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Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) is effective and was last updated as of April 23, 2024.

This Privacy Policy outlines the procedures through which World Ratings alongside its corporate subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively referred to as “World Ratings,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), gathers, utilizes, and disseminates personally identifiable information in instances where you interact with world-ratings.com, our websites, applications, or our affiliated websites or services linked to this Privacy Policy (collectively known as the “Services”), reach out to us, receive our communications, or participate in our events. 

At World Ratings, we’re dedicated to safeguarding your personal information while striving to offer the best user experience possible. We want everyone to feel safe and enjoy using our websites.

This Privacy Policy solely encompasses information acquired through the Services and via direct interactions between you and World Ratings. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, it does not pertain to any information gathered on other websites or applications. You can acquire further insights into how we handle and safeguard your privacy here or by reaching out to us directly. By utilizing the Services, you consent to the collection, utilization, and sharing of your information and Personal Data as outlined in this Privacy Policy.

Updates to This Privacy Policy: We reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy periodically at our discretion. In the event of any significant alterations to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you in accordance with relevant legal requirements. By continuing to use the Services after the updated Privacy Policy comes into effect, you acknowledge and agree to be bound by its terms.

1. Information We Collect and Process

When you use our Services, we gather and process information about you to tailor your experience. Some information is collected automatically, like information collected through our servers or cookies. We also get data from different sources, including you, our partners, and third parties. If you access our Services from a third-party site or visit third-party sites through us, they may share your usage info with us. This could be combined with what you’ve shared.

Here’s the information we may collect:

  • Your contact details, such as name, phone number, and email (hashed or unhashed)
  • Content you’ve shared with us, like photos or reviews
  • Feedback or correspondence, such as information you provide when you contact us with questions, feedback, or otherwise correspond with us, including your communications with our customer service
  • Location data
  • Device info
  • Your online activities
  • Other info you’ve voluntarily given
  • Info provided to us for social media logins, like your name or email

We may also receive personal information about you from third-party sources. These sources may include marketing partners, publicly available sources, and data providers.

2. How We Use Your Information

Our purpose is to give you a personalized experience whenever you use our Services. Here’s how we make use of your information:

  • Help you sign up and manage your account so you can access and use our Services
  • Analyze your info to make our Services better
  • Invite you to take part in surveys, market research, or interviews for insights
  • Tailor your experience based on your activity, preferences, and what we think you might like, both on our site and elsewhere online
  • Talk directly with you or help you connect with our partners or affiliates
  • Keep track of and record your interactions with us, including chats with our customer service or sales teams
  • Host your reviews, forum posts, photos, videos, and other content
  • Respond to your questions and feedback
  • Sort out any problems or disputes
  • Prevent fraud or other illegal activities
  • Follow the law, deal with legal requests, stop harm, and protect our rights

 

3. How We Share Your Personal Information

To ensure some of our Services run smoothly, we team up with service providers and sometimes need to share information with them and a few other parties, in these situations:

  • Affiliates: We might share your personal information with World Ratings’ current and future parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, and other related entities under our common control and ownership. This sharing helps us manage and deliver our Services in line with this Privacy Policy.
  • Service Providers: We may also share your personal information with third-party companies and individuals who provide services on our behalf or help us run the Services smoothly (including, but not limited to, customer support, analytics, marketing, hosting, email delivery, and security services). These third parties are only allowed to use your personal information as instructed.
  • Social Media Platforms: If you choose to share info with third-party social media platforms while using our Services, those platforms’ privacy policies and your privacy settings will control the shared info.
  • Advertising Networks: Sometimes we share info about your interests with advertising networks and data aggregators. Some of these companies are part of groups like the Network Advertising Initiative or the Digital Advertising Alliance, where you can opt out of targeted ads. To learn more about the Digital Advertising Alliance, you can click here. Also, if you want more info on what advertising companies do and how to opt out, please visit https://thenai.org/opt-out/. We can’t guarantee all our third-party advertisers are part of this group or follow its rules.
  • Fraud Detection Firms: Third parties might help us by providing their fraud detection tools.
  • Professional advisors: We might share your personal information with professional advisors like lawyers, bankers, auditors, and insurers when they provide necessary professional services to us.
  • Business Transfers: In certain situations like corporate divestitures, mergers, acquisitions, or bankruptcy, we may sell, transfer, or share parts or all of our business or assets, including your personal information.
  • Other Third Parties: Other third parties might help us collect info, like managing features on our website or showing you personalized online ads. We might share audience segments and other data, like hashed email addresses, with them for tailored advertising. These third parties only collect or access the info they need for their tasks. If they’re helping us with processing operations only, we make sure they act only on our behalf as data processors through contracts.

