Golden Gate Mothers Group (“GGMG,” “we,” or “us”) is committed to respecting the privacy of your information. This Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) describes the personal and non-personal information we collect through our website (the “Site”) and through off-line activities, and how we collect and use this information.
By using or accessing the Site, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Policy is organized into the following ten sections:
1. Collection and Use of Personal Information
2. Collection and use of Non-Personal Information
3. Disclosure of Your Information to Third Parties
4. Third Party Advertisers
5. Updating and Correcting Information
6. Your Choices
7. Security of Information
8. Age Restrictions
9. Changes to Our Privacy Policy
10. Contact Us
Collection and Use of Personal Information.
Depending on how you use the Site, we may ask you to share personally identifiable information (“Personal Information”) with us. Whether you choose to share your Personal Information is completely up to you, but keep in mind that you may not become a member of GGMG (“Member”), access certain areas of the Site, effectively use the services we offer on the Site, or participate in off-line activities sponsored, conducted, organized or otherwise supported by GGMG without sharing Personal Information. Personal Information includes any information that identifies or can be used to identify, contact or locate you or members of your family. Examples include your name, address, email address, phone number, age, information about your child(ren), and credit card information. Below are some examples of when we collect Personal Information and how we use it.
Membership Registration. When registering for GGMG Membership, we will ask for information about you and your family, including your first and last name, gender, email address, primary phone number, mailing address, the age and date of birth of your child(ren), your due date (if you are pregnant), and why you want to join GGMG. This information is required to register and become a Member of GGMG. As part of the registration process, we will also ask for your birthday, secondary phone number, the name of your spouse or partner, how you found out about GGMG, whether you wish to participate in Helping Hands (where Members deliver meals to other Members who have recently given birth), information about your work status, occupation, whether you are interested in volunteering for GGMG, and your neighborhood. You do not have to respond to the questions listed in the previous sentence to register and become a Member of GGMG. At this time, you will also have the opportunity to subscribe to subgroups of GGMG and to set the frequency with which you receive emails from GGMG. You can, at any time, subscribe to or unsubscribe from subgroups or configure your personal account settings to set the frequency of emails from GGMG or opt-out of all such emails except for certain messages from GGMG. GGMG reserves the right to send you administrative and membership related emails even if you opt out of all voluntary email notifications. These are emails that relate to your membership, the Site or your activity on the Site. Please see the section below titled “Your Choices” for information on configuring your account settings.
When you submit your registration, it will be reviewed by GGMG and, if approved, we will use your email address to send you an invitation to become a Member of GGMG. You are under no obligation to accept this invitation, though your Personal Information is subject to this Privacy Policy regardless of whether you accept the invitation. We may also use your email address to send you membership or account related confirmations or notifications, new postings to forums (e.g., forums on parenting related subjects or non-parenting related subjects) or sections (e.g., classifieds and reviews), and to otherwise provide information and/or services to you in connection with the Site and membership in GGMG. If you choose to join or withdraw from subgroups, we may use your address to include you in the appropriate subgroups or to confirm your withdrawal. We may also send you promotional emails, such as monthly newsletters, new service offerings, [and third-party offers].
We also use your Personal Information for administrative purposes, such as addressing membership and billing issues, providing membership information, troubleshooting Site issues, investigating abuse on the Site, and enforcing and applying our forum guidelines and Terms of Service. We may also use your Personal Information to respond to your requests, such as sending you GGMG’s newsletter and information regarding GGMG events or volunteer activities.
Member Profile. After you submit your Membership registration form and accept the invitation to become a Member, a profile (“Profile”) will be created for you based on the information you provided during the membership registration process. All Members are permitted to view your Profile; other Members may be able to find your Profile on the Site by using search parameters that coincide with the Personal Information you have provided to us. How much information you disclose on your Profile is entirely up to you and you may select which information may be shared by other Members by going to your profile, though at a minimum you must share your username. Information not shared with other Members may still be viewed by GGMG. When you update your Profile, we usually keep a backup copy of the prior version for a reasonable period of time.
Member Content. As a Member, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the Site, such as through group forums, message boards, calendars, and sections for events, reviews and classifieds and you may choose to post, upload, publish or display, or transmit to or share with other Members, photos, messages, notes, texts, information, recommendations, opinions, advertisements, documents, files, listings and other content. We collect and may store these contributions (“Member Content”) to provide Members the services offered by GGMG and with personalized features. Member Content will be displayed to other Members on the Site and may be used by GGMG promotional purposes. Your Member Content becomes public information once you post, upload or transmit it on, to or through the Site, [and copies of it remain viewable in cached and archived pages on the Site even after you delete your membership] other Members may also copy or store your Member Content. Note that if you include Personal Information about yourself in your Member Content, it can be used and viewed by others. Please remember that you are not permitted to disclose any Personal Information about another Member or anyone else in your Member Content (see our Terms of Service here). We reserve the right to modify or delete any Member Content and may, but have no obligation to, review and approve any Member Content before it is posted for view by other Members.
