Page last updated October 21, 2023.
Thank you for visiting Grounded.com, a.k.a. Grounded (herein, also the "Website" or “Us”). Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy describes:
How and why we collect certain information from you via the Website and the online services provided through the Website;
How we use and with whom we share such information;
How you can update such information; and
The choices you can make about how we collect your information.
If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or our information collection and use practices, please contact us by emailing info@grounded.com.
Be sure to also review our Terms and Conditions of Use.
Information We Collect
Non-personal Information: Like most websites, we collect certain technical information about your use of the Website when you visit it, and generally this is not information that could be used to identify you without reference to other information (collectively, "Usage Information"). For example, we may collect your internet protocol (IP) address, browser type, the identity of your internet service provider (ISP), the number and duration of page visits, how you were directed to the Website, what country your visit originates from, and the number of clicks you make when you use the Website. This does not include demographic information about you. We track and reference your Usage Information, in aggregation with the Usage Information of other visitors to the Website, to better understand how effective our Website is and how visitors interact with it. Only Grounded has access to such analysis, provided through Google Analytics.
A cookie is a file that web servers place on an internet user's computer. Cookies are designed to store basic information about the user and transmit that information back to servers that recognize them. They may be used to measure visitor behavior on and in connection with a website, including by transmitting Usage Information. Third party vendors, including Google use cookies to serve ads based on previous visits to our sites. We also may use cookies from time to time to transmit offers and advertisements to you through Google and other online advertising networks. You may opt out of Google's use of cookies by visiting the Google advertising opt-out page: Ads Preferences Manager. If you choose to have our Website remember your login and password, we will place a cookie on your computer to identify you when you next visit the Website. We may also use cookies in conjunction with our analysis of Usage Information. Depending on which browser you use to access the internet (Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, etc.), you can change your settings to effect whether to accept, store, or delete cookies.
Your Submissions of Personal Information: You have the opportunity on our Website to submit information that may be used to personally identify you (Personal Information). Such information may include your name, title, email address, billing and shipping addresses, phone number(s) and any other information you expressly provide.
You may submit such Personal Information to us through the Website in three ways:
First, you can sign up to receive our newsletter via email by entering your name and email address through various forms available on the Website.
Second, you can click the "Contact Us" link from some of our pages or visit our "Contact" page, in which case you would input your name, email address, and a message to be submitted to our team for review and response.
Third, from time to time we offer products for direct purchase, such as books; in purchasing such products, you may provide your name, billing and shipping information, as well as credit card information.
In order to post comments on our Website pages, you must log in to Facebook; however, we do not access or store that Facebook-related information.
How We Use Information Collected from You
How We Use Your Personal Information: The Personal Information we collect may be used by Grounded as follows:
For our internal records, tracking and business purposes;
If you have opted-in to receive our e-mail newsletter, we may send you periodic e-mails.
To quickly process and fulfill transactions conducted by you through your Website account (for example, to send you a book you ordered);
To perform a service you request;
In order to contact you to respond to your questions or requests or to provide you with technical support;
To provide you with information regarding changes to the Website which may affect your Website account, your use of the Website, and/or the content or services available through the Website; and
To personalize your site experience and to allow us to deliver the type of content and product offerings in which you are most interested.
If you would no longer like to receive promotional e-mail from us, please refer to the "How can you opt-out, remove or modify information you have provided to us?" section below. If you have not opted-in to receive e-mail newsletters, you will not receive these e-mails. Visitors who register or participate in other site features such as marketing programs and 'members-only' content will be given a choice whether they would like to be on our e-mail list and receive e-mail communications from us.
How We Use Your Non-Personal Information: Non-Personal Information collected from you is used for various purposes, such as:
To improve our products and services
To customize the user experience of the Website
To administer the Website; and
To analyze trends, track user movement and gather statistical information for aggregate use.
Sharing of Your Information
We will not share your Personal Information with third parties other than as provided in this Privacy Policy. We may share your Personal Information with third parties in one or more of the following ways:
1. With Affiliates. We may share your Personal Information and Non-Personal Information with any subsidiaries, or other companies or entities which control, are controlled by or under common control with Grounded, in which case we will require such parties to honor this Privacy Policy with respect to such shared information.
2. With Third Party Service Providers. We may provide your Personal Information and Non-Personal Information to third party companies to perform services on our behalf, including marketing assistance, e-mail delivery, hosting services, cloud servers, customer service and data analysis. We may use independent contractors to provide services on our behalf and they may access your Personal Information in the course of providing those services. If independent contractors are used, they will be subject to contractual restrictions requiring the non- disclosure of any Grounded information, including your Personal Information, your Non- Personal Information, and any other information generated with reference to either. We require such third party service providers to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed to them and to not use your Personal Information for any purpose other than to provide their services.
3. Safety, Security and Compliance with Law. We may disclose any information, including Personal Information, we deem necessary to comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request, to enforce our rights or to protect the safety and security of our Website or other users.
