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SIFF Privacy Policy

We are strongly committed to ensuring you know and understand how we will collect and use your personal information. We have established this privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) to let you know the kinds of personal information we may gather when you visit our Sites, why we gather your information, what we use your personal information for, when we might disclose your personal information, and how you can manage your personal information. The policies below are applicable to SIFF’s network of websites, including siff.net and its affiliated websites (including any versions optimized for viewing on a wireless or tablet device); your purchases at the SIFF box office or via telephone, any information you submit to us at a SIFF event or to the SIFF offices, all email newsletters published or distributed by the SIFF; all apps published on any platform by SIFF; information collected through your use of your SIFF Festival pass or other SIFF issued identification or RSVPs, and all other interactive features, services, and communications provided by SIFF (“Sites”), however accessed and/or used, that are operated by us, made available by us, or produced and maintained by SIFF (collectively “SIFF” or “we”, “us”, or “our”).

By visiting our Sites, you are accepting the practices described in our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Sites. We reserve the right to modify or amend the terms of our Privacy Policy from time to time without notice. Your continued use of our Sites following the posting of changes to these terms will mean you accept those changes. If we intend to apply the modifications or amendments to this Privacy Policy retroactively or to personal information already in our possession, we will provide you with notice of the modifications or amendments.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or don’t see your concerns addressed here, you should contact us by email at webmaster@siff.net.

How Do I Opt-Out or Correct Information About Me

You may always opt-out of receiving communications from SIFF or ask us to delete or correct Personal Information that SIFF may have collected from you. If you’d like to opt-out of receiving communications from us or have your Personal Information deleted or corrected, send us a message at webmaster@siff.net.

What Information About Me Is Collected and Stored?

We collect two basic types of information from you in conjunction with your use of the Sites, personal information and non-personal information. Personal information is information that you may supply to us, as described more fully below, i.e., when you subscribe, place an order, complete a survey, register for a Site or any part thereof, enter a contest, upload content, participate in a community, or provide your e-mail address. Personal information is any information that can individually identify you and includes, among other things, your name, e-mail address, telephone number, postal address, credit card, billing and contact information. Non-personal information includes information that does not personally identify you, but it may include tracking and usage information about your location, demographics, use of the Sites and the Internet.

Personal Information

As a general matter, you can browse the Sites without submitting your personal information to us. However, there are a number of circumstances in which you may supply us with your personal information. The following lists the most common ways in which we may collect your personal information.

  • Registration for an account on or at the Sites
  • Sign up to receive e-mail newsletters or e-mail alerts from us
  • Sign up to receive e-mail offers from SIFF or SIFF partners
  • Request for customer service or other assistance
  • Participation in surveys, panels, or market research
  • Participation in special events, promotions and programs
  • Purchases on or at the Sites, including tickets or merchandise
  • Entry in contests or sweepstakes
  • Participation on social media accounts involving SIFF, our Sites, programs and our brands
  • Participation in communities, comment threads, other forums, and other interactive services
  • Submission of user generated content on any part of the Sites that permit it
  • Submission of a job application or volunteer application
  • Any other place on or at the Sites where you knowingly volunteer personal information

Collection of Personal Information and Non-Personal Information From or Through Tickets and Passes

We are replacing the use of physical people-counters with barcoded tickets and passes to allow us to track attendance at SIFF venues. The information that is collected through the barcoded reader is the following:

  • Barcode ID number validating the pass or ticket
  • Screening information (title, date, location, etc.) which is added to your account/customer record that contains Personal Information

Collection of Personal Information From or Through Social Media Sites

When you interact with any SIFF property page or account on a social media platform, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, LinkedIn, YouTube, or Pinterest, we may collect the personal information that you make available to us on that page or account including your account ID or “handle.” However, we will comply with the privacy policies of the corresponding social media platform and we will only collect and store such personal information that we are permitted to collect by these social media platforms. If you choose to link or login to your SIFF account with or through a social networking service, SIFF and that service may share certain information about you and your activities. With your consent, we also may share information about your activities, including what you view on the Sites, with that social network’s users.

Non-Personal Information

In addition, when you interact with the Sites, we may collect certain information that does not identify you individually and our servers may automatically keep an activity log of your use of our Sites (“Non-Personal Information”). Generally, we collect and store the following categories of Non-Personal Information:

  • Demographic data such as age, gender, and five digit zip code as part of collecting personal information
  • Neighborhood information
  • Device information about your computer, mobile device, or other device that you use to access the Sites. This information may include IP address, browser type, browser language, and other transactional information. It does not include device IDs or geolocation information.
  • Usage information about your use of the Sites. This information includes a reading history of the pages you view. We use this information to provide you a more customized experience on the Sites.
  • Additional “traffic data” such as time of access, date of access, software crash reports, session identification number, access times, and referring website addresses.
  • Your search terms and search results.
  • Other information regarding your use of the Sites.

