Last Revised: September 22, 2017
Ask Experian is designed to provide consumers with a platform to ask Experian general questions related to credit. The information contained in Ask Experian is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. You should consult your own attorney or seek specific advice from a legal professional regarding your particular situation. Please understand that Experian policies change over time. Posts reflect Experian policy at the time of writing. While maintained for your information, archived posts may not reflect current Experian policy. The Ask Experian team cannot respond to each question individually. However, if your question is of interest to a wide audience of consumers, the Ask Experian team will include it in a future post. If you have a dispute with your credit report, you can view more information on how to dispute your credit report information. You can also contact us with any other questions.
Experian Information Solutions, Inc. and ConsumerInfo.com, Inc. ("we" or "us") want you to be familiar with what information we collect about you, how the information is being used and what choices you have regarding the collection and use of the information. This Privacy Policy (the "Policy") describes our practices in connection with information that we collect through our website. Please take a moment to review this Policy and feel free to contact us.
By using the website, you agree to the terms of this Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of this Policy, please do not use the website. We reserve the right to change this Policy without prior notice. You agree to obtain annual notices of, and changes to, this Policy electronically by visiting this website. You can determine when this Policy was last revised by referring to the "Last Revised" legend at the top of this page. Any changes to our Policy will become effective upon our posting of the revised Policy on the website. Use of the website following such changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy then in effect. Therefore, we encourage you to review this website from time to time for changes to our Policy.
What types of information do we collect about you?
We collect personal information and non-personal information through the website. Personal information is information that identifies you as an individual. Non-personal information is aggregated information, demographic information, IP addresses and any other information that does not reveal your specific identity.
Personal information. We may collect the following types of personal information:
- Information provided by you when submitting inquiries or signing up for services, such as newsletters through the website. For example, you may be required to submit personal information such as your name, address, and e-mail address.
Non-Personal information. When you visit the website, we may collect non-personal information, such as a catalog of the website pages you visit. Non-personal information is generally collected through the website from the following sources: server log files, environmental variables, cookies, pixel tags and other similar technologies and information that you voluntarily provide.
- Server Log Files. Your Internet Protocol (IP) address is a number that is automatically assigned to the computer that you are using by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This number is identified and logged automatically in our server log files whenever you visit the website, along with the time(s) of your visit(s) and the page(s) that you visited. We use your IP address, and the IP addresses of all users, for purposes such as calculating website usage levels, helping diagnose problems with the website's servers, and administering the website. Collecting IP addresses is standard practice on the Internet and is done automatically by many websites.
- Environmental Variables. We and our service providers may also collect certain environmental variables, such as computer type (Windows or Macintosh), screen resolution, OS version, Internet browser, and Internet browser version. These environmental variables are collected by most browsers, and can be used to optimize your experience on the website.
- Cookies and Similar Technologies. We, our service providers, and/or non-affiliated Third-parties, may use "cookies" or similar technologies on the website. Cookies are data that a web server transfers to an individual's computer for recordkeeping purposes. Cookies are an industry standard used by many websites, and can enhance a user’s experience with personalized information; cookies do not cause damage to your computer systems or files. If you do not want information collected through the use of cookies, there is a simple procedure in most browsers that allows you to automatically decline cookies, or to be given the choice of declining or accepting the transfer of a particular cookie, or cookies from a particular website, to your computer. Additionally, please see the "Your Choices" section below for instructions on how to opt-out of sharing certain information related to the use of cookies.
- Pixel Tags. We, our service providers, and/or non-affiliated Third-parties, may also use so-called "pixel tags," "web beacons," "clear GIFs" or similar means (collectively, "Pixel Tags") in connection with some website pages and HTML-formatted e-mail messages to, among other things, compile aggregate statistics about website usage and response rates. A Pixel Tag is an electronic image, often a single pixel (1x1), that is ordinarily not visible to website visitors and may be associated with Cookies on the visitors' hard drives. Pixel Tags allow us to count users who have visited certain pages of the website, to deliver branded services, to provide online advertising, and to help determine the effectiveness of promotional or advertising campaigns. When used in HTML-formatted e-mail messages, Pixel Tags can tell the sender whether and when the e-mail has been opened.
- Information That You Voluntarily Provide. We also collect non-personal information (e.g., your geographic location, etc.) when you voluntarily provide such information to us. When such information is not combined with any personal information, such information is considered to be non-personal information, as it does not personally identify you or any other user. Additionally, we may aggregate personal information in a manner such that the end-product does not personally identify you or any other user of the website, for example, by using personal information to calculate the percentage of our users who live in a specific state. Such aggregate information is considered non-personal information for purposes of this Policy.
- Please note that, if we combine any non-personal information with personal information, the combined information will be treated by us as personal information as long as it is so combined.
How do we use the information collected?
Personal Information. We may use personal information we collect in the following ways:
- Personalized Experience. We may use your visit behavior to provide personalized content, based on your topical interests and may offer additional information or offers relevant to your visit.
- Email Communications. From time to time, we may use personal information to send to you news and information that you have opted in for. Additionally, please see the "Your Choices" section below for instructions on how to unsubscribe from email communications.
- Other Communications. From time to time, we may use personal information to inform you of products, programs, services and promotions that you have opted in for. If you would prefer that we do not send such email marketing messages to you, please see the "Your Choices" section below.
- Promotions. We may operate sweepstakes, contests and similar promotions (collectively, "Promotions") through the website. We typically ask you for certain personal information when you enter and, if applicable, win a Promotion. You should carefully review the rules, if any, of each Promotion in which you participate through the website, as they may contain additional important information about our use of personal information. To the extent that the terms and conditions of such rules concerning the treatment of personal information conflict with this Policy, the terms and conditions of such rules will control.
