Multiply Privacy Policy

Multiply is a web site that allows you to build and leverage your network of contacts in very powerful ways, via messaging and information sharing. The site is designed to facilitate communication, information sharing and introductions among people in the same network (i.e., your "primary" contacts such as friends, family members, co-workers, etc. as well as the extended group of people you are connected to through these primary contacts) and as such, encourages the disclosure of certain personal information by members to fully leverage its communications facilities.

The disclosure of personal information is always a sensitive issue and Multiply takes it very seriously. We consider it our highest priority to protect the privacy of our members. To that end, this privacy policy outlines the types of information Multiply collects and how that information is used in the operation of our site. All information that Multiply collects will adhere to this privacy policy and will be used for the sole purpose of providing you a highly personalized and interactive experience with our site. No personal information collected from our members will ever be sold or leased to any third party without the proper consent.

Questions regarding this privacy policy should be sent via Multiply's Feedback page.

About the Information We Collect and How We Use it

1.Registration

To create your account as a registered Multiply member, we will require you to choose a member ID and password, and provide your e-mail address. We also may ask you to provide certain personal information, such as: first and last name, home country and zip/postal code, gender and birth date. Your ID is used to provide a unique account with which you can access Multiply and to create the web address (URL) for your home page: http://ID.multiply.com. As such, your ID will be visible to anyone who visits your Multiply home page. Your e-mail address is used to identify you in our system, to contact you in connection with your activities on the Site (including, but not limited to, confirmation e-mails or important news affecting your relationship with Multiply, as well as to gather feedback via surveys to enable us to improve our site according to your needs), and to forward messages to you from other Multiply members. Your first name, gender, zip/postal code, city, state and country may be viewable by other Multiply members. (For U.S. addresses the city and state are derived from the zip code.) You control whether other registered Multiply members can view your last name, e-mail address and age on your personal profile page, and you can limit access to specific groups of members (see Your Profile Page section below). Note that even if you restrict who can see your last name on your profile page, it may be displayed in some cases for people in your network; for example, your direct contacts, as well as members of any private groups you belong to, can always see it, and people who already know your last name can find you in searches by searching for your first and last name. Multiply will never share your personal information with any non-registered user of our site or third party company or person without your explicit consent. Note also that we require prospective members to confirm the e-mail address provided at registration, preventing someone from registering with another person's e-mail address.

2.Contacts' Information

Fundamental to the Multiply experience is building and interacting with your network of contacts. When you invite another person to register for our site and join your network, we will ask you to provide that person's e-mail address or Instant Messenger ID, and the nature of your relationship (e.g., brother, friend, co-worker, etc.) with that person. We use this information to categorize your contacts within your network and allow you to limit access to information/content by relationship category (i.e., you may post an update to your personal calendar and limit its access to "family members.")

3.Groups

Another important feature of Multiply is your ability to create groups based on common interests, and invite contacts who share that interest to join your group. When you create a group, we may ask you to provide information to identify the group, such as a group name, a unique abbreviation and a brief description of the group.

4.Your Profile Page

Your profile page will include information about yourself to enable other Multiply members to find your profile in searches, and invite you into their network. Information such as your first name, user ID, gender, city, state, or region, and postal code may be viewable by all Multiply members. If you choose to upload a headshot image, it may also be viewable by all Multiply members. You will choose which other demographic information appears on your Profile page, although your last name is always visible by your direct contacts. Profile information may include the following: occupation, home address, phone numbers, e-mail address(es), Instant Messenger IDs, personal interests and anything else you choose to share. Through the Profile page, you control the information displayed in your profile and, as a result, determine who can find you in searches for specific profile information (although anyone who knows your last name can search for it and find it, even if you restrict access to it). Providing profile information is optional; however it enables Multiply members to better identify each other and more effectively connect and interact with their network. We may use demographic information to tailor the Site to your interests, and also may share demographic information with advertisers on an anonymous and aggregated basis (i.e., without telling the advertisers your identity). One of the reasons we may do this is to increase the likelihood that our advertisers' goods and services will appeal to Multiply's users, so that we may target specific ads at specific demographic groups. Our sharing of demographic information with advertisers is anonymous (i.e., we do not tell advertisers which particular Multiply users are members of which demographic groups), subject to the rest of this privacy policy.

5.Cookies and Log Files

Like most web sites, Multiply uses cookies and web log files to track site usage. A cookie is a tiny data file that resides on your computer and allows Multiply to recognize you as a member when you return to our site using the same computer and web browser. Unfortunately, if your browser settings do not allow cookies, you will not be able to use our website. Cookies also help us understand how members use Multiply, which allows us to continually improve the service. Like the information you enter at registration or in your Profile, cookie and log file data is used to customize your experience on the web site.

