Privacy Policy

Last updated on October 15, 2020. This Privacy Policy is effective January 1, 2020.

SFist LLC (d/b/a Hoodline) (“Hoodline,” “we”, “us” or “our”), creates informative, high-quality, and engaging content from a local perspective. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and share personal information in connection with our websites to which this Privacy Policy is posted and our services (collectively, the “Service”).

We provide important information for California residents here.

 

Personal information we collect

Information you provide to us. Personal information you may provide to us through the Service or otherwise includes:

  • Contact data, such as your first and last name, email and mailing addresses, residence, postal code, phone number, and social media handle.
  • Communications that we exchange when you contact us with questions, feedback, or otherwise.
  • Other information that we may collect which is not specifically listed here, which we will use as described in this Privacy Policy or as otherwise disclosed at the time of collection.

Data from other sources. We may obtain personal information from other sources, such as:

  • Data partners, such as information services and data licensors that provide us with the local data (such as highly-rated businesses in the area, and publicly accessible reviews and the identities of their authors) that we use to generate sponsored articles and content about local topics that are published on media platforms.
  • Public sources, such as news sites and social media platforms.

Automatic data collection. We, our service providers and our business and data partners may automatically log information about you, your computer or mobile device, and your activity over time on our sites, our business partners’ sites and other sites and online services. That information includes:

  • Device data, such as your computer or mobile device operating system type and version number, manufacturer and model, browser type, screen resolution, IP address, unique identifiers (e.g., cookies and advertising IDs), the website you visited before coming to our website, and general location information such as city, state or geographic area.
  • Online activity data, such as pages or screens you viewed, how long you spent on a page or screen, navigation paths between pages or screens, information about your activity on a page or screen, access times, and duration of access.

The data we collect automatically includes IP addresses and other device data and online activity data that we collect through widgets that our publisher and media partners install on their websites. The data we collect through these widgets allows us to provide their visitors with sponsored articles and content on local topics that we think may interest them.

Cookies. Some of our automatic data collection is facilitated by cookies and similar technologies. Cookies are small data files placed on your computer when you visit a site. We may set cookies when you use our site to track user trends and patterns, help you navigate between pages efficiently, remember your preferences, and generally improve your browsing experience. Cookies used on our site may also be set by analytics service providers and advertising partners. In addition to cookies, our site and our emails may use pixel tags (also known as web beacons and clear GIFs) to compile statistics about use of the Service, measure the success of our marketing campaigns, and indicate whether recipients of our emails open or click links within them.

How we use your personal information

We use your personal information for the following purposes or as otherwise described at the time we collect it:

Service delivery. We may use your personal information to:

  • provide, operate and improve the Service;
  • communicate with you or about the Service, including by sending announcements, updates, security alerts, and support and administrative messages;
  • understand your needs and interests, and personalize your experience with the Service and our communications;
  • provide support for the Service; and
  • respond to your requests, questions and feedback.

Research and development.We may use your personal information for research and development purposes, including to analyze and improve the Service and our business. As part of these activities, we may create aggregated, de-identified or other anonymous data from personal information we collect. We convert personal information into anonymous data by removing information that makes the data personally identifiable to you. We may use this anonymous data and share it with third parties for our lawful business purposes, including to analyze and improve the Service and promote our business.

Marketing and advertising. We and our third party advertising partners may collect and use your personal information for marketing and advertising purposes:

  • Direct marketing. We may send you Hoodline-related or other direct marketing communications as permitted by law.  You may opt-out of our marketing communications as described in the Opt-out_of_marketing section below.
  • Interest-based advertising. We may contract with third-party advertising companies and social media companies to display ads on our Service and other sites. These companies may use cookies and similar technologies to try to tailor the ads you see online to your interests based on your activity over time across our Service and other sites, or your interaction with our emails. These ads are known as "interest-based advertisements." You can learn more about your choices for limiting interest-based advertising, in the Advertising choices section below.

Compliance and protection. We may use your personal information to:

  • operate our business;
  • comply with applicable laws, lawful requests, and legal process, such as to respond to subpoenas or requests from government authorities;
  • protect our, your or others’ rights, privacy, safety or property (including by making and defending legal claims);
  • enforce the terms and conditions that govern the Service; and
  • prevent, identify, investigate and deter fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, unethical or illegal activity, including cyberattacks and identity theft.

How we share your personal information

We may share your personal information with the following parties and as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy or at the time of collection:

Affiliates. Our corporate parent, subsidiaries, and affiliates, for purposes consistent with this Privacy Policy.

Service providers. Companies and individuals that provide services on our behalf or help us operate the Service or our business (such as IT, hosting, customer support, email delivery, marketing, website analytics, and content delivery services).

Business partners

 Business partners, such as publishers, distributors, and media companies, with whom Hoodline shares content that may include your personal information.

Advertising partners. Third party advertising companies that collect information about your activity on our sites and other online services to help us advertise our services.

Professional advisors. Professional advisors, such as lawyers, auditors and insurers, where necessary in the course of the professional services that they render to us.

