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Epic Games Privacy Notice

Last updated on November 29, 2011

Epic Games and its corporate subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively, “Epic”) respect your concerns about privacy. We want our users to understand the types of information we collect, how we use that information, how we secure it, and whether we share it. Please contact us if you have any questions about our privacy practices. Please also review this Notice carefully because by using our websites, games and applications you agree to our collection, use, disclosure and transfer of information as described here.

Our Collection and Use of Information

We generally collect or receive information in three ways: (1) you voluntarily provide information to us, such as by signing up for email alerts, (2) information collected automatically, such as by cookies, and (3) other parties, such as social networking sites, sometimes provide information to us. Each of these is described in more detail below.

(1) Information You Voluntarily Choose to Provide

You may choose to provide your personal information to us when you use our websites, games, or applications. Because we change our offerings and features from time to time, the options you have to provide us with information may also change. Here are some examples of situations in which you may decide to provide information to us:

  • When you decide to register with our websites, such as our forums or blogs and participating in discussions or features available there
  • When you choose to download one of our commercial products, such as one of our game development tools
  • When you create an online account
  • When you purchase something from us or initiate another transaction with us
  • When you decide to enter online competitions or register for or participate in special events
  • When you enter contests or sweepstakes, participate in any promotion, and accept prizes
  • When you choose to sign up for email alerts or subscribing to receive information
  • When you voluntarily complete a survey
  • When you use a mobile device such as a phone to play our games or use our applications
  • When you contact us for any reason, such as by email, including for technical support or customer service
  • When you use our websites, online services, software, and applications, there may be some case where personal information is required for use or participation

The personal information we collect from you will vary depending on the services you are using, the sites you are visiting, and how you access them. However, the information you provide may include your name, your user ID, and your email address(es). Sometimes we ask for your phone number (which may include mobile phone number), your postal address (often postal or zip code only), your date of birth, and your gender. For example, we may ask for your phone number so we can contact you if you win a prize in our contests or promotions and your date of birth so we can verify that you are old enough to participate..

In all of these situations, we will ask you to provide the information to us, so you can choose not to do so. We try to ask for only the information we genuinely need to provide you with the services, features, or communications you are requesting, so if you prefer not to share that information with us, we may not be able to fulfill your request.

Some additional examples of why we ask for your information include:

  • To provide you with access to the site, game, application, service, or feature you requested
  • To allow you to participate in user communities, like forums and blogs
  • To administer contests, sweepstakes, and promotions, and to award prizes
  • To fulfill your transaction and/or provide products
  • To administer competitions and special events
  • To provide you with technical support or customer service
  • To communicate with you, respond to your requests, or provide you with updates and information
  • To manage your account
  • To better understand our users, their interests, and their preferences
  • To develop, deliver, and improve our products, services, and other offerings* To enforce our licenses, agreements, and terms of use
  • For internal purposes such as auditing and data analysis

You may also choose to apply for a job through some of our websites. In cases where this feature is available, the information you submit, such as your resume, is provided to and controlled by our service provider. Please review their privacy notice for more information about their privacy practices. Job applicant information that they make available to us will be treated consistent with this Privacy Notice.

(2) Information Collected Automatically When You Use Our Sites, Games, and Apps
We collect some information automatically when you visit our sites or use our games and applications. Usually, this information does not identify you specifically as an individual, and we do not use this data to attempt to identify you at an individual user level. However, if a combination of the information that we collect does identify you individually, we will treat the combination of information as personal information. Usually, we aggregate the data and use it in statistical form to determine trends among groups of users. The type of information we collect by automated means may vary, but generally includes technical information about your computer, device, hardware, or software you use to access the web, such as IP address, Unique Device Identifier or other transactional or identifier information for your device, device make and model, information about device operating systems and browsers, MAC address, or other device or systems related specifications. The information we collect may also include usage information and statistics about your interaction with our websites, games, and applications. That information may include the URLs of our web pages that users have visited, URLs of referring and exiting pages, page views, time spent on a page, number of clicks, platform type, and other information about how you used our websites and applications. Usage information also includes information about the application you used or the game you played, how long you used or played it and when, the application or game features you used, your gamer tag or user ID, game play or usage statistics, and other information related to your application use or game play.

