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CHOSENNET PRIVACY POLICY
ChosenNet values your
privacy. The following Privacy Statement describes our privacy
practices.
CHOSENNET
PRIVACY STATEMENT
WHO NEW LLC (“Who New LLC”) owns
and operates online networking web sites, including www.chosennet.com
("ChosenNet").
Because we value our users' privacy and want to demonstrate our commitment to
protecting it, we are disclosing our information and privacy practices. This privacy statement
discloses and describes the privacy practices of the website
www.chosennet.com.
If
users have questions or concerns regarding this statement, they should send an
email to privacypolicy@chosennet.com.
About ChosenNet and its
Use of Information
ChosenNet is an online
community that allows its members to post personal profiles and to
browse or search personal profiles posted by others in order to identify and
contact new people they might want to meet. The profiles can contain personal
information about, among other things, a member's appearance, ethnicity,
profession, religion, and interests. The profiles may also contain
photographs. Collecting this information from members and providing
services that enable members to search or browse through such profiles is
fundamental to ChosenNet's business.
At the same time, ChosenNet is dedicated to
protecting its
members' privacy. ChosenNet is designed to give its members more control
over their personal information, including their ChosenNet profiles, than
traditional online dating services. Through its "Visibility
Preference" setting, ChosenNet allows each member choice as to who can see his or
her personal profile. In particular, ChosenNet allows each member to restrict viewership
of his or her profile to members of
his or her ChosenNet network only, or to ChosenNet
members only, or, if he or she wishes, to all website visitors.
Who New LLC is the sole owner of
the information collected on www.chosennet.com.
Links
The ChosenNet web site may
contain links
to other sites. Please be aware that ChosenNet is not responsible for the
privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when
they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every Web
site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement
applies solely to information collected by this Web site.
Third Party Advertising
In the future, advertisements
appearing on www.chosennet.com may be delivered to users by
an external advertising partner. In that event, information about users’ visits to
the site,
such as number of times they have viewed an ad (but not the user's name,
email address, or other personal information), may be used to serve appropriate advertisements.
At present, ChosenNet does not use external Web advertising partners.
Please note that this privacy statement covers the
practices of ChosenNet and does not cover the practices any
advertisers or other business partners. Also note that this privacy
statement covers information collected by ChosenNet; it does not cover information
users give directly to advertisers or other business partners.
What Information ChosenNet Collects
ChosenNet collects six types of information about
its users:
- ID and contact information - Includes
Members' names and email addresses.
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Profile Information (excluding photographs)
- Includes information supplied by each Member for his or her personal ChosenNet
profile. Profiles may include information on member's appearance,
ethnicity, profession, religion, interests, and other descriptive information
provided by the Member. It
may also include information about what the Member is looking for in a
potential match. ChosenNet may supplement this information in a Member's
profile with limited activity information, for example, when a Member
joined ChosenNet or how recently the Member has logged in to ChosenNet. Note
that ChosenNet prohibits inclusion of Personally Identifying Information (see
below) other than photographs in its profiles.
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Photographs -
Includes photographs uploaded or otherwise transmitted by Members as part of
their ChosenNet profiles.
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Messaging Information - Includes the
text, sender, addressee, and time sent of email messages sent through the ChosenNet email system.
These messages include invitations to join ChosenNet and messages to other Who
New members who may be potential matches.
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Billing Information - Includes credit
card and billing address information necessary to complete credit card transactions to
pay for ChosenNet services.
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Activity Information - Includes
information about how a user uses the ChosenNet website and service, for
example, which pages are visited, which services are used, when a user joined
ChosenNet, when a user last logged in to ChosenNet, etc. Activity
information may also include how a user came to ChosenNet, including promotion
codes, etc.
Where ChosenNet Collects Information
ChosenNet collects this
information from our users at several different points on our Web site.
Sign-Up
To become a member, a user must provide ID and
contact information to enable ChosenNet to create a unique member ID for him
or her. During sign-up, new members are also encouraged to begin creating
their personal profiles and to invite friends to join ChosenNet.
Because of ChosenNet's model,
non-members cannot view ChosenNet's member profiles, unless members have
explicitly chosen to make their profiles visible to non-members.
Edit Your
Profile/Preferences
Once a member has joined ChosenNet, he can edit his
personal profile, post or unpost his profile, or change his account preferences
at any time.
