Mommy & Me Online Privacy and Fair Information Practices Policy

Mommy & Me Association, Inc. (MMA) and its brand, Mommy & Me will be trusted by parents to provide safe, entertaining, and reliable products and content. We take this trust very seriously, especially as we expand our online presence. We recognize that families are concerned about privacy and especially about the privacy of their children online. MMA, its staff, contractors, and others who help us operate our Web site follow this policy on privacy and fair information practices for online activities of MMA Online.

1. Trust, Notice, and Security

At MMA, we fully disclose our policy about the collection, maintenance, use, disclosure, and security of personally identifiable information obtained from users of our online activities. Concerns about privacy can be stronger in the online environment. MMA promises to follow this privacy and fair information practices policy that we specially designed for our Web site. Parents can trust MMA will not misuse any personal information gathered.

MMA will change over time as we add exciting new features, services, and options. The Internet itself will also change as new capabilities and perhaps new laws emerge. This policy will be updated occasionally. We do not anticipate that our philosophy of protecting user information from inappropriate uses and disclosures will change. However, this policy statement will be refined, improved, and updated to reflect refinements, improvements, and changes in our Web site.

As the MMA Web site evolves, we will update this privacy and fair information practices policy statement to reflect new features, services, and options, as well as any other changes that affect how we use personal information. The privacy link that appears on our home page and elsewhere on the Web site will signal a change in this policy statement. In the future, we plan to offer the opportunity for notice by E-mail of any policy changes.

Another important element of trust is security. The security of personal information is a high priority at MMA. We maintain this Web site and all associated data with technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect against loss, unauthorized access, destruction, misuse, modification, and improper disclosure. No computer system or information can ever be fully protected against every possible hazard. MMA is committed to providing reasonable and appropriate security controls to protect our Web site and its information against foreseeable hazards.

MMA requires that employees and contractors who have access to personally identifiable information from the Web site acknowledge in writing that they have read these privacy and fair information practices rules and that they are expected to follow it. Any employee or contractor who fails to comply with these rules will be disciplined or fired.

2. Parental Involvement and Consent

Parental involvement in a child's MMA activities is a cornerstone of our approach to the Internet. The MMA does not currently seek personal information from children. We will require prior parental consent should we ever collect personal information from children under the age of 13.

MMA encourages parents and caregivers to spend time online with children and to collaborate in the learning and fun offered at our Web site. The Internet is a wonderful place to explore as a family. We recommend that an adult accompany children when using content on the Internet. Our Web site has been designed to delight children and adults alike. We encourage parents to teach their children about online safety and to supervise their children online.

MMA recognizes that collecting personal information from visitors to our Web site can be sensitive. Many features of our Web site do not require disclosure of a name, E-mail address, or any other personal information. Some features need personal information in order to work. We want our users to understand what information we collect and how we use it. We also want to provide our users with a choice when possible.

The MMA does not currently seek personal information from children. Children under the age of 13 may not understand the consequences of giving out personally identifiable information to others. MMA will require prior parental consent before children may directly provide personal information on our Web site. Since our Web site does not currently seek personal information from children, we have not implemented a parental consent process. MMA collects some information from parents:

Member Center: The mommyandme.com website offers free membership for site visitors who are at least 18 years of age. Users who have registered through the Member Center can join discussion boards, enter sweepstakes, and receive newsletters. To be a Member of the MMA mommyandme.com web site, a user must provide a member "name", password, first name, last name, E-mail address and zip code. Members may optionally provide their address, education level, marital status, number of children, age of children, employment status, income bracket, Internet access point (e.g. home or work), frequency of Internet usage, online shopping frequency, and how visitors learned of our site. Once registered, mommyandme.com Members may update or delete their information at any time. In general, information provided through the Member Center is not disclosed to third parties. The optional Member Center information is never revealed to anyone outside MMA. Limited other information provided by the user may be shared with outside sponsors. If a sweepstakes has an outside sponsor, the E-mail addresses of those who enter the sweepstakes may be shared with the sponsor.

Sweepstakes: mommyandme.com may offer Visitors and Members the opportunity to enter a sweepstakes for a prize, such as an Mommy & Me home video. Only Members of the mommyandme.com can participate, and Members must be age 18 or older. Winners are selected at random. Addresses are required of winners and needed to send the prizes. If a sweepstakes has an outside sponsor, the E-mail addresses of those who enter the sweepstakes may be shared with the sponsor. Those who enter a sweepstakes can opt-out of receiving any unsolicited email from a sponsor. When necessary to deliver a prize, delivery information about the winner of a sweepstakes may be shared with a third party.

Newsletters: mommyandme.com will offer monthly E-mail newsletters for parents. Newsletter subscribers may receive occasional, unsolicited E-mail from MMA describing new online features and content or promotional offers. All subscribers can decline the opportunity to receive this E-mail when they register. Subscribers can also unsubscribe to a newsletter at any time.

