Why does pch.com collect personal information?

We need to collect certain personal information from our visitors primarily to process and fulfill online sweepstakes entries and online orders for the products and services we offer. For example, we need your full name, e-mail address and date of birth to verify eligibility and enter you in the sweepstakes, notify you if you've won a prize to process and record coupon request and redemption activity and to send you any magazine subscription or product you may purchase. We may also use the personal data we collect for systems administration and troubleshooting purposes, and to report aggregate information to our marketing partners and others.

To provide our users with a more personalized and relevant web service, we also collect and use personal data to identify users' specific interests and needs. If given permission, we may notify our users of offers and information we feel may be of interest to them available from pch.com and our marketing partners. If given permission, we may also share information with select marketing partners who may directly contact our users regarding their own offers of interest. If you do not want to receive such offers you may follow the simple unsubscribe procedure located at the permission notice box appearing on the pch.com registration and entry page. Our online registration and entry page contains a clearly identified checked box indicating that by submitting the form you wish to receive offers from pch.com and our marketing partners. Users may unsubscribe from such offers by clicking to remove the check in the permission notice box before submitting the registration and entry form. We may share our unsubscribe list with select marketing partners for the sole purpose of insuring that individuals on this list do not receive electronic commercial mail messages containing Publishers Clearing House advertisements that may be sent by such partners.

We send entrants a confirmation e-mail when they register for our sweepstakes or complete other transactions at our site. These confirmation e-mails are not promotional in nature and the user may not opt-out of receiving these transactional e-mails. If you are currently receiving commercial e-mail messages from Publishers Clearing House after previously providing permission and no longer wish to receive such offers you may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link or the “EZ Unsubscribe” seal in any commercial e-mail from pch.com. You may also contact pch.com either through our “Ask Us” page in the Info Center section of pch.com or by writing directly to Christopher L. Irving,, Consumer & Privacy Affairs, pch.com, 382 Channel Drive, Port Washington, New York, 11050.

From time to time, we post customer testimonials on our web site which may contain personally identifiable information such as the customer's name. We do obtain the customer's consent prior to posting these testimonials.

If you use our blog on this web site or participate in chat rooms on this site , you should be aware that any personally identifiable information you submit there can be read, collected, or used by other users of this forum, and could be used to send you unsolicited messages. We are not responsible for the personally identifiable information you choose to submit in this forum. To request removal of your personal information from our blog or community forum, contact us at privacychoices@pchmail.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your personal information, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.

When you order gift subscriptions on our site, we will ask you for your friend or family’s contact information including name, mailing address and e-mail address. We will use this information only for the purpose that it was collected (i.e. to fulfill the gift subscription).

2. How and what information does pch.com gather or track?

We collect personal data from our users mainly during the initial registration process for sweepstakes entry and order processing. Although some of the personal identifying information is necessary to deliver these services (e.g., an address is required to buy goods and services from pch.com), in some cases some of the information is optional. Users can determine to some extent what information they wish to submit. In addition to the initial registration process, we may, from time to time, ask users to answer optional questions about products and services. We gather this data in order to better understand our users' interests and provide them with relevant offers and information.

As is true of most web sites, we gather certain information automatically and store it in log files. This information includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and clickstream data. We use this information, which does not identify individual users, to analyze trends, to administer the site, to track users’ movements around the site and to gather demographic information about our user base as a whole. We do not link this automatically-collected data to personally identifiable information.

Through the use of “cookies” and “pixel tags” (both described below) and online survey and registration forms, we may collect personal data on, among other things, the following information:

• Demographic: age, gender, income level
• Technical: IP address, domain name, e-mail address, site traffic
• Reference: name, land address, telephone number, password
• The website that referred you to us
• The web pages you viewed on our site
• The advertisements you viewed and clicked on at our site
• Coupon activity including the types of coupons that you choose.

When you access PCH offered applications at social media sites like Facebook you allow us to access certain information from your profile at those sites. For example, when you access a game or application using the Facebook Platform, Facebook will usually provide the application your User ID, as well your friends' User IDs (or your friend list). The information you allow us to access is affected by the privacy settings you have established at the social media site. You can control and find out more about these settings at Facebook at facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy.

