EUCALYPTUS SYSTEMS, INC.
Thank you for your interest in the website located at www.eucalyptus.com (the "Website") operated and owned by Eucalyptus Systems, Inc. ("Eucalyptus," "we," "our," or "us").
This Privacy Policy, effective April 30, 2009, describes how personal information that we receive or collect is processed, disclosed and used. By using the Website, you acknowledge your consent to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms, please do not use the Website.
Information Collected from Website Visitors
Except as described below, Eucalyptus does not collect or require visitors to its Website to furnish personally-identifying information such as names, email addresses, and phone numbers. Like most website operators, Eucalyptus does collect non-personally-identifying information of the sort that web browsers and servers typically make available, such as the browser type, language preference, referring site, and date and time of each visitor request. Eucalyptus also collects potentially-personally-identifying information like Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, which are non-personally-identifying in and of themselves but could be used in conjunction with other information to personally identify users.
Eucalyptus' purpose in collecting this information is to better understand how Eucalyptus' visitors use the Website. Towards that end, Eucalyptus may share potentially-personally-identifying information with its employees, contractors, service providers, and related organizations. Eucalyptus may also release non-personally-identifying information about visitors (e.g., by publishing a report on website usage trends). Otherwise, Eucalyptus will not publicly release potentially-personally-identifying information except under the same circumstances as Eucalyptus releases personally-identifying information. Those circumstances are explained below.
Cookies and Clear GIFs
A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor's computer, and that the visitor's browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns. Most major websites use cookies. Because the browser provides this cookie information to the website at each visit, cookies serve as a sort of label that allows a website to "recognize" a browser when it returns to the site. Clear gifs (also known as "web beacons") are used in combination with cookies to help website operators understand how visitors interact with their websites. A clear gif is typically a transparent graphic image that is placed on a website. The use of a clear gif allows the website to measure the actions of the visitor opening the page that contains the clear gif. It makes it easer to follow and record the activities of a recognized browser, such as the navigational path through the website.
The Website uses cookies to help Eucalyptus identify and track visitors, their usage of the Website, and their website access preferences across multiple requests and visits to the Website. Eucalyptus uses the information provided by cookies and clear gifs to develop a better understanding of how Eucalyptus' visitors use the Website, and to facilitate those visitors' interactions with the Website. The basic idea is to gather aggregate data about how people use the Website.
The term usually used to describe this is "web analytics" and the cookies and clear gifs are the tools by which a website owner collects this web analytics data. Eucalyptus will use the web analytics data only to determine aggregate usage patterns for our website as described above. Eucalyptus may do this by using either its own internal analytics software or by sending this information to a third-party service provider to help Eucalyptus analyze this data. Eucalyptus has agreements with its third-party service providers that they will not share this information with others or use the information for purposes other than to maintain the services they provide to Eucalyptus. It is possible to link cookies and clear gifs to personally-identifying information, thereby permitting website operators, including our third-party analytics providers, to track the online movements of particular individuals. Eucalyptus does not do so and its third-party service providers are not allowed to correlate Eucalyptus data with any other data. Eucalyptus may make the aggregate data obtained from web analytics (including from our third-party analytics providers, if applicable) publicly available. If this data is made available, none of the information will be personally-identifying information or potentially-personally-identifying information.
You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. The Website visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers by Eucalyptus, its contractors, or third-party service providers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before linking to the Website. However, certain features of the Website may not function properly without the aid of cookies.
Eucalyptus Community
Certain members of the Eucalyptus community (contributors, customers, etc.) may elect to interact with Eucalyptus in ways that require Eucalyptus and others to know more about them. The amount and type of information that Eucalyptus gathers from those members depends on the nature of the interaction. For example, members who wish to post content to certain portions of Eucalyptus' websites or participate in live chat session(s) are asked to provide usernames that identify that content as having been posted by a particular member. Developers, by comparison, are asked to provide contact information, up to and sometimes including telephone or fax numbers, so that they can be contacted as necessary. Customers of the Eucalyptus services are asked to provide even more information, including billing addresses and credit card or similar information. In each case, Eucalyptus collects personally-identifying information only insofar as is necessary to fulfill the purpose of the community member's interaction with Eucalyptus.
