GO.COM PRIVACY POLICY AND INTERNET SAFETY INFORMATION
GO.com is
committed to providing the best online family entertainment within a
trusted environment. Privacy and safety issues are important to us,
and to that end we're pleased to offer a variety of links to
Internet resources.
The five links below should help make Internet surfing a fun and
enjoyable experience for your entire family.
PRIVACY POLICY
Trustee License
GO.com is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program. This statement
discloses the privacy practices for the GO.com. When you visit a Web
site displaying the TRUSTe trustmark, you can expect to be notified of:
What personally identifiable information of yours is collected; What
organization is collecting the information; How the information is used;
With whom the information may be shared; What choices are available to you
regarding collection, use and distribution of the information; What kind
of security procedures are in place to protect the loss, misuse or
alteration of information under the company's control; and How you can
correct any inaccuracies in the information.
Questions regarding this statement should be directed to Member
Services by email at comments@help.go.com, by phone at
(408) 543-6770, or by postal mail at: GO.com Member Services ATTN:
Privacy Policy Coordinator 1399 Moffett Park Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.
If the Web site has not responded to your inquiry or your inquiry has not
been satisfactorily addressed, please contact TRUSTe.
The Internet, Privacy, and GO.com
The Internet contains a wealth of information, unfortunately, it may
also contain personal details about you that you don't want everyone to
know. For example, your real name (lots of people on the Internet use
aliases, alter egos or nicknames), street address, phone number, or e-mail
address. When you go online, sites you visit may be gathering information
about you without your knowledge. At GO.com we strive to help our
customers protect their privacy while using our services.
GO.com's Privacy Policy
GO.com's policy is to respect and protect the privacy
of our users. This policy statement tells you how we collect information
from you and how we use it. Using the Internet should be a fun experience
and we want to help you make it so.
The information you provide for your personal GO.com account is
shared among the GO.com sites as it is our goal to make your visits to
our sites easy and enjoyable. However, be assured that GO.com will not
disclose your personal information to third parties without your consent.
GO.com may disclose user information in special cases when we have
reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to
identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be causing
injury to or interference with (either intentionally or unintentionally)
GO.com's rights or property, other GO.com users, or anyone else
that could be harmed by such activities. GO.com may disclose user
information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it.
GO.com shares aggregate information about our users with
advertisers, business partners, sponsors and other third parties. For
example, we will say GO.com's audience is x percent females and y
percent males. This data is used to customize GO.com content and
advertising to deliver a better experience for our users.
There are cases where GO.com may ask you for personal information
such as your name, email address, and birth date. For example, we request
personal information when you register for a GO.com account, for
online shopping or transactions, or for services that require registration
or subscription (for example fantasy sports). GO.com needs to collect
this information for fulfilling prizes, tracking/verifying compliance with
GO.com policies as well as federal, state and local laws and/or for
editorial and feedback solicitation purposes.
In case you change your mind or some personal information may change
(such as your zip code), we will endeavor to provide a way to correct,
update or remove the personal data you give us. You can do this at the
member information page or by contacting our Customer Support organization
at memberservices@help.go.com.
Opting-Out
Information provided at the time of Registration or submission from a
guest who is 13 years of age or over may be used for marketing and
promotional purposes by GO.com and our affiliates or companies that
have been prescreened by GO.com. To keep you in control of your
personal information and the communications directed to you, we allow you
to opt-out of the following services: sharing your information in our
member directory, receiving communications from GO.com about new
features or services, and receiving communications about offers from
third-party companies that offer a product or service that we think would
be of value to you. If a guest objects to such use for any reason, he/she
may stop that use -- either by e-mail request to memberservices@help.go.com or by
modifying his/her member information online.
Information provided when purchasing products from any of our online
stores may be used for marketing and promotional purposes and is subject
to the opt-out processes described on, or linked to, each order
form.
Policies for Kids (Individuals Under 13 years of Age)
GO.com encourages parents and guardians to spend time online with
their children and to participate in the activities offered on the sites.
No information should be submitted to or posted at GO.com by guests
under 13 years of age without the consent of their parent or guardian.
Unless otherwise disclosed during collection, GO.com does not
provide any personally identifying information, regardless of its source,
to any third party for any purpose whatsoever from our guests under 13
years of age. All registrants receive an e-mail confirming their
Registration. In addition, when a guest under 13 registers, he/she is
required to provide the e-mail address of his/her parent or guardian and
that parent or guardian receives an e-mail alerting them to that
Registration. The parent or guardian must validate the account, as
described in the e-mail, in order for the potential member to use most GO
Network interactive services. No information collected from guests under
13 years of age is used for any marketing or promotional purposes
whatsoever, either inside or outside GO.com except as explicitly
stated during registration for contests or promotions (and in that case,
the information collected is used only for the specific contest or
promotion).