Collection of Your Source IP Address/Location Information

We collect and store your device’s source IP address and, with your consent, your geolocation information and device ID which may disclose the location of your device at the time you access the Sites. In addition, in some cases the Sites can deliver content based on your current location if you choose to enable that feature. If you enable that feature, your current location will be stored locally on your device which will be used by the Sites to serve you certain content tied to your location. If you elect to have your location-based searches saved to your history, we will store such information on our servers.

Collection of Personal and Non-Personal Information From Other Sources

We also may collect and store information about you that we receive from other sources (including by us from our offline interactions with you) to, among other things, enable us to update and correct the information contained in our database and to better customize your experience on the Sites.

Use of Cookies, Flash Cookies and Web Beacons

Like many websites, we use “cookies”, which are small text files that are stored on your computer or equipment when you visit certain online pages that record your preferences and actions. We use cookies to track use of our Sites and online services. We may also use cookies to monitor traffic, improve the Sites and make it easier and/or relevant for your use. You may occasionally get cookies from companies advertising on our behalf. We do not control these cookies, and these cookies are not subject to this cookie policy.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but, if you prefer, you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies. If you delete your cookies or if you set your web browser to decline cookies, some features of the Sites may not work or may not work as designed. For more information on cookies and how to disable them, you can consult the information provided by the Interactive Advertising Bureau at www.allaboutcookies.org.

We never use web beacons or flash cookies or any similar technology to track your activity outside of the Sites.

Is Personal Information Collected From Children?

Unless otherwise disclosed during collection and with parent or guardian consent (for instance, in some of the educational areas on our Sites), SIFF does not knowingly collect personal identifiable information from children under 13 years of age. If you are under 13 years of age you should not provide personally identifiable information to SIFF without providing us with consent from your parents. If SIFF discovers that a child under the age of 13 has provided SIFF with personally identifiable information and we do not have parental consent, SIFF will immediately delete that child’s information from the Sites.

How Do We Use Your Information?

We use the information we learn from you to help us personalize and continually improve your experience on the Sites. We may use your Personal and Non-Personal Information in the following ways:

General Uses

  • Provide you with the content, tickets, products, programs and services you request
  • Post your user generated content to our Sites as you request
  • Communicate with you about your account or transactions with us and send you information about features and enhancements on or to our Sites and programs
  • Communicate with you about changes to our policies and programs
  • Communicate with you about your comments or posts on community portions of our Sites
  • Personalize content and experiences at or on our Sites, including providing you recommendations based on your preferences
  • Send you newsletters, offers and promotions for our products and services, or special events by e-mail, text, or other another medium
  • Administer our loyalty programs
  • Administer contests, sweepstakes, promotions, and surveys
  • Optimize or improve our products, services and operations, including the Sites and how such Sites may be rendered on your device
  • Detect, investigate, and prevent activities that may violate our policies or be illegal
  • Perform statistical, demographic, and marketing analyses of users of the Sites and their purchasing patterns

Use of Your On-Ticket/Pass Information

We may use your on-ticket or pass real-time information to:

  • Provide you with the content, products and services you request
  • Track attendance
  • Enable effective schedule changes based on the improved ability to measure demand
  • If you request it, notify you of any schedule changes
  • If you request it, integrate this information with information on the Sites
  • If you request it, personalize your offers of films, events, packages, and promotions
  • Optimize or improve our products, services and operations
  • Detect, investigate, and prevent activities that may violate our policies or be illegal
  • Perform statistical, demographic, and marketing analyses of users of the SIFF and their purchasing patterns

Except in Emergency Situations (described below) information collected from your ticket/pass is never provided to third parties, advertisers, sponsors or partners.

Use of Your Location Information

We may use your location information to:

  • Provide you with the content, products and services you request
  • Personalize content and experiences at or on our Sites, including providing you recommendations based on your preferences
  • Personalize your newsletters, offers and promotions for our products and services, or special events
  • Optimize or improve our products, services and operations, including our Sites or the way those Sites are rendered on your device
  • Detect, investigate, and prevent activities that may violate our policies or be illegal
  • Perform statistical, demographic, and marketing analyses of users of the Sites and their purchasing patterns

Combination of Your Personal Information

We may use the information from one Site on other Sites, all of which are owned and operated by SIFF. We may combine information gathered from multiple portions of the Sites into a single customer record. We also use and/or combine information that we collect off-line or we collect or receive from third party sources to enhance, expand, and check the accuracy of your customer records.