In cases where you use a mobile device to access our sites or use our games and applications, we will receive information about the location of your device. In some cases, even if you are not using a mobile device, information about your general location may be discernable from your device’s IP address or the URLs we receive. If you access or use our sites or services with your phone, we may receive your phone number.

Please note that if ads or other features on our site are provided by third parties, those parties may also use automated means of data collection that are subject to those third parties’ privacy notices and policies.

We use information we collect by automated means to understand our users as a group, sometimes based on group traits such as demographics, in order to determine their preferences. As a result, we can develop and deliver new or modified offerings, improved with our users’ preferences in mind. As described below, we may also use it to provide a more personalized user experience and to manage advertising.Here are some of the types of automated data collection that may occur when you use or sites, games, or applications:

Web Browsers
When you visit one of our websites, your browser automatically sends us your Internet protocol (“IP”) address so that the web pages you request can be sent to your computer or device. We use your IP address to determine additional information, such as whether the computer or device has ever been used to visit our site before, which site features were used the most often, and how much time was spent on a page.

Cookies
We may automatically collect information through “cookies,” which are text files placed on your device’s hard drive when you visit websites. Cookies may enhance your online experience by saving your preferences while you are visiting a particular site. We use cookies, for example, for authentication purposes and to measure session activity on the site and determine which areas and features of the site are the most popular. Most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to be notified when you receive a new cookie, and how to disable existing cookies. Without cookies, however, you may not be able to take full advantage of all our site features.

We may also use “flash cookies,” also called “local shared objects.” Like other cookies, flash cookies are files stored on your computer, but flash cookies can store information that is more complex than simple text. These cookies can be helpful to us in storing your preferences regarding feature settings, personalizing your experience, and tracking your progress in a game or application. In some cases, local shared objects also are used to prevent fraud. Unlike “regular” cookies, browsers generally cannot be used to manage flash cookie placement. To learn more about managing flash cookies, you may wish to consult Adobe’s website and change the privacy settings they make available to users who wish to manage flash cookies. Like regular cookies, flash cookies improve your experience with our website, games, and applications, so disabling them may limit or eliminate features we make available to you.

Web Beacons and Log Files
We may use “web beacons” (also known as Internet tags, pixel tags, tracking pixels, and clear GIFs) on pages of our website. These web beacons allow other organizations to collect information such as the IP address of the device, the URL of the web page, the time the page was viewed, the type of browser used, and any additional information in cookies that may have been set by the other party. This information is typically collected in log files, which generally track traffic on and to our websites. Purposes for this information collection may include managing our online advertising, including by determining which ads brought users to our websites. The information is also used for analytical purposes and to manage technical issues that may arise. We do not attempt to identify individual users through this information.

(3) Information We Receive from Others
When you use any Epic game, application, or feature at a site not controlled by Epic, such as a social network like Facebook, that site may allow Epic access to certain information about you. For example, social networks may provide us with information from your profile on their site. Epic may access or receive contact information (such as your name and email address), demographic information (such as your gender and your date of birth), and other information you provided to that site such as your photo, user name, occupation, interests, hobbies, game preferences, biographical information, and potentially any and all information that you agreed the social network or other party could provide to us through the Application Programming Interface (“API”).

In some cases, we are not able to control the amount or type of information that other parties, like social networks, make available to us. In those cases, we use only the data that we genuinely need to provide the types of services we think our users want and expect.

In some cases, the information we receive is determined by the privacy settings you have established at the other party’s site where you accessed our application or game. You can control and find out more about these settings at the other party’s sites, which should provide you with a privacy notice. Although we cannot control your privacy settings at those sites or how those other parties protect your privacy, once we receive information about you through those sites, we will treat it as described in this Notice.

We may also receive information about you from the organizations that sell our applications or games or which provided the gaming system you use. Those parties may provide us with information regarding your account or registration, but they do not give us your payment information. Because those organizations determine what information they will collect from you, it may vary according to their services, but it is likely to include information such as your name, email address, user ID and/or gamer tag, location, and date of birth.