Additionally, if you download and install the coupon printing software we collect information about that device that helps us manage our products and services and detect and prevent coupon fraud. Instructions on uninstalling our coupon printer software are available at couponsinc.com/corp/source/u_uninstall.asp

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Through the use of “cookies” and “pixel tags” (both described below), we may collect data on, among other things, the following information:

• The website that referred you to us
• The web pages you viewed on our site
• The advertisements you viewed and clicked on at our site
• Coupon activity including the types of coupons that you choose

What are Cookies?

“Cookies” are small pieces of information that are stored by your web browser software on your computer's hard drive or temporarily in your computer's memory. The use of cookies is now an industry standard, and users will find them on most major web sites, pch.com may place and store Internet cookies on a user's hard drive. Cookies can save any of the types of information noted above. Cookies enable us to recognize you and personalize your viewing experience on the pch.com site. For example, we use cookies to recognize user access privileges to pch.com, track site usage and traffic patterns, add advertisements for goods or services that we think may interest you, and estimate our audience size. We also use cookies to store user names and information that are supplied at registration. Although most web browsers are initially set up to accept cookies, if you prefer, you can decline the placement of a cookie on your hard drive by using the appropriate feature(s) of your web browser software (if available) to delete the cookie. Please note, however, that certain areas on the site will not function properly if your web browser does not accept cookies.

“Pixel tracking“, a common process which may be used in connection with advertisements on other sites, involves the use of pixel tags that are not visible to the user of the site and consist of a few lines of computer coding. Pixel tracking measures the effectiveness of these advertisements and compiles aggregate and specific usage statistics. A "pixel tag" is an invisible tag placed on certain pages of websites you may visit and is used to track an individual user's activity. We may access these pixel tags to identify activity and interests that may allow us to better match our offers with your interests. For example, if you visit our Web site from an advertisement on another site, the pixel tag will allow the advertiser to track that their advertisement brought you to the PCH site. If you visit our website and we link you to another site we may also be able to determine that you were sent to and/or transacted with a third party web site. This data is collected for use in our marketing and research. Personally identifiable information about you is not collected by the third party advertising company, nor is any tracking information generated from the pixel tag allowed to be used by them for any other purpose other than to report web site activity to us.

Some of our business partners (e.g., tracking utility company) use cookies and tracking pixels on our site. We have no access to or control over our partners' use of these technologies.

What does pch.com do to keep their site secure?

We have implemented a number of security features throughout the pch.com site that are intended to prevent the unauthorized release of or access to the user information we collect online. For example, database information is firewall protected. Also, only authorized pch.com personnel have access to any stored personal information we collect from our users. Moreover, password and credit card information you submit to pch.com is always encrypted during transmission. Users should be aware that e-mail is not encrypted and is not considered a secure means of transmitting credit card numbers.

While we strive to create a secure and reliable site for our users, the confidentiality of any communication or material transmitted over the Internet cannot be 100% guaranteed. Users should keep in mind that any information submitted through an Internet transaction is potentially accessible to the public, and consequently, can be collected and used by others without their consent. pch.com is not responsible or liable for illegal interception of personal data via any Internet transaction. When we collect and transmit sensitive data such as your credit card number, we encrypt it using secure socket layer technology (SSL).

We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. If you wish to cancel your account or request that we no longer use your information to provide you services contact us at privacychoices@pch.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

Does pch.com disclose user information to third parties?

Except as otherwise noted in this policy, pch.com only discloses user information in aggregate form to marketing partners. For example, we might tell a marketing partner how many users visited pch.com over a period of time, but we will never tell them who it was that saw or clicked on their offer, unless that user has given us permission to do so.

