Privacy Policy

Effective as of October 18, 2021.

This Privacy Policy describes how Firehose Inc. ("Firehose," "we", “us” or "our") handles personal information that we collect through our digital properties that link to this Privacy Policy, including our website and mobile application, “Ticker”(collectively, the “Service”).

Index

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 full name, email address, phone number, professional title, and organizational affiliation.
  • Account data, such as your username and password, social media handle, preferences, subjects and feeds of interest, and any other information that you add to your account profile.
  • Communications that we exchange with you, including when you contact us through the Service, social media, or otherwise.
  • Other data not specifically listed here, which we will use as described in this Privacy Policy or as otherwise disclosed at the time of collection.

Third-party sources. We may combine personal information we receive from you with personal information we obtain from other sources, such as:

  • Public sources, such as social media platforms and other publicly available sources.
  • Third-party services, such as social media services, that you use to log into, or otherwise link to, your Service account. This data may include your username, email address, profile picture and other information associated with your account on that third-party service that is made available to us based on your account settings on that service.

Automatic data collection. We, our service providers, and our business partners may automatically log information about you, your computer or mobile device, and your interaction over time with the Service and other online services, such as:

  • Device data, such as your computer’s or mobile device’s operating system type and version, manufacturer and model, browser type, screen resolution, RAM and disk size, CPU usage, device type (e.g., phone, tablet), IP address, unique identifiers (including identifiers used for advertising purposes), language settings, mobile device carrier, radio/network information (e.g., Wi-Fi, LTE, 3G), and general location information such as city, state or geographic area.
  • Online activity data, such as pages or screens you viewed, how long yo u spent on a page or screen, the website you visited before browsing to the Service, navigation paths between pages or screens, information about your activity on a page or screen, access times and duration of access, and whether you have opened our emails or clicked links within them.
  • Location data when you authorize the Service to access your device’s location.

Cookies and similar technologies. Some of our automatic data collection is facilitated by cookies and similar technologies. Some of the automatic collection described above is facilitated by the following technologies:

  • Cookies, which are small text files that websites store on user devices and that allow web servers to record users’ web browsing activities and remember their submissions, preferences, and login status as they navigate a site. Cookies used on our sites include both “session cookies” that are deleted when a session ends, “persistent cookies” that remain longer, “first party” cookies that we place and “third party” cookies that our third-party business partners and service providers place.
  • Local storage technologies, like HTML5, that provide cookie-equivalent functionality but can store larger amounts of data on your device outside of your browser in connection with specific applications.
  • Web beacons, also known as pixel tags or clear GIFs, which are used to demonstrate that a webpage or email address was accessed or opened, or that certain content was viewed or clicked.

These technologies are used for the following purposes:

  • Advertising. To help our third-party advertising partners collect information about how you use the Service and other online services over time, which they use to show you ads on other online services they believe will interest you and measure how the ads perform.
  • Technical operation. To allow the technical operation of the Service.
  • Analytics. To help us understand user activity on the Service, including which pages are most and least visited and how visitors move around the Service, as well as user interactions with our emails. For example, we use Google Analytics for this purpose. You can learn more about Google Analytics and how to prevent the use of Google Analytics relating to your use of our sites here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

Data about others. We may offer features that help users invite their friends or contacts to use the Service, and we may collect contact details about these invitees so we can deliver their invitations. Please do not refer someone to us or share their contact details with us unless you have their permission to do so.

How we use your personal information

We may use your personal information for the following purposes or as otherwise described at the time of collection:

Service delivery. We may use your personal information to:

  • provide, operate and improve the Service and our business;
  • facilitate your invitations to friends who you want to invite to join the Service;
  • enable security features of the Service;
  • communicate with you 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; and
  • 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.

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

  • Direct marketing. We may send you Firehose-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 engage third-party advertising companies and social media companies to display ads on our Service and other online services. These companies may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your interaction (including the data described in the automatic data collection section above) over time across the Service, our communications and other online services, and use that information to serve online ads that they think will interest you. This is called interest-based advertising. We may also share information about our users with these companies to facilitate interest-based advertising to those or similar users on other online platforms. 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:

  • 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);
  • audit our internal processes for compliance with legal and contractual requirements or our internal policies;
  • 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.

