Privacy Policy

Effective December 1, 2011

As used in this Privacy Policy, “GigaOM” refers to all websites (including GigaOM.com, GigaOM Pro, and GigaOM Events), mobile sites, applications, and other properties or services owned or operated by Giga Omni Media, Inc.

By visiting GigaOM, viewing our content or research, attending or viewing any of our events or programs and/or using any of our services, you acknowledge that you accept the practices and policies outlined in this Privacy Policy.

What Does This Privacy Policy Cover?

This Privacy Policy is part of GigaOM’s Terms of Service and covers the treatment of user information, including Personally Identifiable Information (defined below), obtained by GigaOM, including information obtained when you access or log in to GigaOM, and/or register for content or events provided by GigaOM.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to the practices of companies that GigaOM does not own or control, or to individuals whom GigaOM does not employ or manage, including any of the third parties to which GigaOM may disclose user information as set forth in this Policy.

What Types of User Information Does GigaOM Obtain?

GigaOM may obtain the following types of information from you or concerning your computer or device (“Information”), which may include information that can be used to identify you as specified below (“Personally Identifiable Information”):

• Name
• Email Address
• Mailing Address
• Telephone Number(s)
• Credit Card Information
• Blog or Website URL
• Social Networking Handle or Username
• Photo
• Demographic Information (e.g., age, gender, interests, and preferences)
• Professional Title
• Company
• Industry
• Activities or Content Viewed on GigaOM
• Information Collected Automatically ( detailed below )
• Information Received from Third Parties ( detailed below )

In certain cases, we may request that you provide some of the Information identified above in order to obtain specific products or services (such as registering for a GigaOM event or logging in to download a research report from GigaOM). If you choose not to provide the Information we request, you may still use GigaOM, but you may be unable to access certain features or services.

When you register to receive any products or services from GigaOM or provide information to GigaOM in any other manner, you agree to provide only true, accurate, current and complete information.

Information Collected Automatically

GigaOM may automatically receive and log certain types of information when you visit or interact with our websites, services, mobile applications or other products, including:

• Browser Information
• Operating System Information
• Mobile Device Information (e.g., device identifier, mobile operating system, etc.)
• IP Address
• Internet Service Provider
• Content Viewed
• Geographic Location
• Connection Speed
• Time of Visit
• Referring Site, Application, or Service
• Registration Time

Information Received From Third Parties

Events and Webinars

If you register for events or webinars provided by GigaOM, we may receive Information about you from the service providers that host or process registration for these programs or that provide other services to support these programs (such as technical support), which may include certain Personally Identifying Information identified above.

Third Party Websites/Social Networking Sites

If you choose to use any third party website or service that is integrated with GigaOM, including a third party social networking or blogging site, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or WordPress (“Third Party Websites”)—or if you use any GigaOM application provided through any Third Party Website—we may receive Information, including Personally Identifying Information, from such Third Party Websites, including, but not limited to:

• Name
• Nickname or Username
• Photo or Graphic Avatar
• Unique Third Party Website Identifier (e.g., Facebook User ID)
• Biographical or Demographic Information (e.g. professional title, gender, college attended, etc.)
• Likes and Interests
• Contacts/Friends/Associations
• Any Information That Is Publicly Available on Third Party Websites

For example, GigaOM may offer the ability to use certain Third Party Websites to facilitate your registration on GigaOM. We may also use information about your profile and connections on Third Party Websites to allow you to share or connect with your friends and contacts on GigaOM or to personalize your experience. In addition, GigaOM offers “plug ins” and “widgets” from various Third Party Websites that allow you to share GigaOM content off of our service, as discussed in “Disclosure of Information to Third Parties”.

Your decision to use, or share with, a Third Party Website when accessing or using GigaOM products and services is completely voluntary. GigaOM is not responsible for compliance with the policies or practices of any Third Party Website. You should ensure that you are comfortable with the information such Third Party Websites may make available to GigaOM by reviewing those Websites’ privacy policies and service terms, and by modifying your privacy settings and preferences on those Services.

