The AOL Privacy Policy
Here at AOL, we regard our members’ privacy as one of our most important values. We want our members to know how we protect their information and what choices they have about its use. We believe AOL’s Privacy Policy should give members confidence whenever they use AOL — 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year. That’s why we expect AOL Merchants to work with us to uphold the highest standards.
We have organized our policy into three parts:
(1) We outline our Eight Principles of Privacy, our core commitment to protect your privacy.
(2) We explain how we implement each principle. You can click on any principle to read the policy.
(3) We provide Helpful Tips on how you can better protect your privacy in cyberspace.
AOL’S PRIVACY COMMITMENT:
THE EIGHT PRINCIPLES OF PRIVACY
We are committed to protecting your personal privacy. Our Eight Principles of Privacy summarize and clarify that commitment: how we safeguard your privacy, how we treat personal information, and what choices you have. We understand that for you to take full advantage of the benefits of this interactive medium, we must do everything we can to ensure that your privacy is secure.
1. We do not read your private online communications.
2. We do not use any information about where you personally go on AOL or the Web, and we do not give it out to others.
3. We do not give out your telephone number, credit card information or screen names, unless you authorize us to do so. And we give you the opportunity to correct your personal contact and billing information at any time.
4. We may use information about the kinds of products you buy from AOL to make other marketing offers to you, unless you tell us not to. We do not give out this purchase data to others.
5. We give you choices about how AOL uses your personal information.
6. We take extra steps to protect the safety and privacy of children.
7. We use secure technology, privacy protection controls and restrictions on employee access in order to safeguard your personal information.
8. We will keep you informed, clearly and prominently, about what we do with your personal information, and we will advise you if we change our policy.
(1) We do not read your private online communications.
AOL honors the confidentiality of its members’ private communications in private chat rooms, e-mail (including downloads), and Instant Message(TM) conversations, as well as any profile data you may create, such as a stock portfolio. AOL does not read or disclose private communications except to comply with valid legal process such as a search warrant, subpoena or court order, to protect the company’s rights and property, or during emergencies when we believe physical safety is at risk. Of course, what you write or post in public or member chat rooms and message boards is available not only to AOL, but to all members.
(2) We do not use any information about where you personally go on AOL or the Web, and we do not give it out to others.
Our system automatically gathers information about the areas you visit on our service.
We do not use any of this navigational data about where you — as an individual member — go on the service. Nor do we share any of this data with outside companies.
We do use navigational information in the aggregate to understand how our members as a group use the service so that we can make AOL better. We may also share this statistical information with our partners or other outside companies, but in doing so, we don’t disclose individual names or personal navigational information.
We do not keep track of where you go on the World Wide Web.
The Web sites you visit may have their own privacy policies or no policy at all. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of Web sites before providing them with any of your personal information.
(3) We do not give out your telephone number, credit card information or screen names, unless you authorize us to do so. And we give you the opportunity to correct your personal contact and billing information at any time.
When you join AOL, we ask you for your name, address, telephone number, and billing information-including the credit card, checking account, or debit card used to pay for your account — and the various screen names you want to use on your account. Here is how we protect that information:
* AOL will not give out your telephone number or screen names (e-mail addresses), except where needed to deliver a product or service you ordered.
* We will not give out your credit or debit card number or checking account information unless you authorize it, for example, during an online purchase.
* We will not give out information that would link your screen names with your actual name.
We make lists of members’ names and addresses available to pre-screened companies who have specific direct mail product and service offers we think may be of interest to you. We also sometimes combine these lists with publicly available information or segment them based on other information, such as when a member joined AOL or a member’s computer system type. These lists are never based on a member’s online activities.
You may choose to remove your name and address from the mailing lists we provide to other companies. For more information about your choices, please see Principle 5.
We also collect and use other information for internal purposes. For example, we keep records in your account history of your complaints about other members’ online behavior, your contact with AOL Member Services and any reported violations of our Terms of Service (TOS) that you or someone on your account may have committed. AOL automatically queries your computer for information about your computer system such as the speed of your modem, error messages you may have received, or whether you use Macintosh(TM) or Windows(TM) software — to help us fit the service to your individual needs and to help us diagnose problems you may be having with your system. Finally, we sometimes use information about your geographical location to provide localized service. For example, we may use your zip code or the time zone you are in to make sure the weather information or TV listings you see are accurate for you.
We have two exceptions to these policies: We will release specific information about your account only to comply with valid legal process such as a search warrant, subpoena or court order, or in special cases such as a physical threat to you or others.
We provide you with the opportunity to update or correct your contact and billing information that we have on file. Just as you want to make sure that information AOL has about you is accurate, we want to keep only the most up-to-date information about your account. Therefore, whenever you believe that your contact or billing information needs updating, you can go to Keyword: Billing and make the necessary changes.
