Section 1: The Catnip Times – Privacy Policy
The Catnip Times – www.thecatniptimes.com – (the “Site”), takes your privacy seriously. This privacy policy is intended to inform you about the information that is collected from you when you visit the Site; how this information may be used and disclosed; how you can control the use and disclosure of your information; and how your information is protected. If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at: [email protected].
1) Scope
This privacy policy applies only to the Site. This policy does not apply to information collected through any other website or to the practices of companies that The Catnip Times does not control. Please note that the Site may contain links to other websites. For example, if you click on an advertisement on the Site and link to another website, then this privacy policy will not apply to any information collected on that website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites, and we recommend that you read the privacy policies of each website that you visit.
2) Definitions
a) Personal Data – means data about a living individual who can be identified from those data (or from those and other information either in our possession or likely to come into our possession).
b) Cookies – are small pieces of data stored on your device (computer or mobile device).
c) Usage Data – is data collected automatically either generated by the use of the Site or from the Site infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).
d) Data Controller – means the natural or legal person who (either alone or jointly or in common with other persons) determines the purposes for which and the manner in which any personal information are, or are to be, processed. For the purpose of this Privacy Policy, we are a Data Controller of your Personal Data.
e) Data Processors (or Service Providers) – means any natural or legal person who processes the data on behalf of the Data Controller. We may use the services of various Service Providers in order to process your data more effectively.
f) Data Subject (or User) – is any living individual who is using our Service and is the subject of Personal Data.
3) What information the Site collects
a) Personal Data:
You are not required to provide information directly to us in order to view the Site. However, when you use certain Site functions, such as when you register for certain services, access certain content or features, or directly contact the Site, we may ask you to provide information, including:
i) contact information, such as name, email address, postal address, phone number, and mobile number;
ii) username and password;
iii) information posted in community discussions and other interactive online features;
iv) search queries conducted on the Site; and
v) correspondence you send to us.
b) Usage Data:
When you visit and interact with the Site, certain information may be collected automatically, including:
i) your computer’s Internet Protocol (IP) address;
ii) your browser type and operating system;
iii) the web pages you were visiting immediately before and after you came to the Site;
iv) activities within community discussions;
v) web pages and advertisements that you view, and links that you click on, within the Site;
vi) your bandwidth speed and information about the software programs that are installed on your computer;
vii) aggregated data about email click-through rates and user video viewing;
viii) standard server log information; and
ix) information collected through HTML cookies, Flash cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies. For more information, please see below and our discussion here: cookies and other technologies.
c) Information we collect from other sources:
We may access information about you from third-party sources and platforms (such as social networking sites, databases, online marketing firms, and ad targeting firms), including:
i) if you access third-party social networking services (such as Facebook Connect or Twitter) through the Site, your username and connection lists for those services;
ii) demographic data, such as age range, gender, and interests;
iii) advertisement interaction and viewing data, such as ad click-through rates and information about how many times you viewed a particular ad; and
iv) unique identifiers, including mobile device identification numbers, that can identify the physical location of such devices in accordance with applicable law.
Please note that the Site may combine the information that we collect with information we obtain from third-party sources.
4) How we use the information that we collect
a) Site Management:
We use the information to maintain our Site, and for example, to notify you of any changes and to allow you to participate in any interactive features on our site.
b) Email Communications:
We may use the information that we collect to send you e-mail communications, such as editorial updates, information about your account or changes to the Site, and promotional messages about our own or our marketing partners’ products and services. If you signed up for one of our email newsletters, we also will send you the newsletter that you requested.
c) Mobile Communications:
With your consent, we may use your mobile number to send you promotions, notifications, or other services.
d) Advertising:
In order to provide our readers with free access to our content, we display advertisements on the Site, many of which are targeted based on information about you. For example, using information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other sources, we may use demographic data or information about your online activities or interests to display targeted advertising that may be relevant to your preferences.
Through this process, advertisers reach Site visitors who are most interested in their products, and you see advertising for products or services in which you may be interested. For more information on how cookies and other technologies work, please see our discussion of cookies and other technologies.
