Global Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Echinastone is strongly committed to protecting the privacy of its Clients and of its interactive products and services. Throughout cyberspace, we want to contribute to providing a safe and secure environment for all our Clients, Customers and Visitors.

While this privacy policy applies to the Echinastone.com site and all of the other Internet-accessible Echinastone-branded services, we will refer here only to Echinastone to make reading this policy easier. The purpose of this Echinastone privacy policy is to inform you, as a welcomed Client of Echinastone Services, what kind of information we may gather about you, how we may use that information, whether we disclose it to anyone, and the choices you have regarding our use of, and your ability to correct, the information.

Finally, please note that this policy applies only to Echinastone and websites that carry the Echinastone brand, and not to other companies or organisation´s websites to which we link. We have clearly marked Echinastone and these branded websites with our logo so you know where this policy applies.

2. Definitions

"Client": The trader being a company, partnership, sole trader or other organisation or any individual, which undertakes to accept Echinastone Services.

"Partner", "Affiliate": A third-party organisation that provides Internet development, hosting and/or Internet access services and/or other services to the Echinastone and/or Client.

"Services", "Products": rough and faceted gem stones, carved stones, jewelry, equipment, newsletters and other gem stone industry related fields.

3. Collecting Information About All Echinastone Website Visitors

In general, our service automatically gathers certain usage information like the numbers and frequency of visitors to Echinastone.com and its areas, very much like television ratings that tell the networks how many people tuned in to a program. We only use such data in the aggregate. This collective data helps us determine how much our Clients use parts of the site, so we can improve our site to assure that it is as appealing as we can make it for as many of you as possible. For example, Echinastone.com uses a technology nicknamed "cookies" that tells us how and when pages in the site are visited, and by how many people.

Echinastone.com cookies do not collect personally identifiable information and we do not combine information collected through cookies with other personally identifiable information to tell us who you are or even what your screen name or e-mail address is. We also may provide statistical "ratings" information, never information about you personally, to our Echinastone.com partners about how our members, collectively, use Echinastone.com. We do this so they too can understand how many people use their areas and our site in order for them to provide you with the best possible Web experience as well.

How our service automatically gathers certain usage information:

• "Cookies"

  A cookie is a piece of data stored on the user(s) hard drive containing information about the user. Usage of a cookie is in no way linked to any personally identifiable information while on our site. Once the Client closes their browser, the cookie simply terminates. For instance, by setting a cookie on the site, the Client would not have to log in a password more than once, thereby saving time while on our site. If a Client rejects the cookie, they may still use the site. The only drawback to this is that the Client will be limited in some areas of the site.

• "Log Files"

  We use IP addresses to analyse trends, administer the site, track Client´s movement, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information.

• "Tell-a-Friend"

  If a Client elects to use our referral service for informing a friend about our site, we ask them for the friend´s name and email address. Echinastone will automatically send the friend a one-time email inviting them to visit the site.

  Echinastone stores this information for the sole purpose of sending this one-time email. The friend may contact Echinastone at support@echinastone.com to request the removal of this information from our database.

4. Collecting Personal or any Specific Information via On-Line Forms

Sometimes, we may specifically ask for information about you when you sign up to use a service, like "My Account", or when you order a product or ask us for the Service Quote. We will need certain information such as name, Internet address, billing address, type of computer, credit card number in order to provide that service or product to you.

We may also use that information to let you know of additional products and services about which you might be interested. You can choose not to receive such information if you don´t want to by letting us know on the registration screen when you sign up for the product or service. We may ask you for information about your interests so that both you and we can take advantage of the interactivity of the online medium, but you may always choose to respond or not. Additionally, we may provide you with an opportunity to be listed in a directory on one of our Echinastone Branded services these listings are also optional and you can make changes to or eliminate this information when you want to.

