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We at The Company (referred to as
"We," "Us," or "Our") recognize the importance of
protecting the privacy of certain information collected about the
users and visitors of Our Web Site (referred to as "User," "You"
or "Your"). This Privacy Policy discloses what information We
gather, how We use it, and how to correct or change it. At The Company,
it is Our intention to give You an understanding about how We collect
Your information and the use We make of it in the course of Our
business.
To that end, The
Company gathers two types of information about You: 1) data that Users
provide through optional, voluntary registration on Our Web Site, and 2)
data that The Company gathers through aggregated tracking, mainly by
tallying Web pages that are viewed by Users throughout Our Web Site.
However, be assured
that The Company will not disclose Personal Information (as defined
herein) to third parties without Your consent, except as may be noted in
this Privacy Policy or disclosed to You when the information is
submitted.
How Does
The Company Collect Information?
Optional Registration
We collect information by specifically requesting it from
You. Generally this occurs when You register at the Web Site or request
information or a service. Usually, We and Our business partners use Your
information to operate the Web Site and to deliver services. The Company
also uses Your information to inform You about other products and/or
services available from The Company and The Company-affiliates.
Use of Tracking
Use of Internet Protocol ("IP") Addresses:
An IP address is a unique number that is automatically
assigned to Your computer whenever You are surfing the Internet so that
Your computer can be identified by the main computers, known as "Web
servers," that "serve up" Web pages. This allows Us to identify and
gather general information and data about You, such as the Web pages You
view.
The Company collects IP
addresses for the purposes of: helping Us diagnose problems with Our
main computers, for system administration, to report aggregated
information to Our business partners, and to audit the use of Our Web
Site. When Users request Web pages from Our Web Site, Our Web servers
log the User's IP address. We do not normally link IP addresses to
anything personally identifiable, which means that a User's session will
be logged, but the User will remain anonymous to Us. For example, We
collect and/or track the home server domain name, the type of computer,
and the type of Web browser used by You to access this Web Site. Such
collection and tracking information is gathered by Us as You navigate
through this Web Site, and shall be used by Us for Our business purposes
only.
We can, and will, use
IP addresses to identify You when We feel it is necessary to enforce
compliance with Our Web Site Terms of Use or to protect Our service,
site, Users, or others.
Use Of Cookies
What are cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of information that a Web site sends to Your
computer for record-keeping purposes, which information is stored in a
file on Your computer's hard drive. Cookies make Web-surfing easier for
You by saving Your preferences so that We can use the saved information
to facilitate Your use of Our Web Site when You return to the Web Site.
Cookies do not tell Us Your individual identity unless You have chosen
to provide it to Us. We never save passwords or credit card information
in cookies. The use of cookies is an industry standard, and as such, You
will find that most major Web sites use them.
By showing how and when
Users use the Web Site, cookies help Us see which areas of the Web Site
are popular and which are not. Many improvements and updates to the Web
Site are based on such data as total number of visitors and pages
viewed. This information is most easily tracked with cookies.
Most cookies expire
after a defined period of time, or You can delete Your cookie file at
any time. Most Web browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. You
can reset Your Web browser to refuse cookies or to indicate when a
cookie is being sent. However, note that some parts of The Company
and/or The Company-affiliates' services will not function properly or
may be considerably slower if You refuse cookies. For example, without
cookies, You will not be able to set personalized preferences, and/or
may have difficulty completing marketing transactions.
The Company and/or The
Company-affiliates have two (2) primary uses for cookies. First, We use
them to specify a User's preferences. Second, We use cookies to track
Web site usage trends and patterns. This helps Us understand Our Users'
needs better and improve areas of Our Web Site. While both of these
activities depend on the use of cookies, You have the option of
disabling (refusing) the cookies via Your Web browser preferences.
You may occasionally
get cookies from Our business partners. The Company and/or The
Company-affiliates do not control these cookies. The use of advertising
cookies sent by such third-party Web servers is standard in the Internet
industry.
With Whom
Does The Company Share Information?
