Last Updated: March 15, 2011

At The New York Observer, we understand that privacy is important, and we've created this policy to give you information about how we collect and use personal information. Our policy is divided into two sections: Section 1 describes how we collect and use data from users of Observer Media Group Web sites. Section 2 describes how we collect and use data from subscribers to the print and electronic editions of The New York Observer newspaper. We also encourage you to review our Terms of Service for information regarding rights, usage, trademarks, licenses, liability, trademark, and content ownership.

We reevaluate this policy on an ongoing basis, and we value your feedback. If you have questions or concerns regarding our privacy policy, we ask that you contact us at:

Customer Service
The New York Observer, LLC
321 W. 44th St., 6th Floor
New York, New York 10036
(212) 755-2400
Email

Please note that this privacy policy may change from time to time. We will post the new policy on this page, and, if the changes allow us to use personally identifying information in ways that are different from the ways specified at the time the information was originally collected, our Web site will contain a special notice about the changes. Each version of this privacy policy will be identified by its effective date, which you can find at the bottom of the page.

The New York Observer Online Privacy Policy

The New York Observer collects data, including personally identifying information, from people who use Observer Media Group web sites. This section of our privacy policy explains how we collect and use this data. Please note that The New York Observer subscriber data is maintained separately from data gathered from our online users. This means that users of Observer Media Group web sites who also subscribe to the New York Observer newspaper, in either print or electronic form, should read both this section and Section 2 (The New York Observer Subscriber Privacy Policy) in order to have a full understanding of our privacy practices.

Information we collect and how we use it

When you visit Observer Media Group web sites, The New York Observer collects several forms of usage data, including:

• Log data. Our servers automatically record certain information sent by your browser, such as your Web request, your Internet Protocol address, your referring URL, your browser type and language, and the date and time of your request.
• Cookie data. When you visit Observer Media Group web sites, The New York Observer or one of our affiliates or third-party partners may send one or more "cookies"–small files containing a string of characters–to your computer to identify you as a unique user. If you have registered with The New York Observer, the information in your cookie is used to provide a more personalized experience on our site, for example by allowing you to customize portions of the site. If you haven't registered, the cookie identifies you as a unique user and helps ensure a smoother experience on the site, such as by limiting the number of times that you see certain subscription offers. If you have not registered on our site, we cannot link the user ID in the cookie with personal identifying information and data about you, such as your name or e-mail address.
• Traffic and advertising data. Other cookies without personally identifying information and data are used to enable The New York Observer to gather and analyze site traffic and usage information, and to allow our advertising partners to manage the advertisements presented. These cookies sometimes work in conjunction with other techniques, such as clear GIFs or pixel tags; they do not contain personally identifying information, but they may gather information about what sites you have visited and use that information to determine which ads appear when you visit Observer Media Group web sites.
• We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our Web site. These companies may use information (not including your name, address email address or telephone number) about your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.

Browsers or third-party software can allow you to block the use of cookies while you surf our site. Or you can use third-party anonymizer services to mask information in your cookies or even general data such as your IP address. In such cases you would not be able to take advantage of most of the personalization services offered on Observer Media Group web sites.

The aggregated information we collect is used for a number of purposes including the following:

• To improve the content and design of Observer Media Group web sites.
• To enable audit bureaus and third party advertisers to verify our claims of traffic to the site.
• To help advertisers, potential advertisers or marketers assess the suitability of the site for their ad campaigns.
• To help us understand more about the interests of our users, so that we can offer goods and services we believe may be of interest.

