To help ensure a rewarding on-line experience for our visitors - and for the parents of our visitors who are children - we provide you with this summary of our information practices.

As we continue to offer our visitors new and different types of content and services, we may modify our practices from time to time. However, we will treat all personal information we collect in accordance with the privacy notice in effect at the time the information is collected.

1. The Information We Collect
   At Muchopets.com, the only personally identifiable information we collect from users 12 years old and younger is a valid e-mail address. And, we ONLY use this information to send these users one message to activate their Muchopets account, and then the e-mail address is completely removed from our system. We also ask users 12 years old and under for certain non-personally identifiable information, such as birth date, gender, and country.
   Muchopets requires users 13 years and older to provide a first and last name, valid e-mail address, birth date, gender, and postal code. Although they have the option to voluntarily enter additional information, it's not a requirement to activate their account. For some of our on-line activities--such as polls or surveys--we may ask users to provide additional information that is not personally identifiable, such as city or state of residence or a visitor's favorite cartoon character.
   When a child under 13 enters a contest, we will ask for a parent's e-mail address so that we can notify the parent that we have received personal information from the child. We do not knowingly collect names and e-mail addresses from children under 13 without notifying the parent via e-mail and giving them the opportunity to remove their child's name from the list of entries. Winners of our contests or sweepstakes are notified by e-mail, and are required to send us by fax or regular mail a form containing their street address. Winners who are minors must have the form signed by a parent in order to receive their prizes.
   Additionally, when visitors come to our site, we automatically collect some non-personally identifiable "computer" information, such as the type of computer operating system (e.g., Windows 95 or Mac OS), the web browser (e.g., Netscape, Internet Explorer) being used, and information regarding the Internet service provider.
   
   
2. How We Use the Information
   We use visitors' personal information only for our internal purposes of enabling visitors to enter one of our on-line contests or sweepstakes, to subscribe to our online newsletter, or to inform users of upcoming events and special announcements. We use the e-mail addresses of parents to notify them when we have received information from their children and to give them the opportunity to have their child's name removed from our lists. We do not keep any personal information we obtain through a contest or sweepstakes after the particular event is completed. We use the names and e-mail addresses of subscribers to our e-mail newsletter only to send them the newsletter. Each newsletter contains instructions on how to be removed from the subscription list by sending us a return e-mail.
   Sometimes we will use agents or contractors to help us provide services to our visitors, such as helping us conduct a sweepstakes and sending prizes to the winners. In these cases, we require the agent or contractor to keep the information confidential and to use it only for the specific services they are performing.
   We sometimes use the non-personally identifiable information that we collect to improve the design and content of our site, to personalize our visitors' experience on Muchopets.com, and to offer products, programs, and services. We also may use this information in the aggregate to analyze site usage, as well as to offer products, programs, or services.
   We will disclose information we maintain when required to do so by law, for example, in response to a court order or a subpoena. We also may disclose such information in response to a law enforcement agency's request.
   We will not use or transfer personally identifiable information in ways that are materially different from the ones described above without also providing parental notification of such practices and obtaining consent for any materially different uses.
   
   
3. Collection of Information by Third-Party Sites and Sponsors
   Our site contains links to other sites, including those of sponsors and advertisers, whose information practices may be different from ours. Sometimes the other sites might conduct contests or sweepstakes that are promoted on Muchopets.com. Visitors should consult the other sites' privacy notices, since those sites are not covered by our privacy policy and may follow procedures that are different from ours. Muchopets never gives a user's e-mail address to sponsors without permission, however, if you choose to "opt-in" (click on a box to receive a sponsor's information), to register with one of our sponsors, or not to "opt-out" (uncheck a checked box that will provide a sponsor with your information), that means you have allowed Muchopets to give your e-mail address to that sponsor.
   
   
4. Cookies
   Muchopets.com uses a software technology called "cookies." Cookies are small text files that we place in visitors' computer browsers to store their preferences. Cookies themselves do not contain any personally identifiable information. Although cookies could enable us to relate a visitor's use of this Web site to personal information that a visitor has provided, such as an e-mail address, we do not use them for this purpose. We do use "cookies" to determine how many visitors we have and how often they visit various sections of our site.
   
   
5. Security
   We have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and help prevent unauthorized access, maintain data security, and correctly use the information we collect on-line.
   
   
6. Parental Review of Information
   Parents, please send a letter or postcard to our Privacy Manager at the mailing address provided below if you would like to do any of the following:
   • access the personally identifiable information that the Muchopets.com site has collected on-line from your child,
   • correct factual errors in such information,
   • request to have this information deleted, or
   • request that we no longer collect or maintain such information.
   Please be sure to include your e-mail address and a telephone number where we can reach you. To protect your child's privacy and security, we will take reasonable steps to help verify your identity before granting you access to the personal information that we collect and maintain about your child.
   
   
7. A Final Note to Parents
   The Internet offers a world of opportunity for children. Your guidance and involvement are essential to help ensure that children have a safe and rewarding on-line experience. We encourage you to visit The Direct Marketing Association's Web site (www.the-dma.org) and explore the Get CyberSavvy! program. Get CyberSavvy! helps families learn how information flows on-line so they can use the Internet in ways that protect their privacy and well-being. It also contains a number of valuable resources to help parents and children be aware of and express their preferences about information that is collected on-line and how it is used. Your efforts to instill responsible information practices will help steer your children to age-appropriate sites and will go a long way toward ensuring that your children have enriching experiences on-line.