Privacy Policy

Privacy

Chowhound.com provides this Privacy Policy to inform users of our policies and procedures regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personally identifiable information received from users of Chowhound's website, located at the domain Chowhound.com (the "Chowhound Website"). Please note that this Privacy Policy only applies to the Chowhound Website.

Information Collection and Use

It is not necessary to provide Chowhound with your personally identifiable information to use the Chowhound Website, and Chowhound does not collect personally identifiable information in connection with the operation of the Chowhound Website.  If you contact Chowhound by email through the Chowhound Website, Chowhound may keep a record of your contact information and correspondence, and may use your email address, and any information that you provide to Chowhound in your message, to respond to you.  Chowhound treats this information as it would treat any other unsolicited business correspondence, and has no obligation to keep this information confidential, nor to take any security measures to protect this information.

When you visit the Chowhound Website, Chowhound's servers automatically record information that your browser sends whenever you visit a website ("Log Data"). This Log Data may include information such as your IP address, browser type or the domain from which you are visiting. For most users accessing the Internet from an Internet service provider, the IP address will be different every time you log on. Chowhound uses Log Data to monitor use of the Chowhound Website and the services we offer via the Chowhound Website and for the Chowhound Website's technical administration.

Cookies and Other Analytic Tools

Like many websites, Chowhound also uses "cookie" technology to collect additional website usage data and to improve the Chowhound Website and the services offered via the Web Site. A cookie is a small data file that Chowhound's servers transfer to your computer's hard disk. Chowhound may also use tracking pixels. Tracking pixels are small graphic images, which are used in email messages to determine whether the messages were opened and the links were clicked, or are used on the Chowhound Website to collect information about the browser and device viewing the Chowhound Website. Chowhound does not use cookies or tracking pixels to collect personally identifiable information.

Chowhound mainly uses "session cookies", which enable certain features of the Chowhound Website and services offered via the Chowhound Website, to better understand how you interact with the Web Site and services we offer via the Chowhound Website, to monitor aggregate usage by our users and web traffic routing on the Chowhound Website, and to improve the Chowhound Website and services offered via the Chowhound Website. Session cookies should be deleted from your computer when you disconnect from or leave the Chowhound Website.

Chowhound also uses a persistent cookie that stays on your computer after you leave the Chowhound Website, for the sole purpose of ensuring that you receive a variety of Chowhound content (also called "frequency-capping").

Third Party Advertisers

The Chowhound Website includes advertising from third party advertisers. Chowhound does not provide any personally identifiable information to these advertisers.

Third party advertisers, or companies working on their behalf, may serve directly to your browser the advertisements that appear on the Chowhound Website, which allows them to receive Log Data (as defined above). They may also use cookies, JavaScript, tracking pixels and other technologies to measure the effectiveness of their ads and to personalize advertising content. Chowhound does not control any third party advertiser tracking or measurement technologies, and the information practices of third party advertisers are not covered by this Privacy Policy. Please contact them directly for more information about their privacy practices.

Opting Out

Most Internet browsers automatically accept cookies. You can instruct your browser, by editing its options, to stop accepting cookies or to prompt you before accepting a cookie from the websites you visit. If you choose not to receive tracking pixels, you will need to disable HTML images in your email program and browser, but that may affect images in other emails you receive and the web pages you browse.

Chowhound also uses analytics technologies such as Google Analytics, Quantcast and comScore. For Google's privacy practices see www.google.com/analytics/learn/privacy.html and to opt out of data recording and analysis by Google Analytics on the Chowhound Website, see https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. For Quantcast's privacy practices see https://www.quantcast.com/privacy/, and to opt out of receiving interest-based content and ads enabled by Quantcast, see https://www.quantcast.com/opt-out/. For comScore's privacy practices see http://www.comscore.com/About-comScore/Privacy-Policy and http://www.scorecardresearch.com/privacy.aspx, and to opt out of having comScore associate site visits with your browser, see http://www.scorecardresearch.com/preferences.aspx.

Chowhound may allow third-party companies, including ad networks, to serve advertisements, provide other advertising services and/or collect certain information when you visit our website.

To learn more about Interest-Based Advertising or to opt-out of this type of advertising by those third parties that are members of self-regulatory programs such as the Network Advertising Initiative, please visit the NAI's website <http://optout.networkadvertising.org>, which will allow you to opt out of Interest-Based Advertising by one, or all, NAI members.

