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Lycos Network Privacy Policy
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 | TRUSTe Certification |
Welcome to the Lycos Network, owned and produced by Lycos, Inc. and its subsidiary and affiliate corporations, successors, and assigns (collectively referred to as "Lycos").
Lycos is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program. TRUSTe is an independent, non-profit organization with a mission to build trust and confidence in the Internet by promoting the principles of disclosure and informed consent. Because Lycos wants to demonstrate its commitment to your privacy, we have agreed to disclose our information practices and have our privacy practices reviewed and audited for compliance by TRUSTe.
The Lycos Network Products and Services (collectively, the "Products and Services") are offered by Lycos through Web pages at or linked to the URLs www.lycos.com, www.gamesville.com, www.tripod.com, www.angelfire.com, www.quote.com, www.ragingbull.com, mail.lycos.com, www.htmlGEAR.com, www.wired.com, www.hotwired.com, www.webmonkey.com, www.whowhere.com, www.hotbot.com, www.lycoszone.com, and www.sonique.com (collectively referred to as the "Lycos Network," which may expand or change from time to time). All Products and Service on the Lycos Network are made available subject to this Privacy Policy. By using the Products and Services, you agree, without limitation or qualification, to be bound by this Privacy Policy or any other privacy or data collection policy applicable to any individual Lycos Network Web site.
The Lycos Network Privacy Policy discloses our privacy practices and contains detailed information about the following:
Questions regarding this statement should be directed to:
Lycos Privacy Site Coordinator
Lycos, Inc.
400-2 Totten Pond Road
Waltham, MA 02154
(781) 370-2700
(781) 370-2600 (Fax)
privacy@lycos.com
If you do not receive acknowledgment of your inquiry or your inquiry has not been satisfactorily addressed, you should then contact TRUSTe, who will serve as a liaison with the Lycos Network to resolve your concerns. You may also contact them with general questions about the TRUSTe Seal Program:
TRUSTe Certification
1180 Coleman Avenue, Suite 202
San Jose, CA 95110
(408) 342-1940
(408) 342-1950 (Fax)
info@truste.org
Please note that the Lycos Network contains links to other sites and occasionally allows other sites to be co-branded with the Lycos name. While we endeavor to ensure that the privacy policy of each site conforms to our own, Lycos cannot represent or guarantee that they do so. Bear in mind that such sites that are linked to Lycos Network sites, or carry the Lycos brand for co-branding or marketing purposes, may have privacy policies which differ from that of the Lycos Network.
The Lycos Network will update this policy from time to time so please check back periodically. When such changes occur, you will see the word "updated" next to the Privacy Policy link on the front page of each site on the Lycos Network. If at any point we decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will prominently post such changes prior to implementing them.
Our goal is to become your favorite Internet destination by providing the information, services, and product offerings that are most relevant to you. To achieve this goal, the Lycos Network must collect information so we can understand what makes you different from its millions of other unique users.
Information collected online is usually defined as being either anonymous or personally identifiable.
- Anonymous information
refers to data that cannot be tied back to a specific individual. For example, Lycos collects some information each time a visitor comes to a Lycos Network site so we can improve the overall quality of the visitor's online experience. Lycos collects the visitor's IP address (e.g., whether the user is logged on from ibm.com or Lycos Free Internet Access), referral data (e.g., the address of the last URL a user visited prior to clicking through to a Lycos Network site), and browser and platform type (e.g., a Netscape browser on a Macintosh platform). Lycos also collects aggregate search terms from its HotBot and Lycos search services for internal reporting and targeted advertising. Lycos collects this user information for purposes of product monitoring, product improvement, and targeted advertising. You do not have to register with the Lycos Network before we can collect this anonymous information.
- Personally identifiable information
refers to data that tells us specifically who you are, such as your name and postal address, which may be collected in addition to the anonymous data described above. Lycos collects personal information in the following ways from different parts of its network of Web sites:
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- Lycos Network Registration:
You are sharing personally identifiable information with Lycos when you register to use one or more sites on the Lycos Network. If you choose to register --and we hope you do-- you may provide Lycos with your name, postal address, e-mail address, birth date, gender, ZIP code, telephone number, occupation, marital status and other information. While not all of this data is required for our services to function, we are better able to customize your experience if you volunteer complete and accurate information. Lycos finds that users who personalize their experience come back more often. Users who complete the registration process are given a Lycos Network ID and can take full advantage of the many offerings across the Lycos Network, including personalization services. For example, My Lycos uses your network ID to give you customized news, sports scores, weather reports, TV schedules and stock quotes.
