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If you have general questions about Megaphone’s policies or terms, please email contact@megaphone.fm.

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: May 25, 2018

Megaphone LLC (“Megaphone,” “we,” or “us”) is committed to bringing you services and communications tailored to your individual needs while respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and disclose information through our websites, mobile applications, and other online services and products that link to or post this Privacy Policy, and when you access our podcasts (whether through our services or third-party services), collectively referred to hereafter as “Services”. Please read the entire Privacy Policy before using our Services. By using the Services, you consent to the terms of this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service.

Our services directed to children are governed by separate terms that are set forth below in our Children’s Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide

We may collect information you provide directly via the Services, including certain Personal Information (defined below). We may ask you for some or all of the following types of information when you register with our Services, access various content or features, register for contests or sweepstakes, submit comments and other content, order products, or directly contact us with questions or feedback:

Contact information, such as name, e-mail address, postal address, and telephone number;
User name, display name, and password;
Demographic information, such as age information and gender;
Payment information, such as credit card number and expiration date;
Communications preferences;
Search queries;
Stories, comments, photos, and other information posted in our interactive online features;
Correspondence and other information that you send to us; and
Additional information as otherwise described to you at the point of collection or pursuant to your consent.

The information you provide may include Personal Information. "Personal Information" is information that can be used to identify you (whether alone or in combination). Personal Information once “de-identified” so that it cannot be linked back to you is not subject to this Privacy Policy and we may treat it as non-Personal Information and use it without obligation to you except as prohibited by applicable law.

B. Information Automatically Collected

We also may collect certain information automatically when you use the Services (“Usage Information”), including:

Your browser type and operating system;
Your Internet Protocol (IP) address, which is the number automatically assigned to your computer whenever you access the Internet and that can sometimes be used to derive your general geographic area;
Geolocation information;
Other unique identifiers, including mobile device identification numbers;
Sites you visited before and after visiting the Services;
Pages you view and links you click on within the Services;
Information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other technologies;
Information about your interactions with e-mail messages, such as the links clicked on and whether the messages were opened or forwarded; and
Standard Server Log Information.

Except to the extent required by applicable law, Megaphone does not consider Usage Information to be Personal Information. However, Usage Information may be combined with your Personal Information that we collect. To the extent that we combine Usage Information with your Personal Information, we will treat the combined information as Personal Information under this Privacy Policy.

We may use cookies, pixel tags, Local Shared Objects (sometimes referred to as “Flash Cookies”), and other technologies to automatically collect Usage Information as described below.

Cookies, Pixel Tags, and Local Shared Objects

Cookies are small bits of information that are stored by your computer’s web browser. You can decide if and how your computer will accept a cookie by configuring your preferences or options in your browser. However, if you choose to reject cookies, you may not be able to use certain online products, services or features on the Services.

Pixel tags are very small images or small pieces of data embedded in images, also known as “web beacons” or “clear GIFs,” that can recognize cookies, the time and date a page is viewed, a description of the page where the pixel tag is placed, and similar information from your computer or device.

Local Shared Objects (sometimes referred to as “Flash Cookies”) are similar to standard cookies except that they can be larger and are downloaded to a computer or mobile device by the Adobe Flash media player. Please note that you may need to take additional steps beyond changing your browser settings to refuse or disable Local Shared Objects and similar technologies. For example, Local Shared Objects can be controlled through the instructions on Adobe’s Setting Manager page. If you choose to refuse, disable, or delete these technologies, some of the functionality of the Services may no longer be available to you.

Embedded Scripts

An embedded script is programming code designed to collect information about your interactions with the Services. It is temporarily downloaded onto your device from our web server or a third party with whom we work, is active only while you are connected to the Services, and deleted or deactivated thereafter.

Location-identifying Technologies

GPS (global positioning systems) software, geo-filtering, and other location-aware technologies locate (sometimes precisely) you for purposes such as verifying your location and delivering or restricting relevant content based on your location.

Device Fingerprinting

Device fingerprinting is the process of analyzing and combining sets of information elements from your device’s browser, such as JavaScript objects and installed fonts, in order to create a “fingerprint” of your device and uniquely identify your device and applications.

In-App Tracking Methods

There are a variety of tracking technologies that may be included in mobile applications, and these are not browser-based like cookies and cannot be controlled by browser settings. Some use device identifier, or other identifiers such as “Ad IDs” to associate app user activity to a particular app and to track user activity across apps. You can stop all collection of information via our mobile applications by uninstalling them. Also, you may be able to exercise specific privacy choices, such as enabling or disabling certain location-based services, by adjusting the permissions in your mobile device.

For further information on tracking technologies and your choices regarding them, please see Section 7 below.

