Privacy Policy
This privacy statement ("Privacy Policy") covers all websites (such as, www.OpenDNS.com) owned and operated by OpenDNS, LLC ("OpenDNS", "we", "us", "our") and all associated services provided by OpenDNS. This Privacy Policy covers OpenDNS's treatment of personal information that it gathers when you access or use any of OpenDNS's websites or services. This policy also covers personal information that OpenDNS's business partners share with OpenDNS.
Please read the following to learn more about our privacy policy. By visiting our websites, submitting information or using any of our services, you are accepting the practices outlined in this Privacy Policy.
OpenDNS knows that you care about how your personal information is used and shared, and we take your privacy seriously. This is how we want to be treated, too.
Information We Collect
DNS Services Customers
OpenDNS runs a Domain Name System (DNS) service. DNS translates the name (e.g., www.example.com) you type into the corresponding numerical address (e.g., 192.0.34.166) and gets you to the place you want to go. OpenDNS's DNS service collects non-personally-identifying information such as the date and time of each DNS request and the domain name requested.
In addition, OpenDNS also collects potentially personally-identifying information like the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses from which DNS requests are made. For its DNS services, OpenDNS temporarily stores logs to monitor and improve our quality of service, and to collect high-level aggregate statistics. For customers without an account, OpenDNS removes the IP address from its logs within 2 business days. For customers with an account, such data may be stored for as long as the account is open (although, customers with an account may also choose to have DNS data purged automatically, at any time, from within their account).
For customers using OpenDNS "Shortcuts" feature, DNS requests for certain domains may be directed through an HTTP proxy. The data from the HTTP proxy is kept for approximately 12 hours for technical reasons. Encrypted connections are never proxied.
OpenDNS may aggregate personally-identifying information about the behavior of visitors to its websites and customers of its DNS services. For example, OpenDNS may monitor which domains are most requested by its customers, or how many phishing attempts were blocked by its services. OpenDNS may displays this information publicly or provide it to others in a non-personally identifiable aggregated form (e.g. statistical form).
Collection in General
- Information We Automatically Collect
- We may receive and store certain types of non-personally identifiable information whenever you interact with us, including, without limitation, the sort information that web browsers and servers typically make available, such as the browser type, language preference, referring site, and the date and time of each visitor request. OpenDNS's purpose in collecting such information is to better understand how OpenDNS's visitors use its website. From time to time, OpenDNS may release non-personally-identifying information in the aggregate, e.g., by publishing a report on trends in the usage of its website. OpenDNS also collects potentially personally-identifying information like the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of website visitors.
- Information You Provide To Us
- We may receive and store any information you enter on our website or provide to us in any other way. For example, in order to use certain services or functions of our websites, you may be required to register with a username and email address on the OpenDNS website. OpenDNS collects such information only insofar as is it deems reasonably necessary or appropriate to fulfill the purpose of the user's interaction with OpenDNS.
You can always refuse to supply personally-identifying information, with the caveat that it may prevent you from engaging in certain activities.
Cookies
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. OpenDNS uses cookies to help OpenDNS identify and track visitors, their usage of OpenDNS website, and their website access preferences. OpenDNS visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using OpenDNS's websites, with the drawback that certain features of OpenDNS's websites may not function properly without the aid of cookies.
Deleting an OpenDNS account.
All statistics and logs collected on behalf of an account holder are purged upon deletion of an OpenDNS account, although OpenDNS may retain such information for longer periods of time as part of its back-up emergency system.
Disclosure of Personally-Identifying Information
We neither rent nor sell your personal information to anyone. We share your personal information only with your consent or to our business partners and affiliates as described below:
- Personnel/Agents
- OpenDNS discloses potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information only to those of its employees, agents and contractors that (i) need to know that information in order to process it on OpenDNS's behalf or to provide services available at or through OpenDNS's websites and services, and (ii) that have agreed not to disclose it to others. Some of those employees, agents and contractors may be located outside of your home country; by using OpenDNS's websites, you consent to the transfer of such information to them.
- Affiliated Businesses
- We are affiliated with a variety of businesses and work closely with them in order to provide our services to users. We will only share personal information with affiliates to the extent that is necessary for such affiliates to provide the services. For example, when a website visitor searches on OpenDNS, the IP address and query are shared with OpenDNS's advertising partners. We require our affiliates to provide the same level of privacy protection that we do and they do not have the right to share or use personal information for any purpose other than for an authorized transaction. Some of our affiliates may be located outside of your home country; by using OpenDNS's websites, you consent to the transfer of such information to them.
- Business Transfers
- If OpenDNS or substantially all of its assets were transferred or acquired (for example, in the case of a merger or acquisition) customer information would likely be one of the assets that is transferred or acquired by a third party.
- Other Disclosures
- OpenDNS may disclose potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information when OpenDNS believe in good faith that release is required by law, court order, or when OpenDNS believes in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect the property or rights of OpenDNS, third parties or the public at large.
Third Parties
This policy does not apply to the practices of third parties that OpenDNS does not own or control, or to individuals that OpenDNS does not employ or manage. OpenDNS websites may permit you to link to other websites on the Internet, and other websites may contain links to the OpenDNS websites. These other websites are not under OpenDNS control. The privacy and security practices of websites linked to or from the OpenDNS website are not covered by this Privacy Policy, and OpenDNS is not responsible for the privacy or security practices or the content of such websites.
Communications
If you are a registered member of an OpenDNS website and have supplied your email address, OpenDNS may occasionally send you an email to tell you about new features, solicit your feedback, or just keep you up to date with what's going on with OpenDNS and our products. We primarily use our corporate blog and website to communicate this type of information, so we expect to keep this type of email to a minimum. If you are a registered member of an OpenDNS website and do not wish to receive such emails, please follow the instructions included in each email sent. If you send us a request (for example via a support email or via one of our feedback mechanisms), we reserve the right to publish it in order to help us clarify or respond to your request or to help us support other users.
Conditions of Use
If you decide to visit the OpenDNS website, your visit and any possible dispute over privacy is subject to this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use, including limitations on damages, arbitration of disputes, and application of California state law.
Privacy Policy Changes
OpenDNS may change its Privacy Policy from time to time, and in OpenDNS's sole discretion. OpenDNS encourages visitors to frequently check this page for any changes to its Privacy Policy. If changes are made, notice will be given in the OpenDNS blog at http://blog.opendns.com/. Your continued use of our sites and services after any change in this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of such change.
Questions
OpenDNS's full contact information, including location, may be found on our Contact page at http://www.opendns.com/contact/.
Creative Commons
This work (the Privacy Policy) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License.
Effective Date of This Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy is effective as of July 22, 2007.
