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Vivenet Privacy Policy
Safeguarding Our Subcribers' Privacy
Collected Information on Our
Subscribers Personally Identifiable
Information A Special Note Concerning
Privacy and Children Online Collected Information on Our
Subcribers Collected information is usually grouped into two
categories: personally
identifiable information and so-called "aggregate"
information. Personally identifiable information is any information in
Vivenet's possession that is associated with a specific Subscriber (such as a
name or address) and information we collect about how individual Subcribers use
Vivenet (such as the fact that a Subcriber visits sports pages, or has purchased
merchandise through Vivenet.) It does not include aggregate information, which
is general demographic information (such as the total number of Subcribers who
are more than 35 years old), or information which a Subcriber has made public on
Vivenet. Personally Identifiable Information to process requests
and orders placed with advertisers, merchants and service providers on
Vivenet; to personalize Vivenet
based on Subscribers’ interests, including making Subscribers aware of editorial
features, advertisements, and commercial offerings that may be of interest;
to communicate with
Subscribers, including promoting Vivenet; to register a
Subscriber for a contest or sweepstakes and to administer or make related offers
from the same; to serve Subscribers
when they have questions or problems; to perform normal
business operations, such as billing, collection, and accounting; and
to investigate
complaints and protect Vivenet and its Subscribers, in compliance with the law,
the Vivenet Subscriber Agreement, Interactive Features Guidelines and Vivenet
policies. Vivenet uses strict procedures and safeguards designed
to protect the privacy of all personal information. All Vivenet employees with
access to personal information are required to follow specific practices
concerning its proper handling. Vivenet's employees never inspect or disclose to
others the contents of these private messages except with the specific consent
of the sender or recipient, or as specifically authorized or required by law.
Vivenet respects the privacy of personal files in
Subscribers’ computers. Vivenet does not access, read, upload or store data
contained in or derived from private files without the Subscriber’s
authorization. Your
authorization allows Vivenet to provide you with consistently fast and reliable
network access by sending diagnostic data about your computer and your
connections with Vivenet. Such data include call failure data, communications
bit rate, local access number used, version numbers, and modem type. Vivenet
will use this information to evaluate and improve the quality of your
connections. From
time to time, we'll make our membership list available to carefully selected
outside organizations. Vivenet may also send approved commercial communications
to Subscribers on behalf of outside parties. If you do not want your name,
address, e-mail address or other personal information to be provided for such
purposes, indicate your intent by emailing the administator with your
preference. Vivenet complies in all respects with the Electronic
Communications Privacy Act of 1986, as amended, ("ECPA"). Subject to the
subpoena, warrant, consent, and court order provisions of ECPA, Vivenet must
provide Subscriber information and/or Internet communications to the proper
authorities Vivenet may establish time limits and/or other criteria under which
private e-mail will be automatically removed from your online mailbox. Vivenet
has no responsibility to retain or deliver private e-mail that is located in a
Subscriber's online mailbox at the time of that Subscriber's suspension or
termination, or that is addressed to such Subscriber thereafter.
Aggregate Information
A Special Note Concerning Privacy
and Children Online Members of Vivenet are required to be 18 years of age or
older. In fact, you confirmed that you were 18 or older when you enrolled
in Vivenet. However, Subscribers may want to allow their children to use Vivenet
to access the Internet. Although the Internet offers a wealth of information and
exciting opportunities to explore, some of its content may not be suitable for
children. Understandably, as the popularity of the Internet has grown, so have
concerns among parents. Vivenet believes that parents should supervise their
children's online activities and Vivenet suggests that they consider using
parental control tools available from software manufacturers that help provide a
child-friendly online environment. Please instruct your children not to give out their
name, address or e-mail address, or provide any personal information to anyone
without your permission. It may also be
wise to carefully note all the people with whom your child frequently
corresponds over the Internet or on any online service. Guidelines for
Parents By
taking responsibility for their children's online computer use, parents can
greatly minimize the potential risks. Make it a family rule to: Never give out identifying information - home address,
school name, or telephone number - in a public message such as chat or bulletin
boards, and be sure you are dealing with someone that both you and your child
know and trust before giving it out via e-mail. Think carefully before revealing
any personal information such as age, marital status, or financial information.
Consider using a pseudonym or unlisting your child's name from Internet sites in
which they participate. Consider keeping the computer in a family room rather
than the child's bedroom. Be sure to make this a family activity. Get to know
their "online friends" just as you get to know all of their other friends.
Get
to know the Internet sites your child uses. If you don't know how to get to
them, get your child to show you. Find out what types of information it offers
and whether there are ways for parents to block out objectionable material.
Never allow a child to arrange a face-to-face meeting
with another computer user without parental permission. If a meeting is
arranged, make the first one in a public spot, and be sure to accompany your
child. Never respond to messages or bulletin board items that
are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, threatening, or make you feel
uncomfortable. Encourage your children to tell you if they encounter such
messages. If you or your child receives a message that is harassing, or of a
sexual nature, or threatening, alert the appropriate law enforcement agency. You
may also send an alert to Vivenet if the message is from another Vivenet
Subscriber, or to the online service from which the message originated.
Should you become aware of the transmission, use, or
viewing of child pornography while online, immediately report this Federal
Bureau of Investigation and to the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children by calling 1-800-843-5678. Remember that people online may not be who they seem.
Because you can't see or even hear the person, it is easy for someone to
misrepresent him- or herself. Thus, someone indicating that "she" is a
"12-year-old girl" could really be a 40-year-old man. Remember that everything you read online may not be
true. Any offer that's "too good to be true" probably is. Be very careful about
any offers that involve your coming to a meeting or having someone visit your
house. Set
reasonable rules and guidelines for computer use by your children. Discuss these
rules and post them near the computer as a reminder. Remember to monitor their
compliance with these rules, especially when it comes to the amount of time your
children spend on the computer. A child or teenager's excessive use of the
interactive features of the Internet, especially late at night, may be a clue
that there is a potential problem. Third-Party
Provider Content The
search engine technology automatically produces search results that reference
sites and information located worldwide throughout the Internet. Because neither
Vivenet nor the third party service provider has control over such sites and
information, there are no guarantees as to such sites and information, including
as to: the
accuracy, currency, content, or quality of any such sites and information, or
whether a search may locate unintended and objectionable
content. Because some of the content on the Internet consists of
material that is adult-oriented or otherwise objectionable to some people, the
results of your search may automatically and unintentionally generate links or
references to objectionable material. Vivenet has no control over, and can make
no claim that such surprises will not occur. Computerized search technology does
not give you search results limited to only the hits that you were seeking.
There may be extraneous hits as well. Contact
Information For
answers to specific concerns regarding privacy that are not addressed here, see
our Home Page. This will provide information on whom and how to contact us at
Vivenet. © 2002 Vivenet, LLC. All rights
reserved.
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