eXpertComics.com Inc. Privacy Policy
By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy of eXpertComics.com Inc. If you do not agree with the Policy, we ask that you please not use this site.
eXpertComics.com Inc. recognizes the privacy concerns of visitors to its site on the Internet. Specifically, we recognize the importance of protecting the privacy of personally identifiable information collected about our visitors. As a general policy, no personally identifiable information, such name, address or email address, is automatically collected from visitors to our site. We may collect certain non-personal information used only to optimize our web pages for your computer (i.e., the identity of your Internet browser and the type of operating system you use). We may also use non-personal information to determine the total number of visitors to our website.
We will not sell, rent or give out personal information to any party outside of our company. eXpertComics.com Inc. values your privacy and your information very much. All customer information is stored on our SSL server behind 128-bit encryption, the most secure encryption available commercially at this time. We are verified by Comodo, one of the leading SSL Certification companies.
Personally-identifiable information about visitors to the eXpertComics.com Inc. site is collected only when knowingly and voluntarily submitted. In those instances when we do collect such information, the following applies:
I. POLICIES THAT APPLY TO INDIVIDUALS AGED 13 AND OVER
COLLECTION OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION BY EXPERTCOMICS.COM INC.
General. Personally identifiable information about visitors to this Site (that is, information such as a visitor's name, e-mail address, mailing address, or telephone number) is collected only when knowingly and voluntarily submitted. Such information may be requested in connection with our sweepstakes, contests, games, surveys, forums, subscription registrations, content submissions, chats, bulletin boards, requests for suggestions, visitors' requests for products or services, and visitors' requests for additional information.
Joint Collection of Personal Information. Sometimes eXpertComics.com Inc. collects personal information jointly with business partners or sponsors. The identity of the entities collecting personal information will be clear at the time your personal information is collected. A detailed description of shared use can also be found in the specific Terms of Use for this Site, and in the rules for sweepstakes and promotions.
WHAT EXPERTCOMICS.COM INC. DOES, AND DOES NOT DO, WITH THE PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT
General. eXpertComics.com Inc. uses personally identifiable information only for the purpose for which it is submitted unless we disclose other uses at the time of collection, in which case you will have the opportunity to instruct us not to use your data in other ways (i.e., "opt-out").
Sharing Personal Information. eXpertComics.com Inc. may share personally identifiable information with other Dark Horse companies or with some of our business partners who would like to send you information about their products or services. However, when we collect your information, you will have the opportunity to instruct us not to share your information in these ways.
LINKS/CO-BRANDED SITES
eXpertComics.com Inc. has established relationships with advertisers and reputable business partners that allow visitors to our Site to link directly to sites operated by these partners. Some of these sites may be "co-branded" with a eXpertComics.com Inc. logo; however, they are not operated or maintained by eXpertComics.com Inc. These sites may collect personal information from you. This Privacy Policy will apply to any personal information we obtain in this manner from our partners.
eXpertComics.com Inc. chooses its advertisers and business partners carefully. However, eXpertComics.com Inc. is not responsible for the content or practices of Web sites operated by third parties that are linked to our Site. These links are meant for the user's convenience only. Links to third party sites do not constitute sponsorship, endorsement, or approval by eXpertComics.com Inc. of the content, policies, or practices of such third party sites. We are not responsible for any information these sites may obtain and do not oversee their policies or practices in collecting personal information. Therefore, once you have left this Site via such a link, you should check the applicable privacy policy of the third party site.
This Site may also be linked to Web sites operated by companies affiliated with eXpertComics.com Inc. eXpertComics.com Inc. may share information collected by our affiliated companies; however this Privacy Policy will apply to any personal information we receive in this manner. Visitors to our affiliated company's sites should still refer to their separate privacy policies and practices when providing any personally identifiable information.
NON-PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION
When visitors come to our Site, we collect and aggregate information indicating, among other things, which web pages were visited, the order in which they were visited, and which hyperlinks, if any, were "clicked" by the visitor. Collecting such information involves the logging of IP addresses, operating system (e.g., Windows or Macintosh), type of browser software (e.g., Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer), and Internet service providers (e.g., AOL or NET.COM) used by each visitor to the Site. Although such information is not personally identifiable, it can be used to determine the IP address of the visitor's Internet Service Provider and the geographic location of his or her point of connectivity to the Internet.