Third-party advertisers and advertising platforms also may serve targeted ads on the Site. For more information, please see our section on third party advertising. Please remember that the information practices of third-party advertisers or platforms collecting data on our site are not covered by this privacy policy.
e) User Accounts:
To provide you with an open, but also civil, discussion forum, we may track user involvement in our community discussions.
f) Request Fulfillment:
We may use the information that we collect to fulfill your requests for products, services, and information. For example, we may use your contact information to respond to your customer service requests or to enable you to participate in features on the Site such as surveys, polls, sweepstakes, giveaways, and message boards.
g) Statistical Analysis:
In order to learn more about how our Site is used, we aggregate and analyze the data that we collect. We may use this information, for example, to monitor and analyze use of the Site, to increase our Site’s functionality, and to better tailor our content and design to suit our visitors’ needs.
h) Enforcement:
We may use the information that we collect to prevent illegal activities, to enforce the Site’s Terms and Conditions, and to otherwise protect our rights and the rights of our users.
In addition to the uses identified above, we may use the information that we collect for any other purposes disclosed to you at the time we collect your information or pursuant to your consent.
5) Information sharing
The Catnip Times values your privacy, and shares information about our users only under certain circumstances. We will make information about you available to other companies, applications, or people in the circumstances listed below:
a) We may share aggregated information or information that does not directly identify you with third parties to help us develop content, services, and advertising that we hope you will find of interest. Please note that we do not share contact information with third parties that advertise on the Site.
b) We may employ third parties to perform Site-related services, including database management, maintenance services, analytics, marketing, data processing, and email and text message distribution. These third parties have access to your information only to perform these tasks on our behalf.
c) If you choose to engage in public activities on the site, such as posting comments on community message boards, any information you submit can be read, collected, or used by others. Please exercise caution when deciding to disclose any personal information in public activities or submissions.
d) We may share information about you in the event that the Site is acquired by or merged with another company or a similar corporate transaction takes place. However, the Site will notify you by placing a prominent notice on our site or sending a notice to the primary email address specified in your account before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
e) We may share information about you to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety or other rights and interests of any person, violations of the Site’s Terms and Conditions, or as otherwise required by law.
f) We may share information about you to respond to subpoenas, search warrants, judicial proceedings, court orders, legal process, or other law enforcement measures, to establish or exercise our legal rights, or to defend against legal claims.
g) In addition to the scenarios identified above, we may share information about you for any other purposes disclosed to you at the time we collect your information or pursuant to your consent.
Please note that third parties may independently collect data about you, including your IP address and information about the websites you visit and the links you click, through cookies, clicks on links, or other means when you visit or view ads on the Site. For more information, see our section on cookies and other technologies and third party advertising.
6) Legal basis for processing personal data under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
If you are from the European Economic Area (EEA), our legal basis for collecting and using the personal information described in this Privacy Policy depends on the Personal Data we collect and the specific context in which we collect it.
We may process your Personal Data because:
a) We need to perform a contract with you
b) You have given us permission to do so
c) The processing is in our legitimate interests and it’s not overridden by your rights
d) For payment processing purposes
e) To comply with the law
7) Retention of data
We will retain your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.
We will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of our Service, or we are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.
8) Transfer of data
Your information, including Personal Data, may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from your jurisdiction.
If you are located outside United States and choose to provide information to us, please note that we transfer the data, including Personal Data, to United States and process it there.
Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer.
We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of your data and other personal information.
9) Disclosure of data
a) Business Transaction
If we are involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, your Personal Data may be transferred. We will provide notice before your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.
b) Disclosure for Law Enforcement
Under certain circumstances, we may be required to disclose your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).
c) Legal Requirements
We may disclose your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:
i) To comply with a legal obligation
ii) To protect and defend our rights or property
iii) To prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
iv) To protect the personal safety of users of the Service or the public
v) To protect against legal liability
10) Third-party services
To customize your experience on the Site and to simplify the Site’s registration process, we provide you with the opportunity to access or interact with third-party services, such as Facebook and Twitter. When you connect to the Site through these third-party services, we may share information about you with these third-party service providers and they may share data about you with us.
a) Our Use of Third-party Services:
When you allow us to access your data through a third-party service to create a Site profile, we may use this data for several purposes, including:
i) Creating relationships automatically within our system. For example, if you connect to us via a service with a public friend list, like Twitter, we may check to see if any people you follow on Twitter are also Site members. If we find a match, we will replicate your Twitter relationship with those members, setting them to be fans, followers, or friends on our Site.
ii) Suggesting relationships. For example, if you connect via a service that has a private contact list (like Google and Yahoo!), we check for people in your contacts who are Site members and suggest that you become a fan of these users. This process is not automatic; you must affirmatively choose to become a fan of these suggested users.
