Privacy PolicyLast updated: 27 February, 2009 IAC Search & Media Europe Ltd ("we" or "us") takes privacy very seriously. We provide this Privacy Policy so that you, our user, will know what information we collect about you and your activities on www.ask.com, www.ask.co.uk, www.askjeeves.com, www.askjeeves.co.uk and any other UK web sites owned and operated by us (the "Site") and how we use that information. This Privacy Policy describes the privacy practices for the Site together with the various services (collectively, "Services") and software products ("Software") we may provide on, through or in connection with the Site. By using the Site, Services or Software, and, where applicable, clicking on any "I Accept", "I Agree" or similar button, you agree to the collection, retention and use of your information in the manner described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Site, Services or Software. We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make any material changes in the way we collect, use and/or share information, we will notify you by prominently posting notice of the changes on the Site. We encourage you to periodically review our Privacy Policy to be sure you are familiar with the most current version. The Privacy Policy will state the date it was last amended at the top of the page. This Privacy Policy answers the following questions: Who controls the information we collect from or about you? What types of information do we collect? Exactly what information do we collect when you use the Site, Services or Software? Is there any other information we might collect in certain circumstances? Is there any information we don't collect? How do we use the information we collect? Can you review, change or delete any information we hold about you? How do we, or third parties acting on our behalf, use cookies on the Site? Do other third parties use cookies on the Site? How can you block or remove cookies? Do we use your information to deliver targeted online ads to you? What information do we disclose or make available to third parties? Do we transfer information to non-European jurisdictions? What happens if you click on any "Ask Worldwide" or "Ask US" link within the Site? What happens when you leave the Site to go to other Internet sites? What security measures do we take to protect your information? Do you have any other questions? Who controls the information we collect from or about you?Any information collected by means of the Site, Services or Software is controlled by IAC Search & Media Europe Limited, the data controller, whose contact details are here. Back to Top What types of information do we collect?We collect certain information that cannot by itself be linked to a specific individual. For example, we collect the search queries submitted by users of the Site, Services or Software, but unless users have created MyStuff accounts and directed us to save their search histories in these accounts (see "Exactly what information do we collect when you use the Site, Services or Software?" and "Is there any other information we might collect in certain circumstances?" below), we do not know the names, email addresses or identities of the users submitting those queries. We may also collect certain information that is uniquely associated with you. For example, if you register as a MyStuff user, you will have to provide your name and email address to us. Similarly, if you sign up to participate in a promotion or competition, you might provide your name, e-mail address or telephone number to us in connection with that promotion or competition. If you choose to provide such personal information to us, it could allow you to be identified. However, unless you are a MyStuff user and have directed us to save your search history in your MyStuff account, we do not associate any such personal information with any information relating to your search queries or use of the Site or Services. Back to Top Exactly what information do we collect when you use the Site, Services or Software?We receive any search query you submit through the Site, Services or Software. Whenever you visit the Site, we also collect the limited information that your browser makes available whenever you visit any website. This information includes: (a) your Internet Protocol (IP) address; (b) the address of the last URL you visited prior to clicking through to the Site; (c) your browser and platform type (e.g., a Netscape browser on a Macintosh platform); (d) your browser language; and (e) the data in any undeleted cookies that your browser previously accepted from the Site (see "How do we, or third parties acting on our behalf, use cookies on the Site?" and "Do other third parties use cookies on the Site?" below). In addition, we collect information relating to your activities on and as you leave the Site (e.g. your click and search activity within the Site, whether you click on initial search results, the address of the first URL you visit after you leave the Site, etc). Back to Top Is there any other information we might collect in certain circumstances?Use of certain Services requires registration, which can require you to provide certain personal information to us. For example, the "MyStuff" feature of the Site requires you to register for an account, and you will need to give an email address and password for your account. Other personal information you might choose to provide to us could include: (i) your contact information if you participate in a promotion or competition; or (ii) your email address if you sign up to receive our "Question of the Day" or similar service or submit a help request or other customer services inquiry to us via email or contact us