Privacy Policy

This site is owned and operated by Chipchik.  Your privacy on the Internet is of the utmost importance to us. This privacy statement discloses what information we gather and how we use it. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy please contact us through our web site.

The purpose of the Chipchik web site is to provide a comprehensive listing of Establishments that offer food and beverage to the general public including but not limited to general information and promotion offers.

INFORMATION WE GATHER AND TRACK

Chipchik offers services which do not require you to register or become a member. Chipchik also offers the ability to enhance your personal use of its service by creating customized views and other search criteria. This is done by gathering information which is provided through optional, voluntary submissions. Such information may include contact information, passwords, electronic contact (email) and phone numbers for text messaging. This information is only used by Chipchik when your authorization is provided for us to directly contact you with information you request.

1. Types of Users

There are three types of Chipchik users– Casual Visitors, Members and Establishment Managers.

Casual Visitors do not provide any personal information and can only enter search criteria and view displayed pages. Members will have provided some personal information allowing them an enhanced experience using Chipchik. Establishment Managers may elect to maintain and modify basic Establishment details or become Manager Members whereby they have the ability to upload detailed information about their Establishment(s) including but not limited to promotion details, URL links to related sites, pictures, menus and any other business related information.

2. Chipchik Gathers Optional Voluntary User Information In The Following Manner

Chipchik offers the following services to users which require some type of voluntary submission of personal information:

 (i) Custom Map Profiles

We offer a free service to maintain Map profiles. To create, maintain and use these Map Profiles, the user is required to create and maintain a personal account and to supply a username and password, email address and text messaging capable phone number. 

(ii) Custom Favorite Establishment

 We offer a free service to maintain Favorite Establishment profiles. To create, maintain and use these Favorite Establishment profiles, the user is required to create and maintain a personal account and is required to supply a username and password, email address and optionally a text message capable phone number.  You then can optionally authorize Chipchip.com to actively communicate with you any and all details of your Favorite Establishments’ promotions. You may deactivate this communication feature at any time and no further emails or text messages will be sent to you regarding an Establishment you have deactivated. This contact information is not passed on to any third party.

(iii) Creating/Updating Establishment Details

Chipchik provides basic information about Establishments gather from public Internet information sources. Some Establishments may not automatically be included in the Chipchik web site. Any legal representative of an Establishment can add or modify information for that Establishment on the Chipchik web site. Every effort has been made to insure the accuracy of information for all Establishments on the Chipchik web site from public sources Should an Establishment find that any information regarding it incorrect or omitted, the Establishemnt Manager may create an account, and if required deposit a credit in a Chipchik account to modify the data. This credit is applicable to any Chipchik service offered to Establishments.

(iv) Providing Establishment Promotion Information

Any legal representative of an Establishment can add promotion information for the Establishment by creating a Manager account, depositing a credit for intended services and providing the information via the Chipchik web site.

3. Usage Tracking

Chipchik tracks traffic patterns throughout our sites. However, we do not correlate this information with any individual users.

4. Cookies

We may place a text file called a "cookie" in the browser files of your computer. The cookie itself does not contain Personal Information although it will enable us to relate your use of this site to information that you have specifically and knowingly provided. But the only personal information a cookie can contain is information you supply yourself. A cookie can't read data off your hard disk or read cookie files created by other sites. You can refuse cookies by turning them off in your browser. If you've set your browser to warn you before accepting cookies, you will receive the warning message with each cookie. You do not need to have cookies turned on to use this site. However, you do need cookies to participate actively custom Map profile and Favorite Establishment profile.

5. Establishment Log Files

For those Establishments who elect to become Manager Members, Chipchik will maintain a log of all transactions pertaining to funds deposited and fees assessed for services provided. Full details of these log files are available to every Establishment Manager on line.

6. Contact Communication Files

If you elect to communicate with Chipchik via email, these files may be retained in order to process your request and improve our services.

7. Links to Other Sites.

Chipchik provides links to other related sites and has no control over these sites. When you leave the Chipchik site via any such link we have no control over the data captured by the other sites nor the potential for them to use any personal data solicited by them and provided by you.

USE OF INFORMATION

Chipchik uses any information voluntarily given by our users to enhance their experience on our   site, whether to provide interactive or personalized elements on the sites or to better prepare future content based on the interests of our users. Chipchik never shares any information voluntarily given by our users with any third parties, including advertisers, sponsors or partners.

When we use tracking information to determine which areas of our sites users visit based on traffic to those areas we only track that the page has been displayed. This helps us continue to build a better service for you. We may track search terms entered in search function as one of many measures of what interests our users. We do not track which terms a particular user enters.

Chipchik creates aggregate reports on page display patterns for Establishments, sponsors and partners. This allows Establishments to promote more effectively to the public, and allows our users to receive content that is pertinent to their interests. We will not disclose any information about any individual user except to comply with applicable law or valid legal process or to protect the personal safety of our users or the public.

SHARING OF THE INFORMATION

Chipchik uses the above-described information to tailor our content to suit your needs and better understand our audience's demographics. This is essential to keeping our service free. We will not share information about individual users with any third party, except to comply with applicable law or valid legal process or to protect the personal safety of our users or the public.

OPT-OUT POLICY

We give users options wherever necessary and practical. Such choices include:

(i)  Opting not to register.

(ii) Opting not to participate in certain interactive areas - which alleviates the need to gather any personally identifiable information from our users.

YOUR CONSENT

By using this site, you consent to the collection and use of this information by Chipchik as described herein. If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page so that you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances if any we disclose it.

 August 20, 2008