This site is produced by Lebhar-Friedman, Inc. (LF) This policy applies to all sites produced by Lebhar-Friedman, Inc. This policy does not cover information collected on sites linked to/from LF sites.

LF sites are committed to bringing you information tailored to your individual needs and, at the same time, to protecting your privacy. The following is a summary of the various ways we treat the information you provide us while accessing our sites:

1. What information does LF gather/track about you?

LF only collects personally identifying information with your specific knowledge and consent. For instance, when you register for our services, complete a survey or subscribe to our publications, you are asked to provide information such as your e-mail address, name, or phone number. Optional information such as your age or gender may also be requested.

LF uses this information to provide you with the service you have requested. For example, if you subscribe to one of our magazines, we will use your e-mail address to send you a confirmation notice and your mailing address to send you your publication. We may also use the information to communicate with you about new features, products or services, or to improve the services that we offer by tailoring them to your needs.

LF also logs IP addresses (the location of your computer on the Internet) for systems administration and troubleshooting purposes. We do not link IP addresses to anything personally identifiable.

2. What does LF do internally with the information it gathers/tracks?

LF may perform statistical analyses of user behavior in order to measure relative user interest in the various areas of our site (for product development purposes) and to inform advertisers as to how many consumers have seen or "clicked" their advertising banners. In performance of these statistical analyses, we will disclose information to third parties in aggregate form.

Using the e-mail addresses provided at registration, Chain Store Age periodically sends promotional e-mail to its registered users about services offered by LF and its advertisers. A user can indicate on the registration form that he or she does not wish to receive e-mail information from LF or its advertisers.

3. With whom does LFe share the information it gathers/tracks?

LF does not sell any of our users' personal information. We may, however, share information with carefully selected companies who we think can offer services and products of interest to you. If you do not wish to have your information shared with these companies, write to us at webmaster@lf.com.

Although we will not sell your information, we cannot ensure, however, that your personal information will not be disclosed to third parities. By way of example, without limiting the foregoing, we may be forced to disclose information to the government under certain circumstances, or third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications, or might disclose your information to other sites as part of offering additional functionality to you. Additionally, we can (and you authorize us to) disclose your personal information to private entities, law enforcement or other government officials as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate. Therefore, we do not promise that your personal information will remain private.

4. Is LF responsible for the content or the privacy policies of Web sites to which it may link?

No, those sites are responsible for maintaining their own privacy policy.

5. What is a cookie?

A "cookie" is a small piece of information that a Web site can store in a designated file on your computer. It can be used, among other things, to identify you when you log in to a Web site. When you visit a site, that site can access only the information which it stored in your cookie -- not information put in your cookie by other sites.

Our cookies do not contain any information that is, in itself, personally identifying.

Some of our advertisers occasionally serve you cookies as well. We do not have control over cookies placed by advertisers.

If you don't want cookies, your Web browser likely includes an option that allows you not to accept them. We don't recommend using this option, though; it makes browsing our site a less enjoyable experience. For instance, when you turn off your cookie option, you may have to enter information every time you visit the site, or a page may no longer be customized to your specifications.

6. Will I receive unsolicited e-mail if I accept your cookies?

No. Acceptance of cookies on our Web site does not result in your receiving any additional e-mail from us or from our advertisers. As noted in the above answer 2, when you registered, you chose whether to receive promotional e-mail from Chain Store Age or from our advertisers.

7. How is my information kept secure?

We use industry-standard efforts to safeguard the confidentiality of your personal information, such as firewalls, secure sockets layer, and password protection, where appropriate. However, "perfect security" does not exist on the Internet.

MINORS: LF sites are not intended for use by children, especially those under age 13. No one under age 13 is allowed to provide any personal information or use our public discussion areas, forums, or chatrooms. Minors under the age of 18 are prohibited from making purchases, including subscriptions, on our sites.

If your children disclose information about themselves in our public discussion areas, they may get unsolicited messages from other parties. Accordingly, you should tell them not to do so.

This Privacy Policy may be modified from time to time; notice of changes will appear on this page, so check back often. Any such changes will be prospective, never retroactive.

If you have concerns or questions about any aspect of this policy, please e-mail our Privacy Policy Coordinator at webmaster@lf.com. We welcome your feedback.

Revised July 17, 2000