Mapsack Website Privacy Policy ("Policy")

Mapsack ("We/Our/Us") respects your right to the privacy of the personal information you provide us on Our Website. We take your privacy very seriously, and comply with English data protection law (governed by the Data Protection Act 1998). Unless you specify otherwise or We state otherwise in this Policy or at the time information is collected, any Personal Information you provide to Us will not be divulged to third parties without your permission.

What is Personal Information?

Personal Information is information that specifically identifies an individual such as a name, address, telephone number, e-mail address or other account number, and information about that individual's activities when directly linked to that person such as information about his or her use of the Mapsack Website. Personal Information also includes demographic information such as date of birth, gender, geographic area and preferences when such information is linked to other Personal Information that identifies you. Personal Information does not include "Aggregate" Information. Aggregate Information is data We collect about a group or category of products, services or customers, from which individual customer identities have been removed. In other words, information about how you use a service may be collected and combined with information about how others use the same service. Aggregate Data helps Us understand trends and Our users' needs so that We can better consider new features or otherwise tailor Our Mapsack Website.

Personal Information We Collect

We collect Personal Information in a number of ways when you visit the Mapsack Website. For example, We collect Personal Information when you: (1) register and set up an account; (2) sign up for any of our e-mail newsletters; (3) generate a post or (4) contact us by e-mail for any reason. When you visit the Mapsack Website, some information is also automatically collected, such as your computer's Internet Protocol (IP) address, your computer's operating system, the browser type, the address of a referring website, and the time and date of your visit and purchase(s). We treat this information as Personal Information if We combine it with or link it to any of the identifying information mentioned above. Otherwise, it is used in the aggregate only. We do not store credit card information.

We may make use of your personal details in the following ways:

1. We collect basic technical information about visitors to the Mapsack Website, in particular the gateway from which they have accessed the Mapsack Website and the page(s) they are looking at. We may group this data in a way that can be shared with third parties, but We will not disclose your identity or personally identifiable information without your permission.
2. We use 'cookies' to enable Us to register you for access to certain parts of the Mapsack Website, in order to identify unique users, and to track useage. Cookies are small data files that We send to your computer to enable you to access the Mapsack Website without having to subscribe again. Other companies represented on the Mapsack Website - i.e. advertisers or partners - may do the same thing, however We cannot control these, and you should read their privacy policy(ies). Cookies can only identify machines, not individuals. You can choose to have cookies turned off on your browser, but you may not be able to use all of the features on the Mapsack Website.
3. We collect email sending self-publishing and confirmation emails, authenticating user accounts, providing subscription email services, registering for forums, etc., but We will not share them with third parties. Where We ask for email addresses when you generate a posting, this is purely a convenience measure - these addresses are not stored, nor shared with anyone.

Data We store

1. All classified and forum postings are stored in our database, even after "deletion," and may be archived elsewhere.
2. Our web logs and other records are stored indefinitely.
3. Registered reviewers can access and update their account information.
4. Although we make good faith efforts to store the information in a secure operating environment that is not available to the public, we cannot guarantee complete security.

Content and Ratings

You can publish reviews, comments and other content. Users can choose to rate products, services or other reviews. As an unregistered visitor, We may or may not allow you to rate products and/or reviews.
Your reviews are displayed publicly unless you change the default configuration. Your member name is automatically displayed with reviews and comments you publish, and if other members choose to, they can see what you have published or publish their own comments in relation to your reviews.
We, and Our licensees, can republish Your Content as described in the Mapsack Website General Terms. We publish product ratings and use them to develop aggregate ratings, personalise site views and merchandise products. We do not expect to transfer the complete review and member database to others (except as contemplated elsewhere in this statement), however We use the database throughout Our networks and to generate results for others.

Circumstances in which We may release information

1. We may disclose information about Our users if required to do so by law or where in good faith We believe that such disclosure is reasonably necessary to respond to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal processes.
2. We may also disclose information about Our users to the appropriate authorities or other third parties where We believe that this is reasonably necessary to enforce Our General Terms of Use; respond to claims that any posting or other content breaches the rights of third parties; or to protect Our rights, property, or the personal safety Our users, employees, agents or the general public.

© Purple Sage Limited 2005. All rights reserved.