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ZDNet UK Privacy Statement
About ZDNet UK’s Privacy Policy
ZDNet UK is a wholly owned subsidiary of CNet Networks Inc and is part of a world wide network of sites providing information about technology. As such ZDNet UK adheres to the policy guidelines laid down by CNet Networks.
What is CNET Networks?
CNET Networks, Inc. is the global source of information and commerce services for the technology industry. We connect buyers, sellers, and suppliers throughout the IT supply chain with award-winning content via the Web, wireless devices, television, radio, and print. Our respected brand portfolio includes CNET, ZDNet, mySimon, TechRepublic, GameSpot, Download.com, News.com, CNET Radio and Computer Shopper magazine as well as CNET ChannelServices, which include CNET DataServices and ChannelOnline. For more information about the company, go here.
Overall Privacy Statement
CNET Networks takes your privacy seriously. Because we gather certain types of information about our users we want to help you understand the terms and conditions surrounding the collection and use of that information. This privacy statement discloses the types of information we gather, how we use it, and how to correct or change it. These privacy practices apply to the Web site that you were viewing when you clicked through to this policy, which is operated by CNET, its partner or affiliate.
1. What Personally Identifiable Information Does CNET Networks Collect?
CNET's primary goal in collecting personal information is to provide you with the best and most useful content and services. Because CNET derives its revenue mainly from advertising, collecting information is essential to keeping our services free to users.
CNET collects personally identifiable information when you provide it to us, such as when you register on one of our sites, when you subscribe for a print magazine or an e-mail newsletter, when you use certain products or services, such as our Updates software, and when you visit CNET pages and read newsletters. Several of the services that we offer on our sites, such as auctions and message boards, may require registration as a condition of use. Once you register with one of our CNET sites you are no longer anonymous to us. CNET may also receive information about you from other sources and add it to the information you have provided to us.
2. What Anonymous Information Does CNET Networks Collect?
Cookies
Your Internet browser has a feature called "cookies" which store small amounts of data on your computer about your visit to any of our sites. However, cookies tell us nothing about who you are unless you specifically give us personally identifiable information. You do not need to have cookies turned on to visit most CNET sites, although active participation in certain areas of our sites may require cookies. In addition, you may elect not to allow cookies to be collected by selecting certain options on your browser.
Web Bugs & Servers
We use electronic images known as Web bugs - sometimes called single-pixel GIFs, transparent GIFs, or clear gifs- that allow us to track general user traffic patterns. CNET also automatically receives and records information from our servers and from your browser including your IP address, the time, and information about the page you requested.
We use tracking technologies in a variety of ways, including:
- keeping count of return visits to our site or our advertiser' or partners' sites
- accumulating and report anonymous, aggregate (data collected in mass), statistical information on Web site and advertisement usage
- determining which features users like best
- saving your password so you don't have to re-enter it each time you visit our sites
Third-Party Advertisement Servers
ZDNet UK Ltd uses the DoubleClick DART technology for serving advertisements on its web pages. To view the DoubleClick privacy policy go to here.
Additionally, some of our advertisers use third-party companies to serve their advertisements on our sites and, in some cases, in our HTML-formatted newsletters. In both cases, these third-party advertising companies employ cookie and Web bug technologies to measure advertisement effectiveness. We do not give any personally identifiable information to them as part of this relationship. Use of their tracking technology is subject to their own privacy policies. If you would like more information about the privacy policies of the third-party advertising providers including information on how to opt out of their tracking methods, check here.
3. How Does CNET Networks Use The Information?
CNET uses the information we gather for four general purposes:
- to customise the advertising and content you see, which helps keep our services free to users
- to enhance the user experience in our network of sites. We use tracking information to determine how well each page performs overall based on aggregate user demographics and traffic patterns to those pages. This helps us continue to build a better service for you
- to fulfill your requests for certain products and services, such as sending out electronic newsletters and enabling users to participate in polls, contests and forums.
- to send you information you agreed to receive about topics we think will be of interest to you
4. How Does CNET Networks Share The Information?
Personally Identifiable Information
CNET will make your personally identifiable information available to other companies or people when:
- we have your consent to share the information
- we have engaged companies to work with or on behalf of CNET to provide a product or service that you have requested, such as opt-in e-mail announcements
- you use co-branded services. When you use a co-branded service within our network of sites you grant us permission to pass your registration information back to that service partner. Their use of your information is subject to their applicable privacy policies.
- we respond to injunctions, court orders or legal process; or we believe that your actions violate applicable laws or any usage guidelines for specific products or services, or threaten the rights, property or safety of ZDNet UK, our users, or others
Aggregate Information
CNET aggregates personally identifiable information and discloses such information in a non-personally identifiable manner to advertisers and other third parties for marketing, promotional and other purposes. We do not disclose to these entities any information that could be used to identify you personally.
Business Transfers
We are always seeking to improve our network of Web sites and our business. In accomplishing these objectives, we may buy or sell a company, or one or more of the companies in our corporate family may merge with or be acquired by another company. If we sell a business, we may transfer some or all of your information as a part of the sale in order that the service being provided to you may continue or for other business purposes.
5. What Are My Options?
Users who would rather not provide any of the user data requested by our registration process do not need to register with us. You can still view much of the content and use many of the services offered by our sites without registering. We also give users the following options:
- opting not to receive our electronic newsletters or those of third parties when registering. Users who opt-in may remove themselves from mailing lists at any time through the subscription management pages or by following the instructions at the end of the e-mail they received from us;
- opting not to provide certain personal information when registering for a site.
E-mail subscription-management tools for Gamespot UK and ZDNet UK
6. How Can I Update My Personally Identifiable Information?
You can correct or change the information collected during registration for any site (see above for a description of the registration process). The instructions for doing this can be found in our member services areas. Users may change this information at any time and as often as necessary. Users who are experiencing problems or who have questions about how our services work can contact us using e-mail addresses at the bottom of this page. Currently, we do not offer users a means by which to completely delete personal information established at the time of registration.
Registration-management tools
7. How Will I Know If The Privacy Policy Is Changed?
Any modifications to our privacy practices will be reflected first within this area of our network of Web sites. If there is a material change in our privacy practices, we will indicate on our sites that our privacy practices have changed and provide a link to the new privacy statement. If we are going to be using the information collected from users in a manner materially different from that stated at the time of collection we will send affected users written notice of the change.
Questions, Comments
Questions regarding this privacy statement, or regarding any other aspects of our network of Web sites, should be sent via e-mail to or to our offices at
International House,
1. St Katharine’s Way,
London,
E1W 1XQ
We read every message submitted and try to reply promptly to every one. We may also file your comments to improve the site and program, or review and discard the information.
E-mail contacts for questions
Updated September 2001
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