GeoRank is founded on the principles of helping people to discover new information by enabling them to share what they find interesting with one another. GeoRank 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 GeoRank website, you are accepting the practices outlined in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy covers GeoRank's treatment of personal information that GeoRank gathers when you are on the GeoRank website and when you use GeoRank services. This policy does not apply to the practices of third parties that GeoRank does not own or control, or to individuals that GeoRank does not employ or manage.

Information Collected by GeoRank

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 GeoRank users:

• 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 GeoRank services, such as submitting new links 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).
  • 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, favorite URLs, and instant messaging IDs. In addition, you may choose to include photos of yourself in your profile. As indicated below, in the section titled "Sharing Your Information", you can control how your information is displayed and used.
• Automatic Information:
  
  • We receive and store certain types of information whenever you interact with us. GeoRank and its authorized agents automatically receive and record certain "traffic data" on their server logs from your browser including your IP address, GeoRank cookie information, and the page you requested. GeoRank uses this traffic data to help diagnose problems with its servers, analyze trends and administer the website.
  • GeoRank 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 GeoRank 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.

E-mail Communications

GeoRank 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. GeoRank may send out e-mails with GeoRank-related news, products, offers, surveys or promotions. You may also receive notification e-mails from GeoRank, which inform you of actions (e.g. friend requests) 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.

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. GeoRank 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. We recommend that you leave the cookies activated because cookies allow you to use some of GeoRank's coolest features.
• Some of our business partners, like our advertisers, may use cookies on our website. We have no access to, or control over, these cookies.

Sharing Your Information

Because GeoRank enables people to discover and share information with one another, information about the people who use GeoRank is an integral part of the GeoRank 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.

• GeoRank Personnel: GeoRank personnel and authorized consultants and/or contractors may have access to user information if necessary in the normal course of GeoRank 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 GeoRank, or substantially all of its assets, were acquired, user information would be one of the assets that is transferred.
• Protection of GeoRank 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 GeoRank, 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 GeoRank users in your User Profile. The User Profile is the area on GeoRank where we allow you to tell other GeoRank users about yourself and your interests. You may control what personal information is displayed in your User Profile by visiting the Privacy Settings section of your User Profile.
• Member Directory: The e-mail address that you submit upon registration will be searchable by other GeoRank users who know you by your email address, unless you choose to opt out of this feature. This is primarily so that other users can find you to establish friendship through GeoRank. You may opt-out of this feature by visiting the Privacy Settings section of your User Profile.
• Social sharing of data: GeoRank allows other users to browse stories that you have Dugg, submitted, blogged, or commented on. This information is made available via your User Profile, on the GeoRank spy page (GeoRank.com/la/?r=11) or within the permalink URL of the story on which you performed the action. GeoRank may choose to post this data on other site features.
• Friends' Activity: Much like other online social networks, GeoRank allows non-friends to browse your friends' activity ( GeoRank.com/users/usersname/friends).
• API: GeoRank will allow third parties access to all GeoRank data this is already publicly available through the GeoRank website. GeoRank will keep private any passwords and blog settings.
• Syndication: GeoRank allows for the RSS syndication of all of its public content within the GeoRank 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.

Keeping Information Secure

• Your GeoRank 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.

Ways to Control Display and Use of Your Information

• As stated previously, you can always opt not to disclose information, but then you may be unable to use certain features on our website, such as posting new links.
• 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 request deletion of your GeoRank account by e-mailing us at support@GeoRank.com.
• If you do not wish to receive e-mail from us or other GeoRank users, 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 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.
• If you do not wish to have people who know you by your email address find you via the Member Directory service, please visit the Privacy Settings section of your User Profile to opt out of this feature.
• As explained earlier, 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. Please note, however, that if your browser does not accept cookies, you will not be able to take advantage of some of our attractive features.

Children Under 18 Years of Age

You must be 13 years and older to register to use the GeoRank website. As a result, GeoRank does not specifically collect information about children. If we learn that GeoRank 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 GeoRank or sending information about themselves or anyone else over the Internet.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

GeoRank 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 GeoRank website so you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances if any, it is disclosed.

Conditions of Use

If you decide to visit GeoRank 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 California state law.

Effective Date of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is effective as of May 1, 2005 and last updated May 10, 2008.