Authorities and others. Law enforcement, government authorities, and private parties, as we believe in good faith to be necessary or appropriate for the compliance and operations purposes described above.

Business transferees. Relevant participants in business transactions (or potential transactions) involving a corporate divestiture, merger, consolidation, acquisition, reorganization, sale or other disposition of all or any portion of the business or assets of, or equity interests in, Hoodline or our affiliates (including, in connection with a bankruptcy or similar proceedings).

For other purposes. We may also share your personal information for other purposes described in this Privacy Policy or with your consent.

Your choices

You have the following choices with respect to your personal information.

Cookies. Most browsers let you remove or reject cookies. To do this, follow the instructions in your browser settings. Many browsers accept cookies by default until you change your settings. Please note that if you set your browser to disable cookies, the Service may not work properly. For more information about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set on your browser and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

Opt-out of marketing communications. You may opt out of marketing-related emails by following the opt-out or unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of the email, or by contacting us. You may continue to receive service-related and other non-marketing emails.

Advertising choices.  You can limit use of your information for interest-based advertising by:

  • Browser settings. Blocking third party cookies in your browser settings.
  • Software. By using privacy browsers or ad-blocking browser plug-ins.
  • Platform settings. Google and Facebook offer opt-out features that let you opt-out of use of your information for interest-based advertising:
  • Ad industry tools. Opting out of interest-based ads from companies participating in the following industry opt-out programs:

  • Mobile settings. Using your mobile device settings to limit use of the advertising ID associated with your mobile device for interest-based advertising purposes.

Do Not Track. Some Internet browsers may be configured to send “Do Not Track” signals to the online services that you visit. We currently do not respond to “Do Not Track” or similar signals. To find out more about “Do Not Track,” please visit http://www.allaboutdnt.com.

Declining to provide information. We need to collect personal information to provide certain services. If you do not provide the information requested, we may not be able to provide those services.

Other sites and services

The Service may contain links to websites, mobile applications, and other online services operated by third parties. These links are not an endorsement of, or representation that we are affiliated with, any third party. In addition, our content may be included on web pages or in mobile applications or other online services that are not associated with us. We do not control websites, mobile applications or online services operated by third parties, and we are not responsible for their actions.

We also make our third party partners’ content, products or services available through our Services, whereby our partners’ brands appear on the Services in connection with such content, products or services. We may share with our partners information you provide, or that is collected, in the course of visiting any pages that are made available in cooperation with our partner. In some cases, the partner may collect information from you directly, in which cases the privacy policy of our partner applies to the partner’s use of your information. The privacy policy of our partners may differ from ours. If you have any questions regarding the privacy policy of one of our partners, you should contact the partner directly for more information.

Security

We employ a number of technical, organizational and physical safeguards designed to protect the personal information we collect. However, security risk is inherent in all internet and information technologies and we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information.

International data transfer

We are headquartered in the United States and may use service providers in other countries. Your personal information may be transferred to the United States or other locations where privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your state, province, or country.

Children

The Service is not intended for use by children under 16 years of age.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by updating the date of this Privacy Policy and posting it on the Service. If required by law we will also provide notification of changes in another way that we believe is reasonably likely to reach you, such as via e-mail or another manner through the Service. Any modifications to this Privacy Policy will be effective upon our posting the modified version (or as otherwise indicated at the time of posting). In all cases, your continued use of the Service after the posting of any modified Privacy Policy indicates your acceptance of the modified Privacy Policy.

How to contact us

You can reach us in the following ways:

Important information for California residents

This section applies only to California residents. It describes how we collect, use and share Personal Information of California residents in operating our business, and their rights with respect to that Personal Information. For purposes of this section, “Personal Information” has the meaning given in the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”) but does not include information exempted from the scope of the CCPA.

Your California privacy rights. As a California resident, you have the rights listed below. However, these rights are not absolute, and in certain cases we may decline your request as permitted by law.

  • Information. You can request the following information about how we have collected and used your Personal Information during the past 12 months:
  • The categories of Personal Information that we have collected.
  • The categories of sources from which we collected Personal Information.
  • The business or commercial purpose for collecting and/or selling Personal Information.
  • The categories of third parties with whom we share Personal Information.
  • Whether we have disclosed your Personal Information for a business purpose, and if so, the categories of Personal Information received by each category of third party recipient.
  • Whether we’ve sold your Personal Information, and if so, the categories of Personal Information received by each category of third party recipient.
  • Access. You can request a copy of the Personal Information that we have collected about you during the past 12 months.
  • Deletion. You can ask us to delete the Personal Information that we have collected from you.
  • Opt-out of sales. If we sell your Personal Information, you can opt-out.
  • Nondiscrimination. You are entitled to exercise the rights described above free from discrimination in the form of legally prohibited increases in the price or decreases in the quality of our Service.

