Home > About

Privacy Policy

Last Revised: October 05, 2007

Beliefnet ("Beliefnet", "we"‚ or‚ "us") is strongly committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information, and providing a safe and secure environment for our users. For that reason, we follow a privacy policy (the "Privacy Policy") that applies to our web site (the"Site") and our distribution of various newsletters. As part of our Privacy Policy, we want you to understand what kinds of information we may gather about you when you visit the Site and when you receive e-mails from us, how we may use that information, whether we will disclose it, and how you can correct the information. Our Privacy Policy applies to visitors who browse the materials on our site and to users who choose to register with Beliefnet and become "Members". Please note that by using the Site, you signify your agreement with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Site.

If we decide to change our Privacy Policy, we will post those changes here and indicate the date on which the Privacy Policy was updated so that you will always know what information we gather, how we might use that information, and whether we will disclose it. Your continued use of the Site after any changes to the Privacy Policy will mean that you have accepted these changes.

Our Site is not directed toward children under 13 years of age. Beliefnet does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under thirteen years of age. If you are under 13 years of age, you should not register to become a Member or provide any personally identifiable information through the Site.

Please note that this Privacy Policy applies only to the Site and our distribution of our Newsletters, and not to other websites to which we link, or to advertisers on the Site.

Security

Beliefnet uses reasonable security methods to protect the data that resides on our servers. However, no security system is impenetrable. Beliefnet cannot warrant or guarantee the security of its servers, nor can it guarantee that information that you supply will not be intercepted while being transmitted to Beliefnet over the Internet.

The Information We Gather and How We Use It

Beliefnet collects information from you at several different points on the Site in the manner set forth below:

1. Member Registration and Profile

In order to access certain information and services on the Site, a user must first become a Beliefnet member ("Member") by completing our member registration form. During the registration process you will be required to give information such as your name, e-mail address, zip code, and birth date. The information from your registration will automatically become incorporated into "Your Profile." In the "Your Profile" section of the Site, you have the option to provide further information about yourself, such as your interests, organizations and affiliations, and a written statement of your beliefs. Whenever you make a posting to a message board or otherwise post information or material on our Site, your profile information will be available to users on the Site to view.

Important Information about Changing and Updating Your Member Profile

If your profile information changes, or if you no longer desire to be a Member, you may correct, update or remove the personal data that you provided. This can be done at the "Your Profile" page by clicking on the "Edit Your Profile" button. Keep in mind, however, that there will be residual information that will remain within Beliefnet's databases, access logs, and other records, which may or may not contain such personally identifiable information.

2. Surveys, Contests and Quizzes

You may have the opportunity to participate in a number of surveys on the Site. We encourage you to complete surveys so that we can provide you with a more personalized experience on the Site. We will use survey responses solely to guide us as we make improvements and enhancements to our Site. We also offer users the ability to take personal assessment and other types of quizzes. We do not use these quiz responses for any purpose.

On our Site you may also have the opportunity to participate in contests and other promotions which may require you to provide information about yourself. We will not share your contest information with any third party, except in aggregate form. In addition, if and when we sponsor contests or other promotions, or third parties sponsor such promotions with us, either we or the third party will post relevant privacy information in the official rules and/or registration area for the sweepstakes or promotion. That privacy information, to the extent it conflicts with this Privacy Policy, will govern that particular contest-please remember to read it carefully.

3. Newsletters and Special Offers

Beliefnet delivers interesting, stimulating and uplifting newsletters to its users on a variety of topics. If you would like to subscribe to any of the newsletters Beliefnet offers, please visit http://www.beliefnet.com/newsletter/step1.aspx. If you would like to change the e-mail address to which your Beliefnet Newsletters are delivered, please visit http://www.beliefnet.com/user/nl_updemail.asp. If you would like change which Beliefnet Newsletters you receive or unsubscribe from any of our newsletter distribution please visit http://www.beliefnet.com/nlsubscriptions/Login.aspx.

Occasionally, Beliefnet may send Members and users who provide us with their email addresses information via e-mail about special offers, Site updates, contests and other offerings. We may also send information about products and offerings of our partners that we think may be of interest to our Members. If you do not wish to receive these e-mails from us, please visit our marketing preferences area.

4. Message Board, Chat Rooms and Social Networking

Beliefnet provides message boards, chat rooms and other opportunities on the Site for exchanging information related to spirituality and social networking. Please note that information or materials that you post on our Site, including your profile information, will be available for any user of that service to read, and is therefore no longer private. Beliefnet reserve the right to reproduce or publish materials posted on our Site in other formats. If you post information or materials on our Site you provide information that can be collected and used by others that you do not know for their own purposes, including the distribution of unsolicited communications.

