The information that we collect about
you while you are using the Site falls into two general categories:
1. Information You Provide to Us.
We may collect and store
information, personal or otherwise, that you voluntarily supply
either while on the Site or in responding via email in connection
with a feature provided on the Site. Some examples of this type of
information include demographic information that you electronically
submit when you sign up for access to certain features on the Site,
information (such as your name, email address, phone number) that
you electronically submit when you register for posting comments in
Blogs. If you decline to supply or provide us with certain
information while using the Site, you may not be able to use or
participate in some or all of the features offered through the Site.
2. Information that is Automatically Collected.
We also collect and store
information that is generated automatically as you navigate through
the Site. For example, to enhance your experience on the Site, we
use a standard feature found in browser software called a “cookie.”
Cookies are small files that your web browser places on your hard
drive for record-keeping purposes. By showing how and when visitors
use the Site, cookies help us track user trends and patterns. They
also prevent you from having to re-enter your preferences on certain
areas of the Site where you have entered preference information
before. Another example of information that we automatically collect
as you navigate the Site is information about your computer’s
connection to the Internet. This information allows us, among other
things, to improve the delivery of our web pages to you and to
measure traffic on the Site.
In addition, third party advertisers
or third party ad servers that place and present advertising on the
Site may also collect information from you via cookies, web beacons,
clear .gifs or similar technologies. These third party advertisers
and ad servers may use the information they collect to help present
their advertisements, to help measure and research the
advertisements’ effectiveness, or for other uses. The use and
collection of your information by these third party advertisers and
ad servers is governed by the relevant third party’s privacy policy
and is not covered by our privacy policy. Indeed, the privacy policy
of these third party advertisers and ad servers may be different
from our privacy policy. If you want more information about the
privacy policies of these third party advertisers and ad servers or
want more information on how to opt-out of the cookies or web
beacons that some advertisers and ad servers may use, click the link
to the third party website to see their privacy policy.
We use the information we collect
from you while you are using the Site in a variety of ways,
including using the information to customize features and
advertising that appear on the Site. We also may provide your
information to third parties, such as service providers,
contractors, and advertisers, for a variety of purposes. For
example, we may provide our advertisers with information about you
and other visitors that will enable our advertisers to better target
ads to specific types of visitors.
We reserve the right to use and to
disclose to third parties all of the information that we collect
online about you and other visitors in any way and for any purpose,
with one important exception. We will not use the information that
we collect online from you while you are using the Site, nor will we
authorize third parties to use such information, to mail or email
promotional offers directly to you unless you have specifically
informed us that you would like to receive promotional offers from
us and/or from third parties. If you choose to receive these
promotional offers, then your information may be used for direct
mail or email marketing. You may view or update your preference to
receive these promotional offers by visiting registration at
Chiphistory.org.
Please also keep in mind that
whenever you voluntarily make your personal information available
for viewing by third parties online – for example on web logs, or in
chat areas – that information can be seen, collected, and used by
others besides us. We cannot be responsible for any unauthorized
third party use of such information.
The Site includes links to other
websites and provides access to products and services offered by
third parties, whose privacy policies we do not control. When you
access another website or purchase third party products or services
through the Site, use of any information you provide is governed by
the privacy policy of the operator of the site you are visiting or
the provider of such products or services.
We also make some content, products
and services available through our Site through cooperative
relationships with third party providers, where the brands of our
provider partner appear on the Site in connection with such content,
products, and/or services. We may share with our provider partner
any information you provide, or that is collected, in the course of
visiting any pages that are made available in cooperation with our
provider partner. In some cases, the provider partner may collect
information from you directly; in which cases the privacy policy of
the provider partner may apply to the provider partner’s use of your
information.
Be aware that we may occasionally
release information about visitors when release is appropriate to
comply with law, to enforce our Terms of Service agreement, or to
protect the rights, property or safety of users of the Site, the
public, or Chiphistory.org.
Please also note that as our business
grows, we may buy or sell various assets. In the unlikely event that
we sell some or all of our assets, or our site is acquired by
another company, information about our visitors may be among the
transferred assets.