Privacy Policy

SIX APART'S PRIVACY POLICY

1. What This Privacy Policy Covers

1.1 This Privacy Policy explains how Six Apart Ltd. ("we", "us", "our" or "Six Apart") collects, uses and shares your "Personal Information" - information that identifies, relates to, describes or is capable of being associated with you as a particular individual, such as your name, address, email address or telephone number - and other data through your use of any of Six Apart's Web sites (each, a "Site" and, collectively, the "Sites"), any of Six Apart's services (each, a "Service" and, collectively, the "Services") and any of Six Apart's software ("Software").

1.2 This policy does not apply to the practices of companies that Six Apart does not own or control or to people that Six Apart does not employ or manage.

1.3 Your use of Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software is subject to this Privacy Policy in effect at the time of your use. Six Apart reserves the right to update and change this Privacy Policy from time to time without notice or acceptance by you, so please check this page frequently for updates and changes. However, changes made to this Privacy Policy will not apply to you to the extent that (i) the changes concern matters which are the subject of an actual dispute between you and Six Apart as of the date the changes take effect and (ii) Six Apart has actual notice of the dispute as of the date the changes take effect.

2. Information We Gather

2.1 Six Apart may collect Personal Information when you register, use or post content on or through Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software.

2.2 Six Apart may collect Personal Information when you enter into promotions or sweepstakes.

2.3 Six Apart may combine information about you in our possession with information we obtain from business partners or others.

2.4 Six Apart may collect information about your transactions with us and/or with our business partners. This information might include information necessary to process payments, such as billing information and your credit card number.

2.5 Six Apart may automatically receive and record information on our server logs from your browser, including your IP address, cookies and the pages you request.

3. IP Address and Browser and Session Information

3.1 Six Apart may obtain IP addresses and browser and session information from users depending upon how they access Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software. IP addresses and browser and session information may be used for various purposes, including to:

  • Diagnose and prevent service or technology problems reported by our users or engineers that are associated with the IP addresses controlled by a specific web company or ISP.

  • Estimate the total number of users visiting Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software from specific geographical regions.

  • Help determine which users have access privileges to certain content, services or resources that we offer.

  • Monitor and prevent fraud and abuse.

3.2 Six Apart may display your IP address to the owners or maintainers of certain blogs, groups or communities when you post to those blogs, groups or communities and the owner or maintainer has enabled functionality for this purpose.

4. Cookies, Web Beacons and Scripts

4.1 Six Apart and third parties such as advertisers, third party advertising networks, third-party advertising serving companies, Six Apart's business partners, vendors and service providers may identify users and record user activity through technologies such as "cookies", "Web beacons" and "scripts".

4.2 A "cookie" is a small amount of data, which typically includes an anonymous unique identifier, that is sent to your browser and stored on your computer's hard drive when you view a Web page, an advertisement, a video or other types of content. You can configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies or notify you when a cookie is set. If you reject all cookies, or specifically reject cookies set by Six Apart, you may not be able to take full advantage of features of Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software that require you to be signed in to your account or otherwise identify yourself.

4.3 Six Apart may set and access cookies on your computer through Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software, through third party Web sites or through our emails and newsletters. Six Apart uses cookies for a number of purposes, including to:

  • Identify you as an account holder.

  • Require you to re-enter your password after a certain period of time has elapsed to protect you against others accidentally accessing your account contents.

  • Keep track of preferences you specify while you are using Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software.

  • Estimate and report our total audience size and traffic.

  • Conduct research to improve Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software.

4.4 A "Web beacon" is an electronic file that signals when a Web page, an advertisement, a video or other types of content, an email or a newsletter has been viewed. Six Apart may use Web beacons on Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software, on third party Web sites or in our emails and newsletters. Six Apart uses Web beacons for a number of purposes, including to:

  • Count visitors to Web sites.

  • Recognize and access cookies.

  • Record page view information.

  • Record the Internet protocol address of the computer that downloads a Web beacon.

  • Record the type of browser used to view a page where a Web beacon is placed.

  • Track of the delivery, viewing and responses to emails and newsletters.

  • Estimate and report our total audience size and traffic.

  • Conduct research to improve Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software.

