As we indicated in the user agreement, we're leveraging what reddit put together as it seems reasonable (not to mention it served as a guide for the way we built valME). Your privacy is genuinely important to us. Here's how we manage and use your data.

valME privacy policy Last Revised Jan 15, 2014. Effective Jan 15, 2014

1 We take protecting your privacy seriously, and we want you to understand exactly how and why we use your information. This document is our Privacy Policy which describes what information we collect and what it's used for. It applies to all interactions with valME.

2 Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. Your use of and/or registration with valME will constitute your agreement to our policy. If you cannot agree to the terms and conditions set forth below, please do not use our services. Additionally, our Privacy Policy is part of our User Agreement, and, by using the site, you agree to both.

about this policy

3 valME is an open platform that allows you to communicate about almost anything you want on almost any topic you want. We collect some information in order for you to have an account you can use to participate on the site and other information that is necessary to make the service work. Our goal in developing our privacy practices is to allow your participation to remain as anonymous as you choose and we don’t sell or profit from the information you share with us.

4 We do take efforts to make sure the platform keeps working. This includes using your information, where necessary, to stop spam and gaming and other activities that violate the user agreement. We also (reluctantly) share your information when we are legally required to do so. This privacy policy describes what information we collect, how it is used, and when it is shared so you can make smart decisions about how you use valME. We think it strikes a good balance and respects you – our users – who make this whole thing possible. Let us know what you think.

what information we collect

registration information

5 When you create an account, you are required to provide a username, email address, and password. We also log, and retain indefinitely, the IP address from which the account is initially created.

post, comment, and messaging data

6 The posts and comments you make on valME are not private, even if made to a community not readily accessible to the public. This means that, by default, they are not deleted from our servers – ever – and will still be accessible after your account is deleted. However, we only save the most recent version of comments and posts, so your previous edits, once overwritten, are no longer available.

7 Your messages are generally only viewable by the parties involved, but they may be accessed internally as needed for technical support. Moreover, we keep a complete log of all messages sent on our service, even when both parties later delete their accounts.

8 valME stores the IP addresses associated with specific activities as part of analytics tracking. Although some of the analytics information for these activities are available to community owners and designated moderators, these IP addresses are not disclosed to them.

valME purchases and redemptions

9 If you choose to purchase or redeem karma, relevant transaction data are stored and associated with your profile. However, valME does not handle or have access to any of your credit card payment information. For questions about how this information is stored and used, please read our third-party partners’ privacy policies.

log data

10 Log data is certain information that is automatically collected by our systems when you visit valME, including the type of software used to access the site (browser, operating system), the address of the external or internal page that referred you, and your IP address. This information is recorded even if you are logged out of your account. At this point, these IP addresses are not deleted, but may be in the future.

other information related to your account

11 As you interact with valME as an accountholder, we save certain information about these interactions and your preferences (e.g., subscriptions, accumulated karma, voting data, date of last login, flair, changed email addresses).

how we use or disclose collected information

our use of your information is limited to improving your experience

12 It takes a lot of work to keep our site running and prevent abuse, and we sometimes use your data in order to facilitate this. Your information is used internally only where necessary to provide our services. For instance, we keep IP addresses and changed email addresses in order to investigate issues with our site, track and block suspected spammers, and otherwise maintain the integrity of the community.

your private information is never for sale

13 This means that we will only share your personal data with your consent, and after letting you know what information will be shared and with whom, unless it is otherwise permitted in this policy. While advertisers may target their ads to the topic of a given community, we do not sell or otherwise give access to any information collected about our users to any third-party.

14 Anonymous, aggregated information that cannot be linked back to an individual user may be made available to third-parties.

valME will not disclose your information unless required by law

15 We may (reluctantly) disclose – or preserve for future disclosure – your information if we believe, after due consideration, that doing so is reasonably necessary to comply with a law, regulation, or valid legal process. If we are going to release your information, we will do our best to provide you with notice in advance via valME's private messaging system unless we are prohibited by court order from doing so (e.g., an order under 18 U.S.C. § 2705(b)).

your information may be disclosed by us in an emergency or to keep our services running

16 Other extraordinary circumstances may require disclosure: we may also disclose your information when we believe it's necessary to prevent imminent and serious bodily harm to a person; to address fraud, security, or spam; or to protect our rights or property.

cookie policy

17 Cookies are small data files placed on your computer by websites you visit in order to help them remember certain information about you. At valME, we set only a few cookies for tracking user preferences, authentication, and collecting anonymous analytics data. Additionally, any advertising partners we have will set cookies. Each of these uses is described in greater detail below.

california's 'do not track' law

18 valME's website does not currently respond to a Do Not Track ("DNT") or similar signal as it awaits the results of efforts by the policy and legal community to determine the meaning of DNT and the proper way to respond. valME does not allow other parties to collect personally identifiable information from users on valME.

authentication cookies

21 When you log into your account, valME will place a cookie for the sole purpose of creating this session. It contains your user id and hashed authentication information.

analytics cookies

22 We use a tool called Piwik to help us understand how users interact with our website and to provide select information to community owners and moderators so that they can improve their value to you. It tells us detailed and aggregate usage and traffic information, such as how the site was accessed, how long visitors stayed, and the number of first-time visitors to the site. By knowing how people use the site, we can make it better. Owners of communities and selected moderators have access to some of this data (excluding IP addresses). To learn more about Piwik and its privacy, please visit https://piwik.org/privacy/.

advertising cookies

24 Although we may in the future, at this point, we do not partner with advertisers to show third-party ads. However, sponsor accounts do have a special feature that allows them to embed Javascript into their community pages. It is possible that this Javascript could set advertising cookies. You will need to refer to your community's specific privacy policy, if it exists, to understand how it uses cookies. We encourage community owners and moderators with sponsor accounts who set cookies to provide to its community a specific privacy policy.

disabling cookies

25 Most browsers include an option to clear existing cookies or reject new ones. However, if you do this, portions of the valME website may not function as intended.

account deletion

26 You may choose to delete your valME account at any time. The usernames associated with deleted accounts remain unavailable for others to use, and your public profile is no longer visible to users of the site. However, the posts and content you made during your tenure as a valME user will not be automatically deleted as part of the account removal process, though your username will be publicly disassociated with all posts.

third-party sites

27 Certain third-party sites may offer users the option to log in using their valME username. This option is only an authentication tool and does not transmit any new personal information to valME, or give valME access to details of subsequent actions taken on these sites.

data security

28 valME will make every effort to secure any private information submitted to us by our users. However, no data transmission over the internet is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee the absolute security of this data. You use the service at your own risk, and are responsible for taking reasonable measures to secure your account (such as carefully maintaining the secrecy of your password).

international visitors

29 valME is a Chicago, IL-based company whose servers are housed in the United States. All personal information we collect from our international users is transferred to the United States and processed according to US law.

31 valME commits to resolve complaints about your privacy and our collection or use of your personal information. European Union and Swiss citizens with inquiries or complaints regarding this privacy policy should first contact us at support@valme.io.

children under 13

33 Although we welcome users from all walks of life, our site is not aimed at children, and the United States government has put limits on our ability to accept users under a certain age through the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998. Individuals under the age of 13 may not create an account with us. If you believe someone 12 or younger is using our site without parental consent, please contact us at support@valme.io.

changes to this policy

34 We reserve the right to change this policy to meet the changing needs of valME, or for any other reason. If we make changes, we will notify our users. Where the changes substantially alter your rights, notice will appear prominently on your front page.

Once again, thank you reddit. If you were here, we would be happy to give you an upvote... that is, an upvote with value.