Privacy

Scope

This privacy policy applies only to the Site. This policy does not apply to information collected through any other website or to the practices of companies that the Company does not control. Please note that the Site may contain links to other websites. For example, if you click on an advertisement on the Site and link to another website, then this privacy policy will not apply to any information collected on that website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites, and we recommend that you read the privacy policies of each website that you visit.

What Information The Site Collects

Information you provide directly to us:

You are not required to provide information directly to us in order to view the Site. However, when you use certain Site functions, such as when you register for certain services, access certain content or features, or directly contact the Site, we may ask you to provide information, including:

1. contact information, such as name and email address;
2. username and password;
3. information posted in community discussions and other interactive online features;
4. search queries conducted on the Site; and
5. correspondence you send to us.

Information automatically collected when you visit and interact with the Site:

When you visit and interact with the Site, certain information may be collected automatically, including:

1. your computer’s Internet Protocol (IP) address;
2. your browser type and operating system;
3. the web pages you were visiting immediately before and after you came to the Site;
4. activities within community discussions;
5. web pages and advertisements that you view, and links that you click on, within the Site;
6. your bandwidth speed and information about the software programs that are installed on your computer;
7. aggregated data about email click-through rates and user video viewing;
8. standard server log information; and
9. information collected through HTML cookies, Flash cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies.

For more information, please see our discussion of cookies and other tracking technologies.
Information we collect from other sources:

We may access information about you from third-party sources and platforms (such as Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting, social networking sites, databases, online marketing firms, and ad targeting firms), including:

if you access third-party social networking services (such as Facebook Connect or Twitter) through the Site, your username and connection lists for those services;

1. demographic data, such as age range, gender, and interests;
2. advertisement interaction and viewing data, such as ad click-through rates and information about how many times you viewed a particular ad; and
3. unique identifiers, including mobile device identification numbers, that can identify the physical
4. location of such devices in accordance with applicable law.

Please note that the Site may combine the information that we collect with information we obtain from third-party sources.

How We Use The Information That We Collect

We use the information that we collect for a number of legitimate interests:

Email Communications:

We may use the information that we collect to send you e-mail communications, such as information about your account or changes to the Site, promotional messages about our own or our marketing partners’ products and services, and our email newsletters.

Advertising:

In order to provide our readers with free access to our content, we display advertisements on the Site, many of which are targeted based on information about you. For example, using information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other sources, we may use demographic data or information about your online activities or interests to display targeted advertising that may be relevant to your preferences. Through this process, advertisers reach Site visitors who are most interested in their products, and you see advertising for products or services in which you may be interested. For more information on how cookies and other technologies work, please see our Cookie Policy.

Third-party advertisers and advertising platforms also may serve targeted ads on the Site. For more information, please see our section on third-party online advertising. Please remember that the information practices of third-party advertisers or platforms collecting data on our Site are not covered by this privacy policy.

User Accounts:

To provide you with an open, but also civil, discussion forum, we track user involvement in our community discussions. For example, our forum moderators monitor discussions and delete comments that we deem inappropriate in our forums. For more information on this process, please see the Site’s community rules, forum rules or comment policies about comment moderation guidelines.

Request Fulfillment:

We may use the information that we collect to fulfill your requests for products, services, and information. For example, we may use your contact information to respond to your customer service requests or to enable you to participate in features on the Site such as surveys, polls, sweepstakes, and message boards.

Statistical Analysis:

In order to learn more about how our Site is used, we aggregate and analyze the data that we collect. We may use this information, for example, to monitor and analyze use of the Site, to increase our Site’s functionality, and to better tailor our content and design to suit our visitors’ needs.

Enforcement:

We may use the information that we collect to prevent illegal activities, to enforce the Site’s Terms and Conditions, and to otherwise protect our rights and the rights of our users.

By using the Site, you consent to the uses identified above and any other use of information identified in this privacy policy. In addition, we may use the information that we collect for any other purposes disclosed to you at the time we collect your information or pursuant to your consent.

Information Sharing

The Company values your privacy, and shares information about our users only under certain circumstances. We will make information about you available to other companies, applications, or people in the circumstances listed below:

1. We may share aggregated information or information that does not directly identify you with third parties to help us develop content, services, and advertising that we hope you will find of interest.
2. Please note that we do not share contact information with third parties that advertise on the Site unless you opt-in or otherwise agree to have such information shared with or otherwise disclosed to a third party for marketing purposes.
3. We may employ third parties to perform Site-related services, including database management, maintenance services, analytics, marketing, data processing, and email and text message distribution. These third parties have access to your information only to perform these tasks on our behalf.
4. If you choose to engage in public activities on the site, such as posting comments on community message boards, any information you submit can be read, collected, or used by others. Please exercise caution when deciding to disclose any personal information in public activities or submissions.
5. We may share information about you in the event that the Site is acquired by or merged with another company or a similar corporate transaction takes place.
6. We may share information about you to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety or other rights and interests of any person, violations of the Site’s Terms and Conditions, or as otherwise required by law.
7. We may share information about you to respond to subpoenas, search warrants, judicial proceedings, court orders, legal process, or other law enforcement measures, to establish or exercise our legal rights, or to defend against legal claims.

In addition to the scenarios identified above, we may share information about you for any other purposes disclosed to you at the time we collect your information or pursuant to your consent.
Once we share your information with another party, the information received by that party becomes subject to the other party’s privacy policies. Please note that third parties may independently collect data about you, including your IP address and information about the websites you visit and the links you click, through cookies, clicks on links, or other means when you visit or view ads on the Site. For more information, see our section on cookies and other tracking technologies and third-party online advertising.

EU Data Subject Rights

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the right to: (a) request access to your personal data and rectification of inaccurate personal data; (b) request erasure of your personal data; (c) request restrictions on the processing of your personal data; (d) object to processing your personal data; and/or (e) the right to data portability (“collectively, “Requests”). We will honor all such Requests but we can only process Requests from a user whose identity has been verified. To verify your identity, please provide your email address or [URL] when you make a request. For more information about how to get access to personal data and for exercising your rights, you can submit a request to [email protected] with “Personal Data Request” in the subject line of the message. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

Confidentiality And Security

We limit access to contact information about you to employees or service providers who we believe reasonably need to come into contact with that information to provide products or services to you or in order to do their jobs. We also have adopted commercially reasonable technical, physical, and administrative procedures to help protect information about you from loss, misuse, and alteration.

Please note that no data transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. We want you to feel confident using the Site, but we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us.

Children Under 13

Protecting the privacy of young children is especially important. The Site is designed to be of service and interest to users ages 13 and older. If you are a minor over the age of 13, you may only use this Site with the permission and under the supervision of your parent or guardian. If you are a minor under the age of 13, you are not allowed to provide any personal information to the Company, on the Site or through any other service provided by the Company. Please do not send any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, or email address.

The Company does not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from anyone under the age of 13 or knowingly allow such persons to register. In the event that we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information as quickly as possible.

If you believe that we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at [email protected].

Changes To The Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to change this policy at any time. Please check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of our Site following the posting of changes to these terms will constitute acceptance of those changes. Information collected prior to the time any change is posted will be used according to the rules and law that applied at the time the information was collected.