kikin

Summary

The kikin plug-in works by recording your browsing history, including your search results pages. While kikin never looks at terms you enter into a website, we look at the URL structure to identify terms that interest you so that we may serve relevant content to you. This data is stored on your computer, and from time to time, the kikin plug-in will send truncated version of the URLs from your browsing history to our servers so that we can categorize the sites you visit. This information is deleted after categorization. Please read our privacy policy in full.

Website and Plug-in

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through the kikin.com website, kikin powered widgets, and through the kikin plug-in. It does not apply to information collected by kikin in any other way or to information collected separately by kikin’s content, commerce and service providers and/or kikin’s distributors.

The kikin.com website, kikin powered widgets (e.g. content that kikin displays on other pages), and the kikin plug-in are each designed to minimize collection of personally identifiable information that can be directly associated with the website visitor or the user. kikin considers consumer and individual privacy to be paramount, while still providing you the user with an enhanced internet experience.

For personal information of employees and users that kikin receives from the European Economic Area, kikin has committed to handling such personal information in accordance with the Safe Harbor Principles and the 15 FAQs. kikin’s Safe Harbor certification can be found at http://web.ita.doc.gov/safeharbor/shlist.nsf/webPages/safe+harbor+list. For more information about the Safe Harbor Principles, please visit the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Website at http://export.gov/safeharbor/.

There are two means by which kikin collects and uses information. These are through you visiting the kikin.com website and through your download, installation, and use of the kikin plug-in.

COOKIES

The kikin.com website and kikin powered widgets use cookies. A cookie is a small text file that contains a string of alphanumeric characters. There are two types of cookies that may be used at the kikin.com website: a persistent cookie and a session cookie. A persistent cookie is entered by your Web browser into the Cookies folder on your computer and remains in this Cookies folder after you close your browser. Persistent cookies may be used by your browser on subsequent visits to the site. A session cookie is entered by your Web browser into the Cookies folder on your computer and disappears after you close your browser or shut off your computer. The kikin.com website and kikin powered widgets may also use Web beacons (also called clear GIFs or pixel tags) in conjunction with cookies. Web beacons are small strings of software that are placed in a Web page.

If you have arrived at this website by clicking on a banner ad at another website for one of kikin’s or its partners’ products or services, a session cookie may be used. This cookie will contain an identification number for the ad that you clicked on, or will contain an identification number for the site that you were visiting when you clicked on the banner ad. This session cookie helps kikin determine which of its ads attracts the most viewers. If, after you arrive at kikin’s site, you choose to request further information from kikin about its products and services, the personal information that you provide in that request will be linked to the information in the session cookie. This also helps kikin measure the effectiveness of its advertising. This linking will not be used to target future advertisements to you or to send you emails about future goods and services. You will receive emails about kikin’s products only if you explicitly make such a request on the product request page. Because this is a session cookie, it will disappear once you have closed your browser. If you return to kikin’s site via another one of kikin’s ads, you will appear as a new visitor unless and until you provide further personal information.

The kikin.com website and kikin plug-in may use persistent cookies, Web beacons and information collected in kikin’s log files (such as Internet Protocol addresses, referring URLs, etc.) about your activity at this site to better understand how the website and the plug-in is used, to resolve technical problems, and to enhance your experience at this site.

PLUG-IN ID AND PREFERENCES

kikin’s plug-in collects and uses certain information in order to perform its functions. When you download and install kikin’s plug-in, kikin assigns a unique identifier to that instance of the plug-in. Part of this identifier indicates the source of the download so that kikin may fulfill its contractual obligations with distributors of its plug-in. The remainder of the identifier is essentially a random number that facilitates communication between your browser and kikin’s servers. This unique identifier is not associated with you personally but rather with your browser. Installing and using the kikin plug-in does not require you to register or provide any information that can be directly associated with you, such as name, address or email.

When you install and configure kikin’s plug-in, you are presented with a series of choices, which you may access and modify at any time. These choices may include the automatic detection of the websites you visit most frequently. kikin presents these choices to you so that it can improve your results from the plug-in by expanding its partner relationships.

IP ADDRESSES, BROWSING HISTORY & SEARCH QUERIES

Because kikin respects your privacy, kikin’s plug-in will record only a portion of your IP address. This is so that kikin can generally understand the geographic properties of the IP address, while providing you with the protection of not keeping the entire IP address. kikin’s plug-in will also record, as its primary function, 1) the search queries that you enter into your browser’s search box or on your preferred search provider’s webpage, 2) URLs of web pages that you visit and keywords present on those web pages.  kikin’s plug-in will forward a copy of each search query, URL, or keyword to kikin’s computer servers where it will compare this data against content available from its content partners. kikin maintains a record of each search query, URL, or keyword and the associated partial IP address, time stamp, and plug-in identifier, so that kikin may improve the quality of its service and manage its contractual commitments with its partners.  The kikin plug-in does not record any data that a user may enter into a data field on a web page.  While the plug-in will retain your browsing history if you configure it to do so, this data is stored only on your computer. On a regular basis, the kikin plug-in will send a truncated version of the URLs from your browsing history. For example, if you view a video on YouTube the kikin plug-in would send to our server only www.youtube.com and not the full URL. kikin uses this truncated URL to categorize the particular sites you visit, such as ‘news,’ ‘sports’ or ‘entertainment.’ kikin then immediately deletes the truncated URL from our server. kikin’s computer servers are located in different countries around the world and records of search queries, URLs, keywords and related data may be shared among different servers to improve the quality and speed of the kikin service.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The kikin.com website will collect personally identifiable information about you only when you submit comments or questions using the “Contact Us” form on the website. Information you submit via the Contact Us form, like the search query data, may be transferred to kikin resources in another country in order to respond to your comment or question. Please be aware that, if you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), information you submit via the Contact Us form may be transferred to a country that does not have similar levels of data protection.

