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Privacy Policy

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Privacy Policy

Effective as of August 18, 2007

www.dallasnews.com respects the privacy of visitors to our site. This Privacy Policy governs the use and collection of information from you by Belo Corp. and its affiliated companies (collectively, "Belo", "we" or "us") through your use of www.dallasnews.com (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy does not apply to any information you may provide to us offline or through any means other than this Site. For example, this Privacy Policy does not apply to information you provide when you subscribe by postal mail or telephone to one of our newspapers or to information that you provide to us at a live event or when you respond by postal mail or telephone to a survey or an invitation to enter a sweepstakes. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive, and this Privacy Policy does not apply to many other instances in which we may collect information from you offline. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully so that you understand our online privacy practices. By visiting this Site, you agree that your visit, and any dispute over our online privacy practices, is governed by this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service. Understanding that Internet technologies are rapidly evolving, we reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy at any time. Any such changes will be promptly posted on this page, with an updated "effective date" posted at the beginning and/or end of this policy.

This Privacy Policy explains the following:

What Types of Information Do We Collect?


The information we gather falls into two categories: (1) information (for example, your name, email address and mailing address) that you voluntarily supply when you register or initiate transactions on the Site, and (2) information gathered on usage patterns and preferences as you navigate through our Site, use our services, or read our email newsletters. In some cases, it is an agent or vendor of ours that collects the information on our behalf. Third-party providers featured on or linked to by our Site may be gathering the same kinds of information.

Registration Information
While visiting the Site, we may ask you to register and/or provide information that personally identifies you ("Personal Information"). Such Personal Information may include, but is not limited to, your name, phone number, mailing address, and e-mail address. On any page that collects Personal Information, we will describe what information is required to provide you with the product or service you request or to respond to your inquiry or comment.

IP Addresses and Browser Level Information
Our web servers automatically collect limited information about your computer configuration when you visit our Site, including the type of browser software you use, the operating system you're running, the resolution of your computer monitor, the website that referred you to our Site and your IP address. Your IP address is a numerical address that is used by other computers connected to the Internet to identify your computer so that data (such as the web pages you want to view) can be transmitted to you. We also use IP address information for systems administration and trouble shooting purposes. Your IP address does not tell us who you are. We use this information and cookies (see section below on cookies) to deliver our web pages to you upon request, to tailor our Site to the interests of our visitors, and to measure traffic within our Site. When you submit a query using a search tool on our Site or click on a search result, we may also share your IP address, browser level information and other anonymous information, such as a cookie identification code, with any third-party vendors that provide us with search functionality for our Site.

What Are Cookies and Web Beacons and Why Do We Use Them?

What are Cookies?
To help make our Site more responsive to the needs of our visitors, we use a standard feature of browser software, called a "cookie," to assign each visitor a unique, random numerical identification code that resides on their computer. The cookie doesn't actually identify the visitor, just the computer that a visitor uses to access our site. Unless you voluntarily identify yourself (through registration, for example), we won't know who you are, even if we assign a cookie to your computer. The only personal information a cookie can contain is information you supply. A cookie can't read unrelated data off your hard drive. Our advertisers and the third parties that provide products or services through our Site may also assign their own cookies to your browser, a process that we don't control.

Why does the Site use cookies?
We use cookies to track usage of the Site and further personalize your experience when you are visiting the Site. By tracking usage, we can best determine what features of the Site best serve our users.

What benefits do I receive from cookies?
Overall, the use of cookies helps to give you a more personalized experience at the Site. The information is used to keep our Site fresh and relevant to you the user. Cookies also identify you to our server, allowing you to avoid retyping your e-mail address and password each time you access the Site.

May I decline to accept a cookie?
You may decline to accept cookies sent by the Site by selecting an option on your browser to reject cookies. However, features of the Site that require registration will not be accessible to you. Cookies enable our server to know that you are a registered user, and will eliminate the need for you to log in each time you access our Site.

