Privacy Policy

This privacy policy discloses the privacy practices for http://www.minisprout.com.

All Web users who receive ads served by Mini Sprout retain complete anonymity where Mini Sprout is concerned. As ads are served, Mini Sprout does not acquire or collect any personal information about you. Your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address all remain your private information. Like most standard Web servers, Mini Sprout uses log files to collect "non-personally identifiable data" such as Internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser types, Internet service providers (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system types, and date/time stamps. Mini Sprout uses this data to categorize users by certain interest categories such as sports, music, literature, food, Windows users, Mac users, etc., which in the aggregate help us to determine which ads perform best and which content is most appropriate for different users on an anonymous basis.

There are instances where a Web user may provide specific personal information in response to an ad containing a survey, purchase agreement, or registration questionnaire. For such programs, Mini Sprout (or a third party working in conjunction with Mini Sprout and the Advertiser) acquires this information on behalf of the Advertiser client. The client uses this information to deliver the goods or services requested by the user. Any personal information that a user voluntarily provides to an Advertiser is subject to the privacy policy of that Advertiser. We recommend that anytime you choose to voluntarily submit personal information online, you should first visit and review the privacy policy of that site.

Does Mini Sprout Collect Any Personally Identifiable Information From Web Surfers?

No. We only collect personally identifiable information when you voluntarily provide such information, such as when you sign up for a service or promotional event. For Web surfers who simply visit a Web site on our network, or click onto banner ads, we collect only anonymous information (collectively referred to as "non-personally identifiable data") that by itself, or together, cannot by its nature be tracked to a specific individual.

Why Does Mini Sprout Collect "Non-Personally Identifiable Data"?

Generally, when you see an ad served by Mini Sprout on a Web site, we have been hired by a client Web site to provide services including ad delivery, reporting or analysis of certain usage statistics on their Web site, as well as general system monitoring and error reporting. We are an outsourced solution for what many companies traditionally have done internally, including traffic pattern evaluations to enhance the usability and marketing power of their Web sites. The anonymous information that we collect on behalf of our clients is useful only to the specific advertisers who employ us to deliver ads, and only in the context of our selection of ad-content and our reporting of ad-effectiveness to our client. In order to assess an advertising campaign's effectiveness, we use cookies and pixel tags under our Internet domain minisprout.com, or in the client's domain to better define categories and determine which categories an online user belongs to (a software company may desire to reach only windows users or mac users, for example).

What are Cookies?

A cookie is a small amount of data that your Internet browser puts on your computer's hard drive. Cookies do not harm Web surfers' computers. The cookie information can only be read by the server that created the cookie, and provides no personally identifiable information about the individual using the computer. It is an anonymous piece of data that simply identifies your computer by assigning it a unique random number. It does not identify you, but rather it identifies your computer as a "unique user." By identifying your computer as a unique user, the cookie lets us keep track of how many times your computer receives an ad we distribute. Likewise, the cookie can help make sure you do not see the same ad over and over thus enhancing your online Web viewing experience. In a more general scope, cookies are used by our reporting system to estimate the total "reach" of an advertising campaign, the number of times an advertisement is displayed, clicked on, and how often a unique user visits an Advertiser client's site.

The use of "cookies" has become industry standard for many, if not most, of the thousands of companies doing business on the Internet, and we believe that the use of such tools actually makes advertising on the Web less intrusive because users are not bombarded with repeat and irrelevant messages. Nevertheless, Mini Sprout firmly believes that every individual who uses the Internet should be able to make informed decisions with respect to individual privacy matters, including the use of cookies. Thus, we are happy to provide you with a number of choices. You can choose to accept or refuse cookies by changing the settings in your Internet browser. You can also opt to be warned before a cookie is put on your computer. You can also choose to periodically delete cookies from your computer's hard drive, clearing out all historical data that may have been saved from your previous Web surfing. In addition, Mini Sprout provides you the opportunity to opt-out of just Mini Sprout's cookies by following the opt-out procedure set forth below.

How Can Users Delete Cookies?

One way you can delete cookies stored on your computer, and therefore interrupt the process by which Web sites and advertisers collect non-personally identifiable information, is to delete all cookies on your computer's hard drive. This will delete cookies from our clients and everybody else. Depending on your Internet browser, you can delete all cookies in the following way:

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.x

Menu: Tools-Internet Options
Select Tab: Settings
Select Tab: View Files
Select and delete the cookies you want to delete from your hard drive.

Navigator 4.x

Menu: Edit-Preferences
Select Category: Advanced
Find section: Cookies
Select your choice

Please consult the help file for your particular browser for any changes to the above process.

How Can Users Block Cookies?

One way you can stop cookies from being put on your computer is to block all cookies by disabling cookies in your Internet browser configuration. This will block cookies from our clients and everybody else. Depending on your Internet browser, you can block all cookies in the following way:

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.x

Menu: Tools-Internet Options
Select Tab: Privacy
Pull "slider" to "Block All Cookies," which is the highest setting

Netscape Navigator 4.x

Menu: Edit-Preferences
Select Category: Advanced
Find section: Cookies
Select your choice

What are Action Tags?

