Privacy Policy
View the Privacy Policy Highlights | View archive version
AudienceScience is committed to protecting your privacy. Our technology and the way we use it meets or exceeds all industry standards and legal requirements for protecting your privacy online. This privacy policy applies to all AudienceScience web sites, products and services worldwide that display or link to this notice. The purpose of this privacy policy is to give consumers comprehensive information about the information we collect, how we use that information, and inform you of your choices with respect to the collection and use of data for online behavioral advertising. A shorter version of this policy is available in our Privacy Policy Highlights document. You can also learn more in our Consumer Guide to Audience Based Advertising video.
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About Our Online Behavioral Advertising Services
AudienceScience works with advertisers, publishers and other businesses, to deliver targeted or personalized ads, to consumers. In order to target ads we create and use “audience segments”. These audience segments are based on data that is anonymously collected over time and across the Internet to determine or predict user characteristics, behavior, or preferences. Consumers benefit from receiving more relevant ads. Advertisers and publishers benefit from more effective advertising.
For example, a consumer that is reading reviews about hybrid cars might be placed into our In-Market Hybrid Car segment. As a result, they might receive ads for Hybrid Cars, rather than ads for trucks or minivans.Personal Information You Provide to Us
We only collect personal information when we are contacted directly by an individual through our web site and they provide that information to us. That information may include name, email address or phone number.
We use this information only to respond to these requests or inquiries. We do not provide this information to third parties.
We do not use this personal information for our online behavioral advertising services.
Anyone who has provided personal contact information through the AudienceScience corporate web site may e-mail AudienceScience at info@audiencescience.com to update, delete, and/or correct their personal contact information. AudienceScience will respond to such a request within thirty (30) days of the date the request is submitted.
Non-Personal Information We Collect
For our online behavioral advertising (OBA) services, we collect only non-personally identifiable information. All data collected for those services is anonymous. We do not collect any personally identifiable information (PII) for use with OBA.
We collect information through the use of common internet technologies, such as cookies and beacons, on the web sites of those companies that participate in our online behavioral advertising services. We do not install software on users' computers or track keystrokes.
Cookies
When you visit a participating web site, AudienceScience places one or more cookies on your computer. Cookies are small text files that can be used by a web site to store information on a users' machine and later retrieve it. We use cookies to store information that can be used to serve ads relevant to your interests. We do not store any personally identifiable information in the cookies. We also use cookies when you opt-out via the industry opt-out page. Should you choose to opt-out, we delete all previously collected information from the cookies, and put new information in the cookie which tells us to stop collecting information from that device.
Web Beacons
Web sites and web pages contain links to other web sites. These might be links to images, videos, other web pages, ads or other types of content. We collect data from web sites that place a link to our web servers on their web site. We call this link a beacon. (They are also known as an action tag, clear gif or tracking pixel). A beacon is designed to allow the site owner or a third party to monitor or collect information about a site visitor. The type of information collected might include the IP address of the computer, the web page being viewed, the date/time it was viewed, and user activity on the page. We may use the IP address to infer information, such as geolocation. We do not use the IP address to identify users. We do not collect PII.
Data Collection
We collect data only from web sites we have a business relationship with. We anonymously collect data over time and across these sites to create usage/behavior/interest-based audience segments.
We also collect data from third party data providers, which may collect data from online and/or offline data sources, such as demographic, product purchase or registration information. For example, when a consumer signs up for a loyalty card at a retail store, the consumer may agree to allow the retailer to use the purchase data for marketing purposes. The retailer, or a third party they work with, will then repackage the purchasing data of many consumers in a way that it can be used for online marketing. When that data is shared with AudienceScience, any personally identifiable information has been removed. What we receive is a group (audience segment) of anonymous users that are interested in certain products or services, such as cars, electronics, or clothing. We work closely with these data providers to ensure that we don’t receive personally identifiable information when this data is provided to us.
We contractually require the web sites and data providers we collect data from to follow the OBA principles and practices we adhere to. This includes provides users with a notice on their web site that they collect data and a link to an opt-out.
We provide consumers with a means to opt-out of data collection. To opt-out, please see the “Choices” section below.
Sensitive Information
AudienceScience does not create nor use any sensitive data segments to tailor ads on behalf of our advertiser clients. However, we recognize that consumers may have differing opinions regarding which data segments are sensitive. In order to provide transparency around potentially sensitive data segments collected and used by AudienceScience, we will provide some examples of them here. For example, we may use health related segments such as Cholesterol and Dental, Oral Care or finance related segments such as Retirement Planners or Real Estate and Mortgage Shoppers.
While we don't consider any of the above data segments to be sensitive, we think its important to provide this transparency to help you have a better idea of which segments might be collected by us, so you can make informed decisions. And we don't use any data segments to determine credit worthiness, for insurance underwriting or similar purposes.
Children
We do not target children under the age of thirteen (13). Children under the age of 13 may be placed into one of our general audience segments, based on the web activity of the computer/browser they are using. We are unable to prevent this as we do not collect personally identifiable information and we don't collect information with the intent of identifying users as being under the age of 13.
Uses of Non-Personal Information
To make advertising more relevant to you, the audience segments we create are used by us, our clients and partners, including advertisers and publishers, to deliver targeted advertising on the Internet.