Some Device operating systems let you opt out of certain info sharing, like with certain advertising networks. You can change your Device’s privacy settings anytime to stop sharing location info. But remember, this could affect some features we offer. If you’re unsure about your Device’s privacy settings, we suggest reaching out to the manufacturer or your mobile service provider for assistance.

We might also share your info if we believe, on our own judgment, that sharing is necessary:

  • To comply with legal processes like subpoenas or court orders; to protect our legal rights; to defend against legal claims; or if required by law. In these cases, we reserve the right to assert or waive any legal rights we have.
  • To look into, prevent, or deal with illegal activities or suspected illegal activities; to protect and defend World Ratings, our customers, or others; and in connection with our agreements like the Terms of Use.

4. Information Choices

You have options when it comes to how we handle your information. These options include:

  • Choose how we contact you.
  • Review and update certain personal information in your account profile by logging into your account.
  • Decide not to provide certain information, although it might be needed for specific features on our websites.
  • Stop us from collecting certain location data (e.g., by turning off location services for our app in your phone settings). However, keep in mind this might affect some features.
  • Close your account directly from your Member Profile. If you do, we’ll deactivate your account and remove your profile from view. 
  • Adjust your marketing subscriptions, including email preferences, anytime in your member settings.
  • If you connect to our Services through a third-party platform or social media network, you might be able to control the info we get from them when you link your account. Later on, you can manage your settings through that platform. If you stop us from getting certain info from a third party, it won’t affect the info we already have from them.
  • Unsubscribe from our newsletter and opt out of marketing emails by following the unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of the email.

5. Information Transfers

We provide our Services to users in various places around the world. If we move your information to other countries, we’ll handle and safeguard it according to this Privacy Policy and the law that applies.

6. Children Information 

Our Services aren’t designed for children, meaning those aged 18 or under. Also, when we process data based on a contract, it’s the age of legal capacity to enter into such agreements. If we discover we’ve processed a child’s information without valid consent, we’ll immediately remove it.

7. Information Security

We’ve put in place appropriate administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your information. Only specific staff members are allowed to access personal data, and only for valid business purposes. We use encryption when transmitting your data, and we have firewalls and intrusion detection systems in place to prevent unauthorized access. However, we can’t guarantee absolute security against unauthorized entry, hardware or software failures, or other situations beyond our control.

8. Information Deletion and Storage

We’ll keep copies of your information as long as you have an active account or as needed for the reasons outlined in this Statement unless the law mandates a longer retention period. Moreover, we may hold onto your data for the duration needed to establish, exercise, or defend legal rights.

9. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, plugins, and applications. Clicking on these links or enabling such connections may result in third parties collecting or sharing data about you. We don’t oversee these third-party websites, so when you navigate away from our site, we advise you to review the privacy policy of each website you visit.

Some of these links may be monetized through third-party affiliate programs. These affiliate links help cover the costs of maintaining our websites and ensure that our content remains free for you. However, this does not imply any obligation or indebtedness to companies like Amazon or others. These companies do not influence our editorial coverage, product ratings, or reviews.

Despite these affiliate programs, we do not assume responsibility for the content or privacy practices of these external websites or for the actions of third-party advertisers. We are not liable for how they use the information they collect about you.

10. California Privacy Rights

This notice explains how World Ratings (referred to as “World Ratings”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, and shares personally identifiable information from California residents who visit www.world-ratings.com, our websites, applications, or other services linked to this California Privacy Policy.

This notice applies to “personal information” as defined in the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA). It does not apply to personal information excluded from the CCPA’s scope. This notice also does not apply to individuals who are not California residents or those not entitled to a CCPA notice. Additionally, it does not apply to personal information covered by separate privacy notices provided to California residents, such as notices for employees, consultants, contractors, and job candidates.