- Other Registration: In addition to registration for various services on the Lycos Network, we may ask you for personal information at other times, including when you enter a sweepstakes, contest or promotion sponsored by the Lycos Network. We also ask for personal information when you make a purchase using Lycos Shop, make travel arrangements using Lycos Travel, or apply for a Club Lycos credit card. The number and variety of useful services on the Lycos Network will continue to grow in the future. You are not required to register for any services on the Lycos Network. (This is true of any site on the Internet.) If you choose not to provide the requested information, the Lycos Network may not be able to offer you some of the personalized services that depend on this type of information to function.
- Correspondence: If you contact the Lycos Network, we may keep a record of that correspondence. We do not collect any e-mail addresses of those who communicate with the Lycos Network via e-mail. We use the information provided so that we may respond to the e-mail.
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In addition to the personally identifiable information that Lycos actively collects when you register, we also collect anonymous information passively using cookies. Presently, cookies play an important role in making the Internet work, but there is much confusion among Internet users about what cookies are and how they are used.
A cookie is a small text file containing a unique identification number that is transferred from a Web site to the hard drive of your computer so that the site administrator may identify your computer and passively track its activities on the Web site. This unique number identifies your Web browser --but not you-- to Lycos computers whenever you visit one of the sites in the Lycos Network. A cookie will not let a Web site know any personally identifiable information about you, such as your real name and address.
Lycos uses cookies designed to let us know which particular computer you are using, but nothing more. Lycos is not generally interested in any one individual and does not collect personally identifiable information about any one person using cookies. Since cookies are only text files, they cannot run like a program on your computer, search your computer for other information, or transmit any information to anyone.
To help serve you better, Lycos generally uses cookies to:
- Remember your Web browser
so we can offer and provide personalized services such as My Lycos and Lycos Investing. We use cookies to store and sometimes track information about where a Web browser has visited on our Network of sites.
- Save your passwords and preferences
so that you will not have to re-enter them the next time you visit.
- Enhance Lycos Shop
by allowing merchants to track business at their stores and process orders in individual shopping carts.
- Measure traffic patterns.
Without cookies, it could be difficult for Lycos to know which services are more popular than others. This information helps us to better understand when to launch new services.
- Estimate audience size.
Cookies let us know whether or not a Web browser has seen a particular display, including advertising, so we do not bore you with the same material over and over again.
- Display advertisements.
Third-party advertising networks for Lycos (like DoubleClick) may issue cookies when serving advertisements. Click
here for information on our relationship with DoubleClick.
The use of cookies is now an industry standard, and they are currently used on most major Web sites. Most Web browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. If you prefer, you can reset your browser to notify you when you have received a cookie. You can also refuse to accept cookies altogether. While Lycos does not require you to use cookies, keep in mind that certain sites and services will not function properly if you set your browser to refuse all cookies.
When you register for a service within the Lycos Network,
that information is generally collected and maintained solely by the Lycos Network unless specifically stated
otherwise at the point of collection. For example, some Lycos Network services (like Lycos Auctions) are offered
in conjunction with a third-party company. If data is collected and/or maintained by any company other than
Lycos, we will tell you at the point of collection. If you do not want to share your information with that company,
you can choose not to use that service.
Please see the Section entitled
With whom does the Lycos Network share the information that is collected?
for a more complete list of companies that allow Lycos to provide you with a wide variety of Products and Services.
Lycos runs many promotions and sweepstakes across its Network. These promotions may be sponsored or co-sponsored by third-party companies. Data collected during a promotion is typically shared with the sponsor or co-sponsor. Lycos will inform you at the point of collection whether or not we are sharing your personal data as a result of your participation in a promotion or sweepstakes. If you do not want to have the Lycos Network share your data, you can choose not to participate in the promotion or sweepstakes.
Be aware that Lycos Network sponsors and other advertisers have links on our sites that take you to other sites that may collect personally identifiable information about you. Lycos hopes that all third parties involved adhere to our policies regarding the privacy of our users. However, the Lycos Network Privacy Policy does not cover third-party data collection practices and the Lycos Network does not assume any responsibility for any actions of third parties.
