Privacy Policy

This Privacy Notice describes the privacy practices of Autoscommunity only. It does not cover the practices of other companies, including those that may advertise or sponsor content, products or services on the Digital Services.

1. WHAT INFORMATION WE OBTAIN

When you use a Digital Service, we may obtain various types of information related to you and your use of the Digital Service. This may include information that directly identifies you, such as your name, address, or contact information (this type of information may be called “personal information” or “personally identifiable information”). The information we obtain generally consists of information (1) you give us about yourself, (2) you provide us about others, (3) automatically collected about your interactions with the Digital Services and our content or ads on third-party websites, apps or other media, and (4) we get from other sources.

1. The Information You Give Us

We may ask you to provide information about yourself when you use Digital Services. For example, you will need to give us an email address to subscribe to one of our newsletters. You may not be able to use certain features if you choose not to submit the requested information.

The Information You Give Us May Include Details Such As:

• Contact information (e.g., name, mailing address, email address or phone number).
• Demographic, interests and household information (e.g., age, gender or education).
• Comments, photos, videos and other content or information you choose to publish on the Digital Services or otherwise share with us.
• The information you provide when you choose to participate in surveys, polls, sweepstakes, contests or promotions (including information about your participation in activities that may generate loyalty or rewards points).
• Location information may include precise location information when you permit the Digital Services to access the device location. Please refer to instructions provided by your mobile service provider or device manufacturer to prevent the collection of specific location information.
• Other information you may allow us to access through your device’s permissions settings, such as your contacts or address book.
• Transactional and activity information (e.g., requests, searches or orders).

2. The Information You Give Us About Others

You may provide us with information about other people, such as the name and email of a friend or contact with whom you want to share an article or the name and address of a gift subscription recipient. Please do not give us information about others unless you are authorised or have their consent to do so. We will use their details for the purposes described in this Privacy Notice.

3. Information Automatically Collected

The Digital Services automatically log specific information about visits to the Digital Services, such as the number and frequency of visitors, technical details on browsers and devices used to access the Digital Services, and information about crashes or other technical issues. Also, third parties and we may automatically collect specific information through automated means about your activities over time across the Digital Services and across third-party sites, apps or other media. The tools that collect this information vary depending on the Digital Services and include technologies such as cookies, web beacons, tags, scripts, pixels, local shared objects (including HTML5 cookies) and software development kits (“SDKs”). These technologies may be included in our web pages, mobile apps, emails, and other digital content. The tools may assign or collect unique cookie IDs or other identifiers associated with your browser or device. The tools may collect information while using our Digital Services or while they are running in the background of your device.

The Information Automatically Collected May Include:

• Information about your computer, device, browser and operating system (e.g., type, model, or version).
• Internet protocol (IP) address, which may be used to derive your general geographic area (e.g., city and country).
• Device identifiers (e.g., mobile advertising IDs).
• Information about your interactions with the Digital Services, including browsing activities and clickstream data, reflect the content you have accessed, clicked on, or viewed.
• Information about how you accessed the Digital Services, including details about websites or apps visited immediately before or after accessing a Digital Service.
• Demographic, interests and household information.
• Information about your interactions with email messages and other communications, such as whether you opened or forwarded the email or clicked on links contained in the email.

4. Information We Obtain From Other Sources.

We receive information about you from other sources, and it may be combined with additional information about you. For example, we may get data from:

• Operators of third-party sites or apps, content distribution channels and platforms, voice-activated assistants (e.g., Amazon Alexa, Google Home) or other devices and technologies when interacting with our content, products, services, or ads are available on those channels platforms. The information we receive may include information about the content you view or access and your demographic information, and information about your interests.
• Third-party data suppliers such as data aggregators, data resellers, public databases and business partners. They may provide us with demographic information, information about your purchases, and other information that helps us learn about you and other users of the Digital Services.
• Social Media Platforms and similar services (“Social Media Platforms”). When you engage with our content or ads on Social Media Platforms or interact with features on the Digital Services that contain content or functions provided by Social Media Platforms (e.g., log in or sign in features or tools that allow you to share our content with others on Social Media Platforms), we may obtain information from Social Media Platforms, including your username, user ID, demographic information and other information, subject to the settings and privacy practices of the relevant Social Media Platform. We may obtain this information directly from the Social Media Platform or through plug-ins, integrations or applications.

