Every computer connected to the Internet is given a domain name and a set of numbers that serve as that computer's "Internet Protocol" or IP address. When a visitor requests a page from any website, the web server automatically recognizes that visitor's domain name and IP address. The domain name and IP address reveal no personal information about you other than the IP address from which you have accessed our website. We use this information to examine our traffic, to investigate misuse of the CARS+ website, and/or to cooperate with law enforcement. We do not collect and evaluate this information for specific individuals, nor do our web servers automatically record the e-mail addresses of its visitors.

Occasionally, the CARS+ website may send a "cookie" to your computer. A cookie is a small piece of data that is sent to your Internet browser from a web server and is stored on your computer's hard drive; they are not capable of harming your computer system. A cookie cannot read data from your computer's hard drive or read cookie files created by other websites. We use cookies to identify those areas of the CARS+ website you have visited so that the next time you visit, those pages may be readily accessed. You may choose whether or not to accept cookies by simply changing the settings of your Internet browser. You may reset your browser to refuse all cookies or allow your browser to show you when a cookie is being sent. If you choose to not accept cookies, your experience at our website may be diminished and some features may not work as intended.

CARS+ offers some services that require registration. We may use your registration information to send notification to you of CARS+ products and services by e-mail and/or postal mail.

We may also request your e-mail address or mailing address for the purposes of conducting a survey or to provide additional services (i.e., subscriptions to e-mail newsletters, announcement lists or information about conferences and trade shows). Whenever the identity of a visitor is requested, we will clearly indicate the purpose of the inquiry along with the request. We maintain a strict "No-Spam" policy that means we do not sell, rent or disseminate your e-mail address to any third-party without your consent or as permitted by this Privacy Policy.

We may occasionally send e-mail announcing new CARS+ products and/or services. Per the previously stated exception, CARS+ will not send you e-mail that you have not opted to receive. If you choose to supply your postal address in an online form, you may receive postal mailings from other third party companies or individuals directly employed by CARS+.

When you sign up for a CARS discussion forum, your name or alias is recorded solely for purposes of maintaining your own account within the forums. This information is not used to monitor your activity within a forum, nor is it used to identify you outside the CARS+ website.

When you register for a contest, grant or other promotion, we may request your name, address, e-mail address and additional information for administration and notification purposes.

If you make a purchase on the CARS+ website, your name, e-mail address, mailing address, credit card number and expiration date are requested. This information allows us or our third party providers, to process and fulfill your order and to notify you concerning your order and/or membership status. This information may also be used by CARS+ to further notify you of related products and available services of interest. Credit card and e-mail information will not be shared or sold to third parties for any purpose except as provided in this Privacy Policy without your permission.

Certain pages of the CARS+ website use an industry standard known as SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption. SSL encodes the information transferred between your computer and our web servers rendering it unreadable to anyone who may attempt to intercept the information.

When personal information is collected on the CARS+ website, a link to this Privacy Policy is posted for your information and convenience.

CARS+ will disclose personal information and/or an IP address only when required by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to: (1) Cooperate with the investigations of purported unlawful activities and conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on CARS+, (2) Protect and defend the rights or property of the CARS+ website and related properties, or visitors to the CARS+ website and related properties, (3) Identify persons who may be violating the law, the CARS+ privacy policy, the rights of third parties, or otherwise misusing the CARS+ website, and/or (4) Fulfill a user's order or request.

CARS+ employs all reasonable precautions to protect the information disclosed to us and reserves the right to transfer all applicable information in connection with the sale of all or part of CARS+ assets. Furthermore, CARS+ is not responsible for any breach of security, for third party privacy policies, or how information may be utilized by them.

The CARS+ website may contain advertisements and/or hyperlinks to third party websites. CARS+ is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of such third party websites or advertisers. CARS+ does not share personal information you provide to CARS+ with any third party links, except as stated elsewhere within this Privacy Policy. CARS+ may share general, aggregate data with such third parties, i.e., volume of users to our website, etc. Check with individual websites to determine what their privacy policy contains.

Bear in mind that whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information online, i.e., via e-mail, discussion groups, or elsewhere, any and all information can be collected and used by others. If you post personal information online that is accessible by the public, you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties.

By using the CARS+ website, you consent to the collection and use of information by CARS+ as specified in this Privacy Policy. We reserve the right to modify this policy at any time. Any changes will be posted to this page. Last revised June 27, 2005.