Vistas Privacy Policy
This Privacy policy describes the information we collect about you and what may happen to that information.
PRIVACY STATEMENT
Vistas is committed to protecting the privacy of users of our site. As part of the normal operation of this site, we collect information from you. This Privacy Statement describes the information we collect about you and what may happen to that information.
INFORMATION GATHERED THROUGH VISTAS WEBSITE
This Site provides links to other third party sites. The linked third party sites (including any links provided by the third party sites) are not under the control of Vistas, and Vistas is not responsible for their content. Vistas does not endorse any third party product or any non-Vistas company to which this Site provides a link. If you decide to access any such third party site, you do so at your own risk. Vistas reserves the right to terminate any link or linking program at any time.
USER CHAT ROOMS
Vistas tracks the domains from which people visit Vistas and analyze this data for trends and statistics. Subject to the provisions of this Privacy Statement, Vistas may use accumulated data for various purposes, including but not limited to marketing analysis, service evaluation and planning.
Currently, Vistas uses personal information as a basis for notifications to users, “opt-in” emails, and in order to implement some of the terms of the Terms and Conditions of Use governing the website (the “Terms”). User names and email addresses (as well as any additional information that a user may choose to post) are publicly available on the Vistas site. When users voluntarily and publicly disclose personal information that may contain Registration Data, or otherwise post personal information in conjunction with content subject to an Open Source license, such personal information necessarily will be disclosed subject to the terms of the license. An example of such a disclosure includes, but is not limited to, a user’s disclosure of personal information as part of a message posted to a public message forum, or a publicly-released software application.
Vistas may conduct surveys of other studies of its customer base and usage for marketing and planning purposes. With respect to information collected from such surveys or studies, and in the event that responses are to be publicly disclosed, users will be notified at the time they take the survey and Vistas will disclose only aggregate information regarding its users and not personal information identifying any specific individual. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in cases where surveys allow users to submit written comments, and where Vistas advises users of the possibility of such disclosure at the time they take the survey, Vistas reserves the right to disclose text information provided by any user through such a survey, provided that no personal information identifying that user is disclosed. Participation in such surveys is at the user’s option; Vistas does not conduct mandatory surveys. Circumstances under which Vistas would publicly disclose such aggregate information include, but are not limited to, sharing survey results with the site population and publicizing overall usage data in press communications.
Cookies: Vistas employs “cookies” to provide a user with tailored information. Cookies, web beacons and similar tracking technologies are used to enhance user experience. Such tracking technologies were originally developed to help a user’s browser save any preferences the user might have set during the session. Nowadays web cookies and beacons are used to track users’ activity on the website and to enhance the user’s visit to the website. A web cookie is a small text sent by the website to your web browser that contains your personal credentials in encrypted form as well as other personal information and personalization of the website. It is worth a note that a cookie cannot retrieve any information from your hard drive, infect your computer with viruses or steal your personal data or in any other way impair your privacy.
A web beacon is a small and generally hidden GIF-image that is incorporated into a web page or an email to keep track on user’s activity on the page or the email. Just like a cookie, a beacon tracks user’s visit and sends the data to the server that is the only to be able to decrypt this data. But unlike cookie, a beacon cannot be used for identification purposes, nor can it store any data on your computer as it is not browser-based.
Other Notification: In order to implement or enforce the Terms of Vistas, Vistas may use personal information to contact users on an individual basis. At no time, unless law requires such disclosure, disclosure is necessary to aid law enforcement, or a user specifically authorizes such disclosure, will Vistas disclose individual user personal information that is not publicly available to unrelated third parties.
LINKS WITH OTHER SITES
Vistas contains links to other websites, whether owned or controlled by Vistas affiliates or unrelated third parties. Please note that the privacy policies of these sites may differ from those of Vistas. Vistas is not responsible for the privacy policies and practices of any linked website. We encourage you to read the privacy statement of any website you may visit.
CHOICE
“Opt-in” Emails: Users may “opt-in” to receive site notifications, newsletters or other information via email. Users may remove themselves from such services at their discretion. Any email sent to an “opt-in” list will include directions for how a user may remove himself or herself from the list, or a URL where the user may find such directions.
Profile Display: In some cases, users’ personal information may be publicly available through a user’s profile display.
In such cases, users have the option to opt out of publicly displaying their real names. In cases where site profiles allow users to display optional information publicly, such entry and display is at the user’s discretion and may be changed at any time by the user.
Email Display: In some cases, users may have the opportunity to use a Service to send electronic mail to another user. In such cases, a user’s valid email address and real name will be included with such messages. In order to prevent abuse, users may not opt-out of such a display, but may choose to refrain from using said Service to transmit an email message.
ACCESS
Users can view their data on their personal profile page. When technically feasible, users are permitted to update their personal information directly through Vistas Service. When such updating service is not technically feasible, Vistas will make reasonable efforts to assist users in updating their personal information.
SECURITY
To secure site integrity, Vistas employs measures including but not limited to security audits, use of encryption tools and software, and other reasonable security measures and procedures. Internal access to users’ private and nonpublic personal information is restricted to site administrators and individuals on a need-to-know basis.
ENFORCEMENT
In the event that Vistas becomes aware that site security is compromised or user nonpublic information has been disclosed to unrelated third parties as a result of external activity, including but not limited to external security attacks, Vistas shall take reasonable measures which it deems appropriate, including but not limited to internal investigation and reporting, and notification to and cooperation with law enforcement authorities, notwithstanding other provisions of this Statement.
If Vistas becomes aware that a user’s personal information provided to Vistas has been disclosed in a manner not permitted by this Privacy Statement, Vistas shall make reasonable efforts to notify the affected user, as soon as reasonably possible and as permitted by law, of what information has been disclosed, to the extent that Vistas knows this information.
UPDATES TO THE PRIVACY STATEMENT
To substantively update the Privacy Statement, we will both post the changed version and its effective date on our website at www.Vistas.com. Concurrently with any substantive change to the Privacy Statement, we will email notice of the change to known users at least 15 days in advance (or such shorter or longer time as mandated by law or any judicial or government body).
NO GUARANTEES
While this Privacy Statement expresses Vistas’s standards for maintenance of private data, Vistas is not in a position to guarantee that the standards will always be met. There may be factors beyond our control that may result in disclosure of data. As a consequence, Vistas disclaims any warranties or representations relating to maintenance or nondisclosure of private information.