We may use the information we receive from others to understand our users and to help us develop, deliver, and improve our offerings. We may also use it to provide a more personalized user experience and to manage advertising. In some cases, we may use this information to contact you, provide you with technical support or customer service, and to enforce our licenses, agreements, and terms of use.

Information We Share

We may share personal information we collect within our family of companies and with our trusted business partners. We also will share information with service providers that perform services on our behalf. These partners and service providers are not authorized by us to use or disclose the information except as necessary to perform services on our behalf or comply with legal requirements. We also may share certain limited information, such as device identifiers, with advertisers and other marketing partners for purposes of gauging the effectiveness of advertising and other marketing strategies.

We may also disclose information about you (i) if we are required to do so by law or legal process, (ii) to law enforcement authorities or other government officials, (iii) when we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to prevent physical harm or financial loss or in connection with an investigation of suspected or actual illegal activity, or (iv) if necessary to protect the vital interests of another individual. We reserve the right to transfer personal information we have about you in the event we sell or transfer all or a portion of our business or assets.

When you use our websites, games or applications, you agree that we may share information about you as described here.

Your Choices

In certain cases, you may have choices about how we use and disclose your information. For example, we have to ask you before we can use your personal information for any purpose incompatible with those purposes identified in this Notice. If we provide you with any marketing messages, we will give you an opportunity to opt out of receiving further messages.

You can choose not to give us the information we request, as described in the “Information You Voluntarily Choose to Provide” section of this Notice. In some cases, if you decide not to provide information we request, we will not be able to provide you with access to the site, game, or application you requested, or we may not be able to provide you with the service, feature, or information you requested. In some cases, you can stop or limit the information we collect by automated means or that we receive from other parties, such as social networks. Please review the sections of this Notice titled “Information Collected Automatically When You Use Our Sites, Games, and Apps“ and “Information We Receive from Others” to learn more about how you may be able to stop or limit our receipt of that information. You may exercise and amend your choices by sending an email to us as specified in the “How to Contact Us” section below.

Access and Correction

We will provide you with the ability to access and update certain information we have about you, such as your contact information. Your right to access or amend personal information may be limited in some circumstances. Please submit your request by sending an email to the address specified in the “How to Contact Us” section below. Please include your name, email address and postal address in your request so that we may respond appropriately and promptly. To access or update the information you provide to others, including Epic, through other parties like social networking sites, you will need to follow the instructions provided by that other party to update your information or change your privacy settings.

How We Protect Personal Information

We maintain appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from accidental, unlawful, or unauthorized destruction, loss, alteration, access, disclosure, or use and other unlawful forms of processing.

Links to Other Sites, Games or Applications

We may provide links to other sites, games, or applications for your convenience and information. These sites may be operated by organizations not affiliated with Epic, so we cannot control and are not responsible for their content, operation, or privacy practices. Those organizations may have their own privacy policies, which we strongly suggest you review if you use other sites, games, and applications. This Notice does not apply to those sites, games, or applications, even if we link to them or they link to us.

Children’s Privacy

Epic does not direct its websites, games, or applications to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have inadvertently received personal information from a user who is under the age of thirteen, we will delete the information from our records.

Transfers of Information

As part of our international operations, we may transfer information about you to any jurisdiction where we do business. Even if those jurisdictions do not have the same privacy laws as the jurisdiction where you reside, we will treat your information as subject to the protections described in this Notice. When you use our websites, games, or applications, you agree that we may transfer information about you as described here.

Updates to Our Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice may be updated periodically to reflect changes in our personal information practices or relevant laws. We will indicate at the top of the Notice when it was updated. Please review this Notice every time you access or use our websites, games, and applications to make sure you have reviewed the most recent version.

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Notice or if you would like us to update information we have about you or your preferences, please contact us at privacy@epicgames.com or at Epic Games, 620 Crossroads Boulevard, Cary, North Carolina, 27518, USA, attn: Technical Support Manager.