about employment opportunities posted on the Site. The amount of information you disclose in these circumstances is completely up to you, but access to or use of some Services may be affected if you do not provide such information. AskEraser does not apply to any such information you choose to submit to us, for example for the reasons described above. If you participate in a promotion or competition or contact us about employment opportunities, we will therefore retain any personal information you provide even if AskEraser is switched on. If you register for a "MyStuff" account and have previously turned on AskEraser, when you try to submit personal information to create your account you will be prompted with a pop-up and given the option to turn off AskEraser. Back to Top Is there any information we don't collect?The Site, Services and Software do not: - collect or report back to us any information about other sites you visit on the Internet, except the address of the last URL you visited prior to clicking through to the Site and the first URL you visit after you leave the Site (see "Exactly what information do we collect when you use the Site, Services or Software?" above); - collect or "screen-scrape" any search queries or information that you provide to any other web sites; or - collect or report back to us any data unrelated to the Site, Services or Software. Back to Top How do we use the information we collect?We use the information we collect from or about you to provide the Services. This means that we process each search query you submit, together with information such as your IP address, to return a search results page to you. We may also share such information with third party content and advertising providers so that certain content and advertising can be included in the search results page we return to you (see "What information do we disclose or make available to third parties?" below). A search results page may include targeted advertisements in the form of sponsored links based on keywords contained within your search query. If you are an AskEraser user, the information we collect each time you use the Site, Services or Software (your "Search Data") is retained for several hours only and then deleted from our servers (except in the rare circumstances described in the AskEraser FAQs which you can read by clicking here). However, even if it is enabled AskEraser will not apply to searches performed through our search toolbar or our search box on a third party website or any third party software you might have installed. You should also be aware that if you use our Site or Services in violation of our Terms of Service, or if we are required to do so pursuant to due legal process by the police or other competent authorities (see "Law Enforcement/Legal Requirements" below), we may collect and retain information about you even if AskEraser is enabled. (To learn more about AskEraser, click here.) If you are not an AskEraser user, we retain your Search Data for 18 months, or such shorter period as we may specify elsewhere, for example in an End User Licence Agreement. During this period we use your Search Data: (i) to improve the quality of your experience of the Site and the quality of the Services we can provide to you; (ii) for purposes of product monitoring, product development; and (iii) to manage the use and placement of advertisements on the Site. If you object to any of these uses of your information, you may wish to opt into AskEraser so that your information is deleted as described above. (To learn more about AskEraser, click here.) Otherwise, by using the Site, Services or Software without enabling AskEraser, you give your consent to these uses of your information. After expiry of the relevant data retention period (i.e., several hours for AskEraser users or up to 18 months for non-AskEraser users), we completely and irreversibly anonymise your Search Data, unless you have created a MyStuff account and set your options so that your search history is saved in your MyStuff account (see "Is there any other information we might collect in certain circumstances?" above). We then continue to use your Search Data in anonymised form: (i) to improve the quality of your experience of the Site and the quality of the Services we can provide to you; (ii) for purposes of product monitoring, product development; and (iii) to manage the use and placement of advertisements on the Site. In addition, we aggregate query information for purposes of internal reporting including counting the number of queries submitted to the Site, and we use information about our users' activities on the Site in aggregated form to analyse general traffic flows on the Site (e.g. where traffic comes from, how traffic flows within the Site, whether users click on initial search results, where users go when they leave the Site, etc). If you object to any of these uses of your information, you may wish to opt into AskEraser so that the search queries you submit count only towards the total aggregate number of queries on the Site (not towards aggregate numbers of queries involving particular search terms) and your information is not used for analysis of general traffic flows. (To learn more about AskEraser, click here.) Otherwise, by using the Site, Services or Software without enabling AskEraser, you give your consent to these uses of your information. If you have registered as a MyStuff user, we use your information: (i) to provide you with the personalized Service available to MyStuff users; and (ii) to improve the Services offered to MyStuff users. By registering as a MyStuff user, you expressly consented to these uses of your information. We may also use: (i) your contact