VISUAL
TECHNOLOGY PRIVACY STATEMENT
Visual Technology Solutions Limited recognise the importance
of protecting the privacy of all information provided by users
of our web sites, subscribers to our magazines, registrants
for our events, recipients of our e-mail newsletters and all
other customers of our products and services. This Privacy
Statement discloses the privacy practices for all products
and services owned by Visual Technology Solutions Limited
INFORMATION COLLECTION AND USE
Visual Technology Solutions Limited collects information
from our website users, subscribers and other customers. In
this section of our Privacy Statement, we describe the type
of information we collect and how we use it to provide better
services to our customers.
Registration and Ordering
When attending our trade shows and other in-person events,
participating in our customer-sponsored web casts, using some
of our website's and signing up for certain selected services
(such as free subscriptions), users must first register. During
registration, users are required to give their contact information
(such as name, e-mail address, mailing address and phone number).
For internal purposes, we use this information to communicate
with users and provide requested services, and, for our website
visitors, to provide a more personalised experience on our
sites. We also may collect demographic information (such as
job title and purchasing responsibilities, company information
and professional certification). We use aggregate demographic
information about our audience to improve our service, for
marketing purposes and/or industry reporting purposes.
For our services that require payment (such as certain events,
products and subscriptions), we also collect credit card information
(such as account name, number and expiration date), which
is used for our or our agent's billing purposes only, and
is not otherwise shared.
E-mail Newsletters
If users wish to subscribe to our e-mail newsletters, we ask
for contact information (such as name, e-mail address and,
occasionally, demographic information). We use this information
in the same manner as we use contact information in the registration
and ordering process described above. Recipients of our newsletters
can unsubscribe using the instructions listed at the end of
the e-mail newsletter.
Surveys and Contests
From time to time we invite web site users and other customers
to provide information via surveys or contests. Participation
in these surveys or contests is completely voluntary and the
website user or other customer therefore has a choice whether
to disclose requested contact information (such as name and
mailing address) and demographic information (such as post
code or job title). In addition to the other uses set forth
in this policy, contact information collected in connection
with surveys and contests is used to notify the winners and
award prizes and to monitor or improve the use of, and satisfaction
with the website or other Visual Technology Solutions Limited
products or services. Subject to the given customer's preferences
(as described in the "Permission" section below),
such information also may be shared with third party sponsors
of such surveys or contests.
Interactive Features
At some of our sites, we offer interactive and community features
such as discussion boards, web casts and user profiles. Note
that all personal information sent or posted via such features
becomes public information for which we are not responsible.
Tell-A-Friend
If customers elect to use our referral service for informing
a friend about our sites and services, we may ask them for
the friend's name, job title and e-mail address. Visual Technology
Solutions Limited will store and use this information to send
the friend an invitation. This information may also be used
to provide information about our company and related products
and services. The friend may contact us as specified in the
tell-a-friend message to request that no further communications
be sent.
Communications with Us
We have features where our customers can submit information
to us (such as our feedback forms). Where such submissions
include requests for service, support or information, we may
forward them to our agents, as needed, to best respond to
the specific request. In addition, we may retain e-mails and
other information sent to us for our internal administrative
purposes, and to help us to serve customers better. Please
note that letters to the editor and similar submissions may
be made public.
Communications from Us: Service Updates, Special
Offers
In order to best serve our customers, we may send updates
that contain important information about our products and
services. For example, we send new members a welcoming message,
and verify password and username for our password-protected
web sites. We may also communicate with a customer to provide
requested services and for account-related issues via e-mail,
phone or regular mail. In addition to such service and product-essential
messages, we offer our customers the option to receive information
about our company, related products, services and special
deals. Users, however, can choose not to receive these communications
from us, as set forth in the "Permission" section
below.
Automatic Data Collection
Our web sites, newsletters and, from time to time, certain
other products and services have features that automatically
collect information from customers, to deliver content specific
to customers' interests and to honor their preferences. This
information assists us in creating products and services that
will serve the needs of our customers.
For example, we use "cookies," a piece of data
stored on the user's hard drive containing information about
the user. Cookies benefit the user by requiring login only
once, thereby saving time while on our web site. If users
reject the cookies, they may be limited in the use of some
areas of our web site. For example, the user may not be able
to participate in sweepstakes, contests or drawings. Additionally,
we may note some of the pages the user visits on our web sites
and via our email newsletters through the use of pixel tags
(also called clear gif's) and web beacons. The use of cookies,
pixels and web beacons enable us to track and target the interests
of our users to enhance the experience on our sites and via
our email newsletters.
In addition, some of our business affiliates use cookies
on our web sites and in our email newsletters, in ads or promotions.
