This privacy policy applies to the Steeler's website located at www.steelers.com (the "Website") as well as to those providing personal information to the Pittsburgh Steelers (collectively, the "Steelers", "we", "our", or "us") in person at games, at retail locations operated by the Steelers, at special events hosted by the Steelers or on social media sites or on the Steelers Online Store merchandise site (http://shop.steelers.com/). The purpose of this privacy policy is to disclose to you what information we may collect, how we may collect it, with whom we may share it, and certain other matters related to such information, including the choices you have regarding our collection of information and our use and disclosure to other parties of information we may have collected from you.
LAST UPDATED: September 23, 2013
The Pittsburgh Steelers has been awarded TRUSTe's Privacy Seal signifying that this privacy policy and practices have been reviewed by TRUSTe for compliance with TRUSTe's program requirements including transparency, accountability and choice regarding the collection and use of your personal information. The TRUSTe program covers the site www.steelers.com. TRUSTe's mission, as an independent third party, is to accelerate online trust among consumers and organizations globally through its leading privacy trustmark and innovative trust solutions.
If you have questions or concerns regarding this statement, you should first contact Webmaster at feedback@fans.steelers.com. If you are not satisfied with our response you can contact TRUSTe here.
The TRUSTe program covers only information that is collected through this Web site, and does not cover information that may be collected through software downloaded from this site.
When this privacy policy uses the term "personally identifiable information" or "personal information," we mean information that identifies a particular individual, such as your full name, street address or email address. When other information, such as a favorite team or player, is associated with personal information, it also becomes personally identifiable information for the purposes of this privacy policy.
Please read the information below to learn more about our data collection policies and practices.
- Types Of Information That May Be Collected
- How Information May Be Collected
- How We Use The Information Collected
- With Whom The Information May Be Shared
- Security
- Chat Rooms, Forums, And Message Boards
- Links To Other Websites
- A Special Note For Parents Concerning Privacy
- Notification Of Changes And Your Acceptance Of The Privacy Policy
- Correcting/Updating Personal Information
- Your California Privacy Rights
- Questions About This Privacy Policy
Types Of Information That May Be Collected
The following are the types of information we may collect:
Information You Provide Us:
In the course of using the website, we may ask you to provide us with certain information, including contact information, such as your name, mailing address, email address, phone number; unique identifiers, such as your username, user password; demographic information, such as your age, gender, education, or ticket holder status; financial information, such as your credit card number or similar information.
Site Usage Information:
We may receive and store certain types of internet usage information whenever you visit the Website, such as your IP address. See "IP Addresses and Click Stream Data" section below.
Email Communications:
When you open emails from us, we may receive a confirmation noting you opened the email, if your computer supports such capabilities. We also may keep track of what emails we send you and what emails you may be receiving from our subsidiaries and affiliates. Additionally, we keep a record of what communications you have opted to receive or not to receive.
Preferences:
On our email sign up page (http://team.nfl.com/p/Steelers/PreferencePage), we ask for preferences, such as favorite player and information you would like to hear about.
How Information May Be Collected
We may collect information from you in several different areas on the Website, including but not limited to those described below:
Registration:
You may be asked to complete a registration form and provide personally identifiable information; you may also be asked to choose a user ID and password in order to take advantage of certain features the Website may choose to offer, such as newsletters or contests. Participation in registration is voluntary and you will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to disclose information to the Website.
Steelers Email Alerts:
We offer free Steelers alerts via email to share information with you about the Website, team news, team events, special offers, merchandise, our affiliates and subsidiaries, or about our marketing partners and advertisers and sponsors. Participation is voluntary and you will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to disclose information to the Website. You may also cancel your free email subscription by following the opt out instructions provided at the bottom of any Steelers email.
Contests or Sweepstakes:
We periodically operate contests and sweepstakes through the Website that may require registration or the submission of personal information. Participation is voluntary and you will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to disclose information to the Website. Your personally identifiable information may be used to contact you for winner notification, prize delivery confirmation or other related purposes, (see the rules of each contest for details about how your personal information will be used). We may also ask your permission to allow us to publicly post some of your information on the Website, such as on a winner's page, in the event you win a contest or sweepstakes. Except as required by applicable law, we will not post your information without your permission. In some instances, a third party advertiser or sponsor may operate or host a contest or sweepstakes on the Website, and collect your information. In those cases, where we are not the operator or host of the contest or sweepstakes, we do not collect your information and we have no control over the information collected from you. Accordingly, we urge you to review the advertiser's or sponsor's privacy policy applicable to the contest or sweepstakes before participating.
Surveys or Voting:
Participation is voluntary and results are anonymous. You will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to disclose information to the Website.