C. Information from Other Sources.

We may obtain information about you from other sources, including service providers and third-party services, and combine such information with information we have collected about you. To the extent we combine such third party sourced information with Personal Information we have collected about you on the Services, we will treat the combined information as Personal Information under this Privacy Policy. We are not responsible for the accuracy of any information provided by third parties or third-party policies or practices.

2. Purposes of Processing

Megaphone processes Personal Information to: (i) deliver Services you request, (ii) when you provide your explicit consent, (iii) for our legitimate business interests such securing and protecting the integrity of our Services, and Service development; and (iv) as permitted to meet applicable legal requirements.

3. Use of Information

We may use information that we collect through the Services for a variety of purposes, including to:

Provide you with the products, promotions, services, newsletters, and information you request and respond to correspondence that we receive from you;
Customize and personalize your use of the Services;
Contact you via email, text message (subject to an opt-in by you) or otherwise about products, services, and events that we think might be of interest to you, unless you have opted out;
Contact you with surveys, legal notices, and other information that may be relevant to your use of the Services;
Maintain or administer the Services, perform business analyses, or for other internal purposes to improve the quality of our business, the Services, and other products and services we offer;
Publish stories, comments, and other information posted in our interactive online features;
Process employment applications and inquiries;
To show you relevant ads both on our Services and elsewhere, and measure the effectiveness and reach of ads; and
As otherwise described to you at the point of collection or pursuant to your consent.

4. Sharing of Information

We want you to understand when and with whom we may share the information we collect, including Personal Information. We may share information that we collect through the Services with third parties as follows:

Corporate Parents, Affiliates, and Subsidiaries. We may share your information with our corporate parents, subsidiaries, and other affiliated entities for a variety of purposes, including business, operational, and marketing purposes;
Service Providers. We may share your information with our agents and service providers that perform certain functions or services on our behalf, such as to host the Services, manage databases, host a store or other e-commerce platform, perform analyses, or send communications for us;
Select Business Partners. We may share your information, including Personal Information, with select business partners so that they can provide you with special offers, promotional materials, advertisements and other materials that may be of interest to you. However, Megaphone is not responsible for the privacy practices of these business partners, which may use your information for their own purposes;
Other Parties When Required by Law or as Necessary to Protect the Services. We may disclose your information to third parties in order to protect the legal rights, safety, and security of Megaphone, our corporate parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries, and the users of our Services; enforce our Terms of Service; prevent fraud (or for risk management purposes); and comply with or respond to law enforcement or legal process or a request for cooperation by a government or other entity, whether or not legally required;
In Connection with a Transfer of Assets. If we sell all or part of our business, or make a sale or transfer of assets, or are otherwise involved in a merger or business transfer, or in the event of bankruptcy, we may transfer your information to one or more third parties as part of that transaction;
Other Parties with Your Consent. We may share information about you with third parties when you consent to such sharing, including when you post information to a user profile or a public area of the Services, such as a chat room, forum, blog, or other community tool; and
Aggregate Information. We may disclose to third parties information that does not describe or identify individual users, such as aggregate website usage data or demographic reports.

5. Social Networking Services

Megaphone has worked with certain third-party social media providers to offer you their social networking services through our Services. For example, you can use third-party social networking services, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, and others to share information about your experience on our Services with your friends and followers on those social networking services. These social networking services may be able to collect information about you, including your activity on our Services. These third-party social networking services also may notify your friends, both on our Services and on the social networking services themselves, that you are a user of our Services or about your use of our Services, in accordance with applicable law and their own privacy policies. If you choose to access or make use of third-party social networking services, we may receive information about you that you have made available to those social networking services, including information about your contacts on those social networking services.

You also may be able to link an account from a social networking service (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) to an account through our Services. This may allow you to use your credentials from the other site or service to sign in to certain features on our Services. If you link your account from a third-party site or service, we may collect information from those third-party accounts, and any information that we collect will be governed by this Privacy Policy.

6. Links to Third Party Sites and Services

The Services may contain links to other websites or online services that are operated and maintained by third parties and that are not under the control of or maintained by Megaphone. Such links do not constitute an endorsement by Megaphone of those other websites, the content displayed therein, or the persons or entities associated therewith. This Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party content. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these third-party websites or services.

7. Analytics and Advertising Tracking Technologies

We may allow third parties to place and read their own cookies, web beacons, Local Shared Objects, and other technologies to collect information through the Services. For example, our third-party service providers may use these technologies to collect information (i) that helps us with traffic measurement, research, and analytics, and (ii) that is used to serve advertisements on our Services and across the Internet tailored to your apparent interests. To the extent we combine information from third party services with Personal Information we collect directly from you on the Services, we will treat the combined information as Personal Information under this Privacy Policy. Otherwise, the information collected and stored by third parties remains subject to their policies and practices, including whether they continue to share information with us, the types of information shared, and your choices on what is visible to others on third party services.

