At Yoursphere we take great care and precaution to protect the privacy of members and guests of our website. To that end, we have designed this Privacy Policy to address your questions and concerns about our privacy policies and principals.
This privacy policy ("Policy") is applicable to the Yoursphere website located at http://yoursphere.com (the "Site") and all associated products and services available on the Site (the "Yoursphere Services"). This Policy summarizes Yoursphere’s data collection policies and practices on the Site. This Policy does not apply to the practices of companies that Yoursphere does not own or control, or to people that Yoursphere does not employ or manage.
In addition to the general privacy provisions of this Policy, and because Yoursphere caters to youth, we recognize the need to provide additional privacy protections for children using the Site. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA") requires that we inform parents and legal guardians about how we use and collect personal information from children under the age of 13, and that we obtain verifiable consent from parents and legal guardians before a child under the age of 13 be permitted to join Yoursphere.
As used in this Policy, "Yoursphere" refers to Yoursphere Media, Inc., a Delaware corporation, owner and operator of the Site, and any of its subsidiaries and affiliates. In addition, for purposes of this Policy, any reference to "parent" shall include legal guardian.
We store and use the information you give us in accordance with the terms of this Policy. Subject to the parental consent requirements set forth below for children under the age of 13, personal information including your first and last name, mailing address, zip code, birth date, gender, email address, username, password, and driver’s license may be collected via the Site. Also, when you register, we may collect credit card and billing information (including telephone number). These categories of information are required when you sign up to become a member on the Site, or in the case of children under the age of 13, after verifiable parental consent has been obtained.
When you sign up for additional Yoursphere Services on the Site, such as entry into special contests or online games, additional personal information may be collected. We use this additional data, such as your hobbies, sports, music, entertainment, academics and other personal interests, to personalize your Yoursphere experience. By obtaining and using this information, we can provide you with the most timely, relevant and individualized service according to your preferences and interests.
When you sign up with Yoursphere and as you use the Yoursphere Services, we also record your decision to: (1) receive email updates from Yoursphere; and (2) have a third-party sponsor contact you to provide information regarding their product or services.
In some instances we may include certain links in our emails that will allow us to monitor whether you access specific content or advertisements contained in that email. When you click on one of these links, we will record that click and certain activities on the web page associated with that link. We use this information to conduct internal research on our users’ demographics, interests, and behavior related to our email advertisements and content, and to better understand and serve you.
We use log files to track system activity and maintain our systems. Log data includes IP addresses, browser type, referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, and number and nature of clicks through our Site. We use this information to analyze usage patterns, observe trends, administer the Site, track user movements in the aggregate, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. Information gathered from log files is for Yoursphere’s internal use only and will not be shared with any third parties, except law enforcement, as necessary. For non-member visitors to the Site, log files are not linked to personally identifiable information.
We may use your submitted email address to compare our member list to lists received from other companies, in an effort to avoid sending identical messages to our members.
We may use information collected on the Site in the following ways:
Yoursphere may make available third party games and applications through its Site. The information collected by Yoursphere when you enable a game or other application is processed under this Privacy Policy. Information collected by the game or application provider is governed by their privacy policies.
We may disclose your personal information to respond to legal requirements, enforce our policies, respond to claims that your posting and/or other content violates the rights of others, or protect anyone’s rights, property, or safety.
We may also share your personal information with:
Should you (or your child) post personal information on Yoursphere bulletin boards, online games, in chat sessions or as part of your Yoursphere profile or avatar, including, for example, your name, email address, phone number, school, hobbies and interests, or photographs, this information will be viewable by other members of the Yoursphere community. You should always take precaution in disclosing information that is personally identifiable.