What are Web Beacons?
Web beacons (sometimes called single-pixel or clear-pixel gifs) are invisible images that are used to assign cookies or access cookies assigned previously to a visitor's computer. We use Web beacons to access information about the pages visitors are viewing so we can recognize our returning users and analyze traffic patterns. We also work with a leading web analytics firm, Omniture, that places Web beacons on our Site and uses them in combination with cookies to collect, aggregate and analyze anonymous tracking information called "session" data on our behalf. This session information does not identify you personally and does not include your name, address, email address, telephone number or other Personal Information. We use this information to help us measure traffic and user behavior and count the number of unique visitors who view particular pages within our Site. If you wish to learn more about Omniture's privacy practices, you can visit http://www.omniture.com/privacy/product for more information. If you want to opt-out from the collection and analysis of your session data or if you want to uninstall an opt-out cookie from a prior visit (i.e., if you change your mind and decide to opt-in again to allow us to collect and analyze your session data), click here. Please note that you will need to opt-out separately before visiting our Site each time that you clear your cookies from your web browser or switch to a different computer or browser (e.g., if you previously opted-out of the use of Web beacons for us to collect and analyze your session data using the FireFox web browser but later visit our site using the Internet Explorer web browser, you will need to once again opt-out of the Web beacons). We use an advertising server developed by a third party to display ads on the Site. Some of these ads may contain cookies or Web beacons that are sent by third parties (e.g., advertisers or their advertising agencies) that we do not control. If you have questions regarding the data collection practices of any of the advertisers that appear on our Site, we encourage you to contact the applicable advertiser or review its privacy policy, which should be posted on the advertiser's website.

How Do We Use Your Personal Information?
We believe we can enhance your experience on our Site with the information you share with us. We use Personal Information to improve our advertising and marketing efforts, to statistically analyze Site usage, to improve our content and product offerings and to personalize the Site's content, layout, and services. We will use your Personal Information to respond to your comments and questions. We may also use your Personal Information, such as your e-mail address, phone number or mailing address, to contact you regarding products and/or services that we think may be of interest to you, including products and services of third parties, unless you have elected not to receive these promotions and offers by modifying your profile as described below in "How Can You Opt-Out of Sharing Your Personal Information or Receiving Our Promotional Communications?"

We may match Personal Information we collect on the Site with other information about you supplied by third parties so that we can provide you with customized product and content offerings that we believe will interest you and to otherwise improve our advertising and marketing efforts. After registering on the Site, you may receive communications including mail, email, telephone or wireless short text messages from us related to products and services that we believe will interest you. Although we hope you find these communications informative and useful, you can always opt-out from receiving these types of communications from us by changing the privacy preferences in your member profile or by deleting your profile from our database. Please refer to "How Can You Opt-Out of Sharing Your Personal Information or Receiving Our Promotional Communications?" for additional information and instructions.

With Whom Do We Share Your Personal Information?

Our Affiliated Companies
We may share the information, including Personal Information, that we collect through the Site with any company that is directly or indirectly owned, controlled or operated by Belo so that we and they can communicate with you about products and services that we believe may be of interest to you. The use and further disclosure of the information collected on this Site by our affiliated companies will be governed by this Privacy Policy.

Vendor and Service Providers
We have today, and will in the future have, arrangements with third-party vendors, such as credit card processors, shipping companies and fulfillment services that assist us with the operation of the Site or the services we offer through the Site. Occasionally, we will hire a third party to act on our behalf for projects such as market-research surveys and contest-entry or sweepstakes-entry processing. When you sign up for a service we offer, initiate a transaction, complete a survey or enter a contest or sweepstakes, we may be required to share Personal Information with one or more of our vendors. To protect your privacy, we do not authorize our vendors to retain, use or disclose your Personal Information for any purpose unrelated to the services that they provide for us or our users. To make our Site more valuable to our visitors, we may offer some services and features in conjunction with other service providers ("Service Providers"). For example, we may offer a car buying service, personalized finance and weather information alerts, sweepstakes offers or other promotions through cooperative arrangements with Service Providers that specialize in operating such services and features. If you choose to use these optional services or features, we may provide some of your Personal Information to one or more of our Service Providers. We will not do so without telling you in advance, and you can avoid having us make such disclosures by choosing not to use these services or features of the Site. Some of these Service Providers may also collect their own Personal Information in connection with providing the service. Their use of your information will be subject to the terms of their respective privacy policies, which you can find on their websites or obtain by contacting the Service Providers directly. Please refer to "Who is the Party Collecting Your Personal Information?" for additional information.

