Privacy Policy And Your Privacy Rights
Last updated on September 20, 2018.
This Privacy Policy applies only to the information Playboy.com, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively, "PBCI," "we," or "us," or "our") collects through the websites, mobile-optimized websites, mobile applications, electronic devices, kiosks, and all other interactive services we provide, and all of the associated content, functionalities, and advertising (collectively the “Services”). This Privacy Policy governs the Services regardless of how you access them. The Privacy Policy describes:
- The personal information we collect and how we collect it.
- What we do with the information we collect.
- How we share and disclose information with third parties.
- Use of online analytics and tailored advertising.
- How you can access and update your information.
- How we protect information.
- How long we retain your information.
- Linked websites and advertisements.
- Use of the Services by users from outside the United States.
- Use of the Services by children prohibited.
- Do-Not-Track disclosure requirements.
- California privacy rights.
- EU data subject rights.
- No rights of third parties.
- Changes to this Privacy Policy.
- How to contact us.
READ THIS PRIVACY POLICY CAREFULLY. BY USING THE SERVICES, YOU AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS POLICY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY, PLEASE DO NOT USE THE SERVICES.
Some Services may have a specific, separate privacy policy that will govern use of those Services. In the event of a conflict between the terms of the Privacy Policy and the terms of the privacy governing a specific Service, the terms of the Service's privacy policy shall govern.
1. The personal information we collect and how we collect it.
Personal information is any information that relates to an identified person or information which, together with other information, may identify a person. Below we describe the types of personal information that we collect, how that information is used, and the legal basis for the collection of such information.
How we collect and store information depends on the websites you visit, the activities in which you participate, and the Services you use. You can use some of the Services without providing any information other than what is automatically collected as described in section 1.4. For certain Services, you are required to provide personal information or you will not be able to use the Services.
1.1 Information you provide to use the Services
We collect any information that you provide during your use of the Services, including your first and last name, username, password, email address, postal address, phone number, mobile phone number, payment information, gender, and birth year. We also collect information you provide or allow us to access when you do certain things, such as:
- Enter registration information for one or more of our Services;
- Enter a sweepstakes or contest or register for a promotion;
- Participate in voting or polling activities;
- Make a purchase;
- Request certain features (e.g., newsletters, updates, and other products);
- Sign up to receive SMS (text message) notifications;
- Download or use one of our mobile applications; or
- Connect with the Services or otherwise allow us to access certain information about you via a social networking site (SNS).
We may collect and store your user ID associated with a social networking service (SNS) account that you use to sign in to your PBCI account or connect or use with the Services. When you sign in to your PBCI website account or mobile application with your SNS account information or otherwise connect to your SNS account with the Services, you authorize PBCI to collect, store, and use in accordance with this Privacy Policy any and all information available to PBCI through the SNS interface, including without limitation any information that you have made public in connection with your SNS account, information that the SNS shares with us, or information that is disclosed as being shared during the sign-in process.
You can choose not to provide us with certain personal information, but that may result in you being unable to use certain features of the Service because such information may be required in order for you to register as a member; purchase products or services; participate in a contest, promotion, survey, or sweepstakes; ask a question; or initiate other transactions through the Services.
1.2 Information you post on or to the Services
We also collect content, such as comments, that you choose to post to or on any of the Services. Other than the information described in section 1.1, posting content to the Services is completely optional and you may still use the Services if you do not choose to post content.
Please be careful and responsible whenever you are online. If you use a forum, blog, channel, bulletin board, chat room, user commenting features, or other interactive sharing or social features that may be offered through the Services, any personal information you submit, disclose, or otherwise publish is considered publicly available and can be read, collected, used, and disclosed by other users of those features, by us, and other third parties. In addition, such postings may appear on other websites or when searches are performed on the subject of your posting. If you post your email address or other personal information, you may receive unsolicited messages. We cannot control who reads your posting or what other users may do with the information you voluntarily post, so we encourage you to exercise discretion and caution with respect to your personal information. Once you have posted information, you may not be able to edit or delete such information if it has been reproduced on other websites or shared with third parties outside of our control.
1.3 Payment information
If you choose to access our paid Services or to make a purchase, we will collect information such as your credit or debit card information, billing address, shipping address, and transaction history.
1.4 Automatically-collected information
We automatically collect certain information when you use the Services:
- Device information: We collect information about the device that you use to access or use the Services, such as hardware model, operating system, browser information, and IP addresses.
- Mobile device information: In addition to the device information described above, we collect certain information when you access the Services via a mobile device, such as the unique device identifier assigned to your device, operating system, and other device attributes.
