Privacy Policy

Boston AI Week is an independent community festival for the Massachusetts AI community, operated by SmartCurrent Inc. ("SmartCurrent," "Boston AI Week," "we," "us," or "our"). We respect your privacy and are committed to collecting only what we need and being clear about how we use it. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through our website, newsletter, accounts, event RSVPs, and forms (collectively, the "Site"), how we use and share it, the choices and rights you have, and how to reach us. By using the Site, you acknowledge this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with it, please do not use the Site.

Scope of this policy

This policy covers information we collect through the Site and our related communications. It does not cover: (a) events run by independent hosts, who manage their own registrations and privacy practices; (b) sponsors, exhibitors, recruiters, or other organizations that collect information from you directly; or (c) third-party websites and services we link to or embed. Those parties are independent and govern their own data practices.

Information we collect

We collect the following, depending on how you interact with the Site:

• Newsletter signups. When you subscribe to schedule updates, we collect your email address and, optionally, the single role you select (attendee, host, sponsor, speaker, volunteer, or press). The role field is optional.
• Account registration. If you create a Boston AI Week account — for example, to build a personal schedule — we collect your email address, a securely hashed password, and any optional profile fields you choose to provide.
• Event RSVPs and saved schedule. When you mark yourself as "Going" to an event, save an event, or build a personal schedule, we record those selections and associate them with your account or email so we can display your agenda, generate calendar files (.ics), and send you relevant reminders and updates.
• Event submissions (hosts). Our "Host an Event" form is embedded from Google Forms. The information you enter — including host name, email, organization, and event details (title, description, format, date and time, location or virtual link, and capacity) — is transmitted to and stored by Google on our behalf, and is then used by us to review, approve, publish, and promote listings.
• Sponsor prospectus requests. When you request our sponsor prospectus or contact our sponsorship team, we collect your full name, company, title, and work email, and any message you include, so we can send you the materials and follow up.
• Contact messages. The form on our Contact page opens a message in your own email application addressed to info@aiweek.boston. We receive the email you choose to send (which includes the name, email, organization, topic, and message you enter) and handle it like any other email; we do not maintain a separate stored database generated by that form.
• Usage and technical data. When you use the Site, we automatically collect standard technical information such as your IP address, device and browser type, operating system, referring page, the pages and events you view, the links and calls-to-action you interact with, and the dates and times of access. We collect this through server logs and the analytics tools described below.
• Communications. If you email or call us, we keep a record of that correspondence so we can respond and maintain context.

We do not intentionally collect special categories of personal data (such as health, biometric, precise geolocation, or government-identifier data) through the Site, and we ask that you do not submit such information through our forms.

How we use your information

We use personal information to:

• Operate, maintain, secure, and improve the Site, the schedule, accounts, and RSVP and personal-schedule features.
• Build and display your personal agenda and generate calendar files at your request.
• Send festival updates, schedule launches, session announcements, reminders, and host or sponsor call-outs to people who have asked to hear from us.
• Review, approve, publish, and promote events submitted by hosts.
• Respond to inquiries about hosting, sponsorship, press, volunteering, and general questions.
• Provide requested sponsorship materials and follow up with prospective sponsors.
• Understand aggregate usage (which pages and events are popular, which calls-to-action work, where errors occur) to improve the experience.
• Detect, prevent, and address security incidents, fraud, abuse, and violations of our Terms or Code of Conduct.
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our agreements.

Legal bases for processing (EEA / UK)

Where the EU or UK GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases: consent (for example, newsletter subscriptions and non-essential cookies); performance of a contract or steps taken at your request (for example, creating your account, displaying your schedule, or responding to a prospectus request); legitimate interests (for example, operating and promoting the festival, securing the Site, and understanding aggregate usage, balanced against your rights); and compliance with a legal obligation. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing already carried out.

Marketing communications and your choices

We send marketing and informational emails only to people who have asked to hear from us — for example, by subscribing to the newsletter, creating an account, or requesting our prospectus. Our emails relate to Boston AI Week and may include information about our sponsors; however, this means we may tell you about sponsors in our own communications — it does not mean we share your information with sponsors (see "Sponsors and sharing" below). Every marketing email contains an unsubscribe link, and you can opt out at any time by using that link or by emailing info@aiweek.boston. We comply with the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act and honor opt-out and consent controls for all subscribers regardless of location.

Sponsors and sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing or advertising. Under no circumstances do sponsors of Boston AI Week receive attendee, participant, newsletter subscriber, account, RSVP, or analytics data from us. The only individual-level information a sponsor ever holds about a person is what that person provides directly to the sponsor — for example, through a registration form, badge scan, or sign-up sheet the sponsor operates on its own systems, outside the Boston AI Week site and outside our control. When we feature sponsors or mention them in our communications, those communications are sent by us; sponsors are not given access to our lists or data.