Subscription
If a member decides to subscribe to the full
ChosenNet service, we will request billing information from the member via our
subscription
form. At that point, the member must provide billing name and address information and
payment information (such as credit card number, expiration date, etc.) needed
to complete the transaction. Because ChosenNet subscriptions typically renew
automatically, ChosenNet typically stores billing information to allow renewal
transactions.
Invitation/Messaging
When a member invites a friend to join ChosenNet or
sends a message through the ChosenNet system to another ChosenNet member, ChosenNet
collects the text and the addressee of the message. When a member invites
a friend, ChosenNet also collects the friend’s name and email address and sends an email inviting
the friend to visit the site. ChosenNet stores the friend's information for
the sole purpose of sending this email and one or more follow up emails and tracking the success of our
referral program. The friend may contact ChosenNet at removeme@chosennet.com to request the removal of
his name from our database.
Other
Activities
When a member or other visitor visits the ChosenNet web site, ChosenNet
may collect activity information about the member's activities, such as
how often he visits, which pages he visits, and which ChosenNet services he uses.
This information is used for improving the
ChosenNet web site and service offering and for refining our marketing programs.
How ChosenNet Collects Information
Besides asking
its users to provide information for their profile or for billing purposes,
ChosenNet uses, or may in the future use, several different technologies (including
cookies, log files, and clear gifs) to collect and track activity information.
Cookies
A cookie is a piece of data
stored on the user’s computer tied to information about the user. There
are two types of cookies, temporary cookies, which disappear when the user is
inactive for a period of time (typically 10-20 minutes) or when he closes
his browser, and persistent cookies, which are stored for a longer period. A persistent cookie is a small text file
stored on the user’s hard drive for an extended period of time. Persistent
cookies can be removed by following Internet browser help directions.
ChosenNet uses temporary
cookies to manage user sessions and to prevent unauthorized users from viewing
member profiles. ChosenNet uses persistent cookies to remember a user's
login information so that, if a user wishes, he can return to site after a
period of time without having to retype his login email and password. At
present, ChosenNet does not use cookies other than for these purposes. Because controlling access to
member profiles is central to ChosenNet's offering, users who reject all cookies
will not be able to use the member areas of our site.
In the future, ChosenNet
business partners (for example, advertisers) may use cookies on our site.
Although ChosenNet will review each partner's privacy policy prior to agreeing to allow cookies,
ChosenNet will have no access to or control over these cookies once we have
given a partner permission to set them.
Log Files
Like most standard Web site servers we use log
files. These files collect user internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser
types, internet service providers (ISPs), referring/exit pages, platform types,
date/time stamps, and click counters, among other date. This data is used
to analyze trends, administer the site, identify technical problems, track users'
movements in the aggregate, and gather broad demographic information for
aggregate use. IP addresses, etc. are not linked to personally identifiable
information.
Clear Gifs (Web Beacons/Web Bugs)
We, or our business partners, may also employ a software technology called clear
gifs (a.k.a. Web Beacons/Web Bugs), that help us better manage the content of
our site our our communications with our members. Clear gifs are tiny
graphics with a unique identifier that let us know when particular pages or
emails are accessed by users.
Clear Gifs can "work with" existing cookies on a computer if they are both from
the same Web site or advertising company. That means, for example, that if a
person visited “www.companyX.com”, which uses an advertising company's clear
gif, the Web site or advertising company could match the clear gif's
identifier and the advertising company's cookie ID number, to show the past
online behavior for that computer. This collected information would then be
given to the advertising company or Web site. At present, ChosenNet does not
use clear gifs in this way.
In addition, we may use clear gifs in our HTML-based emails to let us know which
emails have been opened by the recipients. This allows us to gauge the
effectiveness of certain communications and the effectiveness of our marketing
campaigns.
Supplemental Information
In order for ChosenNet to deliver the highest
quality services to its users, we may decide to supplement the information we
gather via our web site with information from 3rd party sources. At this
time, ChosenNet does not use information from such external sources.
Personally Identifying Information
In the course of its business,
ChosenNet collects information that identifies particular Members (Personally
Identifying Information). Of the six types of information ChosenNet
collects, four are Personally Identifying Information: ID and Contact
Information, Photographs, Messaging Information, and Billing Information.
