Patch Privacy Policy

Planck, LLC, d/b/a Patch Media ("Patch", "we" or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy discloses our practices regarding information we collect and receive from users of the Patch.com desktop and mobile websites (the “Sites”), the Patch mobile applications (the “Apps”) and other services, such as emails, provided by Patch (collectively, the “Service”). Unless we state otherwise, any new features or functionality provided by Patch on the Sites and/or Apps are also part of the Service. By accessing or using the Service, whether through a personal computer, mobile device or any other means, or submitting any content or information for publication or distribution, you agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully before registering or using the Service or submitting any content. If you do not accept this Privacy Policy, you may not use the Service or submit any content.

Just like your local community, Patch and the Service are growing and changing every day, and thus this Privacy Policy is subject to change by Patch at any time. The most current version of this Privacy Policy can always be viewed on the Sites, and we will always let you know when the latest update occurred – just check the “Effective Date” at the end of the Privacy Policy posted on the Sites. If you keep using the Service or submit any content after the latest Effective Date, we assume that you have accepted the new Privacy Policy.

Information You Provide or We Collect

Patch receives information you choose to provide to us directly. We also collect information passively or automatically when you use the Service.

  • Information You Provide. In order to register or in connection with other uses of the Service, such as participation in contests, sweepstakes or promotions, subscribing to a Patch email newsletter, placing a classified or event, or to contact us with an inquiry or to report a problem, you may be asked to provide, or voluntarily provide, certain personally identifiable information, such as your name, email address, street address, telephone number or credit card number (“Personal Information”). You are not required to provide your Personal Information, but if you don’t, you may not be able to access or use parts of the Service.

    If you submit an email address or other Personal Information through an advertisement on the Service, Patch will share that information with the advertiser so that they may contact you directly. By providing your email address or other Personal Information in or in response to an advertisement on the Service, you may receive promotional emails or other communication from the advertiser. Patch does not control such communication, and information you provide to any third party is not subject to this Privacy Policy.

  • Information We Collect. Patch, its third party service providers, advertisers, advertising networks and platforms, agencies and other partners (“Partners”), may collect or receive information about you or your computer or other device used to access the Service. This information includes, without limitation, your IP address, browser type, operating system, Internet service provider, mobile network, type of mobile device, device identifiers and settings, browser settings, pages you have visited on the Service, location information, and your interaction with advertising and other data when you use the Service. Please see Cookies, Web Beacons and Similar Technologies for more information about how this information is collected and used.
  • Social Media Services. If you choose to connect to or access the Service with a social networking service, such as Facebook, Google+ or Twitter, we may share information about you with that service and they may share information with us, including Personal Information. You authorize us to collect, store and use that information for the purposes discussed in this Privacy Policy. Please refer to the privacy policies and Terms of Use for these third party services for information regarding how they use, disclose and otherwise handle your information.
  • Location Information. If you access or use the Service on a mobile device or through a mobile application, you may be asked to allow us to use services on your device, such as Wi-Fi, GPS or Bluetooth, to determine your location. You may choose not to provide location information by adjusting the settings on your device or the settings in the applicable App.

How We Use Your Information

    Patch and its Partners may use your information, including Personal Information, to:

  • Provide the Service to you, including providing technical and other support for the Service;
  • Communicate with you regarding the Service and respond to your inquiries and requests, such as subscriptions to Patch email newsletters;
  • Administer contests and sweepstakes, and notify you if you have won;
  • Enforce this Privacy Policy and the Patch Terms of Use, address fraud and other illegal activities, including claims of copyright infringement and protect your safety and the safety of other users of the Service;
  • For the purpose(s) for which you provide the information;
  • Deliver advertising and content that is customized to your individual behavior or demographic, based on your use of the Service and other online or mobile websites, apps and services;
  • Analyze your use of the Service and the performance of and your interactions with advertising and content provided on the Service; and
  • As you may otherwise agree or consent.

If you provide information, including Personal Information, through the Service, in your public profile or by posting or commenting online, such information is available to other users of the Service. Patch does not control use of your Personal Information or any other information by other persons. By posting or publishing your information on the Service, you assume the risk that the information you provide will be viewed and used by third parties.

Patch may also receive information about you that is publicly or commercially available, and we may combine that information with information we have collected or received by other means, including information about your use of the Service, for any of the purposes discussed in this Privacy Policy.