4. Business Transitions. In the event Grounded undergoes a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition by another company, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, we may transfer your Personal Information to the actual or intended successor organization in such transaction. If material changes to Grounded's privacy practices will occur as a result of the business transition, Grounded will attempt to notify you via email and will post a notice on the Website alerting you to the business transition prior to transferring your Personal Information.
How to Access and Update Your Personal Information
Provision of Information. At any time, you may email info@grounded.com to request a description of your Personal Information that we have on file, and we will provide such information within a reasonable time.
Changes to Information. At any time, you may contact Grounded to request that we make changes to your Personal Information. If you request that Grounded update or otherwise modify such information, we will amend your Personal Information within a reasonable time after your request. To inquire about which items of Personal Information Grounded possesses about you or to request modifications thereto, please email info@grounded.com.
However, please note after your Personal Information is changed, Grounded will continue to have the right to store all Personal Information collected from you through the Website (including Personal Information which is not longer in active use due to its amendment in accordance with this Section) in our archives and to use and disclose such Personal Information for certain purposes permitted or required by applicable laws, including as we deem necessary to comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request, to enforce our rights or to protect the safety and security of our Website or other users.
Deletion of Information. You also have the right to request that Grounded delete your Personal Information we collect. Upon receipt of such request, Grounded will delete your Personal Information collected as of the date of such request, except when necessary to: (i) complete the transaction for which the Personal Information was provided or perform a contract with the you; (ii) detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity and prosecute those responsible; (iii) debug to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality; (iv) exercise free speech (of business or another consumer) or other rights; (v) comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act or other federal or state acts or regulations; (vi) engage in public or peer reviewed research in the public interest; (vii) enable internal uses reasonably aligned with the expectations of the consumer based on their relationship with the business; (viii) comply with a legal obligation; and (ix) use your Personal Information internally, in a lawful manner that is compatible with the context in which the consumer provided the information
Please note that if Company deletes your Personal Information, you may not be able to use certain Site functions that require your Personal Information.
How We Secure Your Information
Grounded uses reasonable administrative, technical and physical security measures to protect user's Personal and Non-personal Information, online and offline. Our employees, contractors, and third party service providers are generally subject to contractual restrictions which limit their use of information obtained from Grounded to the business purpose of the relationship for which we contract. Our transmissions to and from our servers use Secure Socket Layer ("SSL") technology to ensure that your information remains secure and private.
However, while we take reasonable precautions against possible security breaches of the Website and our customer databases and records, no website or Internet transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee that unauthorized access, hacking, data loss, or other breaches will never occur. We urge you to take steps to keep your Personal Information safe (including your account information), and log out of your Website account after use, if applicable.
Our Policies Concerning Children
This Website is not intended for children under the age of 13 and we do not knowingly collect any Personal Information from such children. Children under the age of 13 should not use our Website or our online services at any time. In the event that we learn that we have inadvertently gathered Personal Information from children under the age of 13, we will use reasonable efforts to erase such information from our records.
Privacy Policy CHanges
We reserve to change or update this Privacy Policy at any time. If we decide to make material changes to our Privacy Policy, we will notify you and other users of the by sending a notice to the email address that you have provided in connection with your Website account and/or Website by placing a notice on our Website. You should periodically check the Website for such notices, which may consist of the date on which the Privacy Policy was changed. By continuing to use this Website, you agree to any and all changes made to our Privacy Policy. If you do not accept our current Privacy Policy, do not continue to use this website.
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Grounded does not sell your Personal Information. However, if you are a California resident, you have the right to opt-out of any transfer or sale of your Personal Information Company collects about you. If you choose to opt out, please contact us at info@grounded.com.
Your California Privacy Rights. For California residents, California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits customers of Company who are California residents to request certain information regarding Company’s disclosure of Personal Information for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please send a request to info@grounded.com. Within thirty (30) days of receiving such a request, Grounded will provide a list of the categories of Personal Information disclosed to third parties for third-party direct marketing purposes during the immediately preceding calendar year, along with the names and addresses of these third parties. Company reserves its right not to respond to requests submitted other than to the address specified in this paragraph. In addition, California’s privacy laws require a company to provide notice to California users of their rights to receive information on to which entities their information was shared for marketing purposes. We may share your Personal Information with others for their marketing use unless you tell us not to. Under California’s “Shine the Light Act,” California residents are permitted to opt-out of such sharing. Please email info@grounded.com to opt-out of the sharing of your Personal Information with third parties for marketing purposes. We will not share your information after we have received and processed your request.
California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) Notice. California residents also have the right to:
● Request and receive a copy of the Personal Information we have collected about them during the prior 12 months;
● Request and receive disclosure of our information sharing practices during the prior 12 months, including a list of the categories of Personal Information sold with the category of third party recipients and a list of the categories of Personal Information that we disclosed for a business purpose;
● Request that we not sell Personal Information about them; and
● Request that we delete (and direct our service providers to delete) their Personal Information subject to certain exceptions.
For purposes of the CCPA, Personal Information means information that identifies, relates to, describes, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular California resident or household. In the event of a conflict between this CCPA Notice and any of our other privacy policies, this CCPA Notice shall control only with respect to California residents and their Personal Information.
