Privacy Policy

Updated and Effective as of May 21, 2020

This document was created using the Vox Media, Inc. Privacy Policy as a template.  Much of the phrasing remains unaltered.

The Privacy Policy document explains to you how One Thousand Words, LLC, collect, use, and share information and Personal Data (as defined under applicable law) obtained through your use of all applications, sites, and services provided by One Thousand Words, LLC. This includes the following “Services”:

• The “onethousandwords.blog” website
• The “onethousandwords.blog” Instagram account
• The “onethousandwords.blog” Facebook page
• The “onethousandwrds” Twitter account
• Any services and products officially provided by these accounts

This Privacy Policy only covers information collected through the Services and via direct communications between you and One Thousand Words, LLC, and does not cover any information collected at any other website, application or otherwise (unless specifically stated), including when you call, write to, or communicate with One Thousand Words in any manner other than through the Services. By using the Services, you consent to such collection, use and sharing of your information and Personal Data and agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

1. Automatically Collected Information

One Thousand Words, LLC, and affiliated third-party service providers (including any third-party content, advertising, and analytics providers) automatically collect certain information from your device or web browser when you interact with the Services to help understand how users use the Services and to target advertising to you (which will be referred to in this Privacy Policy collectively as "Usage Data").

One Thousand Words, LLC, and the third-party service providers use such Usage Data for a variety of purposes including to diagnose problems with the servers and software, to administer the Services, to gather demographic information and to target advertising to you on the Services and elsewhere online. Accordingly, affiliated third-party advertising networks and ad servers will also provide One Thousand Words with information, including reports that will inform how many ads were presented and clicked on the Services in a manner that does not identify personally any specific individual. The Usage Data collected is generally non-identifying, but if it is associates with you as a specific and identifiable person, it will be treated as Personal Data.

2. Cookies/Tracking Technologies

Cookies are files with small amount of data that is commonly used as an anonymous unique identifier. These are sent to your browser from the website that you visit and are stored on your computer’s hard drive.

The website uses these "cookies" to collection information and to improve the website and blog. You have the option to either accept or refuse these cookies and know when a cookie is being sent to your computer. If you choose to refuse cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of the website and blog.

3. Information You Choose to Submit

You can visit the Services without providing information on who you are or revealing any information by which someone could identify you as a specific, identifiable individual (which will be referred to in this Privacy Policy collectively as "Personal Data"). If, however, you wish to register to become a member of the Services, you are required to provide certain Personal Data (for example, your name and e-mail address), and you may also need to provide a user name and password. Your Personal Data is used to fulfil your requests for products and services, to improve the Services, to contact you from time to time, with your consent, about One Thousand Words and related products and services, and as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy. In addition, you are required to provide certain Personal Data when you submit a job application and supporting materials. Where you submit a job application on behalf of another person, you confirm that you have made that person aware of how Personal Data is shared and collected, the reason you have provided it, how they can contact One Thousand Words, the terms of this Privacy Policy and related policies and that they have consented to such collection, use and sharing. You can also choose to submit additional information about yourself, such as demographic information (for example your gender, birth date, or zip code) and information about your preferences and interests. Utilization of the Services may also require submitting such information.  Failure to provide any required Personal Data will prevent One Thousand Words, LCC from being able to provide the Services you request (e.g., member registration or submission of job application) or otherwise inhibit the ability to provide the Services.

Any collected information that is not Personal Data, including Usage Data, demographic data and de-identified Personal Data, is categorized as "Non-Personal Data". If Non-Personal Data is combined with Personal Data, it will be treated as Personal Data under this Privacy Policy.

You also can choose to submit your alias, bio, email, photos or any other information that you would like to share with other users of the Services (which will be referred to in this Privacy Policy collectively as "User Submissions").

Personal Data, Non-Personal Data, and User Submissions are referred to in this Privacy Policy collectively as "User Information."

4. Information Use

Collected Personal Data and Usage Data are used to:

• to enable you to use the Services, to create an account or profile, to process the information you provide via the Services (including verifying that your email address is active and valid) and to process your transactions;
• to provide related customer service and care, including responding to your questions, complaints, or comments and sending surveys (with your consent) and processing survey responses;
• to provide you with information, products, or services that you have requested;
• to receive and process job applications for jobs with One Thousand Words;
• with your consent, to provide you with information, products, or services that may be of interest to you, including special opportunities from One Thousand Words and affiliated third-parties;
• to tailor content, recommendations, and advertisements the Services and third parties display to you, both on the Services and elsewhere online;
• for internal business purposes, such as to improve the Services;
• to administer and process contests, sweepstakes, and promotions;
• to contact you with administrative communications and changes to this Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, or any of the other policies related to the Services;
• to comply with regulatory and legal obligations; and
• for purposes as disclosed at the time you provide your information, with your consent, and as further described in this Privacy Policy.