See below for ChosenNet's policy on sharing Personally Identifying Information.
How ChosenNet
Uses Information
ChosenNet's uses of information
depend on the category of information: ID/contact information, profile
information, messaging information, billing information, or activity
information. In addition to the primary uses described below, ChosenNet may
use information for other purposes including, but not restricted to,
investigating user complaints, enforcing our Online Conduct standards (see our
Terms of Service), or
communicating with law enforcement.
Identification and Contact Information
We use Members' ID and contact information to
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create a unique Member ID that we use to
allow Members to log in to Members-only areas of the site and to ensure that
each Member can view appropriate profiles from other Members and control who
views his or her own profile
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facilitate (or block)
anonymous email communication between Members so that Members can exchange
messages with potential matches without divulging their contact information
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communicate with our
Members regarding the status of their ChosenNet Membership and ChosenNet services.
Note that Members can opt out of receiving promotional communications.
Profile Information (excluding photos)
We use profile information users provide
about themselves and what they are seeking in a match
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in Members' personal profiles.
Each Member can view or edit his profile at any time
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to match specific profiles
with searches done by other Members looking for potential matches with
particular characteristics
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to match specific new
profiles with ChosenNet Agent criteria set by Members who want to be notified when
new Members with particular characteristics join ChosenNet
Please note that which Who
New users can view a Member's profile is determined by a) whether the Member and
the user
are "connected," i.e., part of the same ChosenNet group, b) whether the
user is a ChosenNet Member, and c) the "Visibility Preference"
setting of the profile Member. Members can change their Visibility
Preference at any time to exercise a measure of control over who views their
profile.
Photographs
We use Members' photographs as part of their personal profiles.
Messaging Information
We use the text and addressee information
of invitation emails sent a) to invite people to join ChosenNet and b) between
ChosenNet
members to
Billing Information
We use billing information
collected from our members to execute payments for ChosenNet subscription
services.
Activity Information
We use activity information to improve ChosenNet's web site, service offerings, and marketing programs by, among other
things,
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tracking how users move
through the site
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measuring which functions are
more or less popular
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determining which marketing
messages are most effective in communicating ChosenNet's value proposition to
potential members
Communications from
ChosenNet
Special
Offers and Updates
We send all new members a
welcoming email to verify password and username. Established members will
occasionally receive information on products, services, special deals, and a
newsletter. Out of respect for the privacy of our users we present the option to
not receive these types of communications. Please see the Choice and Opt-out
sections.
Service
Announcements
On rare occasions it is
necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For
instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send
users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications,
though they can deactivate their account. However, these communications
are not promotional in nature.
Customer
Service
We communicate by email with users on a regular basis to
provide requested services and regarding account issues.
With Whom
ChosenNet Shares Information
ChosenNet does not rent, sell, or share
Personally Identifying Information about you with other people or nonaffiliated
companies except a) to provide products or services you've requested, b) when we
have asked for and received your permission, or c) under the following
circumstances:
We provide the information to trusted
partners who work on behalf of or with ChosenNet under confidentiality
agreements. These companies may use your information to help ChosenNet
communicate with you about offers from ChosenNet and our marketing partners.
However, these companies do not have any independent right to share this
information. We respond to subpoenas, court orders, or
legal process, or to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against
legal claims; We believe it is necessary to share
information 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 ChosenNet's Terms of Service, or as
otherwise required by law We transfer information about you if ChosenNet
is acquired by or merged with another company. In this event, ChosenNet will
notify you before information about you is transferred and becomes subject to
a different privacy policy.
Third Party
Advertisers
ChosenNet from time to time shares (not Personally Identifying) Activity Information about
its users with reputable third
parties for the purpose of targeting Internet advertisements on this site and other sites.
Aggregate Information
ChosenNet from time to time shares
aggregated information (not Personally Identifying) about our users with
business partners and advertisers.
User Choices Regarding
Collection, Use and
Distribution of the Information
ChosenNet gathers Activity Information on users
who visit ChosenNet's web site but do not join. Invitees who choose not to
join ChosenNet can request the removal of their ID and Contact Information from
ChosenNet's database (see below). With the exception of ID and Contact
Information, which they are required to provide, and Activity Information, which
is collected automatically, users who join ChosenNet and become Members can provide
as much or as little information as they wish when solicited at ChosenNet's web
site. Members can also choose not to post a ChosenNet profile or to take
down their profile at any time after it is posted.
