GayUniverse.com & GayUniverse.net Privacy Policy

GayUniverse.com and GayUniverse.net, divisions of GarRock Ventures LLC are firmly committed to ensuring your privacy. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for these websites. For the purposes of this policy, GayUniverse.com and GayUniverse.net are collectively referred to as ‘the website’.

The protection of your privacy is very important to us. We have adopted and we are committed to the following practices to safeguard the confidentiality of your personal information. We will notify all registered users by posting any material change to this privacy policy on the Privacy Policy page of ‘the website’.

What information we gather automatically from visitors

We use your IP address (the series of numbers associated with your individual computer) and access times to help us maintain our site and identify problems with our server. Your IP address is not tied to personally identifiable information or personally revealing information while on our site..

We do use cookies to identify traffic that comes through advertising and to facilitate a more user friendly experience. Cookies are small pieces of information that a web site places on your computer's hard drive so we know it's you when you (login name only) visit. This helps us to create a personalized experience for you when you visit our site. The use of cookies is a very common practice on the Internet. If you are uncomfortable with this, you can disable all cookies through your browser settings. Your enjoyment of our site won't be affected if you have set your browser to reject cookies.

What information we will ask you for

When you register to use any service of ‘the website’ you will be asked for some general identifying information which will enable us to provide you with this individualized service. We gather contact information (like your email address), demographic information (like your age, city, etc.) and information about your physical characteristics and sexual preferences (like your body type, the scenes you're into, etc.). We will never share, rent or sell any contact information or information regarding your physical characteristics or sexual preferences to anyone without your prior consent.

We may share some demographic information for our own research purposes with our professional advisors or consultants, however the information shared will be limited to non-personally identifying information shared under cover of a confidentiality agreement.

During the sign-up process, you will create your user identity, which will include a username, personal profile, ad copy and photo. You will be asked for some personal, but non-identifying, information to complete your personal profile (i.e. height, body type, race, scenes you're into etc). This information is not linked in any way to personally identifiable information such that other members are able to see.

We do not link the information we store in cookies to any personally indentifiable information you submit while on ‘the website’.

How this information will be used and who has access to it

The specific information we collect is not shared with other organizations and we will never release or share any personally identifiable information to an external organization without your prior consent or unless required to do so by operation of law.

Your non-personally identifying demographic, physical characteristic and sexual preference information is used to personalize your experience, allow other members to find you through a search, and to compose your personal profile -- which is associated with the user identity you have created. Only members that you grant access will be able to view your non-personally identifying demographic, physical characteristic and sexual preference information (with the exception of your age and where you prefer to meet). You grant another members access to this private (but not personally identifiable) information by: 1) responding to that member's ad, or 2) adding that member to your Buddy List. Your contact information will not be disclosed by us in these instances. Users take the initiative if they feel it is appropriate to share their personal information. Correspondence through answering ads and the like is done through anonymous re-mailer. Your personal email is not disclosed through this process.

We may use your contact information to send you valuable information and notices of promotions or special events in your area – this information will only be sent to you if you have opted-in to receive such information. Our site provides you with the opportunity to opt-in to receiving different types of communications from us (including a weekly eNewsletter) during the registration process. Your contact information is never available to other members or organizations.

It is our policy to respect the privacy of others; however, we will disclose information about you if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (i) comply with the legal process; (ii) enforce this Agreement; (iii) respond to claims that any information or materials transmitted to ‘the website’ violates the rights of third-parties; or (iv) to protect the rights, property or personal safety of you, Company, its Content Providers, others, and the public.

Notwithstanding anything else in this Privacy Policy statement, you may be required to disclose personally identifiable information to an independent, third-party entity or service in order to verify your age and eligibility requirements before using the services on ‘the website’ or becoming a member or user.

Can I change the information I have already given you?

You can always verify, change or request the removal of any person information we have collected and change your registration information by selecting the "My Account link. You may also request changes to your information by emailing us at: customerservice@gayuniverse.com.

