Why a Privacy Policy?

Stagecast Software respects the privacy concerns of the visitors to our web site. Technology enables us to collect information from the people visiting our web site. This privacy policy is published to let you know what information we collect and how that information is used. This policy has been designed to take individuals' and families' privacy concerns into consideration, as well to comply with the Children's Advertising Review Unit's(CARU) privacy guidelines. If you have any additional concerns, please feel free to contact Stagecast or write to us, Stagecast Software, Attn: Web Site Privacy Policy Feedback, 1325 Howard Avenue #705, Burlingame, CA 94010-4212, USA.

What Information Does this Site Gather/Track?

General Information
Some general information, such as what page is requested and how much information is transferred, is automatically collected when a web site is accessed. This information doesn't identify individuals, only general information about our web site traffic. Stagecast tracks this information to understand our overall audience demographics and content preferences and to tailor the web site accordingly. Information tracked includes the pages visited, the type of browser being used by the visitor (e.g., Netscape, Internet Explorer), the type of operating system (e.g., Macintosh, Windows) in use by the visitor and the domain name of the visitor's Internet service provider (e.g., America Online, AT&T). This information is used in an aggregate and non-personally-identifiable form.

Personal Information
As a general policy, no personal information is automatically collected from visitors to the site. Personal information, which does identify individuals, voluntarily may be provided to us by you, when you download software at our web site, submit a "sim" (also known as a "world"), fill out a form at our web site, participate in a discussion group, or otherwise submit information to us. This information may include your full name, address, email address, telephone number and other identifying information.

For example, individuals who register when they download software provide their names and email addresses. In contests and sweepstakes, some personal information is required in order to notify winners and post information about the winners at the web site. If people email us with questions or comments and wish a reply, they need to provide an email address or mailing address. Real names need not be used to request email replies. If people wish to subscribe to our email mailing list to receive copies of press releases and product-related and promotional announcements, they need to provide an email address. If people wish to sign up on our electronic bulletin boards or an email mailing list, they need to provide a name and an email address. Adults wishing to purchase Stagecast products need to provide their name, address, email address and credit card billing information.

What Does Stagecast Do with the Information it Gathers/Tracks?

Internal Purposes
Stagecast may use your personal information for our internal purposes, to enable us to contact you with information or products of interest to you. We may also use this information to assist us in developing products and services to better address your needs and those of your family, classroom or business.

When are you contacted?
If you check that you want to receive information from Stagecast, we will send you occasional email with company news, product news and other offerings we think will be of interest to you.  If you check that you want to receive information from other companies as well, other companies may send you email directly. If you choose to join a Stagecast mailing list, you may get more frequent email with more detailed information about using our products. Stagecast also may tailor web site contents and email contents to specific individuals, based on individual preferences and characteristics.

Registrants may receive email confirming their registration. Stagecast may notify individuals, through email or via the web site, when new sims that may be of interest are available for download. We also may notify users of product announcements and other Stagecast news, through email. We expressly ask permission when a user first registers. If the user does not want to continue to receive email, he/she can respond to any email and notify us that the name should be removed from our mailing lists.

Bulletin Boards/Discussion Groups/Mailing Lists
We encourage Stagecast Creator users to exchange ideas and advice with each other. Stagecast offers two-way discussion groups which enables this exchange. Portions of the discussions may be highlighted on our web site. Since discussions take place in a public arena, it is important to contribute only the information that you feel comfortable sharing with a group of people. Names and email addresses of individuals contributing ideas are viewable. As such, people who post need to be aware that by posting, they are giving permision for their comments to be publicly distributed, via email and via the Stagecast web site. Identities of people who subscribe to the list but do not make any postings are not disclosed.

Sims
Sims are creations made by people using Stagecast Creator. Stagecast does publish sims created by adults and children. The authors may include personal information within the sim, if they so choose. Stagecast does email a parent when a child downloads software or submits a sim. The parent's email is the one provided by the child. Parents have the right to ask that submissions are not published and deleted from our files.

Stagecast may share with authors the number and profiles of users who download a particular sim. This information would be provided in aggregate and would not identify the particular individuals.

