets, or be involved in a bankruptcy, merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of assets (a “Business Transaction”). Your information, including Personal Information, may be among assets sold or transferred as part of a Business Transaction.

Lawful Requests: We may be required to disclose User information pursuant to lawful requests, such as subpoenas or court orders, or in compliance with applicable laws. We generally do not disclose User information unless we have a good faith belief that an information request by law enforcement or private litigants meets applicable legal standards. We may share your information when we believe it is necessary to comply with applicable laws, to protect our interests or property, to prevent fraud or other illegal activity perpetrated through the Services or using the ICA name, or to protect the safety of any person. This may include sharing information with other companies, lawyers, agents, or government agencies. Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to limit any legal defenses or objections that you may have to a third party’s, including a government’s, request to disclose your information.

Your Rights and Choices Regarding Your Information

Certain states in the U.S., including Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey provide (or will in the future provide) their state residents with rights related to their Personal Information. Although some of these rights apply generally, certain rights will only apply to limited individuals or circumstances. To the extent that these laws apply, you may exercise the following rights:

Right to Know and Access Information: Note that much of the information you are entitled to know or access is disclosed in this Privacy Policy. With that said, you have the right to know about our Personal Information processing practices. You also have the right to know and access the categories of Personal information we collect, with whom we share or sell that Personal Information, and, in some cases, what specific Personal Information we associate with you or your account. See below on more information regarding your right of access.

Right to Data Portability: If you request a copy of your specific Personal Information then we will provide it in an easily accessible format.

Right to Deletion or Erasure:You may request that we delete the Personal Information we have collected about you. Depending on the applicable law, in some cases we are required or permitted to retain your Personal Information, even if you validly request that we delete or erase it. 

Right to Correct Information: You may request that we correct or rectify any inaccuracy in the Personal Information that we have collected about you.

Right to Opt-out of Targeting Advertising, Sales, or Profiling: You may opt-out of our use of your Personal Information for targeted advertising, sales, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

To exercise any of your privacy rights, contact us at info@carwash.org.

Appeal: If we deny your rights request, you may have the right to request an appeal of our decision. To initiate an appeal, follow the instructions provided in the communication denying your request, or contact us using the contact information provided in this Privacy Policy. 

Non-Discrimination: You have the right to not experience discrimination from us for exercising the rights listed in this section. What we mean by discrimination is denying you access to our Services or limiting the quality of our Services.

Access To The Information ICA Has Collected About You

ICA provides certain tools and settings within the Services to help you access, correct, delete, or modify your personal information associated with the Services. ICA welcomes you to contact us regarding the information we have collected about you, including regarding the nature and accuracy of the data that has been collected about you, to request an update, modification, or deletion of your information, to opt-out of certain Services uses of your information, or to withdraw any consent you may have granted to ICA.

Please note requests to delete or remove your information do not necessarily ensure complete or comprehensive removal of the content or information posted, and removed information may persist in backup copies indefinitely. Please note that if you choose to delete your information or opt-out of the collection and use of your information, you understand that certain features, including but not limited to access to the Services, may no longer be available to you.

We may store the information we collect about you indefinitely, but information generally will be retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which the information was collected, or as otherwise required by law. Following termination or deactivation of an ICA Account, ICA may retain your information and content for a commercially reasonable time for backup, archival, and audit purposes.

Opting Out Of Communications From ICA

Users may opt-out of receiving certain communications from ICA by following the unsubscribe process described in an email communication, or by contacting us using the contact information provided below. However, please note you may not opt-out of Services-related communications, such as account verification, changes or updates to features of the Services, or technical and security notices. 

For SMS, reply STOP to any message to opt out, and reply HELP for help. We may still send you non‑marketing, transactional messages necessary to provide the Services you have requested (for example, event schedule changes or service notices).

