(Last updated: January 4th 2006)
Microsoft is committed to protecting your privacy. This privacy statement
explains data collection and use practices of the Microsoft
Gadgets site (the “Site”) hosted for Microsoft by ORCSWEB; it does not
apply to other online or offline Microsoft sites, products or services. By
accessing the Site, you are consenting to the information collection and use
practices described in this privacy statement.
Collecting Your Personal Information
We will ask you when we need information that personally identifies you or
allows us to contact you. The personal information we collect may include your
name, title, company or organization name, work e-mail, work phone, work or
home address, information about your job function, information about your
company, and credit card information.
The Site may collect certain information about your visit, such as the name of
the Internet service provider and the Internet Protocol (IP) address through
which you access the Internet; the date and time you access the Site; the pages
that you access while at the Site and the Internet address of the Web site from
which you linked directly to our site. This information is used for the
operation and improvement of the Site.
Use of Your Personal Information
The personal information collected on this Site will be used to operate the
Site and to provide the service(s) or carry out the transaction(s) you have
requested or authorized.
In support of these uses, Microsoft may use personal information to provide you
with more effective customer service, to improve the Site and any related
Microsoft products or services, and to make the Site easier to use by
eliminating the need for you to repeatedly enter the same information or by
customizing the Site to your particular preference or interests.
We may use your personal information to provide you with important information
about the product or service that you are using, including critical updates and
notifications. Additionally, with your permission, we may send you information
about other Microsoft products and services, and/or share information with
Microsoft partners so they may send you information about their products and
services.
Microsoft occasionally hires other companies to provide limited services on our
behalf, such as Web site hosting, packaging, mailing and delivering prizes,
answering customer questions about products and services, and sending
information about our products, special offers, and other new services. We will
only provide those companies the personal information they need to deliver the
service. They are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information
and are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose.
Microsoft may disclose personal information if required to do so by law or in
the good faith belief that such action is necessary to (a) conform to the
edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Microsoft or the Site;
(b) protect and defend the rights or property of Microsoft and our family of
Web sites; or (c) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of
Microsoft employees or agents, users of Microsoft products or services, or
members of the public.
Personal information collected on the Site may be stored and processed in the
United States or any other country in which Microsoft or its affiliates,
subsidiaries or agents maintain facilities, and by using the Site, you consent
to any such transfer of information outside of your country. Microsoft abides
by the safe harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce
regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union.
Control of Your Personal Information
Except as otherwise described in this statement, personal information you
provide on the Site will not be shared outside of Microsoft and its controlled
subsidiaries and affiliates without your permission.
Please be aware that this privacy statement and any choices you make on the Site
will not necessarily apply to personal information you may have provided to
Microsoft in the context of other, separately operated, Microsoft products or
services.
Access to Your Personal Information
Customer information is collected by ORCSWEB, a Microsoft vendor. It is stored
at ORCSWEB, plus sent back to Microsoft. You can review and edit the personal
information you provided at this Site by sending e-mail to
support@orcsweb.com or writing to:
ORCSWEB, Inc.
PMB 248
3020-I Prosperity Church Road
Charlotte NC 28269
Security of Your Personal Information
Microsoft is committed to protecting the security of your personal information.
We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your
personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For example,
we store the personal information you provide on computer servers with limited
access that are located in controlled facilities. Additionally, when we
transmit sensitive personal information (such as a credit card number) over the
Internet, we protect it through the use of encryption, such as the Secure
Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.
Cookies
We use cookies on this Site to ensure the integrity of the registration process
and to personalize the Site. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on
your hard disk by a Web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or
deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can
only be read by a Web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.
One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to
save you time. For example, if you personalize a web page, or navigate within a
site, a cookie helps the site to recall your specific information on subsequent
visits. This simplifies the process of delivering relevant content, eases site
navigation, and so on. When you return to the web site, the information you
previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use the site's features
that you customized.
You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers
automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting
to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not
be able to fully experience the interactive features of this or other web sites
you visit.
Use of Microsoft Passport
This Site uses .NET Passport to provide sign-in and registration services. In
order to sign in to this Site using .NET Passport, you will be asked to type
your e-mail address and a password. This same Passport sign-in allows you to
access many other Passport participating sites and services. If you create a
.NET Passport at this site, you are simultaneously registering with this Site
and opening a .NET Passport account. To learn more about the Passport service,
the information stored in the Passport profile, and how Passport uses and helps
to protect your personal information, please read the .NET Passport privacy
statement at
http://www.passport.net/Consumer/PrivacyPolicy.asp?PPlcid=1033.
Changes to This Privacy Statement
We may occasionally update this privacy statement. When we do, we will also
revise the "last updated" date at the top of the privacy statement. For
material changes to this privacy statement, we will notify you either by
placing a prominent notice on the home page of our web site or by directly
sending you a notification. We encourage you to periodically review this
privacy statement to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the
personal information we collect. Your continued use of the service constitutes
your agreement to this privacy statement and any updates.
Contact Information
Microsoft welcomes your comments regarding this privacy statement. If you
believe that Microsoft has not adhered to this privacy statement, please
contact us by e-mail at gadgetms@microsoft.com
or via postal mail at the address provided below, and we will use commercially
reasonable efforts to promptly determine and remedy the problem.
MicrosoftGadgets.com Privacy
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, Washington 98052-6399