details to get in touch with you if you have chosen to participate in a promotion or competition and we need to contact you in connection with that promotion or competition; or (ii) your email address to send you our "Question of the Day" or other similar service that you have signed up to receive. Similarly, if you have submitted personal information to us in connection with a customer services or other inquiry (including in relation to an employment opportunity), we may need to use that information in order to respond to you. Finally, we may if necessary use your information in connection with any legal proceedings, violation or enforcement of our Terms of Service (see "What information do we disclose or make available to third parties?" below) or request by you pursuant to this Privacy Policy (see "Can you review, change or delete any information we hold about you?" below). Back to Top Can you review, change or delete any information we hold about you?If you would like to review, change or delete any information that we may hold about you in connection with your MyStuff account, please log into your profile, using the "MyProfile" link on the Site, and you can review such information and edit accordingly. However, please note that deleting information using the "MyProfile" link does not delete Search Data unconnected with your MyStuff account. If you would like to review, change or delete any other information we may hold about you, including any Search Data unconnected with your MyStuff account but excluding any information that has been anonymised (see "How do we use the information we collect?" above), please contact IAC Search & Media Europe Limited, whose contact details are here. Before we can respond to any such request and accommodate your statutory rights with respect to information relating to you, you will need to provide details and/or documentation as we may reasonably require in order to satisfy ourselves as to the identity of the person making the request and to locate the information referred to in your request. Back to Top How do we, or third parties acting on our behalf, use cookies on the Site?A cookie is a text file that allows us to store user activity information on a user's system and to retrieve information from that system. Our web server automatically asks the browser of each new Site user whether it will accept our cookie file. If the user's browser accepts our cookie, our web server will record the cookie's unique ID, and every time the user returns to the Site we will be able to read that cookie's ID number. In this way, cookies allow us to store information about your preferences, to recognise you when you return to the Site and to determine whether you reached the Site by means of an advertisement or search box on a third party site. This means we can customize and improve the Services we provide to you based on your past preferences and usage history. We can also display targeted advertisements to you in the form of sponsored links based on the IP address information stored in your cookie (for example, advertisements for local services in geographic locations based on your IP address). In addition, we use, or appoint third parties to use, cookies and other technologies such as pixel tags to track traffic flow and patterns of travel on and within the Site, as well as for internal reporting. This allows us to monitor the popularity of certain features of our Site, the performance of our advertisements on third party sites and the effectiveness of the search terms used to trigger such advertisements. Certain features of the Site, such as MyStuff and AskEraser, depend on cookies. If you wish to use AskEraser, cookies must be enabled in your browser settings so that we can set one cookie to record that you are an AskEraser user. This cookie simply indicates that the AskEraser feature has been turned on, and does not store any other information. (To learn more about the use of cookies when you enable the AskEraser feature of the Site, click here.) The lifetime of our cookies or those used on our behalf is no more than two years. After any such cookie has expired, all information stored by that cookie is automatically deleted from our servers and those of anyone acting on our behalf. We do not use cookies to track your use of the Internet in any other way and, except as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy (see "What information do we disclose or make available to third parties?" below), we do not share the cookie information we collect with third parties, unless required by court or government order, or as otherwise required by law (see "Law Enforcement/Legal Requirements" below). For information on blocking or removing cookies, please see "How can you block or remove cookies?" below. Back to Top Do other third parties use cookies on the Site?Advertisements on the Site, including the sponsored links that may appear on search results pages, can be served by third parties. The companies that serve these advertisements may, in the course of doing so, place or recognise a unique cookie on your computer or use other technologies such as pixel tags. This cookie or other technology allows these companies to collect information about your use of the Site and the Internet and to recognise you when you return to the Site, so that customised advertisements can be displayed to you on the Site as well as on other websites based on your past preferences and usage history. These companies can also display advertisements to you based on IP address information stored in the cookie they have placed (for example, advertisements for local services in geographic locations based on your IP address). In addition, third parties who