Privacy Policy
Metecom
Inc. Privacy Policy
We respect and are
committed to protecting your privacy. That is why we have adopted this Privacy
Policy. This Privacy Policy lets you know how your personal information is
processed and used. We promise that we will take steps to use your personal
information only in ways that are compatible with this Privacy Policy. The
following policies are only in effect for the Web pages, newsletters,
discussion lists and opt-in announcement lists owned and operated by Metecom
Inc.,
(“Metecom Inc.”). (The Metecom Inc. Network includes all Web sites and certain other
Internet media properties hyper linked from the Metecom Inc. home page.) The
following discloses our Privacy Policy.
What information are
you collecting and how are you collecting it?
Every computer connected
to the Internet is given a domain name and a set of numbers, that serve as that
computer's "Internet Protocol" IP address.
When a visitor requests a page from any Web site within the Metecom Inc. Network,
our Web servers automatically recognize that visitor's domain name and IP
address. The domain name and IP address reveal nothing personal about you other
than the IP address from which you have accessed our site. We use this
information to examine our traffic in aggregate, and to investigate misuse of
the Metecom Inc. Network, its users, or to cooperate with law enforcement. See also
Will you disclose the information you collect to outside third parties?
We do not collect and evaluate this information for specific individuals. Our
Web servers do not automatically record e-mail addresses of the visitors.
What are cookies?
From time to time,
Metecom Inc. or its advertisers may send a "cookie"
to your computer. A cookie is a small piece of data that is sent to your
Internet browser from a Web server and stored on your computer's hard drive. A
cookie can't read data off of your computer hard disk or read cookie files created
by other Web sites. Cookies do not damage your system. We use cookies to
identify which areas of Metecom Inc.'s Network you have visited or customized, so
the next time you visit, those pages may be readily accessible. Our advertisers
may also use cookies to ascertain how many times you've seen an advertisement.
Our advertisers and we may use this information to better personalize the
content, banners, and promotions that you see on our site. You can choose
whether to accept cookies by changing the settings of your Internet browser.
You can reset your browser to refuse all cookies, or allow your browser to show
you when a cookie is being sent. If you choose not to accept these cookies,
your experience at our Site and other Web sites may be diminished and some
features may not work as intended.
How do you use
single-pixel gifs?
Metecom Inc. and its
advertisers may use single-pixel gif images, sometimes referred to as web bugs
or web beacons, to count Web page accesses and gather some general statistical
information. Metecom Inc. does not gather personal information through the use of
these images. Our
advertisers may use
single-pixel gifs that can track personal information from cookies that may
have been previously placed on a user's computer by an advertiser.
What information do you
collect when I register for something?
Metecom Inc. offers access to
some services that require registration. We may use your registration contact
information to send notification to you of Metecom Inc. products and services by
e-mail and/or postal mail. We also may share that information with our clients.
Our clients may send you promotional material that is related to the topic of
the service for which you registered. We may also use your IP address
internally and share it with third parties. See Will you disclose the
information that you collect to outside third parties?
What other information
do you request?
We may also request your
e-mail address or mailing address for the purposes of conducting a survey or to
provide additional services (for example, subscriptions to e-mail newsletters,
announcement lists or information about conferences and trade shows). Whenever
we request the identity of a visitor, we will clearly indicate the purpose of
the inquiry before the information is requested. We maintain a strict
"No-Spam" policy that means that we do not sell, rent, or otherwise
give your e-mail address to a third-party, without your consent or as permitted
by this Privacy Policy.
We may from time to time
send e-mail announcing new Metecom Inc. products and services. Except as stated
above, Metecom Inc. will not send you e-mail that you have not agreed to receive.
If you choose to supply your postal address in an online form, you may receive
postal mailings from other third party companies.
When you sign up for an
Metecom Inc. discussion forum, your name or alias is recorded solely for purposes
of maintaining your own account within the forums. This information is not used
to monitor your activity within a forum, nor is it used to identify you outside
the Metecom Inc. network.
When you register for a
contest or other promotion, we may ask for your name, address, and e-mail
address so we can administer the contest and notify winners.
