Privacy Policy

Adopets, Inc.

Introduction

This privacy policy (this “Privacy Policy” or “Policy”) governs the manner in which Adopets, Inc. (“Adopets,” “we,” “our,” “us” and similar terms) collects, uses, maintains and discloses information collected from users who register for and/or use services available on or through its websites, including Adopets.org and/or software applications or mobile applications, including the Adopets application (collectively, the “Service”).

We take reasonable steps to protect user privacy consistent with the guidelines set forth in this Policy and with applicable U.S. state and federal laws.  WE TAKE THESE PRECAUTIONS IN AN EFFORT TO PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION AGAINST SECURITY BREACHES.  HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT A GUARANTEE THAT SUCH INFORMATION MAY NOT BE ACCESSED, DISCLOSED, ALTERED, OR DESTROYED BY BREACH OF SUCH FIREWALLS AND SECURE SERVER SOFTWARE.  BY USING THE SERVICE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO ASSUME THESE RISKS.

In this Policy, “user” or “you” means any individual using the Service. This Policy forms part of and is incorporated into our Terms of Service published at https://help.adopets.com/en/collections/1845706-privacy-terms (the “Terms of Service”).

BY ACCESSING OR USING THE SERVICE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTAND, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THIS PRIVACY POLICY AND OUR TERMS OF SERVICE.  IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS, DO NOT USE THE SERVICE.

To Whom Does This Policy Apply?

This Privacy Policy applies to everyone who uses our Service.  Portions of this Policy are directed toward particular groups of users as defined below:

“Adopters” are prospective pet adopters and owners who use our Service to identify animals to adopt and connect with Agencies offering such animals for adoption.

“Agencies” are pet shelters, rescues and adoption agencies that use our Service to create listings of animals available for adoption and connect with Adopters interested in adopting such animals.

In addition, portions of this Policy are directed toward “References,” who are not users of our Service but whose information we may collect from time to time in connection with Adopters’ adoption applications. In this Policy, the term “References” includes Adopters’ landlords, veterinarians, and personal references.

What Information Do We Collect? 

Limited Personal Information For All Users: We may collect certain personal information about you in connection with your use of the Service, including: (a) when you register to use the Service, we may collect the personal information through our online registration forms, such as your name, email address, phone number, username, password and other information detailed therein; and (b) if you communicate with us by email but do not otherwise register to use the Service, we will collect your email address.  If you are an Adopter, we may also collect additional information from you, such as your date of birth. All of this information is referred to in this Policy as “Personal Information.” If you contact Adopets or another user and disclose additional personal information, we may store that information.

From time-to-time, we may offer functionality on the Service permitting you to connect the Service to your Facebook or other social media accounts (“Social Media Accounts”). If you choose to connect your Adopets account with any Social Media Accounts, we may access and collect certain personal information (such as your name and email address) that your privacy settings on such Social Media Accounts permit us to access.

User Data: “User Data” means all data other than Personal Information that users provide us regarding or related to themselves or their use of or access to the Service.  As described in the Terms of Service, we store User Data and correlate User Data with third-party data in order to provide the Service.

Web Tracking Information and Cookies: We and our Contractors (as defined below) may use web tracking technologies such as cookies (small text files or records that are stored on your computer when you visit our website, which collects information about your activities on the website), pixel tags and clear GIFs in order to operate the Service efficiently and to collect data related to usage of the Service.  Such collected data (“Web Tracking Information”) may include the address of other websites you have visited, the type of browser you are using, your Internet Protocol (IP) address, device model, device ID, and other unique device identifiers, what pages in the Service you visit and what links you clicked on, and whether you opened email communications we sent to you.  We and our Contractors may also use web tracking technologies that are placed in web pages on the Service or in email communications to collect information about actions that you take when you interact with the Service or such email communications.  We use this information not to identify individual users, but to analyze trends, administer the Service, track users’ movements around the Service, and gather demographic information about our user base as a whole which provides us with the ability to determine aggregate information about our user base and usage patterns. The information captured makes it possible for us to: (i) speed up navigation, and provide you with custom-tailored content; (ii) remember information you give to us, so you don’t have to reenter it each time you visit the website; (iii) monitor the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns; and (iv) monitor total number of visitors, pages viewed, and the total number of banners served.  You can choose to have your browser warn you every time a cookie is being sent to you or you can turn off cookie placement. 