How we may collect personal or any specific information:

• "Registration"

  In order to use some parts of Echinastone Website or gained information of some product or/and services, Client must first complete the registration form. During registration Client is required to give their contact information (such as name and email address). This information is used to contact the user about the services on our site for which they have expressed interest. It is optional for the user to provide demographic information (such as income level and gender), and unique identifiers (such as social personal interests), but encouraged so we can provide a more personalised experience on our site.

• "On-Line Payment", "Shopping Cart"

  We request information from the Client in our order form and/or service payment form. Here Client must provide contact information (like name and shipping address) and financial information (like credit card number, expiration date). This information is used for billing purposes and to fill Client(s) orders. If we have trouble processing an order, this contact information is used to get in touch with the Client.

• "Surveys & Contests"

  From time-to-time Echinastone site requests information from users via surveys or contests. Participation in these surveys or contests is completely voluntary and the Client therefore has a choice whether or not to disclose this information. Information requested may include contact information (such as name and shipping address), and demographic information (such as zip code, age level). Contact information will be used to notify the winners and award prizes. Survey information will be used for purposes of monitoring or improving the use and satisfaction of Echinastone Site, Service or Product.

• "Newsletters & Notifications"

  If the Client wishes to subscribe to our newsletter(s) or notifications such as: Special Offer, Site, Product and Service Updates, etc -- we ask for contact information such as name and email address. The Client will always be able to unsubscribe from such Newsletter(s) or/and Notifications by using the appropriate function clearly shown on the according subscription page.

5. Use, Collection and Retention of Client Information

Echinastone collects, retains and uses only the information about our Client´s that is required by law to administer Echinastone business and provide high-level services to our Client´s. We retain this information no longer than necessary to meet these objectives.

6. Maintenance of Accurate Information

Echinastone has established procedures so that a Client´s financial and personally identifiable information is accurate, current and complete in accordance with reasonable commercial standards. Any request to correct inaccurate information is responded to within a timely manner.

7. Limiting Employee Access to Information

All Echinastone employees are educated about the importance of privacy and confidentiality. Only those employees having a business reason for knowing such information have access to personally identifiable information.

8. Protection of Information via Established Security Procedures

Echinastone maintains rigorous security standards and procedures regarding unauthorised access to Client information. Therefore we do not intend to send or receive any sensitive information such as all kinds of PASSWORDS, CREDIT CARD INFORMATION, etc in an unprotected way, such as not-encrypted e-mails.

9. Maintaining Client Privacy in Business Relationships with Third Parties

We do not use or disclose information about your individual visits to Echinastone Sites or information that you may give us, such as your name, address, e-mail address or telephone number, to any outside companies. But sometimes it is necessary to provide personally identifiable Client information to a third party, Echinastone shall insist that the third party adheres to similar privacy principles that are provided for keeping such information confidential and Client Authorisation should be requested.

10. Restrictions on the Disclosure of Account Information

Echinastone provides information about Client´s accounts or other personally identifiable data to third parties only when:

• The information is provided to help complete a Client initiated transaction.
   
• The Client requires it.
   
• The disclosure is required by/or allowed by law.
   
• It is necessary to process transactions and provide our services.

11. Disclosure of Privacy Principles to Clients

Echinastone´s Clients have the right to know what information we keep about them and how the information is used.

Clients have the right to have any inaccurate information corrected or deleted.

12. Unsolicited E-mail Circulars Policy

Unsolicited email circulars (SPAM) - are becoming an increasing nuisance to Internet users. These mass direct mail-shots can cause inconvenience, annoyance and expense to recipients. Echinastone does not condone such practices in any form, nor do we sanction such applications by other websites.

13. Policy Summary

• If we decide to change our Global Privacy Policy for Echinastone, we will post those changes here so that you will always know what information we gather, how we might use that information and whether we will disclose it to anyone.
   
• All services provided by Echinastone to the Client are subject to the above policy.
   
• Questions about this policy should be sent to:pr@echinastone.com.
   
• Reports of activity in violation of this policy should be sent via e-mail to: abuse@echinastone.com.
   

This document last revised on: October 26, 2003. 03:12:12 .