DATA RETENTION

kikin will not retain information for any longer than appropriate and will delete data from our server log files after a six month period. Specifically, if kikin’s plug-in is uninstalled from your computer, the aforementioned functionality will no longer be provided and no information collection will occur thereafter. If you un-install the plug-in, the un-installation process will include communication to our server that your plug-in has been removed. You may request to have any information associated with your plug-in removed from our system. You must make this request before un-installing the plug-in so that kikin will be able to ascertain the plug-in identifier and then delete the appropriate files. Your request must be sent to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

INFORMATION SHARING OR DISCLOSURE

In the event that kikin contracts with a third party to provide some part of the information or service that you have requested, kikin may provide your information to such third party, or such third party may collect information from you on its behalf. By written agreement, these third parties are required to implement similar security measures and to process your information only as authorized by kikin to fulfill the service(s) that they have been contracted to provide to kikin. Other than these entities, which are contracted to act on kikin’s behalf, information you provide at this site will not be transferred to any unrelated third parties, unless required by another service AND kikin will have obtained your permission to do so. However, please note that personal information provided to this site may be subject to disclosure pursuant to regulatory requirements and/or judicial or other government subpoenas, warrants or orders.

When you visit our web site or use the kikin plug-in you may see advertising separate from the search query, URL or keyword responses. kikin uses third-party advertising companies and advertising networks to serve ads to you on our behalf. These companies may use information kikin has provided them about your visits to kikin.com and other websites in order to provide advertisements about products and services that might be of interest to you. None of the information that kikin provides these companies identifies you specifically. If the advertising company is responsible for delivering the ad to your browser, then the kikin plug-in will provide your full IP address to the advertising company to do so. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, please contact kikin at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

If you link a third party application to the kikin plug-in, kikin may cache information provided by the third party, including personally identifiable information. Any data cached from a third party application remains on our servers if the user has authorized kikin to routinely update the data from the application. kikin seeks updates no less than every 24 hours. If the user is not active on kikin after 30 days, the cached data is deleted. The user's cached data is also deleted within 24 hours if the user disconnects the third party application from kikin. Please read the third party’s privacy policy prior to consenting for more information on the types of information that will be shared. This cached information will be accessed by the kikin client, which resides on the user’s computer or mobile device. If any of your personal information is collected in the cache process, kikin will protect and manage that data in compliance with applicable law and any requirements imposed by the third party whose application you have linked to your instance of the kikin plug-in.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY

kikin has implemented reasonable security measures in order to protect both personal and non-personal information from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration or destruction. However, kikin cannot guarantee that any information will never be disclosed in a manner inconsistent with this Privacy Policy (for example, as a result of unauthorized acts by third parties that violate applicable law or the policies of kikin and kikin’s content providers). kikin’s employees are made aware of and are accountable for compliance with these procedures.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR PARENTS

kikin’s plug-in, webpage and services are intended for a general audience and is neither intended for nor directed to children under the age of 13.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

kikin may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, and so you should review this Privacy Policy periodically. If kikin’s information practices change, kikin will indicate so on kikin.com.

Your California Privacy Rights: California privacy law allows California residents to obtain specific disclosures about a business’s privacy practices if it shares information with other companies for direct marketing purposes. To make such a request of kikin under California’s privacy law, please send an email to: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

CHANGES IN CORPORATE STRUCTURE

If all or part of kikin is sold, merged or otherwise transferred to another entity, the information that you have provided at this site may be transferred as part of that transaction. However, kikin will take reasonable steps to assure that such information is used in a manner consistent with kikin’s Privacy Policy under which such information was collected.

CONTACT US

The kikin service is designed to minimize the collection and storage of personally identifiable information, however you have the right to request a copy of any information that kikin may have about you and to have any inaccuracies corrected. You will need to provide kikin with the unique identifier associated with your kikin plug-in before kikin will be able to identify data relating to you. kikin may charge a reasonable fee for information requests, and kikin reserves the right to request such evidence as kikin considers reasonably necessary in the circumstances to prove your identity. kikin will use reasonable efforts to supply, correct or delete any information about you that kikin may have.

If you have any questions or concerns about kikin’s Privacy Policy or its implementation, you may contact kikin directly at: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Effective Date:

September 23, 2009