survey consumer satisfaction with the Internet generally may place cookies and/or pixel tags on the Site for research purposes. Our Privacy Policy does not cover any use of cookie data that such third parties (as described in the two preceding paragraphs) may collect from you. These third parties will treat your cookie data in accordance with their own policies as to data collection, retention and usage, and we have no control over such policies. If AskEraser is enabled, the cookie we set to record that you are an AskEraser user (see "How do we, or third parties acting on our behalf, use cookies on the Site?" above) suppresses the ability of cookies set by third party ad serving companies to collect information about you. (To learn more about the use of cookies when you enable AskEraser, click here.) Please note, however, that third parties may still receive your search query text, as described below (see "What information do we disclose or make available to third parties?"). For information on blocking or removing cookies, please see "How can you block or remove cookies?" below. Back to Top How can you block or remove cookies?If you would like to block or remove cookies or pixel tags, you can do so using your browser. Please consult your browser's "help" menu for details, but please note that if you choose to block or remove cookies, you may not be able to use some of the features of the Site such as MyStuff and AskEraser (see "How do we, or third parties acting on our behalf, use cookies on the Site?" above) and/or you may find that the search results pages displayed to you on the Site are less relevant than they would have been otherwise (see "Do other third parties use cookies on the Site?" above). Back to Top Do we use your information to deliver targeted online ads to you?A targeted online ad is one displayed to you based on the content of the web pages you have visited (i.e., your browsing activity generally), information you have provided or keywords you have used in search queries. As described above (see "How do we use the information we collect?"), we use your search queries and the keywords they contain, together with your IP address and any cookie ID associated with you, to provide you with a search results page that may include targeted advertisements in the form of sponsored links. We do not otherwise use your information to display targeted online advertising to you, and we do not provide any of your information to any advertiser whose advertisement you click on or view. However, you should be aware that any such advertiser (or any company serving such advertisements) might be able to deduce certain information about you based on the fact that you have viewed or clicked on their advertisement (see "Do other third parties use cookies on the Site?" above). We have no control over the data collection, retention or usage policies of such third party advertisers or ad serving companies. Back to Top What information do we disclose or make available to third parties?Third Party Service Providers. Some elements or parts of the Site or Services, such as news content, shopping services or the sponsored links on our search results pages, may be supplied to us or hosted by third parties under contract. Other elements, for instance relating to a promotion or competition, may be administered by us with the assistance of a third party. In all such cases, we may disclose or make available to the relevant third parties the following information so that they can supply the relevant services: (a) your Internet Protocol (IP) address; (b) the address of the last URL you visited prior to clicking through to the Site; (c) your browser and platform type (e.g., a Netscape browser on a Macintosh platform); (d) your browser language; (e) the data in any undeleted cookies that your browser previously accepted from us; (f) the search queries you submit; and (g) information relating to your activities on and as you leave the Site (e.g. your click and search activity within the Site, whether you click on initial search results, the address of the first URL you visit after you leave the Site, etc). For example, when you submit a query we transmit it (and some of the related information described above) to our sponsored link provider so that relevant advertising can be displayed in response to your query. Even if AskEraser is enabled, your search queries will not automatically be deleted from the servers of these third parties. We may also merge information about you into group data, which may then be shared on an aggregated basis with our advertisers and other third parties who provide us with research and/or analysis services. If you provide us with answers to voluntary survey questions, for example, we may present this information to our advertisers and such other third parties in the form of grouped statistics compiled from users' answers to such questions. In addition, we may occasionally allow third party auditors and/or our professional advisors to access your information as necessary to maintain the quality and security of the Site and/or Services and ensure its/their operation in compliance with applicable law. If you are an AskEraser user, only the limited information we retain about you (see "Is there any other information we might collect in certain circumstances?" and "How do we use the information we collect?" above) will be made available to such parties. Appropriate confidentiality and security obligations are imposed on all third parties referred to above, including suppliers of services related to the Site, providers of research and/or analysis services and auditors and/or professional advisors. By using the Site, Services or Software, you give your