Overview

BOBSAONE.ORG Privacy Policy

Created June 23, 2007

BOBSAONE.ORG Understands How Important Privacy Is to Our Members

We are committed to protecting your privacy and want to make sure that you understand how your membership information is used. We also want you to be aware that you have choices about how we use this information.

What Information We Collect

When you apply for membership, we ask for basic information such as your name, contact information, and date of birth. We keep track of your participation in BOBSAONE.ORG activities and member services so we can understand our members' interests and evaluate the effectiveness of our offerings. We also collect demographic information from other sources to help us learn more about member characteristics and needs. As explained in the Questions and Answers below, we may ask for additional information in your visits to BOBSAONE.org. All of this information helps us better serve our members and improve our programs.

Information Sharing

We share your personal information only with companies we have selected to provide official BOBSAONE.ORG member services or support BOBSAONE.ORG operations. Some of the providers of BOBSAONE.ORG member services, including many of those listed on our Member Discounts and Services area, pay a fee for access to our membership list. Our contracts with these companies require them to keep the member information strictly confidential, and allow them to use the information only to offer the contracted services to BOBSAONE.ORG and BOBSAONE.ORG members.

Other BOBSAONE.ORG affiliates, such as the BOBSAONLINESTORES.COM, may also have access to member information. Finally, we may release personal member information on the rare occasions when we are required to do so by law, or when necessary or appropriate to comply with legal process or to protect or defend BOBSAONE.ORG and its members. We do not sell or rent member information to telemarketers, mailing list brokers, or any other companies that are not offering BOBSAONE.ORG endorsed services or benefits.

Your Choices

We respect your choices. If you do not want us to share your information with providers of BOBSAONE.ORG member services, you can contact us as specified below. You should then stop receiving BOBSAONE.ORG service provider mailings in about six to eight weeks. (Note: If you request services or information from a BOBSAONE.ORG service provider directly, we may still need to confirm to the provider that you are an eligible BOBSAONE.ORG member). You may also elect not to receive information about BOBSAONE.ORG activities, such as legislative events and educational programs, or about the activities of other BOBSAONE.ORG affiliates like the BOBSAONLINESTORES.COM.

For More Information

For more detailed information about our privacy practices, and about privacy on BOBSAONE.ORG, please review the frequently asked questions below. To exercise your choices, or ask questions about your membership information, please contact us online, by email, by phone at (650) 357-0073, or by mail:

BOBSAONE.ORG Membership Center
P. O. Box 281915
San Francisco, CA 94128

Privacy and BOBSAONE.ORG–Questions and Answers

The following Questions and Answers address BOBSAONE.ORG and BOBSAONE.ORG privacy issues in more detail. We want to make sure that you understand the types of information that are collected at BOBSAONE.ORG, the ways in which that information is used and protected, and the choices that you have about this collection and use. Specifically, this privacy policy answers the following frequently asked questions:

Do I have to submit any personal information in order to use BOBSAONE.ORG?
Does BOBSAONE.ORG collect non-personal information, using "cookies" or otherwise?
How is this information used, and can I control its use?
Is any information shared with other companies or organizations?
What privacy rules apply when I "click" over to other web sites?
Do privacy protections exist in discussion groups?
How does BOBSAONE.ORG protect security and confidentiality?
Who can I contact with questions or comments about privacy issues?

In this policy, the terms "BOBSAONE.ORG," "we," "our," and "us" refer to BOBSAONE.ORG and its subsidiary, BOBSAONE.ORG Services, Inc. The terms "you" and "your" refer to BOBSAONE.ORG visitors like yourself.

1. Do I have to submit any personal information in order to use BOBSAONE.ORG?

You do not need to give us any information about yourself in order to access most of BOBSAONE.ORG. You can visit our pages, read our publications, and learn about our member services on a completely anonymous basis.

If you want to take advantage of some of the optional services available on BOBSAONE.ORG, however, we will sometimes request information that allows us to identify you ("personal information"). If you use the online form to join BOBSAONE.ORG or renew your membership, for example, we will ask for certain information to process your application (name, birth date, phone number, mailing address, e-mail address, e-mail permissions, and credit card number). If you register to receive e-mail newsletters, we will ask for your name, address, e-mail address, and birth date (or member number) so that we can send you the newsletters. We may also ask for personal information when you participate in other activities or services on BOBSAONE.ORG, such as surveys and discussion groups.

We also have relationships with certain providers and vendors that we have selected and approved to offer services and benefits on linked sites. On some of these sites, you may be asked to enter personal information in order to take advantage of their services or programs. If you decide to purchase services on the web site of one of our member benefits service providers, the contracted member benefit provider offering the services may ask for your name, member number, address, and e-mail in order to contact you about the services. These companies may also have their own unique privacy policies that you should review.

Again, regardless of whether you are visiting BOBSAONE.ORG or an affiliated site, you do not have to disclose any personal information if you do not want to. You can always decide not to use the optional services that require the submission of such information. The choice is yours. We are only interested in offering you convenient online services that match your interests and needs.