Cookies:
As with many Websites, our Website uses a technology called "cookies." A cookie is a unique, random number that is stored in the browser on your computer. The cookie doesn't actually identify you, just the computer that is used to visit the site. Cookies automatically identify your browser to the Website whenever your computer is used to visit the Website. Cookies also let us know how many people visit our website and where visitors go on the site. In addition, cookies can let us know non-personally identifiable information, like what web browser is being used to access the website. For registered users, cookies can make using the Website easier for you by saving information such as your passwords or preferences. By tracking how and when you use the Website, cookies help us determine which areas are popular and which are not. Many improvements and updates to the Website are based on data obtained from cookies. Accepting cookies allows you, among other things, to personalize your experience on the Website. Cookies may also allow the Website to present to you advertising which may be of interest to you. If you do not want information collected through the use of cookies, your browser should contain an option that allows you to disable or delete cookie data at any time. Some areas of the Website, however, may not provide you with a personalized experience if you have disabled the use of cookies. These cookies are tied to your personal information.
Web Beacons:
We employ or our third party advertising partner employs a software technology called clear gifs (a.k.a. Web Beacons/Web Bugs), that help us better manage content on our site by informing us what content is effective. Clear gifs are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, and are used to track the online movements of Web users. In contrast to cookies, which are stored on a user’s computer hard drive, clear gifs are embedded invisibly on Web pages and are about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. We do not tie the information gathered by clear gifs to our customers' personally identifiable information.
IP Addresses and Click-Stream Data:
We may collect IP addresses and/or click-stream data. An IP address is a number associated with the service through which you access the Internet, like your ISP (Internet service provider), your company, or your university. Standing alone, your IP address is not personally identifiable. At times, we also use IP addresses for purposes of system administration and to report aggregate information to our advertisers and sponsors, for example regarding the frequency with which our guests visit various parts of our sites. We may combine this information with personally identifiable information. Click-stream data is information collected by our computers when you request Web pages from the Website. Click-stream data may include such information as the page served, the time, the source of the request, the type of browser making the request, the preceding page view and other such non-personal information. When analyzed, this data helps us analyze how visitors arrive at the Website, what type of content is most popular, what type of visitors in the aggregate are interested in particular kinds of content and advertising, and the like.
Transaction Information:
If you conduct a financial transaction with our Website, such as a purchase from our Online Merchandise Store, or signup for Team Pass we will ask you to complete an order form that will request certain information from you, including contact information, demographic information and financial information. We will use this information to complete the transaction that you have requested, i.e., to deliver the information, products or other services that you order, and to invoice you. For your protection, such information is collected and stored through encrypted means.
Paper Forms:
If you provide us with personal information on paper registration forms that information is included in our data base and its use also is subject to this privacy policy.
Information Gathered on Game Days and at Events:
We collect information at events like Steelers Training Camp and around Heinz Field on game days. If you provide us with information in this manner, such information is included in our data base and its use is also subject to this privacy policy.
Sideline Stores:
If we collect information from you at one of our Sideline Stores (either on paper or electronically), such information is included in our data base and its use also is subject to this privacy policy.
Ticket Holders, Etc.:
We collect the email addresses of our Season Ticket Holders, Legends Club members, Suite Holders, Club Seat Holders and those on our ticket waiting list through the Steelers ticket office, both digitally and on paper. Such information is included in our data base and its use also is subject to this privacy policy.
How We Use The Information Collected
As applicable, the information you provide to us may be used to:
- contact you about the Website;
- contact you about other websites operated by or on behalf of the Steelers and/or the NFL;
- contact you relating to your membership status;
- confirm or fulfill an order you have made;
- inform you of a prize you have won;
- monitor or improve the use of the Website;
- customize the advertising and content you see;
- monitor compliance with our terms and conditions of use of the Website; and
- send you promotional material or special offers on behalf of our marketing partners and/or their respective affiliates and subsidiaries and other third parties.
With Whom The Information May Be Shared
At times, we may share your personal information with others for various purposes. The following outlines the ways in which your information may be shared with others and the ways in which you may opt-out of having your information shared:
Agents:
We employ other businesses, certain services and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. Examples include fulfilling orders, handling ticket sales, sending e-mail, removing repetitive information from customer lists, Website analysis, analyzing data, providing marketing assistance, processing credit card payments, and providing customer service. They may have access to personally identifiable information needed to perform their functions, but may not use it for their own purposes, like sending you marketing offers about their products.
For use of the "Free Steelers Email," your information will be disclosed to Load.com. and all privacy policies within that page apply to all pages for that function. Same is also true when purchasing a print from "PrintRoom.com," all activities on these pages are subject to the privacy policy of each individual site. Please be aware that some of these websites may display the Steelers logos or have the look and feel of www.steelers.com.
Aggregate Information:
We may share aggregate information, such as demographics and Website usage statistics, with advertisers, sponsors or other organizations. When this type of information is shared, the other parties do not have access to your personally identifiable information.
Other Promotional Offers:
We may send offers to you on behalf of our marketing partners. When we do this, we do not give that partner your name and address. If you do not want to receive such offers, you may change your preferences by logging into your account.
