Privacy Policy

1. Scope of This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how National Performance Specialists (NPS) collects, uses, discloses, retains, and protects personal information in connection with:

• The NPS website and related webpages;
• NPS Member and Candidate accounts;
• Initial certification, renewal, instructor, and other NPS programs;
• Certification Materials and practice examinations;
• Certification examinations and NPS SecureProctor;
• Identity verification and Know Your Customer (KYC) processes;
• Payments, Buy Now Pay Later transactions, billing inquiries, and Payment Disputes;
• Credential issuance, certification status, and NPS Verify;
• Group Management and organization-sponsored certification access;
• Customer service, email, telephone, and text messaging; and
• Other NPS products, services, systems, and interactions that link to or reference this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information collected online and through other direct interactions with NPS. It does not apply to the independent privacy practices of third parties that operate their own websites, platforms, payment services, financing services, identity-verification services, or other products under their own privacy policies.

By using NPS services or submitting personal information to NPS, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy. Where applicable law requires consent for a particular collection, use, or disclosure, NPS will request that consent separately.

2. Personal Information We Collect

The personal information NPS collects depends on how you interact with NPS and which services you use.

2.1 Account and Contact Information

NPS may collect:

• First and last name;
• Email address;
• Telephone number;
• Mailing or billing address;
• Account username, identifiers, and login information;
• Communication preferences;
• Organization, school, employer, instructor, or group affiliation;
• Job title or professional role; and
• Information submitted through contact, support, registration, or inquiry forms.

2.2 Candidate, Eligibility, and Certification Information

NPS may collect:

• Certification program selections;
• Eligibility-route information;
• Education, training, work-experience, or program-completion information;
• Eligibility documents and attestations;
• Application and registration records;
• Certification Materials access and progress information;
• Practice-examination activity;
• Examination attempts, responses, scores, results, and proficiency information;
• Certification issuance, expiration, renewal, suspension, revocation, and reinstatement records;
• Continuing-education and recertification information;
• Appeals, complaints, misconduct, disciplinary, and examination-security records; and
• Credential-verification activity and status information.

2.3 Identity Verification and KYC Information

NPS may collect identity information before providing access to Certification Materials, examinations, certification issuance, account recovery, renewal, reinstatement, or other protected services.

This information may include:

• Government-issued identification;
• Identification-document type, number, issuing jurisdiction, and expiration information;
• Date of birth or other identity attributes;
• Photographs and document images;
• Selfies, live images, video, and liveness-check results;
• Identity-verification questions and responses;
• Document-authenticity and fraud-risk indicators;
• Account and device information used to compare or confirm identity; and
• Records showing whether identity verification was approved, rejected, or referred for manual review.

By submitting identity information or documents, you authorize NPS and its authorized identity-verification, fraud-prevention, examination-security, and proctoring providers to collect, review, process, compare, store, and use that information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and the NPS Terms and Conditions.

2.4 Examination and NPS SecureProctor Information

NPS certification examinations are administered through NPS SecureProctor. Depending on the examination and security requirements, NPS SecureProctor may collect, monitor, generate, or record:

• Webcam video and still images;
• Microphone audio;
• Screen, browser, desktop, and application activity;
• Device, operating-system, browser, network, and telemetry information;
• Internet Protocol address and approximate location derived from it;
• Workspace and examination-environment scans;
• Candidate movements, behavior, session events, and rule-compliance indicators;
• Secure-browser and prohibited-software information;
• Communications with automated systems, support personnel, reviewers, or live remote proctors;
• Automated, artificial-intelligence-assisted, and human-review results;
• Flags, alerts, recordings, notes, and security-review decisions; and
• Information used to compare the test taker with previously submitted identity records.

NPS SecureProctor may use automated systems, artificial intelligence, human review, and/or a live remote proctor before, during, or after an examination. NPS may escalate an examination session to live monitoring or post-examination review without advance notice when reasonably necessary to protect examination integrity.

NPS does not use examination-monitoring information to make unrelated employment, lending, insurance, or healthcare-treatment decisions.

2.5 Payment and Transaction Information

NPS and its payment, financing, and fraud-prevention providers may collect or process:

• Billing name and address;
• Payment method type;
• Partial payment-card or account identifiers;
• Transaction amount, date, status, and authorization information;
• Purchase and order history;
• Buy Now Pay Later provider and transaction information;
• Returned-payment, chargeback, refund, and Payment Dispute information;
• Fraud, risk, and transaction-verification indicators; and
• Communications and documents relating to billing inquiries or disputes.