- Location information: We collect information about your location, such as general information (e.g., IP address, zip code) and more specific information (e.g., GPS-based functionality on mobile devices used to access the Services), and may use that information to customize the Services with location-based information, advertising, and features. For example, if your IP address indicates an origin in Los Angeles, the Services may be customized with Los Angeles-specific information and advertisements. In order to do this, your location information may be shared with our agents, vendors or advertisers. If you access the Services through a mobile device and you do not want your device to provide us with location-tracking information, you can disable the GPS or other location-tracking functions on your device, provided your device allows you to do this. See your device manufacturer’s instructions for further details.
- Usage information: We collect information related to the ways in which you interact with the Services, such as: referring and exit pages and URLs, platform type, the number of clicks, domain names, landing pages, pages and content viewed and the order of those pages, the amount of time spent on particular pages, the date and time you used the Services, the frequency of your use of the Services, error logs, and other similar information.
As described further below, we may use third-party analytics providers and technologies, including cookies and similar tools, to assist in collecting and analyzing this information.
We may also capture other data, such as search criteria and results. In some cases, we will associate this information with a unique identifier (that is not intended to be used by itself to identify you) for our internal use, in which case your identifier will be considered PBCI information and nothing in this Privacy Policy restricts how PBCI may use this information.
1.5 Cookies and other electronic technologies
When you use the Services, we use persistent and session cookies and other similar tracking technologies to: (a) store your username and password; (b) analyze the usage of the Services by collecting the information discussed in section 1.4 above; (c) customize the Services to your preferences; and (d) control the advertising displayed by the Services, as well as advertisements that may be displayed on other websites or mobile applications. The cookies may reflect de-identified data linked to or derived from data you voluntarily have submitted to us, e.g., a hashed version of your email address that we may share with service providers, solely in non-human readable form. We and our vendors may also use other Internet technologies, such as Flash technologies, Web beacons or pixel tags, and other similar technologies, to deliver or communicate with cookies and track your use of the Services, as well as serve you ads when you are using our Services and/or when you are on other websites when those cookies can be accessed. We also may include Web beacons in e-mail messages or newsletters to determine whether the message has been opened and for other analytics. As we adopt additional technologies, we may also gather additional information through other methods.
Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline cookies by visiting the Help portion of your browser’s toolbar. If you choose to decline or otherwise disable cookies, please note that you may not be able to sign in, customize, or use some of the interactive features of the Services. Flash cookies operate differently than browser cookies, and cookie management tools available in a web browser will not remove Flash cookies. To learn more about how to manage Flash cookies, you can visit the Adobe website and make changes at the Global Privacy Settings Panel. You have the right to opt out of non-essential cookies, such as for analytics or advertising purposes, at any time.
1.6 Information from third parties
We may obtain additional information about you from third parties such as marketers, partners, researchers, and others. We may combine information that we collect from you with information about you that we obtain from such third parties and information derived from any other subscription, product, or service we provide.
1.7 Aggregate or de-identified data
We may aggregate and/or de-identify information collected by the Services or via other means so that the information is not intended to identify you. Our use and disclosure of aggregated and/or de-identified information is not subject to any restrictions under this Privacy Policy, and we may disclose it to others without limitation for any purpose.
1.8 Emails
You must provide you email when you signup to be a PCBI member. We use your email to provide you with service related materials and correspondence. You may also opt-in to receiving promotional materials via email. Members may opt out of receiving promotional emails at any time.
2. What we do with the information we collect.
We use the information that we collect for the following purposes:
| Process your transactions and maintain your account(s) |
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| Send you information about your relationship or transactions with us |
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| Send you alerts or other communications via SMS messages or other media or networks |
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| Notify you about new features of the Services, special events, or products, services, and special offers |
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| Administer sweepstakes and contests |
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| Process and respond to your inquiries |
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| Contact you with information that we believe will be of interest to you |
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| Attribute content to you that you make available through the Services (such as comments you post) |
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| Generate and review reports and data about our user base and Service usage patterns |
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| Perform analytics and research aimed at improving the accuracy, effectiveness, usability, or popularity of the Services |
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| Improve the content and features of the Services or develop new Services |
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| Allow us to personalize the content and advertising that you see on the Services and to understand how users interact with and use our advertisements and Services |
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| Enforce the legal terms that govern your use of the Services |
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| Administer and troubleshoot the Services |
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| Associate your activities, customize content or tailor advertising across different devices and browsers that you use to access the Services (for instance, computers, tablets, mobile devices, applications and websites) |
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| For the specific purpose for which you provide information which will be disclosed at the time you provide the information |
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The Services are supported in part by advertising revenue. We may send you commercial emails on behalf of ourselves, our Affiliates, and advertisers. Each such email we send you will have an opt-out that you can use to stop receiving such communications. It may take up to seven days for us to process an opt-out request. We may continue to send you other types of transactional and relationship e-mail communications, such as service announcements, administrative notices, and surveys, without offering you the opportunity to opt out of receiving such emails. Please note that opting out of receiving promotional email communications will only affect future activities or communications from us. If we have already provided your information to a third party before you have changed your preferences or updated your information, you may have to change you preferences directly with that third party.
