Overview

At Meta Group, we understand that privacy is important to our users. Please review this privacy policy periodically as we may modify it from time to time. This privacy policy was last revised on November 12, 2008. Each time you visit the Site or provide us with information, you are accepting the practices described in this privacy policy at that time.

The Meta Group company provides this Privacy Policy to inform you of our policies and procedures regarding the collection, use, safeguarding and disclosure of personal information we receive from users of metaLIFE tools for Second Life® and the website meta-life.net (the "Site"), collectively known as the metaLIFE Services (the "Services"). This Privacy Policy applies only to information that you provide to us through the Services.

Information Collection
In the course of using the Services, you may provide us with personally identifiable information. This refers to information about you that can be used to contact or identify you ("Personal Information"). Personal Information that we collect when you provide it may include, but is not limited to, your name, phone number, email address and home addresses. When you use our Services, our servers automatically record information that your browser sends whenever you visit a website or online service. This data may include, but is not limited to, your Internet Protocol address, browser type, the web page you were visiting before you came to our Site and information you search for on our Site.

Like many websites, we also use "cookies" to collect information. A cookie is a small data file that we transfer to your computer's hard disk for record-keeping purposes. We use "persistent cookies" to save your username and login password for future logins to the Site; and we use "session ID cookies" to enable certain features of the Site, to better understand how you interact with the Site and to monitor aggregate usage and web traffic routing on the Site. You can instruct your browser, by changing its options, to stop accepting cookies or to prompt you before accepting a cookie from the websites you visit. If you do not accept cookies, however, you may not be able to use all portions of the Site or all functionality of our Services.

How We Use Personal Information
Personal Information is used for the following purposes: (i) to provide and improve our Services, features and content, (ii) to administer your use of our Services and metaLIFE account(s), (iii) to enable users to enjoy and easily navigate the Services, (iv) to better understand your needs and interests, (v) to fulfill requests you may make, (vi) to personalize your experience, (vii) to provide product announcements, and (viii) to provide you with further information and offers from us or third parties that we believe you may find useful or interesting, including newsletters, marketing or promotional materials and other information on services and products offered by us or third parties. If you decide at any time that you no longer wish to receive such communications, please follow the unsubscribe instructions provided in any of the communications.

We use information we obtain by technical means (such as the automatic recording performed by our servers or through the use of cookies) for the above purposes and in order to monitor and analyze use of our Services and for the technical administration of the Services, to increase the functionality and user-friendliness of our Services, to better tailor both to your needs, to generate and derive useful data and information concerning the interests, characteristics and website use behavior of our users, and to verify that visitors and users to and of the Services meet the criteria required to process their requests.

We do not sell, rent, share, trade, or give away any personal information unless required by law.

Information Sharing and Disclosure
Certain metaLIFE Members. When you engage in the purchase or sale of virtual goods or services via the "Shop metaLIFE" portion of the Services, the Buyer or Seller will see the avatar name that you provide as part of your metaLIFE account information and with which you conduct the transaction. Any information provided in your public Shop metaLIFE Listings will be visible to any metaLIFE Users.
When you post comments on the Site, other users will see your metaLIFE user ID. Any information you choose to provide should reflect how much you want all other metaLIFE Users to know about you. We recommend that you guard your anonymity and sensitive information, and we encourage metaLIFE Members to think carefully about what information about themselves they disclose in their Second Life profile and in any activities engaged in through the Services.

Aggregate Information and Non-Identifying Information. We may share aggregated information that includes non-identifying information and Log Data with third parties for industry analysis, demographic profiling, and to deliver targeted advertising about other products and services. Any aggregated information shared in these contexts will not contain your avatar name.

Service Providers, Business Partners and Others. We may employ third party companies and individuals to facilitate our Services, to provide our Services on our behalf, to perform Site-related services (including but not limited to maintenance services, database management, web analytics and improvement of the Site's features) or to assist us in analyzing how our Services are used. These third parties have access to your Personal Information only for purposes of performing these tasks on our behalf.

Compliance with Laws and Law Enforcement. Meta Group Company cooperates with government and law enforcement officials and private parties to enforce and comply with the law. We will disclose any information about you to government or law enforcement officials or private parties as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate to respond to claims and legal process (including but not limited to subpoenas), to protect the property and rights of Meta Group Company or a third party, to protect the safety of the public or any person, or to prevent or stop any activity we may consider to be, or to pose a risk of being, illegal, unethical, inappropriate or legally actionable.

Business Transfers. Meta Group Company may sell, transfer or otherwise share some or all of their assets, including your Personal Information, in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of assets or in the event of bankruptcy.

Changing or Deleting Your Information
metaLIFE Members may review, update, or correct the Personal Information provided in their account profile by changing their "user preferences" in their metaLIFE account by visiting meta-life.net

Security
Meta Group Company is very concerned with safeguarding your information. We employ reasonable measures designed to protect your information from unauthorized access.

International Transfer
Your information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your jurisdiction. Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer.

Links to Other Sites
Our Sites and Services contain links to other websites. If you choose to visit an advertiser by "clicking on" a banner ad or other type of advertisement, or click on another third party link, you will be directed to that third party's website. The fact that we link to a website or present a banner ad or other type of advertisement is not an endorsement, authorization or representation that we are affiliated with that third party, nor is it an endorsement of their privacy or information security policies or practices. We do not exercise control over third party websites. These other websites may place their own cookies or other files on your computer, collect data or solicit personal information from you. Other sites and services follow different rules regarding the use or disclosure of the personal information you submit to them. We encourage you to read the privacy policies or statements of the other websites you visit.

See the Second Life website (http://secondlife.com) for information about making changes to your Second Life account information.