Full payment-card information may be collected directly by a payment processor rather than stored by NPS. The payment processor’s handling of that information is governed by its own privacy and security practices.

2.6 Website, Device, and Usage Information

When you use NPS websites or online systems, NPS and its service providers may automatically collect:

• Internet Protocol address;
• Browser type and version;
• Device type and identifiers;
• Operating system;
• Referring and exit pages;
• Pages viewed and features used;
• Dates, times, session duration, and interaction events;
• Login, account, and system activity;
• Cookie and similar-technology identifiers;
• Approximate geographic location derived from technical information;
• Advertising, campaign, and referral information; and
• Error, security, diagnostic, and performance information.

2.7 Communications and Support Information

NPS may collect:

• Emails, support tickets, contact-form submissions, and chat communications;
• Telephone-call information and voicemails;
• Text-message enrollment, consent, delivery, response, STOP, and HELP records;
• Survey, feedback, testimonial, or review submissions;
• Information supplied during an appeal, complaint, investigation, or support interaction; and
• Notes and records created while responding to a request.

2.8 Organization and Group Management Information

For schools, instructors, employers, laboratories, workforce programs, and other organizations, NPS may collect:

• Organization and administrator information;
• Group Leader and authorized-user information;
• Candidate invitations, assignments, and account relationships;
• Certification Seat purchases and assignments;
• Group, cohort, location, department, and program information;
• Available progress, examination-result, proficiency, credential, and verification information;
• Organization support and onboarding records; and
• Records necessary to administer the organization’s NPS relationship.

3. Sources of Personal Information

NPS may collect personal information:

• Directly from you;
• From an organization, instructor, employer, school, Group Leader, purchaser, or administrator that creates, sponsors, purchases, or manages access for you;
• From identity-verification, fraud-prevention, payment, financing, proctoring, examination, communications, analytics, and technology providers;
• From financial institutions, card issuers, payment processors, and Buy Now Pay Later providers;
• From publicly available sources where appropriate;
• From employers, educational institutions, regulatory bodies, or other parties involved in verifying eligibility, certification, or status; and
• Through cookies and other automated technologies when you use NPS websites or systems.

When another person or organization provides information about you, that party is responsible for having the authority to provide it.

4. How NPS Uses Personal Information

NPS may use personal information to:

4.1 Provide and Administer NPS Services

• Create and maintain accounts;
• Process applications, registrations, purchases, renewals, and reinstatement requests;
• Provide Certification Materials and practice examinations;
• Determine or verify eligibility;
• Schedule, deliver, monitor, score, and review examinations;
• Issue, maintain, renew, suspend, revoke, or reinstate certifications;
• Provide digital credentials, certificates, badges, and account features;
• Operate Group Management and organization-sponsored access;
• Provide NPS Verify and respond to verification requests; and
• Deliver customer service and technical support.

4.2 Verify Identity and Protect Examination Integrity

• Complete identity verification and KYC review;
• Confirm that the registered Candidate is the person accessing materials or taking the examination;
• Compare identity documents with live images, video, account information, device information, and examination-session data;
• Detect impersonation, proxy testing, account sharing, document alteration, unauthorized assistance, prohibited technology, and other misconduct;
• Conduct automated and human examination review;
• Investigate security flags and suspected violations;
• Make examination, score, eligibility, credential, disciplinary, and appeal decisions; and
• Protect confidential examination content and NPS intellectual property.

4.3 Process Payments and Address Disputes

• Process and document payments;
• Administer Buy Now Pay Later transactions;
• Validate payment authorization and transaction identity;
• Detect and prevent unauthorized or fraudulent transactions;
• Respond to billing inquiries, returned payments, chargebacks, and Payment Disputes;
• Use identity-verification records, including identification documents, to support transaction verification and dispute resolution when reasonably necessary;
• Communicate with financial institutions, payment processors, financing providers, insurers, legal advisers, and fraud-prevention providers; and
• Administer account suspension, credential status, and reinstatement processes associated with payment issues.

4.4 Communicate With You

• Send account, purchase, examination, certification, renewal, security, policy, and service communications;
• Respond to questions and requests;
• Provide email, telephone, and text-message support;
• Send marketing communications where permitted;
• Administer communication preferences and opt-out requests; and
• Notify you of material policy or service changes.

