PRIVACY POLICY
This policy describes the ways in which theideaLists.com LLC (referred to as "TIL" "we," "us," and "our") collects and uses information from the users of www.idealists.com (the “Site”). The purpose of the Site is to permit users to voluntarily provide information about themselves and their marketing concepts and needs in the form of ideas and briefs so that users in need of marketing concepts and those who have marketing concepts may connect with each other. To encourage the free flow of ideas and users’ honesty in reviewing those ideas, we operate in a spirit of openness and the belief that sunshine promotes a better environment for legitimate business. Accordingly, anonymous surfing of the Site is not permitted. Each user is able to see every other user who has reviewed his or her ideas or briefs and all such activity is tracked and recorded. We do not rent or sell this information to third parties for marketing purposes.
If you disagree with this Privacy Policy you should not join the Site. We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy from time to time. It is your responsibility to check this Privacy Policy regularly for changes. If you disagree with any changes, you should stop using the Site. If you continue to use the Site after we make any changes, you will be agreeing to the changes and the revised Privacy Policy. The date on which this Privacy Policy was last updated is at the bottom of this page. This Privacy Policy is a part of the Terms of Service which governs your use of the Site.
INFORMATION COLLECTED
We collect your information in the following ways:
Registration: In order to become a user, you must first create an account on our website. To create an account you are required to provide your contact information, which you recognize and expressly acknowledge is personal information allowing others and TIL to identify and contact you, which may include but is not limited to your name, address, phone number, company or employer, personal or professional web site address, email address, country, ZIP/postal code, your professional background, and a password chosen by you.
Additional Voluntary Information: Once you become a user, you may provide additional information about you and/or your company as a part of your profile or when posting ideas, briefs, comments or other items (“User Created Items”). Providing additional information is entirely optional but will enhance your ability to use the Site.
Site Usage: We track and record your use of the Site. This includes, but is not limited to, maintaining a record of each idea and brief you view and the time and date you viewed it. We also maintain a record of each user who views each of your ideas and briefs.
Customer Service: TIL may collect information when you contact us or through the Site in order to, among other things, accurately categorize and respond to a user’s inquiry and deliver appropriate service levels.
Cookies: Like most websites, TIL uses cookies (both persistent and temporary) and web log files to track your use of the Site. A cookie is a tiny data file which resides on your computer which allows TIL to recognize you as a user when you return to the Site using the same computer and web browser. In the course of serving advertisements or optimizing services to our users, we may allow authorized third parties to place or recognize a unique cookie on your browser. Any information provided to third parties through such cookies will not be personally identifiable but may provide general demographic information for greater customization of your user experience. If your browser settings do not allow cookies, you will not be able to use the Site.
Web Beacons: We allow other companies, called ad networks, to serve advertisements to users. Ad networks include third party ad servers, ad agencies, ad technology vendors and research firms. TIL may “target” some ads to users that fit a certain general profile – for example, “creative directors in Atlanta.” TIL does NOT use personally identifiable information to target ads. To deliver these ads properly, TIL may include a file, called a web beacon, from these ad networks within pages served by TIL so the networks may provide anonymized, aggregated auditing, research and reporting for advertisers as well as to target ads to you while you visit other websites. Because your web browser must request these advertisements and web beacons from the ad network’s servers, these companies can view, edit or set their own cookies, just as if you had requested a web page from their site. These general targets may also be used by ad networks to display targeted ads on other websites as a substitute for random, irrelevant ads. TIL does not provide personally identifiable information to any advertiser.
Log files, IP addresses and information about your computer: Due to the communications standards on the Internet, when you visit the Site we automatically receive the URL of the site from which you came and the site to which you are going when you leave TIL. We also receive the Internet protocol (IP) address of your computer (or the proxy server you use to access the World Wide Web), your computer operating system and type of web browser you are using, email patterns, as well as the name of your ISP. This information is used to analyze overall trends to help us improve the Site.