Messaging. The Site allows you to exchange messages with other Members using the Site’s messaging feature. We may store these messages in order to deliver them and allow you to manage them.
Payment Information. To process credit card payments, we will require your credit card information and billing information. Credit card transactions are processed through industry standard Secure Socket Layer (SSL) by a third party, which only uses your information for that purpose.
Feedback. If you contact us to give us feedback, register a complaint or ask questions about GGMG, the Site or otherwise, we may store your communications, including any Personal Information you include in them, so we can effectively respond to you.
Offline Activities. As a Member, you may elect to participate in off-line activities (“Activities”) sponsored, conducted, organized or otherwise supported by GGMG. GGMG may collect Personal Information at such Activities. For example, GGMG may ask for and collect your Personal Information to confirm your membership in GGMG. You may elect to volunteer Personal Information about yourself or your family at an Activity in addition to that disclosed on your Profile (e.g., during a question and answer session at a parenting seminar or workshop). GGMG may collect and store this information to improve our services and conduct research.
As described in GGMG’s Membership Agreement, GGMG may employ photographers, videographers and others to take photographs, videos or other recordings at its Activities for use in the GGMG newsletter and/or on the Site. The photos, videos or recordings may also be available for viewing by Members on sites such as (e.g., __________.com). As described in GGMG’s Membership Agreement, by becoming a Member, you hereby give your consent, to the extent permitted by law, to GGMG to use and publish (worldwide and via the Internet) your and your child(ren)’s Likeness (as defined in the Membership Agreement) as photographed and/or recorded by GGMG or its agents or as provide by you to GGMG for uses connected with the promotion, publicity, or fundraising efforts of GGMG without your notification, review or approval, and without additional consideration. [Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding paragraph, we will not publish any child’s name in association with his or her photograph on the Site or in any publication without the child’s parent’s prior written consent.]
If you wish to revoke the permission described in the immediately preceding paragraph, you must do so in writing. If you DO NOT grant the permissions described in the immediately preceding paragraph, please contact feedback@ggmg.org. GGMG will make reasonable efforts to refrain from using your or your child(ren)’s Likeness in both our internal and external communications.
Collection and Use of Non-Personal Information. GGMG may collect non-personal information when you use the Site whether or not you are a Member. Non-personal information is information that does not identify a specific user of the Site. This type of information may include things like the URL of the website you visited before and after visiting our Site, the type of browser you are using, access times, and the IP address of the computer you use to visit the Site. We use non-personally identifiable information for the following general purposes: to customize the advertising and content you see on the Site, to improve our services, conduct research, and provide anonymous reporting for internal and external clients. There are three types of non-personally identifiable information we collect on the Site:
Cookies. We collect some anonymous information about how you use the Site by setting and accessing cookies on your computer. A cookie is a small text file that is stored on your computer. These cookies track information such as how often you visit the Site, what pages you view, and where you go after you leave the Site. The cookies track your computer, not you. They are not connected to any personal information about you. If you choose to disable a cookie, you may not be able to use certain features of the Site.
Activity and Log Data. We automatically store information related to your use of the Site in our log files, such as the pages you view on the Site, your browser type, IP address, operating system, referring URL and the date and time of your visit. We use this type of information to administer the Site and to analyze trends. This information is not tied to personally identifiable information.
Web Beacons and Other Tracking Devices. We and/or advertising affiliates may use other industry standard technologies like web beacons or tracking pixels to count the number of users that visit a given page on the Site. Web beacons are used to report on site traffic and to analyze the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and how users interact with the Site. The web beacons do not identify individual users and analysis of data obtained is performed on an aggregate basis. We may also rely upon third parties to assist with the use and implementation of web beacons. We may also use third-party advertising companies to serve or track ads on the Site. These companies may use non-personally identifiable information about your visits to the Site and other web sites, collected through the use of cookies, web beacons or other tracking devices in order to measure advertising effectiveness and to provide advertisements about goods or services that may be of interest to you. GGMG does not have access to or control of the tracking devices that may be placed by third parties.
Disclosure of Your Information to Third Parties. GGMG will not sell, rent or license your Personal Information to anyone for any reason. However, GGMG may disclose your Personal Information in the following circumstances:
Disclosure By Law; Protection of Us and Others. We may disclose information you provide if required to do so by law, such as subpoenas or court orders, or in compliance with applicable law. We may also disclose information you provide if we, in our sole discretion, believe that disclosure is needed to (i) comply with the law, requests or orders from law enforcement, or any legal process (whether or not such disclosure is required by applicable law), (ii) protect or defend GGMG’s or a third party’s rights, interests, or property, (iii) to prevent potential fraud or other illegal or prohibited activity, or (iv) protect someone’s health or safety, such as when harm or violence against any person (including you or your child(ren)) is threatened. This may include sharing your information with other companies, lawyers, agents or government agencies.
