Your privacy is very important to Hosting Direct (“Hosting Direct”). We want to make your experience using our services and on the Internet as enjoyable and rewarding as possible, and we want you to use the Internet’s vast array of information, tools and opportunities with complete confidence.

We have created this Privacy Policy to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy and security. This Privacy Policy describes how Hosting Direct collects information from all end users of Hosting Direct’s Internet services (the “Services”) – those who access some of our Services but do not have accounts (“Visitors”) as well as those who pay a service fee to subscribe to the Service (“Users”) – what we do with the information we collect, and the choices Visitors and Users have concerning the collection and use of such information. Hosting Direct requests that you read this Privacy Policy carefully.

1. Introduction. Hosting Direct collects information in different ways from Visitors and Users who access the various parts of our Services and the network of Web sites accessible through our Services. We use this information primarily to provide a customized experience as You use our Services and, generally, do not share this information with third parties. However, we may disclose personal information collected if we have received your permission beforehand or in very special circumstances, such as when we believe that such disclosure is required or permitted by law or other special cases described below.
2. Registration and Account Information. Users are asked to provide certain personal information when they sign up for our Services including name, address, telephone number, billing information (such as a credit card number), and the type of personal computer being used to access the Services. In addition, Users are asked to complete an online form that collects information about demographics, product usage and preferences, along with other information that will help us improve our products and services. The personal information collected from Users through these forms is used to manage each User’s account (such as for billing purposes) and provide Users with information about services that may be of interest to them. This information is not shared with third parties, unless specifically stated otherwise or in special circumstances. However, in instances where Hosting Direct and a partner jointly promote the Services, Hosting Direct may provide the partner certain personal information, such as the name, address, and username of persons who subscribed to the Services as a result of the joint promotion for the sole purpose of allowing us and the partner to assess the results of the promotion. In this instance, personal information may not be used by the partner for any other purpose. Hosting Direct may also generate non-identifying and aggregate profiles from personal information Users provide during registration (such as the total number, but not the names, of Users). As explained in more detail below, we may in certain instances use this aggregated and non-identifying information to sell advertisements that appear on the Services.
3. Domain Registration. Domain name registration information legally has to be available to the public. Since domain name registration information is available to the public, anyone can access it through “WHOIS” searches. The WHOIS database is a publicly accessible database that lists the domain name and contact information of each registrant. The domain name registration you provide is hosted by us to the public. At times, our Users may receive solicitations that result from searches of the publicly available WHOIS database conducted by other companies or individuals. However, the solicitation and/or SPAM they receive does not in any way come from Hosting Direct.
4. Hosting Direct Partners and Sponsors. Some products and services are offered to Visitors and Users in conjunction with a partner (e.g., domain registration). To provide Visitors and Users with some of these products and services, the partner may need to collect and maintain personal information. In these instances, we will provide such data collected or transferred to our Partners and Sponsors. Additionally, many Hosting Direct Users have co-branded pages that are co-sponsored by non-affiliated partners. Hosting Direct will share non-identifying and aggregate information (except as described above), but not personal information, with such partners in order to administer the co-branded products or services offered.
5. Online Shopping. At some Web sites that you access through links on Hosting Direct, you can purchase products and services or register to receive materials, such as a catalog or new product updates. In many cases, you may be asked to provide contact information, such as your name, address, e-mail address, phone number, and credit/debit card information. If you complete an order for a Web site or service that is not provided by Hosting Direct, Hosting Direct has no control over the third parties’ use of any personal information you provide when placing such an order. Please exercise care when doing so. If you order products directly from Hosting Direct, we will use the personal information you provide only to process that order. We do not share this information with outside parties except to the extent necessary to complete that order.
6. Online Advertisements. Hosting Direct does not share personal information about its Visitors or Users with advertisers. Hosting Direct may display online advertisements and may share aggregated and non-identifying information about our Visitors and Users collected through the registration process, as well as through online surveys and promotions with these advertisers. Additionally, in some instances, we use this aggregated and non-identifying information to deliver tailored advertisements. For instance, an advertiser tells us the audience they want to reach (for example, males between 25 and 55 years of age) and provides us an advertisement tailored to the audience. Based upon the aggregated and non-identifying information we have collected, we may then display the advertisement to the intended audience.
7. Responses to E-mail Inquiries. When Visitors or Users send e-mail inquiries to Hosting Direct, the return e-mail address is used to answer the e-mail inquiry we receive. Hosting Direct does not use the return e-mail address for any other purpose and does not share the return e-mail address with any third party.
8. Voluntary Customer Surveys. We may periodically conduct both business and individual customer surveys. We encourage our Users to participate in these surveys because they provide us with important information that helps us to improve the types of services we offer and how we provide them to you. Your personal information and responses will remain strictly confidential, even if the survey is conducted by a third party. Participation in our customer surveys is voluntary. We take the information we receive from individuals responding to our Customer Surveys and combine (or aggregate) it with the responses of other Hosting Direct Users to create broader, generic responses to the survey questions (such as gender, age, residence, hobbies, education, employment, industry sector, or other demographic information). We then use the aggregated information to improve the quality of our services to you, and to develop new services and products. This aggregated, non-personally identifying information may be shared with third parties. Unless otherwise noted in the survey invitation or the survey itself, Users have the option of completing surveys anonymously or providing us with contact information. We may use the contact information to follow up with Users based on the answers they provide. We may also contact you to highlight the changes we have made in response to feedback.
9. Special Cases. It is Hosting Direct’s policy not to use or share the personal information about Visitors of Users in ways unrelated to the ones described above without also providing you an opportunity to opt out or otherwise prohibit such unrelated uses. However, Hosting Direct may disclose personal information about Visitors or Users, or information regarding your use of the Services or Web sites accessible through our Services, for any reason if, in our sole discretion, we believe that it is reasonable to do so, including: to satisfy laws, such as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, regulations, or governmental or legal requests for such information; to disclose information that is necessary to identify, contact, or bring legal action against someone who may be violating our Acceptable Use Policy or other user policies; to operate the Services properly; or to protect Hosting Direct and our Users.
10. “Cookies” and How Hosting Direct Uses Them. A “cookie” is a small data file that can be placed on your hard drive when you visit certain Web sites. Hosting Direct may use cookies to collect, store, and sometimes track information for statistical purposes to improve the products and services we provide and to manage our telecommunications networks.. These cookies do not enable third parties to access any of your User information. Additionally, be aware that if you visit non-Hosting Direct Web sites where you are prompted to log in or that are customizable, you may be required to accept cookies. Advertisers and partners may also use their own cookies. We do not control use of these cookies and expressly disclaim responsibility for information collected through them. In addition, Hosting Direct utilizes cookies to track referrals from internal and external affiliates, as well as advertising campaigns.
11. Hosting Direct.com Statistics. We use information gathered from our site statistics (for example, User IP addresses) to help diagnose problems with our servers, and to administer our Web site. We also gather broad demographic information from this data to help us improve our site and make your browsing and purchasing experience more enjoyable. This is not linked to any personally identifiable information, except as necessary to prevent fraud or abuse on our system.
12. Hosting Direct’s Commitment to Children’s Privacy. Protecting children’s privacy is especially important to us. It is our policy to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 and all other applicable laws. While we make every effort to ensure that our web sites are fun and age-appropriate for our younger audience, we believe that there is no substitute for proper parental supervision. Hosting Direct recommends that children ask a parent for permission before sending personal information to Hosting Direct, or to anyone online.
13. Public Forums. Please remember that any information you may disclose in our User Directory, Spotlights/case studies, testimonials, Forums, or other public areas of our Web sites or the Internet, becomes public information. You should exercise caution when deciding to disclose personal information in these public areas.
14. Hosting Direct’s Commitment to Data Security. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet or any wireless network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personally identifiable information, you acknowledge that: (a) there are security and privacy limitations of the Internet which are beyond our control; (b) the security, integrity and privacy of any and all information and data exchanged between you and us through this site cannot be guaranteed; and (c) any such information and data may be viewed or tampered with in transit by a third party, despite our best efforts.
15. How to Access or Modify Your Information. To ensure you receive the information you need to manage your account and protect your privacy, please be sure to keep your contact and billing information up to date. You can update all account-related information directly through your Control Panel. Alternatively, you can contact Hosting Direct Support by phone or through our online support form.
16. Where to Direct Questions About Hosting Direct’s Privacy Policy. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the practices described herein, you may contact:

