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Privacy policy


1. Simple Star Privacy Statement. Simple Star, Inc. (“Simple Star”) has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our commitment to privacy. Due to the nature of the information we collect from our users, including email address and credit card information, we believe it is important to satisfy strict privacy requirements. This privacy notice applies to our services available under the domain and sub domains of www.simplestar.com and www.photoshow.net including, but not limited to, store.simplestar.com, nero.photoshow.net and gifts.photoshow.net and all information collected or submitted on those online services operated by Simple Star (collectively the “Web Sites”). Please be advised that this privacy policy does not apply to the practices of companies that Simple Star does not own or control, or to people that Simple Star does not employ or manage.


2. Who sees your photos and/or shows after they have been posted online? You and your friends and families can see your photographs and personal shows online. When you choose to share your photographs and/or shows online with family and friends, those individuals will be able to view your photographs and shows. As with any email, your family or friends could forward the email invitation to others, who will then be able to click on the link to the show within the email, and see the pictures too.

Simple Star employees or employees of partner companies that provide services to Simple Star may see your photos when you order products or services involving those photos (such as PhotoShow DVDs and photo merchandise). In addition, your photos or personal account information may be seen by Simple Star employees, affiliates, licensees, vendors and/or third party contractors in order to evaluate, validate, or correct problems with your account, and in the course of maintaining and ensuring proper operation of the Web Sites.


3. Collected Information. Simple Star collects personal information online when:

  • You use our software or Web Sites to store, share, and/or order photo products or services using your pictures or shows online;
  • You make online purchases;
  • You submit questions or comments to us;
  • You request information or materials;
  • You register products online;
  • You download trial or free versions of our software;
  • You participate in online surveys;
  • You participate in online promotions, premiums, sweepstakes or contests; and
  • You request we send information to your friends, family and colleagues.

The type of information collected may include name, address, phone number, billing and delivery information, e-mail address, gift recipient information, credit card information, login information for Simple Star or partner services, and other demographic information. We may also collect general information about your computer, such as its operating system, screen resolution, web browser, etc.


4. How does Simple Star use collected personal information? Our primary goal in collecting your customer information is to provide you with a personalized, relevant, user-friendly experience on the Web Sites. Here are the ways we use Customer Information to enhance this experience:

  • We use your information to communicate with you. We use your email address to inform you of product improvements, feature announcements, newsletters, Simple Star promotional offers, and occasional third-party promotional offers that may be of interest to you. From time to time, we may also directly contact some of our users via email or phone to conduct market research which will help us improve future versions of our products. Only Simple Star (or agents working on behalf of Simple Star under confidentiality agreements) will ever have the authority to contact you directly.

    If you do not wish to receive these communications, you may always "opt out" by using the subscription preferences link that appears at the bottom of each of our mailings. (If you opt out of promotional communications, we will still contact you in response to specific requests or transactions that you initiate. For example, you will still receive emailed receipts for your online purchases and responses to your technical support requests. You will also continue to receive notifications of photographs or shows shared with you as requested by your friends, family, and colleagues.)
  • When you share photographs or shows through the Web Sites, we use the "to" email addresses you provide only to notify your friends, family members, and colleagues about those photographs or shows. We do not retain these email addresses or use them for any other purpose.
  • When you supply login information for one of our partners' services through our software or websites, we use that that login and password only to sign you into the partner's services. We do not retain your login information, and Simple Star employees do not have access to any of your account information at our partners.
  • We use your information to provide you with products and services that you have requested. For example, if you purchase photo merchandise through our store, we will use your billing and credit card information to charge you for the merchandise, the shipping address to deliver the merchandise, and your email address and/or phone number to inform you about the status of your order and contact you if there are any issues processing it.
  • When you interact with one of our partners through our Web Sites or software, we may share your information with that partner.
  • We use data about the use of our systems to monitor their proper operation, and to help us maintain and improve our products and services. For example, we might use data that the number of shows shared increases over the summer to increase our server capacity during those months, or to help us decide to offer clip art with a summer vacation theme.
  • We use aggregated, anonymous data about our users as a group to help understand our business and communicate it to our partners. For example, we might inform a partner that 100,000 of our customers order custom DVDs at least once a year. Your information, however, will never be personally identifiable when aggregated for these purposes

5. Information Collected through Use of Cookies and Other Technologies. Simple Star's servers automatically receive and record data from visitor browsers and online communications from our software, including computer IP (Internet Protocol) addresses and other information through the use of cookies. This information is collected about thousands of site visits and analyzed as a whole. This analysis looks for trends among many visitors to simplestar.com or other Simple Star sites, and determines which parts of the site are accessed most frequently and what information visitors find most valuable. We may also collect and record information about what you viewed on our Web Sites. We may use this type of information and combine it with your personal information to help customize our future interactions with you. In doing so, we hope to provide better service to you by tailoring our communications to match your interests.


6. With whom does Simple Star share Customer Information? Our primary goal in sharing your information with third parties is to provide you with products and services you have requested. Here are the ways we may share Customer Information with third parties:

  • With third party intermediaries (for example, credit card authorization companies, photo processing labs, merchandise distributors, shipping services, etc.) who help us run the PhotoShow DVD Service and the Web Sites. Your information is provided to these third parties solely for the purpose of providing you the services you request at the time that you request them. Third party intermediaries do not store, retain, access or otherwise use your information other than as necessary to provide you with the Simple Star products and services.
  • Our partners when you access their services through our software or Web Sites. Any information you provide to one of our partners will be subject to their own privacy policy. Simple Star's software and Web Sites will identify the partner by name, and will usually provide links to the partner's privacy policy and terms of service, before any information is shared. For example, if you use our software to order prints through Snapfish, you will be using (or creating) a Snapfish member account, and your personal information and photographs will be provided to Snapfish.
  • Authorized third parties offer versions of our software and Web Sites under their own brands. When you use their version of our products, we will share your information with the other company, and their privacy policy will also apply.

Simple Star reserves the right to transfer your personal information in connection with the sale or transfer of all or a portion of our business or assets. If the business is sold or transferred, Simple Star will give you an opportunity to tell us not to transfer your personal information. In some cases, this may mean that the new organization will not be able to continue providing to you the services or products that Simple Star provided.


7. Security. The Web Sites have security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. To that end, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.


8. Links to Other Sites. The Web Sites may contain links to other sites. Simple Star is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such other web sites.


9. Children's Privacy. Protecting the online privacy of children is especially important, and federal law protects those under the age of 14. For that reason, Simple Star does not knowingly permit children under the age of 14 to become registered members of our sites, or to buy goods and services on our sites, without verifiable parental consent. Simple Star does not knowingly collect or solicit personal information about children under 14, except with their parent's express consent.

If we ever include children under the age of 14 as part of our intended site audience, those specific web pages will, in accordance with the provisions of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), be clearly identified and provide an explicit privacy notice; and we will provide processes to obtain parental approval, provide access to information and allow parents to request removal of their children's personal information.

10. Changes in Privacy Policy. Simple Star reserves the right to modify this privacy notice from time to time, by posting a prominent announcement on this page. We encourage you to periodically review this privacy statement to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. Your continued use of the service constitutes your agreement to this privacy statement and any updates.


11. Contacting Simple Star. If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or our privacy and security practices, you can contact us at:

Simple Star – Attn. Privacy Compliance
651 Brannan Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94107
privacy@simplestar.com
Please note that these addresses are for privacy and security matters only. If you are looking for help purchasing, installing, or using our products, please contact us through our support center.