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Churches.net
Network Privacy Policy
Welcome
to the Churches.net Network, owned and produced by Churches.net and
its subsidiary and affiliate corporations, successors, and assigns
(collectively referred to as "Churches.net"). The "Churches.net Network,"
which may expand or change from time to time, are made available
subject to this Privacy Policy. This statement discloses the privacy
practices of the Churches.net Network. By using the Products and Services,
you agree, without limitation or qualification, to be bound by this
Privacy Policy or any other privacy or data collection policy applicable
to any individual Churches.net Network web site.
This policy may be updated from time to time so please check back
periodically.
1. What information of yours does the Churches.net Network collect?
The
goal of the Churches.net Network is to be your favorite destination
on the Internet by providing you with the information, services
and product offerings that are most relevant to you. To achieve
this goal, the Churches.net Network needs to collect information to
understand what differentiates you from its millions of other unique
users. We collect two types of information from you, "anonymous
information" and "personally identifiable information." Anonymous
information refers to information that cannot be tied back to a
specific individual. Each time a visitor comes to a Churches.net Network
site, Churches.net collects some information to improve the overall
quality of the visitor's online experience. Churches.net collects the
visitor's IP address (e.g., whether the user is logged on from a
.com, .gov or .edu domain), referral data (e.g., the address of
the last URL a user visited prior to clicking through to a Churches.net
Network site), and browser and platform type (e.g., a Netscape browser
on a Macintosh platform). Churches.net also collects aggregate search
terms from search services for internal reporting and targeted advertising.
Churches.net collects this user information for purposes of product
monitoring, product improvement, and targeted advertising.
In addition to this anonymous data, Churches.net may also collect personally
identifiable information. Personally identifiable information refers
to information that tells us specifically who you are, such as your
name and postal address. Wherever and whenever Churches.net collects
personal information through registration we make an effort to include
a link to this Privacy Policy on that page. If you contact the Churches.net
Network, we may keep a record of that correspondence. We do not
collect any e-mail addresses of those who communicate with the Churches.net
Network via e-mail. We use the information provided so that we may
respond to the e-mail.
2. What are "cookies" and how does Churches.net use them?
In addition to the personally identifiable information that Churches.net
collects, we also collect information "anonymously" using "cookies."
Presently, "cookies" play an important role in making the Internet
work, but there is much confusion among Internet users about what
cookies are and how they are used. A cookie is a small text file
containing a unique identification number that is transferred from
a web site to the hard drive of your computer so that the web site
may identify you and track your activities on the web site. This
unique number identifies your browser-- but not you -- to Churches.net
computers whenever you visit one of the sites in the Churches.net Network.
A cookie will not let a web site know any personally identifiable
information about you, such as your real name and address. Churches.net
is not generally interested in any one individual and does not collect
personally identifiable information about any one person using cookies.
The coding in the cookies Churches.net sets lets us know that you are
using a particular computer but nothing more. Since cookies are
only text files, they cannot run on your computer, search your computer
for other information or transmit any information to anyone.
To help serve you better Churches.net generally uses cookies to: Help
us remember who you are through your browser settings so that Churches.net
can offer and provide personalized services. Churches.net uses cookies
to store and sometimes track information about whom has done and
seen what across our Network of sites. Cookies also allow us to
save passwords and preferences for you so that you will not have
to re-enter them the next time you visit. Help merchants in Churches.net
Shop track business at their stores and process orders in individual
shopping carts; Measure traffic patterns. Without cookies, it could
be difficult for Churches.net to know that certain services are more
popular than others are. This information helps us to better understand
when to open up new services. Estimate audience size. Cookies help
us know whether or not users have seen particular displays, including
advertising, so we do not bore you with the same material over and
over again. Displaying advertisements. Third party advertising networks
for Churches.net may issue cookies when serving advertisements.
The use of cookies is now an industry standard, and you will find
them used on most major web sites. Most browsers are initially set
up to accept cookies. If you prefer, you can reset your browser
either to notify you when you have received a cookie, or to refuse
to accept cookies. You should understand that while Churches.net does
not require you to use cookies, however certain sites will not function
properly if you set your browser to not accept cookies.
