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ASCEND MEDIA,
LLC (referred to in this Privacy Statement as "we" or "Ascend")
recognize the importance of protecting the privacy of all information
provided by users of our web sites, subscribers to our magazines,
registrants for our events, recipients of our e-mail newsletters and all
other customers of our products and services. We created this policy
with a fundamental respect for our customers' right to privacy and to
guide our relationships with our customers. This Privacy Statement
discloses the privacy practices for all products and services owned by
Ascend. A current list of our publications, web sites, online webcasts,
newsletters and trade shows can be found at
http://www.ascendmedia.com/.
INFORMATION COLLECTION AND USE
Ascend collects information from our website users, subscribers and
other customers. In this section of our Privacy Statement, we describe
the type of information we collect and how we use it to provide services
to our customers.
Registration and Ordering
When attending our trade shows and other in-person events, participating
in our customer-sponsored webcasts, using some of our websites and
signing up for certain selected services (such as free subscriptions),
users must first register. During registration, users are required to
give their contact information (such as name, e-mail address, mailing
address and phone number). For internal purposes, we use this
information to communicate with users and provide requested services,
and, for our website visitors, to provide a more personalized experience
on our sites. We also may collect demographic information (such as job
title and purchasing responsibilities, company information and
professional certification). We use aggregate demographic information
about our audience to improve our service, for marketing purposes and/or
industry reporting purposes.
Many of our
products and services are free to subscribers who meet certain
demographic criteria. Independent auditors may need to certify the
eligibility of these subscribers. In order the auditors, we may collect
unique identifiers (such as mother's maiden name) that we disclose to
the auditors strictly for industry reporting and audit verification
purposes.
For our services
that require payment (such as certain events, products and
subscriptions), we also collect credit card information (such as account
name, number and expiration date), which is used for our or our agent's
billing purposes only; credit card information is not otherwise shared.
E-mail Newsletters
If users wish to subscribe to our e-mail newsletters, we ask for contact
information (such as name, e-mail address and, occasionally, demographic
information). We use this information in the same manner as we use
contact information in the registration and ordering process described
above. Recipients of our newsletters can unsubscribe using the
instructions listed at the end of the e-mail newsletter.
Surveys and Contests
From time to time we invite web site users and other customers to
provide information via surveys or contests. Participation in these
surveys or contests is completely voluntary and the website user or
other customer therefore has a choice whether to disclose requested
contact information (such as name and mailing address) and demographic
information (such as zip code or job title). In addition to the other
uses set forth in this policy, contact information collected in
connection with surveys and contests is used to notify the winners and
award prizes and to monitor or improve the use of, and satisfaction with
the website or other Ascend products or services. Subject to the given
customer's preferences (as described in the "Permission" section below),
such information also may be shared with third party sponsors of such
surveys or contests.
Interactive Features
At some of our sites, we offer interactive and community features such
as discussion boards, webcasts and user profiles. Note that all personal
information sent or posted via such features becomes public information
for which we are not responsible.
Tell-A-Friend
If customers elect to use our referral service for informing a friend
about our sites and services, we may ask them for the friend's name, job
title and e-mail address. Ascend will store and use this information to
send the friend an invitation. This information may also be used to
provide information about our company and related products and services.
The friend may contact us as specified in the tell-a-friend message to
request that no further communications be sent.
Communications with Us
We have features where our customers can submit information to us (such
as our feedback forms). Where such submissions include requests for
service, support or information, we may forward them to our agents, as
needed, to best respond to the specific request. In addition, we may
retain e-mails and other information sent to us for our internal
administrative purposes, and to help us to serve customers better.
Please note that letters to the editor and similar submissions may be
made public.
Communications from Us (Service Updates, Special Offers)
In order to best serve our customers, we may send updates that contain
important information about our products and services. For example, we
will send new members a welcoming message, and verify password and
username for our password-protected web sites. We may also communicate
with a customer to provide requested services and for account-related
issues via e-mail, phone or regular mail. In addition to such service-
and product-essential messages, we offer our customers the option to
receive information about our company, related products, services and
special deals. Users, however, can choose not to receive these
communications from us, as set forth in the "Permission" section below.
Automatic Data Collection
Our web sites, newsletters and, from time to time, certain other
products and services have features that automatically collect
information from customers, to deliver content specific to customers'
interests and to honor their preferences. This information assists us in
creating products and services that will serve the needs of our
customers.
For example, we
use "cookies," a piece of data stored on the user's hard drive
containing information about the user. Cookies benefit the user by
requiring login only once, thereby saving time while on our web site. If
users reject the cookies, they may be limited in the use of some areas
of our web site. For example, the user may not be able to participate in
sweepstakes, contests or drawings. Additionally, we may note some of the
pages the user visits on our web sites and via our e-mail newsletters
through the use of pixel tags (also called clear gifs) and web beacons.
The use of cookies, pixels and web beacons enable us to track and target
the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our sites and
via our e-mail newsletters.
In addition,
some of our business affiliates use cookies on our web sites and in our
e-mail newsletters, in ads or promotions. We have no access to or
control over these business affiliates' cookies; we urge users to read
their privacy policies for information.
We use
third-party advertising technology to serve ads for Ascend products and
services when you visit certain Ascend Web sites. This technology uses
information about your visits to these Ascend Web sites (not including
your name, address, or other personal information), to serve our ads to
you. In the course of serving our advertisements to you, a unique
third-party cookie may be placed or recognized on your browser. In
addition, we use web beacons, provided by our ad-serving partner, to
help manage our online advertising for Ascend products and services.