Yoursphere has partnered with companies such as NetIDme that specializing in Internet identity verification to assist in the process of verifying parental identity, conducting background checks to screen against registered sex offenders, and obtaining parental consent to allow their children, including children under the age of 13, to become a member of Yoursphere. Prior to allowing any prospective member, including children under the age of 13, to sign up for Yoursphere Services, we will request that child provide us with certain non-personally identifiable information, including their first name, date of birth (for purposes of confirming age and the need to obtain parental consent), and email address of their parent. Upon receipt of this information, Yoursphere will send the parent an email with information about Yoursphere and what their child will be able to do as a member of this social networking site exclusively for youth through the age of 18. Included in this email will be a link to this Policy and Yoursphere Terms of Use, as well as instructions the parent must follow to provide further information about him or herself for identity verification and to consent to and provide for their child’s subscription to Yoursphere Services. Yoursphere will require that the parent provide us with their first and last name, date of birth, mailing address, and either the last four digits of their social security number or their driver’s license number.
Immediately after Yoursphere and/or its agent receives the parent’s information and consent, Yoursphere, through the verification company, will confirm that parent’s information and identification through its proprietary screening process utilizing multiple databases. As part of this process, Yoursphere intends to verify: (i) that the parent is a real person; and (ii) that the parent is not a registered sex offender. Yoursphere will not allow any youth, including a child over the age of 12, access to the Yoursphere community until his/her membership has been activated through this process. The parental consent will authorize the collection, use, and disclosure, as applicable, pursuant to the terms of this Policy, of personal information and the subsequent use of that information before that information is ever collected from a child. To be considered "verifiable" parental consent under COPPA, Yoursphere will require that the parent provide their consent employing one or any combination of the following methods:
At any time, parents can refuse to permit us to collect additional personal information from their child under the age of 13 and also may request that we delete any personal information we have collected. There are two ways that a parent may access, change or delete their child’s personally identifiable information that has been collected by Yoursphere:
Please be advised that by refusing to permit us to collect personal information about your child or requesting the deletion of your child’s profile from our database, you will be unsubscribing your child from Yoursphere Services.
Yoursphere will be the only operator that will collect, maintain, use and/or disclose information about your child, pursuant to the terms of this Policy. Yoursphere may be contacted at the address and phone number provided under the section entitled, "Contact Us" set forth below. Any information collected by the verification company will relate solely to the registration process.
We may amend this Policy from time to time. By using this Site or consenting to your child’s use of this Site, you signify your agreement to the terms of this Policy. In the event that there are any material changes to the way we collect, use and/or share personal information, we will provide parents with notice via email. In addition, we will post a link to our revised privacy policy on our home page so our users are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. It is most likely that any material changes to this Policy will be to conform with applicable laws, including COPPA. Parents should be sure to update Yoursphere with any changes to the parent’s contact information, including email address. Your continued use of this Site shall constitute your acceptance of any revised privacy policy.
We may employ other companies and individuals to perform certain functions on our behalf. Examples include processing micropayments, sending direct and electronic mail, removing duplicate information from customer lists, analyzing data, and providing marketing analysis. These agents may have access to member personal information as needed to perform their functions for Yoursphere, but we do not permit them to use it for other purposes.
We use cookies to, among other things, save your password so you don’t have to re-enter it each time you visit the Site and to deliver personalized content. Many web browsers are automatically set to accept cookies. You may change your browser settings to either reject cookies or notify you when a cookie is about to be placed on your computer. Please note, however, that rejecting cookies while visiting the Site may result in certain parts of the Site not operating correctly or as efficiently as if they were allowed. For example, if you are a Yoursphere member, you may need to enter your username and password each time you visit the Site.
We may use third-party advertising companies to serve ads on our behalf. These companies may employ cookies and action tags (also known as single pixel gifs or web beacons) to measure advertising effectiveness. Any information that these third parties collect via cookies and action tags is completely anonymous.
Most advertisements you see on the Site are served to your web browser by Yoursphere. However, Yoursphere allows other companies, called ad networks, to serve advertisements within the Site or through Yoursphere Services. Ad networks include third party ad servers, ad agencies, ad technology vendors and research firms. We only authorize our third-party ad networks to employ anonymous cookies for ad delivery and anonymous targeting. Our third-party ad servers do not collect, nor do we give them access, to any personally identifying information about you.
Yoursphere may also include a file, called a web beacon, from these ad networks within pages served by Yoursphere to assist with auditing, research and reporting for advertisers.
