Trump Accuses Google of Burying Conservative News in Search Results - The New York Time

How is it possible that the PRESIDENT of the United States doesn't know about Search   Engine optimization? 

He's always talking about ratings. 

Doesn't he realize there's actual science to this stuff?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/business/media/google-trump-news-results.html?emc=edit_th_180829&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=588879300829

Trump Accuses Google of Burying Conservative News in Search Results

Aug. 28, 2018

President Trump has increasingly denounced tech companies.Doug Mills/The New York Times

President Trump, in a series of early morning Twitter posts on Tuesday, attacked Google for what he claimed was an effort to intentionally suppress conservative news outlets supportive of his administration.

Mr. Trump's remarks — and an additional warning later in the day that Google, Facebook and Twitter "have to be careful" — escalated a conservative campaign against the internet industry that has become more pointed since Apple, Google and Facebook removed content from Alex Jones, a right-wing conspiracy theorist who runs the site InfoWars and has been a vocal supporter of Mr. Trump.

"Google search results for 'Trump News' shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake New Media," Mr. Trump said on Twitter at 5:24 a.m. "In other words, they have it RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is prominent."

Mr. Trump added that "they are controlling what we can & cannot see. This is a very serious situation-will be addressed!"

Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council and a longtime advocate of deregulation, appeared to back Mr. Trump when asked by reporters later on Tuesday whether the administration would be pursuing more regulation of Google. "We'll let you know," Mr. Kudlow said. "We're taking a look at it."

In a statement, Google said that its search service was "not used to set a political agenda and we don't bias our results toward any political ideology."

The president's tweets landed at a difficult moment for the tech industry. There is a growing sense across the political spectrum in the United States and in other countries that something must be done to rein in their influence.

Executives from many of the largest internet companies will face questions next week at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing about their efforts to prevent foreign meddling in the midterm elections in November, a follow-up to congressional hearings held after the 2016 elections. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, and Twitter's Jack Dorsey are scheduled to testify in front of the committee.

Google has also been called to testify. Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina and the chairman of the Senate committee, has asked Google to send Sundar Pichai, its chief executive. So far, the company has offered to send Kent Walker, its senior vice president of global affairs.

Mr. Burr said he was unlikely to subpoena Mr. Pichai to testify, but that his absence would signal that Google was choosing "not to participate" and be "part of the solution."

Interfering in how companies like Google and Facebook present information would be a notable departure for the federal government, which has mostly taken a hands-off approach to the internet. Free-speech scholars said companies like Google and Facebook were free to operate with few restrictions thanks to a 1996 law called the Telecommunications Act.

"That law pretty much removes free-speech liability for Google and Facebook," said Roy Gutterman, director of the Tully Center for Free Speech at the Newhouse School. "That being said, I think it'd be a major leap to believe that the people behind Google are writing algorithms to discriminate against content."

Last month, regulators in Europe fined Google $5.1 billion for antitrust violations. After the European fine, Mr. Trump said Google was "one of our great companies."

What sort of pressure regulators in the United States could exert is not entirely clear.

The Justice Department, under both the Trump and Obama administrations, has shown little interest in pursuing antitrust cases against Google or its parent company, Alphabet. Mr. Trump has often raised antitrust questions about another tech giant, Amazon, but little has come of his threats.

Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, has suggested that if internet companies are not a "neutral platform," they should not be protected by a law known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives companies broad legal immunity for what people put on their services.

Appearing in front of reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Trump offered a vague expansion of his earlier criticism, saying that social news platforms were actively "taking advantage" of people. "We have tremendous, we have literally thousands and thousands of complaints coming in. And you just can't do that," Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump's claims of bias appeared to be inspired by a segment Monday night from Lou Dobbs, a host on the Fox Business Network. Mr. Dobbs highlighted an article by a conservative website, PJ Media, that said that it had conducted what it called an unscientific study in which 96 percent of Google search results for the word "Trump" were articles from "left-leaning sites."

The piece was also featured on the website Drudge Report, whose operator, Matt Drudge, was an early supporter of Mr. Trump.

Search engine experts said Google uses many factors in its search algorithm — including how often a web page is linked to by other sites and how often certain words appear on a page — and that formula is constantly being updated.

"Every year, we issue hundreds of improvements to our algorithms to ensure they surface high-quality content in response to users' queries," the company said. "We continually work to improve Google Search and we never rank search results to manipulate political sentiment."

Even longtime Google critics disagreed with the premise of the PJ Media article.

"The industry should have plenty of concerns with Google, particularly antitrust and data collection practices, but this isn't one of them," said Jason Kint, the chief executive of Digital Content Next, an online publishing industry group. "The president's tweets this morning are flat-out absurd."

Long before Facebook, Apple and Google had removed InfoWars from their sites, conservatives were zeroing in on Big Tech as a new enemy in the political culture wars. In February, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md., guests packed a ballroom for a discussion called "Suppression of Conservative Views on Social Media: A First Amendment Issue."

Although it provided a target for those in attendance, Google was a sponsor of the conference. The company held a reception for conference attendees, with an open bar and a roaring outdoor fireplace.

Peter Schweizer, a right-wing journalist known for his investigations into Hillary Clinton, has followed a similar line of attack as a writer and producer of a new documentary, "The Creepy Line," which argues that Silicon Valley is stifling conservative content. The Daily Caller, a conservative news and opinion website, recently posted the trailer.

During the presidential election, Trump campaign officials claimed Google was manipulating search results to favor Hillary Clinton. But right after the election, the top Google search result for "final election vote count 2016" was a link to a story that wrongly stated that Mr. Trump, who won the Electoral College, had also defeated Mrs. Clinton in the popular vote.

Since then, Google has updated its search algorithm to surface what it calls "more authoritative" news sources.

The internet companies find themselves caught between conservatives who say they are being heavy-handed and others who say they are not doing enough to police their sites. Twitter only suspended Mr. Jones's account, for example, and was condemned by some of its own employees and many on the left for not being tougher.

But the move by other tech giants earlier this month to ban Mr. Jones drew condemnation from a range of conservatives — even some who say they do not care for Mr. Jones. "Who the hell made Facebook the arbiter of political speech?" Mr. Cruz said in a tweet.

Representative Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California and the majority leader, has also raised concerns that Republican voices were being stifled online. He was joined by other Republican House leaders, including Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, Greg Walden, who threatened to subpoena Twitter's chief executive, Jack Dorsey, if he did not testify in Congress in a separate hearing on Sept. 5 on content moderation on the internet.

"Social media platforms are increasingly serving as today's town squares," Mr. McCarthy said in a statement after Mr. Dorsey agreed to testify. "But sadly, conservatives are too often finding their voices silenced."

Follow Adam Satariano, Daisuke Wakabayashi and Cecilia Kang on Twitter: @satariano, @daiwaka and @ceciliakang

Jeremy Peters, Katie Rogers and Edmund Lee contributed reporting.

A version of this article appears in print on Aug. 29, 2018, on Page A16 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump Says Google Is 'Rigged' and Suppresses Conservative News. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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Elyssa D. Durant 

Research & Policy Analyst

Columbia University, New York

Data Policy | Instagram Help Center

https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875

Data Policy

This policy describes the information we process to support Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and other products and features offered by Facebook (Facebook Products or Products). You can find additional tools and information in the Facebook Settings and Instagram Settings.

I. What kinds of information do we collect?

To provide the Facebook Products, we must process information about you. The types of information we collect depend on how you use our Products. You can learn how to access and delete information we collect by visiting the Facebook Settings and Instagram Settings.

Things you and others do and provide.

• Information and content you provide. We collect the content, communications and other information you provide when you use our Products, including when you sign up for an account, create or share content, and message or communicate with others. This can include information in or about the content you provide (like metadata), such as the location of a photo or the date a file was created. It can also include what you see through features we provide, such as our camera, so we can do things like suggest masks and filters that you might like, or give you tips on using camera formats. Our systems automatically process content and communications you and others provide to analyze context and what's in them for the purposes described below. Learn more about how you can control who can see the things you share.