Eucalyptus is an open organization that believes in sharing as much information as possible about its products, its operations and its associations. Accordingly, community members should assume - as should most folks who interact with Eucalyptus - that any personally-identifying information provided to Eucalyptus will be made available to the public. There are three broad exceptions to that rule:
- Eucalyptus does not publicly release information gathered in connection with commercial transactions (i.e., transactions involving money).
- Eucalyptus does not make publicly available information that is used to authenticate users the publication of which would compromise the security of Eucalyptus' website (e.g., passwords).
- Eucalyptus does not make publicly available information that it specifically promises at the time of collection to maintain in confidence.
Outside those three contexts, users should assume that personally-identifying information provided through Eucalyptus' website will be made available to the public.
Interactive Product Features
Certain Eucalyptus products may contain features that report, or that permit users to report, the user's usage patterns and problems - whether caused by Eucalyptus' software, third-party software, or third-party websites - to Eucalyptus. The reports generated by these features typically include non-personally-identifying information such as the configuration of the user's computer and the code running at the time the problem occurred. Some of these features give users the option of providing personally-identifying information, though none of these features require it. Some Eucalyptus software features that do permit users to provide personally-identifying information advise, in advance, that such information will not be made publicly available. Eucalyptus analyzes the information provided by these interactive product features to develop a better understanding of how its products are performing and being used. It does not use the information to track the usage of its products by identifiable individuals.
Protection of Certain Personally-Identifying Information
Where Eucalyptus has collected personally-identifying information subject to one of the three exceptions described in the Eucalyptus Community section, above, it discloses that information only to those of its employees, contractors, service providers, and related organizations that need to know that information in order to process it on Eucalyptus' behalf and that have agreed not to disclose it to others. Some of those employees, contractors, service providers, and related organizations may be located outside of your home country; by using Eucalyptus' website, you consent to the transfer of your information to them. Eucalyptus does not rent or sell such information to anyone. Other than to its employees, contractors, service providers, and related organizations, as described above, Eucalyptus discloses such information only when required to do so by law, or when Eucalyptus believes in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect the property or rights of Eucalyptus, members of the Eucalyptus community, or the public at large. Eucalyptus takes all measures reasonably necessary to protect against the unauthorized access, use, alteration or destruction of such information.
Updating of Personally-Identifying Information
Eucalyptus permits users to freely update and correct their personally-identifying information as maintained by Eucalyptus. To do so, users should look for links or contact information available on Eucalyptus website the relevant information or contact Eucalyptus by using the email address listed below.
Privacy Policy Changes
Eucalyptus may change its Privacy Policy from time to time. Any and all changes will be reflected on this page. Substantive changes will also be announced through the standard mechanisms through which Eucalyptus communicates with the Eucalyptus community, including Eucalyptus' mailing lists. In the event that we change our Privacy Policy, such changes will affect all of the information we collect after any such change. If you object to the change to our Privacy Policy, then you must contact us in writing regarding your objection. Your continued use of the Website following the posting of changes to this Privacy Policy means you accept these changes.
Third Party Information Gathering
The Website may contain links to other websites and other websites may also reference or link to the Website. If you click on such links, you may be directed to these third party websites. When accessed, such third-party websites may place their own cookies on your computer, collect data, solicit personal information or perform user activity tracking other than that described herein. For more information about each third party content provider, cookies, and how to "opt-out," please refer to such third party privacy policy. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other websites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every third-party website that they visit.
Security
We take seriously the security for all personal and non-personal information associated with our users. However, due to the open communication nature of the Internet, we can not guarantee that communications between you and Eucalytpus, and Eucayptus and you, will be free from unauthorized access by third parties.
Change of Control
In the event that another company acquires all or substantially all of the assets related to the Website, or if we experience some other change of control event such as merger, insolvency, bankruptcy or receivership, we reserve the right to include any or all user-related information among the assets transferred to the acquiring company. We do not guarantee that any entity receiving such information in connection with any of these transactions will comply with all the terms of this policy.
For More Information
If you have questions about this privacy policy, please contact Eucalyptus: privacy@eucalyptus.com.