3. What organization is collecting the information?
When you register information in any Internet domain of the Churches.net
Network, that information is generally collected and maintained
solely by the Churches.net Network unless specifically stated otherwise
at the point of collection. If data is collected and/or maintained
by any company other than the Churches.net Network, we will tell you
at the point of collection. If you do not want to share your information
with that company, you can choose not to use that service. Please
see the Section entitled "With whom does the Churches.net Network share
information that is collected?" for a more complete list of companies
that Churches.net works with to provide you Products and Services.
Churches.net runs many promotions and sweepstakes across its Network.
These promotions may be sponsored or co-sponsored by third parties.
Data collected during a promotion is typically shared with the sponsor
or co-sponsor. Churches.net will inform you at the point of collection
whether or not we are sharing your personal data as a result of
your participation in a promotion or sweepstakes. If you do not
want to have the Churches.net Network share your data, you can choose
not to participate in the promotion or sweepstakes.
Be aware that Churches.net Network sponsors and other advertisers have
links on our sites that take you to other sites that may collect
personally identifiable information about you. Churches.net hopes that
all third parties involved adhere to our policies regarding the
privacy of our users. However, this Churches.net Network Privacy Policy
does not cover third party data collection practices and the Churches.net
Network does not assume any responsibility for any actions of third
parties.
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our Web
site. Our third-party advertising company also separately places or recognizes a
cookie file on your browser in the course of delivering advertisements to this
Site. These companies may use information (not including your name, address
email address or telephone number) about your visits to this and other Web sites
in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you.
If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices
about not having this information used by these companies, please click here.
4. How does the Churches.net Network use the information it collects?
Any personal information you provide to Churches.net when registering
for Products and Services at any of its Network sites is maintained
and accessible only by the Churches.net Network unless specifically
stated otherwise. Churches.net requests information from its users so
that users can enjoy customized experiences across the Churches.net
Network, including personalization services, interactive communications,
games, online shopping and many other types of content and services.
Most of these Products and Services are free to you. In order to
provide great content and services free of charge, Churches.net displays
advertisements.
For instance, if you told the Churches.net Network that you were interested
in receiving offers or information from selected Churches.net Network
sponsors and advertisers, Churches.net will send you email about products
and services that we feel may be of interest to you. For those who
elect to receive such materials from Churches.net or third parties,
and who indicate that they do in their profile, Churches.net will release
personally identifiable information. Information released includes
name, e-mail address and other information supplied in the Churches.net
Network registration process. The Churches.net Network sometimes uses
an individual registered user's data to "pre-populate" forms that
are displayed for the purpose of collecting individual data by the
Churches.net Network and/or its advertisers and sponsors. If you enter
a sweepstakes or a contest on the Churches.net Network, we will use
the information you provided to contact you in the event you win.
Law enforcement or judicial authorities may require Churches.net to
provide information on individual users to the appropriate governmental
authorities.
5. With whom does the Churches.net Network share the information that
is collected?
In order to provide you with content and services that match your
interests, the Churches.net Network has relationships with many of the
best services and content companies. Many of these services also
require registration to make them function properly. You can recognize
most of these sites by the joint branding of Churches.net and such companies.
You should make every effort to read the individual privacy policies
of the partners, and make an informed decision on your own whether
or not to continue based upon these sites' privacy practices and
your own discretion. You may opt-out of sharing your information
with such partners by choosing not to use that service or content.
You will find direct links on our site to sites offered by third
parties. Some of these sites are authorized to use the Churches.net
Network brands and/or logos. No third party sites are covered by
this privacy policy. If you feel that a site using a Churches.net Network
brand and/or logo does not follow an acceptable privacy policy,
please contact the Churches.net.
6. How can you access, edit or delete your information?
The Churches.net Network provides its registered users the ability to
access and edit the personal information in their user profiles.
Currently, to access and edit your personal information, you have
to go to the specific Churches.net Network site where you registered.
7. What is the opt-out policy for the Churches.net Network?
The Churches.net Network offers you the ability to opt-out of receiving
information on Churches.net Network updates and new services, as well
as direct mail offers from selected Churches.net Network partners and
sponsors. This is done at the point of initial collection of information
and during the editing or updating process. The instructions to
opt out of most Churches.net Network email newsletters and direct mail
communications are the same as the instructions listed above for
editing user information profiles. In addition, all Churches.net Network
newsletters and direct email communications have easy-to-follow
unsubscribe instructions at the bottom.