Cookies are small bits of information that our site places on the hard drive of your computer to enable us to do a number of things to make your visit and future visits to the site more enjoyable. For example, cookies allow a visitor to quickly log on to a site he/she has used before by storing a password. Cookies are not used to obtain information about a user that was not previously provided in a cookie. The cookie itself does not contain any personally identifiable information about a visitor, and eXpertComics.com Inc. does not use cookies in order to obtain such information. eXpertComics.com Inc. will never save credit card information in cookies. Most major sites on the Internet use cookies. Visitors may receive cookies from third parties, but eXpertComics.com Inc. cannot control the content of these cookies. You should consult your browser owner's manual for instructions on how to refuse cookies.
eXpertComics.com Inc. uses non-personally identifiable information and information obtained through the use of cookies in order to improve the Site. By tracking how many people visit our Site and where visitors go on our Site, we are able to determine which part of the Site users like the best, which part needs some improvement, and what changes should be made. By obtaining this information, we are able to continually improve our Site and bring you the best online experience possible. eXpertComics.com Inc. may also disclose some of non-personal information we obtain to advertisers to inform them of how many people have seen or linked to their advertisements on our Site. However, we will never disclose personally identifiable information to these advertisers.
REVIEWING AND MAKING CHANGES TO PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION
Visitors may review, change, or delete personal information from our records at any time. If you would like to review, change, or delete your personal information, please contact us at support@expertcomics.com, or write us at eXpertComics.com Inc., Attn: Personal Info, 15 Montcalm Boul., PO Box 73047, Candiac, QC, J5R 5X3, Canada. If you have requested the deletion of your information, we will immediately delete your information from our database and refrain from collecting any other personally identifiable information from your child, if you so request. However, there may be residual information that will remain within our databases that may or may not contain personally identifiable information. This residual information will not be given to any other third party or used for any commercial purpose.
SECURITY AND INTEGRITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
eXpertComics.com Inc. has established and maintains reasonable procedures to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of personal information collected by this Site.
II. ADDITIONAL POLICIES THAT APPLY TO CHILDREN UNDER 13
CHILDREN AND INTERNET SAFETY
We at eXpertComics.com Inc. understand that the Internet presents an opportunity for us to reach the public in new and exciting ways with information about our programming, fun games, exciting sweepstakes and contests, e-mail, chat rooms, bulletin boards, and other forms of interactivity. eXpertComics.com Inc. also recognizes the privacy concerns of parents, and the importance of protecting the privacy of the information this Site collects from kids. Parents of children that visit this Site can be confident that any personal information that may be provided to this Site will be collected and maintained in accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA"). eXpertComics.com Inc. encourages parents to supervise their children's activities online and to participate in their children's online activities whenever possible. However, we understand that parents may not always be able to supervise their children's activities on the Internet. That is why eXpertComics.com Inc. has developed a Site that parents can feel is safe for their children and that they will find interesting, informative, educational, and fun! Because there is always room for improvement, eXpertComics.com Inc. welcomes any suggestions on how to make the Site a better, safer place to shop.
Section I of this Privacy Policy applies to the collection of personal information from all visitors to this site, regardless of age. Section II describes the special, additional policies eXpertComics.com Inc., Inc. applies to the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information submitted to this Site by children under 13.
COLLECTION AND USE OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION FROM CHILDREN UNDER 13
When a visitor to our Site is under the age of 13, eXpertComics.com Inc. does not require the disclosure of more personally identifiable information than is reasonably necessary for him or her to participate in an activity as a condition of such participation.
eXpertComics.com Inc. may use different types of personally identifiable information submitted to this Site by children under 13 in a variety of ways, which are described below. In each instance, we comply with the parental consent requirements of COPPA.
