| We've all heard about it and we're all concerned about it - Online Privacy! But just what is Online Privacy? At AmericanSatellite.com and its family of affiliated websites, we believe that the issues of online privacy and security go far beyond simply protecting customer credit card numbers from hackers and not SPAM mailing our customers. We strongly believe that the privacy policy and associate practice of a company reveal the true character of that company.
We hope that you find this document helpful and informative, if you have any questions regarding what is contained within it, please don't hesitate to send us an email to privacy@AmericanSatellite.com.
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Scope of the Policy
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The policies and procedures detailed here cover transactions placed at the online storefront of American Satellite & Entertainment, Inc. (AS&E) The company's online storefront is currently located at: www.AmericanSatellite.com, SatelliteandSave.com and EspanolSatellite.com. These policies equally affect (where applicable) transactions made on and off line, as well as orders placed using our secure shopping cart and those processed by our call center.
Please note also that although some of AS&E's products are only sold to residents of the United States, our practice of protecting your privacy knows no borders. If you are an international visitor or customer and you share your information with us, you too can be assured that our general protection policy will apply equally to that information.
AS&E's privacy policy and its protection of personally identifiable information applies to ALL VISITORS, acting in any capacity whatsoever.
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Our Commitment To Privacy
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Your privacy is important to us. That's not just something we say, but it is at the heart of what we believe as well. We understand fully that unless online merchants like ourselves take the lead to promote the responsible exchange of electronic information, and take steps to protect that information from misuse, online-commerce cannot grow. To better protect your privacy and earn your trust we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used. To make this notice easy to find, we make it available on every relevant page of our site.
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The Information We Collect
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Your privacy is extremely important to us here at American Satellite. In the normal operation of our business we collect personal information about you. This statement is a full and complete disclosure about the information we collect and how it might be used. This notice of disclosure regarding our information collection policy applies to all information collected or submitted on any AS&E websites as identified above. American Satellite and Entertainment, Inc. is the sole owner of information collected on our websites. We do not sell, rent or share this information in ways that are different from what is disclosed in this statement.
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IP Addresses and Header Information
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Our servers, like all those on the World Wide Web, log information site-wide regarding visitor IP address and/or domain name. This information is contained in the HTTP Header and is passed to us each time you request a page or image from one of our sites. It is essentially your address, and lets us know where to send the page or image that was requested. An IP address is a number, like 226.204.33.42, that identifies the computer or gateway you are using to surf the Web. In most cases, users are assigned a new IP address each time they connect to the Web by their Internet Service Provider.
There is no personal information gathered by us, or passed to us by the HTTP header.
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Personal Information (About You)
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AS&E collects personal information about consumers in a variety of ways:
· Through a variety of response forms and email links on its websites. These resources help you get in touch with us for a variety of reasons. In the case of response forms, fields not critical to the processing of the form are made 'optional'. You could expect to see the following personally identifiable information collected on one of these forms:
º Your name
º Your email address
º Your telephone number (possibly multiple numbers)
º Your zip code
· At the point of sale we collect all information necessary to the processing of the order being placed. We also archive the customer's acceptance of our sales terms. Specifically, the personally identifiable data we collect is:
º Your name
º Your email address
º Your telephone number (possibly multiple numbers)
º Your address (possibly multiple addresses)
º Your credit card number and billing verification data. (Cardholders name, address, zip code.)
· Through response forms offered to give consumers an opportunity to take part in a variety of contests and incentives. You could expect to see the following personally identifiable information collected on one of these forms:
º Your name
º Your email address
º Your telephone number (possibly multiple numbers)
º Your zip code
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Personal Information (About Someone Else)
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Sometimes it may happen that AS&E collects personal information about people other than web visitors and purchasers on a site. A web shopper may want to ship a new DIRECTV system to Aunt Mabel. How can a person feel assured that Aunt Mabel's information will be protected?