Many portions of Observer Media Group web sites can be used without registering or giving us any personal information such as (but not limited to) your name and e-mail address. However, The New York Observer does collect personally identifying information regarding our online users, including in the following ways:

• When you provide it to us, such as (but not limited to) by entering a contest, becoming a registered member, signing up for a newsletter or tutorial, or otherwise contacting us.
• When you provide it to a company that powers a portion of our site or provides a special feature, such as a contest registration, that appears on our site.
• When you provide information about yourself or your company to Observer Media Group web sites in connection with a subscription order, or when you provide information to any New York Observer affiliate, that information may be included in your Observer Media Group web site user record, if one exists.
• If you have previously registered with another New York Observer affiliate and you begin to fill out certain forms on Observer Media Group web sites, the site may recognize you and automatically complete the form, and this auto-fill data will then be included in your Observer Media Group web site user record.
• If you have provided information to Observer Media Group web sites, from time to time we may enhance that information with other information that we collect from third-party sources.

The personal information we collect may be used in a number of ways, including the following:

• To improve the content of Observer Media Group web sites, including by allowing The New York Observer's editors to consult with readers.
• To communicate with users about registration and other customer service issues.
• To promote products and services of Observer Media Group web sites as described in more detail below.
• To conduct research surveys on behalf of Observer Media Group web sites, and its subsidiaries and affiliates.

Information sharing

The New York Observer may share aggregated, nonpersonal information, such as Web site traffic figures, with third parties. This aggregated information does not identify you individually. We may share personal information with your consent or in order to provide products or services you have requested. In addition, by using the site you agree that we may also share personal information in any of the following circumstances:

• We may use or disclose personal information if we have a good-faith belief that the disclosure is reasonably necessary (a) to satisfy applicable law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request, (b) to enforce agreements we have with you, (c) to address fraud or security issues, or (d) to protect against harm to the rights, property, or safety of The New York Observer or our employees or customers.
• We may share personal information with trusted affiliates or third parties, such as credit card processors or fulfillment providers, who process information or perform services on our behalf.
• If you submit personal information on a portion of our site that is operated by a third party, we may share the information you submit with the third party, and the information may be used by that party as permitted under that party's privacy policy. The New York Observer and its parent and affiliate companies are not responsible for the third party's actions or policies. Portions of the site operated by third parties normally include a "Powered by" or “Sponsored by” logo naming the third party, and/or have forms that include links to the third party's privacy policy.
• We may transfer personal information from your user record to your subscriber record, if one exists, provided that we also transfer any preferences you have set for how that personal information is used. Any information transferred to the subscriber database will be governed by Section 2 (The New York Observer Subscriber Privacy Policy).
• We may share information with third parties for promotional purposes, as described below.
  • Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on your site.
  • Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to your users based on their visit to your sites and other sites on the Internet.
  • Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy.

Google

User Published Content

The New York Observer makes available to its users tools which allow them to publish content on Observer Media Group web sites, such as (but not limited to) blogs, comments, forums, and interactive tools.

• The New York Observer reserves the right to remove or not to publish any individual or individual's content on the site for any reason without explanation.
• We reserve the right to, but do not assume the obligation, to restrict or prohibit the use of our site as we see fit whether for legal or other reasons.
• User published Content remains the intellectual property of the individual user, however by posting Content on our Web site, you grant Company a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, fully sub-licensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such Content throughout the world in any media, whether now known or hereafter discovered. In addition, you warrant that all so-called "moral rights" in those materials have been waived.
• You should be aware that when you disclose personal information such as your name or e-mail address in a forum, blog comment, or other area that is publicly accessible by others, that information can be collected and used by others. The New York Observer is not responsible for any information that you provide in the above areas.

Use of data for promotions, and choices for personal information

Postal addresses will be used to promote The New York Observer, and may be rented and/or licensed to select outside firms for promotional purposes. Offers for which the postal address data is rented and/or licensed for use are screened and the users are required to target their offers carefully.

When you provide your e-mail address to us, you agree to receive e-mail from The New York Observer, and any affiliate operations including joint endeavors with third parties; however, you can unsubscribe from these e-mails at any time simply by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the e-mail. We allow you to opt out of receiving e-mail regarding third-party offers, both when e-mail information is collected and with each use of your address. If you do not opt out at the time your e-mail address is collected, or do not respond to the questions concerning how we may use your e-mail address, your address may be used for third-party offers. Offers for which the e-mail address is rented and/or licensed for use are screened and the users are required to target their offers carefully.