Statistical Information
Much of the information we collect is in the form of aggregated statistics, such as the traffic generated by visits on various pages within our Site, and the habits and preferences of our audience. Such aggregated information does not include any information that would identify you personally. We may use such aggregated information and disclose it to third parties as we see fit.

Other Disclosures
We reserve the right to release Personal Information about our visitors when release is appropriate to comply with law, to enforce our Terms of Service, or to protect the rights, property or safety of visitors to our Site, the public, our customers, or of Belo. As our business grows, we may buy or sell various assets. In the unlikely event that Belo, or the bulk of our assets relating to this Site, is acquired by another company, Personal Information about our visitors would be among the transferred assets. If you choose to unsubscribe from a specific advertiser's email program in response to an email message that we deliver, we will share your email address and opt-out instructions with the relevant advertiser to ensure that your email privacy preferences are honored. Similarly, if we ask a third-party company to send email offers for Belo products and services to its customers, we will share with that company a list of email addresses collected from visitors of our Site who have opted-out of our email program to ensure that their privacy preferences are honored.

Who is the Party Collecting Your Personal Information?

This Privacy Policy only addresses the use and dissemination of information that we collect from you. To the extent that you disclose any information to other parties, whether through, for example, on-line auctions, chat rooms, forums, personal ads, interactive areas on the Site that allow you to submit and post your own content (such as stories, blogs, photos and videos), or the like, through third-party services or promotions offered on or through the Site, or through other websites throughout the Internet, different policies will apply and Belo will not be responsible for the use or dissemination of such information. The Site may offer message boards, chat rooms or other forums or interactive areas you can use to communicate with other computer users or Site visitors or to submit and post your own content. If you disclose personal information in one of these forums, this information can be viewed, collected, and used by others. Belo is not responsible for the use of information you disclose in these forums. We encourage you to consult the forum rules and the Terms of Service regarding the policies and procedures that apply to that portion of the Site.

Our Site may operate as part of a larger group of sites and may carry co-branded pages. In addition, other third-party sites may use the Site's name, Belo's name, or the name of one of Belo's affiliated companies. Since Belo does not control the privacy policies of third parties, you are subject to the privacy policies, if any, of such third parties, and Belo shall not be responsible for the use or dissemination of your private information by such parties. Therefore, we encourage you to ask questions and review those parties' privacy policies before you disclose your Personal Information to others.

How Can You Opt-Out of Sharing Your Personal Information or Receiving Our Promotional Communications?

We respect your privacy and ability to choose whether to share information with us and third parties. You may choose to "opt-out" of sharing Personal Information in several ways. When choosing to use certain features or services on the Site, you can choose whether to share optional Personal Information in connection with the feature or service. If you receive email, phone or mail communications from us that you prefer not to receive, you may opt-out from receiving these communications by modifying the contact options in your registration profile. You may change your contact options at any time by following the process described in "How Can You Update Your Personal or Registration Information," below.