  • Data with special protections: You can choose to provide information in your Facebook profile fields or Life Events about your religious views, political views, who you are "interested in," or your health. This and other information (such as racial or ethnic origin, philosophical beliefs or trade union membership) could be subject to special protections under the laws of your country.
• Networks and connections. We collect information about the people, Pages, accounts, hashtags and groups you are connected to and how you interact with them across our Products, such as people you communicate with the most or groups you are part of. We also collect contact information if you choose to upload, sync or import it from a device (such as an address book or call log or SMS log history), which we use for things like helping you and others find people you may know and for the other purposes listed below.
• Your usage. We collect information about how you use our Products, such as the types of content you view or engage with; the features you use; the actions you take; the people or accounts you interact with; and the time, frequency and duration of your activities. For example, we log when you're using and have last used our Products, and what posts, videos and other content you view on our Products. We also collect information about how you use features like our camera.
• Information about transactions made on our Products. If you use our Products for purchases or other financial transactions (such as when you make a purchase in a game or make a donation), we collect information about the purchase or transaction. This includes payment information, such as your credit or debit card number and other card information; other account and authentication information; and billing, shipping and contact details.
• Things others do and information they provide about you. We also receive and analyze content, communications and information that other people provide when they use our Products. This can include information about you, such as when others share or comment on a photo of you, send a message to you, or upload, sync or import your contact information.

Device Information

As described below, we collect information from and about the computers, phones, connected TVs and other web-connected devices you use that integrate with our Products, and we combine this information across different devices you use. For example, we use information collected about your use of our Products on your phone to better personalize the content (including ads) or features you see when you use our Products on another device, such as your laptop or tablet, or to measure whether you took an action in response to an ad we showed you on your phone on a different device.

Information we obtain from these devices includes:

• Device attributes: information such as the operating system, hardware and software versions, battery level, signal strength, available storage space, browser type, app and file names and types, and plugins.
• Device operations: information about operations and behaviors performed on the device, such as whether a window is foregrounded or backgrounded, or mouse movements (which can help distinguish humans from bots).
• Identifiers: unique identifiers, device IDs, and other identifiers, such as from games, apps or accounts you use, and Family Device IDs (or other identifiers unique to Facebook Company Products associated with the same device or account).
• Device signals: Bluetooth signals, and information about nearby Wi-Fi access points, beacons, and cell towers.
• Data from device settings: information you allow us to receive through device settings you turn on, such as access to your GPS location, camera or photos.
• Network and connections: information such as the name of your mobile operator or ISP, language, time zone, mobile phone number, IP address, connection speed and, in some cases, information about other devices that are nearby or on your network, so we can do things like help you stream a video from your phone to your TV.
• Cookie data: data from cookies stored on your device, including cookie IDs and settings. Learn more about how we use cookies in the Facebook Cookies Policy and Instagram Cookies Policy.

Information from partners.

Advertisers, app developers, and publishers can send us information through Facebook Business Tools they use, including our social plug-ins (such as the Like button), Facebook Login, our APIs and SDKs, or the Facebook pixel. These partners provide information about your activities off Facebook—including information about your device, websites you visit, purchases you make, the ads you see, and how you use their services—whether or not you have a Facebook account or are logged into Facebook. For example, a game developer could use our API to tell us what games you play, or a business could tell us about a purchase you made in its store. We also receive information about your online and offline actions and purchases from third-party data providers who have the rights to provide us with your information.

Partners receive your data when you visit or use their services or through third parties they work with. We require each of these partners to have lawful rights to collect, use and share your data before providing any data to us. Learn more about the types of partners we receive data from.

To learn more about how we use cookies in connection with Facebook Business Tools, review the Facebook Cookies Policy and Instagram Cookies Policy.

II. How do we use this information?

We use the information we have (subject to choices you make) as described below and to provide and support the Facebook Products and related services described in the Facebook Terms and Instagram Terms. Here's how:

Provide, personalize and improve our Products.

We use the information we have to deliver our Products, including to personalize features and content (including your News Feed, Instagram Feed, Instagram Stories and ads) and make suggestions for you (such as groups or events you may be interested in or topics you may want to follow) on and off our Products. To create personalized Products that are unique and relevant to you, we use your connections, preferences, interests and activities based on the data we collect and learn from you and others (including any data with special protections you choose to provide); how you use and interact with our Products; and the people, places, or things you're connected to and interested in on and off our Products. Learn more about how we use information about you to personalize your Facebook and Instagram experience, including features, content and recommendations in Facebook Products; you can also learn more about how we choose the ads that you see.

• Information across Facebook Products and devices: We connect information about your activities on different Facebook Products and devices to provide a more tailored and consistent experience on all Facebook Products you use, wherever you use them. For example, we can suggest that you join a group on Facebook that includes people you follow on Instagram or communicate with using Messenger. We can also make your experience more seamless, for example, by automatically filling in your registration information (such as your phone number) from one Facebook Product when you sign up for an account on a different Product.
• Location-related information: We use location-related information-such as your current location, where you live, the places you like to go, and the businesses and people you're near-to provide, personalize and improve our Products, including ads, for you and others. Location-related information can be based on things like precise device location (if you've allowed us to collect it), IP addresses, and information from your and others' use of Facebook Products (such as check-ins or events you attend).
• Product research and development: We use the information we have to develop, test and improve our Products, including by conducting surveys and research, and testing and troubleshooting new products and features.
• Face recognition: If you have it turned on, we use face recognition technology to recognize you in photos, videos and camera experiences. The face-recognition templates we create may constitute data with special protections under the laws of your country. Learn more about how we use face recognition technology, or control our use of this technology in Facebook Settings. If we introduce face-recognition technology to your Instagram experience, we will let you know first, and you will have control over whether we use this technology for you.
• Ads and other sponsored content: We use the information we have about you-including information about your interests, actions and connections-to select and personalize ads, offers and other sponsored content that we show you. Learn more about how we select and personalize ads, and your choices over the data we use to select ads and other sponsored content for you in the Facebook Settings and Instagram Settings.

Provide measurement, analytics, and other business services.

We use the information we have (including your activity off our Products, such as the websites you visit and ads you see) to help advertisers and other partners measure the effectiveness and distribution of their ads and services, and understand the types of people who use their services and how people interact with their websites, apps, and services. Learn how we share information with these partners.

Promote safety, integrity and security.

We use the information we have to verify accounts and activity, combat harmful conduct, detect and prevent spam and other bad experiences, maintain the integrity of our Products, and promote safety and security on and off of Facebook Products. For example, we use data we have to investigate suspicious activity or violations of our terms or policies, or to detect when someone needs help. To learn more, visit the Facebook Security Help Center and Instagram Security Tips.

Communicate with you.

We use the information we have to send you marketing communications, communicate with you about our Products, and let you know about our policies and terms. We also use your information to respond to you when you contact us.

Research and innovate for social good.

We use the information we have (including from research partners we collaborate with) to conduct and support research and innovation on topics of general social welfare, technological advancement, public interest, health and well-being. For example, we analyze information we have about migration patterns during crises to aid relief efforts. Learn more about our research programs.

III. How is this information shared?

Your information is shared with others in the following ways:

Sharing on Facebook Products

People and accounts you share and communicate with

When you share and communicate using our Products, you choose the audience for what you share. For example, when you post on Facebook, you select the audience for the post, such as a group, all of your friends, the public, or a customized list of people. Similarly, when you use Messenger or Instagram to communicate with people or businesses, those people and businesses can see the content you send. Your network can also see actions you have taken on our Products, including engagement with ads and sponsored content. We also let other accounts see who has viewed their Facebook or Instagram Stories.