Patch and its Partners may use “cookies” or similar technology to associate your information with an identifier associated with your device or browser. We may also associate cookies with your information, including de-identified or anonymized information, for use by Patch or our Partners to send advertisements and offers based on your individual behavior and demographic information. Please see Cookies, Web Beacons and Similar Technologies for more information on our use of cookies.

How We Disclose Your Information

Patch may disclose your information, including Personal Information, to:

  • Our service providers or Partners who provide services to Patch, such as user support; marketing services; hosting; research and analytics; administration of contests and sweepstakes; sending or supporting advertising; and otherwise in connection with provision of the Service, and who have agreed to use your Personal Information only as described in this Privacy Policy.
  • In order to process a payment, Patch may provide information, including your personal information, to a third party payment processor(s). Patch is not responsible for any third party payment processor’s privacy practices.
  • In response to legal process such as a court order or subpoena or a request by law enforcement or a government agency, or as otherwise required by law.
  • In connection with investigation, prevention or action Patch may take, in our discretion, with respect to activities we believe may be illegal, or violate our Terms of Use or other policies, or an emergency that may pose a threat to your or another person’s safety, or as necessary to protect Patch’s rights and property.

We will not sell your Personal Information to any third party not affiliated with Patch without your consent, except in connection with the sale or merger of Patch or its assets or the division responsible for applicable services, or in the unlikely event of a bankruptcy.

If you participate in a contest or sweepstakes, or another part of the Service sponsored by a third party, the third party may obtain or collect information about you. Patch does not control how any such third party uses or discloses your information. Be sure to review third party privacy policies to find out how they will collect, use and disclose your information.

If you register with Patch and create a profile, the information you provide in your profile and the content you submit, such as posts, photographs and videos, and comments, and classifieds and events you place, will be publicly displayed and published on the Service. Information and content you submit (including classifieds and events) is subject to our Terms of Use.

Cookies, Web Beacons, and Similar Technologies

“Cookies” are pieces of information that may be placed on your computer’s browser or your device by a website or service to store your preferences, for the purpose of facilitating and enhancing your communication and interaction with that website or service or with other websites or services. Many websites, including Patch, may also use Flash cookies, or locally shared objects (“LSOs”), that operate similarly to browser cookies. Patch, or its Partners, may also use “web beacons,” clear GIFs or similar technologies, pieces of information placed on a service or email to track and collect information about user behavior, for example by counting the number of visitors to a web page, delivering a cookie to a user’s browser or tracking open rates, clicks and forwards.

Patch, or its Partners, may use cookies and similar technologies to customize your visit to or use of the Service, or to help us to enhance or improve the Service, for example by storing your password or delivering relevant advertising to you when you use the Service. We may also work with our Partners to use such technologies to help them provide advertisements to you when you visit other websites or applications, and to research and analyze how the Service is used, and user response to and interaction with advertisements.

Patch may work with our Partners to synchronize unique, non-personally identifiable identifiers in order to match our identifiers with those used by our Partners. These companies may collect and use non-personally identifiable information during your visits to or use of the Service and other websites and apps. The use of cookies, web beacons and similar technologies by such Partners and advertisers is not in Patch’s control and is subject to the privacy policies of such third parties.

By accessing or using the Service, you consent to Patch and its Partners using the cookies and other technologies described in this Privacy Policy, and similar technologies that may be developed in the future, to track your activities and use of the Service, including in emails we may send to you.

You may be able to set your browser to disable cookies or LSOs, or to refuse certain types of cookies or warn you before accepting cookies. And, LSOs using Adobe Flash can be managed using Flash management tools on the Adobe website. However, doing so may mean that certain parts of the Service may not work for you. Some Partners may use technologies other than cookies to recognize your computer or device or to collect information about your use of the Service or other websites or services, and you may not be able to block use of such technologies. Some browsers may transmit “do not track” signals to websites and online services. Patch does not currently take any action or respond to such signals.

Patch or its Partners may use mobile Software Development Kits (“SDKs”) to collect information, such as your IDFA or Android Advertising ID, and other information about how your device interacts with the Service. SDKs allow app developers to enable advertising, collection of data and related services and analytics in apps. Patch may use this technology to deliver, or to help Partners deliver, advertising through the Apps and other mobile applications and browsers based on information associated with your device. Depending on your device, you may be able to reset your device’s advertising identifier by accessing the privacy settings.