In addition, ChosenNet gives its members the
following options for controlling their personal information. Members can
edit these preferences at
www.chosennet.com/members/edit_account_preferences.asp.
Visibility Preference
ChosenNet members can exercise
a measure of control over who can view their ChosenNet profile by adjusting their
"Visibility Preference." This
allows members to make their profile visible just to their
network, to all ChosenNet members, or to
all ChosenNet users, including non-Members.
Opt-out from ChosenNet Promotional Messages
Members who do not wish to
receive update and promotional messages may opt-out of receiving these
communications by changing their
Promotional Email Preference at the address given above.
Make Membership Inactive
ChosenNet members can at any
time make their membership inactive. This takes down their ChosenNet profile
and opts the member out of receiving update messages. The member also can
no longer use most of ChosenNet' functionality. Note that personal
information of inactive members may be retained in ChosenNet's database
Request Removal of Information
Members who decide to leave
ChosenNet or invitees who choose not to join can request that their information
actually be removed from ChosenNet's database by sending an email from their email
address of record to
CustomerService@chosennet.com Subject: Remove Me.
Security Procedures in Place to Protect the
Loss, Misuse or Alteration of Information Under ChosenNet Control
ChosenNet is committed to keeping
our Members' information secure and we've taken steps to protect sensitive
information both online and offline.
ID/Contact and Profile
Information
Users who are not ChosenNet
Members do not have access to ChosenNet Member profiles, except for those profiles
where a Member has specifically chosen to have his or her profile visible to all
ChosenNet visitors/users. Otherwise, ChosenNet requires to become Members and to
log in to use ChosenNet's Service, including viewing other Members' profiles or
viewing/editing their own personal
information. Each Members-only page
checks that the Member is logged in and that the Member has permission to view the
page in question. ChosenNet uses a combination of cookies and other
technologies to enforce that only permitted viewers can view sensitive ChosenNet
content.
Billing Information
When our subscription/order form asks
Members
to enter sensitive information (such as a credit card number or billing
address), that information is encrypted and protected with industry-standard,
128-bit SSL technology. While on a secure page, the lock icon on the bottom of
web browsers such as Netscape
Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer is locked, as opposed to un-locked, or
open, when users are on a normal page.
Offline Security
While we use SSL encryption to protect
sensitive information online, we also work to protect
user-information offline. All of our Members’ information, not just the
sensitive information mentioned above, is restricted in our offices. Only
employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, a
billing clerk or a customer service representative) are granted access to
Personally Identifying Information.
If users have any questions about the
security at our Web site, users can send an email to
CustomerService@chosennet.com Subject: Security .
How Users Can Correct
Any Inaccuracies in the
Information
If a member’s personally
identifiable information changes (such as zip code, phone, email or postal
address), the member can update the information at any time at
www.chosennet.com/members/edit.asp.
If a member no longer wants to use our service, he can render his membership
inactive at the Member Preferences page (www.chosennet.com/members/edit_account_preferences.asp).
If a member wants to delete all his personally identifiable information, he can
send an email request to
CustomerService@chosennet.com Subject: Remove Me. This email must me sent from his
currently active ChosenNet email
address.
How
ChosenNet Will Notify Users of Changes to its Privacy Statement
If ChosenNet decides to change our privacy policy, we
will notify our Members by email and will post the changes to this Privacy Statement.
We may also post notice of the changes to our homepage and/or other places we
believe are appropriate.
Unless we have Members' explicit consent, we will
use information in accordance with the privacy policy under which the
information was collected. If, however, we plan to use Members’ Personally
Identifying Information in a manner different from that stated at the time of
collection, Members will be offered a choice (via email to their currently
active ChosenNet email address) as to
whether or not we use their information in this different manner. Members
who have resigned their membership or otherwise been removed from our system
will not be contacted, and their Personally Identifying Information will not be
used in this new manner.
Contact
Information
If users have any questions
or suggestions regarding our privacy policy, please email us at
privacypolicy@chosennet.com, or
mail us at
ChosenNet Privacy Policy
3450 Sacramento St. #300
San Francisco, CA 94118
ChosenNet Privacy Statement Version 1.3
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