Any information we receive from Third Party Websites will be governed by this Privacy Policy.

How Do We Use This Information?

We use the Information we obtain from or concerning you or your computer or device to provide GigaOM products and services, fulfill your requests, improve our products and services, personalize and tailor your experience on GigaOM, operate our business, and understand how users are engaging with GigaOM.

In addition, we may use Information from or concerning you or your computer or device to facilitate the delivery of content or advertisements that we believe may be of interest to you, or to communicate with you about new or existing products and services or special offers. For example, we may periodically send promotional materials or notifications related to our products and services to the email address associated with your account.

GigaOM’s Use of Cookies

GigaOM may place “cookies” on your computer or device that may contain anonymous Information that is associated with you. Cookies are small text files a website uses to recognize users, and are typically placed on your hard disk by a web server. Cookies contain information that can later be read by a web server in the domain (here, GigaOM) that issued the cookie to you or that, in some cases, can be read by a third party domain.

Our cookies may record Information about your use of GigaOM so that we can provide a continuous and more personalized experience for you, including for one or more of the following purposes: to help identify visitors; assess usage patterns; identify preferences; control the display of ads; diagnose problems with our servers; gather demographic information; analyze trends and usage patterns; conduct research; deliver editorial content; record registration and personalized information; and otherwise administer GigaOM products and services.

If you do not wish to have GigaOM place and use cookies on your computer, you should set your browser preferences to refuse cookies before accessing GigaOM. GigaOM is not responsible for any failure by you or your browser to accurately implement or communicate your browser preferences or settings. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to sign in or use other interactive features of GigaOM that depend on cookies.

GigaOM does not control and is not responsible for the use of cookies by its third party partners or advertisers. The use of cookies by some of these third parties is discussed below (see “Third Party Advertisements” and “Analytics Services”).

Reviewing and Modifying Your Personally Identifying Information

We offer several ways for you to update Personally Identifying Information that is obtained and stored by GigaOM, or to change your account preferences on GigaOM:

1. If you have an online account with GigaOM, you can log in and update or change your account information here
2. You may unsubscribe to any of our e-mail updates or products by following the unsubscribe instructions in the body of any message (see Email or Text Message Communications )
3. You may contact us at info@gigaom.com.

Disclosure of Information to Third Parties

GigaOM may disclose Information (including Personally Identifying Information) from or concerning you or your computer or device to third parties in the circumstances described below. By visiting, accessing, attending or using GigaOM’s products, services or events, you consent to the disclosure of your Information to certain categories of third parties in the manner described below. This Privacy Policy does not apply to the policies or practices of any of these third parties.

Corporate Subscriptions

If your employer or another party provides you with a subscription to GigaOM Pro, we may notify the provider when you access or use your subscription. When providing such notices, we may disclose Personally Identifying Information, such as your name or email address.

Service Providers

GigaOM relies on third party vendors and service providers to provide support and assistance for its products, services and events (“Service Providers”), and we may disclose your Information (including Personally Identifying Information) to these Service Providers to the extent necessary to support our products, services or events, or as otherwise set forth below.

Payment Processors

GigaOM uses third party payment processors, including Zuora and Authorize.net, to process financial payments for certain GigaOM services. When you make payments to GigaOM and/or obtain certain GigaOM products or services, GigaOM may transfer certain Information (including Personally Identifying Information) to these payment processors for the sole purpose of facilitating the payment transaction, such as your Name, Address, and Credit Card Information.

Event Registration

GigaOM uses third parties, such as EventBrite, to process registration for GigaOM events and programs. GigaOm may provide your Information (including Personally Identifying Information) to such registration services when you register for a GigaOM event or program. In addition, as discussed below, GigaOM (or its third party registration service) may provide your Information (including Personally Identifying Information) to companies that sponsor or underwrite portions of an event that you register for, attend, or view.

Web Hosts

GigaOM’s website services are hosted by WordPress VIP, an enterprise web publishing platform. All Information obtained and stored by GigaOM’s websites ( see What Types of User Information Does GigaOM Obtain?) is processed and stored on servers that are owned and operated by WordPress.