4.5 A "script" is a short section of computer code included in a Web page or other content that can be used to set and access a cookie on your computer's hard drive and to record your activity on a Web site. Six Apart may use scripts on Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software, on third party Web sites or in our emails and newsletters. Six Apart uses scripts for a number of purposes, including to:

  • Track the performance of advertising campaigns.

  • Identify sources of traffic to Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software.

  • Count the number of "clicks" on a link in a Web page, advertisement, email or newsletter.

  • Follow the distribution of content.

  • Measure patterns of activity on Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software such as usage by date, time and geographic location.

  • Estimate and report our total audience size and traffic.

  • Conduct research to improve Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software.

4.6 Third parties may set and access their own cookies, use their own Web beacons and use their own scripts on and through Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software, on and through third party Web sites or in and through our emails and newsletters. How other companies use their own cookies, Web beacons and scripts and the information they gather is subject to those companies' own privacy policies, not this Privacy Policy.

5. Information Use, Sharing and Disclosure

5.1 Six Apart does not share Personal Information we learn about you from your use of Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software with others, except as described in this policy.

5.2 Six Apart does not claim ownership over the Personal Information you post on or through Six Apart's Sites, Services or Software. After posting your Personal Information, you continue to retain your ownership of your Personal Information and you continue to have the right to use and license your Personal Information in any way you choose. By using Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software or by otherwise submitting your Personal Information to us, you are granting Six Apart and third parties permission to use, distribute and, in some circumstances, to keep copies of your Personal Information as described in greater detail in this Privacy Policy. You may always decline to submit Personal Information to us, but please be aware that your decision may prevent you from being able to use all or portions of Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software.

5.3 You hereby grant Six Apart a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, sublicenseable and transferable right and license to use, reproduce, create derivative works of, distribute, publicly perform and publicly display your Personal Information. This license ends when you delete your Personal Information or your account (except to the extent that your Personal Information has been shared with others or syndicated to third parties and they have not deleted it or as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy).

5.4 Six Apart is not responsible for how any third party uses, distributes or keeps your Personal Information. If you have any questions regarding how any third party uses, distributes or keeps your Personal Information or you wish to access, correct, amend or delete any of your Personal Information in the possession of that third party, you must contact that third party directly.

5.5 Six Apart uses information for the following general purposes: products and services provision, billing, identification and authentication, services improvement, contact, research, and anonymous reporting.

5.6 We do not share your information with unrelated third parties for their direct marketing purposes. However, Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software may display targeted advertisements based on Personal Information.

5.7 Six Apart may use or share your Personal Information where it is necessary to complete a transaction, to operate or improve Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software, to do something that you have asked us to do or tell you of products and services that we think may be of interest.

5.8 To receive optional email messages such as newsletters and marketing and promotional offers, you will be required to provide us with your email address. In addition to these optional email messages, Six Apart may contact you via any email address you provide to us with transactional or relationship messages such as account status messages, security updates or notifications of changes in the terms of your account or the Services. These types of transactional or relationship email messages are not optional.

5.9 When you post a message, your user ID or alias that you are posting under may be visible to other users.

5.10 When you post a message on or through Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software, you have the ability to post a message which may include Personal Information. Before you post any Personal Information, make sure you are comfortable with that content being shared with Six Apart and displayed on and transmitted through Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software.

5.11 If you post Personal Information online that is accessible to the public, please be aware that you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties in return.

5.12 Six Apart may share personally identifiable information about you under the following circumstances:

  • In the course of operating our business, it may be necessary or appropriate for us to provide access to your Personal Information to others such as our service providers, contractors and select vendors so that we can operate Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software and our business. Where practical, we seek to obtain confidentiality agreements that are consistent with this policy and that limit others' use or disclosure of the information you have shared.

  • We may share your Personal Information to respond to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process, to establish or exercise our legal rights, to defend against legal claims or in such circumstances where, in our judgment, disclosure is required or appropriate.

  • We may share your Personal Information if we believe it is necessary in order to investigate, prevent or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of our various terms of service or as otherwise required by law.

  • As we continue to develop our business, we may sell all or part of our business. In such transactions, Personal Information collected from users is generally one of the business assets that will be transferred. The transferred Personal Information will remain subject to this Privacy Policy or subsequent policies to which you have consented.