3. How we share and disclose information with third parties.
We will make your information available to other companies, websites, applications, or people in the circumstances described below:
| With non-affiliated third parties to provide services or products that may be of interest to you) |
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| With third-party service providers or affiliates of PBCI in order to provide the Services or to communicate with you on our behalf |
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| With third-party service providers or affiliates of PBCI in order to provide advertising on our behalf |
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| With our sweepstakes or contest advertisers, operators, and/or sponsors when you sign up to participate in a contest or sweepstakes |
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| With third parties in response to any subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process we receive, or to establish or exercise our legal rights or to defend against legal claims | Any relevant personal information |
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| With third-parties with whom we have a contractual relationship for advertising, including without limitation third-party advertisers and advertising networks |
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| With third parties such as law enforcement, government agencies, courts, and/or other organizations when we believe in good faith that a disclosure is appropriate in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding possible violations of this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service for the Services you accessed and/or to protect the rights and property of PBCI, our employees, users and the public | Any relevant personal information |
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| With third parties such as law enforcement, government agencies, courts, and/or other organizations when we believe in good faith that a disclosure is appropriate in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding possible illegal activities, suspected fraud, or situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person | Any relevant personal information |
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| With third parties in connection with any proposed or actual merger, reorganization, transfer of control, a sale of some or all PBCI assets, or a financing or acquisition of all or a portion of our business by another company | Any relevant personal information |
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We may aggregate and/or de-identify your information so that the information no longer relates to you individually. Our use and disclosure of such aggregated or de-identified information is not subject to this Privacy Policy, and may be disclosed to others without limitation and for any purpose.
We use WireCard Bank to process some of our customers’ credit card payments for us. Where European Union (“EU”) data protection laws apply, WireCard serves as a “data controller” of such information. The use by WireCard of your information is subject to WireCard’s GDPR privacy notice which can be found here: https://www.wirecardbank.com/GDPR
4. Use of online analytics and tailored advertising.
4.1 Online analytics
We may use third-party web analytics services on our Services, such as those of Google Analytics. These service providers use the sort of technology described in Section 1.5 to help us analyze how users use the Services, including by noting the third-party website from which you arrive. The information (including your IP address) collected by the technology will be disclosed to or collected directly by these service providers, who use the information to evaluate your use of the Services. We also use Google Analytics for certain purposes related to advertising, as described in the following section. You may opt out from the use of cookies and other technology for analytics at any time. To prevent Google Analytics from using your information for analytics, you may install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on by clicking here. You have the right to opt out of cookies and other technologies that provide you with such tailored advertising, as described in Section 1.5.Review Cookie Setting here.
4.2 Tailored advertising
When you use the Service, PBCI may serve you with ads based on various factors such as the content of the page you are visiting, information you provide such as your age or gender, your searches, demographic data, user-generated content and other information that you provide to us. These ads may be based on your current activity or your activity over time and may be tailored to your interests. You have the right to opt out of cookies and other technologies that provide you with such tailored advertising, as described in Section 1.5.Review Cookie Setting here.
If you are interested in more information about tailored browser advertising and how you can generally control cookies from being put on your computer to deliver tailored advertising, you may visit the Network Advertising Initiatives Consumer Opt-Out link, the Digital Advertising Alliances Consumer Opt-Out link or TRUSTe’s Advertising Choices Page to opt-out of receiving tailored advertising from companies that participate in those programs. You may also use any links that may be available in advertisements that appear in the Services to learn more.
To opt out of Google Analytics for display advertising or customize Google display network ads, you can visit the Google Ads Settings page. Please note that to the extent advertising technology is integrated into the Services, you may still receive advertisements even if you opt-out of tailored advertising. In that case, the ads will just not be tailored specifically to you. We do not control any of the above opt-out links and are not responsible for any choices you make using these mechanisms or the continued availability or accuracy of these mechanisms.
When using a mobile application you may also receive tailored in-application advertisements. Each operating system (iOS for Apple phones, Android for Android devices and Windows for Microsoft devices) provides its own instructions on how to prevent the delivery of tailored in-application advertisements. You may review the support materials and/or the privacy settings for the respective operating systems in order to opt-out of tailored in-application advertisements. For any other devices and/or operating systems, please visit the privacy settings for the applicable device or contact the applicable platform operator.
