Privacy Policy

PRIVACY NOTICE

This Privacy Notice describes the information collection, use, retention and sharing practices of Simily  and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“Simily”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) when you interact with us through our website, www.simily.co (the “Website”), and/or online and/or digital tools that display or link to this Privacy Notice (collectively, the “Platforms”), and when you otherwise interact with us (the “Services”). 

PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT, WHY, AND FOR HOW LONG

We collect personal information, which is information that identifies, relates to, describes, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, to you. We collect personal information from a variety of sources in a variety of ways, including when you: 

  • Create an Account. When you create an account with Simily, we collect from you, your personal identifiers (name and email address), and we ask you to create a username and password which becomes your account information. We store your password in a hashed form. During the account creation process, we automatically opt you in to receiving our newsletter via email. If you do not wish to receive our newsletter, you can uncheck the box before creating an account. You may also unsubscribe to these emails at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in the email. We use this information to create your account, manage your account, communicate with you regarding your account, and to provide you with our Services. 
  • Membership. In addition to our free membership, Simily offers three paid memberships that provides different services to our customers. If you choose to sign up for a paid membership, in addition to the personal identifiers and account information, we collect from you, your financial information (credit card number, debit card number, billing address, billing zip code) in order to provide you with the premium benefits of our paid memberships. 
  • Become a Writer. When you apply to become a Simily Writer, we collect from you, you personal identifiers (name, email address, and country). We also collect writing samples, writing genre, and other information you wish to provide about your style of writing. We collect this information to determine whether you are qualified to become Simily Writer and to communicate with you regarding your application. 
  • Contact us.  When you send us a question or inquiry, call us, or ask for other support, we collect, from you, your personal identifiers (name, telephone number, and email address) and any information you chose to include in your communication. We collect this personal information to fulfill your request to connect you with a surgeon, to provide additional information, to respond to your questions or inquiries,  and to troubleshoot where necessary.
  • Interact with us on our Platform. Simily is designed to be a creative space where writers can share their stories with our community. When you interact with our Platform, we collect basic metrics and use it to tailor stories to you, improve user experience, and to track views on our Simily Writers stories. We also allow our users to create profile names, use profile avatars or pictures, and to provide comments and direct messages to our other members. For more information on how our users should interact with our Platform, please refer to the Community Guidelines
  • Interact with us on social media. When you interact with our fan page on social networking websites, such as Facebook and Instagram (each a “Fan Page”) (collectively “Fan Pages”), we collect basic engagement metrics and use it to tailor content and use it to improve user experience as set forth in this section. Please note that we do not control the use or storage of the information that you have posted to any social networking websites. This information is collected and processed by the social networking websites for their own purposes, including marketing. For more information on how Meta uses your personal information, please see Facebook’s Privacy Policy or Instagram’s Privacy Policy
  • Interact with the Services. In addition to the personal information you provide directly to us, we also collect internet or other electronic network activity information. from you automatically as you use our Services via cookies, SDKs, and similar tracking technologies. 

We use essential, performance, and analytics cookies to collect your usage, device, and location information when you interact with the Services. We use this information to: (i) track you within the Services; (ii) enhance user experience; (iii) prevent fraudulent use of the Services; (iv) diagnose and repair Services errors, and, in cases of abuse, track and mitigate the abuse; and (v) determine your approximate location to connect you with local health care providers if requested by you as part of the Services. 

In general, you can also disable cookies by setting your browser to refuse cookies or indicate when a cookie is being sent. Please note, if you opt out of cookies, your opt-out will be specific to the web browser, app, or device from which you accessed the opt-out. If you use multiple devices or web browsers, you will need to opt out of each browser or device that you use. You can also learn more on how to control your cookie preferences in the YOUR INFORMATION CHOICES  section of this Notice.  

Particular third-party cookies on our Website to note: 

  • Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics to collect information on your use of the Websites to improve our Websites. In order to collect this information, Google Analytics may set cookies on your browser, or read cookies that are already there. Google Analytics may also receive information about you from applications you have downloaded that partner with Google. We do not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with personally identifiable information. Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to our Websites or to another application which partners with Google is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Use and the Google Privacy Policy, available for review here. To prevent your data from being used by Google Analytics, you can download the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on for Google Analytics which can be found here.
  • Aggregate data. We aggregate the data we collect for benchmarking purposes and for internal analytics.

Simily will also use the personal information we collect as described in this section to comply with the law, to efficiently maintain our business, and for other limited circumstances as described in HOW WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION.

We retain personal information for as long as is necessary for the processing purpose(s) for which the information was collected. We also retain personal information for purposes of compliance with our legal obligations, exercising or defending legal claims, and meeting our safety and security commitments. 