Public information can be seen by anyone, on or off our Products, including if they don't have an account. This includes your Instagram username; any information you share with a public audience; information in your public profile on Facebook; and content you share on a Facebook Page, public Instagram account or any other public forum, such as Facebook Marketplace. You, other people using Facebook and Instagram, and we can provide access to or send public information to anyone on or off our Products, including in other Facebook Company Products, in search results, or through tools and APIs. Public information can also be seen, accessed, reshared or downloaded through third-party services such as search engines, APIs, and offline media such as TV, and by apps, websites and other services that integrate with our Products.

Learn more about what information is public and how to control your visibility on Facebook and Instagram.

Content others share or reshare about you

You should consider who you choose to share with, because people who can see your activity on our Products can choose to share it with others on and off our Products, including people and businesses outside the audience you shared with. For example, when you share a post or send a message to specific friends or accounts, they can download, screenshot, or reshare that content to others across or off our Products, in person or in virtual reality experiences such as Facebook Spaces. Also, when you comment on someone else's post or react to their content, your comment or reaction is visible to anyone who can see the other person's content, and that person can change the audience later.

People can also use our Products to create and share content about you with the audience they choose. For example, people can share a photo of you in a Story, mention or tag you at a location in a post, or share information about you in their posts or messages. If you are uncomfortable with what others have shared about you on our Products, you can learn how to report the content.

Information about your active status or presence on our Products.

People in your networks can see signals telling them whether you are active on our Products, including whether you are currently active on Instagram, Messenger or Facebook, or when you last used our Products.

Apps, websites, and third-party integrations on or using our Products.

When you choose to use third-party apps, websites, or other services that use, or are integrated with, our Products, they can receive information about what you post or share. For example, when you play a game with your Facebook friends or use a Facebook Comment or Share button on a website, the game developer or website can receive information about your activities in the game or receive a comment or link that you share from the website on Facebook. Also, when you download or use such third-party services, they can access your public profile on Facebook, and any information that you share with them. Apps and websites you use may receive your list of Facebook friends if you choose to share it with them. But apps and websites you use will not be able to receive any other information about your Facebook friends from you, or information about any of your Instagram followers (although your friends and followers may, of course, choose to share this information themselves). Information collected by these third-party services is subject to their own terms and policies, not this one.

Devices and operating systems providing native versions of Facebook and Instagram (i.e. where we have not developed our own first-party apps) will have access to all information you choose to share with them, including information your friends share with you, so they can provide our core functionality to you.

Note: We are in the process of restricting developers' data access even further to help prevent abuse. For example, we will remove developers' access to your Facebook and Instagram data if you haven't used their app in 3 months, and we are changing Login, so that in the next version, we will reduce the data that an app can request without app review to include only name, Instagram username and bio, profile photo and email address. Requesting any other data will require our approval.

New owner.

If the ownership or control of all or part of our Products or their assets changes, we may transfer your information to the new owner.

Sharing with Third-Party Partners

We work with third-party partners who help us provide and improve our Products or who use Facebook Business Tools to grow their businesses, which makes it possible to operate our companies and provide free services to people around the world. We don't sell any of your information to anyone, and we never will. We also impose strict restrictions on how our partners can use and disclose the data we provide. Here are the types of third parties we share information with:

Partners who use our analytics services.

We provide aggregated statistics and insights that help people and businesses understand how people are engaging with their posts, listings, Pages, videos and other content on and off the Facebook Products. For example, Page admins and Instagram business profiles receive information about the number of people or accounts who viewed, reacted to, or commented on their posts, as well as aggregate demographic and other information that helps them understand interactions with their Page or account.

Advertisers.

We provide advertisers with reports about the kinds of people seeing their ads and how their ads are performing, but we don't share information that personally identifies you (information such as your name or email address that by itself can be used to contact you or identifies who you are) unless you give us permission. For example, we provide general demographic and interest information to advertisers (for example, that an ad was seen by a woman between the ages of 25 and 34 who lives in Madrid and likes software engineering) to help them better understand their audience. We also confirm which Facebook ads led you to make a purchase or take an action with an advertiser.

Measurement partners.

We share information about you with companies that aggregate it to provide analytics and measurement reports to our partners.

Partners offering goods and services in our Products.

When you subscribe to receive premium content, or buy something from a seller in our Products, the content creator or seller can receive your public information and other information you share with them, as well as the information needed to complete the transaction, including shipping and contact details.

Vendors and service providers.

We provide information and content to vendors and service providers who support our business, such as by providing technical infrastructure services, analyzing how our Products are used, providing customer service, facilitating payments or conducting surveys.

Researchers and academics.

We also provide information and content to research partners and academics to conduct research that advances scholarship and innovation that support our business or mission, and enhances discovery and innovation on topics of general social welfare, technological advancement, public interest, health and well-being.

Law enforcement or legal requests.

We share information with law enforcement or in response to legal requests in the circumstances outlined below.

Learn more about how you can control the information about you that you or others share with third-party partners in the Facebook Settings and Instagram Settings.

IV. How do the Facebook Companies work together?

Facebook and Instagram share infrastructure, systems and technology with other Facebook Companies (which include WhatsApp and Oculus) to provide an innovative, relevant, consistent and safe experience across all Facebook Company Products you use. We also process information about you across the Facebook Companies for these purposes, as permitted by applicable law and in accordance with their terms and policies. For example, we process information from WhatsApp about accounts sending spam on its service so we can take appropriate action against those accounts on Facebook, Instagram or Messenger. We also work to understand how people use and interact with Facebook Company Products, such as understanding the number of unique users on different Facebook Company Products.

V. How can I manage or delete information about me?

We provide you with the ability to access, rectify, port and erase your data. Learn more in your Facebook Settings and Instagram Settings.

We store data until it is no longer necessary to provide our services and Facebook Products, or until your account is deleted - whichever comes first. This is a case-by-case determination that depends on things like the nature of the data, why it is collected and processed, and relevant legal or operational retention needs. For example, when you search for something on Facebook, you can access and delete that query from within your search history at any time, but the log of that search is deleted after 6 months. If you submit a copy of your government-issued ID for account verification purposes, we delete that copy 30 days after submission. Learn more about deletion of content you have shared and cookie data obtained through social plugins.

When you delete your account, we delete things you have posted, such as your photos and status updates, and you won't be able to recover that information later. Information that others have shared about you isn't part of your account and won't be deleted. If you don't want to delete your account but want to temporarily stop using the Products, you can deactivate your account instead. To delete your account at any time, please visit the Facebook Settings and Instagram Settings.

VI. How do we respond to legal requests or prevent harm?

We access, preserve and share your information with regulators, law enforcement or others:

• In response to a legal request (like a search warrant, court order or subpoena) if we have a good faith belief that the law requires us to do so. This may include responding to legal requests from jurisdictions outside of the United States when we have a good-faith belief that the response is required by law in that jurisdiction, affects users in that jurisdiction, and is consistent with internationally recognized standards.

• When we have a good-faith belief it is necessary to: detect, prevent and address fraud, unauthorized use of the Products, violations of our terms or policies, or other harmful or illegal activity; to protect ourselves (including our rights, property or Products), you or others, including as part of investigations or regulatory inquiries; or to prevent death or imminent bodily harm. For example, if relevant, we provide information to and receive information from third-party partners about the reliability of your account to prevent fraud, abuse and other harmful activity on and off our Products.

Information we receive about you (including financial transaction data related to purchases made with Facebook) can be accessed and preserved for an extended period when it is the subject of a legal request or obligation, governmental investigation, or investigations of possible violations of our terms or policies, or otherwise to prevent harm. We also retain information from accounts disabled for terms violations for at least a year to prevent repeat abuse or other term violations.