2. HOW WE USE INFORMATION, WE OBTAIN

If you make a purchase or place an order through or in connection with a Digital Service, we use your payment card information (e.g., your card number and expiration date) for limited purposes such as to process your transaction (including recurring payments, if applicable), to provide you with the requested products or services and for the purposes described under the section “To protect our rights or the rights of others” below.

Concerning Information Other Than Your Payment Card Information, We Use That Information:

1. To Provide You With Digital Services. This Includes:

• Processing your requests regarding the Digital Services and our subscriptions, products or services, or participation in a survey, sweepstakes, contest, promotion, event or a similar initiative.
• Providing customer assistance or technical support.
• Customising content, providing recommendations and enhancing the quality and your overall experience with the Digital Services, including by retaining your user preferences or presenting content most effectively for the browser or device you use to access the Digital Services.
• Maintaining, operating, improving and developing the Digital Services and related content, products or services, including developing new products and features based on users’ interactions with the Digital Services.
• Learning about users of the Digital Services and analysing how you and others interact with and respond to the Digital Services, including by measuring and optimising usage, reliability and performance, conducting market research, examining trends, and supporting our operations (e.g., for accounting, auditing, financial, legal or other purposes).

2. To Communicate With You. This Includes:

• Sending you informational messages about the Digital Services (e.g., to confirm your subscription or notify you of changes to a Digital Service).
• Delivering marketing or promotional communications, including offers or promotions about our or third parties products, services or other initiatives.
• Responding to your questions or addressing your requests.
• Communicating with you about surveys, sweepstakes, contests, promotions or events.

3. For Advertising and Marketing Purposes, Including Interest-Based Advertising. This Includes:

• Developing, managing and conducting advertising and marketing campaigns, promotions and offers, including our content, products and services or third parties products, services and other initiatives.
• Interest-based advertising (also known as targeted or personalised advertising or ads) is advertising based on your interests as inferred from your activities over time on the Digital Services and online services operated by third parties, as well as information from other sources. Interest-based ads may consist of text ads, images, animations or videos. They may be displayed to you based on various factors, including the context of the site or app in which they appear (e.g., sport or travel section), the information you provided to the operator of the website or app (e.g., when you created an account), your activities on the site or app (e.g., pages viewed, searches performed or ads clicked), and information such as your demographic, interests and household information.

• • On the Digital Services and third-party sites, apps or other media, we, our service providers and third parties may use automated means to (a) collect information for interest-based advertising purposes or (b) serve you interest-based ads. These computerised means vary depending on the Digital Services and include technologies such as cookies, web beacons, tags, scripts, pixels, local shared objects (including HTML5 cookies) and SDKs. These technologies may use unique identifiers associated with your browser or device to support interest-based advertising.
  • We may use the online and offline information we obtain about you, including your personal information, for interest-based advertising purposes. We may aggregate the information we get to create audiences that are most likely to respond to ads based on demographics, interests or household information.
  • Interest-based ads may be displayed to you by third parties, such as ad networks or exchanges.
  • There are steps you can take to limit the collection of your information for interest-based advertising purposes. These steps vary for the web and mobile app environments and are browser and device-specific.
  • In serving interest-based ads, we adhere to the Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising developed by the Digital Advertising Alliance.
• Cross-device linking. If you access the Digital Services from multiple browsers or devices, we, our service providers and third parties may try to establish connections among and link the different browsers and devices you use to access the Digital Services and our content or ads published elsewhere. This helps us provide you with a seamless experience across the browsers and devices you use and serve you with more relevant content and advertisements (e.g., we don’t show you the same article twice).
• Analysing and measuring the performance, effectiveness, and reach (including interest-based ads) and marketing efforts on the Digital Services and elsewhere.

4. To Protect Our Rights or the Rights of Others. This Includes:

• Detecting, preventing and responding to fraud or potentially illegal activities, misuse of the Digital Services, intellectual property infringement or other violations of law, this Privacy Notice, our Terms of Use or other Hearst policies.
• Performing audits, assessments and testing or troubleshooting activities.
• Backing up our systems (including for disaster recovery purposes) and enhancing the overall security of the Digital Services.
• Complying with and enforcing applicable industry and legal requirements (including legal processes such as court orders, warrants or subpoenas) and fulfilling contractual obligations.

