ZotFish knows that you care about how your personal information is used and shared, and we take your privacy very seriously. Please read the following to learn more about our privacy policy. By visiting the ZotFish website, you are accepting the practices outlined in this Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Policy covers ZotFish's treatment of personal information that ZotFish gathers when you are on the ZotFish website and when you use ZotFish services. This policy does not apply to the practices of third parties that ZotFish does not own or control, or to individuals that ZotFish does not employ or manage.
1. Information Collected by ZotFish
We only collect personal information that is relevant to the purpose of our website, which is to enable users to discover and share information with one another. This information allows us to provide you with a customized and efficient experience. We do not process this information in a way that is incompatible with this objective. We collect the following types of information from our ZotFish users:
A. Information You Provide to Us:
We receive and store any information you enter on our website or provide to us in any other way. You can choose not to provide us with certain information, but then you may not be able to take advantage of many of our special features. Registration: In order for you to use ZotFish services, such as submitting new questions to the website, you must complete a registration form. As part of this registration form, we require select personal information (including your full name, city, state and e-mail address). As indicated below, in the section titled "Sharing Your Information", you can control how your information is displayed and used.
User Profile: To allow you to express yourself beyond just the information collected during registration, we enable you to provide additional information, such as a bio and photo.
B. Automatic Information:
We receive and store certain types of information whenever you interact with us. ZotFish and its authorized agents automatically receive and record certain "traffic data" on their server logs from your browser including your IP address, ZotFish cookie information, and the page you requested. ZotFish uses this traffic data to help diagnose problems with its servers, analyze trends and administer the website.
ZotFish may collect and, on any page, display the total counts that page has been viewed. This includes User Profile pages.
Many companies offer programs that help you to visit websites anonymously. While ZotFish will not be able to provide you with a personalized experience if we cannot recognize you, we want you to be aware that these programs are available.
2. E-mail Communications
ZotFish is very concerned about your privacy and we will never provide your email address to a third party without your explicit permission, as detailed in the "Sharing Your Information" section below. ZotFish may send out e-mails with ZotFish-related news, products, offers, surveys or promotions. You may also receive notification e-mails from ZotFish, which inform you of actions (e.g. questions that have been answered) that have been performed on the site. If you do not want to receive e-mail from us, please visit the Email Preferences section of your User Profile and/or follow the instructions contained in the unwanted e-mail message. However, please note that in all cases you will continue to receive all system e-mails (e.g. those regarding forgotten user passwords) and legal notices (e.g. updates to our policies) from us.
3. Cookies
Cookies are alphanumeric identifiers that we transfer to your computer's hard drive through your Web browser to enable our systems to recognize your browser and tell us how and when pages in our website are visited and by how many people. ZotFish cookies do not collect personal information, and we do not combine information collected through cookies with other personal information to tell us who you are or what your screen name or e-mail address is.
The "help" portion of the toolbar on the majority of browsers will direct you on how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how to command the browser to tell you when you receive a new cookie, or how to fully disable cookies.
Some of our business partners, like our advertisers, may use cookies on our website. We have no access to, or control over, these cookies.
4. Sharing Your Information
Because ZotFish enables people to ask questions and leave comments for one another, information about the people who use ZotFish is an integral part of the ZotFish experience. Rest assured that we neither rent nor sell your personal information to anyone and that we will share your personal information only as described below.
ZotFish Personnel: ZotFish personnel and authorized consultants and/or contractors may have access to user information if necessary in the normal course of ZotFish business.
Business Transfers: In some cases, we may choose to buy or sell assets. In these types of transactions, user information is typically one of the business assets that is transferred. Moreover, if ZotFish, or substantially all of its assets, were acquired, user information would be one of the assets that is transferred.
Protection of ZotFish and Others: We may release personal information when we believe in good faith that release is necessary to comply with a law; to enforce or apply our Terms of Use and other policies; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of ZotFish, our employees, our users, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection and credit risk reduction.
User Profile information: Information collected during registration and subsequent visits, such as your full name and location, may be displayed to other ZotFish users in your User Profile. The User Profile is the area on ZotFish where we allow you to tell other ZotFish users about yourself and your interests. You may control what personal information is displayed to other users in your User Profile.
Social sharing of data: ZotFish allows other users to browse questions and answers that you have asked or voted on. It also allows users to browse which users have left comments on questions and answers, or voted on questions or answers. This information is made available via your User Profile, or using link on the applicable question or answer pages. ZotFish may choose to post this data on other site features.
API: ZotFish may allow third parties access to all ZotFish data this is already publicly available through the ZotFish website. ZotFish will keep private any passwords and blog settings.
Syndication: ZotFish allows for the RSS syndication of all of its public content within the ZotFish website.
With Your Consent: Except as noted above, we will contact you when your personal information is shared with third parties or used for a purpose incompatible with the purpose(s) for which it was originally collected, and you will be able to opt out to prevent the sharing of this information.
5. Keeping Information Secure
Your ZotFish account information is protected by a password for your privacy and security. Protect against unauthorized access to your password and to your computer by logging off once you have finished using a shared computer.
Only employees who need personal information to perform a specific job (for example, a customer service representative) are granted access to it. All of our employees are kept up to date on our privacy and security practices.
6. Ways to Control Display and Use of Your Information
You can always opt not to disclose information (except for, at a minimum, your first name), but then you may be unable to use certain features on our website, such as posting new questions.
By visiting your User Profile, you can correct, amend, add or delete personal information on our website. When you update information, however, we often maintain a copy of the unrevised information in our records.
You may disable your ZotFish account from within your ZotFish user profile.
If you do not wish to receive e-mail from us or other ZotFish users, please visit the Notification Settings section of your User Profile and/or follow the instructions contained in the unwanted e-mail message.
However, please note that you will continue to receive all system e-mails (e.g. those regarding forgotten user passwords) and legal notices (e.g. updates to our policies) from us.
7. Children Under 18 Years of Age
You must be 13 years and older to register to use the ZotFish website. As a result, ZotFish does not specifically collect information about children. If we learn that ZotFish has collected information from a child under the age of 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. We recommend that minors between the ages of 13 and 18 ask and receive their parents' permission before using ZotFish or sending information about themselves or anyone else over the Internet.
8. Changes to this Privacy Policy
ZotFish may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time, at its sole discretion. Use of information we collect now is subject to the Privacy Policy in effect at the time such information is used. If we make changes to the Privacy Policy, we will notify you by posting an announcement on the ZotFish website so you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances if any, it is disclosed.
9. Conditions of Use
If you decide to visit ZotFish website, your visit and any possible dispute over privacy is subject to this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use, including limitations on damages, arbitration of disputes, and application of New York state law.
10. Effective Date of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy is effective as of May 16, 2008.