Well hi, this is Luke, the founder of Journey. I’m sitting in a cafe in Brooklyn near my home, my dog fast asleep at my feet. Life is good. But I’ve been trying to put this privacy policy together, and have read enough legal mumbo jumbo to make your head spin. And whilst you can indeed read the standard legal malarky in the sections that follow below, I thought I’d start by stating my intention…actually my promise to you, Journey’s users.

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The guiding principal and question I keep asking myself as I work through all this is — ‘how would I want my own data to be treated?' A few key points that get to the heart of how this approach manifests itself across the span of the privacy policy are as follows;

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1. We won’t be an asshole with your data — as with most apps you use on a regular basis, we’re going to collect a lot of data about you. Unlike most other social apps we promise we won’t do anything untoward with it. OK great, but wtf does ‘untoward’ mean? Here are a few examples:
2. We will never sell your data. Never ever ever.
3. We’ll never give your data to another company unless we believe it to be in your best interest, and with the right checks and balances in place to ensure they can’t use it for their own purpose. How could that be in your best interest? As an example, we might use an analytics tool we trust to help us figure out how we can make Journey more useful to you and others. This analytics company we choose to work with would never be able to use your data for any other reason other than to help Journey become more useful to you and others.
4. We’ll always ask the tough questions of ourselves as to whether we’re doing all we can to protect your data from being hacked.
5. Shit happens, and if we screw up and some evil prick does get a hold of your data, we’ll tell you about it immediately, and do everything we can to minimize the damage and make it right.
6. If you ever want any or all of your data deleted, in addition to what you already have control over in the app, just email us and we will do so immediately. Having said this, a large chunk of the things you share in Journey will be in the public domain, and if anyone copies them there’s not going to be much we can do — so please go into this with your eyes open.
7. At the moment, your data is likely an incredibly valuable asset to other social platforms and media owners. Without knowing it, your data is is probably used many times a day to help sell advertising to you — more often and at higher prices. The argument is often made that you’re getting a valuable service for free, and so it’s only fair that these companies harvest and package your data to be sold to advertisers. I think this is bullshit. And I hate that this it’s not an explicit contract, when it so easily could be. And that without diving into the backwaters of a convoluted settings section you can’t be a party to the transaction or have control over how your data is used. So we’re going to try to flip this on its head — we’re firstly going to try not to use your data at all to help us sell advertising, but if that fails we’re going to ask you, explicitly, whether it’s ok for us to use it, and if so, which pieces of data you’d be comfortable with. I love the idea of one day you being able to actually  tell us the products you’re interested in and brands you want to hear from, us going and finding those advertisers, and when we sell an ad that gets served to you, you get paid as well…because I believe you should…because it’s your data! I digress — back to the privacy policy.
8. We’ll only use your data when it’s in your best interest. For example:
9. Personalization — e.g. recommending an event to you based on the Journey you’re on and the location you’re in.
10. Ease of use / making the app more frictionless — e.g. using Facebook or Google to login.
11. Understanding what’s good in Journey and what’s not — what we need to double-down on vs what we need to change or remove.

That about sums up the rest of what you’ll read below. Hit me up for any thoughts or comments at luke@startyourjourney.io

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Step out of your comfort zone.

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Luke (Maybe Insert image here once in CMS)

Introduction

Thank you for choosing to be part of our community at Journey (“company”, “we”, “us”, or “our”). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. If you have any questions or concerns about our policy, or our practices with regards to your personal information, please contact us at hello@startyourjourney.io.

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When you use our app, Journey (“App”), or visit our website https://startyourjourney.io (“Site”) and use our services, you trust us with your personal information. We take your privacy very seriously. In this privacy notice, we describe our privacy policy. We seek to explain to you in the clearest way possible what information we collect, how we use it and what rights you have in relation to it. We hope you take some time to read through it carefully, as it is important. If there are any terms in this privacy policy that you do not agree with, please discontinue use of our app, site, and our services.

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This privacy policy applies to all information collected through our websites (such as https://startyourjourney.io), our mobile applications ("Apps"), and/or any related services, sales, marketing or events (we refer to them collectively in this privacy policy as the "Sites").

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Please read this privacy policy carefully as it will help you make informed decisions about sharing your personal information with us.

What information do we collect?

Personal information you disclose to us

In Short: We collect personal information that you provide to us such as name, address, contact information, passwords and security data, payment information, and social media login data.

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We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when registering with Journey, expressing an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and services, when participating in activities on the Sites (such as posting photos, videos, messages, comments, likes, steps, or entering competitions, contests or giveaways) or otherwise contacting us.