Do Not Track

Some web browsers may transmit "do not track" signals to the websites and other online services with which the browser communicates. Chowhound currently does not take action in response to these signals. Also, please note that regardless of Chowhound's practices with respect to "do not track" signals, third party service providers Chowhound has engaged may use cookies to collect your personal information or online activities over time and across different web sites. For more information regarding Do Not Track mechanisms, see http://allaboutdnt.com/.

Information Sharing and Disclosure

Chowhound cooperates with government and law enforcement officials or private parties, to enforce and comply with the law. Chowhound may disclose any information about you to government or law enforcement officials or private parties as Chowhound, in its sole discretion, believes necessary or appropriate to respond to claims, legal process (including subpoenas), to protect the property and rights of Chowhound or a third party, the safety of the public or any person, to prevent or stop any illegal, unethical, or legally actionable activity, or to comply with the law.

If any or all of the assets of Chowhound are acquired by, or merged with another entity, Chowhound will share with this entity some or all of the information collected through the Chowhound Website.

Security

Because Chowhound does not collect any personally identifiable information from the Chowhound Website, Chowhound does not take any specific security measures to protect the information we do collect.

Links to Other Sites

The Chowhound Website may contain links to other web sites ("Linked Sites") operated by Chowhound or third parties. Linked Sites may place their own cookies or other files on your computer, collect data or solicit personal information from you. This Privacy Policy addresses only the use and disclosure of information that Chowhound collects through the Chowhound Website. Other sites follow different rules regarding the use or disclosure of the personal information you submit to them. Chowhound does not exercise control over third party Linked Sites. Your use of any Linked Site operated by Chowhound is subject to the terms and conditions provided by Chowhound for such Linked Site.  Chowhound encourages you to read the privacy policies or statements of the other websites you visit.

Our Policy Towards Children

The Chowhound Website is not directed to children under 18. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that his or her child has provided Chowhound with personally identifiable information without their consent, he or she should contact Chowhound at staff@Chowhound.com.  If Chowhound becomes aware that a child under 13 has provided Chowhound with personally identifiable information, Chowhound will remove such information from our files.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Chowhound reserves the right to change this policy at any time without prior notice. Any changes to this policy will be posted here.  You are advised to consult this Privacy Policy regularly for any changes. If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at staff@Chowhound.com.

Last Update: January 6, 2017

Mediavine Programmatic Advertising (Ver 1.1)

The Website works with Mediavine to manage third-party interest-based advertising appearing on the Website. Mediavine serves content and advertisements when you visit the Website, which may use first and third-party cookies. A cookie is a small text file which is sent to your computer or mobile device (referred to in this policy as a "device") by the web server so that a website can remember some information about your browsing activity on the Website.

First party cookies are created by the website that you are visiting. A third-party cookie is frequently used in behavioral advertising and analytics and is created by a domain other than the website you are visiting. Third-party cookies, tags, pixels, beacons and other similar technologies (collectively, "Tags") may be placed on the Website to monitor interaction with advertising content and to target and optimize advertising. Each internet browser has functionality so that you can block both first and third-party cookies and clear your browser's cache. The "help" feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to receive notification of new cookies, how to disable existing cookies and how to clear your browser's cache. For more information about cookies and how to disable them, you can consult the information at All About Cookies.

Without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of the Website content and features. Please note that rejecting cookies does not mean that you will no longer see ads when you visit our Site. In the event you opt-out, you will still see non-personalized advertisements on the Website.

The Website collects the following data using a cookie when serving personalized ads:

  • IP Address
  • Operating System type
  • Operating System version
  • Device Type
  • Language of the website
  • Web browser type
  • Email (in hashed form)

Mediavine Partners (companies listed below with whom Mediavine shares data) may also use this data to link to other end user information the partner has independently collected to deliver targeted advertisements. Mediavine Partners may also separately collect data about end users from other sources, such as advertising IDs or pixels, and link that data to data collected from Mediavine publishers in order to provide interest-based advertising across your online experience, including devices, browsers and apps. This data includes usage data, cookie information, device information, information about interactions between users and advertisements and websites, geolocation data, traffic data, and information about a visitor's referral source to a particular website. Mediavine Partners may also create unique IDs to create audience segments, which are used to provide targeted advertising.

If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices to opt-in or opt-out of this data collection, please visit National Advertising Initiative opt out page. You may also visit Digital Advertising Alliance website and Network Advertising Initiative website to learn more information about interest-based advertising. You may download the AppChoices app at Digital Advertising Alliance's AppChoices app to opt out in connection with mobile apps, or use the platform controls on your mobile device to opt out.

For specific information about Mediavine Partners, the data each collects and their data collection and privacy policies, please visit Mediavine Partners.