VII. How do we operate and transfer data as part of our global services?

We share information globally, both internally within the Facebook Companies, and externally with our partners and with those you connect and share with around the world in accordance with this policy. Your information may, for example, be transferred or transmitted to, or stored and processed in the United States or other countries outside of where you live for the purposes as described in this policy. These data transfers are necessary to provide the services set forth in the Facebook Terms and Instagram Terms and to globally operate and provide our Products to you. We utilize standard contract clauses, rely on the European Commission's adequacy decisions about certain countries, as applicable, and obtain your consent for these data transfers to the United States and other countries.

VIII. How will we notify you of changes to this policy?

We'll notify you before we make changes to this policy and give you the opportunity to review the revised policy before you choose to continue using our Products.

IX. How to contact Facebook with questions

You can learn more about how privacy works on Facebook and on Instagram. If you have questions about this policy, you can contact us as described below. We may resolve disputes you have with us in connection with our privacy policies and practices through TrustArc. You can contact TrustArc through its website.

You can contact us online or by mail at:

Facebook, Inc.
ATTN: Privacy Operations
1601 Willow Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025

Date of Last Revision: April 19, 2018

Elyssa D. Durant 

Research & Policy Analyst

Columbia University, New York

US-Cert Alert – Powers That Beat ©️ 2018

Subject: US-Cert Alert – Powers That Beat ©️ 2018

This is what I have. FBI US-Cert warning in link below.


This is what my website SHOULD look like:

ME

This is what my website actually looks like.

THEM

Confirmed via archive.is

https://powersthatbeat.wordpress.com/2018/07/16/us-cert-alert/



Elyssa D. Durant
Research & Policy Analyst
Columbia University, New York

Elyssa D. Durant 

Research & Policy Analyst

Columbia University, New York

Xfinity Security Breach

  
https://my.xfinity.com/privacy#full

Web Services Privacy Policy

Revised and Effective: May 17, 2018

Summary (Jump to Full Policy)

What the Privacy Policy does

The Web Services Privacy Policy describes the information Comcast collects about you when you use any of the Comcast Web Services (as defined below), how Comcast uses that information, and how Comcast protects your privacy when you use certain websites, mobile applications, and other interactive features that link to this Privacy Policy, including, but not limited to:

1. Comcast or Xfinity-branded mobile applications that link to this Web Services Privacy Policy, such as the Xfinity Connect, Xfinity Stream, and Xfinity xFi iOS and Android apps;
2. Comcast or Xfinity-branded websites and web services that link to this Web Services Privacy Policy, such as: comcast.net, tv.xfinity.com, my.xfinity.com, xfinityhomesecurity.com, and internet.xfinity.com;
3. any versions of these sites and services that are optimized for mobile browsing;
4. Xfinity Wi-Fi, if you are not an Xfinity Internet subscriber; and
5. a Comcast-provided email address (such as yourname@comcast.net), if you are not an Xfinity Internet or Xfinity Voice subscriber.

This summary gives you some key points from the Privacy Policy, but you should read the whole Privacy Policy to get a full understanding of our privacy practices. This Privacy Policy applies to all Comcast Web Services, but those services have different features and functions. Some services do not collect or use all of the information described in this Privacy Policy. Therefore, some provisions of this Privacy Policy may be inapplicable to those Comcast Web Services.

What the Privacy Policy does not do

Please note: the Privacy Policy does not tell you what information we collect and how we use it when you use other Comcast services, such as Xfinity TV, Xfinity Voice, and Xfinity Internet services delivered over our cable system (including the services provided when you use the Xfinity Stream app and tv.xfinity.com to access Xfinity video as a cable service in your residence and when you subscribe to Xfinity Internet service and use the Xfinity Wi-Fi service), or the Xfinity Home services. These services have their own privacy policy, which we post at https://www.xfinity.com/Corporate/Customers/Policies/CustomerPrivacy.html and provide periodically to subscribers.

If you have an unresolved a privacy or data use concern that we have not addressed to your satisfaction, please contact our U.S. – based third party dispute resolution provider (free of charge) at https://feedback-form.truste.com/watchdog/request.

The Information Comcast Collects and How it is Used and Shared

We want you to understand what kinds of information may be collected about your use of any of the Comcast Web Services, and what we might do with that information.

Comcast collects two types of information from people who use Comcast Web Services: (i) information that identifies a specific person using a website or app, and (ii) activity information about a person's use of one of the Comcast Web Services without identifying him or her. The Comcast Apps (as defined below) use your mobile device's location services in accordance with the notice and choice settings provided by your device's operating system. We may also collect information about such people from other companies inside and outside the Comcast family of businesses.

Information that Identifies Someone

Information that identifies a particular person is "Personally-Identifiable Information" or "PII." PII can include the person's name, address, social security number, financial account number, or phone number. We will not share this information with an advertiser, and we will not share it with another website or company, unless you tell us to (for example, if you want to post information about what you watch on a Comcast Web Service on your Facebook page). We use PII to provide services to you. For example, we may use it to bill you for services, to check your credit, to confirm your identity when you login, or to communicate with you. Sometimes we use other companies to help us provide our services. We may share your information with these companies, but they are required to protect it and to use it only to provide services to you.

Information that Does Not Identify a Specific Person

Information that does not identify a specific person is "Non-Personally-Identifiable Information" or "non-PII." It could be an anonymous personal record of online activity, or information you put in a profile - like your zip code, or your gender (when it's used without your name or other PII). We routinely collect this kind of information and use it to improve your experience, for example, by showing you content and advertising that may be more relevant and interesting to someone like you. Sometimes we share this non-PII with other companies that help us deliver and improve our services.

Your Information May be Shared Among Comcast Companies

The Comcast Web Services are provided by various companies that are part of Comcast. We may share the information we collect with our affiliates that offer other Xfinity and Comcast-branded products, services and applications, for example, to make it easier to manage your home Wi-Fi network. We may also share information about you with our affiliates and other Comcast companies (including NBCUniversal-branded companies and other non-Comcast or non-Xfinity-branded affiliates) for marketing and advertising purposes when we have any required consent to do so.

Disclosure of your Information

We respect and protect your privacy, but it is possible that we may be required to provide information about you to a court or law enforcement agency. In these cases, we will only disclose your information if we are legally required to do so—if we receive a valid subpoena, court order, or search warrant, for example. We may also disclose information about you in order to defend claims you may bring against the company.

Your Choices

We want you to know how you can control the PII that we may collect. Read the full Privacy Policy to find out all of your choices. When you use any of the Comcast Web Services that link to the Privacy Policy, you are agreeing that the policy applies to you.

Registering

You may choose not to register for any one of the Comcast Web Services (or for all of them) if you do not want to share information that identifies you when you use that service.

If you register for certain Comcast Web Services we will give you a chance to create a profile. We may use some of the information in that profile to choose the content and advertising we think you would like to see.

When you register, we may also send you email about other products and services. You may choose not to receive these messages. However, we will still send you email with information about the specific services you use.

Third-Party Advertising

We use advertising networks to help us display ads to you. In addition, our content providers and other third parties may have the right to collect non-PII or sell ads in the Comcast Web Services or in the content distributed through certain Comcast Web Services. All of these parties may use cookies and other technology to help them understand how you interact with their services so they can deliver you ads that are more useful to you. In the Privacy Policy, we give you more information about these parties' privacy practices and the functionality these parties make available to you to control certain of those practices. If you do not want this information to be used to serve you targeted ads or promotional offers, you may opt-out here. Please note this does not opt you out of being served with any advertising; you will continue to receive advertisements and ads from third parties, but they may not be as relevant to you.

Blogs, Forums, and Surveys

If you choose to post information on blogs or forums on any of the Comcast Web Services, it will not be private. Once the information is posted, other users may copy or store it. Comcast may provide you the opportunity to participate in surveys on some of the Comcast Web Services. Please visit the full Privacy Policy for more information.