4.5 Operate, Secure, and Improve NPS

• Maintain and troubleshoot websites, accounts, examination systems, and other services;
• Monitor performance, availability, security, misuse, and fraud;
• Analyze how services are used;
• Improve user experience, program administration, examination delivery, and support;
• Develop and validate security, fraud-prevention, and examination-integrity controls;
• Conduct quality assurance, auditing, reporting, and internal research; and
• Maintain business, accounting, tax, legal, and operational records.

4.6 Meet Legal, Regulatory, Accreditation, and Credentialing Obligations

• Comply with applicable laws, legal process, court orders, and governmental requests;
• Maintain certification and examination records;
• Support accreditation, governance, audit, appeals, and disciplinary requirements;
• Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims;
• Enforce NPS agreements and policies;
• Protect NPS, Members, Candidates, Certified Members, organizations, and the public; and
• Report suspected fraud, misconduct, threats, security incidents, or unlawful activity where appropriate.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

NPS and its service providers may use cookies, pixels, tags, local storage, session technologies, software-development kits, and similar technologies to:

• Keep users signed in;
• Maintain account and session functionality;
• Remember preferences;
• Protect account and payment security;
• Detect fraud and misuse;
• Measure website traffic and performance;
• Understand how users interact with pages, forms, and services;
• Support communications and campaign measurement; and
• Provide or measure advertising where permitted.

Some technologies are necessary for the website or account to function. Others may be controlled through browser settings, cookie controls, or other preference tools made available by NPS.

Blocking or deleting cookies may affect login, account, examination, shopping-cart, preference, or website functionality.

6. How NPS Discloses Personal Information

NPS does not sell personal information for money.

NPS may disclose personal information in the following circumstances:

6.1 Service Providers

NPS may disclose information to providers that perform services for NPS, including:

• Website hosting and cloud infrastructure;
• Account, learning, examination, and certification systems;
• Identity verification and KYC;
• NPS SecureProctor, remote proctoring, and examination security;
• Payment processing, financing, Buy Now Pay Later, and fraud prevention;
• Email, telephone, text messaging, and customer support;
• Analytics, security, monitoring, and information technology;
• Credential issuance, digital badges, and verification;
• Document storage and records management;
• Professional advisers, auditors, insurers, and consultants; and
• Other operational vendors that process information on NPS’s behalf.

These providers may use personal information only as authorized for the services they provide or as independently required by law.

6.2 Financial Institutions and Payment Parties

NPS may disclose transaction, account, identity, and supporting information to:

• Payment processors;
• Banks and financial institutions;
• Card issuers and networks;
• Buy Now Pay Later and financing providers;
• Fraud-prevention services;
• Collection providers;
• Insurers; and
• Other parties involved in authorization, processing, investigation, or resolution of a transaction or Payment Dispute.

In a payment dispute or suspected unauthorized transaction, NPS may use and disclose personal information, including submitted identification documents, as reasonably necessary to verify the transaction, demonstrate account ownership or service delivery, prevent fraud, or respond to the relevant financial institution or payment provider.

6.3 Organizations, Group Leaders, and Purchasers

When an organization, instructor, employer, school, Group Leader, or other purchaser sponsors or administers your NPS access, NPS may provide that authorized party with information reasonably related to the sponsored relationship, subject to NPS policy, account permissions, and applicable law.

Depending on the program and permissions, this may include:

• Account and assignment status;
• Certification Materials or program progress;
• Examination completion and result information;
• Domain-based proficiency information;
• Credential issuance and certification status;
• Renewal or expiration information; and
• Other records necessary to administer the group or organization relationship.

NPS will not disclose information merely because a third party requests it. Access must be authorized by the applicable relationship, permission, policy, or law.

6.4 Credential Verification and Status Notifications

NPS may publish or make available certification-status information through NPS Verify and other official verification systems.

Verification may include information such as:

• Credential status;
• Certification type;
• Certified date;
• Expiration or status date;
• Certification number;
• Credential holder name when authorized or included in the applicable verification workflow; and
• Verification timestamp or related status information.

NPS may notify an employer, educational institution, licensing authority, regulatory body, accreditor, or other party that previously received, requested, or reasonably relied upon verification of an NPS-issued certification if that certification expires, is suspended, is revoked, or is otherwise no longer in good standing, where permitted or required by law and NPS policy.

Unless authorized by the Member or required by law, NPS will not disclose a Member’s examination score to an employer or other third party merely because certification status has changed.