Webinars

GigaOM uses third parties, such as ON24 and Wufoo, to process registration and/or host and provide technical support for GigaOM webinars. If you register for and/or download or view a GigaOM webinar, GigaOm may provide your Information (including Personally Identifying Information) to these third parties to facilitate registration and access to the webinar. In addition, as discussed below, GigaOM (or its third party registration service) may provide your Information (including Personally Identifying Information) to companies that sponsor or underwrite portions of a webinar that you register for, download, or view.

Third Party Sponsors

If you have elected to register for one of our sponsored webinars or events, or to access research or content from GigaOM, we may share your Information (including Personally Identifying Information) with business partner(s) and/or sponsor(s) of the webinar, event, research and/or content. You agree that these sponsor(s) and/or business partner(s) may use your Personally Identifying Information to contact you to provide additional information about their products or services.

Third Party Websites

GigaOM offers the ability to share GigaOM content on Third Party Websites, including social networking and blogging services such as LinkedIn or Facebook, through “plugins” or “widgets” (such as LinkedIn’s “in” button or Facebook’s “Like” button). When you elect to share content and information with others on Third Party Websites, GigaOM may transmit your Information (including Personally Identifying Information) to such Third Party Websites. This Information may be visible on the Third Party Website to anyone who has access to that content or Information. Your decision to share information in this manner is completely voluntary. You should ensure that you are comfortable with how Third Party Websites may share your Information by reviewing their privacy policies and/or modifying your privacy settings directly on those Third Party Websites.

URL/Referrer Header Information

When you visit GigaOM websites, certain information about the content or activities you have engaged in on GigaOM may be reflected in the Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) for the page you are viewing on GigaOM (i.e., the Internet “address,” commonly displayed in the browser window). For example, the date or title of an article you are viewing may appear in the URL for that page. In addition, if you are logged into a GigaOM account, certain account information (may be visible in the URL when you visit your account on GigaOM. If you leave GigaOM to visit a third party website, including when you click on an advertisement or link or when you share information through a social plug-in (like the Linked In “in” button), the information contained in the URL may be transmitted to the third party website by your browser.

Advertisers and Analytics Services

As discussed in (“Third-Party Advertising on GigaOM”), GigaOM uses third party advertisers, including ad networks, to provide advertising on its websites. In addition, as discussed in (“Analytics Services”), GigaOM uses third party analytics products to obtain information about how users are using and interacting with GigaOM. These third parties may receive Information (including Personally Identifying Information) from GigaOM as discussed in greater detail in (“Security and Protection of Personally Identifying Information”).

Law Enforcement/Legal Process

We may disclose your Information (including Personally Identifying Information) when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to comply with any law, regulation or legal request; enforce, apply, or investigate breaches of our terms of use and other agreements; respond to public requests; or protect the rights, property, user experience or safety of GigaOM, our employees, our users, or others. This can include exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection and credit risk reduction.

Comments and Public Posts; Sharing on Third-Party Websites

GigaOM encourages active participation by users, including through comments on GigaOM. However, please be aware that if you voluntarily disclose Information, personal or otherwise, on GigaOM, that Information can be viewed, collected and used by others, including other users, search engines, advertisers, third party applications developers, and anyone with access to GigaOM. GigaOM has no control over the use, collection or disclosure of any Information that you post publicly on GigaOM.

Change of Control

If GigaOM, or substantially all of its assets, is acquired by another company or party, user Information will be one of the assets transferred or acquired by the purchaser. You acknowledge that such transfers may occur, and that any purchaser of GigaOM or its assets may continue to collect, use and disclose your Information as set forth in this Policy.

Third-Party Advertising on GigaOM

GigaOM may allow third party advertising serving companies, including ad networks (“Advertisers”), to display advertisements or provide other advertising services on GigaOM. These third party Advertisers may use techniques other than HTTP cookies to recognize your computer or device and/or to collect and record demographic and other Information about you, including your activities on or off GigaOM. These techniques may be used directly on GigaOM. Please keep in mind that your web browser may not permit you to block the use of these techniques, and that browser settings that block conventional cookies may have no effect on such techniques.

