Privacy Policy

Your Privacy Rights
Effective: August 5, 1999
Last Updated: January 5, 2006

On January 5, 2006, we updated our privacy policy to include information regarding our new practice of using Web Beacons. Please see section 1.4 below for more information.

Corporate

This Privacy Policy applies to symantec.com hosted Web sites or Web sites hosted by third parties on behalf of Symantec which are branded to appear like Symantec.com. For the privacy policy that applies to LiveUpdate, please visit http://www.symantec.com/legal/luprivacy.html.

1.1 Personal Information

As a world leader in Internet security technology, Symantec understands your desire to protect personal information. We intend to inform you how your personal information will be gathered, tracked or used, and to give you choices. If choices are not offered on web pages where your personal information is obtained, please select one of the communication channels at the bottom of this statement to indicate your communication preferences.

What Information We Gather and Track

We request personal information when you place an order, register a product, request a service, answer a survey, enter a contest, correspond with us or engage in certain other activities on our Web site. For example:

1. If you submit an order on-line with us, we will ask you for information necessary to complete the transaction - such as your name, address, and credit card number.

2. If you request technical support online, we will ask you for information necessary to complete the transaction - such as your name address and information about your computer hardware, software and the nature of the problem you are experiencing.

You make the decision whether to proceed with any activity that requests personal information. If you do not wish to provide the requested information, however, you may not be able to complete the transaction.

How We Use the Information We Gather and Track

We use personally identifiable information in the following ways:

1. To provide you with information about virus alerts, product upgrades, new products, services, newsletters, informative emails, and research on future product ideas or improvements;

2. To assist us in creating content that is relevant to you;

3. To provide you with special offers that may be of interest to you and to improve your experience on our Web site;

4. To assist us in creating better products and services to meet your needs;

5. To allow you to purchase and download products, obtain access to services or otherwise engage in activities you select;

6. To help you quickly find software, services or product information important to you.

With Whom We May Share Your Information

From time to time, we may provide your information to selected business partners to communicate to you information about products or services that they believe are important to you or your business. If you prefer that we not provide your information to our business partners, you may let us know using one of the methods described in this policy.

In addition, Symantec retains the services of outside contractors to provide services for us. They may be used to ship products, provide technical support, or handle order processing. We require that these contractors keep the personal information of customers secure and confidential. We also require that these contractors use personal information only on behalf of Symantec.

Please be advised that in certain instances, it may be necessary for Symantec to disclose your personal information to government officials or otherwise as required by our legal obligations.

Choice/Opt-out

Symantec provides a number of ways for you to ‘opt-out’ of receiving additional information from us or having us provide your personal information to our partners. We may offer you these choices at the time you give us your information.

If you are on a Symantec web page that requires personal information but does not offer communication choices, or would like to change your preferences for information that you have previously provided, please complete the customer profile form at https://www-secure.symantec.com/custserv/cgi-bin/cs_privacy_dyn.cgi or use one of the other communication channels at the bottom of this statement.

If you are registering a version of a product that does not provide you the capability to indicate your communication preferences, please complete the customer profile form at https://www-secure.symantec.com/custserv/cs_register.html or use one of the other communication channels at the bottom of this statement.

If you do not wish to continue receiving our e-mail newsletters or bulletins you can opt-out of receiving these communications by replying to the unsubscribe in the subject line in the email.

Refer-A-Friend

If you choose to use our referral service to tell a friend about our site, we will ask you for your friend’s name and email address. We will automatically send your friend a one-time email inviting him or her to visit the site. Symantec does not store your friend’s name and email address after sending the one-time email.

1.2 Security and Quality of Personal Information

We have taken security measures, consistent with international information practices, to protect your personal information. These measures include technical and procedural steps to protect your data from misuse, unauthorized access or disclosure, loss, alteration, or destruction. Credit card information is transmitted using secure socket layer (SSL) encryption.

Since Symantec is a global company, we provide company information to our worldwide offices. The personal information that you have provided to us may be transferred to other Symantec offices around the world. For example, when European customers register Symantec products their personal information may be transferred to servers in the United States then transferred to servers in one or more of Symantec's European offices. Also, in certain countries our outside contractors might undertake the collection, transferring, storage and processing of your information.

We make a sincere effort to respond to your requests to update or correct your personal information. If you believe that Symantec does not have your current personal information, you can update it at www-secure.symantec.com/custserv/cgi-bin/cs_privacy_dyn.cgi, or use one of the other communication channels at the bottom of this statement.

1.3 Cookies

Symantec may use cookies from time to time. A cookie is a unique text file that a Web site can send to your browser software. Cookies enable a Web site to tailor information presented to you based on your browsing preferences. Symantec may use cookies to personalize Web pages during your visit to our Web site, and/or to remember you for easy navigation and access during your return visits after registering for our products, services and other offers including but not limited to White Papers, Webcasts, events, evaluation software, e-books, etc.

Symantec may also use cookies to track your visit to our Web site. We may collect information, including your IP address, in a form that may be personally identifiable. However, this information will only be used for analytical purposes and will be limited to the minimum necessary to perform the analysis.

If you do not want Symantec to deploy cookies in your browser, you can set your browser to reject cookies or to notify you when a Web site tries to put a cookie in your browser software. Rejecting cookies may affect your ability to use of some of the products and/or services at our Web site.

1.4 Web Beacons

Symantec may use Web Beacons - also known as single pixel or clear GIFs - on our Web site to analyze traffic patterns such as the frequency of use of particular parts of the site. The data collected helps us learn what information is of most interest to our customers and what offers our customers would most like to see. If you do not want to assist Symantec in improving its Web site, you can “opt-out” of this Web site analysis by disabling JavaScript on your computer. If you disable JavaScript, some of the features on our Web site will not work.

Symantec may also use web beacons in promotional email messages to determine whether the message was opened and acted on. We may use this information on email response to develop future promotions you may enjoy. Except for the email address you have previously provided, the information we collect does not identify you. To modify your privacy options, visit https://www-secure.symantec.com/custserv/cgi-bin/cs_privacy_dyn.cgi.

Symantec also uses third party scripts on our site to optimize the effectiveness of Symantec's ads appearing on other parties' sites. The information collected is not personally identifiable and is limited to the minimum information necessary to optimize effectiveness.

1.5 Web Site Traffic

Through our various tracking methods discussed above, we may track domain names, IP addresses, and browser types from people who visit our site. We use this information to track aggregate traffic patterns throughout Symantec’s Web site. Such information is not correlated with any personal information.

1.6 Links to Business Partner and Co-branded Sites

At the Symantec Web site, there are a number of links to companies with whom we have a relationship. Symantec is not responsible for the privacy practices of our business partners. We encourage you to read their privacy statements, as they may differ from ours.

We also link to co-branded Web sites that are maintained by Symantec and one or more of our business partners. An example of a co-branded site is the Symantec Store. When you submit information to one of our co-branded sites you may be submitting it to both Symantec and our business partners and the privacy policies of these co-branded sites may differ from this privacy policy. We encourage you to read the privacy policies on any co-branded site to which you link for information on the privacy practices of that site.

1.7 Other Privacy Considerations

Please remember that information you submit in a discussion group or forum, like "Ask Symantec", will be deemed public information and is not confidential. There is a risk in such communication venues that information can be collected and used by others. Please be careful and responsible when you are online.

1.8 Policy Changes

In the event there is a major change to Symantec's privacy practices, a prominent notice will be posted on our Web site. If the change involves the use of your personally identifiable information, the notice will contain instructions on how you can opt-out of such use.