6.5 Legal, Safety, Security, and Enforcement Purposes

NPS may disclose information when it reasonably believes disclosure is necessary to:

• Comply with law, regulation, subpoena, court order, legal process, or governmental request;
• Protect the rights, safety, security, property, or legitimate interests of NPS or another person;
• Investigate or prevent fraud, impersonation, examination misconduct, threats, abuse, security incidents, or unlawful activity;
• Enforce NPS Terms and Conditions, examination rules, and other policies;
• Protect examination integrity and confidential content;
• Respond to an emergency; or
• Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

6.6 Business Transactions

If NPS is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, sale of assets, or similar transaction, personal information may be disclosed or transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable law.

6.7 With Your Direction or Consent

NPS may disclose information when you direct, request, authorize, or consent to the disclosure.

7. Automated Processing and Artificial Intelligence

NPS may use automated systems and artificial intelligence to support:

• Identity-document review;
• Liveness and identity comparison;
• Fraud and transaction-risk analysis;
• Examination monitoring and security-flag detection;
• Website, account, and system security;
• Customer-service routing;
• Operational analytics; and
• Human decision support.

Automated tools may identify activity for additional review. NPS may use human review when reasonably appropriate, including for identity-verification exceptions, examination-security flags, appeals, disciplinary matters, payment disputes, and credential decisions.

NPS does not represent that automated systems are error-free. Members may contact NPS to report suspected inaccuracies or request review where applicable.

8. Data Retention

NPS retains personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including to provide services, maintain examination and credential integrity, satisfy legal and accreditation obligations, resolve disputes, prevent fraud, enforce agreements, and preserve business records.

Any individual who takes or begins an NPS examination creates a permanent certification and examination record. The associated account cannot be deleted in full. NPS may retain indefinitely the core records necessary to:

• Identify the Candidate or test taker;
• Validate identity-verification history;
• Preserve examination attempts, scores, results, and security records;
• Document certification issuance, expiration, renewal, suspension, revocation, and reinstatement;
• Respond to credential-verification requests;
• Administer appeals, complaints, investigations, and disciplinary matters;
• Protect examination content and program integrity; and
• Satisfy legal, accreditation, governance, and fraud-prevention requirements.

Other records may be retained according to NPS records-retention schedules, including:

• Inactive Certified Member files for at least seven years after becoming inactive, unless a longer period is required or reasonably necessary;
• General and routine Candidate or Certified Member correspondence for at least two years, unless a longer period is required; and
• Account-activity logs for at least two years, unless a longer period is required for security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, disputes, investigations, or credential administration.

Retention periods may be extended because of litigation holds, legal process, contractual requirements, security incidents, suspected fraud, Payment Disputes, appeals, investigations, or other legitimate needs.

A privacy or deletion request does not require NPS to delete information that NPS is required or permitted to retain.

9. Data Security

NPS uses administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, alteration, disclosure, loss, or destruction.

Safeguards may include:

• Encryption in transit and, where appropriate, at rest;
• Access controls and role-based permissions;
• Authentication and account-security measures;
• Restricted access to identity, examination, payment, and dispute records;
• Secure hosting and storage environments;
• Security monitoring, logging, and fraud detection;
• Vendor and service-provider controls;
• Personnel confidentiality and security practices; and
• Incident-response and recovery procedures.

Only authorized personnel and providers with a business need may access sensitive personal information for purposes such as identity verification, examination administration, dispute resolution, billing, security, credential administration, and customer service.

No security system can guarantee absolute protection. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials, using a secure device and connection, and notifying NPS promptly of suspected unauthorized account activity.

10. Your Privacy Choices and Rights

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have rights concerning your personal information.

You may contact NPS to request that NPS:

• Confirm whether it maintains personal information about you;
• Provide access to certain personal information;
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• Delete information that NPS is not required or permitted to retain;
• Restrict or object to certain processing;
• Provide certain information in a portable format;
• Withdraw consent where processing depends on consent;
• Opt you out of certain marketing communications; or
• Review a privacy request or decision.

NPS may need to verify your identity before processing a request. NPS may request information reasonably necessary to confirm that the requester is the person concerned or an authorized representative.

Some requests may be denied or limited when an exception applies, including when information is required to:

• Maintain permanent examination or credential records;
• Complete a transaction or provide a requested service;
• Protect account, examination, payment, or system security;
• Detect or prevent fraud or misconduct;
• Exercise or defend legal claims;
• Comply with legal, accreditation, contractual, tax, accounting, or records-retention obligations;
• Protect confidential examination content or trade secrets; or
• Protect the rights or safety of NPS or another person.

