The technology letter

Privacy policy

Last Updated: December 27, 2022

INTRODUCTION

This Privacy Policy explains how Tiernan Ray LLC d/b/a The Technology Letter (“Company”; “we”; “us”; or “our”) collects and processes information through our website at www.thetechnologyletter.com (the “Website”).  The Website also offers certain services, such as paid subscriptions (the “Services”). The Website and Services are collectively called the “Website.”

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding such information. By accessing or using the Website, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, you should not use the Website, or otherwise provide us with Personal Information.

Our Website is provided from the United States and all servers that make it available reside in the United States. You understand that data stored in the United States may be subject to lawful requests by the courts or law enforcement authorities in the United States. The Website is intended for users in the United States.

 

OVERVIEW

•           We collect Personal Information (as defined below) from users of our Website when it is provided to us voluntarily and we use it for the purposes for which it was provided.

•           We automatically collect information from users of our Website for analytical purposes and to provide the Website.

•           We will not use or share information we collect from you with anyone except as described in this Privacy Policy.

 

INFORMATION WE COLLECT DIRECTLY FROM YOU

“Personal Information” is information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with you. Such information may also be referred to as “personal data” or “personally identifiable information” under applicable laws, which may provide their own definitions. We may collect information, including Personal Information, when you provide such information to us directly, such as when you send us an email, create a free account, purchase a paid subscription, or otherwise interact with us on the Website. Your submission of Personal Information to us is completely voluntary.

Types of Personal Information we may collect directly from you on the Website include contact information, such as your name and email address. We may also collect other information that you directly provide us, including marketing and communications data (e.g., your preferences in receiving marketing from us). We may also collect your consent to accept cookies.

 

INFORMATION WE COLLECT AUTOMATICALLY

We, our service providers, or our third-party partners may automatically collect information from you when you visit our Website. Such information does not directly identify you as an individual and may include:

 

  • Cookies and Similar Technology

“Cookies” are pieces of information that may be placed on your device by a service for the purpose of facilitating and enhancing your communication and interaction with that service. Many services use cookies for these purposes.  We may use cookies (and similar items such as clear gifs, web beacons, tags, pixels, etc…) through our Website to customize your visit, to analyze how you use our Website and for other purposes to make your visit more convenient, to manage your account or to enable us to enhance our Website or Services.  We do not use cookies or similar items to automatically retrieve personally identifiable information from your device without your knowledge, but we may use them to store your login credentials if you create a free account or purchase a paid subscription.

 

Based on your web browser, you may have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the Website.  Further information on cookies is available at www.allaboutcookies.org.

 

  • Clickstream Data

As you use the Internet, a trail of electronic information is left at each website you visit. This information, sometimes referred to as "clickstream data," can be collected and stored by a website's server. Clickstream data can tell us the type of computer and browsing software you use and the address of the website from which you linked to the Website. We may collect and use clickstream data as a form of aggregate information to anonymously determine how much time visitors spend on each page of our Website, how visitors navigate throughout the Website and how we may tailor our web pages to better meet the needs of visitors. This information will be used to improve our Website.

 

  • Website Analytics 

We may work with third-party service providers who use the technologies described in this section to conduct website analytics to help us track and understand how visitors use the Website. One such provider is Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses cookies to help analyze how users use the Website. The information generated by these cookies about your use (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the Website, compiling reports on activity for its staff, and providing other services relating to web page activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings in your browser. By using the Website and accepting cookies, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above. You can find out more about how Google uses data when you use our Website by visiting “How Google uses data when you use our partners’ sites or apps” (located at www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/).Please refer to the currently available opt-outs for Google Analytics by visiting https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/. 

Please note that under the laws of some jurisdictions, your IP address may be considered Personal Information. However, we use IP addresses solely for the purposes described in this section and do not attempt to identify you personally using such information.

 

 

EMAIL UPDATES

You may sign up to receive email updates from us when new content is posted on our Website. By providing your email address for email updates or other types of subscriptions, you consent to receive marketing email from us. 

To opt out of any future emails from us, you may click the “Unsubscribe” link found at the bottom of every email sent through our mailing list, or you may contact us at tiernan@thetechnologyletter.com. We will process your request within a reasonable time after receipt.

 

PAID SUBSCRIPTIONS

You may purchase a paid subscription (“Subscription”) to the full Services offered on the Website. To begin your paid Subscription and provide customer service for your account, we will collect personal information, which may include your name, email address, billing address, telephone number, a login password, details about your Subscription order, and payment information.

We share this information with Squarespace, our website hosting provider, so they can provide website services to us.Through Squarespace, we are able to view Subscription information, which may include your name, email address, physical address, and the terms of your Subscription, including the last four digits of your payment method. You may read Squarespace’s privacy policy at https://www.squarespace.com/privacy to learn more about their privacy practices.

 

PAYMENT PROCESSING

If you make a payment through the Website, your payment card details are provided to our payment processing service provider, Stripe. You may read Stripe’s privacy policy at https://stripe.com/privacy to learn more about how they use and protect your information. 

HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We may use Personal Information and other information as described herein including for the following purposes:

 

  • to contact you about our services,

  • to personalize your experience with us,

  • to respond to your direct inquiries,

  • to send you email related to the newsletter to which you have subscribed,

  • to add you to our mailing lists and send alerts or marketing emails from time to time,

  • to create and administer free email update accounts,

  • to create and administer paid Subscriptions,

  • to maintain the safety, security, and integrity of our Website and your account,

  • to respond to law enforcement requests and as required by applicable law, court order, or governmental regulations,

  • as described to you at the point of collection of your information, and to evaluate or conduct a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which information held by us about our Website users is among the assets transferred.