However, we have no access to or control over these business
affiliates' cookies; we urge users to read their privacy policies
for information. In particular, we use third-party advertising
technology to serve ads for Visual Technology Solutions Limited
products and services when you visit certain Visual Technology
Solutions Limited Web sites. This technology uses information
about your visits to these Visual Technology Solutions Limited
Web sites (not including your name, address, or other personal
information), to serve our ads to you. In the course of serving
our advertisements to you, a unique third-party cookie may
be placed or recognized on your browser. In addition, we use
web beacons, provided by our ad serving partner, to help manage
our online advertising for Visual Technology Solutions Limited
products and services. These web beacons enable our ad server
to recognize a browser's cookie when a browser visits these
sites and to learn which banner ads bring users to our Web
sites. The information used in this process is not personally
identifiable.
We also use an email delivery and marketing company to send
emails (including newsletters) for which you have registered
(or otherwise agreed to receive). Web beacons and cookies
may be used in such email messages to help us measure the
effectiveness of our advertising and how customers use our
web sites and other products and services.
For our internal purposes, we gather date, time, browser
type, navigation history and IP address of all visitors to
our web sites. This information does not contain anything
that can identify users personally. We use this information
for our internal security audit log, trend analysis and system
administration, and to gather broad demographic information
about our user base for aggregate use.
We may combine demographic information supplied by a customer
at registration with web site usage data to provide general
profiles, in aggregate non-personally identifiable form, about
our customers and their preferences in the content of the
site and advertising. We may share this composite information
with our advertisers and business affiliates to help them
better understand our services.
WITH WHOM YOUR INFORMATION IS SHARED
When we have co-branded, customised, private label, "powered
by" or sponsored products and services, or when we join
with other parties to provide specific services (however we
do not share credit card information with such third parties),
then we may share (provide and receive) personal information
with such third party, subject to (other than with respect
to users of Visualbubble.com and related sites) the customer's
preferences (as described in the "Permission" section
below). In particular, please note that information collected
in connection with online web casts, will be shared with the
sponsor of the particular web cast(s)/seminar(s), subject
to (other than with respect to users of Visualbubble.com and
related sites) the given customer's preferences (as described
in the "Permission" section below).
These sponsors will use the information according to their
own privacy policies, and we urge participants to read those
policies and be aware of their privacy practices before registering.
On Visualbubble.com and related sites, if a user affirmatively
clicks through to access sponsored content or materials at
those sites, that user's information may be shared with the
sponsor.
Other than as set forth above, we do not share personally
identifiable information with other companies, apart from
those acting as our agents in providing our product(s)/service(s),
and which agree to use it only for that purpose and to keep
the information secure and confidential. Also, our parent,
subsidiary and affiliate companies, entities into which our
company may be merged, or entities to which any of our assets,
products, sites or operations may be transferred, will be
able to use personal information. We will also disclose information
we maintain when required to do so by law, for example, in
response to a court order or a subpoena or other legal obligation,
in response to a law enforcement agency's request, or 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 causing injury to or interference
with (either intentionally or unintentionally) our rights
or property.
We may share aggregate information, which is not personally
identifiable, with others. This information may include usage
and demographic data, but it will not include personal information.
CORRECTION/UPDATING PERSONAL INFORMATION
If your personally identifiable information changes (such
as post code), or if you no longer desire our product(s)/service(s),
we provide a way to correct or update your personal data:
you can contact Customer Support for the applicable product.
PERMISSION
Our customers are given the opportunity to choose whether
to receive information from our affiliates and us not directly
related to the product or service for which they registered
(or which they otherwise agreed to receive). Other than the
sharing of user information with certain sponsors by Visualbubble.com
and related sites, as set forth in the "With Whom Your
Information Is Shared" section above, Customers also
have the opportunity to choose whether to have personal information
shared with third parties for marketing purposes.
Please note that we will endeavor to implement your permission
requests within a reasonable time, although for a time you
may continue to receive mailings, etc., transmitted based
on information released prior to the implementation of your
request. In addition, please note that even after such request
is implemented, you will continue to receive information directly
related to the product or service for which you registered
(or which you otherwise agreed to receive), so you always
are kept informed.
SECURITY
We use reasonable precautions to protect our customers' personal
information and to store it securely. Sensitive information
that is transmitted to us online (such as credit card number)
is encrypted and is transmitted to us securely. In addition,
access to all of our customers' information, not just the
sensitive information mentioned above, is restricted. Only
employees who need the information to perform a specific job
are granted access to personally identifiable information.
Finally, the servers on which we store personally identifiable
information are kept in a secure environment.
LINKS
Our web sites contain links to other sites. Visual Technology
Solutions Limited is not responsible for the privacy practices
or content of such other sites. We encourage our users to
be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy
statements of each web site to which we may link that may
collect personally identifiable information.
CHILDREN
Visual Technology Solutions Limited website's are not directed
at individuals under thirteen years of age, and Visual Technology
Solutions Limited does not intend to collect any personally-identifiable
information from such individuals.
NOTIFICATION and CHANGES
If we change our Privacy Statement, we will post those changes
on this page so our users are aware of what information we
collect, how we use it and under which circumstances, if any,
we disclose it. Users should check this policy frequently
to keep abreast of any changes.
For questions about this Privacy Statement, contact:
Visual Technology Solutions Limited
22 Market Place
Ringwood
Hampshire
BH24 1AW
+44 (0)1425 477555
admin@visualbubble.com
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