How Do We Use the Information We Collect? 

Personal Information and User Data: We will use and store your Personal Information and User Data for the purpose of delivering the Service, and to analyze and enhance the operation of the Service.  We may also use your Personal Information and User Data for the internal operational and administrative purposes of the Service, and, with your consent, to update you on the availability of new products and services.

User Payment Information

If you make payments on or through the Service, we may use any Personal Information and User Data that you provide for one-time and recurring billing purposes according to the terms pertaining to such payment.  If we (or our payment processor) have trouble processing a payment, such information may be used to contact you.  Payment card information is sent in an encrypted format and is used only to send to our payment card processor, for the purposes of collecting payment for services ordered.  We never make this information visible to anyone other than our payment card processor and never communicate it over a non-encrypted connection.  The full payment card number is never seen by anyone inside our company, once entered and submitted, except by the payment card processor for the purposes of authorizing, clearing and reversing charges to your payment card.

Payment processing services for the Service are provided by Stripe, Inc. (“Stripe”), and are subject to the Stripe Connected Account Agreement, which includes the Stripe Services Agreement and Stripe Privacy Policy.  We share users’ payment information with Stripe as necessary to process payments. 

Web Tracking Information: We use Web Tracking Information to administer the Service and to understand how well the Service is working, to store your user preferences, and to develop statistical information on the usage of the Services.  This allows us to determine which features visitors like best to help us improve the Service, to personalize your user experience, and to measure overall effectiveness.

Aggregate and De-Identified Information: We will also create statistical, aggregated and/or de-identified data relating to our users and the Service for analytical and commercial purposes.  Aggregated and/or de-identified data is derived from Personal Information and User Data but in its aggregated and/or de-identified form, it does not duplicate or reveal any User Data or relate to or identify any individual.  This data is used to understand our customer base and to develop, improve and market our services.

Legal Exception: Notwithstanding the above, we may store and use Personal Information and User Data to the extent required by law or legal process, to resolve disputes, to enforce our agreements (including this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service) with you, or if in our reasonable discretion use is necessary to protect our legal rights or to protect third parties.

Promotional Communications: If you register and provide your email address, we may send you administrative and promotional emails, and share your information with our affiliated organizations including adoption groups and partners.

Account Closure: If any of your account information appears to be incorrect, please contact us and let us know.  If you close your account, we will delete any Personal Information associated with your account, but other information you submitted that is not associated with you personally may not be deleted

What Information Do We Disclose to Third Parties?

Personal Information and User Data: We will not disclose your Personal Information or User Data to any third parties except as follows:
 

(i) To third-party contractors engaged to provide services on our behalf (“Contractors”), such as analyzing data and usage of the Service, hosting and operating the Service, providing marketing, payment processing or support and maintenance services for the Service or providing customer service.  We enter into agreements with all Contractors that require Contractors to use the Personal Information they receive only to perform services for us.

(ii) If you are an Agency, we may display certain of your Personal Information to all users, including your organization’s name, address, email address, and telephone number.

(iii) If you are an Adopter and inquire with an Agency about adopting an animal or otherwise contact an Agency, we may disclose certain of your Personal Information to such Agency, including your name, address and email address.  We may also disclose certain of your User Data to such Agency, including information related to the children that live in your household, other animals you own, your housing situation and the behavioral characteristics of the pets you are seeking to adopt.  Additionally, we may disclose to an Agency information about the References that you provide, such as your References’ names, email addresses, and phone numbers.  To the extent you designate References using the Service and provide us with their names, email addresses and phone numbers, you should ensure that your References have permitted you to provide such information, and by providing such information to us, you are representing that you are permitted to do so.  Any such information you enter on behalf of your References shall be considered “Personal Information” hereunder.

(iv) When we have your consent to share the information.