Although guests under 13 years of age may be allowed to participate in
some contests and promotions, if such a guest wins, notification and
prizes are sent to the parents or guardians identified in the initial
registration process. Publication of contest winners names, ages, or
images for individuals under 13 require parental or guardian consent.
We do not allow guests under 13 years of age to be listed in our member
directory or to receive direct marketing communications from GO.com or
to be sent our third-party offers.
Policies for Teens (Individuals 13-17 Years of Age)
Teens are required to provide the e-mail address of a parent or
guardian and a notification message is sent to the parent or guardian of
all guests who are 13 to 17 years of age which identifies the information
supplied at registration and allows the parent or guardian to be aware of
and participate in the guest's online experience.
Use of IP Address
An IP address is a number that's automatically assigned to your
computer whenever you're surfing the Web. Web servers -- the big computers
that "serve up" Web pages -- automatically identify your computer by its
IP address.
GO.com collects IP addresses for the purposes of system
administration, to report aggregate information to our advertisers, and to
audit the use of our site. When guests request pages from GO.com
sites, our servers log the guests' IP addresses. We do not normally link
IP addresses to anything personally identifiable, which means that a
user's session will be logged, but the user remains anonymous to us. We
can and will use IP addresses to identify a user when we feel it is
necessary to enforce compliance with our house rules or terms of service
or to protect our service, site, customers or others.
Some services within GO.com, such as certain message boards, may
display IP addresses along with the message poster's name and message.
Please review each service prior to use and only use those that disclose
information you are comfortable with sharing.
Use of Cookies
What are cookies? Cookies are pieces of information that a Web site
transfers to an individual's hard drive for record-keeping purposes.
Cookies make Web-surfing easier for you by saving your preferences while
you're at our site. We never save passwords or credit card information in
cookies. The use of cookies is an industry standard -- you'll find them at
most major Web sites.
By showing how and when guests use a site, cookies help us see which
areas are popular and which are not. Many improvements and updates to the
site are based on such data as total number of visitors and pages viewed.
This information is most easily tracked with cookies. We use the
information from cookies to provide services better tailored to our users
needs.
GO.com has two primary uses for its cookies. First, we use them to
specify unique preferences. For example, in GO.com's News Center,
users can specify keywords across several news categories. This way you
don't have to tell us over and over again about the kinds of news stories
you want to see. Secondly, we use cookies to track user trends and
patterns. This helps us better understand and improve areas of the GO
Network service that our users find valuable. While both of these
activities depend on the use of a "cookie," visitors to GO.com always
have the option of disabling cookies via their browser preferences.
Information from cookies is sometimes attached to messages sent to our
Customer Service department.
Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. You can reset
your browser to refuse all cookies or indicate when a cookie is being
sent. However, note that some parts of the GO.com service will not
function properly or may be considerably slower if you refuse cookies. For
example, without cookies, you will not be able to set personalized news
preferences or you may have difficulty completing shopping transactions,
entering contests, or playing games.
You may occasionally get cookies from our advertisers. GO.com does
not control these cookies. The use of advertising cookies sent by
third-party servers is standard in the Internet industry.
Links to Other Sites
Users should be aware that when you are on GO.com, you could be
directed to other sites that are beyond our control. There are links to
other sites from GO.com pages that take you outside our service. For
example, if you "click" on a banner advertisement or an GO.com search
result, the "click" takes you off the GO.com site. This includes links
from advertisers, Center sponsors and partners that may use GO.com's
logo as part of a co-branding agreement. These other sites may send their
own cookies to users, collect data or solicit personal information.
Please keep in mind that whenever you give out personal information
online --- for example, via message boards or chat --- that information
can be collected and used by people you don't know. While GO.com
strives to protect its user's personal information and privacy, we cannot
guarantee the security of any information you disclose online and you do
so at your own risk.
GO.com's policy does not extend to anything that is inherent in the
operation of the Internet, and therefore beyond GO.com's control, and
is not to be applied in any manner contrary to applicable law or
governmental regulation.
Security
The importance of security for all personally identifiable information
associated with our guests is of utmost concern to us. We exercise great
care in providing secure transmission of your information from your PC to
our servers. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be
guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your
personal information, GO.com can't ensure or warrant the security of
any information you transmit to us or from our online products or
services, and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your
transmission, we make our best effort to ensure its security on our
systems. When credit card information is transmitted we use industry
standard, SSL (secure socket layer) encryption.
Your GO.com Account is password protected so that only you can
access it and view the member information relevant to the account. We
recommend that you do not divulge your password to anyone. GO.com will
never ask you for your password in an unsolicited phone call or email.
Ultimately, you are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your
passwords and any account information.