PCH.com believes that consumers should be able to control the use of their data. We will not share personally identifiable information with marketing partners if you follow the simple unsubscribe procedure of removing the check mark located at the permission notice box appearing on the pch.com registration and entry page. If an opt-out is not submitted, we will notify users of exciting offers of interest from pch.com and our marketing partners. We may also share your name, land address and e-mail address with marketing partners so that they can send you offers directly for products and services that may be of interest to you. The personal information our users provide to us may be combined with other personally identifiable information (such as demographic information and past purchase information) available from our records and other sources. We use a third party to verify your address, in order to process your order prior to s hipping. This allows us and our marketing partners , with permission, to present our users with offers and information geared towards their interests. We require each permission based e-mail our partners send to include a description of a simple opt-out process that will enable you to stop receiving promotional e-mail from them in the future. We will only deal with marketing partners who offer products or services that we believe may be of interest to our users. Nevertheless, pch.com is not and cannot be responsible for the activities or privacy policies of these third parties. We may share our unsubscribe list with select marketing partners for the sole purpose of insuring that individuals on this list do not receive electronic commercial mail messages containing Publishers Clearing House advertisements that may be sent by such partners.

We do not rent, license, or sell personal data to third parties unless permission is granted through user submission of the checked permission notice box appearing at the registration and entry page of pch.com. In the event of a merger, acquisition, or change of control of pch.com, customer data would be considered a business asset and would be transferred. 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 may also disclose personal information as required by law or to protect the safety and security of our users.

You should also know that when you order a magazine subscription from pch.com, we need to provide your name and address to the magazine publisher so they can start your service. Publishers may exchange or rent their subscriber names, typically to third party companies that match reader interests. If you do not wish to receive such offers, we suggest that you notify the publisher directly (the contact information is usually found in each magazine issue).

We use other third parties such as credit card processors and e-mail service providers to provide order fulfillment and e-mail delivery services on our site. When you register on our site, we will share your personally identifiable information as necessary for these third parties to provide these services.

These third parties are prohibited from using your personally identifiable information for any other purpose including their own marketing purposes.

When you register with pch.com we may share your name and information with third parties who may contact you by mail with relevant offers. If you wish to opt out of such exchanges you may click here.

Except as otherwise described in this statement, personal information you provide on the Site will not be shared outside of PCH without your permission. To the extent we are legally permitted to do so, we will take reasonable steps to notify you in the event that we are required to provide your personal information to third parties as part of legal process.

Targeted or Behavioral Advertising

Targeted advertising (also known as Behavioral Advertising) uses information collected on an individual’s web browsing behavior such as the pages they have visited or the searches they have made. This information is then used to select which pch.com advertisement should be displayed to a particular individual on websites other than pch.com. For example, if you have shown a preference for cooking while visiting pch.com, you may be served an advertisement from pch.com for cooking related products when you visit a site other than pch.com. The information collected is only linked to an anonymous cookie ID (alphanumeric number); it does not include any information that could be linked back to a particular person, such as their name, address or credit card number. The information used for targeted advertising either comes from pch.com or through third party website publishers. If you would like to opt out from being shown targeted advertising by our 3rd party providers, including Google, please click here: Please note that this will opt you out of targeted ads from pch.com and any other participating advertisers. If you opt out, you will continue to receive online advertising from Publishers Clearing House; however, these ads may not be as relevant to you.

Can I opt-out of pch.com's data collection and/or distribution?

Receiving email messages from pch.com, our affiliates and partners is optional. As noted earlier, the collection, use, and distribution of personal data helps us create a more personalized, relevant, and intelligent web service for our users. While some basic data is necessary to provide certain services, such as entry into the sweepstakes and fulfillment of products and services ordered through pch.com, there are some cases where the submission of information is optional.

We will not contact you with e-mail offers or share personally identifiable information with marketing partners if you follow the simple opt-out procedure of removing the check mark located at the permission notice box appearing on the pch.com registration and entry page. If you are already receiving pch.com emails and no longer wish to receive such communications, simply follow the “unsubscribe” instructions that appear in every pch.com e-mail, or contact us through our “Ask Us” page found in our Info Center section or by writing directly to Christopher L. Irving, Consumer & Privacy Affairs, pch.com, 382 Channel Drive, Port Washington, New York, 11050.

If you are currently receiving commercial e-mail messages from Publishers Clearing House after previously providing permission and no longer wish to receive such offers you may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link or the “EZ Unsubscribe” seal in any commercial e-mail from pch.com. You may also contact pch.com either through our “Ask Us” page in the Info Center section of pch.com or by writing directly to Christopher L. Irving,, Consumer & Privacy Affairs, pch.com, 382 Channel Drive, Port Washington, New York, 11050.