10.1. Types of Personal Information We Collect

Personal information collected by World Ratings can include:

  • Identification and demographics: This may include your real name, alias, user or account name, password, postal city, state, zip code, birthdate, unique personal identifiers, email address, and other similar identifiers. It also covers identification information about referrals or shared contacts you provide.
  • Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute: This may include information like your name and address.
  • User-generated content: Information you submit to us, such as votes or comments.
  • Device information and identifiers: This includes your IP (Internet Protocol) address, cookie IDs, browser type and language, operating system, platform type, device type, device ID, unique ID, advertising ID, advertising and app identifiers, hashed or encrypted email address, or other identifier. These may not directly identify you but could indirectly reveal your identity through your device or other means.
  • Internet or other electronic network activity: This covers browsing activity, scrolling activity, search history, and information on your interactions with websites, applications, searches, or advertisements.
  • Geolocation data: This involves your location or movement based on city, state, and ZIP code associated with your IP address or derived through Wi-Fi triangulation.
  • Research and feedback: Comments you send us through online forms, social media platforms, email, phone, mail, or surveys.
  • Inferences drawn from other personal information: This includes profiles reflecting your preferences, characteristics, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, and aptitudes.

10.2. How We Use and Disclose Personal Information

10.2.1. Using Your Personal Information

We may use personal information for purposes outlined in this Notice or explained to you when collecting your information.

10.2.2. Disclosing Your Personal Information

For business purposes, we may disclose all categories of personal information to the following categories of third parties:

  1. Affiliates: Our affiliates, for purposes aligned with this Notice or to operate shared infrastructure, systems, and technology.
  1. Service Providers: Companies offering services that assist us in providing or operating our services. These may include IT and software services, mailing services, marketing services, event management services, cyber security services, and office security services.
  1. Government entities and law enforcement: Government authorities, law enforcement agencies, courts, and others, as detailed in the compliance and protection section above.
  1. Corporate transaction participants: Parties involved in transactions or potential transactions for the sale, transfer, or licensing of a portion or all of our business or assets, including personal information, such as corporate divestitures, mergers, consolidations, acquisitions, reorganizations, sales of assets, or in the event of bankruptcy or dissolution.
  1. Professional advisors: Our lawyers, accountants, bankers, and other external professional advisors that provide services to us.
  1. Other: We may also share personal information with other categories of third parties with your consent or as described to you at the time of collection of your personal information.

10.3. Sharing or Selling Personal Information

We may share the following categories of personal information with third parties:

  • Personal identifiers, like username and zip code
  • Internet or electronic network activity information, such as IP address, browser type, operating system version, device identifiers, and information about your interactions with our website
  • Information about your website usage, such as ratings and votes

Your personal information may be shared with the following types of third parties:

  • Advertising publishers, such as Google or Meta, who place ads on our behalf
  • Advertising partners who place ads on our website for other advertisers
  • Parties providing statistical and analytic insights into the effectiveness of our marketing efforts

Additionally, the following categories of personal information may be sold to business partners, potentially revealing your identity indirectly through your device or other means:

  • IP addresses, browser types, operating system versions, device identifiers, and mobile advertising identifiers
  • Hashed or encrypted versions of email addresses
  • Information about your website usage, like ratings and votes

Do note that we do not offer financial incentives to consumers based on the retention or sale of their personal information.

10.4. Children

World Ratings is not intended for children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18. Consequently, we do not knowingly share or sell personal information from individuals under the age of 18. If we become aware that a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, we will take steps to delete that information. If you believe that a child under the age of 18 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at ccpa@world-ratings.com.

10.5. Sensitive Personal Information

World Ratings does not use or disclose sensitive personal information except to provide you with our Website as permitted by California law. We do not sell or share sensitive personal information for the purpose of advertising.

10.6. Deidentified Information

As stated in our Privacy Policy, personal information does not include data that has been de-identified. When we receive or use deidentified information, we maintain it in deidentified form and do not attempt to reidentify it.

10.7. Retention of Personal Information

We keep your information for as long as necessary for ongoing legitimate business purposes. These purposes may include providing requested services, complying with legal obligations, establishing or defending legal claims, enforcing our terms and policies, or preventing fraud. This means we maintain your profile information for as long as you maintain an account with us.

10.8. Your Rights under the CCPA

Under California law, you have certain rights, including:

  • Right to Know: You can request to know what personal information we have collected about you, including its sources, purposes for collection, disclosure to third parties, and specific pieces of information collected.
  • Right to Delete: You have the right to request deletion of the personal information we have collected from you.
  • Right to Correct: You can request correction of any inaccurate personal information.
  • Right to Opt-Out: You can opt out of certain uses and sharing of personal information, including sale of personal information, sharing for cross-contextual behavioral advertising, or use of sensitive personal information beyond what is necessary for services.
  • Other Rights: You have the right to request information about disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes, without being discriminated against for exercising these rights.

