DesktopTakeover.com, (hereinafter referred to as "DesktopTakeover") is owner and operator of www.desktoptakeover.com Website (hereinafter referred to as "DesktopTakeover Website") and is committed to safeguarding your privacy online. Please read the following policy to understand how your personal information will be treated as you make full use of our many products and offerings. This policy may change from time to time so please check back periodically.
This policy will let you know:
1. What personally identifiable information is collected from you;
2. What cookies are and how they are used;
3. How your information is used;
4. Who is collecting your information;
5. With whom your information may be shared;
6. What choices are available to you regarding collection, use, and distribution of your information;
7. How you can access, update or delete your information;
8. How the DesktopTakeover Website treats your personal and financial related information;
9. The kind of security precautions that are in place to protect the loss, misuse, or alteration of your information;
10. How the DesktopTakeover Website protects children's privacy; and
11. What else you should know about your online privacy.
1. What personally identifiable information does the
DesktopTakeover Website collect from me?
DesktopTakeover Website collects information in several ways. Some personal information is gathered when you register on the website. During the registration process, the DesktopTakeover Website requires that you create a username and password. At that time you may also be asked for demographic information about yourself, such as your birth date, gender, zip code and personal interests.
Other than your Zip Code, you are not required to provide this information, but the more information you volunteer (and the more accurate it is), the better we are able to customize your experience. We may ask you for personal information at other times also, including (but not limited to) when you enter a sweepstakes, contest or promotion sponsored by DesktopTakeover and/or one of our affiliates; when you make a purchase from the DesktopTakeover Website; and if you report a problem with our products and/or services.
If you make contact with the DesktopTakeover Website and/or DesktopTakeover we may keep a record of that correspondence.
DesktopTakeover Website also occasionally asks users to complete surveys that we use for research purposes.
Wherever DesktopTakeover Website collects personal information we make an effort to include a link to this Privacy Policy on that page.
2. What are cookies and how does
DesktopTakeover Website use them?
As part of offering and providing customizable and personalized services, DesktopTakeover Website uses cookies to store and sometimes track information about you. A "cookie" is a small amount of data that is sent to your browser from a web server and stored on your computer's hard drive. All pages comprising the DesktopTakeover Website where you are prompted to log in or that are customizable require that you accept cookies. (See "What are my choices regarding collection, use and distribution of my information?" for more information on cookies.)
Generally, we use cookies to:
- Remind us of who you are and to access your account information (stored on our computers) in order to deliver to you a better and more personalized service. This cookie is set when you register or "Sign In" and is modified when you "Sign Out" of our services.
- Estimate our audience size. Each browser accessing the DesktopTakeover Website is given a unique cookie which is then used to determine the extent of repeat usage, usage by a registered user versus by an unregistered user, and to help target advertisements based on user interests and behavior.
- Assist merchants linked to the DesktopTakeover Website to track visits to and business at their stores, and to process the items in your shopping basket. This information collected by cookies is sometimes called "clickstream" or "click trail" and may also describe which pages you have seen in each merchant's store.
- Track your progress and number of entries in some of our promotions, sweepstakes and contests. When a DesktopTakeover Website hosted promotion uses cookies, the information written to the cookie indicates the player's progress through the promotion, and may be used to track entries, submissions, and status in prize drawings.
- Measure certain web site traffic patterns, and your visiting patterns in the aggregate. We use this research to understand how our users' habits are similar or different from one another so that we can make each new experience on the DesktopTakeover Website a better one. We may use this information to better personalize the content, banners, and promotions that you and other users will see on our sites.
Advertising networks that serve ads onto the DesktopTakeover Website may also use their own cookies. DesktopTakeover Website also collects IP addresses for system administration and to report aggregate information to our advertisers.
3. How does the DesktopTakeover Website use my information?
DesktopTakeover Website's primary goal in collecting personal information is to provide you, the user, with a customized experience. This includes personalization services, interactive communications, online shopping and display of advertisements for valuable products and services. By knowing a little about you, DesktopTakeover Website is able to deliver more relevant advertisements and content, and hence better service, to you.
In our role of delivering targeted advertisements, DesktopTakeover Website plays the middleman. Advertisers give us an advertisement and tell us the type of audience they want to reach (for example, all users living in the Southeast). DesktopTakeover Website takes the advertisement and displays it to users meeting those criteria. In this process, the advertiser never has access to individual account information. Only the DesktopTakeover Website and DesktopTakeover have access to individuals' accounts. This kind of advertisement targeting is done with banner ads. You will only receive special offers via email from the DesktopTakeover Website if you have indicated in your account preferences that you would like to receive them. You can change your account preferences at any time.
