Zipplet's Stuff

Warning: This site is under construction, most links will be broken.

Privacy policy - 24/02/2006

Logging
Any resource you request from the web server is logged. This is a standard feature of apache, and the data is used for statistical reasons. The data will never be made available to any third party. Some extra logging information is stored in a database, such as that needed to power the hit counter. The following information is logged:

Your IP address
Date and time of access
User agent (browser name, version)
Document accessed

The data for the "Site Stats" is completely anonymous, it only logs the number of page accesses. You may ask us to turn over any data we have regarding your site access, if it has been logged (logs are erased regularly) in writing. Details are available by emailing the site administrator.

Cookies
If you choose to login to Zipplet's Stuff, cookies will be stored on your computer. These cookies are used to track your session - keeping you logged in until you log out. They are not used for any other purpose. By logging in to Zipplet's Stuff you agree to place these cookies on your computer. To remove all cookies placed by Zipplet's Stuff, simply logout. If you do not want cookies to be stored on your computer, then do not log in to Zipplet's Stuff.

If you choose to login using AuthGate, additional AuthGate cookies will be placed on your computer. You can find out more information by viewing the AuthGate privacy policy, linked to from our login page and the AuthGate website.

For more information about cookies, including how to delete and control cookies in your browser software, please see http://www.aboutcookies.org/.

Personal details
If you register with Zipplet's Stuff you provide us with your email address and a password. The password is hashed into a database, and is therefore unviewable even by people with access to the database. However, as the login form does not use HTTPS (secure HTTP) the password is sent as plaintext when you login. This is usually OK, but just in case, do not use a password you use for any other important activity, such as Internet banking. We will NOT be held responsible for any damages caused by your password being leaked, no matter how it happened. Your email address is only used to allow you to reset your password, and for newsletters (if you subscribe to any - it's opt-in). No third party will ever be allowed access to your email address.

Data protection policy
All data stored by Zipplet's Stuff is held in a database on a secured server. Only the site administrator and server administrator have access to this data. Passwords are hashed (manipulated by mathematical functions which cannot be reversed) before being stored, to make it very difficult (usually impossible) for them to be recovered from the database. The administrators will never pass your information on to a third party unless it is required by a law enforcement agency and the request is made in writing. If this happens, the user in question will be informed if possible. A lot of effort has been put into the securing the scripts that run this website to protect your data and privacy.

We will use personal data in the following ways:

e-mail address: Used to send you a password reset link if you ask for it, and opt-in newsletters.
password: Used to verify that you are the account holder during login
Username: The name you give your account. You should not use your real name, as other users can see it
Signup time: The date+time you create your account is recorded and used for statistical and security reasons
Last login time: The last date+time you access your account is recorded for statistical and security reasons

If we ever become aware of a data leak (due to the server being tampered with or other reasons) we will make every reasonable effort possible to inform the users affected. Please do not use a password you use for other services when signing up to Zipplet's Stuff.

User posted content
Content you submit to Zipplet's Stuff when commenting on articles and the forums is public. Other users can see your content. Do not post private information you would not want anyone else to see. You are unable to delete a comment if another user has already commented after you - please keep this in mind. An administrator will NOT respond to requests to delete comments.

Terms of use - 24/02/2006

Acceptable use
You do not have a right to use this website or any services offered - it is a privilege. You agree to the following conditions by continuing to use this website and services offered:

You will not perform a Denial of Service attack on the web server hosting this website
You will not attempt to disrupt other users activity on this website
You will not attempt to gain access to a user account that does not belong to you
You will not put unreasonable demands on the server - for example, downloading the same game 100 times in a row

Users violating any of these rules will have their access terminated (by banning IP addresses and/or accounts), and might additionally be reported to the relevent authorities depending on the severity of their actions.

User posted content
Any content you post on Zipplet's Stuff must be completely legal and acceptable:

You may not post content that is racist, or promotes things such as nazism
Content you post must not infringe on copyright (with an exception made for fair use, see below)
Terrorism related content is NOT ALLOWED - no bomb making instructions for example
No links to p2p downloads - no bittorrent links, magnet links, edonkey links...
Please refrain from profanity as some of the viewers may be children. Comments containing profanity will be deleted when an administrator sees them, and users repeatedly posting profanity will be banned
Spam and advertisements are prohibited. Repeated violations will likely lead to an IP or netblock ban.
Keep in mind that every user is entitled to their own oppinion when posting comments, however excessive flaming/trolling will be dealt with by an administrator.

Sometimes it is OK to post copyrighted material you do not own if it can be considered fair use. We consider the following as fair use:

Screenshots of video and computer games
Small extracts from books and other publications
Small videos of video and computer game content
Official movie trailers

If in doubt, DO NOT POST. People violating these rules will be banned, and the content will be removed.