Hippo Reads LLC (hereafter, “Hippo Reads”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) provides this Privacy Policy to inform you of our policies and procedures regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information we receive from users of www.hipporeads.com (the “Site”). This Privacy Policy applies only to information that you provide to us through the Site. This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time.  We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on the Site. You are advised to consult this policy regularly for any changes. Unless otherwise defined in this Privacy Policy, terms used in this Privacy Policy have the same meanings as in our Terms of Use.

As used in this policy, the terms “using” and “processing” information include using cookies on a computer, subjecting the information to statistical or other analysis and using or handling information in any way, including, but not limited to collecting, storing, evaluating, modifying, deleting, using, combining, disclosing and transferring information within our organization or among our affiliates within the United States or internationally.

 

Information Collection and Use by Hippo Reads

Our primary goals in collecting information are to provide and improve the Site and our services, features and content, to administer your membership, and to enable users to enjoy and easily navigate the Site.

Personally Identifiable Information

  • When you register with us through the Site to become a member or when you choose to create your own profile webpage we will ask you for personally identifiable information. This refers to information about you that can be used to contact or identify you (“Personal Information”). Personal Information may include, but is not limited to, your name, email address, telephone number, research interests, education and occupation.
  • Hippo Reads also collects other information that you provide as part of registration and the administration and personalization of your profile webpage (“Non-Identifying Information”).
  • We use your Personal Information (in some cases, in conjunction with your Non-Identifying Information) mainly to provide the Hippo Reads Service, complete your transactions and administer your inquiries.
  • We also use your Personal Information to contact you with Hippo Reads updates, newsletters, marketing, job opportunities, or promotional materials and other information that may be of interest to you. If you decide at any time that you no longer wish to receive such communications from us, please follow the unsubscribe instructions provided in any of the communications or update your “user preferences” information. (See “Changing or Deleting Information,” below.)

 

Use of Cookies

Like many websites, Hippo Reads uses “cookies” to collect information. A cookie is a small data file that we transfer to your computer’s hard disk for record-keeping purposes. We use cookies for two purposes. First, we utilize persistent cookies to save your registration ID and login password for future logins to the Site. Second, we utilize session ID cookies to enable certain features of the Site, to better understand how you interact with the Site and to monitor aggregate usage by users and web traffic routing on the Site. Unlike persistent cookies, session cookies are deleted from your computer when you log off from the site and then close your browser.

We do not link the information we store in cookies to any Personal Information. You may be able to instruct your browser, by changing its options, to accept or reject all or some cookies, or to prompt you before accepting a cookie from the websites you visit. Each browser is different, so check the “Help” menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences. If you do not accept cookies, however, you may not be able to use all portions of the Site or all functionality of the Service. Please note that third party advertisers on the Site may also place or read cookies on your browser.

For California users:  Please note, the Site is not presently configured to respond to “do not track” (“DNT”) signals from web browsers.

 

Phishing

Identity theft and the practice currently known as “phishing” are of great concern to Hippo Reads. Safeguarding information to help protect you from identity theft is a top priority. We do not and will not, at any time, request your credit card information, your account ID, login password or national identification numbers in a non-secure or unsolicited e-mail or telephone communication For more information about phishing, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website.

 

Information Sharing and Disclosure

Hippo Reads Members. We will display your profile information (which may include your Personal Information if you include such) on your profile page which may be publicly accessible on the Site and elsewhere on the Site according to the preferences you set in your account. Any information you choose to provide should reflect how much you want other users to know about you. We recommend that you guard your anonymity and sensitive information and we encourage members to think carefully about what information about themselves they disclose in their profile pages. You can review and revise your profile information at any time. Please be aware that whenever you voluntarily post information to any public online forums that information can be accessed by the public and can then be used to send you unsolicited communications.

Service Providers. We may employ third party companies and individuals to facilitate our service, to provide the Academia.edu service on our behalf, to perform Site-related services (e.g., without limitation, maintenance services, database management, web analytics and improvement of the Site’s features) or to assist us in analyzing how the Site and our service are used. These third parties have access to your personal Information only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

Compliance with Laws and Law Enforcement. Hippo Reads cooperates with government and law enforcement officials and private parties to enforce and comply with the law. We will disclose any information about you to government or law enforcement officials or private parties as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate to respond to claims and legal process (including but not limited to subpoenas), to protect the property and rights of Hippo Reads or a third party, to protect the safety of the public or any person, or to prevent or stop activity we may consider to be, or to pose a risk of being, any illegal, unethical or legally actionable activity.

Business Transfers. Hippo Reads may sell, transfer or otherwise share some or all of its assets, including your Personal Information, in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of assets or in the event of bankruptcy.

Hippo Reads will notify you before transferring your information to a new entity as part of a merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of some or all of its assets if the new entity’s processing of your information will materially differ from that set forth in this Privacy Policy.

 

Correcting/Updating or Removing Information

All Hippo Reads members may review, update, modify or remove any of their Personal Information in their profile page at any time by logging into their Account and accessing features such as Edit Profile and Account Info. If you completely delete all such information, then your Account may become deactivated.

 

Security

Hippo Reads is very concerned with safeguarding your information. We use reasonable physical, technological, and administrative security measures to protect Member information and attempt to ensure they are applicable under the circumstances. No method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure, however.  Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

We will make any legally required disclosures of any breach of the security, confidentiality, or integrity of your unencrypted electronically stored “personal data” (as defined in applicable state statutes on security breach notification) to you via email or conspicuous posting on this Site in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay, insofar as consistent with (i) the legitimate needs of law enforcement or (ii) any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and restore the reasonable integrity of the data system. For additional information about the security measures we use on Academia.edu, please contact us at info@hipporeads.com

 

International Transfer

The Site is exclusively hosted in the United States. If you are a user accessing the Website from the European Union, Australia, Asia, or any other region with laws or regulations governing personal data collection, use, and disclosure, that differ from United States laws, please note that you are transferring your personal data to the United States which does not have the same data protection laws as such other regions. User information (including Personal Information or “personal data” as defined by foreign laws) collected through the Site may be stored and processed in the United States, and by using the Site, you consent to any such transfer of information outside of your home country.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

The Site operates “AS-IS” and “AS-AVAILABLE,” without warranties of any other kind.  We are not responsible for events beyond our direct control.  This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the State of California, excluding conflicts of law principles. Any legal actions against Hippo Reads arising out of or related to the Site are subject to the Terms of Use “Dispute Resolution” section including the class action waiver and arbitration agreement.

 

Contacting Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:  info@hipporeads.com