10.9. Exercising Your California Privacy Rights

To request access to or deletion of your personal information, or to exercise your full rights under CCPA, please email us directly at ccpa@world-ratings.com.

10.10. Verifying Your Identity

To keep your info safe, we might need to check your identity before acting on certain requests. This could mean logging into your account or giving more details about yourself. If you don’t have an account, we may ask for extra info as needed by law. 

10.11. Authorized Agents

You can appoint someone else to make a request for you, as allowed by law. We’ll need docs like a power of attorney or a notarized statement to verify their authority. We might also check their ID, along with the usual info needed for verification.

10.12. Using Verification Info

Any info you give to confirm your identity will only be used for that purpose by us or our service providers. We’ll delete any new personal info collected for verification as soon as possible after handling your request.

10.13. Exceptions

Just so you know, making a request doesn’t always mean we can completely erase your info or the content you’ve posted. Sometimes, we can’t do it if it affects others’ rights.

10.14. Response Time and Fees

We aim to get back to you about your rights as soon as possible, sending the info in an email if possible. If we need more than 30 days, we’ll let you know in writing. If  a request seems over the top, we might charge a small fee or take action accordingly.

11. Notice to Users in Europe

This section is specifically for individuals in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom (collectively referred to as “Europe”).

11.1. Personal Information

When we mention “personal information” in this Privacy Policy, we mean “personal data” as defined by European data protection laws. World Ratings is the controller of your personal data covered by this Privacy Policy under European data protection laws.

11.2. Legal Basis for Processing

The way we handle your personal information is guided by various legal grounds, as outlined in this Privacy Policy. The specific basis depends on the type of data and how we use it. Here’s a simplified breakdown:

11.2.1. Purpose of Processing

You can find detailed information about each purpose of processing in the section titled “How We Use and Disclose Personal Information.”

11.2.2. Legal Justification

  • Operating the Services: We process your data to fulfill our agreement when you use our Services or to take steps you’ve requested before signing up. If there’s no formal agreement, we handle your data because it’s necessary for providing the Services you’ve requested.
  • Research and Development, Marketing Communications, Compliance, Fraud Prevention, Safety, and Anonymizing Data: These activities are based on our legitimate interests.
  • Compliance with Laws: We process data to comply with legal obligations.

If we rely on your consent for processing, you can withdraw it at any time. Do note that sometimes, we might use your data for purposes not covered in this Privacy Policy, if allowed by law and if it aligns with the original purpose. If we do this, we’ll let you know and explain why, based on the applicable legal grounds.

11.3. Sensitive Personal Information

Please avoid sharing any sensitive personal details (like social security numbers, government IDs, payment card information, racial or ethnic background, political beliefs, religious views, health data, biometric details, criminal records, or union affiliations) with us through the Services or otherwise.

11.4. Retention

We hold onto personal information only for as long as necessary for legitimate business reasons, such as providing requested services, meeting legal or accounting obligations, defending legal claims, or preventing fraud. When we no longer need your personal data for these purposes, we’ll either delete or anonymize it. If immediate deletion or anonymization isn’t possible, such as when data is stored in backup archives, we’ll securely store your information and halt further processing until deletion becomes feasible.

11.5. Your Rights under the GDPR

If you’re in Europe, you have certain rights under data protection laws regarding your personal information. Here’s what you can ask us to do with the data we hold about you:

  • Access: Get information on how we use your personal data and access the details we have on file about you.
  • Correction: Let us know if there are any errors in your personal information so we can update it.
  • Deletion: Ask us to remove your personal data from our records.
  • Transfer: Request a digital copy of your personal data or have it transferred to a third party of your choice.
  • Restriction: Ask us to limit how we use your personal information.
  • Objection: Object to us using legitimate interests as the reason for processing your personal data, especially if it affects your rights.

To make any of these requests, just email gdpr@world-ratings.com. We might need some specific details from you to verify your identity and handle your request. Depending on the law, we might have to decline your request, but if we do, we’ll explain why within legal limits. If you’re unhappy with how we’re handling your personal data or your requests, you can email us or complain to your local data protection authority. You can find their contact details here.

11.6. Cross-Border Data Transfers

If we need to transfer your personal data from the European Economic Area to a country outside it and have to apply extra safeguards under European data protection laws, we’ll do that. For more information on these transfers or the specific safeguards we use, please email gdpr@world-ratings.com.

12. Contact

If you need to make a data privacy request, like deleting or accessing your data, please contact our privacy team at privacy@world-ratings.com.

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