Terms of Service

General Information

The nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project ("VPAP", "us", or "we") disseminates information to the public as part of its mission to connect Virginians with nonpartisan information about government and politics in easily understood ways. If you choose to use vpap.org (the "Site") and any of the features of the site, including but not limited to RSS, API and downloads, you will be agreeing to abide by all the terms and conditions of these Terms of Service between you and The Virginia Public Access Project.

We may change, add or remove portions of these Terms of Service at any time, which shall become effective immediately upon posting. It is your responsibility to review these Terms of Service prior to each use of the Site and by continuing to use this Site, you agree to any changes.

We may change, suspend or discontinue any aspect of the Services at any time, including the availability of any Services feature, database, or content. We may also impose limits on certain features and services or restrict your access to parts or all of the Services without notice or liability.

License to Use of Website Content

Unless otherwise stated, we and/or our licensors own all intellectual property rights in the website and material on the website (collectively, "the Content"). The Content is intended for your personal, noncommercial use. You may view, download and distribute the Content subject to the following restrictions:

  • All Content that is shared or distributed must include an attribution to the Virginia Public Access Project or vpap.org;
  • You may not sell, rent, or sub-license Content;
  • You may not reproduce, duplicate, copy or otherwise exploit the Content for a commercial purpose; and
  • You may not edit or otherwise modify Content when sharing or distributing such Content, and you may not edit or otherwise modify Content on the Site.

Limitation of Liability

VPAP is not liable for any damages to third parties from the proper use of the Site or Content pursuant to these Terms of Service.

Registration and Security

If you chose to sign up for email alerts and/or VaNews, you must provide us with an e-mail address and certain personal information, all of which must be accurate. Personal information may include but not limited to full name, ZIP Code, postal address. You also will be asked what type of emails you would like to receive from vpap.org based on topic or locality. You may change your email alert preferences at any time. VPAP does not collect or store the type of personally identifiable information – such as Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, bank account information or credit card numbers – that if breached would put an individual at risk for identify fraud. Nonetheless, should VPAP have reason to believe the limited personally identifiable information about its users has been accessed by an unauthorized user, VPAP with notify users without unreasonable delay. You may also request that VPAP delete any personal information collected as part of the sign-up process at any time after you cease using VPAP Services.

Limited Warranties

VPAP does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of the information published on the Site, nor does VPAP commit to ensuring that the Site remains available or that the Content on the Site is kept up to date.

Disclaimer of Warranties

All services and Content provided by VPAP are provided "as is" and "as available" and your use of the Site and Content is at your own risk and VPAP disclaims all warranties and conditions, whether express or implied, oral or written, statutory or otherwise, with respect to the Site and the Content, including all warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, quiet enjoyment, accuracy and title, and any warranties arising from a course of dealing, usage, or trade practice. VPAP may only grant those rights that the organization itself has been granted, and the license provisions in this Terms of Service do not expand the scope of such rights. VPAP does not warrant that the Site or the Content will be secure, uninterrupted, error-free or free from viruses.

Communication between vpap.org and Users

VPAP will send periodic electronic mail alerts to users based on their selected preferences. Most users will get weekly email updates. The frequency of additional electronic mail will vary depending on users' preferences. Users may change their preferences at any time.

VPAP reserves the right to send electronic mail to you for the purpose of informing you of changes or additions to the Service.

VPAP is a nonprofit whose Services are supported entirely through voluntary contributions from its users. VPAP reserves the right to send electronic mail to you soliciting a tax-deductible contribution to help offset the cost of the Services.

Information about you that VPAP collects

VPAP requires you to configure your browser to accept "cookies," or other computer files, that enable vpap.org to compile statistics on traffic to its site. Information gathered from cookies for registered users may include frequency and duration of visits to vpap.org.

VPAP collects additional personal information provided by users who chose to register. The personal information that users provide at time of registration may include, but may not be limited to: name, email, ZIP Code, full postal mailing address, year of birth and phone number. VPAP may use third-party companies to send bulk electronic mail to users or to conduct surveys. These third-party providers may track whether you open an email and click on specific links. VPAP may use this data to measure each user's engagement level with the Services.

How VPAP uses your personal information

VPAP will keep confidential the list of those who sign up for email updates or create a user account. VPAP will not market, sell or give away your personal information to any third party.

VPAP may perform aggregated statistical analyses of information gathered from cookies placed by vpap.org and/or third-party email providers in order to gauge the relevancy of specific services provided on vpap.org. VPAP may use the information to differentiate its audience and to solicit a charitable contribution from you based on the frequency that you use our services. VPAP may include the results of aggregated statistical analyses in marketing materials and grant applications. This statistical analysis will not include any identifiable personal information you provide.

VPAP may perform aggregated statistical analyses from personal information provided by registered users. Such analyses will provide VPAP with a better understanding of where its customers are located, what age group they fall into and what specific services they are most interested in hearing about.

Where your personal information is stored

VPAP may store your data on one its servers on site and in a cloud-based customer management system maintained by Salesforce, pursuant to Salesforce's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. To review Salesforce's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, these documents may be found on Salesforce's website at www.salesforce.com.

Agents or contractors for VPAP may have access to users' personal information for the purpose of performing services on behalf of VPAP. All such agents or contractors who have access to users' personal information are required to sign a confidentiality agreement stating they may not use the information for any other purpose than to carry out the services they are performing for VPAP.

What is the process for VPAP to change its Privacy Policy?

VPAP reserves the right to change this privacy policy. VPAP agrees to notify all registered users in advance of any significant change in its privacy policy and to give registered users the option of opting out before VPAP were to implement such a change.

If you have any questions about this statement, please contact us via email at or direct your mail to "Privacy" at The Virginia Public Access Project, P.O. Box 1472, Richmond, VA 23218 USA.

Governing Law

This Terms of Service shall be construed and interpreted, and the rights of the parties shall be determined in accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia (without reference to the choice of law provisions thereof). The parties agree to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts of Virginia with respect to any dispute arising out of or related in any way to these Terms of Service.