· At the point of sale we collect all information necessary to the processing of the order being placed. At times, such as in our example, you would need to provide us information about your Aunt Mabel to help us get the new DIRECTV System to her. Specifically, the personally identifiable data we would collect would be:
º Her name
º Her telephone number (possibly multiple numbers)
º Her address (possibly multiple addresses)
º Possibly you might even provide us with her email address to help us expedite shipping questions.
· Through a variety of response forms offered on our website, a visitor or customer might pass us personally identifiable information about someone other than themselves. We could use the example of a promotion on a new DIRECTV system that you thought your Uncle Ted would just love. You could send us Uncle Ted's information and know that it would be treated with confidentiality. We would ask you to provide the following information about Uncle Ted, where appropriate:
º His name
º His email address
º His telephone number (possibly multiple numbers)
º His zip code
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What are Cookies?
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A cookie is a small text file that you may allow us (via your web browser settings) to place on your hard drive. Although this sounds strange at first, it is really not dangerous at all and doesn't endanger your privacy, your computer or the personal information stored there. Let's take a look at why:
VISITORZ464MYLABTFP8HF1LNJ53SX51EL496
www.needadish.com07143765322939363319322252029326235*
What you have just seen is a typical cookie from an AmericanSatellite.com website. You probably have dozens of cookies on your computer just like this one, from other sites you have visited. All of these cookies are perfectly harmless. As you can see, even if someone else could read it, the cookie won't exactly tell him or her a lot about you. The good news is, of course, that no web server on the Internet can retrieve cookie information unless they are the one that put it there, so you are safe.
What we use cookies for is described below.
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The Way We Use Information
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Now that we've discussed the information we collect about you, you're probably wondering what we do with it all. Allow us to take a few moments and answer this very important question.
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IP Addresses and Header Information
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Although the information passed to us in an HTTP header is of a non-personal nature, many of the things we can track are vital to our ability to bring you a high quality website that you can enjoy and navigate easily.
Some of the ways we use the information we gather from headers are:
· We compile and analyze log file data to gain a cross-section representation of our visitors. This allows us to build websites that suit the needs of our customers based on their unique browser, operating system and screen resolution choices.
· We compile and analyze log file data to show us where our visitors come from. This information helps our marketing department invest our time and resources in only the most cost effective and efficient advertising initiatives.
· We use the visitor's IP Address as a temporary identifier to store the history of the visit and the contents of the visitors shopping cart.
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Personal Information
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AS&E uses the personal information it collects about its visitors and about people other than its visitors, in very specific and meaningful ways that directly relate to the manner in which it was received. Below are detailed the ways that we use information:
· If a visitor emails us regarding an issue, our staff will reply to the email with the intention of providing the information requested by the visitor. Once the question or request for information is resolved, the visitor email will be archived for up to 1 year and then destroyed. At no time are the email addresses in this group sold, or used for any other purpose whatsoever. If that visitor were to email us and include personally identifiable information about another person, that other person's information would likewise be used for the purpose at hand and ultimately destroyed.
· If a visitor or customer emails or telephones one of our staff regarding their experience on our website or with our call center, or concerning their experience surrounding installation and/or quality control, the visitor/customer explicitly agrees that we may use the substance of the communication, without any personally identifiable information other than the first name and city and state, in marketing promotions and/or advertising. If personally identifiable information concerning another person is included we will additionally have the right to use that persons first name, city and state for the same reasons and purposes as above.
· If a visitor fills out one of our response forms regarding a question or request for information, our staff will reply to the request via email or phone, depending on the customer's wish (as specified in the form.) Once the question or request for information is resolved, the visitor's response form data will be archived for up to 1 year and then destroyed. If a response form contains a checkbox option for inclusion in future promotional mailings, and that checkbox is selected, the customer's information will be logged in our promotional email database. If not, we will at no time use the customer's information for any other purpose whatsoever. For details of our policy regarding acceptable uses of visitor email addresses, please see below.
