Last updated: January 2005
General Mills is committed to providing a fun, entertaining, and safe
online experience to people of all ages that may visit this site, and
we take special care to protect the privacy of children under the age
of 13. We have developed our privacy practices based on guidelines
established by the Children’s Advertising Review Unit of the better
Business Bureau (CARU) and in compliance with the requirements
established by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998
(COPPA). We also recommend that parents monitor their children’s
internet activities and learn to employ software or other tools that
can help children enjoy the fun and entertainment of an online
experience without compromising their personal safety or allowing them
to use the internet in a manner inconsistent with their parents’
preferences.
At General Mills, it is our policy to create website experiences for
children that require limited or no collection of personal information.
Generally, we limit our collection of information to non-personally
identifiable information that is gathered through a child’s voluntary
submission to us or through the use of cookie, web beacon, or similar
technology.
From time to time, however, we may request limited personal information
from a child (such as name or email address) in order for that child to
participate in particular activities at this site. Except in special,
limited circumstances, we do not collect such information from a child
under 13 without the prior consent of a parent/guardian. When we ask
for consent, we will tell the parent/guardian what we will do with the
information that their child provides to us, how they can review their
child's information, and how they can request us to delete it. General
Mills does not condition a child's participation in any activity on the
website on a child’s disclosure of more information than is reasonably
necessary to conduct the activity.
As mentioned above, from time to time, we may collect information at
this site from a child under 13 without prior consent of a
parent/guardian, but only in these special, limited circumstances:
- We may seek a child’s name and a parent/guardian’s email
contact information to seek the parent/guardian’s consent or to provide
them with a notification.
- We may seek a child’s name and
email address in order to respond on a one-time basis to a specific
request of that child. For example, if a child sends us an email
request, we will hold their email address long enough to respond to
them and then delete it from our system after we have provided an
answer.
- From time to time, we may have special online
promotions or offers on this site that are open for registration by
children under the age of 13 (for example, a sweepstakes or contest).
If a child under the age of 13 wishes to participate, we will ask for a
parent/guardian's name and email address so that we can notify them and
give them an opportunity to complete the registration for their child
or to opt out of the activity on behalf of their child. Any information
that is given to us in this circumstance is used only for the purpose
of conducting the activity and will be deleted from our system after
conclusion of the promotion and any legally required period for keeping
such information.
- We may seek a child’s name and contact
information to the extent reasonably necessary to protect the safety of
a child participating on our website. In this situation, the
information will only be used for the purpose of protecting the child’s
safety and, as above, we will provide the parent/guardian with notice
of this use.
- We may seek a child’s name and contact
information to the extent reasonably necessary to protect the security
or integrity of our website; to take precautions against liability; to
respond to judicial process; or (to the extent permitted by law) to
provide information to law enforcement agencies or for an investigation
on a matter related to public safety. Such information will not be used
for any other purpose.
Whenever we collect personally identifiable information at the site,
the information will be used solely by General Mills or its agents or
contractors for the purposes indicated at the time the child (with
parental/guardian notice or consent, as applicable) provides the
information. For example, if a parent registers a child in a
sweepstakes, we will use the information to notify the child that he or
she has won and to fulfill the sweepstakes prize. We also may transfer,
disclose, or share such information with third parties who are engaged
by us specifically to administer or fulfill certain online activities
(e.g., conducting sweepstakes and contests). Such third parties have
access to personal information needed to perform their functions, but
may not use it for other purposes. Lastly, we may also disclose
personally identifiable information to third parties when required by
law or pertinent to judicial or government investigations or
proceedings, or when otherwise necessary to protect our website or the
safety of its users.
We
may employ cookie technology, web beacons, and similar devices on our
site to facilitate site administration and navigation and to provide an
enhanced online experience for our visitors. Information tracked
through these mechanisms includes but is not limited to (1) a user’s IP
address (e.g., yahoo.com - 192.168.1.1), (2) the type of web browser
(e.g., Microsoft Explorer) and operating system (e.g., Windows or
Linux) being used, (3) the pages of the site a user visits, and (4)
other websites a user visited before visiting our site.
Most browsers accept cookies automatically, but can be configured not
to do so or to notify the user when a cookie is being sent. If you wish
to disable cookies, refer to your browser help menu to learn how to
disable cookies. Cookies do not collect or contain personally
identifiable information such as your child’s name or email address.
Web beacons are 1x1 single-pixel graphics that allow us to
count the number of users who have visited a particular web page or to
access certain cookies. We may use web beacons on our websites to count
users and to recognize users by accessing our cookies. Like cookies,
web beacons do not collect or contain personally identifiable
information such as name or email address.
We have taken
steps to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of all
information our visitors share will us. This includes setting up
processes to avoid any unauthorized access or disclosure of this
information.
This
site may, from time to time, include a send-to-a-friend application
that makes it easy for visitors to forward information or materials
from our site to friends or family by e-mail. In order to address the
e-mail message, the application will ask for the recipient’s e-mail
address and/or similar information (including the sender’s e-mail
address). This information is only used by the application to address
the message so that it can be properly sent. General Mills does not
retain any of this information for any purpose.
Upon providing proper identification, parents can request review,
correct, update, or have deleted their child’s personally identifiable
information from our database by writing to us at General Mills, Inc.,
Number One General Mills Boulevard, Minneapolis, MN 55426, Attn:
Consumer Services. We can also be reached by telephone by dialing our
consumer response department at 1-800-328-8360 weekdays from 8 a.m. - 5
p.m. Central Time. Please feel free to use this same contact
information if at any time you have questions or concerns about our
Privacy Policy.
By
using this website, you signify your assent to all of the terms of this
General Mills Online Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. If you do not
agree with any term of this General Mills Online Privacy Policy or our
Terms of Use, please do not use this site or submit any personally
identifiable information.
General Mills reserves the right to change our practices and this
site’s Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be reflected on
this page. Therefore we recommend that you visit our Privacy Policy
often so that you are always fully informed. In addition, we will send
a notice to any parent informing them of any material change in the
collection, use, and/or disclosure practices to which that parent
previously consented.
©Copyright 2004 General Mills, Inc. and its affiliates. All Rights Reserved
