Privacy Statement

Optimistic Realism (O.R.) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. The following statement explains the manner in which O.R. collects and uses your personal information to provide services that you request or when you choose to provide O.R. with your personal information.

Information Collection

Personal information means any information that may be used to identify an individual, including, but not limited to, a first and last name, email address, and other information when needed to provide a service or carry out a transaction you have requested. O.R. uses this information for several general purposes: to fulfill your requests for certain services, to keep you up to date on the latest announcements, and to better understand your needs and provide you with better services.

When you browse the O.R. website, you do so anonymously, unless you are registered with O.R. and have logged in. O.R. does not automatically collect personal information, including your email address. Like many other commercial websites, the O.R. website may use standard technologies, such as cookies and other HTML tools, to collect information about how you use the site or to record that you opened an email marketing message. Please go to "Cookies" below for more information.

When personal information is collected, O.R. will inform you at the point of collection the purpose for the collection. O.R. will not transfer your personal information to third parties without your consent, except under the limited conditions described under the discussion entitled "Information Sharing and Disclosure" below. In most cases, O.R. will provide you with the opportunity to "opt in" prior to receiving direct marketing information, and will always give you the opportunity to “opt out” of receiving such materials.

Cookies

A cookie is a small data file that certain websites write to your computer’s hard drive when you visit them. A cookie file can contain information such as a user ID that the site uses to track the pages you have visited, but the only personal information a cookie can contain is information you supply yourself. A cookie cannot read data off your hard disk or read cookie files created by other sites. Some parts of the O.R. website use cookies to track user traffic patterns. This is done in order to determine the usefulness of the information provided on the website and to see how effective the navigational structure is in helping users reach that information.

If you prefer not to receive cookies while browsing the O.R. website or via HTML-formatted emails, you can set your browser to warn you before accepting cookies and refuse the cookie when your browser alerts you to its presence. You can also refuse all cookies by turning them off in your browser, although you may not be able to take full advantage of the O.R. website if you do so. In particular, you may be required to accept cookies in order to complete certain actions on the O.R. website. You do not need to have cookies turned on, however, to use/navigate through many parts of the O.R. website, except access to certain web pages may require a login and password.

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Information Sharing and Disclosure

Your personal information is never shared outside O.R. without your permission, except under conditions explained below. Inside O.R., data is stored in controlled servers with limited access. Your information may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country where O.R., its affiliates, or agents are located. O.R. may send your personal information to other companies or people under any of the following circumstances:

When O.R. has your consent to share the information;
If sharing your information is necessary to provide a product or service you have requested (If your information is shared with third parties O.R. will only provide the information they need to deliver the service. Also, such companies are prohibited from using your information for any other purpose);
As part of a joint sales promotion or to pass sales leads to one of the O.R. distribution partners;
To keep you up to date on the latest announcements, special offers, or other information that O.R. perceives you would like to hear about (unless you have opted out of these types of communications); and
If required to do so by law or, in urgent circumstances, to protect personal safety

Children and Privacy

The O.R. website does not target and is not intended to attract children under the age of 13. O.R. does not knowingly solicit personal information from children under the age of 13 or send them requests for personal information. In the event that O.R. decides to collect information from students in the future, the undertaking will fully comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA).

Third Party Sites

The O.R. website contains links to websites operated by other companies. O.R. does not share your personal information with those websites and is not responsible for their privacy practices. Some of these third-party sites may be co-branded with a O.R. logo, even though they are not operated or maintained by O.R.

Acceptance of the Privacy Statement

By using this site, you signify your agreement to the Privacy Statement explained above. If you do not agree to these conditions, please do not use the site. O.R. reserves the right to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this Privacy Statement at any time. Please check this page periodically for any changes. Your continued use of this website following the posting of any changes to these terms shall mean that you have accepted those changes. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact O.R. via email at hi@optimisticrealism.com.

This document was last updated April 15, 2007.