One type of cookie, known as a "persistent" cookie, is set when you log in to your Multiply account if you check the "remember me on this computer" box. The next time you visit the Multiply web site, the persistent cookie will allow us to recognize you as an existing member so you will not need to log in before using the service. In order to change your e-mail address or password, however, you will need to re-enter your password even if your computer contains your persistent cookie. Additionally, if you log out of the Multiply site you will need to re-enter your password the next time you visit in order to log in to your account. Another type of cookie, called a "session" cookie, is used to identify a particular visit to the Multiply site. Session cookies expire after a short time or when you close your web browser.

Due to the communications standards on the Internet, when you visit the Multiply web site we automatically receive the URL of the site from which you came and the site to which you are going when you leave Multiply. We also receive the Internet protocol (IP) address of your computer (or the proxy server you use to access the Web), your computer operating system and type of web browser you are using, as well as the name of your ISP. Tracking technologies are used to gather statistical data on user conversions, including sales and registrations. This information may be used to analyze overall trends to help us improve the Multiply service, but is not linked to personally identifiable information in any way.

6.Children

In compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), we will not knowingly provide access to Multiply to persons under the age of thirteen (13). If Multiply later learns that a member is under the age of thirteen (13) we will take appropriate steps to remove the member's information from the database and restrict the individual from future access to the Multiply service.

With Whom Information May Be Shared

1.Third Parties

Multiply will not sell or lease your personal information to third parties without your explicit consent, unless required by law. We may share your information with third parties under certain circumstances:

if sharing your information is necessary to execute a specific request by you (e.g., purchasing premium services via credit card, in which case it would be necessary to share your information with a credit card processing company). In these specific cases third parties will not retain, share or store any personally identifiable information except to provide the specific services requested by you, and are bound by strict confidentiality agreements which limit their use of such information.

if sharing your information is required by law or is necessary to respond to a subpoena, warrant or court order, or to protect the rights of Multiply or its members.

if you give us explicit permission to share your information for any reason not stated in this privacy policy.

2.Other Multiply Members

Occasionally you may invite a non-member of Multiply to register with the site and join your network or group. You also may invite existing Multiply members to join a group or become your direct contact. In these cases, Multiply generates an e-mail message to your invitee that may list information such as your e-mail address, your full name and your headshot photo (if you have provided one). The rest of your contact information will only be shared with the person you invite if both of you have indicated that you would like to establish each other as contacts. In addition, when you visit another Multiply member's home page, we may share with that member your User ID and headshot image, if you've provided one, as well as the date and time you visited the page.

3.Advertisers

We may use third-party advertising companies to advertise products or services on our site. These companies may employ cookies and action tags (also known as single pixel gifs or web beacons) to measure advertising effectiveness. Any information that these third parties collect via cookies and action tags will be completely anonymous.

4.Links to Other Web Sites

You may occasionally see links to other web sites on Multiply, either via advertisements or other third-party promotions or links posted by other Multiply members. Multiply is not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites you may visit through a link you found on Multiply. If you provide information directly to a party other than Multiply, different privacy policies may cover those parties' use of your information. Please review any company's privacy policy before disclosing your personal information.

Security

Multiply has implemented security measures to protect member information from loss, misuse and alteration. We use industry-standard practices such as encrypted storage, firewalls and password protection systems to safeguard the confidentiality of your personal information. Each of our employees is aware of our security policies, and your information is only available to those employees who need it to perform their jobs.

You Have Control Over Your Personal Information

The success of Multiply is directly related to your trust in our privacy practices. Although we encourage our members to share information to get the most benefit from the site, we also let you control the way certain personal information is displayed on the site. Although we provide powerful tools for you to share information, remember it is always your choice whether or not to share certain information with other Multiply members or the general public.

You can change any of your personal information stored on the Multiply site at any time, whether it be the information supplied at registration (with the exception of your user ID), for your profile page or anything else. You may change information in the Setup and Profile areas. In addition, you may cancel your Multiply membership by sending us an e-mail via our Contact page. Once we process your request, we will remove your name and other personally identifiable information from our database.

Safe Shopping Policy

We use a variety of information security measures to protect your online transactions with us, including encryption technology, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), to protect your personal information during data transport. SSL protects information you submit via our Web site such as ordering information including your name, address and payment information.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Multiply may update our privacy policy. The latest version of the privacy policy will always be available at http://multiply.com/info/privacy. Please check this page occasionally to make sure you are aware of any updates.