Information Sharing with Social Networking Sites

You may choose to exchange information between the Comcast Web Services and a social network, such as information from your Comcast profile, information about what you do on Comcast Web Services, or information about the people, places, and things that you follow on your social network. If we get instructions to send your information to, or collect your information from, one of these networks, we will follow those instructions. On pages of a Comcast Site (as defined below) that contain social network functionality, the social network providing the functionality may be able to collect information about you regardless of whether you use that functionality. For example, if a page within a Comcast Site contains a Facebook "Like" button, Facebook may be able to collect data about your visit to that page, even if you don't click on the "Like" button. Please review the privacy policy of the relevant social network and/or log out of it before you use any of the Comcast Web Services. As with other websites, you may be able delete any cookies placed on your device by the social network using your browser.

Changes to Comcast's Business or the Privacy Policy

If Comcast's business changes—for example, if our company merges with another company or we sell one or more of the Comcast companies that provide the Comcast Web Services—we may provide the new owners of the Comcast Web Services with your information. If there is a change of ownership, we will tell you using any permissible means, including via email and/or a prominent notice on the Comcast Sites, as well as let you know of any choices you may have regarding your PII. We will also let you know if the Privacy Policy changes for any other reason, so you can decide whether you want to continue using the Comcast Web Services.

Full Privacy Policy

1. About the Privacy Policy and the Comcast Web Services

The Comcast family of companies respects your privacy. Within this Web Services Privacy Policy ("Privacy Policy") the term "Comcast" or "we" (and related pronouns) will refer to Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC, and its respective subsidiaries and affiliates (i.e., other companies owned or controlled by Comcast Corporation) that own and operate websites, Internet services, and apps on Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC's behalf. The term "you" (and related pronouns) refers to you as a user of any or all of the Comcast Web Services described below. As described above, the term "Personally Identifiable Information" or "PII" refers to information that identifies a specific person, such as the person's name, address, social security number, financial account number, or phone number. The term "Non-Personally Identifiable Information" or "non-PII" refers to information that is demographic, de-identified, aggregated, or does not otherwise identify a specific person, such as a person's gender, ZIP code, device and network identifiers and settings, connection and usage information, or other information when that information is not used with Personally Identifiable Information.

What does this Privacy Policy cover?

This Privacy Policy explains how Comcast will use the information that you provide when you use certain websites, mobile applications, and other interactive features that link to this Privacy Policy, including, but not limited to:

1. the websites comcast.net, tv.xfinity.com, my.xfinity.com, xfinityhomesecurity.com, and internet.xfinity.com, excluding certain co-branded websites and web services provided by third parties through contractual arrangements with Comcast, as further described below (the "Comcast Sites"); and
2. all Comcast- or Xfinity-branded mobile applications that link to this Privacy Policy (such as the Xfinity Connect, Xfinity Stream, and Xfinity xFi iOS and Android apps (the "Comcast Apps"); and
3. Xfinity Wi-Fi, if you are not an Xfinity Internet subscriber; and
4. a Comcast-provided email address (such as yourname@comcast.net), if you are not an Xfinity Internet or Xfinity Voice subscriber (collectively, (1) through (5) are referred to as the "Comcast Web Services").

This Privacy Policy applies to all Comcast Web Services, but those services have different features and functions. Some services do not collect or use all of the information described in this Privacy Policy. Therefore, some provisions of this Privacy Policy may be inapplicable to those Comcast Web Services.

What is outside the scope of this Privacy Policy?

This Privacy Policy does not apply to your use of any other products or services provided by Comcast such as Xfinity TV, Xfinity Voice, and Xfinity Internet services delivered over our cable system (including the services provided when you use the Xfinity Stream app and tv.xfinity.com to access Xfinity video as a cable service in your residence, when you subscribe to Xfinity Internet service and use the Xfinity Wi-Fi service, and you use one of the Comcast Web Services to place or receive Xfinity Voice calls), or Xfinity Home. If you subscribe to or use one or more of these services, you can see the privacy policy that applies to the residential versions of these services by visiting http://www.xfinity.com/Corporate/Customers/Policies/CustomerPrivacy.html.

Some of the Comcast Web Services contain links to other websites that are not operated by Comcast and have their own privacy policies that you should read before you use them. Other sites that we link to may contain references to Comcast or some Comcast branding, but these non-Comcast websites and resources are provided by companies or persons other than Comcast. Examples of these non-Comcast websites include websites where you are required to log-in using a username and password other than your username and password for the Comcast Web Services, such as the "Shopping" area on Comcast.net or my.Xfinity.com. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those non-Comcast sites. Those sites have their own policies that you should read before you use them.

2. Resolving Customer Privacy Questions

If you have an unresolved privacy or data use concern that we have not addressed to your satisfaction, you may also contact our U.S. – based third party customer dispute resolution provider (free of charge) at https://feedback-form.truste.com/watchdog/request to try to help resolve the issue.

3. Collection of Information

All Users

Comcast, or third parties acting on Comcast's behalf, routinely log non-PII that is automatically generated when all users visit or use the Comcast Web Services (including both the Comcast Sites and Comcast Apps), as a by-product of the user's activities ("Web Services Log Data"). This information includes, but is not limited to HTTP header information that is automatically passed between a user's device and the Comcast Web Services, such as the browser being used at the time, the operating system being used at the time, the UDID of the device (if the device being used to access the Comcast Web Services is a mobile device) and the URL of the webpage or other asset within the Comcast Web Services that is being requested. This information may also include details relating to the activities users perform within the Comcast Web Services, such as what links they click on, in what order they access specific web pages within the Comcast Web Services, the search queries they perform on the Comcast Web Services, and the devices and Wi-Fi networks that users set up and manage.

Some of the Comcast Web Services allow you to store certain details and preferences that help you personalize that Comcast Web Service ("Preference Data"). This non-PII may include ZIP code, gender, favorite genre to watch on television, preferred type of news, and device names and associations. We do this so that you do not have to enter this data every time you return to the Comcast Web Services. We may also use the Preference Data to deliver other personalized services and features of the Comcast Web Services.

We use analytics software on some of the mobile applications that are Comcast Web Services. We do this to better understand the functionality of our mobile applications on your device. This software may record information such as how often you use the application, the events that occur within the application, aggregated usage, performance data, and where the application was downloaded from. We do not link the information we collect using the analytics software to any PII you submit within the mobile application.

Registered Users

Comcast asks you to provide certain information when you initially register to use any of the Comcast Web Services and then afterwards may ask you to provide additional information when you use certain Comcast Web Services for the first time. In addition, Comcast also collects information about your use of any of the Comcast Web Services as a registered user. Some of the Comcast Web Services permit you to establish secondary accounts, and if you do so we collect similar information in order to establish and maintain those accounts. When you allow others to use or access the Services through your account, we collect information about their use, as well.

This table summarizes the different types of information that we may collect from you when you register for any of the Comcast Web Services and use one of the Comcast Web Services as a registered user.

Type/Name	When Collected	Representative Examples
Registration Data	When you create an account for any of the Comcast Web Services or subsequently modify your Registration Data	First and last name, username, password, email address, mailing address, location, phone number, and gender
Profile Data	The first time you access certain Comcast Web Services after you have created an account or subsequently modify your Profile Data	Additional email addresses, lists of people to connect with through certain Comcast Web Services, school affiliations, movie genre preferences, notification preferences for products and services made available by Comcast and device names, policies, and associations
Activity Data	When you log-in to your account and use any of the Comcast Web Services	Flagging or rating news articles, movies, television shows or other content, posting blog entries or comments, sharing URLs, and content and data feeds from non-Comcast social networks or services that you choose, and device and network identifiers, connection, and usage information

Collectively, your Registration Data, Profile Data, Activity Data, and any other generally available demographic or other data about you that Comcast gathers from other sources is referred to as "Your Data." Your Data does not include information that third parties may independently gather from other websites about you using their own cookies, as further described in this Privacy Policy.

Most Comcast Web Services have their own pages where you can manage certain portions of your Registration Data and Profile Data relevant to that specific service.

