document: title: privacy policy
text: We provide a variety of online web services, mobile applications, and services for location-enabled and other types of devices (collectively, the "Services") from news and weather to interactive entertainment to electronic commerce via our relationship with Gannaway Web Holdings, LLC d/b/a WorldNow ("WorldNow") and other vendors. WorldNow is the host of the Services. Because the success of the Services is dependent on building and maintaining goodwill with our customers, the Services and WorldNow (hereinafter collectively referred to as "we" or "us" or "our") are committed to implementing measures designed to protect the privacy of those using the Services. 

Although we respect the privacy of all those who use our Services, we do collect information from our members and visitors. This Privacy Policy governs your interaction with the Services, and your registration for and use of the Services. Except as set forth within this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service and/or other published guidelines, we do not release personally identifiable information about the Service's members and visitors without their permission.

Please note that we review these privacy practices from time to time, and that these practices are therefore subject to change. We ask that you periodically review this page to ensure continuing familiarity with the most current version of the Services' Privacy Policy. To contact us about privacy issues, to report a violation of the Services' Privacy Policy, or to raise any other issue regarding the Services, please e-mail us at Info@WorldNow.com.

The information we gather

We gather the following types of information about the users of the Services:

(1) Non-personally identifiable information: We may collect and aggregate information indicating, among other things, which pages were visited, the order in which they were visited, and which hyperlinks were "clicked." Collecting such information involves the logging of IP addresses, operating system and browser software used by each user. Although such information is not personally identifiable, we can determine from the IP address a visitor's Internet Service Provider and the geographic location of his or her point of connectivity.

The non-personally identifiable information we collect helps us diagnose problems with our server, administer the Services, identify the most popular areas or features of the Services, and determine the effectiveness of our promotional activities. In addition, we may disclose some of this information to advertisers to inform them of the number of people who have seen and/or clicked through their advertisements.

For the same purposes, we use "cookies"---that is, small text files placed on your computer's hard drive---to help us determine the type of content and sites to which you link, the length of time you spend at any particular area or feature of the Services, and your usage of the Services. Cookies also tell us which advertising you have seen on the Services. At certain times, we may use outside advertising companies to display advertisements on the Services that may contain cookies ("banner ads"). These banner ads collect information stored by the advertising company and we do not have access to this information.

Essentially, cookies are your identification cards for our computers, or servers, that placed them there. Cookies are only read by the server that placed them, and are unable to execute any code or virus. Cookies allow us to serve you better and more efficiently, and to personalize your experience on the Services. Nevertheless, you are able to control how and whether cookies will be accepted by your web browser or device. For more information on how to do so, please refer to the documentation accompanying your browser or device.

The Services may also utilize an electronic file called a web beacon to count users who have visited a web page or recognize users by accessing certain cookies. The collected information may include the number of page visits, pages viewed on our Services, search engine referrals, browsing activities over time and across other sites following your visit to one of our Services, and responses to advertisements and promotions on the Service and on other sites and apps where we advertise. We, our third-party suppliers and/or the web sites and services of advertisers and merchants with which we have a relationship may use cookies and web beacons (a) for auditing purposes and to collect information from the web sites and services of certain advertisers or merchants; (b) to report anonymous individual and/or aggregate information about our users from such advertisers or merchants; (c) to collect general internet usage information over time regarding users of the Services; and (d) target relevant advertising to the users of the Services. Aggregate information may include demographic and usage information. You may choose to opt-out by contacting us at Info@WorldNow.com.

At this time, the Services do not recognize automated browser signals regarding tracking mechanisms and preferences, which may include "do not track" instructions. However, you may adjust the privacy preferences of your browser, including the control of how and whether cookies will be accepted by your web browser or device. For more information on how to do so, please refer to the documentation accompanying your browser or device.

(2) Personally identifiable information: Certain features of the Services, such as surveys and contests, may require that you provide personally identifiable information (including, for example, zip code, age, income, and e-mail address, and when applicable, credit card information). WorldNow and/or other vendors have access to this information. In addition, when registering to set up an account to use certain features of the Services such as e-mail, chat rooms, and forums, or to receive certain newsletters or specifically targeted information, we do require that you provide a valid e-mail address.

