Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 1, 2015
Last Modified: September 20, 2024

At YouMustKnow.net, your privacy is one of our top priorities. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit or interact with our website and services. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data transparently and responsibly.

By using our website, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms, please discontinue using our services.

1. Introduction

YouMustKnow.net respects your privacy and complies with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for users in California, USA.

This Privacy Policy covers:

What personal information we collect and why we collect it.
How we use your personal information.
How we share your personal information.
Your rights concerning your personal information.
How we protect your personal information.
Data retention policies.
How to contact us about privacy matters.

This policy applies to all users of our services globally, including users in the United States, the European Union, and other regions. By using YouMustKnow.net, you acknowledge and accept this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in various ways, including directly from you when you provide it, automatically as you use our services, and from third parties. Here’s a breakdown of the types of information we collect:

a. Information You Provide to Us

When you use our services or contact us, you may voluntarily provide personal information. This includes, but is not limited to:

Personal Identifiers: Your name, email address, telephone number, mailing address, or any other identifiers you provide when you contact us or sign up for an account.
Account Information: If you create an account on our website, you may provide a username, password, profile picture, and other personal details.
Payment Information: If you make purchases or donations through our website, we collect payment details, including credit or debit card information, billing address, and other transactional data.
Communications: When you contact us, whether via email or through other forms of communication, we may keep records of that interaction, including the content of your messages and any attachments.

b. Information We Collect Automatically

We may collect certain information about your device, browsing actions, and usage patterns automatically when you visit our website. This includes:

Device Information: We collect information about your device, including your hardware model, operating system, browser type, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information.
Log Data: Our servers automatically collect information such as your IP address, browser type, referral URLs, access times, pages viewed, and other log information when you use our site.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies (such as web beacons and pixels) to collect information about your browsing behavior and preferences. Cookies help us recognize your browser or device, remember your preferences, and provide a more personalized experience.

c. Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third-party sources, such as social media platforms, advertising partners, and analytics providers. This includes:

Social Media Information: If you interact with us through social media platforms, we may receive your social media profile information, including your username, profile picture, and any other publicly available information.
Third-Party Analytics: We use third-party analytics services, such as Google Analytics, to collect and analyze information about how visitors use our site. These analytics services may collect data such as your IP address, geographic location, and browsing behavior.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for a variety of purposes, including to:

Provide and Improve Our Services: We use your information to operate and improve our website, personalize your experience, and offer new features.
Process Transactions: If you make a purchase or donation, we use your payment information to process the transaction, send you receipts, and manage any related customer service.
Communicate with You: We may use your contact information to send you newsletters, respond to your inquiries, notify you of important updates, or provide customer support.
Tailor Content and Advertising: We use the information we collect to personalize the content and ads you see on our website, based on your interests and browsing history.
Analyze and Improve User Engagement: We analyze usage data to understand how our users interact with our services, which helps us improve functionality and optimize user experience.
Enforce Terms and Policies: We may use your information to enforce our terms of service, prevent fraudulent activities, and protect the safety and security of our website and users.
Legal Compliance: We use personal information as necessary to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. However, we may share your information under the following circumstances:

a. With Service Providers

We work with third-party service providers who perform tasks on our behalf, such as website hosting, payment processing, customer support, and data analytics. These service providers are bound by confidentiality agreements and may only use your information to the extent necessary to perform their services.

b. With Advertising and Analytics Partners

We may share non-personally identifiable information (such as anonymized or aggregated data) with advertising partners and analytics providers. This helps us analyze trends, improve our marketing efforts, and deliver relevant advertisements.

c. For Legal Purposes

We may disclose your personal information if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to:

Comply with legal obligations, such as court orders, subpoenas, or regulatory requirements.
Enforce our terms of service, privacy policy, or other agreements.
Investigate and defend ourselves against third-party claims or allegations.
Prevent or detect fraudulent activities, security breaches, or technical issues.
Protect the rights, property, and safety of YouMustKnow.net, our users, and the public.

d. In the Event of a Business Transfer

If YouMustKnow.net is involved in a merger, acquisition, asset sale, or other corporate restructuring, your personal information may be transferred to the new entity as part of the transaction. We will notify you before any transfer occurs and give you the opportunity to opt out of any future data transfers.

5. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. We are committed to providing you with options to control your privacy and data.

a. Access, Update, or Delete Your Information

You have the right to:

Access: Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
Update: Correct or update inaccurate or incomplete information.
Delete: Request the deletion of your personal information, unless we are required to retain it by law or for legitimate business purposes.

You can exercise these rights by contacting us at [email protected].

b. Manage Cookies and Tracking Technologies

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or alert you when a cookie is being set. However, disabling cookies may limit your ability to use certain features on our site.

To opt out of targeted advertising, you can visit:

Google Ads Preferences: Google Ad Settings
Network Advertising Initiative (NAI): NAI Opt-Out Tool

c. Opt-Out of Marketing Communications

If you no longer wish to receive marketing emails from us, you can opt out by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in the emails or by contacting us directly at [email protected]. Please note that you may still receive transactional emails, such as payment confirmations or updates about your account.

d. European Economic Area (EEA) Users

If you are located in the EEA, you have additional rights under the GDPR, including:

The right to restrict processing: You can ask us to limit the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
The right to object: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data for marketing purposes.
The right to data portability: You can request that we transfer your personal data to another organization or provide it to you in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
The right to withdraw consent: If we process your personal data based on consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at [email protected].