Do Not Track

ICA does not currently employ a process for automatically responding to “Do Not Track” (DNT) signals sent by web browsers, mobile devices, or other mechanisms. Per industry standards, third parties may be able to collect information, including Personal Information, about your online activities over time and across different websites or online services when you use Services. You may opt out of online behavioral ads at http://www.aboutads.info/choices/. You also may limit certain tracking by disabling cookies in your web browser.

Global Privacy Control

You can use the Global Privacy Control (“GPC”) through a supported browser to signal certain of your opt-out preferences. You may opt out of the processing of your Personal Information for purposes of targeted advertising or certain sales of your Personal Information by broadcasting the Global Privacy Control signal through a supported browser. If you use the GPC, we will process your request for your browser, but it will not apply outside of that browser to your device. You will need to use the GPC for each browser you use to access the Services If you clear your cookies in your browser after using the GPC, you will need to use the GPC again for us to process your opt out for that browser.

Information Security

Security Of Your Information

ICA takes reasonable efforts to secure and protect the privacy, accuracy, and reliability of your information and to protect it from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. ICA implements security measures as we deem appropriate and consistent with industry standards. As no data security protocol is impenetrable, ICA cannot guarantee the security of our systems or databases, nor can we guarantee that personal information we collect about you will not be breached, intercepted, destroyed, accessed, or otherwise disclosed without authorization. Accordingly, any information you transfer to or from Services is provided at your own risk. 

Please do your part to help us keep your information secure. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and ICA Account, and are fully responsible for all activities that occur under your password or ICA Account. ICA specifically reserves the right to terminate your access to the Services and any contract you have with ICA related to the Services in the event it learns or suspects you have disclosed your ICA Account or password information to an unauthorized third party.

Transfer And Storage Of Your Information

Please note information ICA collects about you may be transferred, processed and/or accessed by us in the United States, or another country where we, or our Service Providers operate. Please be aware Personal Information may be transferred to, and maintained on, computers located outside of your state or country where privacy laws may differ from and may not be as protective as those where you live. If you are located outside the United States and choose to allow us to collect information about you, please be aware that ICA may transfer your Personal Information to the United States and process and store it there. 

If you are located in the European Economic Area ("EEA") or other regions with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from U.S. law, please note that we may transfer information to a country or jurisdiction that does not have the same data protection laws as your jurisdiction, as disclosed in this Privacy Policy. It may also be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of Service Providers, also as disclosed. 

Website Hosting: ICA works with Ionos as its web hosting services provider. ICA shares your data, including Personal Information, with our website hosting Service Provider for the purposes of processing your data pursuant to your use of the Services. 

Data Hosting: ICA works with HubSpot as its data hosting services provider. ICA shares your data, including Personal Information, with our data hosting Service Provider for the purposes of processing your data pursuant to your use of the Services. 

Safely Using ICA’s Services

Despite ICA’s safety and privacy controls, we cannot guarantee the Services are entirely free of illegal, offensive, pornographic, or otherwise inappropriate material, or that you will not encounter inappropriate or illegal conduct from other Users when using the Services. You can help ICA by notifying us of any unwelcome contact by contacting us using the information below.  

Your California Privacy Rights

Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83 (known as the "Shine the Light" law), ICA members and customers who are residents of California may request certain information about our disclosure of personal information during the prior calendar year to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please write to us at the address below or at cmoore@carwash.org with "Request for California Privacy Information" on the subject line and in the body of your message. We will comply with your request within thirty (30) days or as otherwise required by the statute. Please be aware that not all information sharing is covered by the "Shine the Light" requirements and only information on covered sharing will be included in our response. 

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

ICA may modify this Privacy Policy from time to time. The most current version of this Privacy Policy will govern our use of your information and will be located at www.carwash.org. You may contact us to obtain prior versions. We will notify you of material changes to this policy by posting a notice at the Services or by emailing you at an email address associated with your ICA Account, if applicable, and provide an “at a glance” overview of any changes. 

Contact ICA

International Carwash Association
101 S. Cross Street, 2nd floor
Wheaton, IL 60187 USA
+1 630.931-0797
info@carwash.org