Location Information

We may collect information from the devices you use to access the Comcast Web Services that tells us where you are at a specific point in time, such as the location of the Wi-Fi Service access point to which you log in, as described below. Additionally, the Comcast Apps may use your mobile device's location services in accordance with the notice and choice settings provided by your device's operating system and in accordance with this Privacy Policy. You may opt-out of location based services at any time by changing the location settings on your device.

Demographic and Other Information

We may obtain additional information about you from third parties such as demographic data (for example, gender, age, and census records, etc.), location data (for example, designated market area, zip code, etc.), interest data (for example, sports, travel, and other recreational activities, shopping preferences, etc.), or purchase data (for example, public records, loyalty programs, etc.). We may combine the information we collect from third parties with information in our business records, including information about your use of the Comcast Web Services, and information about your use of other products, services, websites, and applications from Comcast.

Referral Service

If you choose to use our referral service to tell a friend about a Comcast Site, we will ask you for your friend's name and email address. We will automatically send your friend a one-time email inviting him or her to visit the Comcast Site. We do not store this information and use it for the sole purpose of sending this one-time email and tracking the success of our referral program.

User Access and Choice

You have the right and ability to access certain information that Comcast collects under this Privacy Policy. For example, if you are a registered user and your PII changes, you may update it (or correct it if it is incorrect) through your account or by contacting us. If you'd like us to help you remove any of your PII that we have previously collected through a Comcast Site or that is currently posted on a Comcast Site in a public forum, directory, or testimonial, please contact us. We will respond to your request within 30 days. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your PII, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.

We will retain Your Data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Comcast Web Services, or as otherwise necessary to help us improve our products and services, comply with our legal and contractual obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements with you.

Tracking Technologies and Comcast's Data Collection

Comcast, and its marketing partners and service providers, may use technologies such as cookies, beacons, tags, and scripts to collect information as further described in this Privacy Policy. A cookie is a small file that is stored on a user's computer. Among other things, cookies enable certain Comcast Web Services to store Preferences Data, as further described in this Privacy Policy. For example, cookies enable my.Xfinity.com to remember your preferred ZIP code for weather forecasts. Cookies can also hold information like a unique string of numbers and letters that does not directly identify you. Comcast may use this number to help it collect Activity Data, as further described in this Privacy Policy.

Certain Comcast Web Services may use different types of cookies, like HTTP cookies (sometimes referred to as "browser cookies"), Flash cookies (sometimes referred to as "Flash LSOs"), and HTML5 local storage (sometimes referred to as "LS" or "LS cookies"). For more information on controlling HTTP cookies and these cookies, please see Section 8, below.

We may also use a software technology called clear gifs (sometimes referred to as "Web beacons" or "Web bugs") to help us collect Activity Data, as further described in this Privacy Policy. Clear gifs are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies. In contrast to HTTP cookies, which are stored on a user's computer hard drive, clear gifs are embedded invisibly on web pages and are about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. If you are a registered user of any of the Comcast Web Services, we may associate the information we collect using cookies and/or clear gifs with your information and use it as further described in this Privacy Policy. If your web browser is configured not to accept cookies, you may still use the Comcast Web Services, but your ability to use some areas or functionality may be limited.

We may collect data when you use certain Comcast Web Services on a particular browser or device. Additionally, information collected from a particular browser or device may be associated with information collected from another computer or device that is linked to that browser or device for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Some of the Comcast Web Services use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. Google Analytics uses cookies or other tracking technologies to help us analyze how users interact with certain websites, compile reports on the websites' activity, and provide other services related to websites activity and usage. The technologies used by Google may collect information such as your IP address, time of visit, whether you are a return visitor, and any referring website. The technologies used by Google Analytics do not gather information that personally identifies you. The information generated by Google Analytics will be transmitted to and stored by Google and will be subject to Google's privacy policies. To learn more about Google's partner services and to learn how to opt out of tracking of analytics by Google, click here.

4. Use of Information

Comcast uses the information we collect, including both PII and Non-PII, in aggregated, de-identified, and individual forms, to provide the Comcast Web Services and support them. We may process and use this data for purposes consistent with the law and this Privacy Policy, including, but not limited to:

• Customize, measure, and understand your use of the Comcast Web Services, and the content, features, and advertising provided through them;
• Enforce our Web Services Terms of Service and detect fraud and other illegal activities;
• Bill and collect for any applicable fees or charges;
• Provide customer service and technical support for the Comcast Web Services for performance, configuration, usage, and management and troubleshooting of the services and any devices or networks you use with them;
• Authenticate access to your account;
• Improve our services and identify and develop new products and new services;
• Let you know about new products or services from Comcast or other companies we work with as well as promotional offers from Comcast or others we work with.
• Let you know about changes to the Comcast Web Services, the Web Services Terms of Service, this Privacy Policy, and other terms that apply to our services; and
• Update any hardware, software, or other tools that we provide in conjunction with the Comcast Web Services.

Comcast may use the information we collect for internal business purposes, such as delivering the Comcast Web Services, determining how much traffic certain portions of the Comcast Web Services receive, for license reporting and assessment of service levels, to better understand how the Comcast Web Services are used, to gauge traffic patterns and determine what types of content, devices, and services are most popular with users of the Comcast Web Services, and determining which search queries on certain Comcast Web Service are the most popular.

Comcast may also use the information it collects to customize the Comcast Web Services and make them more relevant to you. For example, Comcast may use this data to determine which news articles, movies, or television shows to recommend to you.

Comcast may use your Registration Data to verify that you are the person authorized to use the Comcast Web Services or to manage your account. Comcast may also use your Registration Data to determine whether your Xfinity Stream subscription allows you to access premium content or services offered through some of the Comcast Web Services. For example, Comcast may use this subscription information to permit you to access, via one or more of the Comcast Web Services, certain programming included in your Xfinity Stream package or to recommend additional Comcast products and services that it thinks may be of interest to you.

5. Sharing of Information

Comcast uses third parties to assist us in delivering parts of the Comcast Web Services to you, such as hosting, technical integration, marketing, analytics, customer service, and fraud protection. We may share portions of the information we collect with these third parties to the extent necessary for them to provide these services. These companies are acting on Comcast's behalf and are required, by contract with Comcast, to keep this information confidential and are only authorized to use it for specific purposes. As described in more detail below, Comcast may also provide non-PII to third parties who deliver ads to you on Comcast's behalf. Comcast will not provide your PII to these advertisers unless you expressly authorize us to do so.

Comcast may also share non-PII with third parties. For example, Comcast may share traffic data for one of the Comcast Sites with a third party that analyzes and publishes website traffic surveys. Or Comcast may share Web Services Log Data and Preference Data with one of the providers of Xfinity TV movies on TV.Xfinity.com, so that Comcast and the provider can determine what additional movies that provider should show on that site. Section 7 tells you more about the choices you have relating to this type of sharing.

Comcast may also share the data it collects with our affiliates that offer other Xfinity and Comcast-branded products, services and applications to help us provide you with the Comcast Web Services, other cross-platform products and services, advertising, and promotional offers that may be of interest to you. For example, Comcast will share your Registration Data with an affiliate, so that affiliate can provide you with online access to content from premium networks that are part of your Xfinity TV subscription if you have signed up for that service, and to make you aware of other Comcast products and services it thinks may be of interest to you. This sharing occurs when you sign up for and use these other services, and may be necessary for us to provide them. We may also share information about you with other Comcast companies (including NBCUniversal-branded companies and other non-Comcast or non-Xfinity-branded affiliates) for marketing and advertising purposes when we have any required consent to do so.

You may authorize other websites such as Facebook to access and publish on their websites some of Your Data, including your Activity Data. In addition, certain Comcast Web Services allow you to import information from websites such as Facebook to use within the Comcast Web Services. If you provide Comcast with your credentials for this kind of Internet service and use the features of the Comcast Web Service that share information across these Internet services, or, if one of these Internet service contacts Comcast using your Comcast Web Services credentials and asks to have access to certain portions of Your Data, Comcast will treat this as your authorization to share these portions of Your Data with that Internet service.

