Effective Date: September 10, 2008
As a user of www.WalkingHotSpot.com (the "WHS Website"), your privacy is very important to us. You are entitled to know how your use of the WHS Website will affect your personal privacy. The WHS Website is owned or controlled by TapRoot Systems, Inc. ("TapRoot," "we," "our," or "us"). This Privacy Policy was developed as an extension of our commitment to combine quality products and services with integrity in dealing with our users.
The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to inform you about:
- what information about you will be collected by TapRoot through the WHS Website and the circumstances under which the information will be collected;
- how the information will be used or disclosed to others;
- what choices are available to you regarding collection, use and distribution of the information;
- what kind of security procedures are in place to protect against the loss, misuse or unauthorized alteration of information under TapRoot's control; and
- what steps you can take to have inaccuracies in the information corrected.
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. In addition, please review our Terms of Use, which govern your use of the WHS Website.
TYPES OF INFORMATION THAT MAY BE COLLECTED
The following are the types of information we may collect:
Web Site Usage Information & Device Identifiers
We may receive and store certain types of web site usage information whenever you visit or interact with the WHS Website. For example, we may collect the page served, the time, the source of the request, the type of browser making the request, the preceding page view, other similar information, and your IP address. We also may collect your IP address or some other unique identifier for the particular device you use to access the Internet, as applicable (collectively referred to in this Privacy Policy as a "Device Identifier"). A Device Identifier is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer, your cell phone, or other device used to access the Internet, and our computers identify your device by its Device Identifier. We may associate your Device Identifier with the personal information you provide. When analyzed, web site usage information helps us determine how visitors arrive at the WHS Website, what type of content is most popular, and what type of visitors are interested in particular kinds of content and advertising.
Information You Provide Us
We may ask you to provide us with two types of information: (1) personal information, which is information that could reasonably be used to identify you personally, such as your name, e-mail address, cell phone number and cellular carrier, and physical address; and (2) demographic information, such as age, gender, zip code, or similar information. We may collect this information at various places and forms on the WHS Website, including registration forms for newsletters and other communications (e.g., whether by e-mail, mobile device, etc.), when you communicate or otherwise interact with us, when you submit information to us (whether or not the information is intended to be posted on the WHS Website), surveys or voting or when you purchase a product or service through the WHS Website. You may also be asked to choose a user name and password in order to identify yourself during future visits to the WHS Website. Providing us with information about yourself is your choice, and you can always choose not to provide certain information, but then you may not be able to take advantage of some of the WHS Website features.
Information from Other Sources
We may receive information about you from other sources; for example, we may obtain geographic or demographic information, or information regarding your possible interests, from third parties, or we may receive information from a reseller or marketing partner in connection with a co-branded web site or promotion. We may combine the information we receive from those other sources with information we collect through the WHS Website. In those cases, we will apply this Privacy Policy to any personal information received, unless otherwise specifically disclosed by us at the time you provide your personal information.
HOW INFORMATION MAY BE COLLECTED
Cookies
The WHS Website uses standard technology called "cookies", which are small data files that are transferred to your computer (or other Internet-accessing device) when you visit the WHS Website and allow your browser to accept cookies. Cookies automatically identify your web browser to the WHS Website whenever you visit the WHS Website, and may make navigating and using the WHS Website easier for you. Also, by tracking how and when you use the WHS Website, cookies help us determine which areas are popular and which are not. Many improvements and updates to the WHS Website are based on data obtained from cookies. Additionally, accepting cookies may allow you to, among other things, personalize your experience on the WHS Website. Cookies may also allow the WHS Website to present to you advertising that may be of interest to you as well as limit how often you see certain ads that may detract from your user experience on the WHS Website. If you do not want to allow information to be collected through the use of cookies, you can generally opt out of providing this information by setting your browser to reject cookies. However, please be aware that some areas of the WHS Website may not provide you with an acceptable user experience if you have disabled the use of cookies.
Web Beacons
The WHS Website and any communications sent by the WHS Website may contain electronic images (generally, single-pixel ".gif" images) called "web beacons". These web beacons allow us and third parties to monitor and collect certain information about the viewer of the web page, web-based document, e-mail message or other communication, such as the type of browser requesting the web beacon, the Device Identifier of the device that the web beacon is sent to, and the time the web beacon was viewed. Our use of web beacons on the WHS Website, include, without limitation, the following:
- Counting unique users (actually, unique web browsers), visits and page views;
- Monitoring traffic and conversion patterns through our various product and service offerings on the WHS Website. For example, web beacons may be integrated into a merchandise product page as well as the subsequent shopping cart, transaction, and verification pages;
- Personalizing your experience when you visit the WHS Website, including the advertising and content you see; or
- Determining whether or not messages were opened, links were clicked or notifications/offers were acted upon.