3. Use and Disclosure Limitations

MMA uses personally identifiable information about its Web site users only in defined and responsible ways. We do not share user information with third parties except when we have told users about the disclosures, when we have prior consent, or when required by law. When we do share information with sponsors, we allow users to opt-out of receiving any unsolicited email.

Use Policy: When MMA gathers personal information from users, we ask for permission first. We also disclose, at the time of collection, how the information will be used by us. Personal information is used for activities such as site registration, site membership, participation in online sweepstakes that require notification of winners, newsletter subscriptions, and mailings that describe upcoming products, events, and features.

Cookies: On the Internet, a cookie is a piece of information that a Web site transfers to a user's computer for record-keeping purposes. As a user moves from page to page at the MMA Web site, a cookie is the only way that we have of knowing who you are. An activity on one page may depend on what you selected on a previous page. We use a cookie to keep track of your selection. Without cookies, users may be asked to provide the same information repeatedly. Some activities may not function at all.

The use of cookies is common on the Internet. Most major Web sites use cookies. MMA uses cookies only when appropriate. We never use cookies to retrieve information from your computer that was not originally sent in a cookie from us. We never use information transferred through cookies for marketing purposes. We never share cookies information with any third parties for marketing or other purposes.

Ads on the MMA (e.g., interactive banners) sometimes allow a user to click through to a Web site maintained by an advertiser. MMA only supports links to a third party site that meets our standards of appropriateness, that complies with AAA and CARU guidelines, and that posts an online privacy policy (although that privacy policy may differ from ours). When you click through to these Web sites operated by our advertisers, you may occasionally get cookies directly from them. MMA does not see or use these cookies, and we do not control how other sites use cookies. Other Web sites operate under their own cookies and privacy policies, and the MMA policies no longer apply once you leave our site.

You can control cookies from your end. Internet browsers (like Netscape and Explorer) give you the ability to control the use of cookies. Most browsers are initially set to accept cookies. If you prefer, you can set your browser to alert you when cookies are in use. You may set your browser to disable or refuse cookies. You can also erase a cookie that has been placed on your computer by us or by others. If you do not allow cookies to be used in the traditional way, it is possible that some parts of the Web site, like the Discussion Board, will not function as we designed them. It is your choice.

User Choice: Whenever possible, MMA allows users to make choices about how their personal information will be used. If we plan to use your information for MMA marketing or advertising purposes, we let you tell us in advance that you do not want to receive any mail about our activities or promotions or about offers from our sponsors or advertisers. For example, when you register for our newsletter, you are asked if you object to our using the information to contact you about new features and content on our Web site.

Disclosure: We do not normally disclose personal information to anyone outside of MMA unless we have previously informed users about the disclosures. However, some data may be used from time to time by outside auditors, consultants, and others hired by MMA to assist in carrying out financial or operational activities. We permit these uses only when necessary to manage the Web site and its records or for another specific purpose consistent with this privacy policy. All recipients must agree in writing to safeguard personal information, to use it only for an authorized purpose, and to return it or destroy it upon completion of the activity.

It is possible that MMA could be required to disclose personal information in response to valid legal process. This includes a search warrant, subpoena or court order. In this respect, we are no different from any other record keeper. Disclosures may also be appropriate to protect MMA 's legal rights or during emergencies if physical safety is believed to be at risk. We think that these events are unlikely, but they are possible. We will take reasonable steps to limit the scope and consequences of any of these disclosures.

If a MMA advertiser wants to send you E-mail and if you have not objected to receiving promotions, we send the E-mail message on behalf of the advertiser. We do not disclose your information to the advertiser. We only share limited information with sponsors as described above. If you leave our Web site and respond directly to an advertiser and provide personal information, then the advertiser may use that information in accordance with its own policy. MMA only does business with responsible companies, but we cannot control the way that someone else uses information that you disclose directly to them.

4. Data Quality

MMA is committed to maintaining accurate, timely, relevant, and appropriate information about our users.

MMA's commitment to data quality includes the recognition that we bear responsibility for maintaining accurate, timely, relevant, and appropriate information about our users. We cannot serve users properly with inaccurate data.

We also recognize that we may need the assistance of our users to make sure that their information is correct. Users are the source of the information that we maintain. Users may review the information that MMA maintains about them and may correct that information if it is wrong. Users can review their information at the Member Center. For example, if you have provided a Member Profile, you can change it. You can also remove it entirely by simply eliminating all of the information on your profile. You can also un-register for our newsletters.

MMA provides links to other Web sites, and we review the appropriateness of these Web sites for our users. We also carefully screen our sponsors and advertisers. They must meet stringent requirements for products, content and advertising. Each sponsor and advertiser has its own privacy policy, which we encourage you to review. If you think that any of these Web sites are inappropriate, please contact us at customerservice@mommyandme.com.

5. Complaints

MMA pledges to work with users to resolve any complaints about our privacy and fair information practices policy or our implementation of the policy.

This is another area where developments are in process. We plan to have a formal complaint mechanism, including an online process for accepting and considering complaints about our privacy policy and practices. In the meantime, if you have a complaint, you can send E-mail to customerservice@mommyandme.com.

Thank you.