We do not control the acts of users of the Services. All users should be aware that, when they disclose personally identifiable information in a bulletin board, chat room, guestbook, or other forum, the information may be collected and used by others to send that person unsolicited e-mail from other parties outside of the Services. In the event that you encounter any user of the Services who is improperly collecting or using information about you or other users, please contact Info@WorldNow.com.

Collection of geo-location information

We may collect information about your location when you access the Services from a mobile device or through any of our mobile applications. If you do not enable the service to use your location information or if the app does not have that feature, we will not collect or store your location information. You can turn off such data collection at any time by accessing the privacy setting of your mobile device and/or through the settings in the applicable mobile application.

Information collected from social networks and platforms

You also can engage with our content, such as video, games, applications, and other offerings, on or through third-party platforms and social networking sites, such as Facebook® or Twitter®, or other third-party social media plug-ins and applications. When you engage with our content on or through third party social networking sites, plug-ins or applications, we may collect information from your social media profile such as your user ID or user name associated with that social media service, any information or content you have permitted the social media service to share with us, such as your profile picture, email address or friends lists, and any information you have made public in connection with that social media service. When you access the Services through social media services, you are authorizing us to collect, store, and use such information and content in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Through some social networking sites' privacy settings, you can control what information you share. For a description on how social networking sites handle your information, please refer to their privacy policies and terms of use.

Children Under 13

We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children younger than 13 years of age. Before registering for an account to use the Services, we ask that all minors thirteen years old and older to have their parents read our Privacy Policy. 

How we use (and do not use) the information we gather

Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the different ways we use the information that we gather. To provide visitors with additional or more relevant product and service opportunities, to improve and personalize the Services and to perform analytics, and for the additional uses discussed in this privacy statement, among other things, we may make your information available to certain third party service providers, such as contractors, agents or sponsors, who help us manage or provide the Services. We cannot and do not assume any responsibility for any actions or omissions of third parties, including the manner in which they use information received either from us or independently. Nevertheless, in the event you encounter any third party associated with, or who claims association with, us who you feel is improperly collecting or using information about you, please contact Info@WorldNow.com  we will be happy to forward your message to the third party.

(1) How we use (and do not use) non-personally identifiable information: We use non-personally identifiable information in aggregate form to build higher quality, more useful Services by performing statistical analyses of the collective characteristics and behavior of the users of the Services, and by measuring demographics and interests regarding specific areas and features of the Services. We utilize the information to tailor online advertising to users on the Services and across the Internet. (You can learn more about our advertising practices below.) We provide statistical information based on this data to advertisers, affiliates, and other current and potential business partners. We also use the aggregate data to inform these third parties as to the number of people who have seen and clicked on links to their web sites.

We also use the services of third parties to provide us with data collection, reporting, ad response measurement, and website and mobile application analytics, as well as to assist with delivery of relevant marketing messages and advertisements. These third parties may view, edit or set their own cookies, web beacons or other technologies. The use of these technologies by these third parties is subject to their own privacy policies and is not covered by this privacy statement.

The Services may contain links to other Internet websites and services, including Facebook®, Twitter®, co-branded or other affiliated sites that may or may not be owned or operated by us. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, we are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites or services, including their use of any information (such as IP number, browser type, or operating system) collected when users or visitors to the Services click through links to those sites. Even though such information might not identify you personally, we strongly encourage you to become familiar with the privacy practices of those sites and services.

(2) How we use (and do not use) personally identifiable information: This Privacy Policy serves as notice that personally identifiable information is collected during the registration process. You may receive promotional materials from us and/or our affiliates, advertisers, or other business partners. Our e-mail contact and solicitations are limited in that they, among other things, will clearly indicate the originator of the e-mail and provide the customer with a method of "opting out" of receiving future communications of a similar nature. We reserve the right to release any personally identifiable registration information regarding you to third parties who provide goods or services that we believe may be of interest to you. We will not release your credit card information to third parties unless necessary to complete a transaction between you and such a third party. If you decide that you would like to discontinue receiving promotional information from such third parties, please contact those third parties directly, or contact us at Info@WorldNow.com. 

As our businesses change, we may buy or sell various assets. In such cases, personally identifiable information about our users of our Services may be disclosed to the other party(ies) of the transaction.