The DesktopTakeover Website does research on our users' demographics, interests, and behavior based on the information provided to us upon registration, during a promotion, from our server log files or from surveys. We do this to better understand and serve our users. This research is compiled and analyzed on an anonymous, aggregated basis. DesktopTakeover may share this aggregated data with advertisers or business affiliates.
4. Who is collecting information?
When you are using the DesktopTakeover Website and are asked for personal information, you are sharing that information with DesktopTakeover alone, unless it is specifically stated otherwise. For example, some DesktopTakeover Website services may be offered in conjunction with an affiliated company. In order to provide this co-branded service to you, it is necessary for us to share your personal information with our affiliated company. If data is being collected and/or maintained by any company other than DesktopTakeover, you will be notified prior to the time of the data collection or transfer. If you do not want your data to be shared, you can choose not to allow the transfer by not using that particular service.
Promotions that run on the DesktopTakeover Website may be sponsored by companies other than DesktopTakeover or may be cosponsored by DesktopTakeover and another company. Some or all data collected during a promotion may be shared with the sponsor. If data will be shared, you will be notified prior to the time of data collection or transfer. You can decide not to participate in the promotion if you don't want your data to be shared.
Please be aware that the DesktopTakeover Website advertisers or web sites that have links on our site may independently collect personally identifiable information about you. The information practices of those web sites linked to the DesktopTakeover Website are not covered by this privacy statement.
5. With whom does the DesktopTakeover Website share my information?
As a general rule, DesktopTakeover will not disclose any of your personally identifiable information except when we have your permission or under special circumstances, such as when we believe in good faith that the law requires it or under the circumstances described below. The following describes some of the ways that your information may be disclosed.
Business Affiliates & Sponsors: DesktopTakeover may disclose your personal information to business affiliates or sponsors, but this is specifically described to you prior to data collection or prior to transferring the data. Some or all data collected during a DesktopTakeover promotion may be shared with a sponsor. If personally identifying data about you will be shared, we will tell you before we collect or transfer the data.
Many promotions offer opportunities to request additional information from sponsors. By requesting more information, you give DesktopTakeover permission to transfer your personal information to the sponsor so they can fulfill your request. In many instances, only your email address will be shared. If more information will be shared with the sponsor, you will be notified prior to the transfer.
Merchants: If you make a purchase from a merchant linked to DesktopTakeover Website, the information obtained during your visit to that merchant, and the information you give such as your credit card number and contact information, is provided to that merchant. This is to enable transactions to take place.
Merchants linked to the DesktopTakeover Website have separate privacy and data collection practices. DesktopTakeover Website and DesktopTakeover have no responsibility or liability for the Merchant(s) independent policies and/or practices. For more information regarding any merchant, their store, and their privacy policies, return to that store's home page and click on their Privacy Information link.
From time to time, you may be offered the opportunity to receive materials or special offers from third parties. If you opt-in to receive information from these third parties, DesktopTakeover will (with your permission) share your name and email address with them.
Third Party Data and Data in the Aggregate: Under confidentiality agreements, DesktopTakeover may match user information with third party data. Also, DesktopTakeover may disclose aggregated user statistics (for example, "15% of our users are located in New Jersey") in order to describe our services to prospective affiliates, advertisers, and other third parties, and for other lawful purposes.
Other: DesktopTakeover may also disclose account information in special cases when we have reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be violating the DesktopTakeover Website's Terms and Conditions of Use or may be causing injury to or interference with (either intentionally or unintentionally) DesktopTakeover rights or property, other DesktopTakeover Website users, or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities. DesktopTakeover may disclose or access account information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it and for administrative and other purposes that we deem necessary to maintain, service, and improve our products and services.
6. What are my choices regarding collection, use, and distribution of my information?
DesktopTakeover may, from time to time, send you email regarding our products and services. In addition, if you indicated upon registration that you are interested in receiving offers or information from DesktopTakeover, the DesktopTakeover Website and our affiliates, we may occasionally send you direct mail about products and services that we feel may be of interest to you. Only DesktopTakeover (or agents working on behalf of DesktopTakeover and under confidentiality agreements) will send you these direct mailings and only if you indicated that you do not object to these offers. If you do not want to receive such mailings, simply tell us when you give us your personal information. Or, at any time you can easily edit your DesktopTakeover Website Account Information to no longer receive such offers and mailings. You will need your DesktopTakeover Website User ID and Password in order to access your DesktopTakeover Website Account Information.