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The personal information that we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us and the Sites, the choices you make and the products and features you use. The personal information we collect can include the following:

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Name and Contact Data. We collect your first and last name, email address, postal address, phone number, and other similar contact data.

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Credentials. We collect passwords, password hints, and similar security information used for authentication and account access.

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Social Media Login Data. We provide you with the option to register using social media account details, like your Facebook, Instagram, Google or other social media account. If you choose to register in this way, we will collect the Information described in the section called "Social Logins" below.

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All personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information.

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Information automatically collected

In Short: Some information – such as IP address and/or browser and device characteristics – is collected automatically when you visit our websites.

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We automatically collect certain information when you visit, use or navigate the Sites. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about how and when you use our Site and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our Sites, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.

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Like many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies.

Information Collected Through Our Apps

In Short: We may collect information regarding your geo-location, mobile device, push notifications, and Facebook and Google permissions when you use our apps.

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If you use our Apps, we may also collect the following information:

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• Geo-Location Information. We may request access or permission to and track location-based information from your mobile device, either continuously or while you are using our mobile application, to provide location-based services. If you wish to change our access or permissions, you may do so in your device’s settings.
• Mobile Device Access. We may request access or permission to certain features from your mobile device, including your mobile device’s calendar, camera, contacts, microphone, reminders, sensors, social media accounts, storage, and other features. If you wish to change our access or permissions, you may do so in your device’s settings.
• Mobile Device Data. We may automatically collect device information (such as your mobile device ID, model and manufacturer), operating system, version information and IP address.
• Push Notifications. We may request to send you push notifications regarding your account or the mobile application. If you wish to opt-out from receiving these types of communications, you may turn them off in your device’s settings.]
• Facebook Permissions. We by default access your Facebook basic account information, including your name, email, gender, birthday, current city, and profile picture URL, as well as other information that you choose to make public. We may also request access to other permissions related to your account, such as friends, checkins, and likes, and you may choose to grant or deny us access to each individual permission. For more information regarding Facebook permissions, refer to the Facebook Permissions Reference page.

Information collected from other Sources

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In Short: We may collect limited data from public databases, marketing partners, social media platforms, and other outside sources.

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We may obtain information about you from other sources, such as public databases, joint marketing partners, social media platforms (such as Facebook), as well as from other third parties. Examples of the information we receive from other sources include: social media profile information (your name, gender, birthday, email, current city, state and country, user identification numbers for your contacts, profile picture URL and any other information that you choose to make public); marketing leads and search results and links, including paid listings (such as sponsored links).

How do we use your information?

In Short: We process your information for purposes based on legitimate business interests, the fulfillment of our contract with you, compliance with our legal obligations, and/or your consent.

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We use personal information collected via our Sites for a variety of business purposes described below. We process your personal information for these purposes in reliance on our legitimate business interests ("Business Purposes"), in order to enter into or perform a contract with you ("Contractual"), with your consent ("Consent"), and/or for compliance with our legal obligations ("Legal Reasons"). We indicate the specific processing grounds we rely on next to each purpose listed below.

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We use the information we collect or receive:

• To facilitate account creation and logon process. If you choose to link your account with us to a third party account *(such as your Google or Facebook account), we use the information you allowed us to collect from those third parties to facilitate account creation and logon process. See the section below headed "Social Logins" for further information.
• To send you marketing and promotional communications. We and/or our third party marketing partners may use the personal information you send to us for our marketing purposes, if this is in accordance with your marketing preferences. You can opt-out of our marketing emails at any time (see the "Your Privacy Rights" below).
• To send administrative information to you. We may use your personal information to send you product, service and new feature information and/or information about changes to our terms, conditions, and policies.
• To post testimonials. We post testimonials on our Sites that may contain personal information. Prior to posting a testimonial, we will obtain your consent to use your name and testimonial. If you wish to update, or delete your testimonial, please contact us at hello@startyourjourney.io and be sure to include your name, testimonial location, and contact information.
• Deliver targeted advertising to you. We may use your information to develop and display content and advertising (and work with third parties who do so) tailored to your interests and/or location and to measure its effectiveness.
• Administer prize draws and competitions. We may use your information to administer prize draws and competitions when you elect to participate in competitions.
• Request Feedback. We may use your information to request feedback and to contact you about your use of our Sites.
• To protect our Sites. We may use your information as part of our efforts to keep our Sites safe and secure (for example, for fraud monitoring and prevention).
• To enable user-to-user communications. We may use your information in order to enable user-to-user communications with each user's consent.
• To enforce our terms, conditions and policies.
• To respond to legal requests and prevent harm. If we receive a subpoena or other legal request, we may need to inspect the data we hold to determine how to respond.
• For other Business Purposes. We may use your information for other Business Purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and to evaluate and improve our Sites, products, services, marketing and your experience.