In addition to opting-out by managing your contact preference options, you may opt-out from receiving e-mail communications from any Site service by sending your request to helpcenter@belointeractive.com, or by sending postal mail to:
Belo Interactive Media
Attn: Opt-Out Request
900 Jackson Street, Suite 400
Dallas, TX 75202

Please note that changing the contact preference options described above will not affect your receipt of any wireless short text communications you may have registered to receive. To unsubscribe from wireless short text communications delivered to your wireless device(s) such as a cell phone, please send your "opt-out" request, including the wireless number or wireless address you wish to remove from our list, to helpcenter@belointeractive.com, or by sending postal mail to:
Belo Interactive Media
Attn: Opt-Out Request
900 Jackson Street, Suite 400
Dallas, TX 75202

You may "opt-out" altogether from providing Personal Information to us by not registering on the Site, or registering for any Site sponsored promotion, and thereby not providing Personal Information. You may also choose at a later date to have your name removed from our database by deleting your registration profile. To do so, please follow the process described in "How Can You Update Your Personal or Registration Information."

Certain portions of the Site and certain services provided on the Site, however, do require registration in order to access or use these areas and services. If you choose not to register or provide certain information, these areas will not be accessible to you.

How Can You Update Your Personal Information or Registration Information?

You may access all of the Registration Information that we collect from you online and maintain by using the procedure described below. We use this procedure to better safeguard your Personal Information. To protect your privacy and security, we will also take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access to your profile or making changes.

You may also at any time choose to change or delete your profile from our database using this procedure. You should know that if you choose to delete your profile, certain areas of our Site may no longer be accessible to you.

  1. Enter (or click) http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/registration/membercenter.jsp
  2. Sign in by entering your e-mail address and password. Your account information will then be displayed.
  3. To change your contact options select "Contact Options," make your selections, and submit the form.
  4. To remove your registration profile from our database, select "Delete My Account," make your selections, and submit the form.

What Safeguards Do We Put in Place to Protect Your Personal Information?

Belo maintains industry-standard safeguards to protect the security, integrity, and privacy of the Personal Information that you provide to us. However, no security system is impenetrable and we cannot guarantee the security of our database. Nor can we guarantee that the information you supply won't be intercepted while being transmitted to us over the Internet.

What Do You Need to Know About Third-Party Sites and Advertising?

Third-Party Sites
Our Site includes links to many other websites, and provides access to products and services offered by third parties whose privacy policies we don't control. When you access another site, purchase products or services, or conduct other transactions through links on our Site, use of any information you provide will be governed by the privacy policy of the operator of the site you're visiting or of the provider of such products or services. Belo assumes no responsibility or liabilities whatsoever for the content or privacy practices of the operators of any such linked sites or of any link or linking program. Belo does not necessarily endorse companies (or related products or services) promoted on the pages to which our Site is linked. If you decide to access any of the third-party sites linked to the Site, you do so entirely at your own risk.

Third-Party Advertising
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our Site. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements on this Site and other sites about goods and services that may be of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, please click here.

Do We Knowingly Collect Personal Information of Children Under 13?

Children should always get permission from their parents before sending any information about themselves (such as their names, email addresses, and phone numbers) over the Internet, to us or to anyone else. We won't knowingly allow anyone under 13 to register with our Site or to provide any other Personal Information via the Site. If you're under 13, please do not provide us with any Personal Information about yourself (such as your name, your email address or your phone number).

How Do You Contact Us?

If you have any questions or comments about our Privacy Policy, please e-mail us at helpcenter@belointeractive.com.

What we do NOT do: a warning about "phishing."

We do not and will not, at any time, request your credit card information, login name, or password, in an unsecured or unsolicited e-mail or telephone communication.

Identity theft and the practice currently known as "phishing" are of great concern to us. Safeguarding information to help protect you from identity theft is our priority. For more information about phishing, you may want to visit the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov.

When is this Privacy Policy Effective? How Do We Post Changes to the Privacy Policy?

This Privacy Policy is effective as of August 18, 2007. Belo reserves the right to modify the terms of this policy at any time and in our sole discretion, by posting a change notice to this page and/or on the Site. Your continued viewing, browsing, use or access of the Site following our posting of a change notice will constitute your binding acceptance of those changes.

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