Any personally identifiable information you share with Lycos when registering for Products and Services at any of our Network sites is maintained and accessible only by Lycos unless specifically stated otherwise. Lycos requests information from its users so that users can enjoy customized experiences across the Lycos Network, including personalization services, interactive communications, games, online shopping and much more. Most of these Products and Services are available to you at no cost. In order to provide great content and services free of charge, Lycos displays advertisements.
The following are examples of how the Lycos Network may use the information it collects:
- Lycos offers its users the ability to personalize content on the Network, such as news, stock portfolios, weather reports, sports scores, movie and television listings, horoscopes and more.
- Lycos uses the aggregate data collected to let our sponsors know the numbers of people who have certain demographic characteristics and the number of those people who have seen and "clicked" on their advertisement(s). We will also disclose to those third-party sponsors the overall demographics available regarding who saw and "clicked" on their advertisement. No personally identifiable information will be disclosed to these advertisers as part of this process -- only information in an aggregate form.
- Lycos also uses the aggregate data to perform statistical analyses of the collective characteristics and behavior of our registered users and visitors, to measure user demographics and interests regarding specific areas of the Lycos Network and to analyze how and where best to use our resources. Without such data, we would not know which parts of the Lycos Network are the most popular, and we would not be able to change and update the content and services appropriately.
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Lycos collects an aggregate list of search terms from its HotBot and Lycos search services. This information is collected anonymously and used primarily for the purposes of product development, monitoring, and improvement, as well as targeted advertising. Please note, however, that we may share this anonymous information with third-party companies.
- Lycos may, from time to time, use your information to contact you about changes or enhancements to Products and Services on the Lycos Network.
- If you told Lycos that you were interested in receiving offers or information from selected sponsors and advertisers, Lycos will send you e-mail about products and services that we feel may be of interest to you. For those who elect to receive such materials from Lycos or third parties, and who indicate that they do in their profile, Lycos will release personally identifiable information. Information released includes name, e-mail address and other information supplied in the Lycos Network registration process.
- Lycos sometimes uses an individual registered user's data to "pre-populate" forms that are displayed for the purpose of collecting individual data by the Lycos Network and/or its advertisers and sponsors.
- If you enter a sweepstakes or a contest on the Lycos Network, we will use the information you provided to contact you in the event you win.
- Lycos may be required by law enforcement or judicial authorities to provide information on individual users to the appropriate governmental authorities. In matters involving a danger to personal or public safety, Lycos may voluntarily provide information to appropriate governmental authorities.
User information may be shared internally with other companies within the Terra Lycos group. You can see a list of Terra Lycos companies here: http://www.terra.com/info-en/group.htm. In addition, the Lycos Network may share user information with third-party companies that are not part of the Terra Lycos group. In order to provide you with content and services that match your interests, the Lycos Network has relationships with many of the best service and content companies. Some of these services require registration before they will function properly. You can recognize most of these sites by looking for the joint branding of Lycos and the third-party company. For example, if you see a logo in the upper-right corner of the page that says 'Powered by ______', you are on a co-branded site. Other third-party relationships are "private label" relationships where a service or content company provides Lycos with technology, services and/or content under Lycos Network branding.
Whenever you provide registration information on co-branded or private label sites, that data may be shared with the third-party company providing the service. You should make every effort to read the individual privacy policies of such third-parties, and make an informed decision on your own whether or not to continue based upon these sites' privacy practices and your own discretion. You may opt-out of sharing your information with such providers by choosing not to use that service or content.
The following is a list of third-party companies with whom Lycos has contracted to provide you Products and Services. This list may expand or change from time to time.
Online Calendar Services.
Lycos contracts with AnyDay.com, Inc. to provide its users with online calendar services. For more information about the AnyDay privacy policy, click here.
Lycos Instant Messaging.
Lycos contracts with America Online ("AOL") to provide the Lycos Network with instant messaging services (AIM). For more information on AOL's privacy policy, click here.
Lycos Auctions.
Lycos contracts with FairMarket, Inc. ("FairMarket"), to provide auction services for the Lycos Network. For more information about FairMarket's privacy policy click here.
Lycos Classifieds.
Lycos contracts with InfoSpace, Inc. ("InfoSpace"), to provide classifieds services for the Lycos Network. For more information about InfoSpace's privacy policy click here.
