Our Privacy Policy
Our Privacy Commitment
09/01/2011
THE SOCIAL CITIES Inc. (“THE SOCIAL CITIES,” “we,” “us” or
“our”) is committed to respecting the privacy rights and concerns of all users
of the THE SOCIAL CITIES www.thesocialcities.com websites where this Privacy
Policy is posted (the “Site(s)”) (we refer to the Site(s) and the services made
available through the Site(s), collectively, as the “THE SOCIAL CITIES
Features”). As such, we have established and implemented this Privacy Policy to
inform visitors to the Site(s) and users of the THE SOCIAL CITIES features how
we use and protect the information we collect through the Site(s). By visiting
the Site(s) or using any of the THE SOCIAL CITIES features, you consent to THE
SOCIAL CITIES’s collection, use, storage, deletion and disclosure of
information relating to you as set forth in this Privacy Policy. This Privacy
Policy is effective as of the date set forth above and is only applicable to
the Site(s) and not to any other website that you may be able to access from
the Site(s) which may have its own data collection and use practices and
policies.
This policy answers the following questions:
What information do we collect about you and how do we use
it?
Will we share your personal information with third parties?
What choices do you have about the collection and use of your
personal information?
What security measures do we take to safeguard your personal
information?
What information do we
collect about you and how do we use it?
Types of Information We
Collect
Personal information means information that can be used to
identify and contact you. You do not need to submit personal information to
access certain areas of the Site(s), but if you do not want to disclose certain
personal information to us, you will not be able to access certain aspects of
the THE SOCIAL CITIES features.
We collect personal information when you create an account
through the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features; participate in polls, surveys, and
questionnaires; participate in contests, sweepstakes, or other promotions;
place advertisements on a Twitter feed, or allow your Twitter feed to be
“sponsored;” or receive customer or technical support.
To create an account for the THE SOCIAL CITIES features, we
require you to provide your name, date of birth; email address, mailing address,
phone number, etc. When you are placing advertisements / messages or post through
the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features, in addition to the information above, we will
ask for additional information. You may also choose to provide us your screen
names for certain instant messaging programs (such as AIM, Windows Live
Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and Skype) that you may use if you would like us to
contact you through IM.
Additionally, we may also collect other types of information
(known as demographic information) such as your gender, hobbies, occupation,
platform preferences, and other similar information. This demographic
information may be associated with your personal information.
How We Use Your
Personal Information
The personal information you provide to us will allow us to
fulfill your advertising and marketing placements; alert you of new products or
services, features, or enhancements; handle/route your customer service
questions or issues; and/or notify you of upgrade opportunities, contests,
promotions, or special events and offers. We also use your e-mail address to
send you messages about the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features and other general announcements.
If you provide us your IM screen names, we will be able to contact you through
the IM screen names that you submit, however, those screen names will not be
made publicly available to other users.
We keep track of your interactions with us, including but not
limited to your activity within the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features. We may use
personal information that you provide to us to send messages to you in response
to your request to perform an activity in connection with your use of any of
the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features. We may also use your personal information to
contact you when necessary.
Cookies
“Cookies” are small bits of electronic information that a
website sends to a visitor’s browser and are stored on the visitor’s hard
drive. Like many websites, we employ cookies in certain areas of the Site(s) to
allow us to provide information which is targeted to your interests and to make
your online experience more convenient. For example, when you return to one of
our websites after logging in, cookies provide information to the website so
that the website will remember who you are. Should you disable cookies in your
browser, you will have to provide your user ID and password each time you log
in.
Log Information
Our servers automatically record information that your
browser sends whenever you visit the Site(s). This information includes your
Internet Protocol (IP) address, your browser type and version, the search
engine you used to find the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features, if any, the operating
system your computer uses, which THE SOCIAL CITIES Features you use and when
and how long you use them. We use this information to monitor and analyze how
users use the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features, to provide customer service and to
maintain and improve the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features.
Children’s Privacy
We do not knowingly collect personal information from
children under 13. We take children’s privacy seriously, and encourage parents
to play an active role in their children’s online experience at all times.
Will we share your
personal information with third parties?
Sharing of Information
We may use your personal information to provide analyses of
our users in the aggregate to prospective partners, advertisers and other third
parties. We may also disclose and otherwise use, on an anonymous basis,
affiliation, position, interests and other non-personal information about
customers.
