Privacy Policy

Introduction

OwnerIQ and its affiliated companies (collectively, "OwnerIQ") "are committed to protecting our users' privacy. This privacy policy is designed to inform users of OwnerIQ-branded and co-branded websites (the "Network Sites", defined more fully below) about how OwnerIQ, Inc. ("OwnerIQ" or "we") gathers and uses anonymous and member information, and in what circumstances OwnerIQ will disclose such information. OwnerIQ will take reasonable steps to protect user privacy consistent with the guidelines set forth in this policy and with applicable U.S. laws.

Enforcement

If you believe that OwnerIQ has not complied with this Privacy Policy, or if you have any other complaint with regard to collection, use or disclosure of personal information by OwnerIQ, you may send a written notice of complaint to:

OwnerIQ, Inc.
337 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210
Attention: Gracie F. Johnson, Membership Coordinator
E-mail: webmaster@owneriq.net

OwnerIQ will investigate your complaint and respond to you promptly.

Key Definitions

In this Privacy Policy, we use the following key definitions. Other terms are defined in the body of the policy.

"Clickstream Data" means the information that OwnerIQ collects through cookies, log files, beacons and clear GIFs, as described below.

"Content Provider" means a third party that owns a user manual or other document to which OwnerIQ links to or displays on the Network Sites.

"Network Sites" include:
1. www.owneriq.net
2. www.theusermanualsite.com
3. www.kitchenmanuals.com
4. www.laundrymanuals.com
5. audio.manualsonline.com
6. caraudio.manualsonline.com
7. portablemedia.manualsonline.com
8. tv.manualsonline.com
9. camera.manualsonline.com
10. phone.manualsonline.com
11. homeappliance.manualsonline.com
12. lawnandgarden.manualsonline.com
13. outdoorcooking.manualsonline.com
14. powertool.manualsonline.com.
15. fitness.manualsonline.com
16. music.manualsonline.com
17. office.manualsonline.com.

"User" or "you" means any person viewing any page of the Network Sites.

"Third Party Content" means the user manuals and other documents available through the Network Sites and owned by Content Providers.

This Privacy Policy Does Not Apply to Third Party and Co-Branded Websites.

The Network Sites host thousands of user manuals and other product support documentation. Some Third Party Content made available through the Network Sites is maintained on the website of the Content Provider, and not on the OwnerIQ Network Sites. This means that when you click through to that Third Party Content, you will be leaving a Network Site. It will be clear to you when this happens, as the look and feel of your web page will change, and the URL will no longer refer to a Network Site. This Privacy Policy does not govern the use and disclosure of any information you choose to disclose to the Content Provider on the Content Provider site.

In addition, the Network Sites you are viewing may be co-branded, meaning that the Network Sites are branded with the logos of both OwnerIQ and a third party ("Co-Branded Sites"). If you register or log in on a Co-Branded Site, you are choosing to disclose information to both OwnerIQ and the third party with whose brand the site is co-branded. This Privacy Policy only governs OwnerIQ's use of your information. The third party's use of that personal information is governed by the partner's privacy policy, and not by this Privacy Policy.

What Information Do We Collect?

Member Information: By registering as a Member ("Member") on one of the Network Sites, OwnerIQ collects your email address, security question, answer to the security question and products that you may own or are interested in. Our primary goal in collecting member information is to provide you with the best and most useful content and services, and to offer you opportunities to obtain other products and services from our partners. Because we derive revenue mainly from advertising, collecting information is essential to keeping our services affordable to users.

You may also provide additional information, including but not limited to items such as your name, country, zip code and telephone number ("Member Details"). At the time you register to become a Member, or later when you access a particular page or document, subscribe to an e-mail newsletter, register for one of our events or register to use certain services (such as webcasts) or respond to a survey, OwnerIQ may collect additional information, including but not limited to: your name, address, phone number, and information about things you own, plans you may have to purchase additional items, etc. All of this information together, including your email address and security question, are included in the definition of "Member Details".

Several of the services that we offer on our Network Sites may require registration as a condition of use. Once you register with one of the Network Sites, you are no longer anonymous to us. We may also obtain information about you from other third-party sources, such as US Post Office zip code information, and add it to the information you provided to us.

Cookies
: When you view the Network Sites, a small file called a cookie is placed on your hard drive. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether or not to accept it. (However, by not accepting cookies, some of our web pages may not display properly or you may not be permitted to access certain information.) If you become a Member, OwnerIQ will use cookies to authenticate your identity when you visit the Network Sites and to personalize your user experience, such as by displaying your username, when you log on. OwnerIQ uses cookies to obtain anonymous information such as the number of visits to the Network Sites that a certain user has made, the movement of the user through the Network Sites, and the searches that the user conducts on the Network Sites.

Clear GIFs & Servers
: We use electronic images known as "clear GIFs" - sometimes called "transparent GIFs", "Web bugs", "pixel tags" or "beacons" - that allow us to track general user traffic patterns. OwnerIQ also automatically receives and records information from our servers and from your browser, including your IP address, the time, and information about the page you requested. This information is included in Clickstream Data.

Supplementary Information
: OwnerIQ may supplement Member Details with publicly available information about a Member's demographics. For example, if a Member indicates she lives in X zip code, we may obtain information giving representative geographic information about X zip code. This information is called "Supplementary Information".
How Do We Use the Information We Collect?

Member Information
: OwnerIQ collects member information supplied by visitors who register, as described above. That information lets us better tailor our content to visitor interests and helps our advertisers better understand the audience they are reaching. We use Member Details to deliver email newsletters on topics of interest, such as newsletters with useful information on the things you own, to better target advertiser promotions found in these newsletters and advertising you see when using the Network Sites, to solicit information and feedback in the form of surveys, and we also may send general promotional and marketing materials to our Members, either by email or regular mail. We use Member Details and Supplementary Information in aggregated form to understand our Member base and to market our services to our customers. User access to the Network Sites is free and is supported by paid content and sponsorships from our advertisers.