To request removal of your personal information from our blog or community forum, contact us at privacychoices@pchmail.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your personal information, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.

If you have provided personal information directly to our third party marketing partners and are receiving email communications directly from these third parties pch.com cannot, in most instances, unsubscribe users from these third parties. If you wish to unsubscribe from one of our marketing partner's e-mail programs, please follow their unsubscribe procedures which will be found within their e-mails or in their privacy policy.

Does pch.com allow users access to their information for review and updating?

Users can access the personal information they have provided to pch.com for the purposes of reviewing and updating such information by following instructions in the "Your Account" section of the Site.

Does pch.com collect information from users outside of the United States?

The pch.com site is not directed to visitors residing outside of the United States and such users are not eligible to submit online sweepstakes entries. However, as indicated in the Official Rules on the site, some sweepstakes promoted on the pch.com Site are open to residents of the U.K. and Canada. Residents from these countries can participate in these sweepstakes by sending a write-in entry to the address provided in the Official Rules. We regret that as a result of system limitations at this time non-U.S. residents may not order products through pch.com. If pch.com becomes aware that a user who does not reside in the United States has registered with the pch.com site, pch.com will use reasonable efforts to remove such information from its files.

Does pch.com collect personal information from children?

The pch.com site is not targeted nor directed to children under the age of thirteen. PCH.com does not intend to collect personally identifiable information from individuals in this age group. If pch.com receives actual notice that a child under the age of thirteen has provided personal information to pch.com, pch.com will use reasonable efforts to remove such information from its files.

Your California Privacy Rights

The following information for California residents covers on-line (internet) and off-line (direct mail) information sharing activities. Please review the complete Publishers Clearing House Privacy Policy for full details on our information sharing and privacy practices. As detailed in our policy, from time to time we may share or exchange marketing information about the consumers who respond to our offers with other companies so they may contact you about products and services that may interest you. If you do not want your name passed on to other companies for the purpose of receiving marketing offers, just tell us by contacting us at privacychoices@pchmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by writing to Christopher L. Irving, Sr. Director, Consumer & Privacy Affairs, Publishers Clearing House, 382 Channel Drive, Port Washington, New York 11050 and we will be pleased to respect your wishes. Please make sure to provide both your email address and full name, mailing address, city, state and zip code information if you wish your request to apply to both on-line and off-line marketing information sharing.

What about Publishers Clearing House's off-line information and privacy practices?

Publishers Clearing House collects certain personal information from our direct mail customers and entrants primarily to process sweepstakes entries and fulfill orders for the products and services we offer. For example, we need your full name and address to enter you in the sweepstakes, notify you if you've won a prize or to send you any magazine subscription or product you may purchase. We may also use the personal data we collect for systems administration and troubleshooting purposes, and to report aggregate information to our marketing partners and other third parties. From time to time we may share or exchange marketing information about the consumers who respond to our offers with other companies so they may contact you about products and services that may interest you.

If you do not want your name passed on to other companies for the purpose of receiving marketing offers, just tell us by contacting us at privacychoices@pchmail.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by writing to Christopher L. Irving, , Consumer & Privacy Affairs, Publishers Clearing House, 382 Channel Drive and we will be pleased to respect your wishes. Please make sure to provide your full name, address, city, state and zip code information if you wish your request to apply to both on-line and off-line marketing information sharing.

U.S. – EU Safe Harbor Framework Compliance

Publishers Clearing House complies with the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information from European Union member countries. Publishers Clearing House has certified that it adheres to the Safe Harbor Privacy Principles of notice, choice, onward transfer, security, data integrity, access, and enforcement. To learn more about the Safe Harbor program, and to view Publishers Clearing House’s certification, please visit export.gov/safeharbor/

Further Questions?

We welcome any questions or comments you may have regarding this privacy policy or the use of personal data. To contact us, please visit the Info Center of the site or write directly to Christopher L. Irving, Consumer & Privacy Affairs, pch.com, 382 Channel Drive, Port Washington, New York, 11050.