On pages of the Comcast Web Services that contain social network functionality, the social network providing the functionality may be able to collect information about you, even if you don't use that functionality. For example, if a page within one of the Comcast Web Services contains a Facebook "Like" button, Facebook may be able to collect data about your visit to that page, even if you don't click on the "Like" button. Please review the privacy policy of the relevant social network and/or log out of it before you use the Comcast Web Services. As with other websites, you may be able delete any cookies placed on your device by the social network using your browser.

6. Online Tracking

Some of the third-party service providers that Comcast uses to deliver services, content, and advertising on the Comcast Web Services may collect information from those services, as disclosed in this Privacy Policy. This information may include PII or may be used to contact you online.

As stated in this Privacy Policy, in Sections 7 and 8, we and our service providers may also use cookies to deliver relevant advertising to you when you visit other websites, including advertising based on the products and services you viewed on the Comcast Web Services.

Comcast participated in the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) process to develop a "Do Not Track" standard. Given that the definitions and rules for such a standard have not yet been established, Comcast does not yet respond to "Do Not Track" signals sent from browsers.

The Comcast Web Services comply with the applicable rules of the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Self-Regulatory Program. The program permits you to opt out of receiving certain targeted advertising and device tracking from participating companies. Go to the Advertising page at http://my.xfinity.com/adinformation/ and select the Ad Choices icon to make your opt out selections.

We also use the Adobe Experience Cloud to personalize and improve the performance of our websites, apps, social networking pages, and marketing messages. If you do not wish for us to use your information as part of this program, you can opt-out at https://www.adobe.com/privacy/opt-out.html#customeruse.

7. Advertisements and Promotional Offers

Comcast, or third parties acting at Comcast's request, may deliver advertisements to you through certain Comcast Web Services and other websites, depending on whether you are a registered user or not, as described in more detail below.

We, or our advertising providers, automatically deliver ads to all users on certain Comcast Web Services, whether the users are registered or not, based on non-PII including, but not limited to: (i) the HTTP header and other information that is customarily passed between a user's device and the Comcast Web Services; (ii) the type of web page that is being displayed, such as a news or sports page; or (iii) the content on the page that is shown, such as a sports article about a certain team or a movie review for a particular movie. Because this advertising activity automatically applies to all users and it is purely contextual, this type of advertising delivery cannot be customized or controlled by individual users.

We may also use one or more advertising networks and/or other audience segmenting technology providers to help select and deliver content on certain Comcast Web Services, and advertisements sold by and promotional offers from Comcast on the Comcast Web Services and other digital properties. These providers use non-PII elements of Your Data shared with them by Comcast and its affiliates (such as the type of Comcast products and services that you purchase), and other information that they independently collect from your interaction with the Comcast Web Services and other digital properties that contain their technology. If we share non-PII elements of Your Data with these providers, they will keep this information confidential and only use it for specific purposes determined by Comcast. But the information that these providers independently collect through their pixels, cookies, and other technologies described in Section 8, is subject to their own privacy policies, not Comcast's Web Services Privacy Policy. You can learn more about the choices you have regarding these third parties' independent collection and use of this information by going to the Advertising page at http://my.xfinity.com/adinformation/ and selecting the Ad Choices icon to make your opt out selections.

If you are a registered user, Comcast, or service providers acting at Comcast's request, may use Your Data, regardless of where we gathered this information, to determine what type of ad to display to you on certain Comcast Web Services and other digital properties. In addition, some of the graphical display, text, and other ads sold by Comcast and promotional offers from Comcast on certain Comcast Web Services and other digital properties are customized for you based on the ZIP code of your Xfinity Internet service address, information about your current subscription, or use of Comcast products and services. If you do not want this information to be used to serve you targeted ads or promotional offers, you may opt-out here. Please note this does not opt you out of being served with any advertising; you will continue to receive advertisements and ads from third parties, but they may not be as relevant to you.

8. Advertising Networks and Advertising Sold By Content Providers

The advertising networks and/or content providers that deliver third-party ads on the Comcast Web Services may use technologies such as HTTP cookies, Flash cookies, and HTML5 local storage. They use these uniquely to distinguish your web browser and keep track of information relating to serving ads on your web browser, such as the type of ads shown and the web pages on which the ads appeared. In addition, the third parties that provide Web Services Log Data services for Comcast may use cookies uniquely to distinguish your web browser and to keep track of the websites that your web browser visits across the service provider's network of websites. For more information on controlling HTTP cookies and managing privacy and storage settings for HTML5 local storage, please refer to the help provided by your browser. For more information on managing Flash cookies and their privacy and storage settings, click here.

Some of these companies may combine information they collect in connection with the Comcast Web Services with other information they have independently collected relating to your web browser's activities across their network of websites. These companies collect and use this information (which may include PII or information that can be used to contact you online) under their own privacy policies. More information about these companies, their privacy policies, and the opt-outs they offer can be found here.

9. Communicating with You

Comcast may use your Registration Data to send you a confirmation email verifying the ownership of the email addresses provided in your Registration Data and to send you service-related communications about the Comcast Web Services. In addition, Comcast may send you promotional or commercial email relating to each of the Comcast Web Services for which you have activated your account. You can opt-out from receiving this promotional or commercial email by following the instructions contained in the emails or by going to: http://www.comcast.com/preferences (manage your promotional email offers from Comcast) and following the directions there.

From time to time, we may send you push notifications on some of the mobile applications that are Comcast Web Services. We do this to update you with any information or other communications that relate to your use of these mobile applications. If you no longer wish to receive these notifications, you may turn them off on your mobile device. To ensure you receive proper notifications, we will need to collect certain information about your mobile device such as operating system and user identification information.

10. Signing in Using Non-Comcast Credentials

Comcast may allow you to access portions of the Comcast Web Services by signing in using your username or other identifier from another Internet service, such as Google or Facebook ("Non-Comcast Username"). This other Internet services will authenticate your identity and provide you the option to share certain information with us, such as your name or email address. Comcast will treat your Non-Comcast Username and any additional information that the relevant Internet service provides to Comcast about you as Your Data.

11. Participating in Blogs, Forums, and Surveys

If you post comments to any of the blogs, forums, or other editorial sections of the Comcast Web Services, any information you submit there can be read, collected, or used by other users of the Comcast Web Services and any PII you post could be used to contact you. We are not responsible for PII you choose to submit through these features.

Children under the age of 13 should not post in any of the blogs, forums, or other editorial sections of the Comcast Web Services.

We may provide you the opportunity to participate in surveys on the Comcast Web Services. If you participate, we may request certain PII from you. Participation in these surveys is completely voluntary and you therefore have a choice whether or not to disclose this information. The requested information typically includes contact information (such as name), and demographic information (such as zip code). We use this information to improve the Comcast Web Services and other Comcast products and services.

We use may use a third-party service provider to conduct these surveys; and unless stated otherwise within the survey, that service provider is prohibited from using the PII it collects while providing services on our behalf for any other purpose. We will treat the PII that you provide us through these surveys in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

12. Security

Comcast uses industry standard approaches to securely store, control access to, and make appropriate use of Your Data, and we require our contractors and other providers to do so as well. However, no security measure is completely effective and Comcast cannot guarantee the complete security of the information we collect. If you don't want Comcast to know any particular information about you, you should not register to use the Comcast Web Services or include it in anything that you submit or post to Comcast, including posts on a Comcast Site or emails to Comcast. More information on Internet security can be found here: https://internetsecurity.xfinity.com/.