In addition, we sometimes use demographic data to decide which advertisements and sponsor messages to show to which members. As an example, if Sponsor XYZ wishes to display their advertising only to female members of the Services, we may use member registration data to ensure that Sponsor XYZ's ads are displayed only to female members.

Finally, we may use individual members' data to "pre-populate" forms, which are displayed for the purpose of collecting individual data by us and/or our sponsors. In no case does pre-populating a form transfer any data to any advertiser or third party. Only if the member voluntarily requests that such data be transferred will any transfer take place---for example, if/when a member clicks a "submit form" button or other button.

(3) How we use geo-location information

We may use information about your location when you access our mobile applications to provide location aware products or services and for advertising purposes, and if you submit video or images for news reporting or any other purpose. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, we may provide your location information to third parties who provide goods or services that we believe may be of interest to you. If you do not enable the Services to use your location information or if the app does not have that feature, we will not collect or store your location information. You can turn off such data collection at any time by accessing the privacy setting of your mobile device and/or through the settings in the applicable mobile application.

Law Enforcement Requests

We reserve the right to release any and all information contained within our access logs concerning any visitor or member when that visitor or member is in violation of our Terms of Service or other published guidelines, or partakes (or is reasonably suspected of partaking) in any illegal activity, even without a subpoena, warrant, or other court order, and to release such information in response to discovery requests, or in response to any circumstance which we, in our sole discretion, deem an emergency. We cooperate with law enforcement agencies in identifying those who may be using the Services for illegal activities. We also reserve the right to report any suspected illegal activity to law enforcement for investigation or prosecution. We also reserve the right to comply with subpoenas, warrants, and other court orders requesting information obtained or any information obtained or stored by us.

If and when we sponsor promotions or sweepstakes, or third parties sponsor promotions or sweepstakes in conjunction with us, either we or the third party will post relevant privacy information in the official rules and/or registration area for the promotion or sweepstakes. That privacy information, to the extent it conflicts with this Privacy Policy, will govern that particular promotion or sweepstakes.

Advertising

In order to provide a more relevant online experience, some of the ads that you see across our Services as well as third party websites and applications are customized based on your previous online activity. Information is collected about the sites that you may visit, and the searches that you may conduct while online in order to serve advertisements that we believe are more relevant to your interests. For this purpose, we will use cookies, web beacons or similar technologies. The information may be used to predict your interest in future ads related to your interests. The advertising practice is called online behavioral advertising (OBA). 

We also work with third-party data companies that help us tailor these ads. The companies we hire to display these ads set their own cookies on your browser and use web beacons to measure the effectiveness of these ads and to understand your likely interests. We learn which of our ads are shown to you, which ads are clicked on, and on which web page they were displayed.For more general information about interest-based ads and your choices, visit these sites: the Digital Advertising Alliance or the Network Advertising Initiative.

For our mobile applications, you can opt-out of the use of this information to tailor the ads you are shown, you can use the "Limit Ad Tracking" settings on your mobile device. You will continue to see ads, but they will not be selected based on your activity across unrelated web sites or apps.

Security

No security system is impenetrable. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee the security of any database that stores personally identifiable information in connection with the Services, nor can we guarantee that information you supply will not be intercepted while being transmitted to us over the Internet. Questions regarding this Privacy Policy should be directed to us at Info@WorldNow.com.

Changing/deleting personal information

If you would like to have your personally identifiable information changed or removed from our database, please contact us at Info@WorldNow.com, and we will use reasonable efforts to comply with your request. Keep in mind, however, that there will be residual information that will remain within our databases, access logs, and other records, which may or may not contain such personally identifiable information. The residual information will not be used for commercial purposes; however we reserve the right, from time to time, to recontact former customers or users of the Services.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you may request information about our practices related to disclosing your personally identifiable information to certain third parties and/or opt-out of our sharing of your personally identifiable information with unaffiliated third parties for the third parties' direct marketing purposes. Please send your request (along with your full name, e-mail address, postal address, and the subject line labeled "Your California Privacy Rights") by e-mail at Info@WorldNow.com.

Questions?

Questions regarding this Privacy Policy should be directed to us at Info@WorldNow.com.

Updated 3/4/15.