Like many website owners and operators, we, as well as third parties that provide content, advertising, or other functionality on our Services, may use cookies, pixel tags, local storage, and other technologies (“Technologies”) to automatically collect information through the Services. We use Technologies that are essentially small data files placed on your computer, tablet, mobile phone, or other devices (referred to collectively as a “device”) that allow us to record certain pieces of information whenever you visit or interact with our sites, services, applications, messaging, and tools, and to recognize you across devices. We use automated data collection tools such as Cookies and Web Beacons to collect certain information.
Cookies
“Cookies” are small text files that are placed on your device by a web server when you access our Services. We may use both session cookies and persistent cookies to identify that you’ve logged in to the Services and to tell us how and when you interact with our Services. We may also use cookies to monitor aggregate usage and web traffic routing on our Services and to customize and improve our Services. Unlike persistent cookies, session cookies are deleted when you log off from the Services and close your browser. Although most browsers automatically accept cookies, you can change your browser options to stop automatically accepting cookies or to prompt you before accepting cookies. Please note, however, that if you don’t accept cookies, you may not be able to access all portions or features of the Services. Some third-party services providers that we engage (including third-party advertisers) may also place their own cookies on your device. Note that this Privacy Policy covers only our use of cookies and does not include use of cookies by such third parties.
Pixels
“Pixels”/“Web Beacons” (also known as Web bugs, pixel tags or clear GIFs) are tiny graphics with a unique identifier that may be included on our Services for several purposes, including to deliver or communicate with Cookies, to track and measure the performance of our Services, to monitor how many visitors view our Services, and to monitor the effectiveness of our advertising. Unlike Cookies, which are stored on the user’s hard drive, Web Beacons are typically embedded invisibly on web pages (or in an e-mail).
Widgets
“Social Media Widgets” such as the Facebook “Like” button and LinkedIn (that might include widgets such as the share this button or other interactive miniprograms) may be on our Site. These features may collect your IP address, which page you are visiting on our site, and may set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. These social media features are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on our Website. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing it.
Analytics
We may also use Google Analytics and Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting to collect information regarding visitor behavior and visitor demographics on some of our Services, and to develop website content. This analytics data is not tied to any Personal Information. For more information about Google Analytics, please visit www.google.com/policies/ privacy/partners/. You can opt out of Google’s collection and Processing of data generated by your use of the Services by going to tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Our uses of such Technologies fall into the following general categories:
Operationally Necessary
We may use cookies, web beacons, or other similar technologies that are necessary to the operation of our sites, services, applications, and tools. This includes technologies that allow you access to our sites, services, applications, and tools; that are required to identify irregular site behavior, prevent fraudulent activity and improve security; or that allow you to make use of our functions such as shopping-carts, saved search, or similar functions
Performance Related
We may use cookies, web beacons, or other similar technologies to assess the performance of our websites, applications, services, and tools, including as part of our analytic practices to help us understand how our visitors use our websites, determine if you have interacted with our messaging, determine whether you have viewed an item or link, or to improve our website content, applications, services, or tools
Functionality Related
We may use cookies, web beacons, or other similar technologies that allow us to offer you enhanced functionality when accessing or using our sites, services, applications, or tools. This may include identifying you when you sign into our sites or keeping track of your specified preferences, interests, or past items viewed so that we may enhance the presentation of content on our sites;
Advertising or Targeting Related
We may use first-party or third-party cookies and web beacons to deliver content, including ads relevant to your interests, on our sites or on third party sites. This includes using technologies to understand the usefulness to you of the advertisements and content that has been delivered to you, such as whether you have clicked on an advertisement. If you would like to opt-out of the Technologies we employ on our sites, services, applications, or tools, you may do so by blocking, deleting, or disabling them as your browser or device permits.