Privacy Policy
ALPHAMOM.COM™ PRIVACY POLICY
Last Updated: October 13, 2008
Thank you for visiting the Alpha Mom™ Web site (“Site”), located at www.alphamom.com. This Privacy Policy describes our collection of personal information from users of our Site, as well as our use and disclosure of that information. By using our Site, you consent to the collection and use of personal information in accordance with this policy. This policy does not apply to data not collected on or through the Site.
Children
Alpha Mom, LLC (“we,” “us,” or “our”) does not knowingly solicit or collect information from visitors under the age of 13. By providing personal information to us through our Site, you represent that you are 13 years of age or older. Alpha Mom encourages parents and guardians to spend time online with their children and to participate and monitor the interactive activities of their children.
Personal Information
“Personal information,” as used in this policy, is information that specifically identifies an individual, such as an individual’s name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address, credit card number. Personal information also includes information about an individual’s activities, such as information about his or her activity on the Site, and demographic information, such as date of birth, gender, and preferences, when any of this information is linked to personal information that identifies that individual.
Personal information does not include “aggregate” information. Aggregate information is information that we collect about a group or category of products, services or customers that is not personally identifiable or from which individual identities are removed. We may use and disclose aggregate information for various purposes.
Collection of Information
Collection of Voluntarily Provided Information
Alpha Mom™ collects personal information that you provide to us in a variety of ways on our Site. For example, we provide an online registration form to process your request to enter any sweepstakes or promotions that may be available at the Site, and we collect information through surveys and through our focus groups associated with Alpha Mom Labs™. We collect personal information that is provided to us, such as name; postal address; telephone number; date of birth; email address; gender; number and age(s) of children; household income (optional response); employment status; marital status; highest educational level; race (optional response); and answers to questions about your parenting style and personality traits.
Online Registration with Ning.com
The Alpha Mom Product Ratings System and the Alpha Mom Baby Name Database are powered by Ning.com. In order to access the Alpha Mom Product Ratings System and/or Baby Name Ratings System, users who do not already have a Ning ID and password will be required to register with Ning.com. Upon registration, users may be required to select a Ning ID and password for login purposes, and to provide a valid email address. Information provided to Ning.com in connection with registration for the Alpha Mom Product Ratings and/or Baby Name Ratings Systems will be jointly owned by Ning and Alpha Mom. Alpha Mom does not endorse, nor is Alpha Mom responsible for, the privacy practices of Ning. For information regarding Ning’s privacy practices and terms of service, please visit the Ning.com homepage, located at www.ning.com.
Online Registration with Movable Type
The Alpha Mom column comment system is powered by Movable Type, owner of the registration system “TypeKey”. In order to submit a comment to any column(s) that may be available at the Website, you may be asked to submit your full name and email address or you may register via TypeKey, if you do not already have a TypeKey display name and password. As a part of your registration via TypeKey you may be asked to provide your full name and email address and to select a display name and password. Your display name and password will be used for TypeKey login purposes in the event that you wish to post additional comments on columns in the future. Information provided to Movable Type in connection with registration for the Alpha Mom column comment system will be jointly owned by Movable Type and Alpha Mom. Alpha Mom does not endorse, nor is Alpha Mom responsible for, the privacy practices of Movable Type. For information regarding Movable Type’s privacy practices and terms of service, please visit the Movable Type/TypeKey homepage, located at www.typekey.com.
Automatic Information Collection
We may automatically collect certain information from you by analyzing your use of the Site, such as your IP address, browser type, pages accessed, and duration of visit. This information does not necessarily enable us to personally identify you. If it does, it is treated as personal information under this policy. Additionally, if we associate or combine this information with personal information, we will treat the associated or combined information as personal information under this policy.
We may use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server, and to administer the Site. Web servers, or those of third party vendors, may utilize certain tracking software to capture your domain name address (for purposes of tracking Site statistics). We may also use this information to measure the effectiveness of the Site offering in order to serve you better.
Cookies are another means of automatic information collection that we may use. We use cookies for several purposes, such as delivering content specific to your interests and saving your password so that you do not have to re-enter it each time that you visit the Site. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies, but you can change your browser settings to cause your browser to refuse cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. Please be aware, however, that some services may not function properly if cookies are disabled.
