SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip is committed to protecting your privacy and developing technology that gives you the most powerful and safe online experience. This Statement of Privacy applies to the SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip Web site and governs data collection and usage. This Privacy Policy also explains how we collect, use, and share information when you opt in to receive SMS messages from us. By using the SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip website, or opting in to receive SMS messages from SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip, you consent to the data practices described in this statement

Collection of your Personal Information

SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip collects personally identifiable information, such as your e-mail address, name, home or work address or telephone number. SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip also collects anonymous demographic information, which is not unique to you, such as your ZIP code, age, gender, preferences, interests and favorites.

When you opt in to receive SMS messages from SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip, SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip collects your telephone number and your consent to send SMS messages. You may opt in to text message communications by verbally consenting to receive messages when asked, or by messaging us directly and responding with a confirmation ‘YES’ to the opt-in message.

There is also information about your computer hardware and software that is automatically collected by SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip. This information can include: your IP address, browser type, domain names, access times and referring Web site addresses. This information is used by SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip for the operation of the service, to maintain quality of the service, and to provide general statistics regarding use of the SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip Web site.

Please keep in mind that if you directly disclose personally identifiable information or personally sensitive data through SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip public message boards, this information may be collected and used by others. Note: SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip does not read any of your private online communications.

SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip encourages you to review the privacy statements of Web sites you choose to link to from SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip so that you can understand how those Web sites collect, use and share your information. SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip is not responsible for the privacy statements or other content on Web sites outside of the SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip and SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip family of Web sites.

Use of your Personal Information

SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip collects and uses your personal information to operate the SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip Web site and deliver the services you have requested. SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip also uses your personally identifiable information to inform you of other products or services available from SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip and its affiliates. SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip may also contact you via surveys to conduct research about your opinion of current services or of potential new services that may be offered.

When you opt in to receive SMS messages from SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip, SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip will use your personal information to send you the SMS messages you’ve consented to receive, to provide customer support, and to schedule appointments. The Chip, Inc. does not share your phone number or SMS opt-in information with third parties for marketing purposes.

SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip does not sell, rent or lease its customer lists to third parties. SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip may, from time to time, contact you on behalf of external business partners about a particular offering that may be of interest to you. In those cases, your unique personally identifiable information (e-mail, name, address, telephone number) is not transferred to the third party. In addition, SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip may share data with trusted partners to help us perform statistical analysis, send you email or postal mail, provide customer support, or arrange for deliveries. All such third parties are prohibited from using your personal information except to provide these services to SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip, and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information.

SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip does not use or disclose sensitive personal information, such as race, religion, or political affiliations, without your explicit consent.

SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip keeps track of the Web sites and pages our customers visit within SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip, in order to determine what SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip services are the most popular. This data is used to deliver customized content and advertising within SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip to customers whose behavior indicates that they are interested in a particular subject area.

SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip Web sites will disclose your personal information, without notice, only if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip or the site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip; and, (c) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip, or the public.

Use of Cookies

The SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip Web site use "cookies" to help you personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a Web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. The purpose of a cookie is to tell the Web server that you have returned to a specific page. For example, if you personalize SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip pages, or register with SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip site or services, a cookie helps SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip to recall your specific information on subsequent visits. This simplifies the process of recording your personal information, such as billing addresses, shipping addresses, and so on. When you return to the same SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip Web site, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use the SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip features that you customized.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip services or Web sites you visit.

Security of your Personal Information

SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip secures your personal information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip secures the personally identifiable information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. When personal information (such as a credit card number) is transmitted to other Web sites, it is protected through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.

Your Rights

You can opt out of receiving SMS messages at any time by replying with “STOP” to any message we send you.

Changes to this Statement

SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip will occasionally update this Statement of Privacy to reflect company and customer feedback. SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip encourages you to periodically review this Statement to be informed of how SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip is protecting your information.

Contact Information

SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip welcomes your comments regarding this Statement of Privacy. If you believe that SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip has not adhered to this Statement, please contact SoCal Tech Answers, Inc. dba The Chip at egordillo@thechip.com. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly determine and remedy the problem.