Get Game Smart Privacy Statement
Last updated: April 2009
Microsoft is committed to protecting your privacy. This privacy statement applies to the data collected by Microsoft through the Get Game Smart site (the "Site"); it does not apply to other online or offline Microsoft sites, products, or services.
Collection of Your Information
We will ask you when we need information that personally identifies you or allows us to contact you. The personal information we collect may include name, e-mail, phone number, mailing address and demographic information.
We may collect information about your visit, including the pages you view, the links you click, and other actions you take in connection with the Site. We also collect certain standard information that your browser sends to every Web site you visit, such as your IP address, browser type and language, access times, and referring Web site addresses.
In order to offer you a more consistent and personalized experience in your interactions with Microsoft, information collected through one Microsoft service may be combined with information obtained through other Microsoft services. We may also supplement the information we collect with information obtained from other companies. For example, we may use services from other companies that enable us to derive a general geographic area based on your IP address in order to customize certain services to your geographic area.
Use of Your Information
The information collected on this Site will be used to operate the Site and to provide the service(s) or carry out the transaction(s) you have requested or authorized. In support of these uses, Microsoft may use your information to provide you with more effective customer service, improve the Site and any related Microsoft products or services, perform statistical analysis, and make the Site easier to use by eliminating the need for you to repeatedly enter the same information or by customizing the Site to your particular preferences or interests.
We may use your information to provide you with important information about the product or service that you are using, including critical updates and notifications. Additionally, with your permission, we may send you information about other Microsoft products and services, and/or share your personal information with Microsoft partners so they may send you information about their products and services. Except as described in this statement, we will not disclose your personal information outside of Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates without your consent. This Site may allow you to choose to share your personal information with Site partners so that they can contact you about their products, services or offers or provide services or features that you have requested.
Microsoft occasionally hires other companies to provide limited services on our behalf, such as Web site hosting, packaging, mailing, and delivering prizes, conducting surveys, conducting sweepstakes and contests, answering customer questions about products and services, and sending information about our products, special offers, and other new services. We will only provide those companies the personal information they need to deliver the service. They are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information and are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose.
We may access or disclose information about you, including the content of your communications, in order to: (a) comply with the law or respond to lawful requests or legal process; (b) protect the rights or property of Microsoft or our customers, including the enforcement of our agreements or policies governing your use of the services; or (c) act on a good faith belief that such access or disclosure is necessary to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, customers or the public. Information that is collected on the Site may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries, or service providers maintain facilities. Microsoft abides by the safe harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union.
Control of Your Information
Except as otherwise described in this statement, personal information you provide on the Site will not be shared outside of Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates without your permission.
You can stop the delivery of future promotional e-mail from the Get Game Smart Site by following the specific instructions in the e-mail you receive. Please be aware that this privacy statement and any choices you make on the Site will not necessarily apply to personal information you may have provided to Microsoft in the context of other, separately operated, Microsoft products or services or partner products, services or features offered through the Site. Access to Your Personal Information
For questions about information we retain that you provided at this Site, contact us using the contact information provided below. Security of Your Information
At Microsoft, we take the security of your personal information very seriously. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For example, we store the personal information you provide on computer servers with limited access that are located in controlled facilities. Additionally, if we transmit sensitive personal information (such as a credit card number) over the Internet, we protect it through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.
Use of Cookies
We may use cookies on this Site to enable you to sign in to our services or to help personalize the Site. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your hard disk by a Web server. Cookies contain information that can later be read by a Web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. For example, if you personalize a Web page, or navigate within a site, a cookie helps the site to recall your specific information on subsequent visits. This simplifies the process of delivering relevant content, eases site navigation, and so on. When you return to the Web site, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use the site's features that you customized.
You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you are using Internet Explorer, search for "Cookies" in the Help menu to find detailed instructions. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to use interactive features of this or other Web sites that depend on cookies. Changes to this Privacy Statement We may occasionally update this privacy statement. When we do, we will also revise the "last updated" date at the top of the privacy statement. For material changes to this privacy statement, we will notify you either by placing a prominent notice on the home page of our Web site or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to periodically review this privacy statement to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. Contact Information
Microsoft welcomes your comments regarding this privacy statement. If you have questions about this statement or believe that we have not adhered to it, please contact us by clicking here.
Alternatively, you may send mail to us at the following address:
GetGameSmart.com
1025 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004-1409