Privacy Policy

Welcome to BobVila.com (the “Site”), which is owned and operated by Acton Media, Inc (the “Company”, “we” or “us”).  We are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information.

This privacy policy (the “Policy”) is intended to help you understand the kinds of information we may gather about you when you visit the Site or use any of its features, how we may use and disclose the information, and how you can control, correct and/or update the information.

In this Policy, when we use the phrase “Personal Information,” we mean information about you that is personally identifiable, like your name, address, email address, or phone number, as well as other non-public information that is associated with this personal information.  The phrase “Anonymous Information,” as used in this Policy, means information that is not associated with or linked to your Personal Information. Anonymous Information does not enable us to identify or contact you or other individuals or persons.

By visiting this Site, you are accepting the policies and practices described in this Policy.  Each time you visit the Site, you expressly consent to our collection, use and disclosure of the information that you provide as described in this Policy.

Your Personal Information may be processed by us in the United States where laws regarding processing of Personal Information may be less stringent than the laws in your country.

Please Note: Effective January 1, 2020, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”) affords new privacy rights for California residents concerning their Personal Information. Please click here for our privacy notice for California residents.

The Information We Gather

During the previous 12 months, we have collected information about you in three ways:

Information You Voluntarily Provide Us. We collect and maintain information that you voluntarily submit to us during your use of the Site. For example:

  • when you register for any features of the Site (for example, to use the bulletin boards), you may provide us certain information including your name, email address, screen name, password, demographic information, and certain items of interest about which we inquire at the time of registration;
  • if you make any purchases through the Site you may provide us with credit card and other payment information;
  • if you sign up to receive a Site newsletter, or enter a sweepstakes, we may require that you provide us contact information (e.g., email or physical address); and
  • you may provide us with personal information in the course of email, customer support interactions, surveys, bulletin boards, forums, and comment areas on site content.

You can choose not to provide us with certain information, but this may stop you from using certain features of the Site.

Information We Collect through Your Use of the Site.

As you use the Site, certain information may also be passively collected.  Through technologies like cookies, pixels, beacons and log files, we may collect information about how you use the Site which we may use to deliver more useful content and information to you.  Please see the Cookies, Web Beacons and Log Information section below for more information.

Information We May Receive from Third Parties.

In addition to the information that you provide, or we collect on the Site, we may verify or collect certain information about you from third parties.  For example, we may use your email address to determine your street address or we may use your street address to obtain demographic information about you or the 9-digit ZIP code (ZIP+4) in which you live.  This information may include household income, presence and age(s) of children, and other census data.  We may combine this third-party information with the information we have already collected from you via our Site.  We protect and use this third-party information in the same way that we treat other information – in conformance with this Policy.

How We Use Your Information

We will use your Personal Information in the ways described below or described at the time that the information is collected.

Provided to the Site.

In general, we use your Personal Information as necessary or appropriate to:

  • administer your account;
  • register you;
  • respond to your inquiries or requests that you direct to us;
  • send communications and administrative emails about the Site;
  • personalize and better tailor the features, performance, and support of the Site for your use;
  • send you promotional/marketing information, newsletters, offers, or other information regarding opportunities and functionality that we think would be of particular interest to you (provided that we will not give your Personal Information to any third-party partner, other than those that assist us with administering or operating the Site, without your consent);
  • improve the quality of the Site; and
  • analyze, benchmark, and conduct research on user data and user interactions with the Site.

Cookies, Web Beacons and Log Information.

We use cookies, web beacons, log information and IP addresses in the ways described above and below.

  • “Cookies” are small pieces of information that a website attaches to your browser when you visit a website. We may use both session Cookies (which expire once you close your web browser) and persistent Cookies (which stay on your computer until deleted) to provide you with a more personal and interactive experience with the Site. We do not store Personal Information in any Cookies on your computer. Persistent Cookies can be removed by following your Internet browser’s directions within the help tab.  In order to use certain aspects of the Site, your web browser must accept Cookies.  If you choose to disable Cookies, some aspects of the Site may not work properly.
  • We may also use Cookies, pixels, “Web Beacons” (which are usually small, transparent graphic images) and navigational data like Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) to gather information regarding the date and time of your visit, the features and information for which you searched and viewed, or the email you opened.  This type of information is collected to make the Site and Services more useful to you and to tailor the experience with us to meet your special interests and needs.
  • An “Internet protocol address” or “IP Address” is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when you use the Internet. We, or our service providers, may track your IP Address when you access the Site.