Comcast also takes additional steps to increase the security and reliability of customer communications. We do not read your outgoing or incoming email, file attachments, video mail, private chat, or instant messages. However, we (along with our third-party providers) use software and hardware tools to help prevent and block "spam" emails, viruses, spyware, and other harmful or unwanted communications and programs from being sent and received over Comcast.net email and the Comcast Web Services. These tools may automatically scan your emails, video mails, instant messages, file attachments, and other files and communications in order to help us protect you and the Web Services against these harmful or unwanted communications and programs. You can learn more about Comcast's anti-spam approach at https://www.xfinity.com/support/internet/reducing-spam-email.

We follow generally-accepted standards to protect the information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. No method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure, however. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. If you have any questions about security on the Comcast Web Services, you can contact us.

As an additional security precaution, neither Comcast nor any of our authorized service providers will ask you for your Comcast password in an email, over the telephone, or in an online support forum or chat area. Do not give your Comcast password to anyone in an email, over the telephone, or in an online support area.

13. Disclosures of Information

Comcast holds customer privacy in the highest regard and we make every reasonable effort to protect your privacy as described in this Privacy Policy. Nevertheless, we may be required to disclose PII or other information about you or other users of the Comcast Web Services. These disclosures may be made with or without your consent, and with or without notice, in compliance with the terms of valid legal process such as a subpoena, court order, or search warrant, including to meet government or law enforcement requests. We may also disclose information about you or users of the Comcast Web Services when we believe in good faith that the disclosure of information is necessary to prevent financial loss, address suspected illegal activity, protect our rights or property, or prevent imminent physical harm. We may also disclose information about you in order to defend claims you may bring against the company. In addition, Comcast may disclose your PII or other information if Comcast enters into a Business Transition (defined below). Please see Section 16 Change of Ownership or Other Business Transition for more details.

14. Special Note About Children

Comcast does not knowingly collect PII from anyone under the age of 13 through any of the Comcast Web Services. Children should always get permission from a parent or legal guardian before sending any information about themselves (such as their names, email addresses, and telephone numbers) over the Internet, to Comcast or to anyone else.

15. Your California Privacy Rights

California law permits its residents who provide personal information to a business creating an established business relationship as a customer to request and receive information about the business' disclosure of certain categories of personal information to other companies for their use for direct marketing. If you are a California resident and a customer of any of the Comcast Web Services, you can request a copy of this information from Comcast by sending email to Comcast_Web_Privacy@Comcast.com or a letter to Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC, Attn: California Direct Marketing Information, One Comcast Center, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Please include the name, street address, and email address on the account or registration you created to become a customer of any of the Comcast Web Services in all requests.

16. Change of Ownership or Other Business Transition

If Comcast enters into a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition, or the sale of all or part of its assets (a "Business Transition"), PII and non-PII associated with the Comcast Web Services will likely be part of the assets transferred. In this event, we will notify you of any Business Transition. We will also notify you of any subsequent material changes to this Privacy Policy as a result of a Business Transition and give you the opportunity to opt-out for information that we have collected before, or may collect after, a new Privacy Policy containing material changes takes effect.

17. Changes to this Privacy Policy

Comcast reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy. When we do change it, we will make a copy of the updated Privacy Policy available to you by posting it at http://my.xfinity.com/privacy/, in Xfinity My Account, or through other methods. If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will also notify you in Xfinity My Account, by email, direct mail, or other reasonable methods that we select. If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy that will result in a new use, disclosure, or permission of access to Personally Identifiable Information previously collected, we will obtain your opt in consent before implementing the change as required by law.

You understand and agree that if you use any of the Comcast Web Services after the effective date of the updated Privacy Policy, Comcast will consider your use as acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

18. Users Outside of the United States

The Comcast Web Services are intended for users located in the United States, where our computer systems collect, process, and store personal data. If you use the Comcast Web Services from outside the United States, you understand and consent to the transfer of your personal data to the United States for the collection, use, processing, and disclosure described in this Privacy Policy. Once collected in the United States, we may then transfer such personal data to other countries. You also understand that the laws regarding PII and non-PII in the United States and other countries where your personal data may be transferred, processed or stored may be different than the laws of your country and may not offer an equivalent level of protection of that in the European Union or the country in which you reside.

19. Contacting Comcast & Customer Support

You can direct questions regarding this Privacy Policy to Comcast by emailing us at Comcast_Web_Privacy@Comcast.com. You can also send a letter by mail to Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC, Attn: Web Services Privacy Policy Questions, One Comcast Center, Philadelphia, PA 19103 USA.

You can find customer support and help information at https://www.xfinity.com/support/. Some online support areas and tools may ask you to provide information to Comcast to help us address your questions or problems. We may also make software tools available to help configure your device's or network's settings, or collect information from your device or network to help us provide support to you. If you choose to provide this information to Comcast or use these tools, we will use the information only for customer support purposes.

20. Special Note about Xfinity Wi-Fi

In addition to the information collection and use practices described in this Web Services Privacy Policy, the following additional practices apply to the Xfinity Wi-Fi ("Wi-Fi Service") when used by a non-Xfinity Internet subscriber. You can learn more about Xfinity Wi-Fi at http://wifi.xfinity.com/.

Improving and Operating the Wi-Fi Service

Comcast may record non-PII about your use of the Wi-Fi Service for purposes of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Wi-Fi Service and to automate repeated logins to the Wi-Fi Service from the same device, and may associate that information with PII for account management purposes. Besides the location of the Wi-Fi Service access point to which you log in, and aggregated usage data from that access point, we record the media access control address ("MAC Address") associated with the device you use to access the Wi-Fi Service to enable you to log back in during the time you have signed up for access, and we may track the time(s) and location(s) of the access point(s) you use to access the Wi-Fi Service. The MAC Address is a short series of numbers unique to your phone, laptop, tablet or other Wi-Fi-enabled device.

Promotional Communications

Comcast may ask for your email address and home zip code if you sign on to the Wi-Fi Service and you are not an Xfinity subscriber or you are an Xfinity subscriber but your subscription does not include access to Xfinity Wi-Fi. We will use the email address you provide when you sign in to send you service messages and we may send you promotional messages regarding Xfinity products or services you might be interested in based on the zip code you provide. Any promotional email that we send will include a way to opt out of receiving additional messages. If you sign in to the Wi-Fi Service again, you might receive an additional message, which again will include an opt-out link. If you have otherwise provided your email address to Comcast, or Comcast has already obtained your email from another source, then Comcast may already be sending you promotional emails about our products and services. You may contact Comcast at 1-800-COMCAST to ask us to put your name on our internal company "do not mail" list so that you do not receive marketing or promotional postal mail from us. In addition, you may choose to opt out of promotional emails about Comcast's products and services by going to the web page located at www.comcast.com/preferences and following the instructions there.

Amenity Wi-Fi

Certain locations ("Venues") may offer you free use of Xfinity Wi-Fi ("Amenity Wi-Fi"). Your use of Amenity Wi-Fi is subject to Comcast's Web Services Terms of Service and any other terms and conditions made available by the Venue ("Venue Policies"). As part of a registration process for Amenity Wi-Fi, you may be asked to provide information about yourself, such as your email address and home ZIP code. Comcast will use this information to send service-related messages and may also send you promotional messages about Comcast's products and services as further described in this Privacy Policy. Comcast may also share this information with the Venue operator for the operator to use to send you promotional messages about its products and services as further described in its applicable privacy policy. You should read the Venue Policies before using Amenity Wi-Fi, to learn more about how the Venue uses and shares your information and the choices it provides you with respect to the same.

Changes to Information

You may review and change PII that you provide to us through the Wi-Fi Service by returning to the pages where you entered it, and reviewing or changing the information directly. You may also request changes to your payment information if you are a pay per use customer of the Wi-Fi Service, by calling Comcast at 1-800-XFINITY, where you will be required to verify your identity.

Revised and Effective: May 17, 2018

Elyssa D. Durant 

Research & Policy Analyst

Columbia University, New York