HOW WE USE THE INFORMATION COLLECTED
The information you provide to us may be used to:
- Send you newsletters and/or other communications for which you have registered;
- Contact you about the WHS Website, including, without limitation, in our sole discretion to notify you of changes to this Privacy Policy, the Web Site's Terms of Use, if any, or other policies that affect your use of the WHS Website;
- Confirm or fulfill an order you have made;
- Provide special offers or promotional materials to you on behalf of us or third parties;
- Authorize a purchase or complete a transaction that you have requested, i.e., to deliver the products or other services that you ordered, and, if necessary, to invoice you;
- Monitor or improve the WHS Website;
- Administer the WHS Website systems and for other internal business purposes;
- Customize the advertising and content you see;
- Comply with and monitor compliance with our Terms of Use, if any, and other applicable agreements and polices; and
- For other purposes disclosed when you provide your information.
Moreover, if you submit to TapRoot and/or the WHS Website comments, photographs, videos, music, text or other content, it may be published online or offline (including on-air, on a CD or DVD, through wireless distribution, and transmission of soft copies, or any other media or format currently existing or hereafter developed), and we may publish your name, voice, likeness and other personal information in connection with publishing the content or a portion of the content, and we may use the content and any excerpt from the content in connection with advertising, marketing, publicity and promotional activities.
Please note that information submitted to the WHS Website via a "contact us," or other similar mechanisms will not necessarily receive a response. We will not use any such information you provide to contact you for marketing purposes unrelated to your request.
THIRD-PARTY AD SERViCES & AUDIENCE AND TRAFFIC MEASUREMENT SERVICES
The WHS Website may use third party network advertisers to serve advertisements on the WHS Website and may use a traffic measurement service to analyze traffic on the WHS Website. Network advertisers are third parties that display advertisements based on your visits to the WHS Website and other web sites you have visited. Third-party ad serving enables us to target advertisements to you for products and services in which you might be interested. Although advertisers and other companies do not have access to cookies set by the WHS Website, the WHS Website third party ad network providers, the advertisers, the sponsors, and/or traffic measurement services may themselves set and access their own cookies on your computer if you choose to have cookies enabled in your browser. These third party cookies are set to, among other things, help deliver advertisements to you that you might be interested in, to prevent you from seeing the same advertisements too many times and to conduct research regarding the usefulness of certain advertisements are to you. Note that any images (or any other parts of a web page) served by third parties in association with third party cookies may serve as web beacons, which enable third parties to carry out the previously described activities. Third party cookies and web beacons are governed by each third party's specific privacy policy, not this one. While we may use a variety of companies to serve advertisements on the WHS Website, you may wish to visit http://www.networkadvertising.org which provides information regarding the "opt-out" procedures of certain third party ad servers we may use.
WITH WHOM INFORMATION MAY BE SHARED
Except as otherwise disclosed at the time you provide your information, the following outlines the ways in which your information may be shared with others:
Third parties providing services on our behalf
We employ third parties to perform functions on our behalf; examples include hosting or operating WHS Website, resellers, fulfilling orders for products and services purchased through the WHS Website, sending e-mail and/or other communications, providing wireless services, removing repetitive information from customer lists, data analysis, marketing assistance, credit card payment processing, and customer service. These third parties may have access to your personal information for the purpose of performing such functions on the WHS Website' behalf.
Non-Personal Information
We may share non-personal information, such as aggregate user statistics, demographic information, and web site usage information with third parties.
When You Agree To Receive Information From Third Parties
You may be presented with an opportunity to receive information and/or marketing offers from third party(s). If you do not agree to have your personal information shared, your personal information will not be shared with such third party(s) for direct marketing purposes. If you do agree to have your personal information shared, your personal information will be disclosed to such third party(s) and all information you disclose will be subject to the privacy policy and practices of such third party(s). We are not responsible for the privacy policies and practices of such third party(s) and, therefore, you should review the privacy policies and practices of such third party(s) prior to agreeing to receive such information from third party(s). If you later decide that you no longer want to receive communication from a third party, you will need to contact that third party directly.