Cookies
: OwnerIQ uses persistent cookies to link Members to their registration information, which allows our system to confirm a user's identity and access level on the Network Sites. OwnerIQ also uses that information to track service selections, and save passwords so that Members do not have to log in each time they visit the Network Sites.

Clear GIFs & Servers
: We use these tracking technologies for a variety of purposes, including:

• Keeping count of return visits to our site or our partners' sites
• Accumulating and reporting anonymous, aggregate, statistical information on Web site and content usage to our partners and customers
• Determining which features visitors like best to help us improve our content and site, personalize your user experience, and measure overall site effectiveness

Supplementary Information: We use Supplementary Information to understand our customer base and to market our services more effectively.

Sharing Information
:
OwnerIQ may share collected information:

• When we have your consent to share the information.
• Member information collected when you register or log in on a co-branded partner site is generally available both to OwnerIQ and that partner. However, the partner's use of that member information is governed by the partner's privacy policy and may be used for follow up by telephone, email or other common methods. You should contact these partners directly if you have any questions about their use of this information.
• For marketing and advertising purposes, with third parties such as Content Providers and the operators of Co-Branded Sites who may wish to provide you with information about products and services that may be of interest to you.
• OwnerIQ does not share any of your information with any person or entity other than as expressly stated in this Policy [E.G., BUSINESS TRANSFERS].


What Information Do We Disclose to Third Parties?

Disclosure of Anonymous, Aggregated Information
We aggregate user information and disclose such information in a non-personally identifiable manner to advertisers and other third parties for marketing, promotional, and other purposes. OwnerIQ also discloses aggregated user statistics (for example, 25% of our users are interested in plasma TVs) in order to describe our services to prospective customers and partners, and other third parties, and for other lawful purposes.

We may provide summary reports to our Content Providers, based on our analysis of Clickstream Data. The type of information included in a summary report is "3,000 people looked at your information this week, and of those people 60% clicked through to download a user manual." This aggregated information is anonymous and does not disclose to the Content Providers any Member Details about the individual users who saw or clicked on user manuals.

Disclosure of Personal Information

Except as set forth in this Privacy Policy, OwnerIQ will not disclose personal information to any third parties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, OwnerIQ may at any time disclose Member Details and any other information collected to third parties if we are required to do so by law, regulation or court order.

How Can You Opt Out of Use and Disclosure of Your Information?

OwnerIQ will only use your Member Details for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy or subsequently authorized by you. You can opt out of having your Member Details and Clickstream Data disclosed as described above by not becoming a member and not viewing the Third Party Content. OwnerIQ operates on the basis that users can view Third Party Content in return for providing Member Details to OwnerIQ and allowing our use and disclosure as described above. If you do not want your information used and disclosed in this way, you must not become a member or view Third Party Content.

To contact us regarding a privacy issue, please send an e-mail to webmaster@owneriq.net. Please be sure to include the site so that we may better serve you.

If you want your subscriber information deleted from the OwnerIQ database, please contact us at webmaster@owneriq.net and we will remove your Member Details.

Information provided to us by you is, however, subject to disclosure pursuant to any applicable laws.

Security

OwnerIQ has implemented reasonable security measures to protect information from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration or destruction. Our security systems include authenticated access to internal databases, audits of procedures, and regular reviews of overall Web security.

Access and Updating of Information

The instructions to review, amend, or delete your information may be found in the View Profile area on any of our sites. Users may change information at any time and as often as necessary. Users who are experiencing problems with our services or who have questions about how our services work can contact us by sending an email to: webmaster@owneriq.net.

General

Registration Security Question & Answer: Your Member Details are protected by a question and answer that you chose to control access to this information by third parties.

We recommend that you do not divulge your security question or answer to anyone. OwnerIQ never asks for either security questions or answers in unsolicited phone calls or unsolicited emails. Remember to sign-out and close your browser window when you have finished. This will prevent others from accessing your information, for example, if you share a computer with someone else or are using a computer in a public place such as a library or Internet cafe.

Links: The network of OwnerIQ Network Sites contains links to other Websites. OwnerIQ is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of those sites. Users should be aware of this when they leave our site and review the privacy statements of each Web site they visit that collects information. This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by this OwnerIQ site.

Business Transfers: We are always seeking to improve our Network Sites and our business. If all or part of OwnerIQ is sold, merged or otherwise transferred to another entity, the Member Details that you have provided to us along with Clickstream Data may be transferred as part of that transaction. In these circumstances, OwnerIQ will require that the information be used by its successor in a manner that is consistent with the OwnerIQ Privacy Policy in effect at the time OwnerIQ received the information.

Amendments: OwnerIQ may modify or amend this policy from time to time. If we make any material changes, as determined by OwnerIQ, in the way in which information is collected, used or transferred, we will notify you of these changes on our site(s) or by e-mail and provide a link to the new privacy statement. If you object to any of the changes, you can have us delete your information from our database by contacting webmaster@owneriq.net

Site Visitors from outside the United States
: OwnerIQ and its servers are located  in the United States and are subject to the applicable state and federal laws of the United States. If you choose to access the Network Sites or become a Member, you consent to the use and disclosure of information in accordance with this privacy policy and subject to such laws.

Options
: Users who would rather not provide any of the user data requested by our registration process do not need to register with us. You can still view much of the content and use many of the services offered by our Network Sites without registering.

Note
: If you choose not to provide some information when registering for a site, certain products or services may not be available to you.

Effective Date of this policy: July 3, 2008

 

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