· The information collected at the point of purchase from a visitor is used by us to efficiently and effectively fulfill that order to the customer. We also log the customer's acceptance of our sales terms, if applicable. Making a purchase from an AmericanSatellite.com website will cause you to receive several functional and necessary emails which are detailed below. A customer may also receive a phone call as a result of an order to verify essential information.
· Customers who make a purchase at an AmericanSatellite.com website may have essential elements of their information shared with third party warehouses for purposes directly related to the fulfillment of their order.
· Customers who purchase a DIRECTV System from an AmericanSatellite.com website will have essential elements of their information shared with DIRECTV for the purpose of creating that customer an account within the DIRECTV subscriber database.
· Customers who purchase a DIRECTV System from an AmericanSatellite.com website and who opt for professional installation will have essential elements of their information provided to third party installers for purposes directly relating to the installation of their equipment. Please see the section below detailing our guidelines for third-party privacy compliance.
· Customers making a purchase at an AmericanSatellite.com website will have their shipping information shared with necessary parties in order to fulfill their order. Please see the section below detailing our guidelines for third-party privacy compliance.
· If a visitor fills out one of our response forms regarding inclusion in a contest, sweepstakes or special offer, essential data will be logged in order to centralize and make possible the selection of winners. Once the Sweepstakes, contest or special offer is past, visitor's response form data will be archived for up to 1 year and then destroyed. If a response form contains a checkbox option for inclusion in future promotional mailings, and that checkbox is selected, the customer's information will be logged in our promotional email database. For details of our policy regarding acceptable uses of visitor email addresses, please see below. In the case of sweepstakes drawings, certain essential information may be shared with bonded sweepstakes administrators for purposes directly related to winner selection. Please see the section below detailing our guidelines for third-party privacy compliance.
AS&E will never use or share the personally identifiable information provided to us in ways unrelated to the ones described above without also providing you an opportunity to opt-out or otherwise prohibit such unrelated uses.
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What Cookies Do
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AS&E uses cookie technology in several ways that do not abuse the trust or confidence of our visitors. These ways are detailed as follows:
· We set cookies on certain pages where we make use of JavaScript 'pop-up' windows to determine whether or not a visitor has been prompted by a particular window. This increases visitor satisfaction because it means we don't make you look at a pop-up window more than once per visit.
· We set cookies to recognize a returning visitor. This allows us to maintain your individual settings, if applicable.
· We use cookies to reduce the number of times we require a user to 'log in' to our website.
AS&E does not require cookies and if you reject our cookie you may still use our site. The only drawback is that your experience will be less convenient and personalized.
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AS&E Customer E-mail Policy
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One of the most widely discussed facets of online privacy deals with unsolicited email messages known as SPAM. AS&E does not SPAM its customers and recognizes that SPAM is a harmful and unwanted nuisance. We do, however, send email messages to our customers under certain circumstances and would like to explain the reasons that govern our decision to do so.
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Email Messages Resulting From an Order
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· A customer who orders a product from us online (as opposed to phoning their order into our call center) will receive an email confirmation within a few moments that their order was successfully processed by our shopping cart. This additional mailing is the only way in which orders placed online and offline differ.
· A customer who places an order with us is agreeing to receive a certain number of informational emails that we feel are a critical part of a confirmed order. The number of e-mails we send are the absolute minimum that we need to send to satisfy our needs, including shipping & tracking confirmation and the provision of a sales receipt to the customer.
· Please note: Additional e-mails may be sent, or customers may be contacted by phone in order to help us achieve our standard of customer service. These additional emails or phone calls will only be made if we have trouble processing or shipping your order.
· Although the actual number of emails received will vary from one order to another, a "Thank You for Purchasing" message and an introduction to Lifetime Rewards™ will be sent as our final email along with an opportunity to unsubscribe from our mailing list.
· If the customer chooses to unsubscribe they will not receive any more direct e-mails, telephone calls or fax communications from us unless they purchase another product from us. Removal from the email mailing list can be accomplished after any mailing by following the unsubscribe instructions included with the mailing.