How We Disclose Information to Third Parties

We realize how important it is to keep your Personal Information confidential. We will not share your Personal Information with third parties except as specifically approved or under the circumstances described below. If you object to our use or disclosure of Personal Information collected about you in the ways identified in this Policy, do not use the Site.

In the preceding twelve (12) months, we have not sold your Personal Information.

Disclosure for Legal Reasons.

We may disclose your Personal Information to third parties: (a) to comply with valid legal requirements such as a law, regulation, search warrant, subpoena, or court order; or (b) in certain instances, such as a physical threat to you or others, a threat to homeland security, a threat to our system, or cases in which we believe it is necessary to investigate or prevent harm, fraud, abuse, illegal conduct, or a possible violation of this Policy or the Terms of Use.

Agents and Contractors.

We may provide your Personal Information to third-party service providers who work with us to operate our business and the Site.  Examples of such service providers include vendors and suppliers that provide us with technology, services, and/or content for sending email, analyzing data, and providing marketing assistance. These service providers will have access only to your Personal Information to the extent that it is reasonably necessary to perform their services, and they will have a contractual obligation to keep your Personal Information confidential.

Aggregated, Anonymous Information.

We may share aggregated Anonymous Information about you with third parties.  Aggregated information is your Anonymous Information, combined with the Anonymous Information of other users; it does not enable the third party to identify or contact you.

Contests, Sweepstakes.

Some or all of the information collected during a contest or sweepstakes may be shared with other third parties, such as a provider of prizes or a co-sponsor who may use your Personal Information to administer the promotion or for marketing purposes (in conformity with their privacy policy).  If information collected during a contest or sweepstakes will be disclosed or shared with third parties in this manner, or in some other manner, we will include a notice at the time of collection of such information.

Approval at the Time of Collection.

We may collect Personal Information about you and share it with third parties to the extent that you give us permission at the time of collection. For example, we sometimes gather Personal Information on behalf of a sponsor in association with a promotion conducted by such sponsor.  In this case, we will provide you notice at the time of collection that the information is being collected on the sponsor’s behalf. The sponsor’s privacy policy will govern the maintenance and use of the information collected from you, and the sponsor will be contractually obligated to comply with their privacy policy in their treatment of your Personal Information.

Within Our Company; Changes to Our Company.

In the event we go through a business transition such as a merger, acquisition by another company, acquisition of a controlling interest by a third party in our company, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your Personal Information may be among the assets transferred.  You acknowledge that such transfers may occur and are permitted by this Policy, and that any entity that acquires us, is merged with us, or that acquires our assets may continue to use and process your Personal Information as set forth in this Policy.

Children’s Information

The Site is not directed or intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect Personal Information from individuals under 13 years of age. If you are under 13 years of age, you should not register or provide Personal Information on the Site. If we later obtain actual knowledge that a user is under 13 years of age, we will take steps to remove that user’s Personal Information from our systems. If you are the parent or guardian of a child whom you believe has disclosed Personal Information to us, please contact us so that we may delete and remove your child’s information from our systems.

Updating and Control of Your Personal Information

We offer you choices regarding the collection, use, and sharing of your Personal Information. When you receive promotional communications from us you will have the opportunity to “opt out” by following the unsubscribe instructions provided in the promotional email or newsletter you receive.  Please note that despite your indicated email preferences, we may send you administrative emails regarding the Site (such as administrative confirmations).

If your Personal Information changes, we encourage you to notify us to correct, update, or remove the Personal Information from your profile.  Keep in mind, however, that even if you delete information from your profile, we may retain your Personal Information in the normal course of following our data retention policy and there may be residual Personal Information that remains within our databases, access logs, and other records.  In addition, we are not responsible for updating or removing your Personal Information contained in the lists or databases of third parties who have been provided information as permitted by this Policy.