Use of Personal Information
We may use personal information to provide services and information that you request; to enhance, improve, operate, and maintain the Site, our programs, services, website, and other systems; to prevent fraudulent use of our Site and services; to tailor your user experience; to maintain a record of our dealings with you, and for other administrative purposes.
We may also use personal information to contact you regarding products, services, events, programs, and offers that we believe you may find of interest. We allow you to opt-out from receiving communications from us as described in the “Opt-Out/Unsubscribe” section below.
Disclosure of Personal Information
Alpha Mom is not in the business of selling personal information about our users to third parties. We may disclose personal information to third-party service providers (e.g., data storage and processing facilities) and independent contractors that assist us in our work. Furthermore, in connection with Alpha Mom Labs, we may provide your information to marketers. We limit the personal information provided to these service providers, independent contractors, and marketers to that reasonably necessary for them to perform their functions.
We may also disclose personal information if we believe that doing so is legally required or is in our interest to protect our property or other legal rights (including, but not limited to, enforcement of our agreements), or the rights or property of others.
In addition, information about our users, including personal information, may be disclosed as part of any merger, acquisition, debt financing or sale of company assets, as well as in the event of an insolvency, bankruptcy or receivership in which personal information could be transferred to third parties as one of our business assets.
Profile Data and Other Personal Information Available to Other Users of the Site
Some features on the Site may allow you to post personal information that is available to other users of the Site. You include personal information in any postings to the Site, and make personal information available in your profile, at your sole risk. We also cannot control the actions of other users with whom you may choose to share personal information, whether you share it on the Site or by other means (such as email or telephone). Additionally, even after information posted on the Site is removed, caching and archiving services may have saved that information, and other users or third parties may have copied or stored the information available on the Site. We cannot, and do not, warrant or guarantee that any personal information that you provide on and in connection with the Site will not be accessed, viewed, or used by unauthorized persons.
Links
The Site may contain links to other third-party owned and/or operated Web sites, products or services. If you choose to visit or use any third-party products or services, please be aware that this policy will not apply to your activities or any information you disclose while interacting with third parties.
Security
We use security measures that are reasonably designed to protect Personal Information from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Please note, however, that no data security measures can be guaranteed to be completely effective. Consequently, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any personal information or other information. You transmit personal information to us at your own risk.
International Visitors
Our Site is hosted in the United States and is generally intended for United States visitors. If you visit from the European Union or other regions with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from U.S. law, please be aware that you are transferring Personal Information to the United States. The United States does not have the same data protection laws as the EU and some other regions.
Opt-Out/Unsubscribe
To stop receiving future communications from Alpha Mom, please Click Here. To unsubscribe from all Alpha Mom e-mail lists, please Click Here. If you wish to end your e-mail subscription from a particular list, please follow the instructions at the end of the e-mail message to unsubscribe from that particular list. To opt-out of having your information shared with third-parties, please Click Here.
Updates to this Policy
Alpha Mom may occasionally update this policy. When we do, we will also revise the “last updated” date at the beginning of the policy. Your continued use of this Site after such changes will be subject to the then-current policy. If we make changes to this policy that are materially less restrictive on our use or disclosure of personal information we have collected, we will attempt to obtain your consent before implementing the change. We encourage you to periodically review this policy to stay informed about how we collect, use, and disclose personal information.
Governing Law
This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the State of New York, excluding conflict of laws principles. Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Privacy Policy must be commenced within one year after the claim arose and will be settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association. Any such controversy or claim will be arbitrated on an individual basis, and will not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party. The arbitration will be conducted in New York City, New York, and judgment on the arbitration award may be entered into any court of competent jurisdiction. The award of the arbitrator will be final and binding upon the parties without appeal or review except as permitted by New York law. Either party may seek any interim or preliminary injunctive relief from any court of competent jurisdiction, as necessary to protect the party’s rights or property pending the completion of arbitration.
Contacting Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please feel free to contact us at (212) 752-7349 or at [email protected].