5. Social Network and Platform Integration

The Services contain integration with social networks and other platforms in which information is shared between One Thousand Words and such platforms. For example, if you create or log into your account through a third-party social media site, the Services will have access to certain information from that site, such as your name, email address, account information, photo and friends lists, and other information in accordance with the authorization procedures determined by such social media site. If you visit the Services on a device through which you also interact with social networks or if you interact with the Services and related accounts through a social media function such as a plug-in (for example, a Facebook "like" button) then you permit One Thousand Words to have on-going access to, to use and to store information from your social network profile (such as your name, email address, your friend list, photo, age, gender, location, birthday, social networking ID, current city, and the people/sites you follow) in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you don't want a social network to collect the information about you as described above, or you don't want a social network to share it with One Thousand Words, please review the privacy policy, privacy settings and instructions of the applicable social network before you visit and use the Services.

6. Information Sharing Practice
   • (a) Generally.  Non-Personal Data, including Usage Data, de-identified Personal Data and aggregated user statistics, is shared with third parties. User Information, including Personal Data, is shared as otherwise described in this Policy, and under the following circumstances:
   • (b) Service Providers. From time to time, One Thousand Words, LLC, may enter into relationships with third parties who provide requested services (for example, analytics companies, advertisers and ad agencies, data management and storage services or credit card processing services, sweepstakes or contest prize fulfillment). In those circumstances, User Information may be disclosed so that such service providers may perform those services. These service providers are only permitted to use your Personal Data to the extent necessary to enable them to provide their services. They are required to follow the express instructions of One Thousand Words, LLC, and to comply with appropriate security measures to protect your Personal Data.
   • (c) Third-Party Marketing. You will have a choice (opt-in or opt-out) before your information is shared by the Services with third parties for marketing purposes. Provided that you have chosen to receive marketing messages from third parties, your information is shared (including Personal Data) with third parties for those third parties' own direct marketing purposes. Please note, messages delivered from a third-party will subject you to the third-party's privacy policy.
   • (d) Change of Control. In the event that the LLC goes through a business transition (such as a merger, acquisition by another company, bankruptcy, or sale of all or a portion of related assets, including, without limitation, during the course of any due diligence process), your Personal Data will likely be among the assets transferred. By providing your Personal Data, you agree that such information may be transferred in those circumstances without your further consent. Should such a business transition occur, the LLC will make reasonable efforts to request that the new owner or combined entity (as applicable) follow this Privacy Policy with respect to your Personal Data.
   • (e) Other Disclosure Scenarios. One Thousand Words, LLC, reserves the right, and are hereby expressly authorized by you, to share User Information: (i) in response to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process, or to establish, protect, or exercise legal rights or defend against legal claims; (ii) if it is believed necessary in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, fraud, or situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person or property; (iii) if it is believed necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding significant abuse of the Services infrastructure or the Internet in general (such as voluminous spamming, denial of service attacks, or attempts to compromise the security of information); (iv) to protect and defend the legal rights or property, the services or their users, or any other party, and to protect the health and safety of users of the Services or the general public; and (v) to subsidiaries, joint ventures, or other companies under common control with One Thousand Words, LLC (in which case such entities will be required to honor this Privacy Policy).

7. Anonymous Data

The term "anonymous data" refers to data and information that does not permit you to be identified or identifiable, either alone or when combined with any other information available to a third-party. Anonymous data may be created from the Personal Data received about you and other individuals whose Personal Data is collected. Anonymous data will include analytics information and information collected using cookies.  Personal Data may be made into anonymous data by excluding information (such as your name) that makes the data personally identifiable to you. This anonymous data is used to analyze usage patterns in order to make improvements to the Services.

8. Public Information

If you identify any User Information as public, you are authorizing One Thousand Words, LLC, to share such information publicly. For example, you can elect to make certain of your User Submissions (such as your alias, bio, email, or photos) publicly available. Also, there may be areas of the Services (for example, message boards, discussion rooms, and other online forums) in which you are able to post information that automatically will be available to all other users of the Services. By choosing to use these areas, you understand and agree that anyone can access, use, and disclose any information that you post to those areas.

9. Users Outside of the United States and Consent to Transfer

The Services are operated in the United States. If you are located in another jurisdiction, please be aware that information you provide to the Services will be transferred to, stored and processed in the United States. By using the Services or providing it with any information, you consent to this transfer, processing, and storage of your information in the United States, a jurisdiction in which the privacy laws are not as comprehensive as those in the country where you reside or are a citizen such as the European Union. You understand that the U.S. government can obtain access to the Personal Data you submit if necessary for investigative purposes (e.g., terrorism investigation). One Thousand Words, LLC, will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy. Appropriate and suitable safeguards will be used for transferring your Personal Data to the U.S.