 

We reserve the right to use and disclose information that is Non-Personal Information (defined below) in any manner permitted by law except as otherwise provided in this Privacy Policy.

 

NON-PERSONAL INFORMATION

As noted above, we may collect information that is not Personal Information (“Non-Personal Information”).  We may aggregate or de-identify Personal Information so that the information does not personally identify you or anyone else directly. Because Non-Personal Information, including aggregate or de-identified information, does not personally identify you directly, we may collect, use and disclose Non-Personally Identifiable Information for any purpose permitted by law. In some instances, we may combine Non-Personal Information with Personal Information.  If we combine any Non-Personal Information with Personal Information, the combined information will be treated by us as Personal Information.

 

HOW WE DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION

Besides using your Personal Information ourselves, we may send your Personal Information and other information to other companies, affiliates, and third parties in the following instances: 

  • Service Providers. We may disclose your Personal Information to third parties who may use your information to provide us services such as website hosting, data analysis, infrastructure provision, information technology services, customer service, email delivery services, payment processing, subscription management, auditing, and anti-fraud monitoring. These third parties may have access to Personal Information that is necessary to perform their functions. Additionally, we may disclose your contact information to Squarespace, our email marketing provider, so that they may send you marketing emails on our behalf; you can unsubscribe from such emails through the unsubscribe link that appears at the bottom of every email from us.

  • Legal Compliance and to Defend Our Rights. We may disclose Personal Information and other information as we believe necessary or appropriate: (a) under applicable law, including laws outside your country of residence; (b) to comply with legal process; (c) to respond to requests from public and government authorities including public and government authorities outside your country of residence; (d) to enforce our Terms and Conditions; (e) to protect our operations or those of any of our affiliates; (f) to protect our rights, privacy, safety or property, and/or that of our affiliates, you, or others; and (g) to allow us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain.

  • Business Transfers. We may disclose your Personal Information and other information with third parties in connection with a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of the assets of the Company, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which information held by the Company about our Website users is among the assets transferred.

  • Aggregated or Non-Personal Information. We may disclose aggregated information or Non-Personal Information with unaffiliated third parties, such as business partners, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, in a form in which the shared information will not contain nor be linked to any Personal Information, to improve and enhance your experience using the Website, and for our market research activities.  

Please note that if you specifically consent to additional uses of your Personal Information, we may use your Personal Information in a manner consistent with that consent.

 

LINKS TO OTHER SITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA SERVICES

We may create links to other websites that we think may be of interest to you, such as providers of various products and services. We may also provide links that allow you to send or forward a post from our Website through or to a third-party social media site or other means of electronic communication, such as an email or text messaging service.  We do not endorse any other websites, providers or services by providing such links, and our privacy policy applies only to your use of our Website. We are not responsible for the privacy policies of any websites and services we link to on our Website, and you should read the privacy policies of each site you visit to determine what information that site may collect about you.

 

SOCIAL NETWORKING SERVICES

The Website may integrate with social networking services.  We do not control such services and are not liable for the manner in which they operate.  While we may provide you with the ability to use such services in connection with our Website, we are doing so merely as an accommodation and, like you, are relying upon those third party services to operate properly and fairly.

You should be aware that personal information which you voluntarily include and transmit online in a publicly accessible blog, forum, social network or otherwise online may be viewed and used by others.  We are unable to control such uses of your personal information, and by using such services you assume the risk that the personal information provided by you may be viewed and used by third parties.

 

DATA RETENTION

We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed for us to manage and provide our services and for our business needs. Even if we delete some or all of your personal information, we may continue to retain and use de-identified or aggregate data previously collected. 

SECURITY

We take the security of our data and information seriously. We take what we believe are reasonable precautions to protect against unauthorized access to our systems and to prevent data from being disclosed to unauthorized parties. However, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure.

 

CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY

The date the Privacy Policy was last revised is identified at the top of the page. We may change this Privacy Policy at our discretion at any time. If we do make any changes, such changes will appear on this page of our Website, and we will make reasonable efforts to inform you of updates to this Privacy Policy if you have signed up to receive email from us. Your continued use of the Website following any changes means that you have accepted, consent to, and agree to be bound by such revised Privacy Policy. 

CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 13

Our Website is intended for users ages 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect Personal Information from minors. When we become aware that Personal Information (or other information that is protected under applicable law) from a child under 13 has been collected, we will use all reasonable efforts to delete such information from our databases. If you believe we might have any Personal Information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at tiernan@thetechnologyletter.com.

 

DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES

Many web browsers and some mobile operating systems and mobile applications include a Do-Not-Track ("DNT") feature or setting you can activate to signal your privacy preference not to have data about your online browsing activities monitored and collected. No uniform technology standard for recognizing and implementing DNT signals has been finalized. As such, we do not currently respond to DNT browser signals or any other mechanism that automatically communicates your choice not to be tracked online. If a standard for online tracking is adopted that we must follow in the future, we will inform you about that practice in a revised version of this Privacy Policy.

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / CROSS-BORDER DATA TRANSFERS:

By using the Website, you authorize the export of personal information to the USA and its storage and use as specified in this Privacy Policy. Information stored in the USA may be subject to lawful requests by the courts or law enforcement authorities in the USA.

 

CONTACT US

If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact us by email at tiernan@thetechnologyletter.com.