Advertising

Patch and its Partners use cookies, web beacons and similar technologies to provide you with advertising that is relevant to you. Some of the Patch Partners that may use cookies and similar technologies on the Service are listed below. We may update this list from time to time, so please review this Privacy Policy periodically.

Some of these third parties participate in programs intended to provide users with choices about whether and how to receive targeted advertising. You can learn more about these programs at the Network Advertising Initiative and Digital Advertising Alliance websites. Information about Google Analytics’ currently available opt-outs is available here. These websites are provided by third parties, not Patch. Patch does not control or operate these websites or the choices that our Partners, advertisers and others may provide through the tools offered on these websites.

Security

The security of your Personal Information is important to us. We have put in place reasonable physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard the information we collect. However, we cannot guarantee that communication between you and Patch, or information stored on the Service or our servers, will be free from unauthorized access, or will never be disclosed, modified or destroyed in a way that is not consistent with this Privacy Policy. By accessing or using the Service, you assume this risk.

Protection for Children

The Service is not directed at children and Patch does not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under the age of 13. If we become aware that Personal Information has been collected from a child under age 13, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as possible.

Other Websites

We may provide links to third-party websites and services from within the Service. These may include government websites, merchant websites, news websites and other websites and services not controlled by Patch and which may have privacy policies different than ours. Patch is not responsible for, and does not control, the privacy practices or content of these third-party websites. When you link away from our Service you do so at your own risk, and should read the privacy policies of such other websites.

Communications with Patch

By providing your email address or telephone number to Patch, you expressly consent to receive emails or texts from us. We may use email or text to communicate with you, to send information that you have requested or to send information about other products or services developed or provided by us; however, we will not give your email address or telephone number to another party to promote their products or services directly to you without your consent.

Any communication or material you transmit to us, by email or posting on the Service or other means, including any data, questions, comments, suggestions, or the like is, and will be, treated as, non-confidential and non-proprietary. Except to the extent expressly covered by this Privacy Policy, anything you transmit or post may be used by us for any purpose, including but not limited to, reproduction, disclosure, transmission, publication, broadcast and posting. Furthermore, you expressly agree that we are free to use any ideas, concepts, know-how, or techniques contained in any communication you send to us without compensation and for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to, developing, manufacturing and marketing products and services using such information.

If you prefer not to receive marketing emails from the Service, please follow the “unsubscribe” information included in any marketing email from the Service, or let us know as provided in Updating and Correcting Your Information. If you have signed up to receive text messages and no longer wish to receive such messages, please follow the instructions to stop the delivery of such messages, which may include replying “STOP” to the text message.

Updating and Correcting Your Information

If you are a registered user of the Service, you can unsubscribe or opt-out of any service or update your information by editing your user profile. You may also send unsubscribe or opt-out requests to us, at support@patch.com and we will process your request within a reasonable time after receipt. We are not responsible for removing your personal information from the lists of any third party, such as a Partner, who has previously been provided your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

California Residents

California’s "Shine the Light" law, Civil Code section 1798.83, requires certain businesses to respond to requests from California residents asking about practices related to disclosing Personal Information to third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes. Alternately, businesses may have in place a policy not to disclose Personal Information to third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes if the customer has opted-out of such information-sharing. Patch has such a policy. If you wish to opt-out of sharing of your Personal Information with third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes or to find out more about your opt-out rights, please contact us at support@patch.com.

International Transfer

The Service is maintained in the USA and is governed by and operated in accordance with the laws of the USA. By accessing or using the Service, you freely and specifically give Patch your consent to export your Personal Information to the USA and to collect, transfer, store, process and use your Personal Information in the USA as specified in this Privacy Policy and in accordance with the laws of the USA, which may differ from those of your country of residence.

Terms of Use

Use of the Service, and this Privacy Policy, is subject to our Terms of Use, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Changes to Privacy Policy

We reserve the right, at our discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions from this Privacy Policy at any time. We will post any changes here. Your continued use of the Service following the posting of any changes to this Privacy Policy means you accept such changes.

How to Contact Patch

If you have questions or concerns relating to this Privacy Policy or privacy for the Service, please contact us at: Planck, LLC, d/b/a Patch Media 134 W. 29th Street, 11th Floor New York, NY 10001 Email: support@patch.com

Effective Date

This Privacy Policy was last updated August 31, 2016.