PSHUG.org Privacy Statement
This document was last updated August 1, 2003.

Puget Sound Handheld Users Group is committed to protecting your privacy. You can visit most pages on our site without giving us any information about yourself. But sometimes we do need information to provide services that you request, and this privacy statement explains data collection and use in those situations. This privacy statement only applies to PSHUG.org; it does not apply to other online or offline Puget Sound Handheld Users Group sites, products or services. Please read the complete PSHUG.org privacy statement.


Collection of your Personal Information
We will ask you when we need information that personally identifies you (personal information) or allows us to contact you. Generally, this information is requested when you are registering before entering a contest, ordering e-mail newsletters, joining a limited-access premium site, signing up for an event or training, or when purchasing and/or registering Puget Sound Handheld Users Group products. Personal information collected by PSHUG.org often is limited to e-mail address, language, country or location, but may include other information when needed to provide a service you requested.

For example: If you choose a service or transaction that requires payment, such as making a purchase in the Shop area of the Web site, we will request personal information necessary for billing and/or shipping, such as: name, address, telephone number, and credit card number.

When you buy and install a new product, we may ask you to register your purchase electronically. We keep this registration information on file with any information you've already given us on previous visits to our Web site.

PSHUG.org also collects certain information about your computer hardware and software. This information may include: your IP address, browser type, operating system, domain name, access times and referring Web site addresses. This information is used for the operation of the service, to maintain quality of the service, and to provide general statistics regarding use of PSHUG.org.

PSHUG.org also collects information about which pages our customers visit within PSHUG.org. This site visitation data is identified only by a unique ID number, and it is never linked with personal information unless a user consents as described below.

 

Use of your Personal Information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To ensure our site is relevant to your needs.
• To deliver services, such as newsletters, events, training or software, that you request or purchase.
• To help us create and publish content most relevant to you.
• To alert you to product upgrades, special offers, updated information and other new services from Puget Sound Handheld Users Group, if you so request.
• To allow you access to limited-entry areas of our site as appropriate.

We will merge site-visitation data with anonymous demographic information for research purposes, and we may use this information in aggregate to provide more relevant content. In some limited-entry sections of PSHUG.org, with your approval, we will combine site-visitation data with your personal information in order to provide you with personalized content. If you decline permission, we will not provide you the personalized service and won’t merge your personal information with site-visitation data.

We occasionally hire other companies to provide limited services on our behalf, including packaging, mailing and delivering purchases, answering customer questions about products or services, sending postal mail and processing event registration. We will only provide those companies the information they need to deliver the service, and they are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose.

Puget Sound Handheld Users Group may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Puget Sound Handheld Users Group or the site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of Puget Sound Handheld Users Group and its family of Web sites, or (c) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of Puget Sound Handheld Users Group employees, users of Puget Sound Handheld Users Group products or services, or members of the public.

Your information may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Puget Sound Handheld Users Group or its affiliates, subsidiaries or agents maintain facilities, and by using this site, you consent to any such transfer of information outside of your country. Puget Sound Handheld Users Group abides by the safe harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union.


Control of your Personal Information
When you register, or otherwise give us personal information, PSHUG.org will not share that information with third parties without your permission, other than for the limited exceptions already listed. It will only be used for the purposes stated above.

Registering also allows you to tell us how or whether you want PSHUG.org to communicate with you. After registering, go to the Profile Center and establish your preferences in the Contact Options sections. There, you can decide what information you want to receive and how you want to receive it. Or you can tell us not to contact you by removing check marks from the contact option boxes. If you buy software through Shop.PSHUG.org, and do not want to receive such information, do not check the box on the Checkout page (or on other pages where personal information is collected) which says: Yes, I would like to receive other offers through shop.microsoft.com.

PSHUG.org occasionally allows other companies to offer our registered customers information about their products and services, using postal mail only. If you do not want to receive these offers, you should uncheck the box in the Contact Options section in the Profile Center stating, "Puget Sound Handheld Users Group partners can send me postal mail about their services or products."

PSHUG.org may send out periodic e-mails informing you of technical service or security issues related to a product or service you requested, or confirming you requested a product or service. You will not be able to choose to unsubscribe to these mailings, as they are considered an essential part of the service you have chosen.


Access to your Personal Information
We will provide you with the means to ensure that your personal information is correct and current.

If you register on a PSHUG.org or subscribe to a newsletter, you can review and edit your personal information at the Profile Center. You will be asked to enter your Username and password before viewing your personal information.

At the Profile Center you can:

• View and edit personal information you have already given us at PSHUG.org.
• Tell us whether you want PSHUG.org to send you marketing information.
• Choose whether you want third parties to send you their offers by postal mail.
• Subscribe, or cancel subscriptions, to newsletters about our services and products.

Some services offered on PSHUG.org may collect information that is not accessible via the Profile Center. However, in such cases, you can access your personal information by contacting PSHUG.org as described at the bottom of this statement, or through alternative means of access described by the service.

Security of your Personal Information
PSHUG.org is committed to protecting the security of your personal information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. For example, we store the personal information you provide in computer servers with limited access that are located in controlled facilities. When we transmit sensitive information (such as a credit card number) over the internet, we protect it through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.


Protection of Children's Personal Information
PSHUG.org is a general audience site and does not knowingly collect any personal information from children.


Use of Cookies
When someone visits the site, a cookie is placed on the customer's machine (if the customer accepts cookies) or is read if the customer has visited the site previously. One use of cookies is to assist in the collection of the site visitation statistics described above.

We also use cookies to collect information on which newsletter links are clicked by customers. This information is used to ensure we are sending information customers want to read. It is collected in aggregate form and never linked with your personal information.

Web beacons, also known as clear gif technology or action tags, may be used to assist in delivering the cookie on our site. This technology tells us how many visitors clicked on key elements (such as links or graphics) on a PSHUG.org Web page. We do not use this technology to access your personally identifiable information on PSHUG.org; it is a tool we use to compile aggregated statistics about PSHUG.org Web site usage. We may share aggregated site statistics with partner companies but do not allow other companies to place clear gifs on our sites.
 
If you choose to not have your browser accept cookies from the PSHUG.org Web site, you will be able to view the text on the screens, however you will not experience a personalized visit nor will you be able to subscribe to the service offerings on the site.

 


Enforcement of this Privacy Statement
If you have questions regarding this statement, you should first contact PSHUG.org by e-mail.

Changes to this Statement
PSHUG.org will occasionally update this privacy statement. When we do, we will also revise the "last updated" date at the top of the privacy statement. For material changes to this statement, PSHUG.org will notify you by placing prominent notice on the Web site.