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Privacy Policy
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ZENIMAX MEDIA ONLINE PRIVACY POLICY
ZeniMax Media Inc. and its divisions, Bethesda Softworks LLC, Vir2L Studios LLC, and ZeniMax Online Studios LLC (collectively, "ZeniMax") are committed to protecting your privacy online. To further this commitment, we have adopted an Online Privacy Policy that guides how we collect, store, and use the information collected about you online.
This Privacy Policy Statement and the certification seal located above confirm that ZeniMax is a valid licensee and participating member in the Entertainment Software Rating Board's Privacy Online Program: ESRB Privacy Online. To protect your privacy, we have voluntarily undertaken this privacy initiative and all of our websites have been reviewed and certified by ESRB Privacy Online to meet established online information collection and use practices. As part of this privacy program, we are subject to frequent audits of our sites and other enforcement and accountability mechanisms administered independently by the ESRB.
ESRB Privacy Online is a third-party seal provider whose mission is to protect consumers' online privacy and make the Internet a secure, reliable, and private place to share information and conduct business. ESRB Privacy Online promotes and enforces established principles and guidelines for fair information practices that include requirements of full disclosure, notice, and informed consent.
Whenever you visit a website that displays the ESRB Privacy Online certification seal, you can expect to be notified of the following:
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Exactly what information may be collected and how it will be used;
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The consequences, if any, resulting from your refusal to provide personal information;
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What is a company's policy regarding links to third party sites;
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What choices you have with regard to the use of your personal information;
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Whether and how information is collected from children under 13;
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How a company ensures data security, quality, and integrity; and,
What types of information does ZeniMax collect and
how will it be used?
In order to give you the best experience on our site, ZeniMax may collect
information about you, but only if you voluntarily provide it to us.
Typically, we may ask a user to submit personal and/or demographic information,
and it will usually take the form of either: (1) product
and warranty registration; (2) community forum registration;
(3) contests and sweepstakes, (4) technical
support; (5) the purchase of a product or service at our online
store; and (6) personal information submitted in a business
capacity (e.g., resumes). The types of information that may be requested
for each activity and the way the information may be used are detailed
below. In the event that demographic information is requested on the
same page as personal information, the demographic and personal information
may be combined.
- Product and Warranty Registration
To register on our site, we may ask you to provide personal information such as your name, email address, home address, and telephone number. We may also collect demographic information including your age, information about the product you purchased, the type of console you own, and the types of games you enjoy playing. The information that you submit during registration will entitle you to limited warranty protection and technical support. We may also use your registration information to notify you about updates to our products and services. - Forum Registration
To register for membership in any of our online community forums, we may ask you to provide personal information such as your email address, and to create a username and password. We may also collect demographic information about you, including your occupation, hobbies and interest, and other preferences. The information that you submit to us for this purpose is used to give you access to our community forums and other community features and to allow the moderators and administrators of the message board to contact you.
The ability to participate in the community forums by simply logging in is available to only those Web users that have already created a password during an earlier visit to the community registration area of our site. To login as a member, we may ask you to submit your username and password. This information is collected so that you can access and participate in the community forums without having to reregister.
Please note that the information (e.g., email address, username, occupation, and interests) contained in your profile (i.e., that you provide when registering) may be viewable to other users of ZeniMax's message board. We cannot and do not guarantee that this information will be kept confidential or private. If you do not want the public to see this information, please leave the information blank at the time of registration or choose to make your email address inaccessible to other users of the forum.
- Contests, Sweepstakes, and Promotions
From time to time, we may run contests, sweepstakes or other events or activities ("events") on our websites. Information collected for these events may include personal information such as your email address and may be collected by or shared with a third party sponsor, co-sponsor, or other reputable third party (e.g., marketing or promotional partner, software licensee, or game developer). While we have no control over the third party's use of such information, we will attempt to ensure that they agree to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of any personal information we share with them (or that they collect through our websites). If you do not want your information to be collected by or shared with a third party, you can choose not to participate in these events at the time the information is collected.
