Effective Date: May 25, 2018
This policy explains what information we collect when you use Sprout’s sites, services, mobile applications, products, and content (“Services”). It also has information about how we store, use, transfer, and delete that information. Our aim is not just to comply with privacy law. It’s to earn your trust.
The tracking we do at Sprout is to make our product work as well as possible.
In order to give you the best possible experience using Sprout, we collect information from your interactions with our network. Some of this information, you actively tell us (such as your email address, which we use to track your account or communicate with you). Other information, we collect based on actions you take while using Sprout, such as what pages you access and your interactions with our product features (like saves and follows). This information includes records of those interactions, your Internet Protocol address, information about your device (such as device or browser type), and referral information.
We use this information to:
When you create your Sprout account, and authenticate with a third-party service (like Twitter, Facebook or Google) we may collect, store, and periodically update information associated with that third-party account, such as your lists of friends or followers. We will never publish through your third-party account without your permission.
We may share your account information with third parties in some circumstances, including: (1) with your consent; (2) to a service provider or partner who meets our data protection standards; (3) with academic or non-profit researchers, with aggregation, anonymization, or pseudonomization; (4) when we have a good faith belief it is required by law, such as pursuant to a subpoena or other legal process; (5) when we have a good faith belief that doing so will help prevent imminent harm to someone.
If we are going to share your information in response to legal process, we’ll give you notice so you can challenge it (for example by seeking court intervention), unless we’re prohibited by law or believe doing so may endanger others. We will object to requests for information about users of our services that we believe are improper.
Sprout uses third-party vendors and hosting partners, such as Amazon, for hardware, software, networking, storage, and related technology we need to run Sprout. We maintain two types of logs: server logs and event logs. By using Sprout Services, you authorize Sprout to transfer, store, and use your information in the United States and any other country where we operate.
Some of the content that you see displayed on Sprout is not hosted by Sprout. These “embeds” are hosted by a third-party and embedded in Sprout. For example: YouTube or Vimeo videos, Imgur or Giphy gifs, SoundCloud audio files, Twitter tweets, GitHub code, or Scribd documents that appear within a Sprout leaf. These files send data to the hosted site just as if you were visiting that site directly (for example, when you load a Sprout leaf page with a YouTube video embedded in it, YouTube receives data about your activity). Sprout does not control what data third parties collect in cases like this, or what they will do with it. So, third-party embeds on Sprout are not covered by this privacy policy. They are covered by the privacy policy of the third-party service.
Some embeds may ask you for personal information, such as your email address, through a form. We do our best to keep bad actors off of Sprout. However, if you choose to submit your information to a third party this way, we don’t know what they may do with it. As explained above, their actions are not covered by this Privacy Policy. So, please be careful when you see embedded forms on Sprout asking for your email address or any other personal information. Make sure you understand who you are submitting your information to and what they say they plan to do with it. We suggest that you do not submit personal information to any third-party through an embedded form.
If you embed a form that allows submission of personal information by users, you must provide near the embedded form a prominent link to an applicable Privacy Policy that clearly states how to you intend to use any information collected. Failure to do so may lead Sprout to disable the leaf or take other action to limit or disable your account.
We use browser cookies and similar technologies to recognize you when you return to our Services. We use them in various ways, for example to log you in, remember your preferences, evaluate email effectiveness, allow our paywall and meter to function, and personalize content and other information.
Sprout doesn’t track you across the Internet. We track only your interactions within the Sprout network (which encompasses sprout.io and custom domains hosted by Sprout).
Some third-party services that we use to provide the Sprout Service, such as Google Analytics, may place their own cookies in your browser. This Privacy Policy covers use of cookies by Sprout only and not the use of cookies by third parties.
If you have a Sprout account, you can access, modify, or delete your account here.
To protect information from accidental or malicious destruction, we may maintain residual copies for a brief time period. But, if you delete your account, your information and content will be unrecoverable after that time. Sprout may preserve and maintain copies of your information when required to do so by law.
We use encryption (HTTPS/TLS) to protect data transmitted to and from our site. However, no data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, so we can’t guarantee security. You use the Service at your own risk, and you’re responsible for taking reasonable measures to secure your account.
If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, reorganization or sale of assets such that your information would be transferred or become subject to a different privacy policy, we’ll notify you in advance so you can opt out of any such new policy by deleting your account before transfer.