Lycos Rewards.
Lycos contracts with NetCentives, Inc. ("NetCentives"), the leading developer of online rewards and loyalty programs, to provide the Lycos Rewards program for Lycos Network users. For more information about NetCentives Privacy Policy, click here.
Lycos Travel.
Lycos contracts with OneTravel.com, Inc. ("OneTravel.com") to provide Lycos Network customers with online access to airline, hotel, and car rental reservation services. For more information about OneTravel.com's privacy policy click here.
Club Lycos Credit Card
Lycos Fleet Credit Card Services ("Fleet"), a subsidiary of FleetBoston Financial, contracted to bring Lycos users co-branded credit card services. For more information about Fleet's privacy policy, click here.
Lycos Affiliate Services.
Lycos contracts with Be Free, Inc. to provide Traffic Affiliate Program services for the Lycos Network. For more information about Be Free's privacy policy, click here.
Lycos Shop.
Please note that, when you purchase goods or services through Lycos Shop, your credit card and identifying information will be provided to third parties in order to verify the credit card data. Furthermore, the data you submit in connection with your use of the Lycos Shop will be provided to individual merchants from whom you order goods or services. Please review carefully the privacy policies of particular merchants that you access through Lycos Shop. Because your privacy and security concerns are important to Lycos, we took action to ensure that the personal data you submit while using the Lycos Shop Shopping Cart (including your credit card number, billing, and shipping information) is passed through "secure servers." Lycos Shop accomplishes this through technology provided by Verisign, which is a member of the TRUSTe program. For the vast majority of purchases made through the Lycos Shopping Cart, your credit card is charged electronically and your actual account number is never presented to the merchant from whom you have purchased.
BMG Music Service.
Customers who register with the Lycos Network have the option to notify BMG Music Service ("BMG") that they wish to receive promotional email from BMG about their music club. You must opt-in to take part in this program. Lycos does not share any information with BMG until you check the appropriate box on the registration page and complete the Lycos Network registration process. For more information about BMG's privacy policy, click here.
Bookspan.
Customers who register with the Lycos Network have the option to notify Bookspan that they wish to receive promotional email from Bookspan about their book club. You must opt-in to take part in this program. Lycos does not share any information with Bookspan until you check the appropriate box on the registration page and complete the Lycos Network registration process. For more information about Bookspan's privacy policy, click here.
Free Online Lottery.
Lycos contracts with PlasmaNet, Inc. ("FreeLotto") to provide its users with free online lottery games. When Lycos Gamesville members enter the FreeLotto site through Lycos Gamesville and register to play FreeLotto games, Lycos Gamesville shares registration data with FreeLotto. FreeLotto will use that registration data in accordance with its privacy policy. For more information about the FreeLotto privacy policy, click here.
User feedback collection.
Lycos contracts with Enviz, Inc. ("Enviz") to collect feedback from randomly-selected users about their satisfaction with the Lycos site. For more information about the Enviz privacy policy,
click here.
In addition to finding co-branded and private label sites, you will find direct links on our site to sites offered by third parties. Some of these sites are authorized to use the Lycos Network brands and/or logos. No third-party sites are covered by this Privacy Policy. If you feel that a site using a Lycos Network brand and/or logo does not follow an acceptable privacy policy, please contact the Lycos Privacy Site Coordinator by e-mail at privacy@lycos.com.
The Lycos Network provides its registered users the ability to access and edit the personal information in their user profiles. For most membership sites on the Lycos Network (My Lycos, Lycos Mail, Lycos Shop, Gamesville, htmlGEAR, Tripod, and Quote.com) you can access your user profile by following these steps:
http://my.lycos.com/reg/11.asp. You will receive a prompt to log in to the Network with your Lycos Network Member Name and password.
After you log in, you will be taken to the Membership Information page, which contains your user profile. If you see a field that needs to be updated, click the appropriate Edit button.
Make the necessary changes and click the Update button to save your changes.
For some other sites on the Lycos Network, you will have to follow different steps to update the personal information in your user profile.
- Lycos Auctions
at http://auctions.lycos.com: After you log in, click on "Check My Account" then "update your user profile." You will need to use your Lycos Network user ID, password and e-mail address.
Lycos Rewards at: http://rewards.lycos.com: After you log in, click on "My Rewards Account" on the left. You will need to use your Lycos Network user ID and password.