With your consent. In some cases, we may specifically ask for your consent to collect, use or share your personal information, such as when required by law.

To create anonymous, aggregated or de-identified data. We may create anonymous, aggregated or de-identified data from your personal information and other individuals whose personal information we collect. We make personal information into anonymous, aggregated or de-identified data by removing information that makes the data identifiable to you. We may use this anonymous, aggregated or de-identified data and share it with third parties for our lawful business purposes, including to analyze and improve the Service and promote our business.

Retention. We generally retain personal information to fulfill the purposes for which we collected it, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, to establish or defend legal claims, or for fraud prevention purposes. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal information, we may consider factors such as the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of your personal information, the purposes for which we process your personal information and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

When we no longer require the personal information we have collected about you, we may either delete it, anonymize it, or isolate it from further processing.

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. Third parties that provide services on our behalf or help us operate the Service or our business (such as hosting, information technology, customer support, email delivery, consumer research and website analytics).

Third parties designated by you. We may share your personal data with third parties where you have instructed us or provided your consent to do so. For example, we may share your personal information with third-party advertisers with whom we are collaborating to offer you additional services such as sweepstakes, raffles and promotions. We will share personal information that is needed for these other companies to provide the services that you have requested.

Linked third-party services. If you log into the Service with, or otherwise link your Service account to, a social media or other third-party service, we may share your personal information with that third-party service. The third party’s use of the shared information will be governed by its privacy policy and the settings associated with your account with the third-party service.

Advertising partners. Third party advertising companies for the interest-based advertising purposes described above.

Professional advisors. Professional advisors, such as lawyers, auditors, bankers 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 protection purposes described above.

Business transferees. Acquirers and other relevant participants in business transactions (or negotiations of or due diligence for such 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, Firehose or our affiliates (including, in connection with a bankruptcy or similar proceedings).

 

Your choices

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

Access or update your information. If you have registered for a Service account with us, you may review and update certain account information by logging into the account.

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.

Cookies. Most browser settings let you delete and reject cookies placed by websites. Many browsers accept cookies by default until you change your settings. If you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use all functionality of the Service and it 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.

Local storage. You may be able to limit use of HTML5 cookies in your browser settings. Unlike other cookies, Flash-based local storage cannot be removed or rejected via your browser settings, but you can adjust the settings of your Flash player to block it. Blocking Flash storage may impede the functionality of Flash applications, including those employed by the Service. For more information on Flash local storage visit https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/disable-local-shared-objects-flash.html.

Mobile location data. You can disable our access to your device’s precise geolocation in your mobile device settings.

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

  • Browser settings. Blocking third party cookies in your browser settings.
  • Privacy browsers/plug-ins. By using privacy browsers such as Brave or ad-blocking browser plug-ins such as Privacy Badger, DuckDuckGo, Ghostery or uBlock Origin, and configuring them to block third-party cookies/trackers.
  • 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.
    You will need to apply these opt-out settings on each device from which you wish to opt-out.

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 we identify as required or mandatory, we may not be able to provide those services.

Linked third-party platforms. If you choose to connect to the Service through your social media account or other third-party platform, you may be able to use your settings in your account with that platform to limit the information we receive from it. If you revoke our ability to access information from a third-party platform, that choice will not apply to information that we have already received from that third party.

 

Other sites and services

The Service may contain links to websites, mobile applications, and other online services operated by third parties. In addition, our content may be integrated into web pages or other online services that are not associated with us. These links and integrations are not an endorsement of, or representation that we are affiliated with, any third party. We do not control websites, mobile applications or online services operated by third parties, and we are not responsible for their actions. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of the other websites, mobile applications and online services you use.

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 that operate 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 anyone under 18 years of age. If you are a parent or guardian of a child from whom you believe we have collected personal information in a manner prohibited by law, please contact us. If we learn that we have collected personal information through the Service from a child without the consent of the child’s parent or guardian as required by law, we will comply with applicable legal requirements to delete the information.

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 or other appropriate means. 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 use of the Service after the effective date of any modified Privacy Policy indicates your acceptance of the modified Privacy Policy.

How to contact us