Privacy at Hitwise

Hitwise is strongly committed to your privacy rights. The Hitwise Customer Privacy Policy should assist you in understanding principles associated with information security and privacy when accessing the Hitwise service as a customer of Hitwise. Please note that the principles outlined in this document apply to Hitwise's collection and use of Hitwise customer data, i.e. subscribers and clients of the Hitwise service and it does not relate to the data collected from data partners such as ISPs.

The Partner Privacy Policy relates to the collection of data from data partners such as ISPs.

Hitwise Customer Privacy Policy

What personally identifiable information is collected?
Hitwise collects information from customers in a fair and lawful manner for the purposes of identification and billing. Hitwise may collect details from newsletter subscribers and customers of our service that include name, address, e-mail address, fax and telephone numbers. Other demographic information may be collected for the purpose of in-house direct marketing campaigns, in accordance with relevant Legislation. A newsletter subscriber (or a customer) may however, choose to opt out of such campaigns through contacting the Privacy Manager at privacy@hitwise.com.

Are cookies and log files used?
In some circumstances, Hitwise uses cookies to enhance the functionality of the service we offer our customers. A cookie is a piece of text that can be entered into the memory of a computer, and is used to identify a customer and to store registration details so that the customer is no longer required to re-enter these details on subsequent visits. In addition, Hitwise uses cookies to indicate the number of computers used by each customer to log-in to the Hitwise service, to prevent abuse of the system and logins. Hitwise also collects information on IP addresses and web browsers used by customers when they access the service for the same reasons mentioned above.

Does Hitwise disclose information to Third Parties?
Hitwise uses third party tools such as an online CRM vendor and email communication system to store customer information for the purposes of CRM management and client communication. Hitwise does not share this information with any Third Parties, nor are these third parties able to use the information. Hitwise and the third parties we contract with take every care to ensure the security of information.

Hitwise does not collect or compile personally identifiable information for the dissemination or sale to outside parties for consumer marketing purposes. Hitwise reserves the right to make mention of other users of the Hitwise service only if the inquiring party is from the same organisation.

Details of Hitwise customers may be divulged to appropriate parties only if a requirement under law, statute or regulation.

Links to Third Party sites
Hitwise encourages its customers to review the privacy and security policies of externally linked websites that may be accessed through Hitwise. Hitwise assumes no responsibility for the information practices of any sites that a user can access through Hitwise.

Can I change or delete information secured?
Hitwise does its utmost to ensure the quality of its data, and as such invites newsletter subscribers and customers of the service to access or update their details as necessary. Hitwise is committed to providing reasonable and practical access to allow visitors the opportunity to identify and correct any inaccurate details we may hold. This can be done by contacting the Privacy Manager at privacy@hitwise.com

Choices available for collection and use
Electronic transactions conducted through the Hitwise website to purchase Hitwise services are done using widely accepted methods of encryption. All newsletter subscribers and customers have the right to access or update personal data that they have submitted through the Hitwise website by contacting the Privacy Manager at privacy@hitwise.com. Should subscribers and customers subsequently choose to unsubscribe from mailing lists we will provide instructions on how to unsubscribe on the appropriate website area or in said communications. On request, Hitwise will delete from its database personally identifiable information that has been submitted.

Children's online privacy protection
Hitwise has established password protection procedures in place to ensure that only customers access the service as the service is not intended to be used by children or minors under the age of eighteen. Hitwise assumes all its newsletter subscribers and customers to be over the age of eighteen or that parental permission has been obtained prior to subscription or use of our services.

Legal nature of this privacy statement
Please note that this Privacy Statement is not intended to create a legally binding agreement between Hitwise and customers of the Hitwise services. This statement has been created as a guide to the privacy principles of Hitwise, and is not a contractual document. Hitwise will act to ensure it complies with the privacy principles contained in this statement.

Contact our Privacy Office
If you have any queries about the privacy statement or wish to know more about our Complaint Handling Procedure please contact our Privacy Manager, who can be reached at privacy@hitwise.com

Partner Privacy Policy

This privacy policy relates to the data collected by Hitwise from data partners in order to power the range of real-time competitive intelligence tools. Hitwise takes significant steps to ensure that its privacy practices, and that of its data partners, protect an individual's right to privacy. The Hitwise products do not require the collection of personally identifiable information about individuals. Hitwise produce products that help clients understand general and aggregate usage of the Internet to assist with their marketing efforts.


Who are Hitwise's data partners?
Hitwise partners with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as well as companies who have established panels of Internet users through a clear and robust opt-in process.

What information is collected from partners?
Hitwise only collects aggregate, non-personally identifiable data from its partners.

This data collected from ISPs includes aggregate usage statistics of websites. Once this data is weighted to be representative of regional usage of the internet Hitwise produce a product that ranks the most popular sites visited in a given market.

Hitwise is also able to collect demographic information about the visitors to a website via our opt-in panel partners. This information does not contain any personally identifiable data about individuals. This data has been provided by the user when they opted-in to join the panel. It may include the age, gender, household income level and regional or state location of the user.

Does Hitwise collect any personally identifiable information?
At no time does Hitwise collect any personally identifiable data from any of its data partners.

Contact our Privacy Office
If you have any queries about the privacy statement or wish to know more about our Complaint Handling Procedure please contact our Privacy Manager, who can be reached at privacy@hitwise.com.