When you use co-branded
services, or those provided by a third party, within the Metecom Inc. Network, your
information may be passed to the co-brand or third party provider and their use
of your information is subject to their applicable privacy policies.
What information do you
collect when I purchase something?
If you are purchasing
something from an Metecom Inc. media property, we and any third party provider,
need to know your name, e-mail address, mailing address, credit card number and
expiration date. This allows us, or third party providers, to process and
fulfill your order and to
notify you of your order
status. This information may also be used by us to notify you of related
products and services. Credit card and e-mail information will not be shared or
sold to third parties for any purpose except as provided in this Privacy Policy
without your express permission.
Certain Metecom Inc. media
properties use a shopping cart feature that safeguards this information by
using industry standard SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encrypted servers. SSL codes
the information transferred between you and the server, rendering it unreadable
to anyone trying to intercept the information. Other Metecom Inc. media properties
do not use SSL and thereby do not offer a secure coded way to transfer
information.
Wherever Metecom Inc. collects
personal information we make an effort to include a link to this Privacy Policy
on that page.
Will you disclose the
information you collect to outside third parties?
Metecom Inc. will disclose
personal information and/or an IP address, when required by law or in the
good-faith belief that such action is necessary to:
1) Cooperate with the investigations of
purported unlawful activities and conform to the edicts of the law or comply
with legal process served on Metecom Inc.,
2)
Protect and defend the rights or property of the Metecom Inc. Network of sites and
related properties, or visitors to the Metecom Inc. Network of sites and related
properties,
3)
Identify persons who may be violating the law, the Metecom Inc. legal notice and
Web site User Agreement, the rights of third parties, or otherwise misusing the
Metecom Inc. Network or its related properties,
4)
Fulfill a user's order or request.
Metecom Inc. uses reasonable
precautions to keep the information disclosed to us secure. Metecom Inc. reserves
the right to transfer all such information in connection with the sale of all
or part of Metecom Inc.'s capital stock or assets. Furthermore, we are not
responsible for any breach of security or for any actions of any third parties
that receive the information. We are not responsible for such third party
privacy policies or how they treat information about their users
See below, What else should I know about my privacy when online? See
What information do you collect when I register for something.
Opt-in announcement
List Privacy Policy
As an added benefit to the
visitors of the Metecom Inc. Network of sites, we have a relationship with
PostMasterDirect, an independent, third party company that sends e-mail
announcements to individuals who request to receive them. When you sign up for
an Metecom Inc. e-mail newsletter, you are given the opportunity to also receive
announcement lists from PostmasterDirect. Whether you want to receive these
announcement lists is your choice; you should only receive those lists
you affirmatively choose
to. If you choose to receive a specific announcement list, you will receive
commercial messages that are related to the topic of the list from independent
third parties that have contracted with Metecom Inc. and/or PostMaster Direct to
send messages to the list. Personally identifiable information will not be used
by Metecom Inc. or PostMasterDirect for any purposes other than to deliver the
e-mail announcements. You may stop the arrival of these announcement lists at
What else should I know
about my privacy when online?
The Metecom Inc. Network
contains many hyperlinks to third party Web sites. The Metecom Inc. Network also
contains advertisements of third parties. Metecom Inc. is not responsible for the
privacy practices or the content of such third party Web sites or advertisers.
Metecom Inc. does not share any of the individual personal information you provide
Metecom Inc. with the third parties to which Metecom Inc. links, except as stated
elsewhere within this Privacy Policy, although Metecom Inc. may share general,
aggregate data with such third parties (such as how many people use our site).
Please check with those Web sites to determine their privacy policy.
Please keep in mind that
whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information online - for example
through e-mail, discussion lists, or elsewhere - that information can be
collected and used by others. In short, if you post personal information online
that is accessible to the public, you may receive unsolicited messages from
other parties in return.
Ultimately, you are solely
responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your personal information. Please be
careful and responsible whenever you're online.
Your Consent To This Agreement
By using the Metecom Inc.
Network, you consent to the collection and use of information by Metecom Inc. as
specified above. If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those
changes on this page so that you are always aware of what information we
collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we disclose it.
Please send any questions about Metecom Inc.'s Privacy Policy to: info@metecom.com