6. Advertising

6.1 We may allow advertisers, third party advertising networks and third-party advertising serving companies to serve advertisements directly to you within Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software. By serving these advertisements directly to you, these companies can set their own cookies on your computer and trigger their own Web beacons. If you would like to contact the advertisers, third party advertising networks and third-party advertising serving companies with which we have relationships to learn more about their privacy policies and what options (if any) they offer to opt out of their data collection, please visit their web site(s). You may find a list of links to these companies' Web sites here. Some of these companies are participants in the Network Advertising Initiative ("NAI"), a cooperative of online marketing and analytics companies committed to building consumer awareness and establishing responsible business and data management practices and standards. You can learn more about NAI and how you may "opt out" of targeted advertising delivered by NAI member ad networks here.

6.2 We collect your interactions with advertising (such as click-throughs) displayed on or through Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software and on those third party Web sites on which we display advertising. We use this information to evaluate and report on the success of the displayed advertising.

7. Information Relating to Children

7.1 We do not knowingly collect or solicit Personal Information from children under the age of 13 or knowingly allow children under the age of 13 to register for Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software. If you are under 13, do not register or attempt to register for any of Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software or send any information about yourself to us. No one under the age of 13 may provide any Personal Information to, on or through Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software.

7.2 If we learn that we have collected or been sent Personal Information from a child under the age of 13, we will delete that Personal Information as soon as reasonably practical. If you believe that we might have collected or been sent Personal Information from a child under the age of 13, please contact our Customer Support team.

7.3 We recommend that minors 13 years of age or older ask their parents for permission before sending any Personal Information about themselves to, on or through Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software.

8. Data We Collect Other Than Personal Information

8.1 In addition to the Personal Information you provide to us, we collect data on your use and interaction with Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software. Data which we obtain about you, other than Personal Information, is the exclusive property of Six Apart and may be used by Six Apart in any manner permitted by applicable laws.

9. Retention of Personal Information and Other Data

9.1 Six Apart reserves the right to retain your Personal Information, other data collected about you and content you submit to Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software to the extent required by applicable laws, rules and regulations and as reasonably necessary to protect our legal interests.

10. Confidentiality and Security

10.1 No data transmissions over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Consequently, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission, we make efforts to ensure security on our systems:

  • We use physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect Personal Information about you.

  • Your account information is password-protected.

  • In certain areas, Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software use industry-standard SSL-encryption to protect data transmissions. However, please note that this is not a guarantee that such information may not be accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed by breach of such firewalls and secure server software.

10.2 If Six Apart learns of a security systems breach, we may attempt to notify you electronically so that you can take appropriate protective steps. By using Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software or providing Personal Information to us, you agree that we may communicate with you electronically regarding security, privacy and administrative issues relating to your use of those Sites, Services and Software. We may post a notice on our applicable web sites if a security breach occurs. If this happens, you will need a web browser enabling you to view the applicable web sites. We may also send an email to you at the email address you have provided to us in these circumstances. Depending on where you live, you may have a legal right to receive notice of a security breach in writing. To receive free written notice of a security breach (or to withdraw your consent from receiving electronic notice) you should notify us at:

Six Apart Ltd.
548 4th St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
Attention: Legal Department

11. Changing your Account Information and Personal Information

11.1 You may edit your account information for an applicable Six Apart Site, Product and Service by accessing your account and following the instructions for changing account preferences and account information.

11.2 You may delete your account by visiting the applicable account deletion page; however, please note that some Personal Information, primarily your contact information, may remain in our records to the extent necessary to protect our legal interests or document compliance with regulatory requirements.

11.3 Please be aware that, if you request that no further information about you be collected or used, we may be required to terminate your ability to use Six Apart's Sites, Services and Software, including but not limited to any site, product, or service that requires you to be signed in to your account or otherwise identify yourself.

12. Contacting Six Apart

12.1 If you have a privacy concern regarding any Six Apart Site, Product or Service, or this Privacy Policy, please contact our Customer Support team or write to us at:

Six Apart Ltd.
548 4th St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
Attention: Legal Department

Last updated January 20, 2010

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