You may exercise choices regarding the use of cookies from Google Analytics by going to http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout or downloading the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

We advise you that our Services collect information, including Personal Information, for purposes of Online Behavioral Advertising. Accordingly, we adhere to the Digital Advertising Alliance’s (“DAA”) Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising (“DAA Principles”), and we require the advertisers and service providers that perform advertising-related services for us to similarly adhere to the DAA Principles. To learn more about how you can exercise certain choices regarding Online Behavioral Advertising, visit http://www.aboutads.info/choices, and http://www.aboutads.info/appchoices for information on the DAA’s opt-out program for mobile apps. Some of these companies may also be members of the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”). To learn more about the NAI and your opt-out options for their members, see http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/.

More information about our specific Online Behavioral Advertising practices can be found at http://megaphone.fm/adchoices as well as from our partner, Exelate (A Nielsen Company), at http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/privacy-statement/digital-measurement.html#choices. You can opt out of certain Online Behavioral Practices at http://exelate.com/privacy/opt-in-opt-out/.

Please be aware that, even if you are able to opt out of certain kinds of Online Behavioral Advertising, you may continue to receive other types of ads. Opting out only means that those selected members should no longer deliver certain interest-based advertising to you but does not mean you will no longer receive any targeted content and/or ads (e.g., from other ad networks). Megaphone is not responsible for effectiveness of, or compliance with, any third-parties’ opt-out options or programs or the accuracy of their statements regarding their programs.

8. Communications Preferences

You may choose to receive promotional communications (including emails and text messages), newsletters, and similar communications from us. We will not sell, rent, swap or authorize any third party to use your email or text address for their own commercial purposes without your permission. You may opt out of receiving certain promotional communications from us at any time by (i) for promotional emails, by clicking on the opt-out or “unsubscribe” link included in the commercial e-mails you receive or e-mailing us at contact@megaphone.fm; and (ii) for text messages, following the instructions provided in text messages from us to text the word “STOP”. Please note that your opt-out is limited to the e-mail address or phone number used and will not affect subsequent subscriptions. Opt-out requests for e-mail may take up to 10 business days to be effective. Your opt-out request will not apply to messages that you request or e-mails that are not commercial in nature.

9. Do Not Track

Some web browsers may transmit “do-not-track” signals to the websites with which the user communicates. Because of differences in how web browsers incorporate and activate this feature, it is not always clear whether users intend for these signals to be transmitted, or whether they even are aware of them. Because there currently is no industry standard concerning what, if anything, websites should do when they receive such signals, Megaphone currently does not take action in response to these signals. For more information on “do-not-track,” visit http://www.allaboutdnt.com.

10. Your California Privacy Rights

Pursuant to California’s “Shine The Light” law, California residents are entitled once a year, free of charge, to request and obtain certain information regarding our disclosure, if any, of certain categories of Personal Information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year. You may request this disclosure information at contact@megaphone.fm and indicate in the email subject line “California Shine The Light Request” so that we can process your request. Please include your mailing address, state of residence and email address with your request.

11. Children’s Privacy Policy

This section describes how we collect, use, and disclose information through our websites, mobile applications, and other online services and products that link to or post this Privacy Policy, and when you access our podcasts (whether through our services or third-party services) that are directed to children under the age of 13 (collectively, “Child Services”), including the website and mobile app for Pinna (http://pinna.fm). Our practices are designed to address the requirements of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and other applicable laws. To learn more about COPPA, you may consult this simple one-page informational guide from the kidSAFE Seal Program: http://www.kidsafeseal.com/knowaboutcoppa.html.

A. What information does Megaphone collect from children and for what purpose?

As a general matter, Megaphone’s Services are not directed to children under the age of 13 in the US or for children under the age of 16 in the European Union (EU). For those Services, Megaphone does not knowingly collect any Personal Information from children under the age of 13 in the US or under the age of 16 in the EU for Megaphone’s Child Services, including Pinna, Megaphone may collect information from users as follows:

When users interact with our Child Services, persistent identifiers (such as an IP address, unique device identifier, or other similar identifier) may automatically be collected from users, either by Megaphone or by a third party on behalf of Megaphone. Persistent identifiers are used to support the internal operations of our Child Services, which may include maintaining and analyzing our Child Services, performing network communications, authenticating users, personalizing content, serving contextual advertising, capping the frequency of advertising, and protecting the security or integrity of the Child Services;
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To the extent that we wish to collect persistent identifiers from users of a Child Service for any purpose other than to support the internal operations of the service, we will first notify parents and (if necessary) obtain their verifiable consent to do so; and
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Push Notifications. Push notifications allow mobile and other devices to receive and display alerts from an app even when the app is not in use. In the event the user of a device with a Child Service app elects to receive push notifications from us, Megaphone (1) may collect device identifiers from the user for the purpose of sending push notifications regarding account-related issues, new content and features, and other child-appropriate information related to the Child Service, and (2) will make reasonable efforts to ensure that the user’s parent or guardian receives notice that their child has requested push notifications and will provide an opportunity for the parent or guardian to disable that feature.