(4) We may use information about the kinds of products you buy from AOL to make other marketing offers to you, unless you tell us not to. We do not give out this purchase data to others.
Your Purchases From AOL
AOL offers our members the opportunity to buy AOL store merchandise, such as computer hardware and software, and products that carry the AOL brand. Like other retailers and direct marketers, we record information about such purchases. When you buy from us online, our system automatically gathers purchase data, and we also record information about purchases made through our telemarketing, mail order and other marketing operations.
We use this information in two ways:
1) We review what kinds of products and services appeal most to our members as a group. This statistical information helps us improve our offerings in the same way that other companies change their catalog based on what sells best.
2) We use information such as the number of purchases members make and the categories of goods and services they buy to make offers to you that we believe will interest you. In addition, we use other information such as when members joined AOL, how often they use the service or their type of computer system to make such offers. We also use publicly available consumer data to help us decide which marketing offers to make and which advertising they see.
You may choose not to receive marketing offers from AOL. For more information about your choices, please see Principle 5.
We do not give out any information about what you, as an individual, purchase from AOL, except to complete your transactions, or to comply with valid legal process such as a search warrant, subpoena or court order. We share with outside companies only statistical information about what AOL products or services our members — as a group — buy.
Your Purchases From AOL Certified Merchants
AOL Certified Merchants are required to provide a secure and safe environment for credit card purchases and will abide by AOL’s privacy policy when handling any personal information given to them online by our members. These Certified Merchants will carry our AOL Guarantee Seal that tells you that you can conduct online business through AOL safely with them. Every time you make an online purchase from any AOL Certified Merchant, you are protected against liability in the unlikely event of credit card fraud. Simply follow your credit card company’s reporting procedures, and AOL will reimburse you up to $50 for any remaining liability for unauthorized charges. Learn more at Keyword: Guarantee.
Your Other Online Purchases Through Our Service
For all other online purchases, be sure to review the merchants’ privacy policies and contact them directly if you have any questions. They may have privacy terms that differ from AOL’s privacy policy, and they may use personal information which you may provide them differently than our policy permits.
AOL may be involved in facilitating your purchases from these other companies, but this individual data is not used for any other purpose.
(5) We give you choices about how AOL uses your personal information.
You have choices about how the information you have provided may be used by us to make special offers to you. And you can direct us to remove your name and address from mailing lists we provide to selected, pre-screened companies.
To activate any of these marketing preferences, go to Keyword: Marketing Preferences or Keyword: Choice or click on the My AOL button on the toolbar at the top of your screen.
* You may choose not to receive marketing offers from AOL by U.S. mail.
* You may choose not to receive marketing offers from AOL by telephone.
* You may choose not to receive marketing offers from AOL by e-mail.
* You may choose not to receive marketing offers from AOL through online “pop-up screens.”
* You may choose to have your name and address removed from any mailing lists that we provide to other companies.
(6) We take extra steps to protect the safety and privacy of children.
Young people need special safeguards and privacy protection. We realize they may not understand all the provisions of our policy or be able to make thoughtful decisions about the choices available to adult members. So we have special privacy policies to protect kids and teens using areas on the service specifically designed for them, including our Kids Only Channel. And we urge all parents to teach their children about protecting their personal information while online.
* In areas on the service designed for children 12 and under, AOL and its partners require prior parental consent (for example, by sending in a permission form by regular mail or by fax) before collecting or using names, addresses, telephone numbers or other information that identifies a child offline. In addition, prior to children using screen names on the AOL service, we require parental (master account) consent at the time the subaccount screen name is created. We do this so that parents are aware of and consent to how their children may use their screen names; for example, using the screen name to request an online newsletter, to post a message on a message board or to participate in a chat room.
In areas designed for teens 13 through 15, AOL and its partners may not collect names, addresses, telephone numbers or other personally identifiable information without disclosing how that information will be used and notifying teens that they should obtain permission from their parents before providing any information.
* Another way parents can control their child’s experience online is AOL’s Parental Controls (Keyword: Parental Controls). These simple, flexible tools allow parents to customize content and functionality to their child’s maturity level.
Since one master account may have up to five screen names, we encourage all parents to use their master account to create separate screen names for each child. This allows the parent to customize AOL to their child’s maturity level and content needs: Kids Only (recommended for children 12 and under); Young Teen (recommended for ages 13-15); or Mature Teen (recommended for ages 16-17).
* Unsolicited e-mail is a problem for everyone, but it is particularly a problem for children. This includes mail that could contain content you may not want your children to see, or mail that may ask for information you would not want your children to give out.
If you want to minimize the unsolicited e-mail your children receive, you can use Mail Controls (Keyword: Mail Controls) to block all e-mail from the Internet or to select the e-mail addresses from which you wish to allow your children to receive e-mail. Remember that screen names and information voluntarily given by children and teens in public chat rooms, e-mail exchanges, message boards, the Member Directory, and other online communications are publicly available and may be used by other parties to generate unsolicited e-mail.
You can learn more about how to ensure a safe and enjoyable online experience for you and your family at Keyword: Neighborhood Watch.
(7) We use secure technology, privacy protection controls and restrictions on employee access in order to safeguard your personal information.
We use state-of-the-art technology to keep your personal information-including your billing and account information — as secure as possible. We also have put in place privacy protection control systems designed to ensure that your personal data remain safe and private.
Each and every AOL employee must abide by AOL’s privacy policy. Only authorized AOL employees are permitted to have access to your personal information and such access is limited by need. For example, if you call our Member Services department with a concern or complaint, the representative is allowed to access only the personal information that he or she needs to address your concern. In addition, any company with which AOL contracts to be our agent in conducting our business is required to adhere to confidentiality agreements to ensure that your information remains safe and secure.
All AOL employees are required to acknowledge that they understand and will comply with this privacy policy. Employees who violate our privacy policies are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
We strongly encourage our content, commerce and advertising partners to post clearly their own privacy policies and to have privacy control systems in place to protect your personal information. Be sure to review their privacy policies and contact them directly if you have any questions.
(8) We will keep you informed, clearly and prominently, about what we do with your personal information, and we will advise you if we change our policy.
A key part of AOL’s commitment to protecting your privacy is explaining to you how we may use your personal information. This privacy policy serves that purpose, and it is accessible through several means within our service. When you register for our service, you are presented with our privacy policy and should familiarize yourself with this and all other AOL policies at that time. In addition, this policy is easily located in our Terms of Service area (Keyword: TOS), and by using Keyword: Privacy, you can view AOL’s privacy policy.
Whenever we change our policy, we will give you 30 days’ notice of those changes through prominent disclosures, including notification on our front screen. If policy changes are substantial, we will notify each of our members individually through pop-up screens or e-mails. Since pop-ups last only for a limited time, however, you should sign on to your account regularly for these and other important announcements.
If you’d like to comment on or have questions about our privacy policy, or if you have a concern or policy violation you wish to report, please go to Keyword: Privacy Questions.
TEN TIPS TO HELP YOU (THE AOL MEMBER) PROTECT
YOUR PRIVACY AND SECURITY ONLINE
You can take the responsibility to protect your personal privacy online. Here is a checklist that will help safeguard your privacy and protect the integrity of your computer and AOL account. We urge you to print these tips and post them near your computer for you and your children.
_____ (1) Never give your password to anyone online. Never give your billing information except to facilitate a purchase.
_____ (2) Make your password at least 6 characters in length. Create a password that includes a combination of numbers and letters (such as sun8ray or bel3jar2 or 12hat93). Be sure to use different passwords for each screen name on your account.
_____ (3) If you have fallen for an online scam and given out your password, change your password right away. Before you sign off, go to Keyword: Password and create a new password for your screen name. Also, change the passwords for any other screen names on your account.
_____ (4) Setting up a Member Profile about yourself can be a good way of connecting with communities of AOL members. But be aware that Member Profiles are public. It’s a good idea to avoid including information that could allow people to find you offline, such as your phone number or exact street address.
_____ (5) Use AOL’s Mail Controls(TM) feature to control the e-mail you and your children receive. You can block e-mail from the Internet, entire domain names and specific e-mail addresses. You can even block the exchange of attached files or pictures in e-mail.
_____ (6) Your computer cannot catch a virus by opening a piece of e-mail. But if the e-mail asks for a password or billing information, or contains a file attachment from someone you don’t know, go to Keyword: Notify AOL to learn how to report it.
_____ (7) Never download files unless you know what they are and who sent them to you. Computer viruses and destructive programs that could cause your computer to divulge personal information are often transferred in cleverly disguised files.
_____ (8) When you leave the AOL environment to go on the Web, you may want to check the sites you visit to see if they have a privacy policy. Take special care to protect your personal information and your screen name, since the operators of Web sites are not bound by AOL’s privacy policy.
_____ (9) Explain to your children that some non-AOL contests could ask them for personal information, and make very clear what information they may or may not provide, under any circumstances.
_____ (10) You can get instructions to report any violation by going to Keyword: Notify AOL. You can get answers to common questions, and more tips for protecting yourself online, by going to Keyword: Neighborhood Watch.
