Scope
of Policy
This Policy applies to Electronic Greetings. It does not apply to other
companies' or organizations' web sites to which we link. You should carefully
review the privacy policies of those web sites in order to determine how
they treat your personal information.
INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
Information Gathered From All Visitors
Aggregate Data
We gather certain generic information with respect to customers' use of
our web site, such as the number of unique visitors, the frequency with
which they visit, and the areas on the web site that they favor. These statistics
are very much like television ratings that tell the networks how many people
tuned in to a program. We only use this type of data in aggregate-that is,
we look at the data on a collective basis, in summary form, rather than
on an individual basis. This data helps us determine the extent to which
our customers use certain parts of our web site, which, in turn, enables
us to make it as appealing as possible. We may also provide statistical
"ratings" about how our customers collectively use our web site to advertisers,
sponsors, and other companies with which we do business ("Business Partners").
We do this so they, too, can understand how often people use their areas
of the site in order for them to provide you with the best possible experience.
These statistical ratings do not contain any personally identifiable information
about you or any of our users.
IP Addresses
We collect and analyze traffic on our web site by keeping track of the IP
addresses of our visitors. An IP address is a unique number assigned to
your computer when you are using your browser on the Internet. We log this
information so that we can monitor things like the number of visitors visiting
the web site; however, we do not link your IP address to any personally
identifying information.
When You Send A Greeting
If you use our web site to send an online greeting or any other content,
we collect your e-mail address and your recipient's e-mail address. This
information is necessary to send the content and provide confirmation that
it has been received. We will not use your recipient's e-mail address
for any purpose other than to send the greeting. We will not use
the sender's email address for anything unless the sender has requested
to be notified when his/her greeting card has been viewed.
Privacy of Greeting Card Information
We treat all of our greetings products as private correspondence between
the sender and the recipient and will not disclose the contents of any greeting
other than to the intended recipient, except under the specific situations
outlined in Disclosure Exceptions, below.
This policy applies to all aspects of our greetings, including your personalized
messages. Under normal circumstances, we will not monitor or edit the contents
of the online greetings you send. On occasion, however, we may need to view
your message in connection with the technical processing of your greeting
or the maintenance of our network.
Disclosure Exceptions
Notwithstanding the above policies, we reserve the right to disclose your
personal information to appropriate third-parties if we are required to
do so by law or we believe that such action is necessary:
- To comply with legal process such as a search warrant, subpoena or
court order;
- To investigate reports of users sending material using a false e-mail
address or users sending harassing, threatening, or abusive messages;
- To protect against misuse or unauthorized use of our web site; or
- During emergencies, such as when we believe someone's physical safety
is at risk.
OTHER MATTERS
Changes to the Privacy Policy
AmericanGreetings.com will occasionally update this Privacy Policy in response
to changing business circumstances and legal developments. When AmericanGreetings.com
posts changes to this Policy, you will see the word "updated" next to the
Privacy Policy link on the front page of AmericanGreetings.com Sites. If
there are material changes to this Policy or in how AmericanGreetings.com
uses your personally identifiable information, AmericanGreetings.com will
prominently post such changes prior to implementing the change. AmericanGreetings.com
encourages you to periodically review this Policy to be informed of how
we are protecting your information.
USE COMMON SENSE IN ALL YOUR ONLINE ACVITIVITIES
Even the best policy can't protect your online privacy and security in all
circumstances. Unscrupulous advertisers, hackers, and scam artists are constantly
searching the Internet looking for new targets. Your best protection is
to understand the limits to privacy on the Internet and use common sense
in all of your on-line activities.
Be aware that e-mail is an inherently insecure form of communication. Remember
that third parties are sometimes able to illegally intercept your unencrypted
messages, including online greetings.
Anytime you visit a chat room or post a message to an on-line bulletin board,
your e-mail address can be accessed by advertisers looking to compile lists
for unsolicited commercial e-mail (also known as spam). Be sure that you
only disclose your e-mail address in circumstances in which it is safe to
do so.
Always monitor your children's on-line activities and educate them as to
the rules for safe Internet use. For more information, click
here for the Internet Education Foundation's Online Safety Guide for
Kids.
|
