Disqus Privacy Policy

Disqus, Inc. ("Disqus," "we," or "us") provides this Privacy Policy to inform you of our policies and procedures regarding the collection, use, disclosure and protection of information that apply to our Service (as defined below), as well as your choices regarding the collection and use of information.

Overview.

Discuss offers an online public comment sharing platform where users may login and create profiles to participate in conversations with peers and enjoy an interactive experience. By using our comment sharing platform, software and website (collectively the "Service") you understand and agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. You further understand that the Service is a public platform and that we or other users may search for, see, use, or re-post any of your User Content (as defined below) that you post through the Service.

Advertising.

Advertising is the primary way Disqus makes money. We are paid by advertisers to serve and share advertising content. We may collect, use and share information from you when you use the Service in order to provide you with more relevant advertising. Detailed information about how we collect, use and share your information for advertising and other purposes is set forth below.

Applicability and third-party websites and services.

This Privacy Policy only applies to the Service and does not apply to any website that uses the Service or other website linked to from the Service. We are not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from the Service, or the information or content contained thereon. Please remember that when you use a link to go from the Service to another website, our Privacy Policy is no longer applicable. Your browsing activity and interaction with any other website, including those that you link to from the Service or our website, is subject to that website's privacy policy.

Information Collection on the Service.

We may collect information about you when you register for and use the Service. Such information may include "Personally Identifiable Information" which means information that identifies you as an individual, such information may include, but is not limited to, your name, email address, telephone number, username or account ID, and "Non-Personally Identifiable Information" which means information that does not identify you as an individual. Non-Personally Identifiable Information may include, but is not limited to, information about your browser, your IP address, device ID, what pages you visit on our Partner Sites, which website you came from, what advertisements you clicked on, whether on our Partner Websites, the Service or other third party websites, and other information about your online activity that does not identify you as an individual. The ways in which we collect, use and share both your Personally Identifiable Information and your Non-Personally Identifiable Information are described below.

• Personally Identifiable Information: We collect Personally Identifiable Information about you when you provide such information in connection with the Service such as when you register for the Service or when you send us an email. If you access the Service through a third-party connection or log-in, for example, through Facebook Connect, Google or Twitter, by "following," "liking," or linking your account to the Service, that third party may pass Personally Identifiable Information to us in connection with your account. 

• Non-Personally Identifiable Information: We may automatically collect and use Non-Personally Identifiable Information when you view and interact with the Service, Partner Sites or third party sites using tracking technologies such as cookies, web beacons, log files (described further below in the Cookies and Other Technology section) and other similar technology. Non-Personally Identifiable Information may include, but is not limited to your browser information; device information, including unique device identifies ("UID"); location information, including IP address, GPS information; and other information about your use of the Service, your actions on the Service, Partner Sites, or third party websites , such as information about the content you viewed or interacted with, what pages you clicked on, what images or articles you viewed, whether you clicked on one of the advertisements, date and time information, navigation and click-through information, and other information about your online activity.

We may combine such Non-Personally Identifiably Information with Personally Identifiable Information like your name or email address or other information that could be used to identify you in order to provide you with relevant advertising when visiting or using the Service, Partner Sites, third party websites or to send you email advertisements. We treat this combined information as personally identifiable information.

Information Collection on Partner Sites and Third Party Sites.

We may receive and collect information from Partner Sites or other third parties. This information may include information about your usage of the Service on Partner Sites, including, but not limited to, the User Content posted on a Partner Site or other information about your interaction with a Partner Site. Information Collected from Partner Sites or third parties may be Personally Identifiable or Non-Personally Identifiable.

Cookies and other Technology.