In the process of serving an advertisement to a consumer, we, or our partners, may decide to serve an ad based on the audience segment(s) that a particular customer is in, and/or other information we have about the user or site the ad comes from.
The data we collect is also used for reporting purposes, to give our clients more information about the performance of their advertising campaigns, and to improve performance over time.
Information Sharing
Our OBA services are used by advertisers, publishers and other companies providing online advertising services. We may share aggregated, non-personal information and audience segments with these clients to enable them to deliver targeting advertising. We only share this information with authorized third parties and we require them to follow the same OBA principles and practices we adhere to. When you opt-out of our services, we stop sharing OBA data with these third parties.
Information Security and Retention
AudienceScience is committed to protecting the security of the information we collect. We use a variety of technologies and procedures to protect information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. We restrict access to authorized individuals. We conduct regular security audits overseen by independent third parties. While we have taken commercially reasonable efforts to guard information, we cannot guarantee that it will not be disclosed or accessed by accidental circumstances or by the unauthorized acts of others.
Non-PII data collected by AudienceScience for OBA purposes is generally retained for up to 90 days. In some cases, we may retain data for up to two (2) years. As part of these OBA services, we also collect aggregated ad delivery and reporting data. This limited type of aggregated advertising performance data is kept indefinitely.
Confidentiality
AudienceScience keeps all data that it receives from and stores for our clients strictly confidential. We are contractually obligated to maintain such confidentiality and we hold our vendors and subcontractors to the same standards whenever they provide services related to the client's information. We do not permit access to the information except as directed by our clients.
Choices
Anyone who has provided personal contact information through our web site may e-mail us at info@audiencescience.com to update, delete, and/or correct their personal contact information. We will respond to such a request within thirty (30) days.
Consumers can opt-out of our online behavioral services through any one of the ways described below (you don't need to go to each opt-out site, one is sufficient). Once you opt-out, you will continue to receive ads. They will no longer be as relevant to you, as data collection for OBA purposes will have stopped.
- You can opt-out by clicking on the opt-out button at the top of this page.
- You can opt-out via the Network Advertising Initiative industry opt-out at www.networkadvertising.org
- You can opt-out via the Consumer Choice Page at www.aboutads.info.
- For those in the U.K., you can opt-out via the IAB UK's industry opt-out at www.youronlinechoices.com.
- You can configure your web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.) to delete and/or control the use of cookies. More information can be found in the Help system of your browser. It is at your discretion whether you use the opt-out described above or manage cookies via the browser.
Note: If you opt-out using our opt-out button, or through the NAI web site, IAB UK web site or www.aboutads.info, you should not delete your cookies. If you delete your cookies, you will need to opt-out again. Alternatively, you can download an opt-out cookie protector for select browsers from www.networkadvertising.org.
We do not use Flash cookies or Locally Shared Objects (LSO's). If you delete your AudienceScience cookies, we do not recreate those using Flash cookies or LSO's.
Important Information
Digital Advertising Alliance |
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Network Advertising Initiative |
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IAB |
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IAB UK |
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TRUSTe Web Privacy Seal |
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EU Safe Harbor |
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Testimonials
We post customer testimonials on our Web site which may contain personally identifiable information such as the customer's name. We do obtain the customer's consent prior to posting the testimonial to post their name along with their testimonial. If a user desires to remove his/her name from appearing along with their testimonial, he/she can do so by sending an e-mail to privacy@audiencescience.com.
Legal and Other Disclosure
We may share personal information when we believe such action is appropriate to comply with the law (e.g., legal process or a statutory authorization); to enforce or apply our customer agreements; to initiate, render, bill, and collect for services; to protect our rights or property, or to protect users of those services from fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful use of, or subscription to, such services; or if we reasonably believe that an emergency involving immediate danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires disclosure of communications or justifies disclosure of information without delay.
How to Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this statement, you have general or technical questions about our privacy practices and features or you have complaints regarding our compliance with the Safe Harbor, you should first contact our Privacy Officer at privacy@audiencescience.com.
Privacy Officer
AudienceScience, Inc.
1120 112th Ave NE, Suite 400
Bellevue, WA 98004
425.201.3900
If contacting us does not resolve your inquiry or complaint, you may raise your complaint with TRUSTe by Internet at http://watchdog.truste.com/pvr.php?page=complaint, fax at 415-618-3421, or mail at Watchdog Complaints, TRUSTe, 55 Second Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA, USA 94105. If you are faxing or mailing TRUSTe to lodge a complaint, you must include the following information: our name, the alleged privacy violation, your contact information, and whether you would like the particulars of your complaint to be shared with us. For information about TRUSTe or the operation of TRUSTe's dispute resolution process, see http://watchdog.truste.com/pvr.php?page=complaint or request this information from TRUSTe at the address listed above. The TRUSTe dispute resolution process shall be conducted in English.
Changes to Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may change from time to time. In the event that we make material changes to the Privacy Policy which require either more prominent notification or your explicit consent, we will do so.
Our Privacy Policy was last updated on August 25, 2011. The Privacy Policy was changed to present the information in a more user friendly way, and through the addition of a Privacy Policy Highlights document which accompanies this full Privacy Policy. There were no material changes to our collection and use of data. View archived versions.