Will your information be shared with anyone?

In Short: We only share information with your consent, to comply with laws, to protect your rights, or to fulfill business obligations.

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We only share and disclose your information in the following situations:

• Compliance with Laws. We may disclose your information where we are legally required to do so in order to comply with applicable law, governmental requests, a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process, such as in response to a court order or a subpoena (including in response to public authorities to meet national security or law enforcement requirements).
• Vital Interests and Legal Rights. We may disclose your information where we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding potential violations of our policies, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person and illegal activities, or as evidence in litigation in which we are involved.
• Vendors, Consultants and Other Third-Party Service Providers. We may share your data with third party vendors, service providers, contractors or agents who perform services for us or on our behalf and require access to such information to do that work. Examples include: payment processing, data analysis, email delivery, hosting services, customer service and marketing efforts. We may allow selected third parties to use tracking technology on the Sites, which will enable them to collect data about how you interact with the Sites over time. This information may be used to, among other things, analyze and track data, determine the popularity of certain content and better understand online activity. Unless described in this Policy, we do not share, sell, rent or trade any of your information with third parties for their promotional purposes.
• Business Transfers. We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.
• Third-Party Advertisers. We may use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit the Sites. These companies may use information about your visits to our Website(s) and other websites that are contained in web cookies and other tracking technologies in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you.
• Affiliates. We may share your information with our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honor this privacy policy. Affiliates include our parent company and any subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other companies that we control or that are under common control with us.
• Business Partners. We may share your information with our business partners to offer you certain products, services or promotions.
• With your Consent. We may disclose your personal information for any other purpose with your consent.
• Other Users. When you share personal information (for example, by posting comments, contributions or other content to the Sites) or otherwise interact with public areas of the Site or App, such personal information may be viewed by all users and may be publicly distributed outside the Site and our App in perpetuity. Similarly, other users will be able to view descriptions of your activity, communicate with you within our Sites, and view your profile.

Do we use cookies and other tracking technologies?

In Short: We may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect and store your information.

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We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to access or store information.

Do we use Google Maps?

In Short: Yes, we use Google Maps for the purpose of providing better service.

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This website or mobile application uses Google Maps APIs. You may find the Google Maps APIs Terms of Service here. To better understand Google’s Privacy Policy, please refer to this link.

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By using our Maps API Implementation, you agree to be bound by Google’s Terms of Service. By using our implementation of the Google Maps APIs, you agree to allow us to gain access to information about you including personally identifiable information (such as usernames) and non-personally identifiable information (such as location).

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For a full list of what we use information for, please see the previous sections titled “Use of Your Information” and “Disclosure of Your Information.” You agree to allow us to obtain or cache your location. You may revoke your consent at anytime. We use information about location in conjunction with data from other data providers.

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The Maps APIs that we use store and access cookies and other information on your devices. If you are a user currently in the European Union, please take a look at our EU User Consent Policy.

How do we handle your social logins?

In Short: If you choose to register or log in to our Sites using a social media account, we may have access to certain information about you.

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Our Sites offers you the ability to register and login using your third party social media account details (like your Facebook or Google logins). Where you choose to do this, we will receive certain profile information about you from your social media provider. The profile Information we receive may vary depending on the social media provider concerned, but will often include your name, e-mail address, friends list, profile picture as well as other information you choose to make public. If you login using Facebook, we may also request access to other permissions related to your account, such as friends, check-ins, and likes, and you may choose to grant or deny us access to each individual permission.

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We will use the information we receive only for the purposes that are described in this privacy policy or that are otherwise made clear to you on the Sites. Please note that we do not control, and are not responsible for, other uses of your personal information by your third party social media provider. We recommend that you review their privacy policy to understand how they collect, use and share your personal information, and how you can set your privacy preferences on their sites and apps.

Is your information transferred internationally?

In Short: We may transfer, store, and process your information in countries other than your own.

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Our servers are located in AWS Region 6 – Northern Virginia, United States. If you are accessing our Sites from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed by us in our facilities and by those third parties with whom we may share your personal information (see "Disclosure of Your Information" above), in India, Australia, and other countries.

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If you are a resident in the European Economic Area, then these countries may not have data protection or other laws as comprehensive as those in your country. We will however take all necessary measures to protect your personal information in accordance with this privacy policy and applicable law.

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EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework

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In particular Journey complies with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information transferred from the European Union to the United States and has certified its compliance with it. As such, Journey is committed to subjecting all personal information received from European Union (EU) member countries, in reliance on the Privacy Shield Framework, to the Framework’s applicable Principles. To learn more about the Privacy Shield Framework, visit the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Privacy Shield List.

