Expedia Blog Privacy Policy
Welcome to the Expedia blog, at Expediatriptips.com (the “Blog”), a public forum where Expedia employees can post their travel-related tips and insights and where all members of the Expedia community are invited to submit their comments to Blog entries.
We recognize that your privacy and the choices you make about your information are important. This Privacy Policy provides you with notice about how we treat the information we collect from you when you use our Blog. Please note that this Privacy Policy applies to the Blog and not to any other Expedia Web site. By visiting our U.S.-based Blog, you are accepting the practices described herein.
What information we collect from you
- How we use your information
- Information posted when you blog or posts comments on the Blog
- With whom we share your information
- How you can access your information
- Your choices with respect to collection and use of your information
- How we protect your information
- Children’s privacy
- External Links
- Changes to this Privacy Policy
- How you can contact us
What information we collect from you
In General. You are not required to provide information about yourself to view the Blog. However, if you choose to post a Blog entry or a comment, we may request information that alone or in combination can identify you (“personal information”), including your name, e-mail address, , and, for Expedia employees, job title/department.
Automatic Information. We automatically collect some information about your computer when you visit our Blog. For example, we will collect your IP address, Web browser software (such as Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer), and referring Web site. One of our goals in collecting this automatic information is to help customize your user experience.
Cookies and Other Web Technologies. When you visit our Blog, we may assign your computer a “cookie” (a small, unique identifier text file). For example, whenever you sign into your Blog account, we record your user name in the cookie file on your computer. You can always choose not to receive a cookie file by enabling your Web browser to refuse cookies or to prompt you before accepting a cookie. Please note that if you refuse to accept cookies from Expedia, you may not be able to access some features of the Blog.
Information Collected by Third-Party Advertising Companies. Third parties may also use information from cookies and other technologies, such as an action tag (also known as a “clear gif”), deployed on this site to provide tailored promotions and advertising for this and other websites. These companies are not permitted to access personal information from our site. Please note that the information practices of these third parties are not governed by this Privacy Policy. Some of these companies are members of the Network Advertising Initiative, which offers a single location to opt out of receiving tailored promotions and advertising from member companies. To learn more, please click here.
How we use your information
We use information about you to administer the Blog; to communicate with you in general; to respond to your questions; to measure interest in and improve our products, services, and Web site; to otherwise customize your experience on the Blog; to solicit information from you, including through surveys; to prevent potentially prohibited or illegal activities; to enforce our Terms of Use; and as otherwise described to you at the point of collection.
Please review “Your choices with respect to the collection and use of your information” below.
Information posted when you blog or posts comments on the Blog
When an Expedia employee posts on the Blog, or comments on other Blog postings, we will list that employee’s name, as they provide it, on the page alongside his or her posting. We also may permit members of the public to post on the Blog or submit comments on other postings. When members of the public post or submit comments on the Blog, we will list that person’s name, as they provide it, together with their Blog entry or comment.
With whom we share your information
Expedia may share information collected through the Blog with third parties who provide services or functions on our behalf, including business analytics, customer service, marketing, and fraud prevention. These companies have access to personal information needed to perform their functions but are not permitted to share or use the information for any other purpose. They are also required to follow the same data security practices that we ourselves adhere to.
In addition, we may share information collected through the Blog:
- In response to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process; to establish or exercise our legal rights; to defend against legal claims; or as otherwise required by law. In such cases we reserve the right to raise or waive any legal objection or right available to us.
- When we believe it is appropriate to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal or suspected illegal activities; to protect and defend the rights, property, or safety of our Blog, our customers, or others; and in connection with our Terms of Service and other agreements.
- In connection with a corporate transaction, such as a divestiture, merger, consolidation, or asset sale, or in the unlikely event of bankruptcy.
Other than as set out above, you will be notified when personal information about you will be shared with third parties, and you will have an opportunity to choose not to have us share such information.
We also may share aggregate information with third parties, including advertisers and investors. For example, we may tell our advertisers the number of visitors our Blog receives or what are the most popular vacation destinations based on Blog entries viewed. This information does not contain any personal information and is used to develop content and services we hope you will find of interest.
How you can access your information
If an Expedia Employee would like to access or update their posts, please follow our internal procedures for doing so. If members of the public would like to modify or delete a comment that they have posted, please contact blogger@expedia.com for assistance. Please also note that we may retain certain information associated with your comments or blog activity for analytical purposes as well as for recordkeeping integrity.
Your choices with respect to collection and use of your information
- As discussed above, you can choose to view the Blog without directly providing us with any information, although some information may be collected automatically or may be required to take advantage of certain features offered on the Blog.
- The Help portion of the toolbar on most browsers will tell you how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how to have the browser notify you when you receive a new cookie, or how to disable cookies altogether. Please note that if you refuse to accept cookies from the Blog, you will not be able to access portions of our site.
How we protect your information
While no Web site can guarantee security, we have implemented administrative, technical, and physical security procedures to help protect the information you provide to us.
Children’s privacy
The Blog is a general audience Web site and is not intended for children under 13. Should a child whom we know to be under 13 send personal information to us, we will use that information only to respond directly to that child to inform him or her that we must have parental consent before receiving his or her personal information.
External Links
If any part of the Blog links you to other Web sites, those Web sites do not operate under this Privacy Policy. We recommend you examine the privacy statements posted on those other Web sites to understand their procedures for collecting, using, and disclosing personal information.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy in the future. We will notify you about material changes to this Privacy Policy by sending a notice to the e-mail address you provided to us or by placing a prominent notice on our Web site.
How you can contact us
If you have questions about either Privacy Policy (or your travel planning or purchases), please e-mail us at blogger@expedia.com.
This Privacy Policy is effective as of November 12, 2009.