10. Advertising

• (a) Generally. One Thousand Words, LLC, may enter agreements with other companies to serve third-party advertisements when you visit and use the Services. These companies collect and use click stream information, browser type, time and date, subject of advertisements clicked or scrolled over during your visits to the Services and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services likely to be of greater interest to you. These companies typically use tracking technologies to collect this information. Other companies' use of their tracking technologies is subject to their own privacy policies, not this one.
• (b) Targeted Advertising. In order to serve offers and advertisements that may be of interest to users, targeted advertisements may be displayed on the Services, or other digital properties or applications in conjunction with related content, based on information provided to by users and information provided by third parties that they have independently collected. One Thousand Words do not provide Personal Data to advertisers when you interact with an advertisement.
• (d) Mobile. The site and/or affiliated accounts may from time to time offer certain location or pinpoint based services, such as location assisted navigation instruction. If you elect to use such location-based services, you must periodically provide your location in order to provide such location-based services to you. By using the location-based services, you authorize the Services to: (i) locate your hardware; (ii) record, compile and display your location; and (iii) publish your location to third parties designated by you by means of location publication controls available within the applications (for example, settings, user preferences). As part of the location-based services, certain information may be collected and stored about the users who elect to use such location-based services, such as a device id. This information will be used to provide you the location-based services. Third-party providers may be used to help provide location-based services through mobile systems (unless you opt out of such location-based services with such providers) and this information may be provided to such providers to enable them to provide their location-based services, provided that such providers use the information in accordance with the Privacy Policy.

11. Retaining, Modifying and Deleting Your Personal Data

You may request access for any of your collected and stored Personal Data by sending an e-mail to [email protected].  If you would like to update, correct, modify or delete from the database any Personal Data you previously submitted, please let One Thousand Words know by accessing and updating your profile. If you delete certain information you may not be able to order services in the future without re-submitting such information. The Services will comply with your request as soon as reasonably practicable. Also, please note that Personal Data may still be maintained in the database whenever the Services are required to do so by law.

Please note that certain information is collected for recordkeeping purposes and/or to complete any transactions that you began prior to requesting such change or deletion (for example, when you enter a promotion, you may not be able to change or delete the Personal Data provided until after the completion of such promotion). Your Personal Data will be retained for the period necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Policy unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

12. Service Providers

One Thousand Words, LLC, may employ third-party companies and individuals due to the following reasons:

•     To facilitate the website and other services;
•     To provide the additional services on behalf of the LLC;
•     To perform website-related services; or
•     To assist in analyzing how the blog and other services are used.

These third parties may be granted access to your Personal Information. The reason is to perform the tasks requested of them.  However, they are obligated not to disclose or use the information for any other purpose.

13. Security

Your trust in providing your Personal Information is highly valued, thus One Thousand Words strives to use commercially acceptable means of protecting it.  After extensive research, this website was placed under the protection of WordPress.org and Wordfence. But remember that no method of transmission over the internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure and reliable, and utilization of these services cannot guarantee the absolute security of your Personal Information.

14. Links

The website and other related services may contain links to other sites. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that site. Note that these external sites are not operated by One Thousand Words, LLC, or any of the services/accounts outlined at the beginning of this document. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you review the Privacy Policy of these websites.  One Thousand Words, LLC, has no control over and assumes no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

15. Children's Privacy

The onethousandwords.blog website does not address anyone under the age of 13.  Personally identifiable information is not knowingly collected by the Services from children under 13. In the case it is discovered that a child under 13 has provided the Services with personal information, these data are immediately deleted from the servers. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided the Services with personal information, please send an e-mail to [email protected] so that the necessary actions may be taken.

16. Sensitive Personal Data

Subject to the following paragraph, One Thousand Words, LLC, must as vthat you not send, and you not disclose, any sensitive personal data as this term is defined under applicable data protection and privacy laws (for example, social security numbers, information related to racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion or other beliefs, health, biometrics or genetic characteristics, criminal background or trade union membership) on or through the Services or otherwise.

If you send or disclose any sensitive personal data to the Services, you consent to the processing and use of such sensitive personal data in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not consent to the processing and use of such sensitive personal data, you must not submit such content to the Services.

17. Changes

This Privacy Policy will be updated from time to time with discretion and will notify you of any material changes to the way in which Personal Data is treated, by posting a notice on relevant areas of the Services. The Services will also provide notice to you in other ways, such as through contact information you have provided. Any updated version of this Privacy Policy will be effective immediately upon the posting of the revised Privacy Policy unless otherwise specified. Your continued use of the Services after the effective date of the revised Privacy Policy (or such other act specified at that time) will constitute your consent to those changes. However, your Personal Data will not be used, without your consent, in a manner materially different than what was stated at the time your Personal Data was collected.

18. Contact One Thousand Words, LLC

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please feel free to contact One Thousand Words, LLC by email at [email protected].