2. Does BOBSAONE.ORG collect non-personal information, using "cookies" or otherwise?

We also collect other types of information that do not allow us to identify your name, e-mail address, or other personal characteristics. This "non-personal information" includes the number assigned to your computer whenever you access the Internet ("IP address"), and the type of browser you use. None of this non-personal information allows us to identify or contact you. We use this information to help us evaluate how BOBSAONE.ORG is being used. By gathering this information, we can learn, among other things, how many people visit BOBSAONE.ORG, which BOBSAONE.ORG pages are the most and least popular, and which other web sites are the most frequent referral sources for BOBSAONE.ORG.

We may also assign a "cookie" to your computer in some situations. Like an IP address, a "cookie" is a kind of online identification tag that allows us to recognize your computer each time you visit BOBSAONE.ORG.

Unless you have already provided us with personal information on BOBSAONE.ORG or an affiliated site, cookies do not allow us to identify you by name, e-mail address, or other personal characteristics. We use cookies primarily to identify return visitors and make your BOBSAONE.ORG experience more convenient. The BOBSAONE.ORG discussion boards, for example, place a cookie on your computer so that the next time you visit the discussion board, messages posted since your last visit will be highlighted.

BOBSAONE.ORG has also contracted with a other vendors to place BOBSAONE.ORG-approved banner advertisements on BOBSAONE.ORG. The cookies allow BOBSAONE.ORG to manage the delivery of these ads – for example, by counting the number of times a visitor has viewed different banners. If a visitor has viewed the same banner a number of times, BOBSAONE.ORG can use the vendor's system to automatically display different banners in the next visit. BOBSAONE.ORG has complete control over the banners that are placed on BOBSAONE.ORG through this system.

We use other vendors to collect aggregate information about BOBSAONE.ORG usage – such as the most visited pages and features. This vendor also uses cookies and transparent images called "web bugs" to collect this information. Like cookies, web bugs do not allow us or the vendor to identify you by name or other personal characteristics. These vendors do not collect any personal information from members on BOBSAONE.ORG, and they do not share the non-personal information collected on BOBSAONE.ORG with anyone else for any other purpose.

If you are uncomfortable allowing cookies to be placed on your computer, set your browser to not accept these cookies, or so that it will notify you whenever a web site is trying to use cookies. If you choose not to accept cookies, however, you may not be able to use certain features of BOBSAONE.ORG or linked sites. You will still be able to visit the general BOBSAONE.ORG pages on an anonymous basis, just as you have in the past.

3. How is this information used, and can I control the uses?

Our primary purpose in collecting this information is to provide you with the services you request, and to evaluate and improve other services that we offer. As explained above, for example, we ask for information so that we can process your membership application, send you the e-mail newsletters, promotions and our eMagazine to which you have subscribed, and provide you with discounted shopping opportunities. We store your membership information in our computer files, and use this information to service your membership account, send you publications like "BOBSAONE.ORG Updates" and the "BOBSAONE.ORG Newsletter," and answer any questions you may have about membership.

We may also use this information for other purposes. For example, we may review demographic information, survey results, and statistical analyses of BOBSAONE.ORG usage in order to help us evaluate, modify, and develop services that are likely to be of interest to our members.

On occasion, we will also use your membership information to send you notices in the mail or by email about special member benefits, discounts, and offers. If you do not want to receive these mailings, you can:

e-mail us at member@BOBSAONE.ORG,
call us at (650) 357-0073,
write to us at BOBSAONE.ORG Membership Center, P.O. Box 281915, San Francisco, CA 94128, or
visit E-mail Updates(Constant Contact) on the web.

If you have subscribed to any of the BOBSAONE.ORG e-mail newsletters, and would like to stop receiving them, follow the instructions at the bottom of each of the newsletters that you receive. Some affiliated sites may also send you promotional e-mails if you asked to receive them when you registered for their respective services. In addition, each issue of these e-mail newsletters or notices will always include instructions for unsubscribing. Again, these notices are designed to describe the benefits of BOBSAONE.ORG membership, but we do not want to send them to you if you are not interested in receiving them.

4. Is any information shared with other companies or organizations and can I "opt out"?

BOBSAONE.ORG takes very seriously its responsibility to keep your personal information confidential and private. We do not sell or rent any of our members' personal information to telemarketers, mailing list brokers, or any other companies that are not offering BOBSAONE.ORG-endorsed services or benefits. As explained above, we share member information with the limited number of companies that we have selected to provide BOBSAONE.ORG member services. These "BOBSAONE.ORG Service Providers" include the insurance companies offering plans through BOBSAONE.ORG Health Care Options, and the financial institutions offering products through BOBSAONE.ORG Credit Card Services. Most of these BOBSAONE.ORG Service Providers are listed in our Member Discounts and Services page. Like most organizations, we also hire companies to provide certain administrative services that require access to member information, such as processing address labels, managing databases, and sending mailings ("approved vendors").