Remember to sign out of your GO.com account and close your browser
window when you have finished your work. This is to ensure that others
cannot access your personal information and correspondence if your
computer is accessible to others or if you share a computer with someone
else or are using a computer in a public place like a library or internet
café.
Your Acceptance of These Terms
By using this site, you signify your assent to the GO.com Privacy
Policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our sites.
Your continued use of the GO.com sites following the posting of
changes to these terms will mean you accept those changes.
Last Updated 7/16/99
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SAFETY TIPS
This is a great place for both new
and advanced Web users to find information on using the Internet
wisely.
Go.com's Internet Safety Tips
- Keep your passwords private, even from your best friend! Your
online service will never ask for them, so neither should anyone
else.
- Use only your member name and/or e-mail address when
chatting or sending e-mail. Never give out personal information like
your name, address, or phone number.
- Always delete unknown e-mail attachments before opening them.
They can contain destructive viruses.
- Remember that nothing you write
on the Web is completely private - including e-mail. So be careful
and think about what you type and who you tell.
- Not everyone
is as nice, cute and funny as they may sound online. Never make
plans to meet an online "friend" in person.
More Safety Information from GO.com
- Cybernetiquette
Comix - an entertaining, interactive way for families to learn
valuable lessons about online safety. Join classic Disney characters
for adventure, fun, and online awareness tips.
- Disney's
Doug - Safety Tips from "Doug's Adventures Online"
- Test
Your Internet Smarts - How much do you know about Internet
safety?
- More Top 10
Netiquette Tips - An overview of good manners on the Internet.
- "Safe
and Sound" - An internet safety article from Family.com.
- Safe
Surfing for Kids - An internet safety article from FamilyPC
Magazine.
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TOOLS FOR FAMILIES
A number of tools exist to help
parents manage their children's online experience, including
hardware and software programs that provide filtering options. Below
are links that contain useful information on choices and levels of
filtering that parents can use during family time on the Web. You
can download special software or purchase specific hardware that
will limit surfing to sites you deem appropriate for your household.
Many of these services are free of charge; others require some form
of payment.
Links to Filtering Software
- GO.com
| Internet Content Filters page
- SurfWatch
- Cyberpatrol
- EdView
- Anti-Defamation
League Hate Filter
- Guardianet
- Bess
- Net Nanny
- X-Stop
- SOS KidProof
Links to Articles and Other Resources
- JumpStart for
Parents - Resource list of links for parents regarding child
safety, filtering software, parenting organizations, and more.
- Filtering Facts
Website - An online source for information on making Internet
access in libraries safe for children and communities.
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REPORTING
TROUBLE ONLINE
This section offers links
to a variety of local and national authorities and organizations
that can assist you with specific online and safety concerns,
including links to local police and the FBI.
- National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children - Information on Missing
Children
- CyberTipline -
Hotline if you have information on a missing child.
- National Missing Persons
Helpline - Support organization for those searching for missing
family or friends.
- APB Missing -
Information on Missing Persons
- Suicide
Crisis Center - Suicide Prevention Information
- Officer.com -
Directory of Law Enforcement Agencies in the U.S. and around the
World.
- FBI Online Pamphlet - A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety
- FBI Kids and
Youth Educational Page - Crime Prevention
- U.S. Department of Justice Online -
Information on the U.S. Dept. of Justice
- U.S. Department of Justice
- Justice for Kids and Youth
- U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms (ATF) - Information on the ATF
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC) - Information on the FTC
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GUIDE TO
GOOD CONTENT FOR KIDS
The Internet offers
thousands of great Web sites and services for kids and families, but
trying to figure out which sites are appropriate for different
members of your family can be challenging. This section provides a
snapshot of kid-friendly sites designed to educate, guide and inform
kids in all age groups.
Search and Directory for Kids
Fun and Activities
Learning on the Web
Other Resources
- SafeKids.Com - Tips,
links, and suggestions for your family's online experience
- Kid's Domain - Shareware and
freeware for kids recommended by parents and teachers
- KIDSNET - Media guide for
children's TV and Internet programming
- KidsBank.com - A fun place for
kids to learn about banking.
- FTC Kidz Privacy - A cute place to get information from Federal Trade Commission.
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GET NETWISE
GetNetWise is
an online resource for families that, with the click of a mouse,
will deliver information and tools needed to guide children to a
safe, enriching experience online. Functioning as an interactive
directory, GetNetWise contains aggregated and syndicated content
that can be found by clicking on the blue-and-white GetNetWise logo
below. It is the result of a broad industry effort to create an
online environment where families feel empowered with the tools and
information they need to safeguard children while providing access
to an unprecedented wealth of global resources, information and
contacts available on the Internet.
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