On some types of DesktopTakeover Website promotions, we will ask for your email address in order to update you on your score, entries, and status in prize drawings. When you participate in these types of promotions, you automatically receive promotion-related email, unless you choose the no-email option that some promotions offer. Occasionally these promotion related email messages may include targeted advertisements.
You also have choices with respect to cookies. By modifying your browser preferences, you have the choice to accept all cookies, to be notified when a cookie is set, or to reject all cookies. If you choose to reject all cookies you will be unable to use those DesktopTakeover Website services that require registration in order to participate.
DesktopTakeover does not sell or rent user information to anyone. We will notify you at the time of data collection or transfer if your data will be shared with a third party and you will always have the option of not permitting the transfer. If you do not wish to allow your data to be shared, you can choose not to use a particular service or not to participate in certain promotions or contests.
7. What is DesktopTakeover Website's policy on allowing me to update, correct, or delete my personally identifiable information?
You may edit your DesktopTakeover Website Account Information at any time by using your DesktopTakeover Website User ID and password. If you have forgotten your password, please click here to request a new password. For all other problems signing in to the DesktopTakeover Website, please click here to email customer service.
If you are participating in a DesktopTakeover Website promotion and you wish to update your email address on the promotions mailing list or to quit a promotion and cease receiving promotion related email, please contact feedback@DesktopTakeover.com.
8. How does the DesktopTakeover Website protect my personal and financial related information?
Keeping your personal and financial information private is vitally important to us.
Knowing that you use certain services or features may help us to offer you better and more relevant content and advertisements. But as with all personally identifiable information, we do not make this available to any third parties without your permission. Any user statistics that we may provide to prospective advertisers or affiliates regarding financial product or service usage on the DesktopTakeover Website are provided in the aggregate only and do not include any personally identifiable information about any individual user.
Please note that there are several places on the DesktopTakeover Website where you can transmit credit card information in order to complete a purchase transaction or for verification purposes. Any time we ask for a credit card number we transmit that credit card number in an encrypted format. We use industry standard, SSL (secure socket layer) encryption.
9. What security precautions are in place to protect the loss, misuse, or alteration of my information?
Your DesktopTakeover Website Account Information is password protected so that you and only you have access to this personal information. You may edit your DesktopTakeover Website Account Information by using your DesktopTakeover Website User ID and password.
We recommend that you do not divulge your password to anyone. The DesktopTakeover Website and DesktopTakeover will never ask you for your password in an unsolicited phone call or in an unsolicited email. Also remember to sign out of your DesktopTakeover Website account and close your browser window when you have finished your work. This is to ensure that others cannot access your personal information and correspondence if you share a computer with someone else or are using a computer in a public place like a library or Internet cafe.
When you give the DesktopTakeover Website personal information, that information may be sent electronically to servers outside of the country where you originally entered the information, such as to the United States or other countries. In addition, that information may be used, stored and processed outside of the country where you entered that information. Whenever the DesktopTakeover Website handles personal information as described above, regardless of where this occurs, the DesktopTakeover Website takes steps to ensure that your information is treated securely and in accordance with the relevant Terms and Conditions of Use and this Privacy Policy.
Unfortunately, no communication -- by internet, phone, mail or any other means -- can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, the DesktopTakeover Website and DesktopTakeover cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or from our online products or services, and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission, we make our best effort to ensure its security on our systems.
10. What about children's privacy?
Naturally, the safety of children is very important to us. The DesktopTakeover Website is a general audience web site. Children should always ask a parent for permission before sending personal information to anyone online. DesktopTakeover Website and DesktopTakeover does not offer products and services for purchase to children under 18, and does not share personal information about users or their children under the age of 13 with third parties. We do not sell or rent personal information about any of our users, regardless of age. In addition, DesktopTakeover Website and DesktopTakeover will not send any direct email offers to users who indicate they are under the age of 13.
11. What else should I know about my privacy?
Please keep in mind that whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information online, for example on message boards, through email, or in chat areas that information can be collected and used by others. In short, if you post personal information online that is accessible to the public, you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties in return.
Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your passwords and/or any account information. Please be careful and responsible whenever you're online.
Additional Information
Questions regarding this statement should be directed to feedback@DesktopTakeover.com
