At SMnet, your privacy on the Internet is important to us. As part of the operations of SMNET, we gather certain types of information about SMNET users. This Privacy Policy ("Privacy Policy") explains the types of information we gather, what we do with it and how you may correct or change information that SMNET may collect.
Information Collected by SMNET
SMNET collects two types of information about users: personal information (such as name and e-mail address) and aggregate information (such as information about how many users log on to our sites on a daily basis).
Personal Information
Personal information is collected when users voluntarily register for membership services. These services include communication services, answering surveys and purchasing items. We may collect personal information from you in other areas of our sites, but we will provide on-screen notification that we are doing so. We may receive personal usage and demographic information from our third-party partners, and we also collect e-mail addresses from users who send us support mail or request technical or other help. This information enables SMNET to improve our sites to make your online visits more productive and enjoyable.
Aggregate Information
One method of collecting aggregate information about your activities online (such as the pages you access most frequently or the search terms you enter), and information volunteered by you (such as survey or registration information), is by tracking Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. An IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you surf the Web. The computers that deliver the Web pages to you automatically identify your computer by its IP address. When you request a page from one of our sites, our servers log your IP address.
Our sites record IP addresses for the purposes of system administration and to provide aggregate data to advertisers about the volume of use on our sites. We also create aggregate reports on user demographics and traffic patterns for advertisers and partners. This allows these parties to advertise more effectively, and allows you to receive advertisements that are most relevant to your personal interests. An advertiser will not know that you clicked its advertisement unless you voluntarily and explicitly permit us to provide such information.
Search Terms
As a measure of user interest, we track search terms that are entered into our sites' search features. Search data and user-provided information help to improve the relevancy of search results by learning user preferences and prioritizing search results accordingly. The intended result is a more efficient search feature for visitors to our sites.
Use of Cookies
SMNET does not use cookies at this time.
You may occasionally get cookies from our advertisers. SMNET does not control these cookies, and they are not subject to SMNET's Privacy Policy.
Use of Information Collected by SMNET
SMNET uses the personal information we collect to improve the content of our sites; to customize the content and/or layout of our sites; to notify users about updates to our sites or promotional offers or opportunities that we believe will be of interest to users; and to investigate violations of our terms and conditions of use.
Sharing Data with SMNET Affiliates
SMNET may share the personal and aggregate information we collect with our affiliates and other sites operated by or for SMNET.
Sharing Data with Third Parties
SMNET shares aggregate information with third parties for advertising and promotional purposes. SMNET may also share personal information with consultants and affiliates for internal business purposes and may divulge personal information if such information is subpoenaed, or if SMNET believes that membership has been used to commit unlawful acts, or acts that may endanger the health or safety of another user or of the general public. In some situations, we will share your personal information, on a confidential basis, with third parties who perform a particular service on our behalf, such as sending e-mails. These parties are not allowed to use personal information except for the limited purpose of providing the particular service on our behalf. In addition, SMNET receives personal usage and demographic information from third parties and uses this information to improve our products and services.
Membership Services and Service Providers
When you register to use membership services, SMNET may share your registration information with content or service providers. You do not have to register your personal information with our sites, but if you choose not to, certain services will not be available to you.
SMNET Shopping
SMNET's shopping services allow you to search merchant sites and make online purchases. These purchases may require credit card and personal contact information. SMNET's shopping services store your information and send it to the merchant automatically when you make your purchase, using encryption technology to protect your information during this transfer.
We strive to make your shopping experience as worry-free as possible. We use secure server software (SSL), the industry standard for ensuring the security of your electronic commerce transactions. SSL encrypts all of your personal information transmitted over the Internet, including your credit card number and name and address. This technology is designed to protect your information by rendering it useless, should it ever be intercepted in transit. We will continue to provide the highest level of security by implementing improved technologies as they become available.
Note that each of our online merchants follows separate privacy policies. SMNET is not responsible for policies other than our own. For more information about a merchant's policy, visit the merchant's home page and read carefully its privacy policy.
CHILDREN AND PRIVACY
SMNET encourages parents and guardians to spend time with their children online, and to be familiar with the sites their children visit.
Individuals Under 18
No information should be submitted to or posted on our sites by users under the age of 18. Individuals under the age of 18 are not allowed to become registered members of SMNET.
Community and Public Areas
Information posted to message boards, chat areas, and home pages is available to the general public. Please use caution when posting any such information. Users under the age of 18 should be particularly careful not to provide any personally identifying information while using chat rooms or message boards. Users of chat areas and message boards must follow acceptable standards of behavior when posting messages online. SMNET reserves the right to, but is not obligated to, refuse or delete any content that in our sole discretion is considered inappropriate.
Links to Other Sites
Our sites contain links to sites other than our own. Those sites may not follow the same privacy policies as SMNET. Such links may be to advertisers, content providers or partners who may use our logo and/or style as a result of a co-branding agreement. These sites may send their own cookies to you, and may collect information and use it in a way inconsistent with SMNET's privacy policy. SMNET does not control the content that appears on these sites. Such sites may contain information that content providers independent of SMNET have created, maintained, published, posted or otherwise made available.
The use of any information or materials that you may access at these external sites is purely voluntary. You should not rely on their contents without independent and thorough review of the accuracy, completeness, effectiveness and timeliness. These external sites may also refer to specific commercial products, processes, or services by trade name, trademark, service mark, manufacturer or otherwise. Unless SMNET has provided explicit authority, such references in no way indicate our endorsement, recommendation or preference.
This section should be read in conjunction with the full Terms of Service.
Additional Information
No transmission of data over the Internet is guaranteed to be completely secure. It may be possible for third parties not under the control of SMNET to intercept or access transmissions or private communications unlawfully. While we strive to protect your personal information, SMNET cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us. Any such transmission is done at your own risk.
Under no circumstances, including but not limited to negligence, shall SMNET be liable for any special, incidental or consequential damages that result from the use of the information or materials on our sites, even if SMNET or an authorized representative of SMNET, has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This section also should be read in conjunction with the full Terms of Service.
SMNET reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time. Any such changes will be posted online. Questions should be directed to support@smnet.net.
USE OF THIS SITE SIGNIFIES YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND AGREEMENT TO COMPLY WITH THE ENTIRE PRIVACY POLICY
You may also contact us via e-mail at support@smnet.net.
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