iii) Populating a list of potential friends to whom you can send emails. When users share content with their friends using, for example, the forward-to-a-friend feature on the Site, we may use friend lists from third-party services to create a list of contacts to whom you may choose to send the email message.
iv) Populating a list of potential friends to whom you can send service-specific messages. For example, we may use friend lists from a third-party service to create a list of contacts to whom you may choose to send an invitation to view an interactive slideshow.
v) To enhance and personalize your experience on the Site. When you are connected via a third-party service, we may access certain account information, such as your profile picture, what stories are popular in your network, and what your friends are saying about certain articles or blog posts, in order to enhance and personalize your experience on the Site.
b) Interaction with Specific Third-party Services
You can control your direct relationship with the third-part services and your experiences on the Site with it. As an example, if you connect to a Facebook account, your experience on the Site may be personalized, that is you may automatically see what stories are popular in your network, and what your friends are saying about particular stories.
Please note that you may disconnect third party accounts at any time. You also may be able to modify your privacy settings directly with the third-party service. Here are some examples:
i) Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics, which is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Site. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.
You can opt-out of having made your activity on the Site available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity.
For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/
ii) Google AdWords
We may use Google AdWords remarketing service that is provided by Google Inc.
You can opt-out of Google Analytics for Display Advertising and customize the Google Display Network ads by visiting the Google Ads Settings page:
Ads Settings
Google aims to show you relevant ads based on your interests. Use this tool to select interest categories so that the ads we show you are more related to your interests.
Google also recommends installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on – https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout – for your web browser. Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on provides visitors with the ability to prevent their data from being collected and used by Google Analytics.
For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/
iii) Twitter
We may use the Twitter remarketing service provided by Twitter Inc.
You can opt-out from Twitter’s interest-based ads by following their instructions:
Your privacy options for personalized ads | X Help
Learn about how X marketing and personalized ads on X work, and about the privacy controls available to you.
You can learn more about the privacy practices and policies of Twitter by visiting their Privacy Policy page: https://twitter.com/privacy
iv) Facebook
We may use the Facebook remarketing service provided by Facebook Inc.
You can learn more about interest-based advertising from Facebook by visiting this page: https://www.facebook.com/help/164968693837950
To opt-out from Facebook’s interest-based ads follow these instructions from
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/568137493302217
Facebook adheres to the Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising established by the Digital Advertising Alliance. You can also opt-out from Facebook and other participating companies through the Digital Advertising Alliance in the USA
https://www.aboutads.info/choices/, the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada in Canada https://youradchoices.ca/ or the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance in Europe https://www.youronlinechoices.eu/, or opt-out using your mobile device settings.
For more information on the privacy practices of Facebook, please visit Facebook’s Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/explanation
v) Pinterest
Pinterest remarketing service is provided by Pinterest Inc. You can opt-out from Pinterest’s interest-based ads by enabling the “Do Not Track” functionality of your web browser or by following Pinterest instructions: https://help.pinterest.com/en/articles/personalization-and-data
You can learn more about the privacy practices and policies of Pinterest by visiting their Privacy Policy page: https://about.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy
vi) Payments
We may provide paid products and/or services within the Site. In that case, we use third-party services for payment processing (e.g. payment processors).
We will not store or collect your payment card details. That information is provided directly to our third-party payment processors whose use of your personal information is governed by their Privacy Policy. These payment processors adhere to the standards set by PCI-DSS as managed by the PCI Security Standards Council, which is a joint effort of brands like Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. PCI-DSS requirements help ensure the secure handling of payment information.
The payment processors we work with are:
(1) Stripe
Stripe’s Privacy Policy can be viewed at https://stripe.com/us/privacy
(2) PayPal
PayPal’s Privacy Policy can be viewed at: www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full
vii) Customer Service and Order Fulfillment
We may use third-party services for customer service, customer account management, and order fulfillment.
The information needed to provide services is provided directly to our third-party partners whose use of your personal information is governed by their Privacy Policy.
viii) Marketing, Giveaways, and Landing Pages
We may use third-party services to host pages and/or giveaways on our Website.
ix) Surveys
We may conduct surveys to aggregate responses, activity and behavior of users so that we can identify trends, build product features that optimize customer experience, make product recommendations and provide guidance on which products and services work best in different scenarios. In these cases, we use third-party services for surveys.
x) Links to Other Sites
Our Site may contain links to other sites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third -party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit.