Who Do We Provide Your Information To?

Except as disclosed in this Privacy Policy, we do not disclose information about your Personal Information collected online to any companies not part of the SIFF. Although, as disclosed below, we may provide your information to certain of our partners under certain circumstances, in no event will we sell or rent your Personal Information as part of a customer list or similar transaction.

Third-Party Agents

We have third party agents, subsidiaries, affiliates and partners that perform functions on our behalf, such as hosting, billing, content syndication, content management tools, social media integration, marketing, analytics, customer service, fraud protection, etc. These entities have access to the Personal Information needed to perform their functions and are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of that Personal Information. They are restricted from using, selling, distributing or altering this data in any way other than to provide the requested services to the Sites.

Business Partners and Third Parties

We will not share your Personal Information with our business partners or sponsors without your consent. You may withdraw your consent to our sharing of your Personal Information with business partners or sponsors at any time by following the opt-out process described above.

Emergency Situations

We may also use or disclose Personal Information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to (a) conform to applicable law or comply with legal process served on us or the Sites; (b) protect and defend our rights or property, the Sites or our users, and (c) act under emergency circumstances to protect the personal safety of us, our affiliates, agents, or the users of the Sites or the public.

Use of Non-Personal Information

We may disclose or share any information, other than Personal Information, in any manner that we deem appropriate or necessary. Among other things, we will disclose Non-Personal Information to third parties to help us determine how people use parts of the Sites and who our users are so we can improve our Sites. We will also disclose Non-Personal Information to our partners and other third parties about how our users collectively use the Sites.

What Steps Are Taken To Keep Personal Information Secure?

We are concerned about ensuring the security of your Personal Information. We exercise great care in providing secure transmission of your information from your device to our servers. Personal Information collected by our Sites are stored in secure operating environments that are not available to the public. Our security procedures mean that we may occasionally request proof of identity before we disclose your Personal Information to you. Please understand, however, that while we try our best to safeguard your Personal Information once we receive it, no transmission of data over the Internet or any other public network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.

Your Obligations to Keep Your Access Rights Secure

You promise to: (a) provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself and your business as prompted by a Website's registration form (such information being the "Registration Data") and (b) maintain and promptly update the Registration Data to keep it true, accurate, current and complete. If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, or SIFF has reasonable grounds to suspect that such information is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, SIFF has the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Sites (or any portion thereof). You are entirely responsible for the security and confidentiality of your password and account. Furthermore, you are entirely responsible for any and all activities that occur under your account.

What Happens When I Link To or From Another Website?

These Sites may contain links to other websites operated by affiliates of SIFF or third parties. Please be advised that the practices described in this Privacy Policy do not apply to information gathered through these other websites. We are not responsible for the actions and privacy policies of third parties and other websites.

What About Contests, Sweepstakes or Games?

When we run a contest or sweepstakes or game relating to our Sites, it will be accompanied by a set of rules. The rules for each contest, sweepstakes or game will specify how the information gathered from you for entry will be used and disclosed if it is different than as described in this Privacy Policy. In conjunction with your entry in such contest or sweepstakes, Personal Information will be collected only if you voluntarily submit it to.

Public Areas, Chat Rooms, Reviews, and Community Areas

Please remember that any information you share in public areas, such as message boards or feedback sections, becomes public and anyone may take and use that information. Please be careful about what you disclose and do not post any Personal Information that you expect to keep private. Please consult the applicable guidelines, if any, for use of our chat rooms and other community areas for more information.

Governing Law

These Sites are published in the United States. We attempt to protect the Personal Information of all users of our Sites and we attempt to comply with local data protection and consumer rights laws to the extent they may apply your receipt of SIFF services, but our family of Sites are located and targeted to United States citizens and our policies are directed at compliance with those laws.

Notice to Non-US Users

If you are located outside the USA, you should be aware that your personally identifiable information will be transferred to the USA, the laws of which may be deemed by your country to have inadequate data protection. If you are located in a country outside the USA and voluntarily submit personal information to us, you thereby consent to the general use of such information as provided in this privacy policy and to the transfer of that information to, and/or storage of that information in, the USA.

Changes to This Policy

As our Sites continue to develop, we may add new services and features to our Sites and programs. In the event that these additions affect our Privacy Policy, this document will be updated appropriately. We will post those changes prominently so that you will always know what information we gather, how we might use that information and whether we will disclose it to anyone. We do, however, recommend that you read this Privacy Policy each time you use our Sites in case you missed our notice of changes to the Privacy Policy. We will not, however, materially change our policies and practices to make them less protective of Personal Information we have previously collected from you without your express consent.