- Technical Support
To submit a question or problem to our technical support team regarding any problems you are encountering with a particular product, you may be asked to provide personal information such as your name, phone and/or fax number, home address, email address and demographic information such as the kind of operating system you own and a description of your problem. The information you provide us for this purpose is used to respond to your troubleshooting problem in a timely and accurate fashion.
- Online Store
Visitors purchasing goods and services through our online store will need to provide a valid credit card number and expiration date, in addition to name, mailing and billing addresses, phone number, and e-mail address. This information will be used to fulfill your purchase requests and may be used to assist you with questions you may have about an order.
- Business Capacity
ZeniMax provides on its website an email address that receives resumes for candidates interested in employment. Personal information collected from resumes will be used for the purpose of accepting and evaluating candidate submissions for job postings and may therefore be shared within our company.
Portions of our site may also contain an area where businesses can submit a request for information about ZeniMax products and services (e.g., Vir2L Studios website design and development). Any personal information collected from such requests is used to respond to the specific request and may be added to our business newsletter mailing list.
Other than as explained above, this Privacy Policy does not apply to personal information gathered through resumes or business requests for information.
Unless noted otherwise, we may also use your personal and/or demographic information for our internal marketing and demographic studies, so we can constantly improve the products and services we provide you and to better meet your needs.
No matter what method we use to collect information and no matter how we use that information, we will only collect the information deemed reasonably necessary to fulfill your online requests and our legitimate business objectives.
What happens if I refuse to provide my personal information to ZeniMax?
If you choose not to submit personal information when requested, you may not be able to participate in certain activities on our site and may considerably limit the services we can provide you. For example, if you refuse to provide your email address when registering, you will not be able to use our message boards. To simply use our site, however, you do not need to give us any personal information.
Does ZeniMax use cookies, track IP addresses or use other passive means to collect information?
Cookies
ZeniMax may use cookies to improve the use of our websites. A "cookie" is a small file or record-keeping device that websites often store on a user's computer. Storage of cookies on your system provides an easy and convenient method for us to personalize your experience on our websites. For example, cookies allow us to remember your screen name, tell us that you have visited our website before, and may contain information that will make your next visit to our website more enjoyable. However, we do not use cookies to store personal information such as your name. In addition, ZeniMax will not use cookies to retrieve information from your computer that was not originally sent in a cookie. You can always disable cookies or set your browser to alert you when cookies are being sent to your computer.
IP Addresses
ZeniMax may also collect your IP address for safety and security purposes. An IP address is a number that is used by computers on the network to identify your computer every time you log on to the Internet.
Log Files
Other non-personal information collected by ZeniMax is in the form of logs - files that record website activity, including how many "hits" a particular web page is getting (a.k.a., "click-through data"). For example, log file entries are generated every time a visitor clicks the "Online Shop" icon on our site. These entries enable ZeniMax to assess overall site activity, track interest in advertised sales, track interest in purchase behavior, and troubleshoot technical concerns.
Through the use of log files, we may also collect certain demographic information such as the type of browser you are using (e.g., Netscape, Internet Explorer), the type of operating system you are using (e.g., Windows 98 or Mac OS), and the domain name of your Internet service provider (e.g., America Online, Earthlink).
Who is collecting my personal information?
Any personal information that you disclose while visiting any of our websites is collected by ZeniMax or its vendors, and is used in the manner specified above.
With whom does ZeniMax share my personal information?
From time to time, ZeniMax may employ and share your personal information with entities who use it solely to provide support for the internal operations of our website(s) (e.g., fulfillment of contests or online purchases, message board operation, and technical support processing).
ZeniMax may also share your personal information with our subsidiary or affiliate companies for purposes of internal marketing and demographic studies, which help us improve and tailor the products and services we provide you.
Other than as explained in this policy, we may disclose personal information in the good faith belief that we are required to do so by law, or that doing so is reasonably necessary to comply with legal processes; respond to any claims; or, to protect the rights, property, or personal safety of ZeniMax, our customers, or the public.