Business Transfers:
In the event that all or substantially all of our assets are sold or transferred to another party, or another transaction occurs in which your personally identifiable information is one of the business assets transferred, all personally identifiable information that has been collected and saved may be one of the business assets we transfer. See "Your Acceptance of the Privacy Policy and Notification of Changes to the Policy" section below.
Administrative or Legal Process:
Your personal information may be transferred to third parties without notice to you in order to comply with applicable law, law enforcement agencies, to protect our rights, or protect the rights of other users of this website.
Chat Rooms, Forums, And Message Boards
The Website may make chat rooms, forums and message boards available to its users. You are not required to provide any personal information when using these areas but you may choose to do so. If you post personal information online, it will be publicly available and you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties. We cannot ensure the security of any information you choose to make public in a chat room, forum, or message board. Also, we cannot ensure that parties who have access to such publicly available information will respect your privacy. Please exercise caution when deciding to disclose personal information in these areas. To request removal of your personal information from our blog or community forum, contact us at feedback@fans.steelers.com. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your personal information, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.
Social Media (Features)
Our Web site includes Social Media Features, such as the Facebook Like button or interactive mini-programs that run on our site. These Features may collect your IP address, which page you are visiting on our site, and may set a cookie to enable the Feature to function properly. Social Media Features and Widgets are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on our Site. Your interactions with these Features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing it.
Links To Other Websites
You should be aware that when you are on the Website you could be directed to other Websites beyond our control. For example, if you "click" on a banner advertisement, the "click" may take you off the Website onto a different Website. This includes links from advertisers, sponsors and marketing partners that may use the Website's logo as part of a co-branding agreement. These other Websites may send their own cookies to you, independently collect data or solicit personal information and may or may not have their own published privacy policies. If you visit a Website that is linked to our Website, you should consult that Website's privacy policy before providing any personal information.
Security
This Website incorporates reasonable safeguards to protect the security, integrity, completeness, accuracy and privacy of the personal information that we may collect and we have put into place reasonable precautions to protect such information from loss, misuse and alteration. Your personally identifiable information is transferred to our computers utilizing encryption software. Only those employees who need access to your information in order to do their jobs are allowed access. Our security policies are reviewed periodically and revised as required.
A Special Note For Parents Concerning Privacy
The Website is a general audience Website. We do not currently collect any personal information from children under the age of thirteen on the Website. If in the future, we collect personally identifiable information from children, it will do so in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (15 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.) including, without limitation, obtaining necessary parental consent. For more information about the privacy practices for our affiliated children's Website, please consult the privacy policy at the children's Website.
The Internet offers children wonderful educational and entertainment resources. Your guidance and involvement are essential to help ensure that children have a safe and rewarding online experience. We encourage you to visit the Direct Marketing Association's Web Website (www.the-dma.org) and explore the Get Cyber Savvy! Program as well as the GetNetWise Website (www.getnetwise.org) to learn more about parental control tools.
Your Acceptance Of The Privacy Policy And Notification Of Changes To The Policy
By using this Website, you signify your agreement to the terms of our privacy policy. We may amend this privacy policy at any time. If we make a material change to the way in which we collect, use, and/or share your personal information, we will post a notice on our website and / or send an email to users who have provided an email address. We will assume that you have given your permission for your information to be used under the terms of the new privacy policy, if you do not respond to our email within thirty days or continue to use the Website thirty days after a notice is posted. Please note that you should always update your personal information to provide us with a current email address.
Correcting/Updating Personal Information
If your personally identifiable information changes (such as your email address or zip code), or if you no longer desire to access our Website, we will endeavor to provide a way to correct, update or remove the personal data you have provided to us. This can be done by logging into your account at, https://secure.steelers.com/Reg/?securejump=1, or by sending an email to feedback@fans.steelers.com
Data Retention
We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. If you wish to cancel your account or request that we no longer use your information to provide you services contact us at feedback@fans.steelers.com. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
Your California Privacy Rights
A California privacy law that went into effect on January 1, 2005, allows California residents to obtain specific information about a business's privacy practices if it shares information with other companies for those companies' direct marketing purposes.
As explained in this privacy policy, whenever you agree to let us collect personal information about you, we will always provide you with an option to prevent this information from being shared for non-administrative purposes with third parties. You can exercise this option at any time by following the steps outlined above.
Because this website has a comprehensive privacy policy and provides you with details on how you may opt-in / opt-out of the use of your personal information by third parties for direct marketing purposes, we are not required to provide you with this information.
If you are a California resident and have questions about our compliance with this law, please write to us at CA Privacy Rights (Steelers.com), 3400 South Water Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Questions About This Privacy Policy
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or the privacy practices of this Website, contact feedback@fans.steelers.com
Questions regarding this statement should be directed to:
3400 South Water Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Attn: Website Privacy Policy
