Privacy Policy
At EmpowHER, we understand that your health is a very personal matter, and we appreciate the trust you place in us to treat your information carefully and sensibly. As part of our commitment to honoring your privacy, we provide this policy ("Privacy Policy") to make you aware of the choices you have about the way your information is used and to explain how we guard your information. We hope this policy will help you make informed decisions about sharing information with us.
1. Application of our Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to the use of our website (the "Site"), as well as products and services owned and operated by us (the "Services"). Note, however, this Privacy Policy does not apply to your use of unaffiliated sites to which our Site only links. Once you enter another web site (whether through an advertisement, service, or content link), be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of that site. Also, this Privacy Policy only covers information collected on our Site and does not cover any information collected by us through other means, such as direct mail, paper applications, submitted forms, etc.
Our Privacy Policy answers the following questions:
* What information do we collect about you and how do we use it?
* Will we share your personal information with third parties?
* What choices do you have about the collection and use of your personal information?
* What security measures do we take to safeguard your personal information?
2. Information Collection and Use - General
We collect personal and non-personal information to customize the content and advertising you see, fulfill your requests for products or services, and improve our services to you. There are many aspects of our site that can be enjoyed as a visitor, but you need to register in order to take full advantage of the services we provide.
Registration:
When you register for the site, we collect personal information from you such as your email address and password. Registering allows you to access health content whenever you come to our site.
Search:
When you search on our site, we store the search terms and the site(s) visited so that we can continuously improve the quality of our search results.
Cookies:
We collect anonymous information about your use of our site through cookies. The cookie does not tell us who you are. Only you can tell us that. The information collected by cookies helps us generate customized content, such as conditions and news that may be important to you, and also allows us to statistically monitor how many people are using our site and for what purposes. For contests or sweepstakes, we may use cookies in order to track your progress and the number of your entries. We do not store any identifying information in any cookies on your computer. Your browser software can be set to reject all cookies or to accept cookies only from our Site. Most browsers offer instructions on how to reset the browser to reject cookies in the "Help" section of the toolbar. If you reject our cookies, you may not be able to log in or use certain functions and conveniences of our site.
3. Sharing of Information With Third Parties
EmpowHER is the owner of the information collected on this site. We know how important it is to keep the information that you have entrusted to us confidential, that's why we will not rent, sell or share any personal information about you.
4. Your Choices Concerning the Collection and Use of Your Personal Information
Whenever reasonably possible, we will offer you choices when we ask for personal information and tell you why we collect different types of information. You may always decline to provide personal information to us and/or refuse cookies in your browser, although some features or services may not function properly as a result. To make it easy for you to make the choices that are right for you, we provide the following controls:
Public & Private:
All stories posted are public, but private messaging is for private discussion.
Communications:
Email communication that you send to us via the email links on our site may be shared with a support representative, employee, or the expert that is most likely to be able to address your inquiry. Please do not provide personal health information in your email unless you are doing so anonymously; regardless, we will only use such information for the purposes of answering your email. From time to time, we may send you service-related emails, such as a welcome email when you register with our site. If we find your personal question valuable to community discussion, we reserve the right to anonymously post your question on the site by removing any names or personal identification, including photos and username.
Your Story:
After you register, you can share your story. Your story should be used like a public blog or section where you can share your thoughts, experiences, frustrations and success stories. By default, your personal story will be associated with your screen name (the nickname you created at registration). If you wish to remain anonymous, you need to make sure that the details of your story do not allow someone to indirectly identify you. Remember that all information on our site is reviewed by search engines and may be made public.
5. Chat rooms and message/bulletin boards
Users of chat rooms and message/bulletin boards that may be on our site should be aware that when they voluntarily disclose personally identifiable information (e.g., name, e-mail address, user ID with first and last name, etc.) on a message/bulletin board, in a chat area, or other interactive area where personal information can be posted, the information can be collected and used by other internet users. This may result in unsolicited messages from other posters or parties. We make no representations and undertake no obligations as to the security of information you voluntarily post in chat rooms and message/bulletin boards.
6. Send-to-a-friend tools
This site may, from time to time, include a send-to-a-friend application that makes it easy for you to forward information or materials from our site to friends or family by e-mail. In order to address your e-mail message, the application will ask you to input the recipient's e-mail address and/or similar information (including your e-mail address). This information is only used by the application to address your message so that it can be properly sent. EmpowHER does not retain any of this information for any purpose.
7. Promotional elements
This site, from time to time, may support a site pop-up or promotional element that may request information. This information is public information and may be used by EmpowHER or an advertiser or sponsor. If you wish to remain anonymous, you need to make sure you don't share personal information.
8. Our commitment to children's privacy
A special note to parents: This site is not directed to children and we will not request any information from children under 13 at this site. We have developed our privacy practices as they relate to children from guidelines established by the Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) and in compliance with the requirements established by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 ("COPPA"). We also recommend that parents monitor their children's Internet activities and learn and employ software or other tools which can help their children enjoy the fun and entertainment of an on-line experience without compromising their personal safety or allowing them to use the Internet in a manner inconsistent with their parents' preferences.