The list above is meant to serve as examples. Be advised that we may change third-party services from time-to-time. In addition, we have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third-party sites or services.
11) Your choices
a) Deactivating your account
You can deactivate your account at any time. When you deactivate your account, your user profile will be disabled, but your public comments will remain on the site. The Site has no responsibility to take down, remove, or edit any of your public activities or any submissions that are a result of your public activities. For more information, please review our Terms and Conditions.
b) Cookies and other technologies
As discussed in the sections on cookies and other technologies and third party advertising, some information is collected about you automatically through cookies and other technologies.
i) Cookies. You can change your browser settings to reject all cookies, accept only certain cookies, or notify you when a cookie is set. Please note that you may need to renew these settings if you delete your cookies after these preferences are made. These settings also may not apply if you are using a different computer or Internet browser. In addition, many third-party advertising networks are members of the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”). To opt out of having information collected by NAI member companies used for behavioral advertising, to obtain information about the technologies these ad networks might use, and to view information regarding their privacy policies, please visit https://www.networkadvertising.org/optout_nonppii.asp.
ii) Flash Cookies. You can control how Flash cookies are used by visiting the Adobe Macromedia site, located here. Adobe enables you to allow some Flash cookies from certain websites, limit Flash cookies’ storage capacity, and disallow Flash cookies altogether. If you opt out of these technologies, you will continue to see advertising displayed on the Site, but the advertising may not be targeted to your interests.
Please remember that we do not have access to, or control over, advertisers’ or service providers’ cookies, and the information practices of third parties are not covered by this privacy policy. For more information on the use of cookies in online advertising, please see the section on third party advertising and visit the NAI’s website.
12) Access
If you choose to share contact information with us, you may update or amend this information by contacting us at [email protected].
13) Confidentiality and Security
We limit access to contact information about you to employees or service providers who we believe reasonably need to come into contact with that information to provide products or services to you or in order to do their jobs. We also have adopted commercially reasonable technical, physical, and administrative procedures to help protect information about you from loss, misuse, and alteration.
Please note that no data transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. We want you to feel confident using the Site, but we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us.
14) Your European Privacy Rights
If you reside or otherwise find yourself in the territory of Europe, we are committed to facilitate the exercise of your rights granted by the European Data Protection law. Otherwise you can contact us at any time at [email protected] to discuss your privacy concerns.
Privacy rights under the European Data Protection law include:
a) Transparency and the right to information. Through this policy we explain how we use and share your information. However, if you have questions or concerns you can contact us at: [email protected].
b) Right of access, objection, restriction of processing, erasure, and portability. You also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time when we process your personal data based on your consent. To exercise these rights, please contact us at: [email protected].
c) Right to opt-out to direct marketing. You have the right to opt-out at any time to receiving marketing materials from us by following the opt-out instructions in our commercial emails, by contact us at [email protected], or by adjusting your preferences under your Profile Details on the Site.
Please note that we reserve the right to send you other communications, including service announcements and administrative messages without offering you the opportunity to opt out of receiving them.
d) Right not to be subject to an automated decision, including profiling. We do not make automated decisions using your personal data that may negatively impact you. We use cookies and similar technologies on our Site to personalize your experience on the Site and recommending software products and services that may be of interest to you. For additional information or to opt out see our discussion at: cookies and other technologies
e) Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. If you consider that the processing of your personal data infringes your privacy rights according to the European Data Protection law, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in the member state of your habitual residence, place of work, or place of the alleged infringement.
9) Visitors from outside the United States
The Site’s offices are located in the United States. If you visit the site from outside the United States, please be aware that information you provide to us or that we obtain as a result of your use of the Site may be processed in and transferred to the United States and will be subject to U.S. law and the provisions of the European Data Protection law. U.S. and European privacy and data protection laws may not be equivalent to the laws in your country of residence. By using the Site or providing us with your information, you consent to the collection, transfer, storage, and processing of information to and in the United States.
10) Children under 13
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected any personal information from a child under the age of 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will delete that information from our database as quickly as possible. If you believe that we may have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at [email protected].
11) Changes to the privacy policy
We may update this privacy policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices and service offerings. If we modify this privacy policy, we will update the “Effective Date.” We will notify you of any material changes in the way we treat your information by placing a prominent notice on our site or sending a notice to the primary email address specified in your account.
12) Questions and suggestions
If you have questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at [email protected].
Effective Date: MAY 25, 2018; Updated July 2022