- Internal Business Purposes. We may also use personal information for our internal business purposes, such as data analysis and audits. In addition, we may also use personal information to enhance our information and to aid us in providing targeted promotions.
Non-Personal Information. Because non-personal information does not personally identify you, we may use such information for any purpose, including questions submitted through Ask Experian. In addition, we reserve the right to disclose such non-personal information to other third parties, for any purpose.
In some instances, we may combine non-personal information with personal information. If we combine any non-personal information with personal information so that it personally identifies you, the combined information will be treated by us as personal information as long as it is combined.
We may, along with our affiliates and marketing partners enhance and/or merge personal information about you with data collected from other sources and use it in direct and/or online marketing and, to the extent permitted by law, individual reference and look-up service programs. In the event we enhance and/or merge such personal information with data collected from other sources, we will take reasonable steps to maintain the integrity and quality of that information.
Do we disclose information to third parties?
We may disclose information about you to affiliated and non-affiliated third parties.
- Affiliates. We may disclose the information that we collect to our affiliated companies to enhance our website to better suit your needs, and from time to time for marketing purposes.
- Business Partners. We may partner with other companies to offer you products or services. We may disclose personal information and/or non-personal or de-identified information collected about you to such third-party partners for the purposes described in this Policy.
- Service Providers. We work with third parties who provide services including but not limited to data analysis, order fulfillment, list enhancement and other administrative services. We may disclose personal information to such third parties for the purpose of enabling these third parties to provide services to us. Such services may include: marketing distribution, email list management services, advertising, certain website functionalities, customer support, web hosting, customer data management and enhancement, research and surveys, data analysis and email service.
- Assignment. We reserve the right to transfer any and all information that we collect from website users to an affiliate or a third party in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, assets or stock (including without limitation in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings).
- Law Enforcement; Emergencies; Compliance; Other Purposes Permitted by Law. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Policy to the contrary, we reserve the right to disclose personal information to others as we believe appropriate (a) to comply with legal process; (b) to respond to governmental requests; (c) to enforce our Terms of Use; (d) to protect the rights, privacy, safety or property of Experian and ConsumerInfo.com, Inc., our affiliated companies, you or others; (e) to permit us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain; and (f) for any other purpose permitted by applicable law.
- Aggregate, Non-Personal, or De-identified Information. We may share aggregated information (i.e., information about you and other website visitors collectively, but not specifically identifiable to you) and other non-personal, de-identified, or anonymous information we collect with third parties, including affiliates to develop and deliver targeted advertising on our website and on the websites of third parties. If you would prefer that we do not utilize cookies with your website experience, or would prefer to restrict the use of cookies with network advertising partners, please see the "Your Choices" section below.
Your choices
You have choices when it comes to updating your information, learning about new offers or products offered by us, our partners or affiliates. If you do not wish to receive offers of products from us, our partners or affiliates, here are the methods in which you can opt out:
- Experian Information Solutions, Inc. and ConsumerInfo.com, Inc. Commercial Email. If you prefer not to receive emails from us about offers and Promotions, please unsubscribe via the unsubscribe link in an email.
- Cookies. Subject to the section above pertaining to cookies and similar technologies, you have the ability to prohibit being served a personalized experience or an offer based on cookie technology. We may utilize reputable third-party vendors to serve advertisements. If however, you are not comfortable with cookies, you can adjust the settings within your browser to further prohibit being served a cookie. Please see the browser's instructions to perform this task. Additionally, the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) has developed an opt-out tool with the express purpose of allowing consumers to "opt-out" of the targeted advertising delivered by its member networks. We may share anonymous or de-identified information with such member networks for the purposes of delivering targeted advertising; however you may visit the DAA opt-out page and opt-out of this cookie tracking if you do not wish to receive targeted advertising. Please visit http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ for more information.
We will endeavor to comply with your request as soon as reasonably practicable. Please note that if you opt-out as described above, we will not be able to remove personal information about you from the databases of third parties with which we have already disclosed personal information as of the date that we implement your opt-out request. If you wish to cease receiving marketing-related e-mails from third parties, please contact such third parties directly or utilize any opt-out mechanisms set forth in their respective privacy policies or marketing-related emails.
How do we protect your information?
We have security measures and tools, such as firewalls, in place to help protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet or data storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure (for example, if you feel that the security of any account you might have with us has been compromised), please notify us of the problem as soon as possible by contacting us in accordance with the Section "Contacting Us" below (note that if you choose to notify us via physical mail, this will delay the time it takes for us to respond to the problem).
Links
The website may contain links to third-party websites. These linked sites are not under our control and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or the contents of any such linked site, or any link contained in any linked site. We provide such links only as a convenience, and the inclusion of a link on the website does not imply endorsement of the linked site by us. If you provide any personal information through any such third-party website, your transaction will occur on the third party's website and the personal information you provide will be collected by, and controlled by the privacy policy of, that third party. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the privacy policies and practices of any third parties. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POLICY DOES NOT ADDRESS THE PRIVACY OR INFORMATION PRACTICES OF ANY THIRD PARTIES.
Location
We control and operate the website from the United States, and the website is not intended to subject us to the laws or jurisdiction of any state, country or territory other than that of the United States. We do not represent or warrant that the website, or any part thereof, is appropriate or available for use in any particular jurisdiction. Those who choose to access the website do so on their own initiative and at their own risk, and are responsible for complying with all local laws, rules and regulations. We may limit the website's availability, in whole or in part, to any person, geographic area or jurisdiction we choose, at any time and in our sole discretion.
Contacting us
If you have any questions regarding this Policy, please contact us. Please note that email communications will not necessarily be secure; accordingly, you should not include sensitive information in your email correspondence with us.