B. Who is collecting or maintaining Personal Information from children?

The above information may be collected by Megaphone as well as third-party operators that provide analytics and other support for the internal operations of our Child Services.

C. Will any Personal Information be made public or shared with others?

We do not allow children to make their Personal Information publicly available.

We may share our users’ Personal Information with third-party vendors with whom we work to support the internal operations of our services.

To the extent permitted by law, we also may disclose a child’s Personal Information to protect the security or integrity of our Services, take precautions against liability, respond to judicial process, or provide information to law enforcement agencies or for an investigation on a matter related to public safety.

D. How can parents review, delete or stop the further collection of their children’s Personal Information?

At any time, parents can review or have deleted any of their children’s Personal Information or refuse to permit the further collection or use of their children’s Personal Information. To request any of the above, parents can contact us at the following email address, phone number or mailing address:

email: contact@megaphone.fm | phone: 646-693-5823

Megaphone LLC
Contact Person: Legal Department
1255 23rd St. NW
Suite 650
Washington DC, 20037

In any such request, please include the parent’s email address associated with the account. To protect children’s privacy and security, we will take reasonable steps to help verify a parent’s identity before granting access to any Personal Information.

12. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect your Personal Information against accidental or intentional destruction or loss, and unauthorized disclosure or access. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account password and for any access to or use of the Services or Child Services using your password, whether or not authorized by you. Please notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security.

13. Data Storage and Retention

Your Personal Information is stored on our servers and on the servers of database management service providers that we have engaged which are located in the United States. We retain data for the duration of the relationship you have with us.

14. Accuracy of Personal Information

While we take various steps to ensure the accuracy and completeness of your Personal Information, we rely upon you to provide accurate and complete Information when interacting with us.

15. Your Rights in Connection with Your Personal Information

Under certain circumstances, and as required by applicable law you have the right to:

Request access to your Personal Information. This enables you to receive a copy of the Personal Information we hold about you.
Request correction of any incomplete or inaccurate Personal Information that we hold about you.
Request erasure of your Personal Information when there is no need for us continuing to process it or you have exercised your right to object to processing (see below).
Object to processing of your Personal Information where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground.
Request the restriction of processing of your Personal Information to suspend the processing, for example if you want us to verify its accuracy or the reason for processing it.
Request the transfer of your Personal Information to another party.

If you want to exercise any of these rights, please contact using the information in the “Contact Us” section of this Privacy Policy. Valid requests will be honored within 30 calendar days of request. This 30-day period may be extended for another 2 months, as permitted by law, for complex requests with notification of the reasons for the extension to you.

You will not have to pay a fee to access your Personal Information (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request for access is unfounded or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with the request in such circumstances. In addition, there may be requests that we are unable to process because of other EU legal requirements. If a request is denied, we will notify you of the reason.

We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access the information (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is another appropriate security measure to ensure that Personal Information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it.

If you are located in the EU, you have the right to lodge a complaint with an EU Supervisory Authority. However, if you have a complaint regarding the processing of your Personal Information we request that you first contact us and we will reply on timely basis.

If you have a rights request, please contact us using the information in the “Contact Us” section of this Privacy Policy.

16. International Transfers of Personal Information

Please be aware that the Personal Information we collect may be transferred to and maintained on servers or databases located outside your state, province, country, or other jurisdiction, where the privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your location. If you are located outside of the United States, please be advised that we process and store personal data in the United States.

17. Data Controller

As it pertains to users of our Services located in the EU, the controller of your Personal Information is Megaphone, 15 MetroTech, 8th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA.

18. Privacy Policy Updates

We may modify this Privacy Policy at any time by posting revisions to the Privacy Policy or other appropriate notice. Your continued use of the Services or after any modification to the Privacy Policy will constitute your acknowledgement of the new terms and conditions. If any changes are made to the Privacy Policy that would affect information collected from or about children in a way that would require parental consent under COPPA, we will obtain such consent from a parent or legal guardian.

19. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you may contact us at the following email address, phone number or mailing address: