Directory Critic respects each individual's right to personal privacy. Because we gather certain types of information about our
users, we feel you should fully understand the terms and conditions surrounding the capture and use of that information.
This privacy statement discloses what information we gather and how we use it.
Directory Critic gathers 2 types of information from visitors:
Information that users provide through optional, voluntary submissions. These are voluntary submissions to receive our electronic newsletters,
to participate in our message boards or forums, become a members and submit thier directories, participate in polls and rate the directories
we have on our list.
Information Directory Critic gathers through aggregated tracking information derived mainly by tallying page views throughout
this site. This information allows us to better tailor our content to readers' needs and to help our advertisers and sponsors
better understand the demographics of our audience. Because Directory Critic derives its revenue mainly from sponsorships and
advertising, providing such aggregated demographic data is essential to keeping our service free to users. Under no circumstances
does Directory Critic divulge any information about an individual user to a third party.
Directory Critic Gathers User Information In The Following Processes:
Submitting a directory and becoming a member of Directory Critic. When you become a member of Directory Critic we store login details and your email
address in our database. You can chose to terminate your account at any time and your details will be removed from our database.
When you rate a directory. When you rate a directory your nickname, email address and ip address wil be stored in our database. We use this
information to keep track to which directories you are rating and to prevent manipulation of our rating system. A cookie will also be
placed on your computer. This cookie is also to track which directories you have rated.
We may over time offer visitor polls and competitions. In this case the details you enter to vote may be stored in our database and used for in house
marketing purposes only. You may ask to have this information removed at any time.
Children
Consistent with the Federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), we will never
knowingly request personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13 without requesting
parental consent.
Usage Tracking
Directory Critic tracks user traffic patterns throughout this site. However, we do not correlate this information with
data about individual users. Directory Critic does break down overall usage statistics according to a user's domain name,
browser type, and MIME type by reading this information from the browser string (information contained in every user's browser).
Directory Critic sometimes tracks and catalogs the search terms that users enter in our Search function, but this tracking
is never associated with individual users. We use tracking information to determine which areas of our sites users
like and don't like based on traffic to those areas. We do not track what individual users read, but rather how well
each page performs overall. This helps us continue to build a better service for you.
Cookies
We may place a text file called a "cookie" in the browser files of your computer. The cookie itself does not contain Personal
Information. We only set cookies to track visitors that are rating directories. The cookies have an expiration date of 30 days. You can
choose to turn cookies off in your browser, however you will not be able to rate directories if you do so.
Use of information
Directory Critic uses the information we collect in 2 ways. The information voluntarily submitted by the visitor (for example members signing up) is
used to manage the visitors account at Directory Critic. The demographic information is used to improve the service we offer our visitors.
Sharing of information
Directory Critic uses the above-described information to tailor our content to suit your needs and to better understand our audience's
demographics. This is essential to keeping our service free. We will not share information about individual users with any third party,
except to comply with applicable law or valid legal process or to protect the personal safety of our users or the public.
Security
Directory Critic operates secure data networks protected by industry standard firewall and password protection systems. Our security
and privacy policies are periodically reviewed and enhanced as necessary and only authorized individuals have access to
the information provided by our customers. All sensitive information in our databases is encrypted using 1 way 128bit
encryption technology.
Consent
By using this site, you consent to the collection and use of this information by Directory Critic. If we decide to change our
privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page so that you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use
it, and under what circumstances we disclose it.
