"Non-Personally-Identifying Information" is information that, without the aid of additional information, cannot be directly associated with a specific person. "Personally-Identifying Information", by contrast, is information such as a name or email address that, without more, can be directly associated with a specific person. Like most website operators, Company gathers from users of the Website Non-Personally-Identifying Information of the sort that Web browsers, depending on their settings, may make available. That information includes the user's Internet Protocol (IP) address, operating system and browser type, and the locations of the Web pages the user views right before arriving at, while navigating and immediately after leaving the Website. Company analyzes Non-Personally-Identifying Information gathered from users of the Website to help Company better understand how the Website is being used. By identifying patterns and trends in usage, Company is able to better design the Website to improve users' experiences, both in terms of content and ease of use. From time to time, Company may also release the Non-Personally-Identifying Information gathered from Website users in the aggregate, such as by publishing a report on trends in the usage of the Website.
A "Web Cookie" is a string of information that a website stores on a user's computer, and that the user's browser provides to the website each time the user submits a query to the site. Company uses Web Cookies to track the pages that users visit during each Website session, both to help Company improve users' experiences and to help Company understand how the Website is being used. As with other Non-Personally-Identifying Information gathered from users of the Website, Company analyzes and discloses in aggregated form information gathered using Web Cookies, so as to help Company, its partners and others better understand how the Website is being used. Company does not attempt to link information gathered using Web Cookies to Personally-Identifying Information. COMPANY USERS WHO DO NOT WISH TO HAVE WEB COOKIES PLACED ON THEIR COMPUTERS SHOULD SET THEIR BROWSERS TO REFUSE WEB COOKIES BEFORE ACCESSING THE WEBSITE, WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT CERTAIN FEATURES OF THE WEBSITE MAY NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY WITHOUT THE AID OF WEB COOKIES. WEBSITE USERS WHO REFUSE WEB COOKIES ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY RESULTING LOSS OF FUNCTIONALITY.
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit the Website. These companies may use information (not including any Personally-Identifying Information) about your visits to this and other websites that are contained in Web Cookies in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. Using a tool created by the Network Advertising Initiative, you can opt out of several third party ad servers' and networks' Web Cookies simultaneously. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, please follow the following link: http://networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp. Please contact us if you would like to know the identity of the third-party advertising companies we are currently using to serve ads.
A "Web Beacon" is an object that is embedded in a web page that is usually invisible to the user and allows website operators to check whether a user has viewed a particular web page. Company may use Web Beacons on the Website to count users who have visited particular pages and to deliver co-branded services. Web Beacons are not used to access users' Personally-Identifying Information; they are a technique Company may use to compile aggregated statistics about Website usage. Web Beacons collect only a limited set of information including a Web Cookie number, time and date of a page view, and a description of the page on which the Web Beacon resides. You may not decline Web Beacons, however, they can be rendered ineffective by declining all Web Cookies or modifying your browser setting to notify you each time a Web Cookie is tendered and permit you to accept or decline Web Cookies on an individual basis.
As defined above, Personally-Identifying Information is information that can be directly associated with a specific person. Company collects a range of Personally-Identifying Information from and about Website users. Much of the Personally-Identifying Information collected by Company about users is information provided by users themselves at the time they sign up to submit materials for a Website interactive program. That information may include each user's name, address, email address, and telephone number. Currently, we don't collect financial information, because our third party payment processor collects all such information directly from users. However, this arrangement could change in the future, and, if you transact business with us, we may then collect financial information such as your payment method (valid credit card number, type, expiration date or other financial information). We also may request information about your interests and activities, your gender, age, date of birth, username, hometown and other demographic information, and other relevant information as determined by Company from time to time. Users of the Website are under no obligation to provide Company with Personally-Identifying Information of any kind, with the caveat that a user's refusal to do so may prevent the user from using certain Website features.
Marketing Communications. Unless users opt-out from receiving Company marketing materials upon registration, Company will email users about products and services that Company believes may be of interest to them and Company also will provide users' email information to third parties, so that those third parties may directly contact users about additional products and services. If a user wishes to opt-out of receiving marketing materials from Company or having their email information provided to third parties at any time after registration, users may do so by going to your account settings or contacting us using the contact information below. Even after opting-out, a user may continue to receive marketing emails from third parties to whom Company already has provided the user's email information. Users will be responsible for directly contacting such third parties to request cessation of further marketing emails.
Company may offer users the ability to send friends emails about the Website. If users choose to use this feature, be assured that Company only uses friends' email addresses on a one-time basis to send the requested email.