Sometimes we’ll send you emails about your account, service changes or new policies. You can’t opt out of this type of “transactional” email (unless you delete your account). But, you can opt out of non-administrative emails such as digests, newsletters, and activity notifications through your account’s “Settings” page.
When your interact with an email sent from Sprout (such as opening an email or clicking on a particular link in an email), we may receive information about that interaction. We won’t email you to ask for your password or other account information. If you receive such an email, please send it to us so we can investigate.
Sprout may periodically update this Policy. We’ll notify you about significant changes to it. The most current version of the policy will always be here.
We welcome feedback about this policy at [email protected].
Sprout collects and stores personal information about its users to customize their reading experience and enable personalized distribution of content. It shares minimal data with its service providers.
In order to provide the services, Sprout collects and stores personal data about its users on the legal basis of consent given when you create an account and agree to the Privacy Policy.
Sprout also pursues its legitimate interests by collecting minimal data of logged out users to provide the services, as outlined above.
Where Sprout collects and stores personal data about non-users, it does so under performance of contract obligations with users who use the services to publish content on web sites hosted by Sprout. In such cases, users authoring such content containing personal data of third parties are responsible for that content. Sprout will consider related complaints in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation’s rights of the data subject, as well as rights of expression and access to information.
Logged-in users may choose to interact publicly with the Sprout Services in the form of saving a link, following other user accounts, sharing links on connected social media accounts, or writing original posts. Where such personal data may reveal special category protected data, it is processed on the basis that it is manifestly made public by the user. Additional information on potential consequences of such processing can be found below. If you do not agree to this public usage, do not create an account or use these features of Sprout Services.
Logged out users
Logged in users:
Members:
Sprout shares minimal personal data with third-party processors in order to provide the Services. These processors offer at least the same level of data protection as that set out in this statement. This includes the following categories of recipients:
Search engines will index user profiles, public interactions, and any user-generated content. Users may also share links to your content on social media.
Sprout provides Services in conjunction with several payment processors, including: Stripe, Paypal, Google Play, and Apple Pay, through which users may pay for Sprout memberships or receive payment based on participation in our Partner program. Those companies acting as payment processors may collect and store personal data related to your billing information and history in order to provide their services, and may collect and store personal data and business data to prevent fraud and other abuse.
When you delete your Sprout account, Sprout deletes your personal data as outlined in this document. However, to delete your payment or billing information, you will need to do so with your payment provider, as Sprout only has minimal secure access to those records as needed to provide the services.
Sprout leaves may contain third-party embeds, which may in some cases collect and store personal data. The use of personal data by embedded content providers is not covered by this statement, but by the privacy policies of those sites or services.
Sprout collects and stores personal data about its users to customize experience. This includes automated decision-making to promote content tailored to the preferences and interests indicated by the user, and to their browsing history and network interactions.
Sprout also filters content for the purposes of fighting and preventing spam, fraud, and other forms of abuse.
By creating an account on Sprout, users may make certain personal data about themselves public and accessible to others on their profile and through network interactions. This may in some cases constitute special category protected data which is considered manifestly made public by the user.
Due to the public nature of information posted to Sprout, it may be possible for third parties to derive identifying personal data from leaves, whether by reading, inference, supplemental research, or automated extraction and analysis.
Users are free to use their real name and information, or a pseudonym of their choosing, for their account. Users may also choose to use the service without posting data or engaging in network interactions. However, if you do not agree with and accept the risks of such usage, you may not use the services.
Sprout is hosted in the United States. By using Sprout Services, you authorize Sprout to transfer, store, and use your information in the United States and any other country where we operate. Where your data is disclosed to our processors, it is subject by contract to at least the same level of data protection as that set out in this statement.
Sprout retains personal data associated with your account for the lifetime of your account. If you would like to delete your personal information, you can delete your account at any time. Deleted account profile pages will yield an error 404 “file not found” page, immediately upon initiating deletion, and will become unrecoverable in our system. It may take several additional days for your personal data to be de-indexed from search engines, depending on those search engines’ practices, over which Sprout may have limited or no control.
To delete your payment or billing information, you will need to do so with your payment provider, as Sprout only has minimal secure access to those records as needed to provide the services.
Sprout, LLC 2412 W North Ave #201 Chicago, IL 60647
Representative: Head of Legal — [email protected]