gDitty.com Privacy Policy

HopeLab Foundation Inc. ("HopeLab," "we" or "our"), the sponsor of gDitty, is committed to protecting the privacy of its users ("users," "you" or "your") both on- and off-line. This Privacy Policy along with gDitty.com's Terms and Conditions govern your interaction with the gDitty.com web site located at www.gditty.com (the "Site"), and your registration for and use of the Site. Except as set forth within this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use and other published guidelines, we do not release personally identifiable information about our users without their permission.

1. INTRODUCTION

Some of the tools, features or services offered on or through the Site may ask you to provide Personally Identifiable Information (i.e., Information that can be traced back to you. Personally Identifiable Information includes information such as your name and email address). Additionally, we also collect Non-Personal Information (i.e., Information that is not traceable back to you and cannot be used to identify you. Non-Personal Information includes information such as the web pages that you have viewed.) in connection with your use of the Site through the use of Cookies (i.e., Small data files that are stored on the hard drive of a computer used to view web sites that are accessible only by the party or site that placed the Cookie on the hard drive.). You are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the Personally Identifiable Information you submit to HopeLab. Inaccurate information will affect the information you receive when using the Site and tools and our ability to contact you. For example, your email address should be kept current because that is one of the primary manners in which we communicate with you.

2. THE INFORMATION WE GATHER

HopeLab gathers two types of information about users:
2.1. Non-Personal Information. When users come to the Site, we collect and aggregate Non-Personal Information indicating, among other things, which pages of the Site were visited, the order in which they were visited and which hyperlinks were "clicked." Collecting such information involves the logging of the IP addresses, operating system and browser software used by each user to the Site. Although such information is not Personally Identifiable Information, we can determine from an IP address a user's Internet Service Provider and the geographic location of his or her point of connectivity.

We also use Cookies to help us determine the type of content and sites to which a user to the Site links, the length of time each user spends at any particular area of the Site and the specific functionality that users choose to use. Essentially, Cookies are a user's identification card for the HopeLab servers. Cookies are only read by the server that placed them, and are unable to execute any code or virus. Cookies allow HopeLab to serve you better and more efficiently, and to personalize your experience at the Site. Cookies also may be used to facilitate a user's log-in, but are not used to retain Personally Identifiable Information.

You should be able to control how and whether Cookies will be accepted by your web browser. Most browsers offer instructions on how to reset the browser to reject Cookies in the "Help" section of the toolbar. If you reject our Cookies, certain of the functions and conveniences of the Site may not work properly, but you do not have to accept our Cookies in order to productively use the Site.

2.2. Personally Identifiable Information. We collect Personally Identifiable Information that you provide to us when you register through the Site, send us email messages, and sign up to receive updates and information. Among other things, we may use the Personally Identifiable Information that you provide to notify you of important gDitty information, respond to your questions and inform you of significant changes to this Privacy Policy.

(a) Registration. In order to enter the site and use many of the features and functionality of the Site, we will require you to register with us. During the registration process, you will need to provide us with Personally Identifiable Information that includes, but may not be limited to, your name, email address, height, and time zone. HopeLab will rely on you to self-report accurate information.

(b) Communications with gDitty. HopeLab may receive Personally Identifiable Information when you send an email message to gDitty, request additional information through the Site, or otherwise contact HopeLab.

(c) Signing up to receive updates and information. If you want gDitty to send you updates and other information, you will be asked to provide us with certain information necessary (e.g., name, email address, etc.) for us to be able to send you such updates and information.

3. HOW WE USE (AND DO NOT USE) THE INFORMATION WE GATHER

Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the different ways HopeLab uses the information that we gather.

3.1. Non-Personal Information. HopeLab uses Non-Personal Information in aggregate form to build higher quality, more useful services by performing statistical analyses of the collective characteristics and behavior of our users, and by measuring demographics and interests regarding specific areas of the Site.

3.2. Personally Identifiable Information. This Privacy Policy serves as notice that HopeLab collects Personally Identifiable Information in the manners described herein. Except as set forth in this Privacy Policy or as specifically agreed to by you, HopeLab will not disclose any Personally Identifiable Information we gather from you on the Site. HopeLab will release Personally Identifiable Information to third parties: (a) to comply with valid legal requirements such as a law, regulation, search warrant, subpoena or court order; or (b) in special cases, such as a physical threat to you or others. In the event that we are legally compelled to disclose your Personally Identifiable Information to a third party, we will attempt to notify you unless doing so would violate the law or court order. We cooperate with law enforcement agencies in identifying those who may be using our servers or services for illegal activities. We also reserve the right to report any suspected illegal activity to law enforcement individuals or entities for investigation or prosecution. In addition to the other uses set forth in this Privacy Policy, we may disclose and otherwise use Personally Identifiable Information as described below.

