Privacy Policy for VTDigger Store
VTDigger, a project of the Vermont Journalism Trust, Ltd., respects the privacy of its users, customers, and other individuals and businesses using VTDigger.org. This Privacy Policy is to keep you informed about the types of information collected by the VTDigger Store and how the information is used and protected. We understand that privacy online is important to users of our Site, especially when conducting business transactions. This statement governs our privacy policies with respect to those users of our site who visit without transacting business and those who register to transact business on the site and make use of the various services offered by VTDigger Shop.
“Personally Identifiable Information”
Personally Identifiable Information refers to any information that identifies or can be used to identify, contact, or locate the person to whom such information pertains, including, but not limited to, name, address, phone number, fax number, email address, and credit card information. Personally Identifiable Information does not include information that is collected anonymously (that is, without identification of the individual user) or demographic information not connected to an identified individual. Information collected from visitors to the Web site is used to address the specific needs of those visitors and to provide a record of communications between us and our site visitors.
What Personally Identifiable Information is collected?
We may collect basic user profile information from all of our visitors. We collect the following additional information from customers of the Shop: the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of customers, the nature and size of the transactions, and the nature and size of the inventory that the customer indicates they will purchase.
How does the Site use Personally Identifiable Information?
Personally identifiable information on individual users will not be sold or otherwise transferred to unaffiliated third parties without the approval of the user. The user will have the opportunity to indicate whether they would like to “opt out” of receiving promotional and/or marketing information about other products, services and offerings from VTDigger or any third parties. Further, notwithstanding any opt-out of promotional information by the user, VTDigger reserves the right to contact a subscriber or purchaser regarding account status, changes to the subscriber agreement and other matters relevant to the underlying service and/or the information collected.
We use personally identifiable Information to customize the site, to make appropriate service offerings, and to fulfill buying and selling requests on the site. We may email visitors, users and customers about research or transactional opportunities on the site or information related to the subject matter of the Site. We may also use Personally Identifiable Information to contact visitors, users and customers in response to specific inquiries, or to provide requested information.
VTDigger will perform statistical analyses of user behavior and characteristics in order to measure interest in and use of our site and services. We will also inform advertisers of such information as well as the number of users that have been exposed to or clicked on their advertising banners. Only aggregated data from these analyses will be provided to third parties. VTDigger may sometimes permit third parties to offer subscription and/or registration-based services through our site. VTDigger is not responsible for any actions or policies of such third parties if a user decides to subscribe or register on those sites and users should check any applicable privacy policy when providing personally identifiable information to third parties.
Users should be aware that when they voluntarily disclose personally identifiable information (e.g., user name, e-mail address, etc.) on any bulletin boards, commentary or chat areas on our site that information and any substantive information disclosed in the communication can be collected and used by third parties. This could result in unsolicited messages from third parties and are beyond the control of VTDigger.
With whom may the information may be shared?
We may share aggregated information about our visitors, users and customers, including the demographics of our visitors, users and customers, with our affiliated agencies and third party vendors. We also offer the opportunity to “opt out” of receiving information or being contacted by us or by any agency acting on our behalf.
In addition to our direct collection of information, our third party service vendors (such as credit card companies, clearinghouses and banks) who may provide such services as credit, insurance, and escrow services may collect this information from our customers. We do not control how these third parties use such information, but we do ask them to disclose how they use personal information provided to them from customers. Some of these third parties may be intermediaries that act solely as links in the distribution chain, and do not store, retain, or use the information given to them.
Can a Visitor, User or Customer delete or deactivate Personally Identifiable Information collected by the Site?
We provide visitors, users and customers with a mechanism to delete/deactivate personally identifiable information from the site’s database by contacting us. However, because of backups and records of deletions, it may be impossible to delete an entry without retaining some residual information. An individual who requests to have personally identifiable information deactivated will have this information functionally deleted, and we will not sell, transfer, or use personally identifiable information relating to that individual in any way moving forward. Visitors, users and customers may also “opt out” of further promotional contacts at any time.
What partners or service providers have access to Personally Identifiable Information from Visitors, Users and Customers on the Site?
VTDigger Shop has entered into and will continue to enter into partnerships and other affiliations with a number of vendors. Such vendors may have access to certain personally identifiable information on a need to know basis for evaluating customers for service eligibility. Our privacy policy does not cover their collection or use of this information. We will also allow disclosure of personally identifiable information to comply with law. For example, we will disclose personally identifiable information in order to comply with a court order or subpoena or a request from a law enforcement agency to release information. We will also disclose personally identifiable information when reasonably necessary to protect the safety of our visitors, users and customers.
How does VTDigger Shop use login information?
VTDigger Shop uses login information, including, but not limited to, IP addresses, ISPs, and browser types, to analyze trends, administer the Site, track a user’s movement and use, and gather broad demographic information.