Action tags (also known as clear gif technology) are tiny transparent graphic image files placed in a Web site, which are served by Mini Sprout and counted when served. Mini Sprout uses these action tags to track the completion of transactions and submittal of applications. In essence, action tags tell us that an event or "action" has occurred, for instance that something was clicked on, submitted, or purchased, but it conveys no real details about that event, nor does it provide any personally identifiable information about the user that initiated it. We use cookies and action tags primarily to: (i) report to Mini Sprout's advertiser and Web site clients the estimated total reach of an ad campaign; (ii) report the frequency with which an ad was shown to a user and other measurement statistics; (iii) ensure that an ad displayed to a user corresponds to the correct click-through destination; (iv) deliver a series of advertisements in the proper sequence; and (v) limit the number of times a browser is delivered the same advertisement.

What is the Platform for Privacy Preferences ("P3P")?

The Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P) provides a way for Ad Networks and Web sites to publish their privacy policies in a machine-readable syntax. An Ad Network or Web site will deploy P3P in order to make its privacy practices more accessible to the site's visitors. A visitor's Web browser can download the machine-readable privacy statements, and compare the contents of those statements to the user's preferences. This way, the user's browser can automatically notify the user when they visit a site whose practices match the user's preferences or warn the user if the practices and preferences don't match. Mini Sprout has incorporated this technology into their ad servers in order to make its privacy practices more accessible to users.

Linked Sites

Advertisements delivered by Mini Sprout on behalf of its clients frequently contain links to other sites. Please be aware that linked sites are not covered by this privacy policy although they may adhere to their own similar policies. Mini Sprout does not assume any responsibility or liability for the actions, products, services and content of linked sites. We recommend that you visit and review the privacy policies of linked sites, as we have no control over information that is submitted to, or collected by, these third parties.

Contacting Mini Sprout

Mini Sprout openly volunteers its privacy practices. If you have any questions or you feel we are violating any privacy principle, please contact us at info@minisprout.com. If you do not receive acknowledgment of your inquiry or if you think that your inquiry has not been satisfactorily addressed, then you may contact BBBOnline at http://www.bbbonline.org/consumer/complaint, a non-profit organization that assists customers with the resolution of such concerns. If BBBOnline finds us to be in violation of any privacy principle, we will correct the situation and stop processing the data of the user bringing the complaint.

Changing Our Privacy Practices

Please note that because of the changing nature of privacy laws, consumer needs, and our business, Mini Sprout is committed to the constant monitoring and examination of its privacy practices, and may, from time to time, institute changes to its Privacy Policy. In the event that any material changes are made to the company's privacy practices, we will promptly make changes to this privacy policy and we will post these changes on this page so that you are always aware of what information we collect and how we use it. Regardless of any future changes, however, we will never use the information you submit under this current policy in a new way without first providing you an opportunity to opt-out or otherwise prevent that use.

Children's Privacy and Spam

As of April 21, 2000 the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act became effective. The regulations apply to the online collection of personal information from children under the age of 13. Mini Sprout is very sensitive to the issue of children's privacy and makes every effort to protect the privacy of children using the Internet. Mini Sprout's Web site, products, and services are not developed for or directed at children. Our policy is not to permit anyone under the age of 13 to do business with us. If you believe your child has provided Mini Sprout with any personally identifiable data by registering at Mini Sprout's Web site, please e-mail us at privacy@minisprout.com to have the data removed. We also request that all Web sites using our advertising network disclose in their privacy statements any and all information regarding the collection of information from children. In addition to the above, Mini Sprout is committed to proper Internet practices and full compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (15 U.S.C. 7701). It is our policy to prohibit the sending of unsolicited or "Spam" e-mail by Mini Sprout or any of its marketing partners.

A Special Note About the European Union
European Union Web surfers understand and consent to the processing of personal information in the United States.

Mini Sprout Clients
Mini Sprout is a B2B not B2C business (i.e. we do business with other businesses not consumers). If you are a "client" of Mini Sprout (i.e. an Advertiser or Web Publisher who has registered with Mini Sprout to do business with Mini Sprout) you are requested to provide personal information in order to participate in these programs. The collection of this information is part of regular business practices and is necessary in order to complete transactions and properly run and administer these services. Should anyone be uncomfortable providing this information to Mini Sprout, they can choose not to participate. Information collected during the registration or application processes, include: company name, name, e-mail, street address, and phone number. Overall, Advertiser and Publisher information is used for administering the program, maintaining account information, and processing billing and payments.

Security
Mini Sprout makes significant efforts to maintain the security of its network and the data we collect. We use various technologies, including, in certain instances, encryption. Mini Sprout also has an internal security policy with respect to the confidentiality of customer and other data, limiting access only to those employees who we reasonably believe need to know such information for the purpose of performing their jobs. Please keep in mind, however, that the Internet is not a 100% secure medium. Therefore, although we use reasonable efforts to protect information, the possibility of somebody defeating our security measures does exist.

Though we make every effort to preserve user privacy, we may need to disclose personal information when required by law wherein we have a good faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with an appropriate law enforcement investigation, current judicial proceeding, a court order or legal process served on our ad servers or Web site. In addition to the above, there is also the possibility that Mini Sprout, or part of the company, may one day be purchased by, or merged with, another company. If that's the case, the acquiring (or merging) company will have access to our information.