Consent to TIL Processing Information About You: Certain information you provide may reveal, or allow others to identify, your nationality, ethnic origin, religion or other aspects of your private life, and more generally about you. Please be aware that in providing information you are expressly and voluntarily accepting the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy and TIL’s Terms of Service. The supplying of all information by you to TIL, including all information deemed “sensitive” by any applicable law, is entirely voluntary on your part. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by terminating your account, but please note that your withdrawal of consent will not be retroactive.
Rights to Access and Correct Information About You: You have a right to access, modify, and correct the data about you which has been collected pursuant to your decision to become a user. If you update any of your information, we may keep a copy of the information which you originally provided to us in our archives.
USES OF INFORMATION
TIL is an online service dedicated to helping you more effectively connect with other users. The information you choose to provide on our Site is used to help you achieve this. Other information, that does not personally identify you as an individual, is collected by TIL from users (such as, for example, patterns of utilization) and is exclusively owned by TIL. This information can be utilized by TIL in such manner as TIL, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate.
TIL Communications: TIL will communicate with you about the Site through email and notices posted on the Site or through other available means. TIL also may send you information regarding additional fee-based services or products offered by TIL.
Customized Content: Information provided to TIL (or to third parties with whom it offers combined services) is also used to customize your experience on the Site.
Sharing Information with Third Parties: TIL takes the privacy of users very seriously. We do not sell, rent, or otherwise provide your personally identifiable information to third parties for marketing purposes. We will only share your personally identifiable information with third parties to carry out your instructions or to provide specific services or information. For example, we store all information related to the Site on computer servers that are owned and operated by a third party contractor. We may provide aggregated anonymous data about the usage of our services to third parties for such purposes as we deem, in our sole discretion, to be appropriate.
Teaming with Other Organizations to Offer Combined and Other Services: TIL may contact you regarding offers or services provided by other companies with which TIL partners (“Partners”). It is your choice whether or not to respond. If you respond that you are interested in such offer or service, your information may be shared with such Partner. In addition, we provide aggregate non-personally identifiable information to the Partner for the purposes of research and reporting and of providing you with more relevant offers.
Surveys and Polls: As a user, you may receive requests to participate in market research including polls and surveys. If you participate in surveys and polls offered through the Site, the information you provide may be visible to others using the Site. In addition, we may provide aggregate, non-personally identifiable information regarding the response to third parties or make such information publicly available.
User Created Items (Ideas/Briefs/Comments): If you post any User Created Item, you should be aware that any information you choose to provide there can be read, collected, or used by other users. TIL is not responsible for the personally identifiable information you choose to disclose by posting User Created Items.
Communications With Other Users: When you contact another user, your name, email address and other information may be shared with that other user. TIL has no control over and is not responsible for such user’s use of your information.
Disclosure for Legal Purposes: It is possible that we may need to disclose your information to third parties or the public when required by law, such as responses to civil or criminal subpoenas, or other requests by law enforcement personnel. For example, if another user sues you for copyright infringement, we may be required during the discovery process to disclose our record of your use of the Site. We will disclose such information whenever we have a good-faith belief that it is necessary to comply with a court order, ongoing judicial proceeding, subpoena, or other legal process or request to TIL brought in any country throughout the world, or to exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims.
Disclosures to others: We may also disclose your personal and other information you provide, to another third party as part of a reorganization or a sale of the assets of TIL. Any third party to which we transfer or sell TIL’s assets will have the right to continue to use the personal and other information that you provide to us.
CHILDREN
Children are not eligible to use our service and minors (under the age of 18) should not submit any information to us or use the Site.
SECURITY
In order to secure your information, access to your data on TIL is password-protected. It is your responsibility to protect the security of your login information.
HOW TO CONTACT US
If you have questions or comments about this privacy policy, please email us at info@theidealists.com
Updated: September 23, 2009