These web beacons enable our ad server to recognize a browser's cookie
when a browser visits these sites and to learn which banner ads bring
users to our Web sites. The information used in this process is not
personally identifiable.
We also use an
e-mail delivery and marketing company to send e-mails (including
newsletters) for which you have registered (or otherwise agreed to
receive). Web beacons and cookies may be used in such e-mail messages to
help us measure the effectiveness of our advertising and how customers
use our web sites and other products and services.
For our internal
purposes, we gather date, time, browser type, navigation history and IP
address of all visitors to our web sites. This information does not
contain anything that can identify users personally. We use this
information for our internal security audit log, trend analysis and
system administration, and to gather broad demographic information about
our user base for aggregate use.
We may combine
demographic information supplied by a customer at registration with web
site usage data to provide general profiles, in aggregate non-personally
identifiable form, about our customers and their preferences in the
content of the site and advertising. We may share this composite
information with our advertisers and business affiliates to help them
better understand our services.
WITH WHOM YOUR INFORMATION IS SHARED
When we have co-branded, customized, private label, or sponsored
products and services, or when we join with other parties to provide
specific services (we do not share credit card information with
such third parties), then we may share (provide and receive) personal
information with such third parties, subject to the customer's
preferences (as described in the "Permission" section below). In
particular, please note that information collected in connection with
online webcasts will be shared with the sponsor of the particular
webcast(s)/seminar(s), subject to the given customer's preferences (as
described in the "Permission" section below).
These sponsors
will use the information according to their own privacy policies, and we
urge participants to read those policies and be aware of their privacy
practices before registering.
We may provide
targeted lists of names and offline and online contact information for
marketing purposes to third parties, subject to our Permission policies,
as described below, pursuant to which we give customers the option of
not having their name or contact information disclosed to third parties.
Other than as
set forth above, we do not share personally identifiable information
with other companies, apart from those acting as our agents in providing
our product(s)/service(s), and our agents agree to use it only for that
purpose and to keep the information secure and confidential. Also, our
subsidiary and affiliate companies, entities into which our company may
be merged, or entities to which any of our assets, products, sites or
operations may be transferred, will be able to use personal information.
We will also
disclose information we maintain when required to do so by law, for
example, in response to a court order or a subpoena or other legal
obligation, in response to a law enforcement agency's request, or 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 causing injury to or interference with
(either intentionally or unintentionally) our rights or property. Users
should also be aware that courts of equity, such as U.S. Bankruptcy
Courts, might have the authority under certain circumstances to permit
personal information to be shared or transferred to third parties
without permission.
We may share
aggregate information, which is not personally identifiable, with
others. This information may include usage and demographic data, but it
will not include personal information.
CORRECTION/UPDATING PERSONAL INFORMATION
If your personally identifiable information changes (such as zip code),
or if you no longer desire our product(s)/service(s), we provide a way
to correct or update your personal data: you may either contact Customer
Support for the applicable product or service or, to change your
preferences, communicate them to us as described in the "Permission"
section below.
PERMISSION
Our customers are given the opportunity to decline to continue to
receive information from our affiliates and us not directly related to
the product or service for which they registered (or which they
otherwise agreed to receive). Other than the sharing of user information
with certain sponsors, as set forth in the "With Whom Your Information
Is Shared" section above, customers also have the opportunity to choose
whether to have personal information shared with third parties for
marketing purposes. Customers also can contact us at
info@ascendmedia.com to
change their preferences.
In addition, for
those customers who are California residents, you may have additional
rights, as described in the "Your California Privacy Rights" section
below.
Please note that
we will endeavor to implement your permission requests within a
reasonable time, although for a time you may continue to receive
mailings, etc., transmitted based on information released prior to the
implementation of your request. In addition, please note that even after
such request is implemented, you will continue to receive information
directly related to the product or service for which you registered (or
which you otherwise agreed to receive), so you always are kept informed.
YOUR
CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS
California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits customers who are
California residents to request that Ascend not share your personal
information with third parties for their direct marketing use. To make
such a request, please e-mail us at
info@ascendmedia.com or
write us at:
Privacy Requests
Ascend Media, LLC
7015 College Blvd
Suite 600
Overland Park, KS 66211
SECURITY
We use reasonable precautions to protect our
customers' personal information and to store it securely. Sensitive
information transmitted to us online (such as credit card number) is
encrypted and transmitted to us securely. In addition, access to all of
our customers' information, not just the sensitive information mentioned
above, is restricted. Only employees who need the information to perform
a specific job (for example, a billing clerk or a customer service
representative) are granted access to personally identifiable
information. Finally, the servers on which we store personally
identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.
LINKS
Our web sites contain links to other sites. Ascend is not responsible
for the privacy practices or content of such other sites. We encourage
our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy
statements of each web site to which we may link that may collect
personally identifiable information.
CHILDREN
Ascend websites are not directed at individuals less than thirteen years
of age, and Ascend does not intend to collect any personally
identifiable information from such individuals.
NOTIFICATION and CHANGES
If we change our Privacy Statement, we will post those changes on this
page so our users are aware of what information we collect, how we use
it and under which circumstances, if any, we disclose it. Users should
check this policy frequently to keep abreast of any changes.
For questions
about this Privacy Statement, contact:
Corporate
Communications
Ascend Media, LLC
7015 College Blvd.
Suite 600
Overland Park, KS 66211
Telephone: (913) 469-1110
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