NPS will not unlawfully discriminate against a person for exercising an applicable privacy right.

10.1 Marketing Email Choices

You may unsubscribe from marketing emails by using the unsubscribe method provided in the message or by contacting NPS.

Even after opting out of marketing, NPS may continue sending non-promotional communications concerning accounts, purchases, examinations, certifications, security, legal notices, and service administration.

10.2 Text-Message Choices

You may opt out of an NPS text-messaging program at any time by replying STOP. Additional text-message terms appear in Section 13.

10.3 Cookies and Browser Controls

You may control certain cookies through your browser or any cookie-preference tool made available by NPS. Some browser privacy signals may be recognized where required by applicable law and supported by NPS systems.

11. Children’s Privacy

NPS services are not directed to children under 13, and NPS does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through its general website and certification services.

Candidates under the age of legal majority may be required to obtain authorization from a parent, legal guardian, school, or other authorized party where required by applicable law or NPS policy.

A parent or legal guardian who believes a child provided personal information improperly may contact NPS.

12. Third-Party Websites and Services

NPS websites and communications may link to third-party websites or services. NPS does not control the privacy, security, content, or practices of those third parties.

Third parties such as payment processors, Buy Now Pay Later providers, identity-verification providers, digital-credential services, social-media platforms, and external websites may collect information under their own privacy policies and terms.

You should review the applicable third-party policies before providing information or using those services.

13. Messaging Privacy and Terms

13.1 Program Information

Company name: National Performance Specialists (NPS)
Mailing address: 1717 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Suite 1025, Washington, District of Columbia 20006-3951, United States
Support: support@npscerts.com
Phone: (866) 319-7052

13.2 General Messaging Consent

When you opt into an NPS messaging program, NPS may send a message confirming your enrollment.

By opting in, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing and informational text messages from NPS at the mobile telephone number you provided or subsequently designated. Messages may be sent using an automated telephone dialing system or other automated technology where permitted by law.

Consent to receive marketing text messages is not a condition of purchase.

Message frequency varies and may depend on your interaction with NPS. NPS may change message frequency and may change the telephone number or short code used to send messages.

Message and data rates may apply. Contact your wireless provider regarding your text or data plan.

13.3 Carriers

Wireless carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

13.4 Cancellation

You may cancel text messages at any time by replying STOP. After you send STOP, NPS may send a confirmation message, after which no further messages will be sent through that messaging program unless you opt in again.

13.5 Help and Support

Reply HELP for assistance or instructions. For support regarding NPS services, email support@npscerts.com or call (866) 319-7052.

13.6 Transfer or Change of Mobile Number

Before changing your mobile number or transferring it to another person, you agree to reply STOP from the original number or notify NPS of the old number at support@npscerts.com. This helps prevent messages intended for you from being sent to another person.

13.7 Messaging Information

NPS may collect and retain messaging enrollment, consent, delivery, interaction, STOP, HELP, and support records. NPS may disclose telephone numbers and related messaging information to communications providers that deliver and administer the program.

NPS does not sell or share mobile opt-in information or consent with third parties for their independent marketing purposes. NPS may disclose such information to service providers that help operate the messaging program or when required by law.

13.8 Messaging Program Changes

NPS may change or terminate a messaging program at any time. NPS may also update these messaging terms. Changes become effective upon posting or as otherwise stated in the update, subject to notice or consent required by applicable law. Continued enrollment after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated messaging terms to the extent permitted by law.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

NPS may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in its services, technology, security practices, legal obligations, accreditation requirements, vendors, or business operations.

The updated policy will state the date of the latest revision. Material changes may be communicated through the website, account, email, or another appropriate method.

Continued use of NPS services after the effective date of an update constitutes acknowledgment of the revised Privacy Policy to the extent permitted by law. Where applicable law requires consent, NPS will request it separately.

15. Contact NPS

Questions, concerns, complaints, and privacy requests may be directed to:

National Performance Specialists (NPS)
1717 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Suite 1025
Washington, District of Columbia 20006-3951
United States
Phone: (866) 319-7052
Email: support@npscerts.com
Website: https://npscerts.com

When submitting a privacy request, describe the request clearly and provide enough information for NPS to locate the relevant records and verify your identity.

If you believe NPS is not following this Privacy Policy, contact NPS promptly using the information above.