Web Tracking Information: We disclose Web Tracking Information to Contractors, in order to analyze the performance of the Service and the behavior of users, and to operate and improve the Service.

Aggregate and De-Identified Information: We may disclose aggregated and/or de-identified data that does not contain Personal Information or User Data to any third parties, such as Contractors, potential customers, business partners, marketers, and funding sources, in order to describe our business and operations or to notify you about products and services that may be relevant to you.
 

Network Operators: Use of the Service may involve the use of the services of third-party telecommunications carriers.  Such carriers are not our contractors, and any information that a carrier collects in connection with your use of the Service is not “Personal Information” and is not subject to this Privacy Policy.  We are not responsible for the acts or omissions of telecommunications carriers.
 

Additional Disclosures: We reserve the right to disclose any information we collect in connection with the Service, including Personal Information, to: (a) any successor to our business as a result of any merger, acquisition, asset sale or similar transaction; and (b) any law enforcement, judicial authority, or governmental or regulatory authority, to the extent required by law or if in our reasonable discretion disclosure is necessary to enforce or protect our legal rights or to protect third parties.

Your Choices Regarding Personal Information

We encourage all Users to provide us with accurate and up to date information and to contact us with questions about Personal Information.  Users have the following rights, which you may exercise by contacting us here [e-mail] or here: 800-725-4260.

• You have the right to request an accounting of all Personal Information that we have that pertains to you, and to be delivered copies of such information in electronic format (e.g., electronic copies of information attached to an email).  We reserve the right to transmit information to you in a manner that complies with all applicable laws.

• You have the right to request that we change any Personal Information that pertains to you that is inaccurate.

• You have the right to request that we delete some or all Personal Information that pertains to you.  We reserve the right to carry out such a request in a manner that complies with all applicable laws, such as laws concerning record retention.  Note that fulfilling this request requires us to delete Personal Information in our possession, but that this right does not extend to Personal Information that has already been lawfully shared in accordance with this Policy.

• You have the right to request that we cease processing any Personal Information that pertains to you. Note that fulfilling this request requires us to cease processing Personal Information that pertains to you in the future, but does not apply to lawful processing that has already occurred in accordance with this Policy.

• You have the right to exercise all the rights afforded by this Policy without fear of retaliation or discrimination.  This means that we treat Users who exercise any of the rights under this Policy the same as Users who do not.

Additionally, if you wish to opt-out of promotional emails but do not wish to have your Personal Information deleted, you may do so by following the “Unsubscribe” instructions in any promotional email, or by modifying your account settings.  

General 

Security: We use reasonable security precautions to protect the security and integrity of your Personal Information in accordance with this Policy and applicable law.  However, no Internet transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee that security breaches will not occur.  Without limitation of the foregoing, we are not responsible for the actions of hackers and other unauthorized third parties that breach our reasonable security procedures.

Links: The Adopets Service may contain links to other websites.  Adopets is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of those websites.  Users should be aware of this when they leave the Service and review the privacy statements of each third-party website.  This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by the Service.  We encourage our users to read the privacy policies of these other websites before proceeding to use them.

Amendments: Adopets may modify or amend this Policy from time to time.  If we make any material changes, as determined by Adopets, in the way in which Personal Information is collected, used or transferred, we will notify you of these changes by email.  Notwithstanding any modifications we may make, any Personal Information collected by Adopets from you will be treated in accordance with the privacy policy in effect at the time such information was collected unless we obtain your consent otherwise.

Minors: Adopets does not knowingly collect or maintain personally identifiable information from persons under 18 years of age, and no part of the Service is directed at persons under 18.  If you are under 18 years of age, then please do not use the Service.  If Adopets learns that personally identifiable information of persons less than 18 years of age has been collected, then Adopets will take the appropriate steps to delete this information.  To request the deletion of any such information, please contact us at [e-mail].

Users from outside the United States: Adopets and its servers are located in the United States and are subject to the applicable state and federal laws of the United States.  If you choose to access the Service, you consent to the use and disclosure of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and subject to such laws.

The effective date of this Policy: January, 17th, 2019