Raging Bull at http://ragingbull.lycos.com: After you login, click "Edit Profile" in the left-hand column or visit http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/editprofile.cgi
The Lycos Network offers you the ability to opt-out of receiving information on Lycos Network updates and new services, as well as direct mail offers from selected Lycos Network service providers and sponsors. This is done at the point of initial collection of information and during the editing or updating process. The instructions to opt out of most Lycos Network e-mail newsletters and direct mail communications are the same as the instructions for editing user information profiles. Simply follow these steps:
http://my.lycos.com/reg/11.asp. You will receive a prompt to log in to the Network with your Lycos Network Member Name and password.
After you log in, you will be taken to the Membership Information page, which contains your email subscriptions. Click the Edit button under the Email Subscriptions banner.
Make the necessary changes and click the Update button to save your changes.
In addition, all Lycos Network newsletters and direct e-mail communications have easy-to-follow unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each e-mail.
If you are receiving e-mail newsletters from Wired Digital, Lycos Music, Lycos Computers or Sonique, follow the unsubscribe instructions found at the bottom of each e-mail communication or go directly to this Web page: http://hotwired.lycos.com/email/unsub
The Lycos Network has security measures in place to attempt to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of your user data under our control. Only authorized employees have access to the information you provide us. Lycos has implemented strict rules on employees who have access either to the databases that store user information or to the servers that host our services. While we cannot guarantee that loss, misuse or alteration to data will not occur, we take many precautions to prevent such unfortunate occurrences. Any other particularly sensitive information, such as your credit card number collected for a commerce transaction at Lycos Shop or to purchase premium services from Quote.com, is encrypted prior to transmission.
You are ultimately responsible for the security of your Lycos Network ID and password. Please take care when using and storing them. Lycos recommends that you do not divulge your password to anyone. You should log out of your browser at the end of each computer session to ensure that others cannot access your personal information and correspondence, especially if you share a computer with someone else or are using a computer in a public place like a library or Internet cafe.
Parents of children under 13 can get detailed answers about the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998 and the Lycos Network's compliance with COPPA by clicking here.
- Know the risks.
Meeting new people in an online community (chat room, forum, newsgroup, message board, Web page, etc.) is one of the best things about the Internet, but you should always be careful about disclosing personal information such as an actual name, member name, e-mail address, and so on. This information may be collected and used by others within the online community to send unsolicited e-mail messages from other parties, outside the Lycos Network. Some of the messages you receive may be useful to you, but some may not. In an effort to curtail unsolicited e-mail, Lycos blocks certain e-mail addresses and domains from sending messages to e-mail addresses at our domains.
- Educate yourself.
Search the Web for as much information as you can about how to protect your privacy. Look for a privacy policy on the Web sites you visit. A good place to start is
TRUSTe -- an independent, non-profit organization with a mission to build trust and confidence in the Internet. The Federal Trade Commission has a great Web site with useful information on being a Savvy Internet Traveler along with other privacy initiatives. Additional privacy resources can be found at by clicking on any of the following links:
Department of Education: Parents Guide to the Internet
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/internet/
Better Business Bureau (BBB)
http://www.bbbonline.com
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
http://www.privacyrights.org/
Center for Democracy and Technology
http://www.cdt.org/privacy/ - Data Privacy
http://www.cdt.org/privacy/guide/ - Guide to Online Privacy
Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
http://www.the-dma.org/
Electronic Frontier Foundation - non-profit dedicated to protecting public interest in online privacy. http://www.eff.org
EPIC.org (Electronic Privacy Information Center)
http://www.epic.org
Georgetown Internet Privacy Study
http://www.msb.edu/faculty/culnanm/gippshome.html
NetCoalition.com
http://www.netcoalition.com
Network Advertising Initiative
http://www.networkadvertising.org/
Online Privacy Alliance
http://www.privacyalliance.org/
Tell your children: "Never talk to strangers!"
While Lycos works hard to protect children on the sites within our network, we cannot protect their privacy once they leave. Please teach children that they should not reveal their names or other personal information to anyone they encounter on the Internet. They should also be instructed not to fill out any forms or register at any Web site without your knowledge and consent. Take advantage of the online resources for parents available on the Lycos Network, such as SearchGuard and GetNetWise.
Use PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) http://www.pgp.com or another encryption program.
Last updated December 1, 2000.
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