Advertisers may use the information collected to display advertisements that are tailored to your interests or background and/or associate such information with your subsequent visits, purchases or other activities on other websites. Advertisers may also share this information with their clients or other third parties.

GigaOM has no responsibility for the technologies, tools or practices of the Advertisers that provide advertising and related services on GigaOM. This Privacy Policy does not cover any collection, use or disclosure of Information by Advertisers who provide advertising and related services on GigaOM. These Advertisers’ information gathering practices, including their policies regarding the use of cookies and other tracking technologies, are governed entirely by their own privacy policies, not this one.

GigaOM currently may be using one or more of the following Advertisers to provide advertising and related services on GigaOM. If you would like to know about their information gathering and privacy practices, please visit the links below

GigaOM uses the Standard Terms and Conditions set forth by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB). See Standard Terms and Conditions

AdMeld	Home Page	Privacy Policy
Bizo	Home Page	Privacy Policy
Federated Media	Home Page	Privacy Policy
Google AdSense	Home Page	Privacy Policy

Analytics Services

In addition, GigaOM uses third party analytics providers and products to obtain, compile and analyze Information (that may include Personally Identifying Information) about how users are using and interacting with GigaOM. GigaOM may provide Information (including Personally Identifying Information) to these analytics providers for the purpose of obtaining statistics and other information about how users are using and interacting with GigaOM. These analytics providers may use tracking techniques other than HTTP cookies to recognize your computer or device and/or to collect or compile this information. These techniques may be used directly on GigaOM. GigaOM has no responsibility for the technologies, tools or practices of the third parties that providing analytics products and services to GigaOM. Please also keep in mind that your web browser may not permit you to block the use of these techniques, and that browser settings that block conventional cookies may have no effect on such techniques.

Security and Protection of Personally Identifying Information

We have implemented reasonable security measures and practices in an effort to protect the confidentiality of your Personally Identifying Information (other than Personally Identifying Information that you have elected to disclose to others). However, no security system is impenetrable. It may be possible for third parties to intercept or access information you provide to GigaOM. GigaOM cannot guarantee the security of your Personally Identifying Information, nor can we guarantee that information you supply will not be intercepted while being transmitted to GigaOM. It is important for you to protect against unauthorized access to your password(s) and computer or device, and to log off when using any shared computer.

Email or Text Message Communications

We may contact you by e-mail, text message or other equivalent electronic communications if you access GigaOM products or services or register for events, webinars or other content or services provided by GigaOM. By visiting or using GigaOM content, products or services, or registering for or attending GigaOM events or webinars, you specifically consent to the receipt of these e-mail or text message communications. If you do not want to receive emails, text messages or other communications from us, please notify us by email at unsubscribe@gigaom.com and include sufficient information for us to identify your account, including your Name, Email Address (or Cellphone Number) and the specifics of your request. If you unsubscribe, GigaOM may still contact you via email or text message for administrative purposes or concerning any products, services or events for which you have registered or are using.

Changes to the Privacy Policy

GigaOM retains the discretion to amend or modify this Privacy Policy from time to time. Use and disclosure of Information we obtain is subject to the later of: (1) the Privacy Policy in effect at the time such Information is collected or (2) any subsequent Privacy Policy of which you have notice. If we make material changes to the way we collect, use or disclose Personally Identifying Information, we will notify you by posting a clear and prominent announcement on GigaOM or through a direct communication. Your continued access to or use of GigaOM following notice of material changes to this Privacy Policy shall constitute consent to any amendments and/or modifications. Your use of GigaOM is entirely voluntary, and you may discontinue use of GigaOM at any time.

How to Contact Us

GigaOM welcomes any questions or comments you may have regarding this Privacy Policy or its implementation. Any such questions or comments should be submitted via email to privacy@gigaom.com or directed to the address below. We will undertake reasonable efforts to resolve or address your concern.

GigaOM
ATTN: Privacy
217 2nd Street
Fourth Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105

Effective Date of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is effective as of December 1, 2011.