3. HOW WE SHARE INFORMATION

We may share the information we obtain with:

1. Affiliates and Subsidiaries. We work closely with affiliates and subsidiaries to share your information as necessary or appropriate to operate the Digital Services.
2. Service Providers. In connection with the operation and provision of the Digital Services, we engage various third parties to provide services or handle transactions on our behalfs, such as payment card processing, email distribution, list processing, postal mailing, cloud computing, analytics, digital content performance measurement, ad serving and managing sweepstakes, contests, promotions or events. These service providers use the information we provide to them as necessary or appropriate for the performance of their services.
3. Advertisers, Advertising- and Marketing-Related Service Providers and Partners. We may provide your information to advertisers, advertising agencies, ad networks, ad exchanges, marketing businesses, technology vendors and other entities that create, deliver and assess advertising or marketing campaigns, including interest-based ads.
4. Content Measurement Companies. Third parties and we seek to measure content performance across the internet, including on Digital Services. We may include third-party measurement software in the Digital Services to enable market research or measure digital and video content consumption.
5. Social Media Platforms. If you interact with social media widgets, share content using social media share buttons, or access features of the Digital Services that contain content or functions provided by Social Media Platforms, the relevant Social Media Platforms may collect information. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of the Social Media Platforms that you engage with, as we are not responsible for their privacy practices.
6. Business Partners. We may provide your information to business partners, including, without limitation, joint marketing partners and content sponsors, for various purposes. For example, we may partner with a third party to offer products on a co-branded, co-sponsored or cross-promotional basis that involves sharing information. These initiatives may be provided on the Digital Services or other media.
7. Other Parties When Required by Law or As Necessary to Protect Our Rights. We may share your information as we believe necessary or appropriate to protect, enforce, or defend our legal rights, the privacy or safety of our employees, users of the Digital Services or other individuals and entities, or to comply with or enforce applicable industry standards, law or legal process, including responding to court orders, warrants, subpoenas and other requests from public and government authorities.
8. Corporate Transactions. We reserve the right to transfer any of the information we have about you to proceed with the consideration, negotiation, or completion of a sale or transfer of all or a portion of our business or assets to a third party, such as in the event of a merger, acquisition or other disposition, or in connection with a bankruptcy reorganization, dissolution, or liquidation.
9. Your Consent or Otherwise at Your Direction. Also, we may share your information with third parties when you consent to or request such sharing.
10. YOUR CHOICES, INCLUDING MARKETING AND INTEREST-BASED ADS OPT-OUTS

Direct Marketing Opt-Outs

1. Email marketing. You may opt-out of receiving marketing or promotional emails from us by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link contained in such emails. Depending on the Digital Service you use, you also may be able to opt-out of marketing or promotional emails by logging into your account and managing your email preferences. Please keep in mind that if you choose to receive marketing or promotional emails, we may still send you transactional emails or other communications relating to your use of the Digital Services (e.g., to confirm your subscription, to inform you of changes to a Digital Service or in response to your password recovery request).
2. Text message marketing. If you choose to participate in a text message marketing campaign or promotion offered in connection with a Digital Service, you may opt-out of receiving marketing texts from us by following the instructions contained in those messages (e.g., texting the word STOP) or provided to you when you elected to receive text message marketing.
3. Marketing by Third Parties. We may provide your contact information to third parties for their marketing purposes. To request that third parties not use your postal mailing contact information for their marketing purposes (if we have your postal address), you may notify us in writing to [email protected], Attn: Harry Soukar.  Also, you may be able to request that third parties do not use your email address (if we have it) for their marketing purposes by logging into your account or the preferences centre (if available) for the relevant Digital Service and adjusting your email preferences.
4. Co-Branded, Co-Sponsored or cross-promotional Offerings. If you choose to participate in a co-branded, co-sponsored, or cross-promotional offering, the brand, sponsor or other third party involved in that offering may use your information for its purposes, including advertising and marketing purposes. You must directly contact the relevant third party to exercise your opt-out choices concerning such party’s use of your information.