HOW WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION 

We share your personal information with our service providers and other third parties as described below: 

With service providers. We share personal information with third-party service providers that perform functions on our behalf and help us to administer the Websites. We use the following service providers: IT support, e-commerce, data analytics, communications, website provider, and our payment processor. 

In the event of a corporate reorganization. In the event that we enter into, or intend to enter into, a transaction that alters the structure of our business, such as a reorganization, merger, acquisition, sale, joint venture, assignment, consolidation, transfer, change of control, or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, assets or stock, we would share personal information with third parties, including the buyer or target (and their agents and advisors) for the purpose of facilitating and completing the transaction. We would share personal information with third parties if we undergo bankruptcy or liquidation, in the course of such proceedings. 

For legal purposes and to prevent harm. We will share personal information where we are legally required to do so, such as in response to court orders, law enforcement or legal processes; to establish, protect, or exercise our legal rights or contractual obligations; to defend against legal claims or demands; to detect, investigate, prevent, or take action against illegal activities, fraud, or situations involving potential threats to the rights, property, or personal safety of any person; or to comply with the requirements of any applicable law. 

With your consent. Apart from the reasons identified above, we may request your permission to share your personal information for a specific purpose. We will notify you and request consent before you provide the personal information or before the personal information you have already provided is shared for such purpose. You may revoke your consent at any time.

YOUR INFORMATION CHOICES

Access or correct your personal information. You may access your Simily account to access or correct certain information you have provided to us and which is associated with your account. 

Opt Out of Cookies. All session cookies are temporary and expire after you close your web browser. Persistent cookies can be removed by following your web browser’s directions. To find out how to see what cookies have been set on your computer or device, and how to reject and delete the cookies, please visit: https://www.aboutcookies.org/. Please note that each web browser is different. To find information relating to your browser, visit the browser developer’s website and mobile application. If you reset your web browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent, some features of our website may not function properly. If you choose to opt out, we will place an “opt-out cookie” on your device. The “opt-out cookie” is browser specific and device specific and only lasts until cookies are cleared from your browser or device. The opt-out cookie will not work for essential cookies. If the cookie is removed or deleted, if you upgrade your browser or if you visit us from a different computer, you will need to return and update your preferences. By clicking on the “Opt-Out” links below, you will be directed to the respective third-party website where your computer will be scanned to determine who maintains cookies on you. At that time, you can either choose to opt out of all targeted advertising or you can choose to opt out of targeted advertising by selecting individual companies who maintain a cookie on your machine.

  • Association of National Advertisers opt-out registration: https://dmachoice.thedma.org/ 
  • Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) Opt-Out: https://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp 
  • Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Opt-Out: https://optout.aboutads.info 
  • European Union (EU) /European Economic Area (EEA) Opt-Out: http://www.youronlinechoices.eu

In general, you can also disable cookies by setting your browser to refuse cookies or indicate when a cookie is being sent.

Opt out of Google Analytics. To prevent your data from being used by Google Analytics, you can download the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on for Google Analytics which can be found here.

Marketing Communications. You can opt-out of receiving marketing emails from us  by clicking the “unsubscribe” link on our emails. You can opt-out of SMS messages from us by replying “STOP” on our SMS message. Please note we will continue to send you notifications necessary for the Websites or any assistance you request.

NEVADA RESIDENTS

If you are a consumer in the State of Nevada, you may request to opt-out of the current or future sale of certain of your personal information. We do not currently sell any of your personal information under Nevada law, nor do we plan to do so in the future. If you have any questions regarding our data privacy practices, please contact [email protected]

DO NOT TRACK

We do not support Do Not Track (DNT). Do Not Track is a preference you can set in your web browser to inform websites that you do not want to be tracked. You can enable or disable Do Not Track by visiting the Preferences or Settings page of your web browser. 

CHILDREN’S PRIVACY 

The Websites are not intended for individuals under the age of thirteen (13). If we learn that we have collected or received personal information from individuals under the age of thirteen (13), we will delete the personal information. If you believe we have personal information on individuals under the age of thirteen (13), please contact us at the contact information provided below. 

SECURITY OF YOUR INFORMATION 

We implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices to protect the personal information we collect from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure.  These security practices include access controls, encryption, and monitoring software. However, no security measure or modality of data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure and we are unable to guarantee the absolute security of the personal information we have collected from you. 

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY 

From time to time, we may amend this Privacy Notice. We will post the changes to this page, and will indicate the date the changes go into effect. We encourage you to review our Privacy Notice to stay informed. If we make changes that materially affect your privacy rights, we will notify you via prominent posting on our Websites or via email, and obtain your consent, if required

CONTACT US

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or our information practices, please contact us at [email protected].

Last modified on April 4, 2024