8. What kinds of security procedures are in place to protect against
the loss, misuse or alteration of your information?
The Churches.net Network has security measures in place to attempt to
protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of your user data
under our control. Only authorized employees have access to the
information you provide us with. While we cannot guarantee that
loss, misuse or alteration to data will not occur, we make every
effort to prevent such unfortunate occurrences. Any other particularly
sensitive information, such as your credit card number collected
for a commerce transaction at Churches.net Shop or to purchase premium
services, is encrypted prior to transmission.
You are ultimately responsible for the security of your Churches.net
Network ID and password. Please take care when using and storing
them. Churches.net recommends that you do not divulge your password
to anyone. You should log out of your browser at the end of each
computer session to ensure that others cannot access your personal
information and correspondence, especially if you share a computer
with someone else or are using a computer in a public place like
a library or Internet cafe.
9. The Churches.net Network notice regarding the Children's Online Privacy
Protection Act (COPPA)?
The Churches.net Network, in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy
Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998, provides notice to parents of children
under 13 that:
The Churches.net Network may collect personal information from children
under 13 years of age in order to provide them with access to services
and content on the Churches.net Network; The Churches.net Network needs
the consent of parents or guardians to collect, use and disclose
personally identifiable information about children under 13; The
Churches.net Network has created a mechanism by which parents and guardians
can provide consent; The Churches.net Network may not require children
under 13 to disclose more information than is reasonably necessary
to participate in an activity as a condition of participation; The
Churches.net Network has created a mechanism by which parents or guardians
can, upon verification, review their children's personal information,
ask to have that information deleted, and refuse to allow any further
collection or use of their children's personal information.
The Churches.net Network encourages parents and guardians to spend time
online with their children and to participate in the activities
offered on the sites that they visit. No information should be submitted
to or posted at the Churches.net Network by visitors and registered
users under 13 years of age without the consent of their parent
or guardian.
The Churches.net Network does not knowingly permit children under the
age of 13 to register without the verifiable consent of their parents
or guardians.
10. What you can do to better protect yourself on the Internet?
Know the risks. When you communicate with others online, you should
be aware that, when disclosing personal information such as one's
actual name, member name, e-mail address, etc., on a web page, in
a newsgroup, chat room or forum, that information may be collected
and used by others to send that person unsolicited e-mail from other
parties, outside the Churches.net Network. Some of the e-mail you receive
may be useful to you, but some may not. In an effort to curtail
unsolicited e-mail, Churches.net blocks certain e-mail addresses and
domains from sending e-mail communications to e-mail addresses at
our domains.
Educate yourself. Search the Web for as much information as you
can about how to protect your privacy. Look for a privacy statement
in the sites you visit. A good place to start is TRUSTe -- an independent,
non-profit privacy initiative dedicated to building users' trust
and confidence in the Internet. Please visit the Federal Trade Commission's
web site and read information on being an informed Internet Traveler
and other privacy initiatives. Additional privacy resources can
be found at by clicking on any of the following links:
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
http://www.privacyrights.org/
Center for Democracy and Technology
http://www.cdt.org/privacy/
Data Privacy
http://www.cdt.org/privacy/guide/
Guide to Online Privacy Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
http://www.the-dma.org/
Electronic Frontier Foundation - non-profit dedicated to protecting
public interest in online privacy.
http://www.eff.org EPIC.org
(Electronic Privacy Information Center)
http://www.epic.org
Georgetown Internet Privacy Study
http://www.msb.edu/faculty/culnanm/gippshome.html
NetCoalition.com
http://www.netcoalition.com
Network Advertising Initiative
http://www.networkadvertising.org/
Online Privacy Alliance
http://www.privacyalliance.org/
Tell your children: "Never talk to strangers!" While the Churches.net
Network works hard to protect children on its sites, Churches.net cannot
protect their privacy once they leave. Please teach children to
not give out their names or other personal information to anyone
on the Internet. They should also be instructed not to fill out
any forms or register at any website without your knowledge and
consent. Take advantage of the online resources for parents available
on the Churches.net Network, such as SearchGuard and GetNetWise.
Use PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) http://www.pgp.com
or another encryption program.
Copyright © 2000 Churches.net, Inc. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions
Standard Advertising Terms and Conditions
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