As a general rule, The
Company will not disclose any specific personal information that You
submit to Us about You ("Personal Information") in a manner that
connects You with the Personal Information, except when We have Your
permission or under special circumstances, such as when We believe in
good faith that the law requires it or under the circumstances described
below. The following describes some of the ways that Your Personal
Information may be disclosed.
Business Partners & Sponsors:
The Company may disclose some or all of Your Personal
Information to business partners or sponsors, but this use will be
specifically described to You prior to data collection or prior to
transferring the data. Many promotions offer opportunities to request
additional information from sponsors. By requesting more information,
You give The Company permission to transfer Your Personal Information to
the sponsor so they can fulfill Your request. In many instances, only
Your e-mail address will be shared. If more Personal Information will be
shared with the sponsor, You will be notified prior to the transfer.
Third Party & Aggregate Data:
From time to time, You may be offered the opportunity to
receive materials or special offers from third parties. If You opt to
receive information from these third parties, The Company will (with
Your permission) share Your name and e-mail address with such third
parties. Under confidentiality agreements, The Company may match
Personal Information with third party data. Also, The Company may keep
track of what portions of the Web Site Users are visiting and other User
statistics, and aggregate this information to help Us create a better
experience for Users of Our Web Site. This is all done without knowing
Your name or other Personal Information in order to describe Our viewers
and services to prospective partners, advertisers, and other third
parties, and for other lawful purposes.
Other:
The Company may also disclose account information in
special cases when We have reason to believe that disclosing this
information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action
against someone who may be violating Our Terms of Use, or may be causing
injury to or interference (either intentionally or unintentionally) with
any of The Company's rights or property, other Users, or anyone else.
The Company may disclose or access account information when We believe
in good faith that the law requires it and for administrative and other
purposes that We deem necessary to maintain, service, and improve Our
products and services.
What
Happens When You Link to a Third Party Site?
You should be aware
that when You are on The Company's and/or The Company-affiliates' Web
Site You can hyperlink, or be directed to, other Web sites that are
beyond Our control and/or outside Our service. For example, if You
"click" on a banner advertisement or a The Company search result, the
"click" may transfer You off Our Web Site. These other Web sites may
include sites of advertisers, sponsors, and partners that may use Our
and/or The Company-affiliates' logo as part of a co-branding agreement.
These other Web sites may send their own cookies to Users, collect data,
or solicit Information.
The Company and The
Company-affiliates do not control such Web sites, and, therefore, are
not responsible for their contents or the hyperlinks or advertising they
choose to place on such Web sites. The Company's and/or The
Company-affiliates' inclusion of hyperlinks to these Web sites do not
imply any endorsement of the material on such Web sites or any
association with their operators. Our Privacy Policy does not extend to
anything that is inherent in the operation of the Internet, which is
beyond The Company's and/or The Company-affiliates' control.
Please keep in mind
that whenever You give out information on-line (for example, via message
boards or forums) that information can be collected and used by people
You do not know. While The Company and The Company-affiliates strive to
protect Users' information and privacy, We cannot guarantee the security
of any information You disclose on-line, and You disclose such
information at Your own risk.
Is
Information Secure from Others Using the The Company Web Site?
The security of all
information associated with Our Users is an important concern to Us. We
exercise care in providing secure transmission of Your information from
Your computer to Our servers. Unfortunately, no data transmission over
the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while We
strive to protect Your information, The Company and The
Company-affiliates can't ensure or warrant the security of any
information You transmit to Us or from Our on-line products or services,
and You do so at Your own risk. Once We receive Your transmission, The
Company uses industry standard efforts to safeguard the confidentiality
of Your information, such as firewalls and Secure Socket Layers (SSL).
However, "perfect security" does not exist on the Internet.
YOUR
ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY
By using Our Web Site,
You signify Your agreement to The Company's Privacy Policy. IF YOU DO
NOT AGREE WITH THIS PRIVACY POLICY, PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS WEB SITE.
Your continued use of The Company's and/or The Company-affiliates' Web
sites following the posting of changes to these terms will mean You
accept those changes.
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