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Journey is responsible for the processing of personal information it receives, under the Privacy Shield Framework, and subsequently transfers to a third party acting as an agent on its behalf.

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With respect to personal information received or transferred pursuant to the Privacy Shield Framework, Journey is subject to the regulatory enforcement powers of the U.S. FTC. In certain situations, we may be required to disclose personal information in response to lawful requests by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements.

What is our stance on third-party websites?

In Short: We are not responsible for the safety of any information that you share with third-party providers who advertise, but are not affiliated with, our websites.

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The Sites may contain advertisements from third parties that are not affiliated with us and which may link to other websites, online services or mobile applications. We cannot guarantee the safety and privacy of data you provide to any third parties. Any data collected by third parties is not covered by this privacy policy. We are not responsible for the content or privacy and security practices and policies of any third parties, including other websites, services or applications that may be linked to or from the Sites. You should review the policies of such third parties and contact them directly to respond to your questions.

How long do we keep your information?

In Short: We keep your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy policy unless otherwise required by law.

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We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting or other legal requirements). No purpose in this policy will require us keeping your personal information for longer than 6 months past the termination of your account.

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When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize it, or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible.

How do we keep your information safe?

In Short: We aim to protect your personal information through a system of organizational and technical security measures.

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We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. However, please also remember that we cannot guarantee that the internet itself is 100% secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of personal information to and from our Sites is at your own risk. You should only access the services within a secure environment.

How do we keep your information safe?

In Short: We do not knowingly collect data from or market to children under 18 years of age.

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We do not knowingly solicit data from or market to children under 18 years of age. By using the Sites, you represent that you are at least 18 or that you are the parent or guardian of such a minor and consent to such minor dependent’s use of the Site and App. If we learn that personal information from users less than 18 years of age has been collected, we will deactivate the account and take reasonable measures to promptly delete such data from our records. If you become aware of any data we have collected from children under age 18, please contact us at hello@startyourjourney.io.

What are your privacy rights?

In Short: In some regions, such as the European Economic Area, you have rights that allow you greater access to and control over your personal information. You may review, change, or terminate your account at any time.

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In some regions (like the European Economic Area), you have certain rights under applicable data protection laws. These may include the right (i) to request access and obtain a copy of your personal information, (ii) to request rectification or erasure; (iii) to restrict the processing of your personal information; and (iv) if applicable, to data portability. In certain circumstances, you may also have the right to object to the processing of your personal information. To make such a request, please use the contact details provided below. We will consider and act upon any request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

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If we are relying on your consent to process your personal information, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Please note however that this will not affect the lawfulness of the processing before its withdrawal.

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If you are resident in the European Economic Area and you believe we are unlawfully processing your personal information, you also have the right to complain to your local data protection supervisory authority. You can find their contact details here: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/bodies/authorities/index_en.htm] ]

Account Information

You may at any time review or change the information in your account or terminate your account by:

• Logging into your account settings and updating your account
• Contacting us using the contact information provided below

Upon your request to terminate your account, we will deactivate or delete your account and information from our active databases. However, some information may be retained in our files to prevent fraud, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigations, enforce our Terms of Use and/or comply with legal requirements.

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Cookies and similar technologies: Most Web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. If you prefer, you can usually choose to set your browser to remove cookies and to reject cookies.

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Opting out of email marketing: You can unsubscribe from our marketing email list at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the emails that we send or by contacting us using the details provided below. You will then be removed from the marketing email list – however, we will still need to send you service-related emails that are necessary for the administration and use of your account. You can also opt-out by:

• Noting your preferences at the time you register your account with the Sites.
• Logging into your account settings and updating your preferences.
• Contacting us using the contact information provided below.

Do California residents have specific privacy rights?

In Short: Yes, if you are a resident of California, you are granted specific rights regarding access to your personal information.

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California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the “Shine The Light” law, permits our users who are California residents to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, information about categories of personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared personal information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to us using the contact information provided below.

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If you are under 18 years of age, reside in California, and have a registered account with the Sites, you have the right to request removal of unwanted data that you publicly post on the Sites. To request removal of such data, please contact us using the contact information provided below, and include the email address associated with your account and a statement that you reside in California. We will make sure the data is not publicly displayed on the Sites, but please be aware that the data may not be completely or comprehensively removed from our systems.

Do we make updates to this policy?

In Short: Yes, we will update this policy as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws.

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We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated “Revised” date and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is accessible. If we make material changes to this privacy policy, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this privacy policy frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information.