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Email Messages Resulting From Special Offers and Promotions
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· Visitors who enter themselves in a sweepstakes or special offer at an AmericanSatellite.com website will receive email messages deemed directly related to the promotion, including notification of contest winners.
· Those entrants who expressly requested (via the response form) to be added to our promotional mailing list will receive periodic product updates and incentives. Removal from the promotional mailing list can be accomplished after any mailing by following the unsubscribe instructions included with the mailing.
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Our Commitment To Data Security
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To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
· In many cases, we verify the accuracy of the individually identifiable information by contacting our customers and confirming the information we have after an online sale. This process covers all of our individually identifiable information that is collected and stored.
· We utilize SSL Encryption technology to protect your online order and personal information from theft and misuse when you are connected to our secure server. Verisign digitally signs our secure Internet servers, so you can be sure we are who we represent ourselves to be.
· Our Servers are locked at all times and are only accessed by authorized staff.
· Please be aware that if at any time you lose control of your password, other people other than yourself may gain access to your personally identifiable information. We ask that you immediately notify us if your password should become compromised.
· Please be aware that certain communications, namely email and telephone conversations are not protected by SSL encryption and third parties may unlawfully intercept or access such transmissions or private communications.
· Please be aware that we may be required to disclose information about you to the government or third parties under certain circumstances as required by law. We cooperate fully with all law enforcement inquiries and with all third parties to enforce their intellectual property or other rights. Further, we can (and you authorize us to) disclose any information about you to law enforcement or other government officials to the extent required to comply with the law.
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Our Employees and Your Privacy
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Of course we realize that any policy or set of procedures is only as good as those who implement it. AS&E has a well-trained, professional staff that is committed to your protection. We implemented an employee privacy awareness program that has had great results. Each of our employees fully understands the implications of this policy and is committed to making our company a safe and customer-friendly place to do business.
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Our Partners and Your Privacy -- Third Party Privacy Compliance
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In order for a chain to be strong, each link must be strong. This is especially evident in today's world of shared information. An email address sent to one company could end up on the mailing lists of dozens of its online partners. Of course, that's not the way it happens here! At AmericanSatellite.com we aggressively seek the acceptance of our privacy policy guidelines by our vendors and our partners. Although it is impossible to ensure total compliance, we are confident that we have taken adequate steps to distinguish our company as a responsible and safe online merchant.
Although certain transactions require us to share your information with third parties (for instance, we share information with UPS to ship your order.) Such transactions are entirely optional on your part. You have the ability and choice not to engage in such transactions on our website. For a complete list of third party uses of your personally identifiable information, please reference section titled "The Way We Use Information" in the subsection "Personal Information" above.
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External Links
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Our websites may contain links to other destinations on the Internet. Please be aware that AS&E is not responsible for the privacy practices of other companies once you leave our website.
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Our Commitment To Children's Privacy
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We understand that protecting the privacy of the very young is especially important. For that reason, we never collect or maintain information at our website from those we actually know are under 18, and no part of our website is structured to attract anyone under 18.
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Contacting Us
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If you have any questions or concerns regarding our privacy policies and practices we would truly like to hear from you. What are your concerns about privacy? What can we do to explain the issue to you better? You can reach us during our regular business hours toll free at 1-888-999-7331. For more information about our hours of operation see our Contact Us page. If you prefer not to contact us by phone, your questions, comments and concerns can be e-mailed to us at privacy@AmericanSatellite.com.
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How to Verify, Correct or Remove Information in Our Database
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You can verify your inclusion in our database (or review all of your personally identifiable information that we have collected and maintain) by contacting us at privacy@AmericanSatellite.com. You can correct factual inaccuracies in your personally identifiable information by sending us a request that credibly shows the error. To protect your privacy and security, we will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before making corrections.
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Closing Comments
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We appreciate the time you took to review this document and hope that it has helped answer your questions and concerns with regard to online privacy at AmericanSatellite.com. If you still have questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to email us at privacy@AmericanSatellite.com.
This policy will be in effect as of 1/1/2010 and will supersede all prior versions.
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