A. Use of a Child's Information by eXpertComics.com Inc.
We may collect a child's e-mail address in connection with a contest, sweepstakes or game for the sole purpose of communicating with the child on a one-time-only basis (i.e., to contact a contest winner). This information will not be used to re-contact the child, and will be deleted from our records when the contest or game is over. Parental consent is obtained before we send the winner a prize.
We may collect a child's e-mail address in order to respond more than once to a child's specific request. For example, the child may want to subscribe to an online newsletter or receive other online communications from eXpertComics.com Inc. In these instances, eXpertComics.com Inc. will also obtain a parent's e-mail address along with the child's. Before any further contact with the child, eXpertComics.com Inc. will send an e-mail to the parent (a) notifying him or her we have collected the child's e-mail address in order to respond more than once to the child's request for a subscription, information, etc; (b) informing the parent that he or she can refuse us permission to contact the child, and how to do so; and (c) informing the parent that if he or she does not respond to the e-mail within 72 hours, eXpertComics.com Inc. may use the child's information for the purpose for which it was submitted.
We may collect a child's personally identifiable information (including name, e-mail address, mailing address, and phone number) for such activities as joining the Dark Horse Message Boards, chats, forums, surveys, games, bulletin boards, requests for suggestions, subscription registrations, content submissions, requests for products or services, or requests for additional information. In these instances, we will initially collect only the child's name and online contact information and the e-mail address of the child's parent. Before using this information for any purpose, we will send the parent an e-mail that (a) informs the parent that we wish to collect and use the child's personal information and need the parent's consent to do so, and (b) provides the parent with a link to access to this Privacy Policy, which describes our information collection and use policies as required by COPPA. If the proposed use of the child's personal information does not involve disclosure to a third party, then eXpertComics.com Inc. will ask the parent to provide consent by return e-mail. Upon receipt of the e-mail consent, we will send the parent a confirming e-mail. If the proposed use of the child's personal information involves disclosure to third parties, the e-mail we send to the parent will ask the parent either to (i) return by postal mail or fax a consent form that will be attached to the e-mail, or (ii) call a toll-free number where consent can be given over the phone. If parental consent is not obtained by one of these methods within 72 hours, eXpertComics.com Inc. will delete all of the child's and parent's personally identifiable information from its records. In addition, parents can revoke a prior consent at any time.
We may collect a child's name and e-mail address to the extent reasonably necessary to protect the security of this Site, to protect against liability, or as required or permitted by law. Information collected for these reasons will not be used for any other purpose.
B. Sharing Children's Personal Information with Third Parties.
eXpertComics.com Inc. may share a child's personal information with our affiliated companies and promotional partners for their marketing purposes. These third parties have not agreed to maintain the confidentiality, security, and integrity of the personal information they obtain from eXpertComics.com Inc. As noted above, parents may exercise their option not to consent to the disclosure of their child's personal information to third parties. Parents may consent to eXpertComics.com Inc.'s collection and use of a child's personal information without consenting to the disclosure of the information to third parties.
LINKS/CO-BRANDED SITES
As noted in Section I of this Privacy Policy, this Site may link directly to sites operated by eXpertComics.com Inc.'s advertisers, business partners, and affiliated companies. Those sites, which are not controlled by eXpertComics.com Inc., may collect personal information from your child. Parents should therefore check the relevant site's privacy policy to understand how it collects and uses kids' personal information. eXpertComics.com Inc. will not share in any personal information obtained by a site from a child under the age of 13 unless that site follows the requirements of COPPA.
REVIEWING AND MAKING CHANGES TO PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION COLLECTED FROM CHILDREN UNDER 13
Parents of children under age 13 may review, change, or delete personal information about their kids from our records at any time. If you would like to review, change, or delete your child's personal information, please contact us. If you have requested deletion of your child's information, we will immediately delete your child's information from our database and refrain from collecting any other personally identifiable information from your child. However, there may be residual information that will remain within our databases that may or may not contain personally identifiable information. This residual information will not be given to any other third party or used for any commercial purpose.
Privacy Policy Changes
eXpertComics.com Inc. reviews its privacy policy periodically, and it may be subject to change without prior warning