    User Service, Hosting Direct, 70 Blanchard Road 3rd Floor, Burlington, MA 01803 or support@Hosting Direct-inc.com.

17. Exceptions. Except as stated in this policy, we will never give out your information without your permission. As noted above, we may be required to share certain information if one of our partners requires it, but these situations are rare and we will always ask for your explicit permission first. We reserve the right to give out such information without explicit permission in the following circumstances:
    1. As and to the extent required or permitted by law, or where we believe in good-faith that it is reasonably necessary to comply with subpoenas, court orders, other legal process, or requests of governmental authorities;
    2. When intended to report, prevent or assist in the investigation of suspected fraud or other illegal activities, or otherwise to take actions in connection with such activities;
    3. To enforce our Terms of Service or otherwise establish or exercise our legal rights or defense against legal claims; or
    4. Otherwise as provided for in the User Agreement, AUP or this Privacy Policy.

18. Choice/Opt-Out

    When you become a User of Hosting Direct, You are automatically subscribed to receive notices about Your account, e-mail newsletters and news of special promotions offered through Hosting Direct and/or in conjunction with partners.

    To unsubscribe from Hosting Direct newsletters and promotional mailings, please update your preferences with our subscription settings tool or e-mail us at Hosting Direct Support. If you would like to cancel a Hosting Direct membership completely, please contact Hosting Direct Support through our online support form.

    During the registration process, you are provided with the opportunity to opt out of receiving marketing and promotional communications from Hosting Direct and our partners that are not directly related to the services we provide. Hosting Direct, its affiliates or partners may use the information associated with your account to contact you with these special offers.

    To unsubscribe from Hosting Direct newsletters and promotional mailings, please update your preferences with our subscription settings tool or e-mail us at Hosting Direct Support.

    If you would like to cancel a Hosting Direct membership completely, please contact Hosting Direct Support through our online support form.

    Please note: Hosting Direct reserves the right to send e-mail communications relating directly to their accounts to all active members

19. Security. All data collected at Hosting Direct is done so with the use of secure servers. The secure server software (SSL) encrypts all payment information you input before it is sent to us. In fact, for your further protection, our Support Agents can not view or access full, usable information about credit card. Furthermore, we take all foreseeable measures to protect the data we collect against unauthorized access.
20. Revisions to This Policy. Hosting Direct reserves the right to revise, amend, or modify this policy, and our other policies and agreements at any time and in any manner. Notice of any revision, amendment, or modification will be posted in accordance with the Terms of Service.