Because your web browser must request these advertisements and web beacons from the ad network’s servers, these companies can view, edit or set their own cookies, just as if you had requested a web page from their site. If you want to prevent a third-party ad server from sending and reading cookies on your computer, currently you must visit each ad network’s web site individually and opt out (if they offer this capability). Please contact us if you would like additional information regarding the specific third-party ad networks used on the Site.
Yoursphere takes every reasonable precaution to protect our users’ information. When you submit sensitive information via our service, your information is protected both online and off-line. We have physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect personal information about you. However, we cannot guarantee that communications between you and Yoursphere will not be intercepted by others and that information stored on our servers will be free from unauthorized access. While we have taken reasonable precautions to protect this information, you should always use discretion in what information you send to us and not expect that such information will be absolutely free from intrusion. In particular, you should be aware that information you may post on Yoursphere bulletin boards, chat sessions, online games, or as part of your Yoursphere profile or avatar, will be viewable by other Yoursphere Members. If you have any questions about the security of our service, please contact us.
We periodically prepare analyses and reports reflecting visitor and member use of the Site and Yoursphere Services for our internal use as well as for a limited number of our business partners. These reports include aggregate (non-personal) information about Yoursphere members, and in certain instances, visitors to the Site. The information in these reports will not identify you individually. Our business partners who have access to these reports will not be able to contact you from the information contained in the reports.
As part of Yoursphere Services, we may offer "Yoursphere points" in connection with a rewards program that rewards members’ active participation in Yoursphere Services, including postings of video and other content. As such, we will track members’ postings and other Yoursphere activities as part of the rewards program. We may also conduct sweepstakes and contests on the Site in which we may ask you for additional information. We use and treat this information in accordance with the terms of this Policy.
You should be aware that when you are on the Site or when you receive emails sent as part of Yoursphere Services, you could be directed to other sites beyond our control. This includes links from advertisers, sponsors and partners that may use the Site’s logo. These other web sites may send their own cookies to you, independently collect data or solicit personal information and may or may not have their own published privacy policies. If you visit a site that is linked from our Site or a Yoursphere email, you should consult that site’s privacy policy before providing any personal information.
If you are a registered user of our Yoursphere Services, you may view, correct, and delete your personal information, or remove your profile from view by others on the Site, simply by logging into your account (or the parent account for Members under the age of 13) and editing your profile, or by contacting our customer support. To have all of your personally identifiable information removed from view by others on the Site, send an e-mail request to CustomerService@Yoursphere.com. All user information, included that which is deleted, will be maintained in Yoursphere’s database solely for its internal use in ensuring the safety of the Yoursphere community and for disclosure to law enforcement, if necessary. Generally, you should be careful when making any personal information available to the public. For Yoursphere members over the age of 12, parents will not have access to, or the ability to delete, personal information, postings, or other content.
Beginning on January 1, 2005, California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits our customers who are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please send an e-mail to CustomerService@Yoursphere.com or mail us at the below address. Please note that Yoursphere does not intend to allow third parties to direct market to our Members.
YourSphere is a participant in Privo’s Privacy Assurance Program. As part of participating in the Privacy Assurance Program, YourSphere adheres to the strict information collection, use and disclosure requirements. Privo is an independent, third party organization committed to safeguarding children’s personal information collected online, and to helping parents and their children exercise control over personal information while exploring the Internet. The seal posted on this page indicates that YourSphere has established privacy practices and has agreed to submit to Privo’s oversight and consumer dispute resolution process. If you have questions or concerns about our privacy practices, please contact us at 1-888-905-9898 or privacy@yoursphere.com. If you have further concerns after you have contacted YourSphere, you can contact Privo directly at privacy@privo.com.
If you have any questions about this Policy, please contact us at:
Yoursphere Media, Inc.
213 E Street, Suite A
Davis, CA 95616
CustomerService@Yoursphere.com
You may also telephone us at 1-888-905-9898 (If you are not 18 years of age or older, you must have your parent’s permission to contact us at this number.)
Last modified: February 18, 2010