WineCHATr Privacy policy

WineCHATr is an online application that helps people share and learn find local services they can trust by soliciting and aggregating reviews. To accomplish this, our members write posts about a variety of categories, all related to the enjoyment of wine, that are posted to the wineCHATr Site. These posts can then be accessed and read by other wineCHATr members and general users. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, a "user" is defined as someone using the wineCHATr Site, and a "friend" is defined as someone you have explicitly invited to share posts with you. To fulfill the purpose of our site, we need to display a limited amount of personal information, so that users are able to evaluate the trustworthiness of a particular post.

By using wineCHATr, you permit the collection and use of your personal information as outlined below in our Privacy Policy. You should visit this page periodically to review any changes to the Privacy Policy.

I. Information We Collect

WineCHATr collects user submitted account information such as name and email address to identify you and send you notifications related to the use of the service. WineCHATr also collects user submitted location information such as city, state or zip. WineCHATr also collects user submitted photos, reviews, questions and ratings of wines and wine related businesses and service providers.

Some information collected is not explicitly submitted by the user; we log your browser-type related information, IP address, requested URL, referring URL, and timestamp.

II. How We Use Your Information

Information such as your full name, profile photo and any personally identifiable information you have included in your reviews may be shown to friends or other users primarily in conjunction with posts you have contributed. If a person is a connection they can also see your name or email address in their list of friends. In addition, we may sell your posts to third parties, in which case your first name and last initial and any personally identifiable information you have included in your posts may be shown to users of such third party web sites.

Your full name and email address may also be used when you send an email notification to a friend (such as in an invitation, or when sharing a post). We may also use your email address to send you updates or news regarding our site, but you may choose not to receive email of this type by accessing the "Account" tab of the web site and updating your notification settings. Additionally, we use your email address to contact you on behalf of your friends (such as when someone sends you a personal message).

Browser-type related information, IP address, requested URL, referring URL, and timestamp data help us diagnose problems with our server, administer wineCHATr, and otherwise provide the highest possible level of service to you. In addition, we use this information to perform statistical analyses of user behavior and characteristics in order to measure interest in and use of the various areas of the site and to inform advertisers of such information as well as the number of users that have been exposed to, or clicked on, their advertising banners.

III. Transfer of Information

We may sell your posts to third parties. Your first name and last initial, profile photo, any submitted photos of businesses, and any personally identifiable information you have included in your reviews may be transferred to such third parties and displayed on their websites in connection with such third parties' publication of your posts.

Except as set forth in this Privacy Policy, we do not sell, rent, share, trade or give away any of your personal information. WineCHATr will disclose information about individual users to governmental or judicial authorities or law enforcement agencies, or to other individuals or entities in response to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal processes. Further, wineCHATr may share information in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities or suspected fraud, or to enforce or apply the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy.

We reserve the right to transfer your personal information in the event of a transfer of ownership of wineCHATr, such as an acquisition by or merger with another company. In such an event, wineCHATr will notify you before information about you is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

WineCHATr will notify you when information about you may be provided to third parties in ways other than explained above, and you will have the option to prevent such information sharing.

IV. Links

Our website may contain links to third party websites to which we have no affiliation. WineCHATr does not share your personal information with those websites and is not responsible for their privacy practices. We suggest you read the privacy policies on these third party websites.

V. Use of Cookies

Like most websites, wineCHATr requires cookies to function properly. Cookies are small text files that reside on a user's computer and identify you as a unique user. We use cookies to refine our site and simplify the user experience. You should be aware that wineCHATr cannot control the use of cookies by advertisers or any information advertisers may gather from their use of cookies. If you do not want information collected through the use of cookies, there is a simple procedure in most browsers that allows you to deny or accept the cookie feature; however, you should note that cookies may be necessary to provide you certain features (e.g., customized delivery of information) available on the wineCHATr site.

VI. Controlling Your Personal Information

You should be aware that when you voluntarily disclose personally identifiable information (e.g., user name, e-mail address) via postings, messages, forums, or in other areas of the wineCHATr site, that information, along with any substantive information disclosed in your communication, can be collected and correlated and used by third parties and may result in unsolicited messages from other posters or third parties. Such activities are beyond the control of wineCHATr. Please do not post any personal information on the wineCHATr site or in other areas that you expect to keep private.

As a registered wineCHATr user, you can modify your personal information at any time by accessing the "Account" section of the site. Also, upon your request, wineCHATr will use commercially reasonable efforts to functionally remove you and your personal information from the site; however, it may be impossible to remove your entry without some residual information being retained by wineCHATr. Registered members who wish to close their account should contact support@winechatr.com.

VII. Security

Your wineCHATr account is password-protected. wineCHATr tries very hard to protect our users' information. We use industry standard measures to protect your information that is stored within our database. We limit the access to your information to those employees who need access to perform their job function such as our customer service personnel. If you have any questions about the security at our website, please contact us. Although we take appropriate measures to safeguard against unauthorized disclosures of information, we cannot assure you that personally identifiable information that we collect will never be disclosed in a manner that is inconsistent with this Privacy Policy.

You hereby acknowledge that wineCHATr is not responsible for any intercepted information sent via the Internet, and you hereby release us from any and all claims arising out of or related to the use of intercepted information in any unauthorized manner.

VIII. Emails and Opt-out

Registered members may receive alert emails from wineCHATr when certain conditions occur (such as a new message being received from another member, a connection request, a comment posting, etc). Members may choose to opt-out of some or all alert emails sent by wineCHATr in their account management area. WineCHATr also sends occasionally sends out information newsletters to subscribed members and to wine industry professionals and wine bloggers.  Recipients of these newsletters may opt-out of receiving them by following the instructions contained in every newsletter. Newsletters are not sent out more often than once per week.  

IX. Age Restrictions

This website is not directed to any person under the legal drinking age in the United States. Currently this age is 21 years old. WineCHATr does not knowingly solicit information from any person under the age of 21. Should a person whom we know to be under 21 send personal information to us, we will use that information only to respond directly to that person to inform him or her that they must meet the minimum legal age requirements for the consumption of alcohol in order to become a member of the wineCHATr site.

X. Terms and Modifications to this Privacy Statement

By using the website, you signify your agreement to the terms of our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with these terms, you should not use the site. WineCHATr may modify this Privacy Policy at any time. If a material change is made to this Privacy Policy and/or the way we use our users' personally identifiable information, then we will post a prominent notice of the nature of such change on the first page of this Privacy Policy and also on our home page. You are responsible for reviewing this Privacy Policy periodically to ensure that you are aware of any changes to it. Your continued use of the site indicates your assent to any changes to this Privacy Policy.

XI. Contacting the Web Site

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the privacy practices of this website, or if you want to exercise any of the rights that you are given under this Privacy Policy, you can contact:

CHATr, CO.
1037 NE 65th St. #318
Seattle, WA 98115
support@winechatr.com