Contests
Contest entries will be shared with the sponsors of such contests, and Stagecast can not control our sponsors' use of that information. Users have the right not to enter any contest if they do not want their information used in such a way.

Cookies
Cookies are messages given to a Web browser by a Web server. Cookies make web surfing easier for you by saving your preferences while you're at a web site. Stagecast may set cookies when you register to download software or take other actions on our site. These cookies will let our Web server remember your actions and help us serve you customized content. We may use these cookies for any reason related to Stagecast's current or future business, without notice to, or permission from, you. Sites to which we link may use cookies as well. Stagecast cannot control these sites' usage of cookies.

Most browsers are initially set to accept cookies. If you'd prefer, you can set yours to alert you when cookies are being sent or to refuse cookies. However, it is possible that some parts of the web site may not function properly if you do so. Please read the Download FAQ for more information on changing your browser cookie settings.

Does Stagecast share the information it gathers?
Aggregate information, which is not personally identifiable, may be shared with third parties, with or without your explicit consent. The email address and other identifying information of only those users who explicitly consent to receiving email may be released to third parties.

This Site's Opt-out Policy.

All web site visitors, as well as parents of children visiting the site, have the right to "opt-out" and refuse to share personally identifiable information with Stagecast or with third parties. However, this may make you ineligible for some activities, where information is required.

Correcting, Updating or Deleting Information.

Individual's Information
Any individual may contact webmaster@stagecast.com to correct, update, or delete their personally identifiable information, such as email address and name. For updates, please include both the old information and the current information, so that we may update your record appropriately.

Children's Information
Parents may contact the webmaster@stagecast.com to correct, update, or delete their information or their children's information from our database, at any time. This request will be used to correct or delete information already collected. It will not be used to take action on future submissions from the child's email address.

Children's Usage of the Web Site

Advertising
This web site promotes Stagecast Software's products and is therefore advertising. Parents may wish to explain this to their children. Stagecast wants our audience, especially children, to be able to recognize advertisements and promotional material. Notices will appear, prominently displayed, in easy-to-understand language, throughout the web site identifying advertisements and promotional materials from other companies, where those are present.

Submitting Personal Data
Stagecast states that children must obtain their parent's permission before furnishing data. Please instruct your children not to give us their name, address or email address, sign up for our mailing list or provide any other personal information to anyone without your permission. Some parents may be interested in using parental control software that help provide a child-friendly online environment. This filtering software also can prevent children from disclosing online their name, address, and other personal information without parental permission. Additional information about filtering software is available from the "Parents" section of the "Privacy Action" page of the Direct Marketing Association, http://www.the-dma.org,among other resources.

Parental Notification
Parents are notified whenever their children register at our web site, via an email to the parent alerting the parent to the child's registration and providing instructions on how the parent can delete the child's registration. The parent's email address is provided by the child at the time he or she registers. No personal information collected from visitors we understand to be children under the age of 12 will be shared with any third parties without parental consent confirmed in writing or by consent via a parental email address that has been previously confirmed in writing.

Contest Participation
Although children may be allowed to participate in some contests on our web sites, if they win, notification and prizes are sent to the parents or guardians whom have been identified to our satisfaction.

Links from our Web Site
Stagecast reviews other web sites before linking to them, to make sure they are appropriate. Given the frequency of changes to web sites, however, we cannot guarantee that those web sites will continue to meet our criteria. Stagecast is not responsible for their content. Also bear in mind that these web sites may link to other web sites that Stagecast does not review. If you run across a linked web site that is no longer working, or which has inappropriate content for children and families, please let us know.

Your Agreement to this Policy
By using our web site, you confirm that you agree to the terms of our privacy policy. Stagecast reserves the right, at our sole discretion, to make additions, deletions, or other changes to our privacy policy at any time. Please check this page periodically for any changes to the policy. Your continued use of the Stagecast web site following the posting of changes to these terms will mean you accept those changes.

Originally posted August 1999.

Mailing address was last changed June 13, 2001.

"Worlds" changed to "sims" on September 5, 2001.

Better Business Bureau URL updated September 17, 2001.

Also read our terms of use.