6. Data Security

We implement technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

Encryption: We encrypt sensitive data, such as payment information, to ensure its confidentiality during transmission.
Access Controls: We restrict access to personal information to employees, contractors, and service providers who need to know the information for their job functions.
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Regular Audits: We conduct regular audits of our data handling practices and security protocols to ensure ongoing compliance and the safety of your personal data.
Secure Storage: We store your personal information on secure servers and use industry-standard security measures to protect data both in transit and at rest.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no security system is impenetrable. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information. In the event of a data breach, we will notify you and any applicable regulatory authorities as required by law.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which we collected it, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, or reporting requirements. The length of time we retain data will vary depending on:

The nature of the data: For example, we retain payment transaction records for as long as required by applicable financial regulations, while cookies and browsing data may only be retained for a shorter period.
Legal Obligations: We may retain your personal information longer if we are required to do so by law, for example, for tax or accounting purposes.
Business Requirements: We may retain data related to customer support, complaints, or legal matters for an extended period to defend against potential legal claims.

When your personal information is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymize it, so that it cannot be used to identify you.

8. International Data Transfers

YouMustKnow.net is based in [Insert Country], but we operate globally. As such, your personal information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside of your home country. These countries may have different data protection laws than your country of residence.

Where we transfer your personal information outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) or other regions with comprehensive data protection laws, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

Standard Contractual Clauses: We use approved contractual clauses to ensure that your personal information is protected in line with European data protection standards.
Data Protection Agreements: We have agreements in place with third-party service providers to ensure that your data is handled securely and in compliance with applicable regulations.

By using our website, you consent to the transfer of your personal information to other countries as described in this Privacy Policy.

9. Children's Privacy

YouMustKnow.net is not intended for children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, please do not provide any personal information on this website.

If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe that we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at [email protected].

For residents of the European Union (EU), our services are not intended for individuals under the age of 16, and we will not knowingly process any personal data of individuals under this age unless parental consent is provided.

10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect information about your interaction with our website, which helps us improve your experience and deliver relevant content and ads. A cookie is a small text file that is stored on your device when you visit a website. It helps websites recognize your device when you return and allows them to store user preferences and other information.

a. Types of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies: These cookies are necessary for the basic functions of our website and cannot be disabled. They include cookies that allow you to log in securely and access member-only features.
Performance Cookies: We use these cookies to collect information about how visitors use our site, such as which pages are visited most often, and whether users encounter errors. This data helps us improve site performance.
Functional Cookies: These cookies allow us to remember your preferences and provide enhanced, personalized features, such as remembering your language settings or saved preferences.
Advertising and Targeting Cookies: These cookies are used to deliver ads that are more relevant to you and your interests. They also limit the number of times you see an ad and help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.

b. Managing Cookies

You have the option to accept or decline cookies when you visit our website. You can manage your cookie settings in your browser preferences, where you can choose to block all cookies or be alerted when a cookie is set. Please note that disabling cookies may limit your ability to use certain features of our website.

For more information on managing cookies, visit your web browser’s help pages.

11. Third-Party Links and Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, products, or services. Please note that this Privacy Policy does not apply to any third-party websites or services, and we are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties.

When you click on a link to a third-party website, we encourage you to review their privacy policies to understand how they collect, use, and share your personal information.

12. Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers have a "Do Not Track" feature that allows you to signal to websites that you do not want your online activities to be tracked. At this time, YouMustKnow.net does not respond to Do Not Track signals, but we provide you with the ability to manage your cookie preferences as described above.

13. Your California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a resident of California, you have specific rights regarding your personal information under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). These rights include:

a. Right to Know

You have the right to request that we disclose what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell. You can request a copy of the specific pieces of personal information that we have collected about you in the past 12 months.

b. Right to Delete

You have the right to request that we delete any personal information we have collected about you, subject to certain exceptions. For example, we may retain information that is required to complete a transaction, detect security incidents, or comply with a legal obligation.

c. Right to Opt-Out of Sale

YouMustKnow.net does not sell personal information. However, if we ever engage in the sale of personal information, you will have the right to opt out.

d. Non-Discrimination

We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights. This means that we will not deny you goods or services, charge different prices, or provide a different level of service if you choose to exercise your privacy rights.

To exercise your CCPA rights, please contact us at [email protected].

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, your personal data is protected under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Under the GDPR, you have the following rights:

Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: If the data we have about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you can request that we correct or complete it.
Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You can request that we delete your personal data under certain circumstances, such as if the data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.
Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request that we limit the processing of your personal data in certain situations.
Right to Data Portability: You can request that we transfer your personal data to another organization or provide it to you in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
Right to Object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data, particularly for direct marketing purposes.

To exercise your GDPR rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within one month as required by GDPR.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data practices or in response to new legal requirements. When we make changes, we will update the "Effective Date" at the top of this page and notify you by email or by posting a prominent notice on our website.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal information.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: [email protected]

We are committed to resolving any privacy-related concerns and will respond to your inquiries promptly.

By using YouMustKnow.net, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to our collection, use, and sharing of your personal information as described herein.