How and when we share information

We share personal information only in these limited circumstances:

• Service providers (processors). With the trusted vendors listed under "Service providers and sub-processors," who process information solely on our behalf and under contract.
• At your direction. When you choose to interact with a host, sponsor, recruiter, ticketing page, or other third party through the Site, the information you provide to them goes to them as independent controllers.
• Legal and safety. When we believe in good faith that disclosure is required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Boston AI Week, our participants, or the public, or to enforce our Terms or Code of Conduct.
• Business transfers. In connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, or sale of assets, in which case we will require the recipient to honor this Privacy Policy or provide notice of any material change.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not "share" personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, as those terms are defined under applicable U.S. state privacy laws.

Independent event hosts, recruiters, and exhibitors

Boston AI Week lists events run by independent hosts and includes career and recruiting activities and sponsor or exhibitor activations. If you register for, attend, or interact with an individual event, booth, or recruiter, any information you provide to that party is collected and controlled by that party under its own privacy practices — not by Boston AI Week or SmartCurrent. We do not collect attendee information on a host's, recruiter's, or sponsor's behalf, and we are not responsible for their data practices.

Service providers and sub-processors

We rely on a small set of trusted providers to operate the Site and our communications. Each processes information solely on our behalf and is bound by its own security and privacy obligations:

• Supabase (via Lovable Cloud) — database, authentication, and backend storage for accounts, submissions, RSVPs, and schedules.
• Email service provider — delivery of newsletter and transactional emails and storage of the subscriber list necessary to do so.
• Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics — deployment of analytics tags and aggregate website analytics.
• Google Forms — hosting of certain embedded submission forms (such as the Host an Event form); information you enter goes directly to Google.
• Hosting, content delivery, and calendar/.ics generation — infrastructure that serves the Site and produces calendar files at your request.

Cookies and analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the Site and to understand aggregate usage. These fall into two broad categories: strictly necessary technologies that make the Site work (for example, security, load balancing, and remembering that you are signed in), and analytics technologies deployed through Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics that help us measure traffic and improve the experience. Analytics tools may set cookies or similar identifiers on your device and transmit usage data to Google. You can control cookies through your browser settings or a tracking-protection extension, and the Site will continue to function. Where required by law, we honor recognized opt-out preference signals, including the Global Privacy Control (GPC), and we obtain consent for non-essential cookies.

International data transfers

We are based in the United States, and our providers may process information in the United States and other countries. Where we transfer the personal information of individuals located in the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland to a country that has not been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses, together with supplementary measures where appropriate.

Data retention

We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purposes described in this policy, after which we delete or anonymize it. In general:

• Newsletter subscribers: until you unsubscribe, after which you are promptly removed from active marketing lists (we may retain a minimal suppression record to honor your opt-out).
• Account data: for the life of your account; we delete or anonymize it on verified request or after a prolonged period of inactivity.
• Event RSVPs and saved schedules: through the relevant festival cycle plus a reasonable archival period for planning and historical metrics.
• Host submissions: through the relevant festival cycle and for a reasonable period afterward for recordkeeping and planning.
• Sponsor and contact correspondence: as long as needed to respond and for related follow-up and recordkeeping.
• Server logs and analytics: for a limited period consistent with our providers' defaults and our operational needs.

We may retain information longer where required to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements.

Security

We use industry-standard administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards to protect personal information, including encryption in transit (TLS), hashed passwords, role-based access controls, data minimization, and limited retention. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a breach affecting your personal information occurs, we will notify affected individuals and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights regarding your personal information: to know/access what we hold; to correct inaccuracies; to delete it; to port a copy; to restrict or object to certain processing; to withdraw consent; and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information or of targeted advertising (note that we do not sell or share personal information or use it for targeted advertising). To exercise any of these rights, email info@aiweek.boston. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request, and you may use an authorized agent where the law permits. We will not discriminate or retaliate against you for exercising your rights. If we deny a request, you may appeal where applicable law provides an appeals process by replying to our response; you may also have the right to contact your local data protection authority or attorney general.

California residents: we do not sell or share personal information and do not disclose personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes within the meaning of California's "Shine the Light" law.

Children

Boston AI Week is intended for a professional, adult audience. The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with information, please contact us and we will delete it. Where an individual event may involve minors, the event host is responsible for any required parental or guardian consent and for handling that information appropriately.

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. Because we do not engage in these activities, no opt-out is necessary; however, we honor the Global Privacy Control where applicable as described above.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date at the top of this page, and where required by law we will provide additional notice. Your continued use of the Site after an update means you acknowledge the revised policy.

Contact

SmartCurrent Inc., operator of Boston AI Week
1770 Massachusetts Ave, Suite 205, Cambridge, MA 02140
Email: info@aiweek.boston
See also our Terms of Service and Code of Conduct.