California Privacy Rights –

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

Effective January 1, 2020, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) allows California residents twice a year, upon a verifiable consumer request, to request that a business that collects consumers’ personal information to give consumers access, in a portable and (if technically feasible) readily usable form, to the specific pieces and categories of personal information that the business has collected about the consumer, the categories of sources for that information, the business or commercial purposes for collecting the information, and the categories of third parties with which the information was shared. California residents also have the right to submit a request for deletion of information under certain circumstances. Consistent with California law, if you choose to exercise your rights, we won’t charge you different prices or provide different quality of services unless those differences are related to your information. Please contact us as described in the “How to Contact Us” section below for information on how to submit a request. Please note that you must verify your identity and request before further action is taken. As a part of this process, government identification may be required. Consistent with California law, you may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. In order to designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf, you must provide a valid power of attorney, the requester’s valid government issued identification, and the authorized agent’s valid government issued identification. We endeavor to respond to a verifiable consumer request within 45 days of its receipt. Any disclosures we provide will only cover the 12-month period preceding the verifiable consumer request's receipt.  The response we provide will also explain the reasons we cannot comply with a request, if applicable.

Co-branded Sections of the Site

Certain portions of the Site may be co-branded with a third-party (the “Co-branded Sections”) with which we have a business arrangement. The Co-branded Sections may be subject to a different privacy policy that is either the third party’s privacy policy or a privacy policy developed jointly by the Site and the third party (collectively the “Co-branded Section Policy”). The third party’s collection, use and dissemination practices regarding any data or Personal Information provided by or obtained from users of these Co-branded Sections will be governed by the Co-branded Section Policy which will in turn make clear if our use and dissemination of Personal Information will be governed by the Co-branded Section Policy or this Policy. Please read the Co-branded Section Policy for each Co-branded Section before providing any Personal Information.

Third-Party Links

The Site may link to websites operated by third parties (including advertisers on our Site) that we do not control.  We do not monitor, control, or endorse the information collection or privacy practices of any third parties.  We encourage you to become familiar with the privacy practices of the websites you visit and to contact them if you have any questions about their respective privacy policies and practices.

Third-Party Cookies

We may use reputable third parties to present or serve advertisements that you may see on the Site and to conduct research about the advertisements.  These third parties may place or recognize a unique cookie sometimes called a “third-party cookie,” on your browser (or may use web beacons or clear gifs to collect certain information) in order to understand Web usage patterns of people who see advertisements, to control the sequence of advertisements you see, to provide you with the most relevant advertising, and to make sure you don’t see the same ad too many times.  These third parties may also connect information about pages you visit on this Site with information about pages you visit on other sites and show you advertising based on this combined information.

We do not control these companies or what they do with the information they collect. Many of these third parties are members of the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) and abide by NAI principles, which prohibit the NAI members from connecting Personal Information to information they collect through cookies without your explicit consent.  If you wish to opt out of participating in advertising programs conducted by NAI members, please go to the NAI Opt-Out site and follow the instructions on that site.  After you opt-out, you will continue to see advertisements from these companies, but the advertising will not be tailored to your web preferences and usage patterns.

Security

We place a priority on the security of Personal Information, and we undertake reasonable security measures, in accordance with industry standards, to protect the data that resides on servers under our control.  However, we do not warrant that your Personal Information will be completely secure or will not be intercepted while being transmitted over the Internet.

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding privacy or this Policy, you may contact us as follows:

contact@bobvila.com

Privacy Policy Changes

We reserve the right to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this Policy at any time and without prior notice, and any changes will become effective immediately upon being posted unless we advise you otherwise.  However, we will not use your Personal Information in a way that is materially different from the uses described in this Policy without giving you an opportunity to opt out of such differing uses.  Your continued use of the Site after this Policy has been amended shall be deemed to be your continued acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Policy, as amended.  We encourage you to review this Policy regularly.

Last Update: February 13, 2020