Interest-Based Ads Opt-Outs

Some of the ads you see on the Digital Services are interest-based ads. This means that these ads are customised based on the information we and others obtain about you. We describe below steps you can take to limit the tracking of your activities and the delivery of interest-based ads in browsers and mobile apps you use to access the Digital Services. Please keep in mind that you will still see ads if you opt-out of interest-based ads, but these ads will not be based on your inferred interests. Also, if you take the steps described below, some automated means may still be used to collect information about your interactions with the Digital Services for the other purposes described in this Privacy Notice (e.g., to remember user preferences or enable specific functionality).

The technologies used to deliver ads on websites, and mobile apps differ. Please also remember that opt-outs are browser and device-specific.

Website (Browser) Opt-Out

1. Disabling Cookies. Most browsers accept cookies by default. You may change the settings to have your browser refuse certain cookies or notify you before accepting cookies.

• If you choose to disable cookies in your web browser, some features of the Digital Services may become difficult to use or unavailable.

2. Opt-out Cookies. You can follow the instructions provided by the Digital Advertising Alliance (“DAA”) and the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”) to place an opt-out cookie on your browser. These opt-out cookies enable you to block participating companies from installing future cookies on your computer or browser.

• If you place opt-out cookies but subsequently clear or delete cookies on your computer or device browser, your opt-out cookies may be deleted, and you may have to renew your opt-out choices for that specific browser.
• Third parties provide the opt-out mechanisms offered by the DAA and NAI. Hearst does not control or operate these mechanisms or the choices supplied through these mechanisms.

Mobile App Opt-Out

1. Device Settings. To limit interest-based advertising on your mobile device, you can review and adjust the settings provided by your device manufacturer, such as “Limit Ad Tracking” for iOS or “Opt-out of interest-based ads ” for Android.
2. AppChoices Application. You can download the “AppChoices” application provided by the DAA from your app store. AppChoices offers a mechanism to limit the collection of app data used for interest-based ads by participating companies.

Please keep in mind that additional opt-out mechanisms or privacy settings may become available to you as the mobile environment continues to evolve. We encourage you to review the information on opt-outs and settings that device manufacturers, technology companies and industry associations make available to you.

Measurement Opt-Out

The Digital Services may include Nielsen proprietary measurement software, which contributes to market research.

Additional Choices

1. User account. If you have created an account on a Digital Service, you may be able to review some of your information for that account by logging in and updating your information or user preferences.
2. Device Settings. For relevant Digital Services, you may be able to review and adjust your preferences by updating the settings on your device (e.g., permitting us to collect precise location information).
3. Push Notifications. If a Digital Service enables push notifications on your device, you may review and update your push notification preferences by adjusting the settings on your device. For example, you can select the relevant app from “Notifications” (for iOS devices) or “App notifications” (for Android devices) and turn off alerts accordingly.
4. HOW WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION

We use various security technologies and procedures to help protect information from unauthorised access, use or disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, while we make reasonable efforts to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

1. NON-U.S. VISITORS

We operate Digital Services from the United States. Any information we obtain about you in connection with your use of the Digital Services may be processed and stored in the United States or other countries.

     2. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY RIGHTS

Digital Services are not intended for use by children, especially those under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13.

    3. LINKS TO THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES, MOBILE APPS OR OTHER SERVICES

The Digital Services may contain links to websites, mobile apps or other services operated by companies not affiliated with Hearst. Also, the Digital Services may be made available to you through third-party platforms (such as app stores or Social Media Platforms) or other channels. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any non-Hearst operated websites, mobile apps or other services and channels, and we encourage you to review the privacy policies or notices published by relevant third parties.

     4.CAREERS/JOB OPPORTUNITIES

This Privacy Notice does not apply to web pages hosting our careers or job opportunities. Any information obtained through such pages is governed by the privacy notice published thereon.

     5.DISPUTE RESOLUTION/TERMS OF USE

Any dispute concerning the Digital Services (including our use of your personal information) will be resolved per the dispute resolution provision in terms of Use, which governs your Digital Services use. Please take a few minutes to read the Terms of Use before using the Digital Services.

     6. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY NOTICE

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our privacy practices or applicable laws. Following applicable law, we may make such changes without prior notice. We will publish the updated version on the relevant Digital Services and indicate at the top of the Privacy Notice when it was most recently updated. Your use of the Digital Services will be governed by the then-current version of the Privacy Notice.

     7. CONTACT US

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, please contact us by email at  [email protected]