How to exercise your information, access and deletion rights. You can request to exercise your information, access and deletion rights by emailing [email protected]. We reserve the right to confirm your California residence to process your requests and will need to confirm your identity to process your requests to exercise your information, access or deletion rights. As part of this process, government identification may be required. Consistent with California law, you may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. In order to designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf, you must provide a valid power of attorney, the requester’s valid government-issued identification, and the authorized agent’s valid government issued identification. We cannot process your request if you do not provide us with sufficient detail to allow us to understand and respond to it.

How to request a list of third party marketers. California’s “Shine the Light” law (California Civil Code § 1798.83) allows California residents to ask companies with whom they have formed a business relationship primarily for personal, family or household purposes to provide certain information about the companies’ sharing of certain personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes during the preceding year. You can submit such a request by sending an email to [email protected] with “Shine the Light” in the subject line. The request must include your current name, street address, city, state, and zip code and attest to the fact that you are a California resident.

California “Do Not Sell My Info” Notice. Like many companies online, we work with third party advertising and social media companies like Google and Facebook that collect your device data and online activity data from individuals who visit our website to help deliver interest-based ads to you, as described in the section above entitled Interest-based advertising. Our use of these services may constitute a “sale” of your Personal Information as defined under the CCPA. Information about how you can opt-out of use of your information for interest-based advertising is described in the section above entitled Advertising choices.

Personal Information that we collect, use and share. We are required to explain the categories of Personal Information we collect by reference to the categories specified by the CCPA (in bold) in California Civil Code § 1798.140(o), which are described in the list below. For each category, we list the type of data we collect and the source of that data as described in the section above entitled Personal information we collect.

  • Identifiers 
  • What we collect: Contact data
  • Sources: You, data partners, public sources
  • Commercial information
  • What we collect: Device data, online activity data
  • Sources: Data partners, automatic collection
  • Online Identifiers
  • What we collect: Contact data, device data, online activity data
  • Sources: You, data partners, automatic collection
  • Internet or network information
  • What we collect: Device data, online activity data
  • Sources: Data partners, automatic collection
  • Inferences drawn from any of the above information to create a profile reflecting your preferences, characteristics, and behavior.

The business/commercial purposes for which we use each category of Personal Information above are described in the section above entitled How we use your personal information. The categories of third parties to which we disclose each category of Personal Information above of Personal Information for business purposes are described in the section above entitled How we share your personal information.

The above summary of how we collect, use and share Personal Information and our use of interest-based ads describes our practices for the 12 months preceding the effective date at the top of this Privacy Policy. Information that you choose to provide to us may include other categories of information.

Advertising

Mediavine Programmatic Advertising (Ver 1.1)

The Website works with Mediavine to manage third-party interest-based advertising appearing on the Website. Mediavine serves content and advertisements when you visit the Website, which may use first and third-party cookies. A cookie is a small text file which is sent to your computer or mobile device (referred to in this policy as a “device”) by the web server so that a website can remember some information about your browsing activity on the Website.

First party cookies are created by the website that you are visiting. A third-party cookie is frequently used in behavioral advertising and analytics and is created by a domain other than the website you are visiting. Third-party cookies, tags, pixels, beacons and other similar technologies (collectively, “Tags”) may be placed on the Website to monitor interaction with advertising content and to target and optimize advertising. Each internet browser has functionality so that you can block both first and third-party cookies and clear your browser’s cache. The "help" feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to receive notification of new cookies, how to disable existing cookies and how to clear your browser’s cache. For more information about cookies and how to disable them, you can consult the information atAll About Cookies.

Without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of the Website content and features. Please note that rejecting cookies does not mean that you will no longer see ads when you visit our Site. In the event you opt-out, you will still see non-personalized advertisements on the Website.

The Website collects the following data using a cookie when serving personalized ads:

  • IP Address
  • Operating System type
  • Operating System version
  • Device Type
  • Language of the website
  • Web browser type
  • Email (in hashed form)
  • Mediavine Partners (companies listed below with whom Mediavine shares data) may also use this data to link to other end user information the partner has independently collected to deliver targeted advertisements. Mediavine Partners may also separately collect data about end users from other sources, such as advertising IDs or pixels, and link that data to data collected from Mediavine publishers in order to provide interest-based advertising across your online experience, including devices, browsers and apps. This data includes usage data, cookie information, device information, information about interactions between users and advertisements and websites, geolocation data, traffic data, and information about a visitor’s referral source to a particular website. Mediavine Partners may also create unique IDs to create audience segments, which are used to provide targeted advertising.

    If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices to opt-in or opt-out of this data collection, please visitNational Advertising Initiative opt out page. You may also visit Digital Advertising Alliance websiteand Network Advertising Initiative websiteto learn more information about interest-based advertising. You may download the AppChoices app at Digital Advertising Alliance’s AppChoices appto opt out in connection with mobile apps, or use the platform controls on your mobile device to opt out.

    For specific information about Mediavine Partners, the data each collects and their data collection and privacy policies, please visit Mediavine Partners.

We use Google Analytics to analyze the use of our website. Google Analytics gathers information about website use by means of cookies. The information gathered relating to our website is used to create reports about the use of our website. Google's privacy policy is available at: https://policies.google.com/privacy