Notification of Changes
If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on our Homepage so our users are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under circumstances, if any, we disclose it. If at any point we decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will notify users by way of an email. Users will have a choice as to whether or not we use their information in this different manner. We will use information in accordance with the privacy policy under which the information was collected.
What personally identifiable information is collected from you.
JOYbeat collects information in several ways from different parts of our network of web sites.
Some personal information is gathered when you register. During registration, JOYbeat asks for your email address, birth date, gender, zip code, and personal interests. The more information you volunteer (and the more accurate it is), the better we are able to customize your experience. Once you register you are no longer anonymous to JOYbeat – you are given a DJoybeat Username and are able to take full advantage of JOYbeat’s personalized features.
In addition to registration we may ask you for personal information at other times, including (but not limited to) when you enter a sweepstakes, contest or promotion sponsored by JOYbeat and/or our many partners; when you submit a link for web content; when you create a personal profile; and when you report a problem with one of our sites or services. If you contact JOYbeat we may keep a record of that correspondence. JOYbeat also occasionally asks users to complete surveys that we use for research purposes. Wherever JOYbeat collects personal information we make an effort to include a link to this Privacy Policy on that page.
What are cookies and how are they used.
As part of offering and providing customizable and personalized services, JOYbeat uses cookies to store and sometimes track information about you. A cookie is a small amount of data that is sent to your browser from a web server and stored on your computer’s hard drive. All features on JOYbeat where you are prompted to log-in or that are customizable require that you accept cookies. (See “What are my choices regarding collection, use and distribution of my information?” for more information on cookies.)
Generally, we use cookies to:
- Remind us of who you are and to access your account information (stored on our computers) in order to deliver to you a better and more personalized service. This cookie is set when you register or “Sign In” and is modified when you “Sign Out” of our services. JOYbeat also uses cookies to store your most recent visit date to indicate what content is new to you.
- Estimate our audience size. Each browser accessing JOYbeat is given a unique cookie which is then used to determine the extent of repeat usage, usage by a registered user versus by an unregistered user, and to help target advertisements based on user interests and behavior.
- Track your progress and number of entries in some of our promotions, sweepstakes and contests. When a JOYbeat-hosted promotion uses cookies, the information written to the cookie indicates the player’s progress through the promotion, and may be used to track entries, submissions, and status in prize drawings.
- Measure certain traffic patterns, which areas of JOYbeat’s network of websites you have visited, and your visiting patterns in the aggregate. We use this research to understand how our users’ habits are similar or different from one another so that we can make each new experience on JOYbeat a better one. We may use this information to better personalize the content, banners, and promotions that you and other users will see on our sites.
JOYbeat also collects IP addresses for system administration and to report aggregate information to our advertisers.
Some of our business partners use cookies on our site (for example, advertisers). However, we have no access to or control over these cookies.
How your information is used.
JOYbeat’s primary goal in collecting personal information is to provide you, the user, with a customized experience on our site. This includes personalization services, interactive communications and many other types of services, which are completely free to you. In order to provide services free of charge, we display advertisements. By knowing a little about you, JOYbeat is able to deliver more relevant advertisements and content, and hence better service, to you.
In our role of delivering targeted advertisements, JOYbeat plays the middleman. Advertisers give us an advertisement and tell us the type of audience they want to reach (for example, males over 35 years old). JOYbeat takes the advertisement and displays it to users meeting that criteria. In this process, the advertiser never has access to individual account information. Only JOYbeat has access to individuals’ accounts. This kind of advertisement targeting is done with banner ads as well as promotional email. You will only receive special offers via email from JOYbeat if you have indicated in your account preferences that you would like to receive them. You can change your account preferences at any time.
JOYbeat performs research on our users’ demographics, interests, and behavior based on the information provided to us upon registration, during a promotion, from our server log files or from surveys. We do this to better understand and serve our users. This research is compiled and analyzed on an aggregated basis. JOYbeat may share this aggregated data with advertisers or business partners.
Who is collecting your information.
When you are on a JOYbeat site and are asked for personal information, you are sharing that information with JOYbeat alone, unless it is specifically stated otherwise. For example, some JOYbeat services, are offered in conjunction with a partner company. In order to provide this co-branded service to you, it is necessary for us to share your personal information with our partner company. If data is being collected and/or maintained by any company other than JOYbeat, you will be notified prior to the time of the data collection or transfer. If you do not want your data to be shared, you can choose not to allow the transfer by not using that particular service.