Products and Services Offered in Partnership with Third-Party(s)
The WHS Website may be provided to you in partnership with third party(s) ("Co-Branded Sites") and may require you to disclose personal information in order to register for and access products and/or services. Such Co-Branded Sites will identify the third party partner(s). If you elect to register for such products and/or services at Co-Branded Sites you may be providing your information to both Company and the third party partner(s) and your information may be subject to a separate privacy policy available at the point of registration. Further, if you sign-in to a Co-Branded Site with a user name and password obtained at the WHS Website, you are automatically registering with any Co-Branded Site and your personal information may be disclosed to the identified third party partner(s) for that Co-Branded Site and will be subject to the posted privacy policy(ies).
Business Transfers
TapRoot may share the information collected through the WHS Website with and among its subsidiaries and affiliates. TapRoot, or any of it assets including the WHS Website, may be sold, or other transactions may occur in which your personal information is one of the key business assets for the transaction. In such a case, your personal information may be one of the business assets we transfer. As a result, TapRoot reserves the right to disclose and transfer user information, including personal information, in connection with a corporate merger, consolidation, restructuring, the sale of substantially all of our assets, or other corporate change.
Legal Protections and Law Enforcement
We may disclose information about our users, including your personal information, in the event we are required to respond to subpoenas, court orders, legal process, or other valid law enforcement measures; to comply with a legal obligation; at the request of governmental authorities conducting an investigation; to verify or enforce compliance with the policies governing the WHS Website and applicable laws; or to protect the legal rights, interests, or safety of the WHS Website, our users, or others. We may also use Device Identifiers to identify users, and may do so in cooperation with copyright owners, internet service providers, or law enforcement agencies in our sole discretion. Such disclosures may be carried out without notice to you.
CORRECTING/UPDATING PERSONAL INFORMATION
The WHS Website may contain web pages through which you can change your subscriptions or correct or update the personal information you have provided to us through registration with the WHS Website or one or more of the Co-Branded Sites.
CHAT ROOMS, FORUMS, AND MESSAGE BOARDS
The WHS Website may make chat rooms, forums and message boards available to its users. If you post personal information online, it will be publicly available and you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties. We cannot ensure the security of any information you choose to make public in a chat room, forum, or message board. Also, we cannot ensure that parties who have access to such publicly available information will respect your privacy. Please exercise caution when disclosing personal information in these areas. Your use of chat rooms, forums and message boards is subject to our Terms of Use, if any.
THIRD PARTY CONTENT AND LINKS TO OTHER WEB SITES
When you are on the WHS Website you may be directed to other sites that are operated and controlled by third parties that are beyond our control. For example, if you "click" on a banner advertisement, the "click" may take you off the WHS Website onto a different web site. This includes links from advertisers, sponsors and partners that may use the WHS Website logo as part of a co-branding agreement. These other web sites may send their own cookies to you, independently collect data, or solicit personal information and may or may not have their own published privacy policies. If you visit a web site that is linked from our WHS Website, you should consult that web site's privacy policy before providing any personal information.
CONSENT TO TRANSFER
The WHS Website is operated in the United States. If you are located in the European Union, Canada or elsewhere outside of the United States, please be aware that any information you provide to us will be transferred to the United States. By using the WHS Website or providing us with your information, you consent to this transfer.
SECURITY
Company incorporates reasonable safeguards to help protect and secure your personal information. However, no data transmission over the Internet, or wireless transmission, or electronic storage of information can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Please note that TapRoot cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to TapRoot via its WHS Website, and you do so at your own risk.
UNDER AGE 13? A SPECIAL NOTE FOR PARENTS CONCERNING PRIVACY
No person under age 13 should disclose personal information on the WHS Website or any Co-Branded Site. The WHS Website is a general audience web site. We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children younger than the age of thirteen (13) on the WHS Website and we will delete any information later determined to be from a user younger than thirteen (13). You may learn more about protecting children's privacy online by visiting http://www.ftc.gov/kidzprivacy/
DATA RETENTION POLICY
Any data provided on this site will be retained and not permanently deleted when cancelling your account.
NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES AND YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE PRIVACY POLICY
By using the WHS Website, you acknowledge your agreement to the terms of this Privacy Policy. From time to time, we may update this Privacy Policy. However, we will use your personal information in a manner consistent with the Privacy Policy in effect at the time you submitted the information, unless you consent to the new or revised policy. Your use of the WHS Website or any Co-Branded Site within one month after a, updated or revised Privacy Policy is posted will be deemed acceptance of the updated or revised Privacy Policy.