• Cookie Information: When you visit or use the Service, we may send one or more cookies - a small text file containing a string of alphanumeric characters — to your computer that uniquely identifies your browser and lets Disqus help you log in faster and enhance your navigation through the site. A cookie may also convey information to us about how you use the Service and Partner Sites (e.g., the pages you view, the links you click and other actions you take) and allows us to track your usage of the Service on Partner Sites over time. We may use both persistent cookies, which remain on your hard drive after you close your browser, and session cookies which terminate when you close your browser. If you have questions about disabling cookies, you should consult with your browser's manufacturer. However, some features of the Service may not function properly if the ability to accept cookies is disabled.

• Log File Information: Log file information is automatically reported by your browser each time you access a web page. When you use our Service, our servers automatically record certain log file information. These server logs may include information such as your web request, IP address, browser type, referring / exit pages and URLs, number of clicks and how you interact with links on the Service, Partner Sites, domain names, landing pages, pages viewed, and other such information.

• Clear Gifs/Web Beacons Information: When you use the Service, we may employ clear gifs (also known as web beacons) which are used to track the online usage patterns of our users. We may also use clear gifs in HTML-based emails sent to our users to track which emails are opened and which links or advertisements are clicked by recipients. The information allows for more accurate reporting and improvement of the Service and for us to provide you with advertisements that may interest you.


Targeted Ads and Analytics Services.

We may, and we may engage third parties who may, collect information, by using technologies such as cookies and web beacons, across various websites and devices, for the purpose of delivering more relevant advertisements on our behalf, or on the behalf of third parties, to you on the Service or third party websites, and to perform tracking and reporting functions for our Service, Partner Sites, or other third party websites, and the advertisements you view or click on. Information that may be collected includes, but may not be limited to, information about the websites you’ve viewed and advertisements you’ve interacted with, your IP address, date and time of interaction, your ISP and browser type, device ID, unique cookie recognized on your browser (“Cookie ID”), and the information associated with such Cookie ID. We, or third parties we engage, may combine this with Personally Identifiable Information like your name or email address or other information that could be used to identify you, which may be used, among other things, to deliver advertising, including by email, targeted to your preferences and interests derived from your interaction with the Service, Partner Sites or other third party websites, and to better understand your interactions with the Service, Partner Sites and other websites. To learn more about this type of targeted advertising (also called interest-based advertising), analytics services and your choices, including how to opt-out of some interest based advertising, advertising networks and ad servers, please visit https://www.youronlinechoices.com or http://youronlinechoices.eu/, DAA Consumer Opt-Out Page, NAI Consumer Opt-Out Page and Google’s information page.

You can also refuse or disable cookies already stored cookies via the settings of your browser as follows:

For Edge, click here

For Internet Explorer, click here

For Mozilla Firefox, click here

For Google Chrome, click here

For Safari, click here

How We May Use the Information We Collect.

The information that we collect about you, both Personally Identifiable Information and Non-Personally Identifiable Information, may be used by us, or shared by us with third parties, in any manner and for any purpose permitted by law.

We may include combining your, Non-Personally Identifiable Information, such as your IP address, device ID, a unique cookie recognized on your browser, or information associated with such Non-Personally Identifiable information, such as, device location, browsing history, whether collected on the Services, a Partner Site, or a third-party site with your Personally Identifiable Information, such as your email address, whether you provided it to us directly, or to a third party partner we engage . We, or third parties we engage, may use this combined information to send you information and advertisements, including by email, about our products or services or the products or services of third parties.

We may also share this information with third parties for their own marketing purposes, including but not limited to, sending you more relevant advertising emails or offers for goods and services that may interest you. If you do not want us to share your Personally Identifying Information with third parties for their own marketing purposes, you may opt-out here.

We may access, preserve, and disclose your Personally Identifiable Information, account information, and User Content (as defined below) if we believe doing so is required or appropriate to comply with law enforcement requests and legal process, such as a court order, government request, or subpoena, or to meet national security or law enforcement requirements. We may also access, preserve, and disclose your Personally Identifiable Information, account information, and User Content if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect yours', ours' or others' rights, property, or safety, or to investigate fraud.