consent to us disclosing your information or making it available to third parties as set forth above. Law Enforcement/Legal Requirements. Subject to applicable law and notwithstanding anything else in this Privacy Policy, we reserve the right: (a) to release information about any user of the Site, Services or Software who violates (or is reasonably suspected of violating) our Terms of Service, or is involved in (or reasonably suspected of being involved in) any illegal activity, and to release such information as required by court or government order or as otherwise required by law; (b) to release information about any user of the Site, Services or Software when we believe in good faith that such release is required to protect our rights, property, business, safety or security, other users or the public, or to respond to an emergency; and (c) to associate any personal information you might choose to provide to us with any information relating to your search queries or use of the Site, Services or Software, if we are required by to do so by court or government order, or as otherwise required by law. In addition, we may retain information about an AskEraser user, without alerting him/her to this fact, if we are required to do so by the police or other competent authorities pursuant to due legal process. Corporate Restructuring. We may transfer to a third party any information we have collected from or about you if we are or any of our affiliates is involved in a corporate restructuring or a sale, merger or other transfer of assets. By using the Site, Services or Software, you give your consent to us transferring your information to a third party in such circumstances. Back to Top Do we transfer information to non-European jurisdictions?We may transfer your information to affiliated companies and to third party service providers located in jurisdictions which do not necessarily have data protection laws providing the same level of protection as the laws applicable within the European Economic Area. For example, we may transfer information collected from or about users of the Site to our affiliated companies in the United States for use by them as described above in "How do we use the information we collect?". We impose appropriate confidentiality and security obligations on such companies and service providers, and by using the Site, Services or Software you give your consent to your information being transferred to such affiliated companies and third party service providers. Back to Top What happens if you click on any "Ask Worldwide" or "Ask US" link within the Site?If you click through to the Ask.com US site or any Ask.com site outside the UK, your use of the relevant site will no longer be covered by this Privacy Policy but will be subject instead to the Ask.com US Privacy Policy or the Privacy Policy of such Ask.com site, as the case may be. A link to such Privacy Policy will be available on the Ask.com US or other site. You should be aware that the US and other non-European countries do not necessarily have data protection laws providing the same level of protection as the laws applicable within the European Economic Area. Back to Top What happens when you leave the Site to go to other Internet sites?When you are on the Site, you may be presented with links to websites owned or operated by third parties unrelated to us. If you click on any such link, for example by clicking on a sponsored link or other search result, you may be taken to a website owned or operated by a third party advertiser or another unrelated third party. Except to the limited extent described in this Privacy Policy (see "What information do we disclose or make available to third parties?" above), we do not control the data collection, retention or usage policies of any unrelated third parties. Accordingly, you should be aware that when you are on an Internet domain other than the Site or any Ask.com site, third parties may collect information from or about you and/or send cookies to you and/or use your information in any number of ways. We are not responsible for any collection, retention and/or use of any information collected from or about you on any domains other than the Site and any Ask.com sites. Back to Top What security measures do we take to protect your information?We have appropriate security measures in place to prevent unauthorised or unlawful access to or processing of your information and to prevent any accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, such information. These measures include limiting access to your information to those personnel who need access to your information in connection with the performance of their job duties, and taking reasonable steps to ensure the reliability of any individuals who are given access to your information. Those individuals are legally bound to maintain the security and confidentiality of such information and subject to disciplinary action with sanctions up to and including dismissal for any breach of such obligation. In addition, we have in place appropriate technical and physical security measures as well as procedural safeguards. However, no security system can be 100% effective, so please be aware that we cannot completely guarantee the security of any information we may have collected from or about you. Back to Top Do you have any other questions?Questions about this Privacy Policy should be directed here. If for some reason we are unable to answer any question to your satisfaction, please be assured that we will work with the appropriate data protection authorities to ensure we fulfill our legal obligations relating to your information. Back to Top |
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