Surveys and Contests

From time-to-time our site requests information from users via surveys and contests. Participation in these surveys or contests is completely voluntary and the user therefore has a choice whether or not to disclose this information. Information requested may include additional contact information. Contact information will be used to notify winners and award prizes. Survey information will be used for purposes of monitoring or improving the use and satisfaction of this site.

Tell-A-Friend

If a user elects to use our referral service for informing a friend about ‘the website’, we ask them for their name and the friend's email address. GarRock Ventures LLC will automatically send the friend a one-time email inviting them to visit ‘the website’. This email will also include a link back to ‘the website’. GarRock Ventures LLC, stores this information for the sole purpose of sending this one-time email. The friend may contact GarRock Ventures LLC at customerservice@gayuniverse.com to request the removal of this information from our database.

Special Offers

We send all new members a welcoming email to verify password and username. Established members will occasionally receive information on new features, services, special deals, and a newsletter if they have opted to receive such communication at registration. Users may always later opt-out of receiving these communications by replying to the unsubcribe link contained at the bottom of each email message.

Do you monitor online behavior?

Our members communicate with each other through chat / instant messages, email and message board postings. While we do not, as a rule, moderate or monitor member's private exchanges, we reserve the right to do so if we suspect users of being under 18 or of using our service for the purpose of solicitation or any other violation of our service agreement. Member submissions that appear on the public area of the site may be moderated and, if necessary, we reserve the right to edit, delete or not use any communication on a public area of ‘the website’ or delete such users profile.

If you use a message board, chat room, personal ad or any other feature on ‘the website’, you should be aware that any personally identifiable information you submit there can be read, collected, or used by other users of these forums, and could be used to send you unsolicited messages. We are not responsible for the personally identifiable information you choose to submit in these forums. http://www.gayuniverse.com and http://www.gayuniverse.net are unmoderated international mediums for adults only. We take absolutely no responsibility and explicitly disclaim any legal liability for the content of any messages or images which pass through this server.

Advertisers

When you inquire about advertising opportunities on ‘the website’, you will be asked for contact information and information related to your advertising objectives. This information will be used to provide you with the business information you are seeking. Your information is only shared with internal staff and the external ad representation agencies that sell media space on the site, on our behalf. These agencies are not allowed to use your business contact information for secondary purposes.

Contact Form
When you use the Contact Us form on ‘the website’, you will be asked for contact information and the subject of your inquiry. This information will be used to provide you with a response to the request you are seeking. Your information is only shared with our internal staff.

Links

‘the website’ may contain links to other sites not affiliated with ‘the website’. Please note that these other sites may have privacy policies that differ from those of ‘the website’. We have no control over any personal information that you provide to these sites.

Affiliates

When you register to become an Affiliate of ‘the website’, you will be asked for contact information and information related to your site. Your information will only be used by internal staff and will never be shared with anyone external to the company without your consent, unless required to by operation of law. Your information will be used to secure your approval as an Affiliate, to facilitate communication between our two sites and to send you payment, based on your site's performance.

Choice/Opt-Out

Users who no longer wish to receive our newsletter or other promotional materials from our site may opt-out of receiving these communications by replying to unsubcribe link found at the bottom of the email.

Security

We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. No method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure, however. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. If you have any questions about security on ‘the website’, you can send email us at customerservice@gayuniverse.com.

Changes in this Privacy Policy

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes to this privacy statement, the homepage, and other places we deem appropriate so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. We reserve the right to modify this privacy statement at any time, so please review it frequently. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here, by email, or by means of a notice on our home page.

Contacting us for privacy issues ONLY

Please email us at: customerservice@gayuniverse.com and indicate Privacy Issue in the subject line.

ALL OTHER ENQUIRIES SHOULD BE SENT TO customerservice@gayuniverse.com

Privacy policy last updated: May 5th, 2005

Contacting Us

If you have any questions about the issues addressed here or the practices of ‘the website’ you may contact : customerservice@gayuniverse.com.