5. How you can access and update your information.
To ensure that you have some control over the information we have about you, you may review and update certain user profile information by logging in to the relevant portions of the Services where such information may be updated (may be available on some Services and not others) or by contacting us at privacy@playboy.com.
6. How we protect information.
We have implemented a variety of administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect against the unauthorized access, destruction or alteration of your information. These safeguards vary based on the sensitivity of the information that we collect, process and store and the current state of technology.
Although we take appropriate measures to safeguard against unauthorized disclosures of information, we cannot guarantee that information that we collect will never be disclosed in a manner that is inconsistent with this Privacy Policy.
7. How long we retain your information.
We will retain your information for as long as you use the Services and for a limited period after you stop using the Services for billing and collection purposes.
8. Linked websites and advertisements.
The Services may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of those third-party websites.
We have relationships with third-party providers to provide content, products, services, and functionality through the Services. When you visit websites or use any Services provided in conjunction with one or more of these third-party providers and the brands of those providers appear on the website or Services in connection with such content, products, services, or functionalities, we share any information you provide or that is collected during your use of those Services with those providers as set forth in Section 3. In some cases, the provider may collect information from you directly, in which case the provider's privacy policy (which may differ from this Privacy Policy) would apply. If you have any questions regarding the privacy policy of any of our providers, you should contact the provider directly for more information.
9. Use of the Services by users from outside the United States.
Personal Data captured on this website may be transferred to, and stored or otherwise processed at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (hereinafter "EEA"), including destinations that are not subject to Data Privacy Provisions equivalent to those in the EEA countries in which you provided your Personal Data. We transfer your data to the US with your consent or where necessary to provide you with the services you have requested. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your Personal Data is processed safely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
10. Use of the Services by children prohibited.
The Services are not intended for persons under the age of 18. By using the Services, you hereby represent that you are at least 18 years old. Some third parties, such as platform providers like the iTunes Store or Google Play may provide age-based ratings on some of the Services. These ratings shall have no bearing on this limitation. Third parties may also provide content categories on some of the Services. These categories shall have no bearing on this limitation.
If you become aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@playboy.com. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that a child has provided us with personal information, we take steps to remove such information and terminate the child’s account.
11. Do-Not-Track disclosure requirements.
We are committed to providing you with meaningful choices about the information collected on our Services for third-party purposes, and that is why we provide above the Network Advertising Initiatives Consumer Opt-out link, Digital Advertising Alliances Consumer Opt-Out Link, TRUSTe’s Advertising Choices page, and the Google opt-out link set forth in sections 4.1 and 4.2. However, we do not recognize or respond to browser-initiated Do Not Track signals, as the US Internet industry is currently still working on Do Not Track standards, implementations and solutions.
12. California privacy rights.
California law permits users who are California residents to request and obtain from us once a year, free of charge, a list of the third parties to whom we have disclosed their personal information (if any) for their direct marketing purposes in the prior calendar year, as well as the type of personal information disclosed to those parties. If you are a California resident and would like to request this information, please submit your request in an email to privacy@playboy.com.
13. EU data subject rights.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), if you are an EU resident and we are processing your personal information, you have the following rights:
- Right of access: You have the right to request a copy of the information that we hold about you.
- Right of rectification: You have the right to have information that we hold about you that is inaccurate or incomplete corrected.
- Right to be forgotten: In certain limited circumstances, you have the right to request that we erase from our records the information that we hold about you.
- Right to restriction of processing: In certain limited circumstances, you have the right to restrict the processing of your information.
- Right to withdraw consent: If you have provided consent for the processing of your information you have the right (in certain circumstances) to withdraw that consent at any time which will not affect the lawfulness of the processing before your consent was withdrawn.
- Right of portability: In certain limited circumstances, you have the right to have the information we hold about you transferred to another organization.
- Right to object: You have the right to object to certain types of processing of your information such as direct marketing (to the extent applicable).
- Right to object to automated processing, including profiling: You have the right to not be subject to the legal effects of automated processing or profiling.
- Right to lodge a complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint to the Information Commission’s Office (ICO) if you believe that we have not complied with the requirements of the GDPR with regard to your personal information.
14. No rights of third parties.
This Privacy Policy does not create rights enforceable by third parties.
15. Changes to this Privacy Policy.
PBCI reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in the law, our data collection and use practices, the features of our Services, or advances in technology. Please check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of the Services following the posting of changes to this Privacy Policy will mean you accept those changes.
16. How to contact us.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding our Privacy Policy or practices, please send an email to privacy@playboy.com.