In addition, you may change your preferences regarding use of personal data by contacting us.

If The New York Observer or any of its products is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of some or all of its assets, all personally identifying information and other data will be transferred to the new owner.

The New York Observer Print Subscriber Privacy Policy

The New York Observer collects personally identifying information and data from people who subscribe to The New York Observer newspaper, whether in print or via an electronic edition. This section of our privacy policy explains how we collect and use subscriber information. Please note that The New York Observer subscriber data is maintained separately from data gathered from our online users. This means that subscribers who also use The New York Observer Web site should read both this section and Section 1 (The New York Observer Online Privacy Policy) in order to have a full understanding of our privacy practices.

Information we collect and how we use it

We collect personally identifying information regarding subscribers in three main ways:

• When you provide it to us, such as by ordering a subscription, entering a contest, signing up for a newsletter or otherwise contacting us.
• When you provide information about yourself or your company to The New York Observer Web site or when you register for any other New York Observer products, your information may be included in your The New York Observer subscriber record.
• From time to time we may add other information that we collect from third-party sources to enhance the information that you provided to The New York Observer.

When you subscribe to The New York Observer, you must provide your postal address (for print subscribers) or e-mail address (for electronic edition subscribers), and you may choose to provide us with additional personal information, such as your telephone or fax number, and with demographic information, all of which becomes part of your subscription record. The data in your subscription record is used in a number of ways, including the following:

• To deliver your subscription.
• To improve the content of The New York Observer, including by allowing The New York Observer's editors to consult with readers.
• To notify subscribers about renewals and other customer service issues.
• To help our audit bureau verify cumulative circulation and demographic statistics.
• To conduct research surveys on behalf of The New York Observer, and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
  • We may use or disclose personal information if we have a good-faith belief that the disclosure is reasonably necessary (a) to satisfy applicable law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request, (b) to enforce agreements we have with you, (c) to address fraud or security issues, or (d) to protect against harm to the rights, property, or safety of The New York Observer or our employees or customers.
  • We may share personal information with trusted affiliates or third parties, such as credit card processors or fulfillment providers, who process information or perform services on our behalf.
  • We may transfer personal information from your subscriber record to our online user database, provided that we also transfer any preferences you have set for how that personal information is used. Any information transferred to the online user database will be governed by Section 1 (The New York Observer Online Privacy Policy).
  • We may share information with third parties for promotional purposes, as described below.

Information sharing

The New York Observer may share aggregated, nonpersonal information, such as total newspaper circulation or circulation in a particular state or zip code, with third parties. This aggregated information does not identify you individually. We may share personal information with your consent or in order to provide products or services you have requested. We may also share personal information in any of the following circumstances:

Use of data for promotions, and choices for personal information

Postal addresses will be used to promote The New York Observer and its products and services, and may be rented and/or licensed to select outside firms for promotional purposes. Offers for which the postal address data is rented and/or licensed for use are screened and the users are required to target their offers carefully.

When you provide your e-mail address to us, you agree to receive promotional e-mail from The New York Observer and any of it other operational entities; however, you can unsubscribe from these e-mails at any time simply by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the e-mail. We allow you to opt out of receiving e-mail regarding third-party offers, both when e-mail information is collected and with each use of your address. If you do not opt out at the time your e-mail address is collected, or do not respond to the questions concerning how we may use your e-mail address, your address may be used for third-party offers. Offers for which the e-mail address is rented and/or licensed for use are screened and the users are required to target their offers carefully.

Subscribers who do not want their personal information used for third-party promotions may write and ask to be removed from such promotion lists. Requests should be sent to:

Subscriber Services
The New York Observer, LLC
321 W. 44th St., 6th Floor
New York, New York 10036
(212) 755-2400

If The New York Observer or any of its products is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of some or all of its assets, all personally identifying information and other data will be transferred to the new owner.