Privacy Statement How IT Discover ( itdiscover.com) handles your private data The IT Discover is committed to protecting the privacy of users of the IT Discover sites. We intend to give you as much control as possible over your personal information, including registration data. As part of the normal operation of the IT Discover sites, we collect information from you. This Privacy Statement describes the information we collect about you and how that information may be used. Information Gathered through the IT Discover Currently, IT Discover uses personal information as a basis for notifications to users. Generally, the user names, email addresses, and any additional information that a user may choose to post are publicly available on the IT Discover sites. When users voluntarily and publicly disclose personal information that may contain Registration Data or otherwise post personal information in conjunction with content subject to a license, such personal information necessarily will be disclosed subject to the terms of the applicable license. An example of such a disclosure includes, but is not limited to, a user's disclosure of personal information as part of a message posted to a public message forum, or a publicly-released software application. IT Discover may conduct surveys or other studies of its user base and usage for marketing and planning purposes. Participation in such surveys is at the user's option, but IT Discover does reserve the right to conduct mandatory surveys in the future. With respect to information collected from such surveys or studies, and in the event that responses are to be publicly disclosed, users will be notified at the time they take the survey and IT Discover will disclose only aggregate information regarding its users and not personal information identifying any specific individual. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in cases where surveys allow users to submit written comments, and where IT Discover advises users of the possibility of such disclosure at the time they take the survey, IT Discover reserves the right to disclose text information provided by any user through such a survey, provided that no personal information identifying that user is disclosed. Circumstances under which IT Discover would publicly disclose aggregate information include, but are not limited to, sharing survey results with the site population, providing data to IT Discover advertisers on user preferences and/or demographics, business planning, and publicizing overall usage data in press communications. Cookies: IT Discover employs "cookies" to provide users with tailored information. A "cookie" is an element of data that a website, when visited by a user, sends to that user's browser which, in turn, may store that element on the user's hard drive or memory. IT Discover uses cookies to better serve users of our IT Discover sites; any cookies sent by x-mode will be marked so that they will be accessible only by the IT Discover sites subject to this Privacy Statement. However, at his or her option and at his or her sole expense and responsibility, any user may block or delete our cookies from his or her hard drive. However, by disabling cookies, certain site features and functionality may no longer work properly, or at all. Other Notification: IT Discover may use user-provided e-mail addresses to contact users on an individual basis. At no time, unless such disclosure is required by law, a governmental agency, or specifically authorized by the user, will IT Discover disclose individual user personal information to unreated third parties that is not publicly available. Links with other sites The IT Discover sites contains links to other websites, whether owned or controlled by IT Discover affiliates, or unrelated third parties. Please note that the privacy policies of these sites may differ from those of the IT Discover sitea. IT Discover is not responsible for the privacy policies and practices of any linked website. We encourage you to read the privacy statement of any website you may visit. Choice "Opt-in" Emails: Users may "opt-in" to receive site notifications, newsletters, or other information via email. Users may remove themselves from such services at their discretion. Any email sent to an "opt-in" list will include directions for how a user may remove himself or herself from the list, or a URL where the user may find such directions. Profile Display: In some cases, users' personal information may be publicly available through a user's profile display. In such cases, users have the option to opt out of publicly displaying their personal information, including e-mail addresses. Users may also enlist this technique when posing comments on the IT Discover sites. In cases where site profiles allow users to display optional information publicly, such entry and display is at the user's discretion and may be changed at any time by the user. Email Display: In some cases, users may have the opportunity to use the IT Discover sites to send electronic mail to another user or email list. In such cases, a user's valid email address and real name will be included with such messages. In order to prevent abuse, users may not opt-out of such a display, but may choose to refrain from using the x-mode site to transmit an email message. Access On the IT Discover sites, users can view their data on their personal profile page. Users are permitted to update their personal information directly through IT Discover. Security To secure site integrity, IT Discover employs measures, including but not limited to security audits, use of encryption tools and software, and other reasonable security measures and procedures. Internal access to users' private and nonpublic personal information is restricted to site administrators and individuals on a need-to-know basis. Enforcement In the event that IT Discover becomes aware that site security is compromised or nonpublic user information has been disclosed to unrelated third parties as a result of external activity, including but not limited to external security attacks, IT Discover shall take reasonable measures which it deems appropriate, including but not limited to internal investigation and reporting, and notification to and cooperation with law enforcement authorities, notwithstanding other provisions of this Privacy Statement. If IT Discover becomes aware that a user's personal information provided to IT Discover has been disclosed in a manner not in accordance with this Privacy Statement, IT Discover shall make reasonable efforts to notify the affected user, as soon as reasonably possible and as permitted by law, of what information has been disclosed, to the extent that IT Discover knows this information. No Guarantees For Factors Beyond IT Discover's Control While this Privacy Statement expresses IT Discover's standards for maintenance of private data, it is not in a position to guarantee that the standards will always be met. There may be factors beyond IT Discover's control (e.g., "script kiddies", "crackers and other malcontents") that may result in disclosure of data. As a consequence, IT Discover disclaims any warranties or representations relating to maintenance or nondisclosure of private information.