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing due diligence, reorganization, bankruptcy, receivership, sale or company assets, or transition of service to another provider, then your information may be sold or transferred as part of such a transaction as permitted by law and/or contract.

User Content.

We may collect and retain any comments or other content you send, post or provide through the Service ("User Content"); we treat this information as Personally Identifiable Information when it is combined and stored with Personally Identifiable Information. In all other cases we treat it as Non-Personally Identifiable Information, even where the User Content itself may identify you.

Following termination or deactivation of your Disqus account, we may retain and continue to use the information we have collected from you, including User Content, indefinitely.

User Content posted to the Service is available to the public and may be viewed and used by others. We are unable to control such uses of your User Content, and by using the Service you assume the risk that your User Content may be viewed and used by third parties. If you do not want people to be able to track or follow your activity through the Service, you can update your privacy settings by clicking this link: change your profile setting . Please note, changing your privacy settings to private means that people cannot follow or track your account or view your comment history, anyone who visits a website where you left a comment, will still be able to see your comment and your profile may still be viewed by others. If you remove User Content from the Service, copies may remain viewable in cached and archived pages of the Service, or if other Users have copied or saved that information.

Disqus reserves the right, but has no obligation, to monitor the User Content you post on the Service. We reserve the right, and Partner Sites also reserve the right, to remove any such information or material for any reason or no reason, including without limitation if in our sole opinion such information or material violates, or may violate, any applicable law or our Terms of Service, or to protect or defend our rights or property or those of any third party. Disqus also reserves the right to remove information upon the request of any third party.

Your Choices Regarding Collection of Your Information.

• Your Account. All registered users may review, update or correct the Personally Identifiable Information provided in their registration or account profile by changing their "user preferences" in their account. To delete your account entirely, please follow these steps . However, you understand and agree that we are not able to remove your Personally Identifiable Information from the records of any third party who has previously been provided with your information .

• Opting Out of Targeted Advertising. We strive to make the Disqus experience as personalized and relevant as possible for all users. In doing so, we may deliver you targeted ads based on information collected on the Service, Partner Sites or other third party sites (as described above).

  • Targeted Ads Opt-Out. If you prefer to opt out of targeted advertising (also called interest based advertising) by Disqus, you may do so by clicking on the "opt-out page" link here: opt out page . Our opt-out mechanism is managed through cookies, if you delete cookies from your browser or use a different browser, you will need to opt-out again. Please note that even if you choose to opt-out of targeted advertising from Disqus, you will still see ads from us, they just won't be targeted to you based on the information derived from your interaction with the Service,Partner Sites or third party sites. The ads you continue to see from us may be selected for you based on information such as your age or gender or other demographic information. Also note, you will still see targeted ads (interest based ads) from third parties. You can opt-out from targeted advertising from third parties in general if they are members of the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), or Participate in the Digital Advertising Alliance's Ad Choices Tool (DAA) by visiting the respective opt-out pages on the NAI or DAA websites (you may also link to these opt-out pages from the Targeted Ads and Analytics Services section above). 

• Opting Out of Our Promotional Emails. Opting Out of Our Promotional Emails. You may opt-out of receiving targeted and other marketing and promotional emails from us at any time by using the opt-out mechanism contained in such emails (also referred to as "unsubscribe"). You may also unsubscribe or manage your email subscription by clicking this link: Manage My Disqus Email Settings. Please note, unsubscribing from Disqus emails will unsubscribe your from Disqus notification emails and Disqus digest emails. You will still receive transactional emails necessary for the Disqus service to function, these include, but may not be limited to, emails confirming you created a new account, emails helping you reset your password etc.
• Declining Cookies. If you do not want to accept our cookies, you can adjust your browser settings to decline cookies. You should note, however, that certain areas of the Site may not operate properly if you decide not to accept cookies.
• Do Not Track. This site does not respond to "do not track" or similar signals. 


Security.

