Privacy PolicyWe are committed to protecting your privacy as set forth in this Privacy Policy. We use the information we collect about you through www.mmethodeating.com (the "website") to process memberships and to enhance your experience with us. We do not sell your information to others for commercial purposes. This Privacy Policy applies only to our handling of information collected by the website through the membership purchase process, THE MMethod Advisor plan creation process (“MMethod Advisor” or “Advisor”), compliance data you provide, and your other communications with THE MMethod staff. This Privacy Policy does not apply to information that you may choose to post or otherwise disclose in any other areas of the website (for example, in the community, forum, blogs, groups, comments, Q&A, etc.) or in your “Public Profile” maintained by the site, or through direct communications you might have with other members or other people, or to the privacy practices of websites or other programs that are operated by third parties.
What Information Do We Collect, and How Do We Use It?
We receive information about your name, date of birth, e-mail address, mailing address, billing address, telephone number, and credit card when you purchase a membership plan. We use this information to process your membership, notify you of your membership status, and provide other communications that are a regular part of your program. You may also voluntarily request other communications from us, such as special offers or other notices, or entry in a contest or a special promotion, and we will use your information to communicate with you and process your participation in such events. We may use this information to notify you about important changes to our website, new MMethod services, new Mindless Products, and special offers we think you’ll find valuable. If you would rather not receive this information, please notify us. Make sure to notify us for each account or e-mail address you have provided us. We also receive self-reported information about you and your activities at various times through THE MMethod Advisor process and through your Profile. We use this information to create your plan, to determine recommendations that are appropriate for you, to adjust your plan over time, and to suggest products that might assist you in reaching your health goals or that might otherwise be of interest to you. We also monitor "traffic patterns" of site usage by you and others to help us improve the design and layout and performance of the website, and to enhance user experience of it. We collect and use member comments and questions and other feedback for similar purposes. Importantly, we use all information we receive (without connection of such information with your name or the names of other members) for research purposes. Such research includes, without limitation, that analysis of eating behavior patterns, the efficacy of correction methods and support processes, and other matters related to the understanding of eating behavior and methods to adjust it. Such use of the information will help us to improve the design and efficacy of our programs, and more generally, to advance the understanding of such behaviors through academic study and publication by Dr. Wansink and others. Through this policy and other policies of the site, you provide your informed consent to permit research use of all information you provide to the site and otherwise in connection with THE MMethod program. Becoming a Member
In order to view all areas of our website or use our Online Products, such as the Advisor, the Solutions Checklist, various tracking tools, the resource library, and THE MMethod Community, you are required to complete several steps in order to become a member. These steps may include providing your name, zip code, email address, date of birth, and other personally identifiable information. This information is used to help us personalize your experience on our website, to provide targeted recommendations regarding your health and other goals, to provide insight into who is using our Products so that we may improve and add features and services, and to contact members in response to inquiries or in order to provide members with important information. We may also request demographic information which is optional, in order to improve your experience on our website. You may also elect to provide personally identifiable information through responses to special Products, including but not limited to surveys, polls, questionnaires, quizzes, contests, and similar Products. We collect this information to personalize your experience. Handheld Products: TBD Buddy Membership Purchase
You may elect to purchase a Buddy Membership, which will require your friend’s first name and email address, and will request a confirmation of your first name and email address. We will then send a single e-mail informing your friend that a membership has been purchased and instructing them to visit the website to activate the membership. Public Areas of the Website and Member Public Profile
THE MMethod Community features a public forum, including messages boards, groups, blog pages, Q&A forums, etc. Members are able to communicate with each other by posting threads, joining groups, participating in goals, and asking questions. You have the option to share information with others (including personally identifiable information) if you so choose. THE PRIVACY POLICY DOES NOT PROTECT YOU WHEN YOU ACCESS THE PUBLIC AREAS OF OUR WEBSITE, INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY AREAS, THE BLOG PAGES, THE EXPERT AND WANSINK Q&A AREAS, AND ALL FORUM AREAS. Please consider all information before providing it in any public area of our website. How Do We Protect Your Information?
To safeguard your privacy and personal information, any personal information you provide is taken over a secure internet connection and encrypted prior to storing in protected databases on secured servers with restricted access. Only authorized employees, agents, and contractors who have agreed to keep your information confidential and secure have access to this information. We take reasonable physical, electronic, and managerial measures to protect and secure information you provide us. We use Secure Sockets Layering (SSL) to encrypt your personal credit information and credit card number before it travels over the internet. SSL is the industry standard for secure online transactions. What About “Cookies” And Tracking Technology? “Cookies” are small pieces of information stored by your browser on your computer’s hard drive. Our cookies do not contain any personally identifying information, but they do enable us to provide features to enhance your shopping experience, such as the ability to move through the subscription process more quickly, store addresses and contact information for population into your Profile, and view and track your usage of tools and resulting progress. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually change your browser to prevent this. However, preventing cookies may cause some sections of our website to not work properly. Tracking technology enables us to gather information such as a website visitor’s browser type and operating system, how many visitors access our website, and help us understand how visitors use our site. We cannot and do not collect personal information via cookies or tracking technology. We may share aggregate cookie and tracking information with trustworthy third parties. Will We Disclose The Information It Collects To Outside Parties? THE MMethod does not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to others. We may share information with governmental agencies or other companies assisting us in fraud prevention or investigation. We may do so when: (1) permitted or required by law, (2) trying to protect against or prevent actual or potential fraud or unauthorized transactions, or (3) investigating fraud which may already have taken place. Other Websites THE MMethod, and its affiliated websites may display links to other websites, or you may have linked to our websites through another site. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites or their owners. Sale of Business THE MMethod reserves the right to transfer information to a third party in the event of a sale, merger or other transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of THE MMethod. We will notify members in the event of such transfer through appropriate means. Your Consent By using our website, you consent to the collection and use of information by THE MMethod as discussed above. If we change our privacy policy, we will post the changes on this page, so you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we disclose it. Tell Us What You Think We welcome your questions and comments about privacy. Please let us know what you think by e-mailing us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . BY USING OUR WEBSITE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THE PRIVACY POLICY AND YOU ACCEPT THE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE PRIVACY POLICY, PLEASE DO NOT USE OUR WEBSITE. WHEN CHANGES ARE POSTED TO THE PRIVACY POLICY, YOUR CONTINUED USE OF THE WEBSITE MEANS THAT YOU ACCEPT THE CHANGES.
Last Modified: January 28, 2011 |