5. Beliefnet Greetings

If you choose to send a friend or loved one an e-card or other message through Beliefnet Greetings, you will be required to provide us with your e-mail address. We may use this e-mail address to send you information about updates to our Site, available Newsletters and other developments at Beliefnet. If you do not wish to receive such e-mails from us, please visit our marketing preferences area.

6. Send-To-A-Friend

If you elect to use the "Send-To-A-Friend" referral service, we will ask for your friend's name(s) and e-mail address(es). Beliefnet will automatically send a one-time e-mail inviting your friend(s) to visit the Site. We will store this information for the sole purpose of sending this one-time e-mail.

Cookies

In addition to the information and materials you provide to us, like many web sites Beliefnet uses "cookies" to assist in the collection of information so that we may provide you with services customized to your interests. A cookie is a small data file containing information such as a user's login name that is sent to your browser from a web server and stored on your computer's hard drive. In addition to Beliefnet cookies, when you visit our Site your computer may receive cookies from our advertisers. The cookies inserted by those third parties are not covered by this Privacy Policy but by the policies of our advertisers.

You can set up your internet browser to reject cookies or tell you when cookies have been sent to your computer. However, cookies allow you to take full advantage of the features of our Site, so we hope you'll leave them turned on.

Beliefnet also uses web beacons (also known as action tags or single pixel gifs) to access Beliefnet cookies and in connection with the services we offer through the Site. A web beacon is a transparent image placed on a web page that sends a signal when a person visits that page. This enables us to assess the popularity and effectiveness of the materials on our Site. We may also use web beacons in connection with newsletter and other e-mails we send to our users, to let us know whether and when the e-mail was opened. No personal information is transmitted through web beacons.

Other Ways We Use the Information That We Gather

Beliefnet uses information obtained from its Members and other users as to enhance Members' and other users' experiences on the Site. For example, we use cookies to: (a) access your account information (stored on our computers) in order to deliver better and more personalized services; (b) estimate our audience size for our advertisers; (c) identify which areas of the Site you have visited; and (d) prevent users from voting in polls more than once. Tracking information such as cookies is also used to create aggregate reports on user demographics and Site traffic patterns, and then is provided to our advertisers and partners enabling them to better target their advertisements to our Members and other users. We also collect IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to analyze trends, administer the Site, track a user's movement, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use.

Beliefnet does not rent, sell, or share personal information about you with other people or non-affiliated companies except to provide products or services you have requested, when we have your permission, or under the following circumstances:

We respond to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process, or to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims.
We believe it is necessary to share information in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of BeliefnetÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s terms of use, or as otherwise required by law.

Co-Branded Sites and Third Party Sites

Certain information or services offered through the Site from time to time may be provided on or through other sites operated by or in conjunction with third party providers (Partners). These sites may have the same look and feel of the Site, and are often co-branded, such that a Partners logo or name may appear on the site, or the Partners name may appear in the URL. Aggregate or personally identifiable information collected about you on these sites may be shared by Beliefnet with that Partner. Our Partners will not rent, sell, or disclose any of your personally identifiable information to third parties unless you give your consent, for example, by opting-in while on a particular site to receive information or offers from one of our Partners or their affiliates.

We do not monitor, control or endorse the information collection or privacy practices of any third parties, including any co-branded or other affiliated sites or any credit card order processors, product shippers or other third parties who provide services throughout the Site. Because we donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t control exercise any control over these third parties, Beliefnet assumes no liability or responsibility for the information collection and privacy practices of any third parties. In addition, Beliefnet is not responsible for any third party's use of any cookies or any other information (such as IP address, browser type or operating system) collected when you click-thru links to their sites or view advertisements served by them. Even though certain information collected by such third parties might not identify you personally, we strongly encourage you to become familiar with their privacy practices, and to contact such third parties if you have any questions about their respective privacy policies.

Disclosure of Personal Information in the Event of Merger or Sale of Assets

Beliefnet, or its related entities, could merge with or be acquired by another business entity, or all or substantially all of their respective assets could be acquired. Should such a combination, acquisition or transaction occur, you should expect that Beliefnet would share some or all of your personal information with the acquiring or merged entity to continue serving you and other users of the Site.

How To Contact Us
Should you have any questions or concerns about the Policy, please send an e-mail to privacy@staff.beliefnet.com.