(a) Communications with gDitty. When you send an email message to, request additional information through the Site, or otherwise contact gDitty, HopeLab may use the information provided by you to respond to your communication or provide you with the requested information and/or as described in this Privacy Policy. Also, HopeLab may archive this information.

(b) Signing up to receive updates and information. When you sign up to receive updates and information from us, HopeLab may use the information provided by you to provide you with the requested updates and information. We may use additional optional information you provide, such as height, time zone, and where you heard about HopeLab, in aggregate form to track demographics of our site users.

(c) Disclosure to HopeLab Operations and Maintenance Contractors. HopeLab operations and maintenance contractors sometimes have limited access to your Personally Identifiable Information in the course of providing products or services to HopeLab. These contractors include vendors and suppliers that provide us with technology, services, and/or content related to better operation and maintenance of the Site. Access to your Personally Identifiable Information by these contractors is limited to the information reasonably necessary for the contractor to perform its limited function for HopeLab. We also contractually require that our operations and maintenance contractors not use or disclose your Personally Identifiable Information for any purpose other than providing us with products and services.

4. CHILDREN

HopeLab is committed to protecting the privacy of children. Before collecting Personally Identifiable Information from a child under the age of 13, HopeLab will ask the child to first show his or her parent or legal guardian a statement disclosing that HopeLab wishes to collect Personally Identifiable Information and explaining how HopeLab intends to make use of this information. HopeLab will not require a child under the age of 13 to disclose more information than is reasonably necessary to participate in the activities offered through the Site. The parent or legal guardian of a child under the age of 13 may request to have the Personally Identifiable Information of his/her child under the age of 13 deleted and refuse to allow any further collection or use of such information.

5. LINKED SITES

This site may contain links to web sites operated by companies other than HopeLab ("Third Party Sites") that we believe may be of interest to you. HopeLab does not disclose your Personally Identifiable Information to these Third Party Sites without obtaining your consent. HopeLab does not endorse and is not responsible for the privacy practices of these Third Party Sites. If you choose to link to one of these Third Party Sites, you should review the privacy policy posted on this other web site to understand how that Third Party Site collects and uses your Personally Identifiable Information.

6. HOPELAB SECURITY PROCEDURES

6.1. The security and confidentiality of your information is extremely important to us. We have implemented technical, administrative, and physical security measures to protect guest information from unauthorized access and improper use. From time to time, we review our security procedures in order to consider appropriate new technology and methods. Despite HopeLab's efforts to protect your Personally Identifiable Information, there is always some risk that an unauthorized third party may find a way around our security systems or that transmissions of your information over the Internet will be intercepted. The following are some of the security procedures that HopeLab uses to protect your privacy:

(a) HopeLab uses firewalls to protect information held in our servers.

(b) HopeLab utilizes Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption in transmitting Personally Identifiable Information to our servers. In order to take advantage of encryption technology, you must have an Internet browser which supports 128-bit encryption.

(c) HopeLab closely monitors the limited number of HopeLab employees who have potential access to your Personally Identifiable Information.

(d) HopeLab requires all HopeLab employees to abide by our Privacy Policy and be subject to disciplinary action if they violate it.

(e) HopeLab backs-up our systems to protect the integrity of your Personally Identifiable Information.

7. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

Please note that HopeLab reviews its privacy practices from time to time, and that these practices are subject to change. We ask that you bookmark and periodically review this web page to ensure continuing familiarity with the most current version of our Privacy Policy. To contact HopeLab about privacy issues, to report a violation of our Privacy Policy, or to raise any other issue, please e-mail us at info@gditty.com.

8. DELETING YOUR PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION

If you want to (a) delete your Personally Identifiable Information from our systems, (b) update the Personally Identifiable Information that you have provided to us, or (c) change your preferences with respect to contacts or other activities, you can email us at info@gditty.com. We try to promptly answer every email, but may not always be able to do so. Keep in mind, however, that there will be residual information that will remain within HopeLab databases, access logs and other records, which may or may not contain such personally identifiable information. HopeLab reserves the right, from time to time, to recontact former users of gDitty.com.

If you do not receive adequate resolution of a privacy-related problem or if you have any privacy-related questions, you may write to HopeLab's Privacy Help Desk at:

HopeLab Foundation Inc.
Attn: Privacy Help Desk
1991 Broadway, Suite 136
Redwood City, CA 94063

Or call us at: (650) 569-5900