We require all of these BOBSAONE.ORG Service Providers and approved vendors to hold member information in strict confidence. These providers and vendors are contractually required to maintain the security and confidentiality of all member information, and are prohibited from using that information for any purpose other than providing the services specified in their contracts with BOBSAONE.ORG. We audit and monitor these companies to ensure that the member information is protected.

If you do not want us to share your personal information with BOBSAONE.ORG Service Providers, you can:

e-mail us at member@BOBSAONE.ORG,
call us at (650) 357-0073,
write to us at BOBSAONE.ORG Membership Center, P.O. Box 281915, San Francisco, CA 94128, or
visit E-mail Newsletters(Constant Contact) on the web.

If you ask us not to share your personal information, you should then stop receiving BOBSAONE.ORG Service Provider mailings in about six to eight weeks. (Note: If you request services or information from an BOBSAONE.ORG Service Provider directly, we may still need to confirm to the provider that you are an eligible BOBSAONE.ORG member).

We may also disclose personal information when required to do so by law or when such action is necessary or appropriate to comply with legal process served on BOBSAONE.ORG, to protect and defend the rights or property of BOBSAONE.ORG, or to protect the personal safety of users of BOBSAONE.ORG. We reserve the right to contact the appropriate authorities in our discretion when visitors' activities appear to be illegal or inconsistent with our policies.

Finally, we may sometimes share aggregate statistics and non-personal information with the media, government agencies, advertisers, and other third-parties. For example, we may publish statistics on the number of members in various states, or the number of visitors to BOBSAONE.ORG. These aggregate statistics will not allow anyone to identify member names or other personal information.

5. What privacy rules apply when I "click" over to other web sites?

BOBSAONE.ORG includes links to other web sites, some of which are operated by BOBSAONE.ORG Service Providers or approved vendors, and some of which are not. Sites operated by BOBSAONE.ORG Service Providers and approved vendors may also collect personal information, and may have their own privacy policies that differ from, and are not covered by, this privacy policy. It is important that you review any privacy policies on these sites carefully before you use any services or programs offered.

When you click to unaffiliated third-party sites, BOBSAONE.ORG is not responsible for, and has no control over, the information collection or privacy practices of that site. It is important that you review and understand the privacy policies posted on any linked sites you visit before volunteering any of your personal information. These sites may also collect cookies, or allow third-party advertisers on their sites to collect cookies. You can often find information regarding a site and its privacy policy on the site's home page. If you cannot find or do not like a site's privacy policy, you may prefer not to do business with, or offer information to, that site.

6. Do privacy protections exist in discussion groups?

It is important to understand that the information you submit in discussion groups, bulletin boards, and chat rooms is publicly displayed. Your messages will be seen by people and organizations not related to BOBSAONE.ORG, and may be used by these third parties to contact you. As a result, you should be very careful about the information that you include in these messages. Because these unrelated parties will also see your "User Name" on any postings that you make in the discussion groups, you may not want to use your full name. You can use your first name only, or use an assumed name, if you like. The BOBSAONE.ORG BLOG area is offered in conjunction with an approved BOBSAONE.ORG vendor, and has its own terms and conditions of use. Read these terms (write terms) to learn more about using the BOBSAONE.ORG BLOG.

7. How does BOBSAONE.ORG protect security and confidentiality?

In order to protect your personal information, we use technologies and processes such as encryption, access control procedures, network firewalls, physical security, and other measures. These measures increase the security and privacy of information traveling to, from, and within BOBSAONE.ORG. Only our authorized employees or agents carrying out permitted business functions are allowed to access personal information. Employees who violate our privacy access policies may be subject to disciplinary actions, including termination when appropriate.

In order to receive some services, we may require you to use a password to protect your membership account from unauthorized access by others. If you do allow others, including family or household members, to access BOBSAONE.ORG members-only services through your personal password or to use your membership account number, please understand that you are responsible for the actions of those individuals.

This privacy policy describes the types of information we currently collect, and the ways we use and protect that information. If you are uncomfortable with our policies and practices, please do not provide any personal information to us through BOBSAONE.ORG.

From time to time, we may collect different types of information and use that information in different ways – for example, when we add features or services to BOBSAONE.ORG. In these cases, we may edit this policy to explain the new practices. Because protecting members' privacy is very important to us, we do not expect major changes in policy. However, if we do make significant changes in our practices, we will include announcements on the BOBSAONE.ORG home page so that you will know to review the revised policy.

8. Whom can I contact with privacy questions?

If you have any questions or comments about your member information or this privacy policy, please send an e-mail by visiting BOBSAONE.ORG/ Membership, or writing to member@BOBSAONE.ORG, call us at (650) 357-0073, or write us at the address listed above. We will do our best to investigate any complaint you may have and respond promptly to your concerns.

For more information about online privacy issues generally, we encourage you to visit the web sites of the Federal Trade Commission, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center.