ITWEB BRAINSTORM'S Privacy Statement

ITWeb Brainstorm recognises the importance of its readers' and visitors' privacy and takes many steps to protect their privacy. This Privacy Statement discloses the privacy practises for all products and services owned by ITWeb.

By visiting ITWeb Brainstorm's primary Web site or related Web sites that ITWeb controls or operates (collectively "ITWeb sites"), or using any of our services, you acknowledge that you accept the practises and policies outlined in this Privacy Statement.

What this Privacy Statement covers

This Privacy Statement covers ITWeb Brainstorm's treatment of personally identifiable information ("personal information") that ITWeb Brainstorm gathers when you access ITWeb sites. This Privacy Statement does not apply to the use of your personal information by third-parties that ITWeb Brainstorm does not own or control, or to individuals that ITWeb Brainstorm does not control or manage.

Information collection and use

ITWeb Brainstorm is the sole owner of information collected on ITWeb sites. We do not share or sell your information with anyone without your authorisation or consent in ways different from what is disclosed in this Privacy Statement.

Any and all information provided by users of our Web sites, our newsletter subscribers, events registrants, survey respondents and all other readers and customers of our products and services is kept strictly confidential and never sold, re-used, rented, loaned or otherwise disclosed.

We analyse our site logs and strive to constantly improve the value of our content. These logs are not personally identifiable and we make no attempt to link them with the individuals that browse the site.

ITWeb Brainstorm tracks users' IP addresses to help diagnose problems with our server and administer our Web site. We also use IP addresses to gather broad demographic information about our users in general. This information does not contain anything by which users can be identified personally. We may combine demographic information supplied by a subscriber at registration with site usage data to provide profiles, in aggregate form, about our users and their preferences for content and advertising. We may share this composite information with our advertisers to help them better understand our services and user demographics, but never, at any time, will ITWeb Brainstorm ever disclose information about individual users.

Security and confidentiality

To prevent unauthorised access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

REGISTRATION FOR EVENTS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS TO NEWSLETTERS AND MAGAZINES

Delegates attending our conferences, executive forums and other events, and readers signing up for free newsletters, free magazine subscriptions or specialised services (such as job search site, CareerWeb) need to register first. They are required to provide their contact information (name, e-mail address, and phone number). We use this information to communicate with users and provide requested services, and to improve the value and experience to visitors of our Web sites. We may also collect demographic information (such as company, job title, IT purchasing responsibilities) for services that are provided free of charge to users who qualify. We only use aggregate demographic information about our audience for reporting or marketing purposes, or to improve our service.

For services that require payment, such as conferences and magazine subscriptions, we use a secure online payment facility. We also collect credit card information, which is used for billing purposes only and is otherwise kept strictly confidential.

Competitions

We may provide you the opportunity to participate in competitions and lucky draws. If you participate, we will request certain personal information from you. Participation in these competitions is completely voluntary and you, therefore, have a choice whether or not to disclose your personal information. We only use this information internally to determine eligibility, notify competition winners, and to measure the success of our efforts.

USE OF COOKIES

Our site uses cookies to enhance your online experience and improve the quality of our services, by delivering content specific to your interests and preferences.

You can set your browser to disable cookies. However, some features or services may not function properly without cookies.

PRIVACY OF YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS

ITWeb Brainstorm provides a number of daily and weekly newsletters, which keep our readers abreast of the latest news and events. This service is free, but individuals must request to join our mailing lists by signing up through a form on our Web site. They are required to give their contact information (such as name, e-mail address, and phone number) as well as demographic information (such as company, job title and IT purchasing responsibilities). We use this information to enhance the value of our content, the experience of our Web sites and to better serve the needs of our target audience.

Recipients of our newsletters can unsubscribe using the instructions provided at the top and at the bottom of each newsletter.

We do not sell, rent, loan, trade or lease the addresses on our mailing list to anyone under any circumstances. In addition, our list server software is configured in such a way as to refuse to divulge the e-mail addresses of our list subscribers to anyone but authorised staff.

Using e-mail addresses provided at registration or otherwise, ITWeb Brainstorm periodically sends out e-mail newsletters and promotional e-mail to our users about services and products offered by ITWeb.

Users can also indicate whether they do not wish to receive e-mail information from ITWeb Brainstorm or its advertisers. Third-parties will never contact our users through the use of our e-mail newsletter lists except through advertisements within the newsletters themselves, or unless users specifically ask to be placed on a list to receive e-mail from our advertisers on subjects of interest.

PRIVACY OF SURVEYS

ITWeb Brainstorm conducts a number of online surveys. Participation in these surveys is completely voluntary and the respondents are given a choice whether to disclose requested contact and demographic information. We ask for contact information to avoid duplicate entries of data and alert the respondent when the survey/competition results are posted online, or to notify the winners of prizes provided by survey sponsors. Subject to the prior permission given by the respondent, such information may be shared with third-party sponsors of such surveys. However, any information about any individual is kept strictly confidential and not sold, re-used, rented, loaned or otherwise disclosed. All responses collected in ITWeb Brainstorm's online surveys are completely confidential and we make no attempt to link the responses to contact information provided. Only the aggregate results of data analysis are used and reported.

INTERACTIVE FORUMS AND FEEDBACK

We offer readers the opportunity to post comments and give feedback to articles we publish. We also run interactive forums where we invite readers to join a debate on a certain topic. We request that readers, who wish to post a comment, supply their full name and a valid e-mail address. Readers may remain anonymous or use a pseudonym, but are still requested to supply a valid e-mail address. This information will never be used for any reason, other than verification, and will also not be published. We will assume that any material submitted via the feedback, forum and letter-to-the-editor facility is for publication unless otherwise clearly indicated. Note that all personal information included in the messages sent or posted via such facilities become public information for which we are not responsible. ITWeb Brainstorm reserves the right to ban or remove content that we find to be obscene, defamatory, illegal, constitutes hate speech or incitement to violence, or constitutes an infringement of copyright or other intellectual property rights.

INFORMATION SHARING AND DISCLOSURE

We share aggregated demographic information about our visitors with our partners and advertisers. This information does not identify individual visitors or members. We do not link aggregate visitor or member data with personal information.

Business transitions

In the event that ITWeb Brainstorm goes through a business transition such as a merger, acquisition by another company, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, your personal information will likely be among the assets transferred. You acknowledge that such transfers may occur, and that any acquirer of ITWeb Brainstorm may continue to use your personal information as set forth in this Privacy Statement. You hereby consent to ITWeb Brainstorm sharing your personal information under the above circumstances. ITWeb Brainstorm will contact you at the e-mail address you provided at registration to communicate such transfer. We will also place a prominent notice on the ITWeb Brainstorm home page for 30 days after such transfer of your personal information.

Changes in this Privacy Statement

This Privacy Statement is a living document. We will modify this document as we add new features to ITWeb sites. We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Statement at any time. If we make material changes to our privacy policy, we will post those changes to this Privacy Statement, the brainstormmag.co.za homepage, and other places we deem appropriate so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it.

GENERAL

ITWeb sites contain links to other Web sites that are not owned or controlled by ITWeb Brainstorm. ITWeb Brainstorm is not responsible for the content or privacy policies of its advertisers or the Web sites to which it may provide links.

Contact us

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our privacy policy, please contact us.