Use of Cookies
Cookies are used for a variety of reasons. We use Cookies to obtain information about the preferences of our visitors, users and customers and the services they select. We also use Cookies for security purposes to protect our visitors, users and customers. Our Web site uses cookies to facilitate easier navigation within the site and provide a higher level of convenience for the visitor. A cookie is a small piece of information about an Internet session that may be created when a visitor accesses a Web site. The cookies used by our Web site are not written to the visitor’s hard drive, exist only until the browser is shut down, do not contain any personal information regarding the visitor, and do not retrieve any information from the visitor’s personal computer.
No Responsibility for Links
VTDigger’s site contains links to and frames of sites which are not maintained by VTDigger. While we try to include only links to or frames of those sites which are in good taste and safe for our visitors, we are not responsible for the content of those sites and cannot guarantee that sites will not change without our knowledge. The inclusion of such links and frames on the VTDigger.org website does not imply any endorsement of the linked or framed sites or their content.
How does the Site keep Personally Identifiable Information secure?
All of our employees are familiar with our security policy and practices. The personally identifiable information of our Visitors and Authorized Customers is only accessible to a limited number of qualified employees who are given a password in order to gain access to the information. We audit our security systems and processes on a regular basis. Sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, is protected by encryption protocols, in place to protect information sent over the Internet. While we take commercially reasonable measures to maintain a secure site, electronic communications and databases are subject to errors, tampering and break-ins, and we cannot guarantee or warrant that such events will not take place and we will not be liable to Visitors or Authorized Customers for any such occurrences.
How can Visitors correct any inaccuracies in Personally Identifiable Information?
Visitors and Authorized Customers may contact us to update personally identifiable information about them or to correct any inaccuracies by emailing us at [email protected]
Not for use by minors
VTDigger does not sell products for purchase by children. We sell children’s products for purchase by adults. If you are under 18, you may use VTDigger Shop only with the involvement of a parent or guardian. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without the consent of the child’s parent or guardian.
What happens if the Privacy Policy Changes?
VTDigger reserves the right to change this policy at any time. This statement and the policies outlined here are not intended to and do not create any contractual or other legal rights in or on behalf of any party.
We will let our Visitors and Authorized Customers know about changes to our privacy policy by posting such changes on the site. However, if we are changing our privacy policy in a manner that might cause disclosure of personally identifiable information that a visitor, user, or customer has previously requested not be disclosed, we will contact such visitor, user, or customer to allow such visitor, user, or customer to prevent such disclosure.
Additional Disclosures for California Residents
The California Consumer Protection Act provides California residents with additional rights including the “Right to Know.” California residents may request disclosure of the specific pieces and/or categories of personal information that a business has collected about them, the categories of sources for that personal information, the business or commercial purposes for collecting the information, the categories of personal information that we have disclosed, and the categories of third parties with which the information was shared.
Notice of Collection
In addition to the policies described above, the CCPA requires disclosure of the categories of personal information collected over the past 12 months. The categories of personal information that we may have collected – as described by the CCPA – are:
- Identifiers, including name, email address, shop name, IP address, and an ID or number assigned to your account.
- Other individual records such as phone number, billing address, or credit or debit card information. This category includes personal information protected under pre-existing California law (Cal. Civ. Code 1798.80(e)), and overlaps with other categories listed here.
- Demographics, such as your age or gender, or, where you have provided such information to VTDigger voluntarily, demographic information about your race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity, provided in relation to specific marketing and advocacy projects and campaigns. This category includes data that may qualify as protected classifications under other California or federal laws.
- Commercial information, including purchases and engagement with our services.
- Internet activity, including your interactions with our services and what led you to our services.
- sensory visual data, such as content posted on our service.
- Geolocation data provided through location enabled services such as WiFi and GPS.
- Inferences, including information about your interests, preferences and favorites.
The Purposes for Our Collection
We collect and use these categories of personal information for our business and commercial purposes described herein, including providing and improving the our services, maintaining the safety and security of these services, processing purchase and sale transactions, and for advertising and marketing services.
Third Party Marketing and Advertising and Your Rights (Opt-Out of “Sale”)
VTDigger does not sell personal information to third parties for monetary value. However, the term “sale” is defined broadly under the California Consumer Privacy Act. To the extent that “sale” under the CCPA is interpreted to include interest based advertising or other data uses we will comply with applicable law as to those activities.
Shine the Light
California law entitles residents to ask for a notice describing what categories of personal information we share with third parties for their own direct marketing purposes. VTDigger does not share any personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes. If you have questions about these practices, you can contact us directly.
Comments or Questions
Please feel free to contact us at (802) 225-6224 or [email protected] for any comments or concerns that you may have regarding the privacy policy. We welcome your comments and appreciate any potential enhancements to our site security.