Disqus uses commercially reasonable safeguards to preserve the integrity and security of all information collected through the Service. To protect your privacy and security, we take reasonable steps (such as requesting a unique password) to verify your identity before granting you access to your account. You are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your unique password and account information, and for controlling access to your email communications from Disqus. Notwithstanding the foregoing measures, Disqus cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to Disqus or guarantee that information on the Service may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed. Your privacy settings may also be altered by accessing the Service through a third party such as social networks. Disqus is not responsible for the functionality or security measures of any third party.

California Privacy Rights.

California law gives residents of California the right under certain circumstances to request information from us regarding the manner in which we share certain categories of Personally Identifiable Information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes. Because our Privacy Policy gives you a choice of opting out of having your contact information disclosed to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes, we may instead provide you with information on how to exercise your preferences. To request such information, please contact us at privacy@disqus.com. Please see above How We May Use the Information We Collect if you wish to learn more about restricting the sharing of your contact information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.

Children's Privacy.

The Service is not intended for use by children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 or knowingly allow such persons to register for an account. In the event that we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under the age of 13, we will delete it. If you believe that we might have collected personal information from a child under 13, please contact using the information below.

International Data Transfers.

Personally Identifiable Information and Non-Personally Identifiable Information that Disqus collects may be transferred to and stored and processed in countries other than the country in which you reside, which means that laws different from the laws in your country may apply. Disqus may transfer Personally Identifiable Information and Non-Personally Identifiable Information to the United States of America. By using the Disqus Service, you consent to the transfer of your Personally Identifiable Information and Non-Personally Identifiable Information to other countries including the United States of America.

Disqus and the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield.

Disqus complies with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personally identifiable information transferred from the European Union to the United States. Disqus has certified to the Department of Commerce that it adheres to the Privacy Shield Principles. If there is any conflict between the terms in this privacy policy and the Privacy Shield Principles, the Privacy Shield Principles shall govern. To learn more about the Privacy Shield program, and to view our certification, please visit www.privacyshield.gov.

Disqus's participation in the Privacy Shield applies to all Personally Identifiable Information that is subject to this Privacy Policy and is received from the European Union, European Economic Area, or Switzerland and stored by Disqus (the "EU Personal Information"). Disqus will comply with the Privacy Shield Principles in respect of such EU Personal Information.

Disqus' accountability for personal data that it receives under the Privacy Shield and subsequently transfers to a third party is described in the Privacy Shield Principles. In particular, Disqus remains responsible and liable under the Privacy Shield Principles if third-party agents that it engages to process the personal data on its behalf do so in a manner inconsistent with the Principles, unless Disqus proves that it is not responsible for the event giving rise to the damage.

If you are located in the EU, you have the right to access, correct, or have removed from our systems any of your EU Personal Information that Disqus may store. If you would like to may such a request you can do so by emailing us at privacy@disqus.com, or by postal mail to one of the addresses listed below and we will promptly respond to your requests.

We encourage you to contact us using the information provided below should you have a Privacy Shield-related (or general privacy-related) complaint. For any complaints that cannot be resolved with Disqus directly. As further explained in the Privacy Shield Principles, a binding arbitration option will also be made available to you in order to address residual complaints not resolved by any other means. Disqus subject to the investigatory and enforcement powers of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Dispute Resolution

If you have an unresolved privacy or data use concern that we have not addressed satisfactorily, please contact our U.S.-based third party dispute resolution provider (free of charge) at https://feedback-form.truste.com/watchdog/request.

Contact

If you have any questions about this Disqus Privacy Policy, please email us at privacy@disqus.com, or contact us by mail at 717 Market Street, Suite 700, San Francisco, CA 94103.

Changes to Privacy Policy

Disqus may, in its sole discretion, modify or update this Privacy Policy from time to time, and so you should review this page periodically. When we change the policy, we will update the "last modified" date at the bottom of this page. Your continued use of the Site following the posting of any changes to this policy means you accept such changes.

This Privacy Policy was last modified on December 21, 2017.

Click here to view the Terms of Service.