The Personal Information that we collect about a specific California resident will depend on, for example, Grounded’s relationship or interaction with that individual. During the past 12 months, we have collected the following categories of Personal Information:
1. Personal Identifiers — Personal unique identifiers, such as full name.
2. Personal Information — Personal information, including contact details such as telephone number and address, financial information such as account number and balance, payment card details including credit and debit card numbers;
3. Purchase Information — Purchase information, such as products and services obtained and transaction histories;
4. Internet or Online Information — Internet or online information such as browsing history, and information regarding interaction with our websites, applications, or advertisements;
5. Geolocation Data — Geolocation data, such as device location;
The sources from which we collect Personal Information depend on, among other things, our relationship or interaction with a specific California resident. The information below lists the categories of sources from which we collect Personal Information in different contexts.
• From California residents directly, or other individuals acting on their behalf, through audible (e.g., phone), or electronic (e.g., website, social media) sources.
• Outside companies or organizations that provide data to support activities such as fraud prevention, underwriting, and marketing. Examples may include internet service providers, social networks, operating systems and platforms, data brokers, advertising networks, and data analytics providers.
• Outside companies or organizations from whom we collect Personal Information to support human resource and workforce management activities. Examples may include operating systems and platforms, and social networks.
• Outside companies or organizations from whom we collect Personal Information as part of providing products and services, completing transactions, supporting our everyday operations, or business management and development. Examples include companies or organizations to whom we provide products or services; other parties, partners, and financial institutions; and parties involved with mergers, acquisitions, and other transactions involving transfers of all or part of a business, or a set of assets.
In order to make a request for disclosure, California residents may email info@grounded.com. We will ask you for information that allows us to reasonably verify your identity (that you are the person about whom we collected Personal Information) and will use that information only for that purpose. We may request that you submit a signed statement under penalty of perjury that you are the individual you claim to be. We will acknowledge receipt of your request within 10 days and will endeavor to respond within forty-five days of receipt of your request, but if we require more time (up to an additional forty-five days) we will notify you of our need for additional time. Please understand that we cannot respond to your request or provide you with Personal Information if we cannot verify your identity and confirm that the Personal Information relates to you.
You may make a request for disclosure of our information collection practices, the information we collected about you, or our sharing practices up to twice within a 12-month period. You may make a request that we not sell information or for deletion of your information at any time.
For requests for a copy of the Personal Information we have collected during the 12 months prior to your request, we will endeavor to provide the information in a format that is readily useable, including by mailing you a paper copy or providing an electronic copy to your registered account, if you have registered an account with us.
For requests for deletion of your information please understand that California law permits us to retain certain information and not to delete it under certain circumstances. By way of example, we are not required to comply with a request to delete information if the information is necessary for us to complete a transaction for you or otherwise perform a contract; to detect, protect against, or prosecute security incidents, fraud or illegal activity; to use the information only internally in ways reasonably aligned with your expectations as our customer (such as maintaining sales records), and to comply with legal obligations. If we receive such a request from you we will notify any service providers we have engaged to delete your information as well.
We will not discriminate against you as a result of your exercise of any of these rights.
You may submit a request through someone holding a formal Power of Attorney. Otherwise, you may submit a request using an authorized agent only if (1) the person is registered with the Secretary of State to do business in California, (2) you provide the authorized agent with signed written permission to make a request, (3) you verify directly with us that you have authorize the person to make the request on your behalf, (4) you verify your own identity directly with us and (5) your agent provides us with proof that they are so authorized. We will require the agent to submit proof to us that they have been authorized to make requests on your behalf.
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For the purposes of the European Union General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679, (the “GDPR”), the data controller is [name of company]. Under the GDPR, in certain circumstances, you have the right to:
● Request access to any Personal Information we hold about you as well as related information, including the recipients or categories of recipients to whom the Personal Information has been shared;
● Obtain without undue delay the correction of any inaccurate Personal Information we hold about you;
● Request Personal Information held about you to be deleted, provided the Personal Information is not required by Company for compliance with a legal obligation under European or Member State law or for the establishment, exercise, or defense of a legal claim;
● Prevent or restrict processing of your Personal Information, except to the extent processing is required for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims; and
● Request transfer of Personal Information directly to a third party where this is technically feasible.
If you are based in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) and we collect your Personal Information on our own behalf, we will only process your Personal Information, including sharing it with third parties, for a purpose described herein if: (i) you have provided your consent, which can be withdrawn at any time; (ii) the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party; (iii) we are required by law; (iv) it is required to protect your vital interests or those of another person; or (iv) the processing is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate commercial interests, except where such interests are overridden by your rights and interests.
In addition, where you believe that we have not complied with our obligations under this Policy or European law, you have the right to make a complaint to an EU Data Protection Authority, such as the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
You can exercise any of these rights by contacting us at info@grounded.com.
Online Policy Only
This online privacy policy applies only to information collected through our website and not to information collected offline.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding our Privacy Policy and/or practices, please send an email to: info@grounded.com.