In addition, we will share the personal information we
collect from you under the following circumstances:
Protection of rights. We will share personal information if
we have a good faith belief that (i) access, use, preservation or disclosure of
such information is reasonably necessary to satisfy any applicable law,
regulation, legal process, such as a court order or subpoena, or a request by
law enforcement or governmental authorities, (ii) such action is appropriate to
enforce the Terms of Use for the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features, including any
investigation of potential violations thereof, (iii) such action is necessary
to detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues
associated with the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features, or (iv) such action is
appropriate to protect the rights, property or safety of THE SOCIAL CITIES, its
employees, users of the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features or others.
Asset transfers. If we become involved in a merger,
acquisition or other transaction involving the sale of some or all of THE
SOCIAL CITIES’s assets, user information, including personal information
collected from you through your use of the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features, could be
included in the transferred assets. Should such an event occur, we will use
reasonable means to notify you, either through email and/or a prominent notice
on the Site(s).
Service Providers. We may share your personal information with
service providers that we engage for the purpose of processing information on
our and your behalf. For example, we may have partnered with other companies to
maintain or manage the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features, fulfilling Purchase Orders
for advertising or processing payments. Additionally, we may partner with other
companies to process consumer surveys, fulfill prizes, or to process, analyze,
and/or store data. While providing services for us, these companies may access
your personal information. To the extent applicable, we require these entities
to comply with this Privacy Policy and appropriate confidentiality and security
measures.
Additional Information
You Should Know About Third Parties
This Privacy Policy does not cover the information practices
of third party websites linked to the Site(s). Although we encourage such third
parties to adopt and follow their own privacy policies, we are not responsible
for their collection and use of your personal information. You should refer to
the privacy policies and statements of other websites or contact the respective
webmasters of those websites to obtain information regarding their information
collection, use and disclosure policies.
When you have clicked on an advertisement or third party logo
displayed on our Site(s) which links you to a different website, our Privacy
Policy no longer applies and you must read the privacy policy of the advertiser
to see how your personal information will be handled on their website.
What choices do you
have about the collection and use of your personal information?
Control of Your
Information
You may delete your account (and thus your personal
information) at any time by emailing us or notifying us by telephone. Please
note that when you delete your account, we may retain your account information
for a reasonable period of time afterward for the purpose of internal account
management and fraud prevention activities.
Opting Out of Receiving
Communications from Us
The only way for you to unsubscribe from receiving
communications from us, including messages relating to your account transactions,
is to notify us.
Mediation
If you are a resident of a country outside of the European
Union, you also agree that, in the event any dispute or claim arises out of or
relating to this Privacy Policy, you and THE SOCIAL CITIES will attempt in good
faith to directly negotiate a written resolution of the matter. You agree
that if the matter remains unresolved for forty-five (45) days after
notification (via certified mail or personal delivery) that a dispute exists,
all parties shall join in mediation services in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with a
mutually agreed mediator in an attempt to resolve the dispute. Should you
file any arbitration claims, or any administrative or legal actions without
first having attempted to resolve the matter by mediation, then you agree that
you will not be entitled to recover attorney’s fees, even if you would
otherwise be entitled to them.
Dispute Resolution for
Residents of the European Union
If you are a resident of the European Union, in the event
that you have any dispute or claim arising out of or relating to this Privacy
Policy, you may report your claim to the European Union Data Protection
Authorities located in your jurisdiction.
What security measures
do we take to safeguard your personal information?
The personal information that you provide to us is stored on
servers, which are located in secured facilities with restricted access, and
protected by protocols and procedures designed to ensure the security of such
information. In addition, we restrict access to personal information to THE
SOCIAL CITIES employees, independent contractors and agents who need to know
this information in order to develop, operate and maintain the THE SOCIAL
CITIES Features. All THE SOCIAL CITIES personnel who have access to this
information are trained in the maintenance and security of such information.
However, no server, computer or communications network or system, or data
transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a
result, while we strive to protect user information, we cannot ensure or
warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or through the use
of any of the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features and you acknowledge and agree that you
provide such information and engage in such transmissions at your own risk.
Once we receive a transmission from you, we will endeavor to maintain its
security on our systems.
European Commission’s
Directive on Data Protection – Safe Harbor
THE SOCIAL CITIES adheres to the Safe Harbor Principles that
were established by the U.S. Department of Commerce in consultation with the
European Commission to comply with the European Commission’s Directive on Data
Protection.
Notification of Changes
This Privacy Policy may change from time to time and we will
post all changes on this page.
Questions? Contact Us
If you have any questions about our privacy practices or this
Privacy Policy, please contact us by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Terms of Use
Please read the THE SOCIAL CITIES Inc. Online Terms of Service governing the use of the Site(s) and
the THE SOCIAL CITIES Features.
