This policy describes the ways we collect, store, use and protect the personal information of the users of our website, located at www.vakow.com ("Site") or when they access our service through phone, IM, or email. You accepted this policy when you signed up or subscribed to our Service. We may amend this policy at any time by posting a revised version on our website. The revised version will be effective at the time we post it. In addition, if the revised version includes a substantial change, we will provide you with 30 days' prior notice by posting notice of the change on the "Policy Updates" page of our website.
If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy or our use of your personally identifiable information, please contact us at privacy@vakow.com.
How we collect information about you
When you visit www.vakow.com "website", we collect your IP address and standard web log information, such as your browser type and the pages you accessed on our website.
If you register with us, you'll be asked to provide us with certain personally identifiable information. This may include your username, password, location, date of birth, phone number, email address and other similar information.
Additionally, we may ask you to provide your full name, photo, your URL, bio, interests and other such things. Though optional, this information may help you better identify yourself and find new friends and opportunities through Vakow!.
Some of your personal information (username, photo, location etc.) may be visible to others depending on your privacy settings. If you subscribe to a user or a tag and you're not a registered member, we will store your phone number and information that we may ask you on phone.
Finally, we may collect additional information from or about you in other ways not specifically described here. For example, we may collect information related to you when you contact our customer support team or store results when you respond to a survey.
How we use cookies
When you access our website, we, or companies we hire to track how our website is used, may place small data files called "cookies" on your computer.
We send a "session cookie" to your computer when you log in to your account. This type of cookie helps us to recognize you if you visit multiple pages on our site during the same session, so that we don't need to ask you for your password on each page. Once you log out or close your browser, this cookie expires and no longer has any effect.
We also use longer-lasting cookies to display your e-mail address on our sign-in form, so that you don't need to retype the e-mail address each time you log in to your account.
We encode our cookies so that only we can interpret the information stored in them. You are free to decline our cookies if your browser permits, but doing so may interfere with your use of our website.
How we protect and store personal information
Throughout this policy, we use the term "personal information" to describe information that can be associated with a specific person and can be used to identify that person. We do not consider personal information to include information that has been anonymized so that it does not identify a specific user.
We use reasonable measures to protect member information that is stored within our database, and we restrict access to member information to those employees who need access to perform their job functions, such as our customer service personnel and technical staff.
Please note that we cannot guarantee the security of member account information. Unauthorized entry or use, hardware or software failure, and other factors may compromise the security of member information at any time By using this site, you agree that we will have no liability for disclosure of your information due to errors in transmission or unauthorized acts of third parties.
For any additional information about the security measures we use at Vakow!, please email us at privacy@vakow.com
How we use the personal information we collect
Our primary purpose in collecting personal information is to provide you with a safe, smooth, efficient, and customized experience. We may use your personal information to:
customize, measure, and improve our services and the content and layout of our website; provide the services and customer support you request;
resolve disputes and troubleshoot problems;
prevent potentially prohibited or illegal activities, and enforce our User Agreement;
send you targeted marketing, service update notices, and promotional offers based on your communication preferences;
How we share personal information with other Vakow! users and non-members
Some parts of the site (e.g. your profile page) are visible to all and hence your photo, name, location, age etc. may be visible to them. Certain features on the site may allow you to share some content with non-members or invite non-members to the website in which case we may have to divulge your name, phone number or email address (depending on the medium you choose) to the invitee.
How we share personal information with other parties
We may share your personal information with:
Members of our corporate family to help detect and prevent potentially illegal acts, provide joint services and for other business purposes. However, these corporate affiliates will not use this information to market their services to you unless you have approved it.
Service providers under contract who help with parts of our business operations; (fraud prevention, bill collection, marketing, technology services). Our contracts dictate that these service providers only use your information in connection with the services they perform for us and not for their own benefit.
Financial institutions that we partner with to jointly create and offer a product. These financial institutions may only use this information to market Vakow! related products, unless you have given consent for other uses.
Companies that we plan to merge with or be acquired by. (Should such a combination occur, we will require that the new combined entity follow this privacy policy with respect to your personal information. If your personal information could be used contrary to this policy, you will receive prior notice.)
Law enforcement, government officials, or other third parties when:
we are compelled to do so by a subpoena, court order or similar legal procedure
we need to do so to comply with law
we believe in good faith that the disclosure of personal information is necessary to prevent physical harm or financial loss, to report suspected illegal activity, or to investigate violations of our User Agreement.
Vakow! will not sell or rent any of your personal information to third parties in the normal course of doing business and only shares your personal information with third parties as described in this policy.
Links to other Websites or mention of other phone numbers
Our site contain links to other websites. The fact that we link to a website is not an endorsement, authorization or representation of our affiliation with that third party. We do not exercise control over third party websites. These other websites may place their own cookies or other files on your computer, collect data or solicit personally identifiable information from you. Other sites follow different rules regarding the use or disclosure of the personally identifiable information you submit to them. We encourage you to read the privacy policies or statements of the other websites you visit.
Our website or messages (email or SMSes) that you receive from us may contain third party phone numbers (10 digit phone numbers or a shortcode). Like 3rd party links, we exercise no control on the privacy policy of these 3rd party phone numbers. You are advised to read their privacy policy or statements before messaging or calling them.
How you can access or change your personal information
You can review your personal information and make any necessary changes, at any time by logging in to your account and changing your preferences in the "Settings" section.
Our Policy towards Children
We do not knowingly collect or use any Personal Information from children that we know to be under the age of 13. In addition, we will delete any information in our database that we know originates from a child under the age of 13. The site is directed to persons of or above the age of 18. Prospective users between the ages of 13 and 17 can only use the Vakow! Services under their parents or legal guardian's supervision. If a parent or a guardian believes that his or her child has provided us with personally identifiable information without their consent, they should contact us at privacy@vakow.com.
How you can contact us about privacy questions
If you have questions or concerns regarding this policy, you should contact us by emailing us at privacy@vakow.com