Aggregate Data. We may use and disclose information in your Profile or your Member Content without identifying you as an individual to third parties. We may share aggregate data about you and other Members with third parties, including advertisers and marketing partners; this information does not identify individual members. We may combine your information with information we collect from other companies. We do this to improve, measure and personalize our services, content and advertising, such as aggregating how many people are living in a certain area for market research purposes and personalizing advertisements and promotions.
Service Providers. We may share your Personal Information with companies that perform services for us, such as analyzing customer data, providing marketing assistance, and processing credit card payments. They have access to Personal Information as needed to perform their functions, but may not disclose your Personal Information for other purposes.
Business Changes. If another company acquires our company or all or substantially all of our assets, that company will own your information and will assume the rights and obligations with respect to that information as described in this Privacy Policy.
With Your Permission. We may disclose your Personal Information when we have your specific consent to do so or upon your request, such as, for example, birth announcements in our newsletter.
Third Party Advertisers. Third parties may provide some of the advertisements on the Site. We do not share any Personal Information or Member Content with them, but they may have access to information they obtain through cookies, beacons or other tracking devices discussed in Section 2 above or that you share with them yourself. Advertisements that appear on the Site are sometimes delivered (or “served”) directly to Members by third party advertisers. They automatically receive your IP address when this happens. As described in Section 2, these third party advertisers may also download cookies to your computer or use other tracking technologies such as web beacons to measure the effectiveness of their ads and to personalize advertising content. We do not rent, share, sell, license or trade Personal Information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.
Updating and Correcting Information.
Access and control over your Personal Information on the Site is readily available to you through your account settings. If you wish to change your Personal Information or change the frequency of emails from GGMG (or to opt-out of receiving certain emails), you may revise, update or correct this information by logging into your account and accessing the profile section within your account. We encourage you to update your Personal Information promptly if it changes. Information will be updated immediately. GGMG may, however, maintain a copy of historical information for audit, legal or other purposes.
Members who wish to subscribe to or unsubscribe from a subgroup within GGMG or deactivate their membership in GGMG may login to their account and go to their profile.
As described in Section 1, when you post, upload or transmit Member Content on, to or through the Site, you generally cannot remove such communications.
Your Choices. GGMG provides its Members with the ability to determine from which GGMG subgroups or sections Members receive emails and to set the frequency of how often Members receive them. You may also opt-out of receiving promotional emails (e.g., monthly newsletters, new service offerings, and [third-party offers]) from us. If you wish to discontinue receiving these emails, you can opt-out by using the link on the bottom of every promotional email you receive from GGMG, or by visiting the profile section of the Site and adjusting your preferences.
Please note that you cannot opt-out of receiving administrative and membership related emails from us. These are emails that relate to your membership, the Site or your activity on the Site.
Security of Information. We take the security of your Personal Information seriously and take precautions to protect your Personal Information. Your Personal Information is stored and processed on our servers located in the United States. We encrypt certain sensitive information (such as credit card information) using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology, and implement other commercially reasonable procedures to protect your Personal Information from unauthorized access and disclosure. For instance, your Profile information is located on a secured server and your account password is encrypted on our servers and is not transmitted in plain text. But, no method of data transmission over the Internet or data storage is 100% secure. Third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications and other Members may abuse or misuse your Personal Information that they collect from the Site or otherwise. Therefore, we cannot guarantee or promise, and you should not expect, the absolute security of any information transmitted to or from the Site or at GGMG’s Activities or that your Personal Information or private communications will always remain private.
Further, you post Member Content at your own risk. Although Member Content is intended to be accessed only by other Members, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, and we cannot control the actions of other Members. Therefore, we cannot guarantee or promise, and you should not expect, that your Member Content will not be viewed by unauthorized persons.
We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Site or a users breach of this Privacy Policy, Membership Agreement or Terms of Use.
Age Restrictions. The Site is not intended for individuals under the age of 18 and we do not knowingly allow such persons to register and become Members of GGMG. We do not knowingly collect or solicit Personal Information from individuals under 18. If we become aware that an individual under 18 has opened an account and provided us with Personal Information, we will remove their Personal Information from our files.
Changes to Our Privacy Policy. We may revise our Privacy Policy from time to time. The most current version of the Privacy Policy will govern our use of your information and will always be located on this webpage. If we make a change to our Privacy Policy that is material, we will notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes before implementing the change on the Site and/or via the email address associated with your account. By continuing to access the Site, using the services offered by GGMG and/or participating in any Activity after those changes become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised Privacy Policy.
Contact Us.
If you have any feedback, questions or complaints about this Privacy Policy or any of our privacy-related practices, please contact us directly at:
feedback@ggmg.org