Promotions that run on JOYbeat may be sponsored by companies other than JOYbeat or may be cosponsored by JOYbeat and another company. Some or all data collected during a promotion may be shared with the sponsor. If data will be shared, you will be notified prior to the time of data collection or transfer. You can decide not to participate in the promotion if you don’t want your data to be shared. Currently, most JOYbeat promotions are limited to US or North American residents.
Please be aware that JOYbeat Internet access partners, advertisers, and websites that have links on our site may collect personally identifiable information about you. This privacy statement does not cover the information practices of those Internet access partners, advertisers, and websites linked to JOYbeat.
With whom your information may be shared.
As a general rule, JOYbeat will not disclose any of your personally identifiable information except when we have your permission or under special circumstances, such as when we believe in good faith that the law requires it or under the circumstances described below. Please see the Use Agreement for more detailed information about how your personal information may be shared. The following describes some of the ways that your information may be disclosed. Business Partners & Sponsors: JOYbeat may disclose your personal information to business partners or sponsors, but this is specifically described to you prior to data collection or prior to transferring the data. Details of shared use can be found in specific Terms of Service or Use Agreements, and sweepstakes and promotions rules. Some or all data collected during a JOYbeat promotion may be shared with a sponsor. If personally identifying data about you will be shared, we will tell you before we collect or transfer the data.
Many promotions offer opportunities to request additional information from sponsors. By requesting more information, you give JOYbeat permission to transfer your personal information to the sponsor so they can fulfill your request. In many instances, only your email address will be shared. If more information will be shared with the sponsor, you will be notified prior to the transfer.
From time to time, you may be offered the opportunity to receive materials or special offers from third parties. If you opt-in to receive information from these third parties, JOYbeat will (with your permission) share your name and email address with them.
Third Party Data ∓ Data in the Aggregate: Under confidentiality agreements, JOYbeat may match user information with third-party data. Also, JOYbeat discloses aggregated user statistics (for example, 45% of our users are female) in order to describe our services to current and prospective partners, advertisers, and other third parties, and for other lawful purposes.
Market Research Data in the Aggregate: JOYbeat sells aggregated user statistics to third parties (for example, males aged 13 to 25 currently rate their interest in your product as “7.3X”). This data will never be provided in any fashion that could be connected with you as an individual.
Other: JOYbeat may also disclose account 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 violating JOYbeat’s Terms of Service or may be causing injury to or interference with (either intentionally or unintentionally) JOYbeat’s rights or property, other JOYbeat users, or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities. JOYbeat may disclose or access account information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it and for administrative and other purposes that we deem necessary to maintain, service, and improve our products and services.
What choices are available to you regarding collection, use and distribution of the information.
JOYbeat may, from time to time, send you email regarding our products and services. In addition, if you indicated upon registration that you are interested in receiving offers or information from JOYbeat and our partners, we may occasionally send you direct mail about products and services that we feel may be of interest to you. Only JOYbeat (or agents working on behalf of JOYbeat and under confidentiality agreements) will send you these direct mailings and only if you indicated that you do not object to these offers. If you do not want to receive such mailings, simply tell us when you give us your personal information. Or, at any time you can easily edit your JOYbeat Account Information to no longer receive such offers and mailings. You will need your JOYbeat Username and Password in order to access your JOYbeat Account Information.
On some types of JOYbeat promotions, we will ask for your email address in order to update you on your score, entries, and status in prize drawings. When you participate in these types of promotions, you automatically receive promotion-related email, unless you choose the no-email option that some promotions offer. Occasionally these promotion-related email messages may include targeted advertisements.
You also have choices with respect to cookies. By modifying your browser preferences, you have the choice to accept all cookies, to be notified when a cookie is set, or to reject all cookies. If you choose to reject all cookies you will be unable to use any of the personalization and communication features that require registration in order to participate. You can still use JOYbeat’s content links even if you do not accept cookies.
JOYbeat does not sell or rent user information to anyone. We will notify you at the time of data collection or transfer if your data will be shared with a third party and you will always have the option of not permitting the transfer. If you do not wish to allow your data to be shared, you can choose not to use a particular service or not to participate in certain promotions or contest.