In addition, information about our customers, including personal information, may be disclosed as part of any merger, sale, transfer of company assets, acquisition, bankruptcy, or similar event.
What is ZeniMax's policy regarding links to third party sites?
You should be aware that while you are on a website operated by ZeniMax, you may be directed to other sites that are beyond our control and for which we are not responsible. Because we cannot guarantee that the privacy policies of these websites meet our high standards and the requirements of the ESRB Privacy Online Program, we recommend that you read the privacy policy of the website to which you link before you submit any personal information.
Can I choose how my personal information is used?
If you prefer not to receive marketing information from our websites, email notices from our message board operators, or any other communication from ZeniMax, please "opt-out" when you register or at the time you submit your information. If you've already opted-in, but you wish to stop any further communications, just let us know by sending an email to: privacy04@zenimax.com
Your California Privacy Rights
Since 2005, California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits our customers who are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. For inquires regarding our disclosure policy, please contact us via email at privacy04@zenimax.com, by phone at (301) 963-2000, or by regular mail at: Privacy Coordinator, ZeniMax Media Inc., 1370 Piccard Drive, Suite 120, Rockville, MD 20850 USA.
How can I access my personal information?
If you have registered for a game-specific bulletin board on our site and wish to update your profile, you may do so online by visiting the "profile" section found at each game forum on our websites. You may be required to submit your login name and password before you can access your profile information.
If you wish to review, update, or delete any other personal information that we may have collected about you, please send an email to our Privacy Coordinator by email at privacy04@zenimax.com, or by regular mail at ZeniMax Media Inc., 1370 Piccard Drive, Suite 120, Rockville, MD 20850 USA.
Does ZeniMax collect personal information from children under 13?
ZeniMax does not knowingly request or collect personal information such as name, address, or email address from children younger than 13 years of age. To determine who is under 13 years old, we ask all users who wish to register online for a particular service (e.g., product, forum, or technical support registration) to submit their date of birth. Those visitors that indicate that they are under 13 are not allowed to register online.
In some instances, certain portions of our site(s) (e.g., electronic postcards) may allow children under 13 to submit personal information such as their email address without first telling us their age or getting their parent's permission. Such portions of our site(s) operate activities or provide services in a way that does not require prior parental consent under the law.
We recognize the importance of safeguarding the privacy of children and encourage parents to check and monitor their children's use of online activities regularly.
What safeguards does ZeniMax use to protect my personal information?
ZeniMax maintains appropriate safeguards that ensure the security, integrity and privacy of the personal information we collect. Personal information collected by ZeniMax is stored in secure operating environments that are not available to the public and is only accessible by authorized employees. In addition, our online store uses industry-standard encryption to prevent unauthorized electronic access to sensitive financial information such as your credit card number.
We also have security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control (i.e., maintain data quality). Before we allow web users to access their personal information, for example, we verify their identity by prompting them to submit information such as their login name and password.
How do I ask a question or file a complaint?
If you have any questions, complaints or comments regarding our Privacy Policy Statement or practices, please contact us via email at privacy04@zenimax.com, by phone at (301) 963-2000, or by regular mail at:
Privacy Coordinator
ZeniMax Media Inc.
1370 Piccard Drive, Suite 120
Rockville, MD 20850
USA
You can also contact ESRB Privacy Online directly at http://www.esrb.org/privacy/contact.jsp or at:
ESRB Privacy Online
Attn.: Director, Privacy Online
317 Madison Avenue, 22 Floor
New York, NY 10017
(212) 759-0700
privacy@esrb.org
By using this site, you signify your assent to the ZeniMax Online Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not use this site. We reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy. If we make a material change to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by posting the change on this site or in this Privacy Policy and, if necessary, give you additional choices regarding such change. Please check back from time to time to ensure that you are aware of these changes. Your continued use of this site will signify your acceptance of these changes.
Updated 12/21/07
