Privacy Policy
Social Sphere, Inc.
This privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) describes how Social Sphere, Inc. d/b/a Bars.com (“Bars.com”) may collect, use and share information that we have obtained through your use of our website, https://bars.com (the “Website”) our progressive web app and related services (collectively referred to herein as the “Platform”). By using our Platform, you are consenting to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. “You” or “your” means and refers to you as a user of the Platform. “We,” “our,” “us” or “Bars.com” refers to Bars.com and our Platform.
AGE RESTRICTION: OUR PLATFORM IS ONLY INTENDED FOR USERS WHO ARE 21 AND OLDER
Bars.com Platform is not directed to nor intended for users who are younger than the age of 21. Bars.com does not knowingly collect personal information from any user under the age of 21. Under no circumstances may you use this Platform or submit personal information to Bars.com if you are under 21 years of age. If you are under of the age of 21 years of age and have entered this Platform by providing a false date of birth, or having someone provide false information on your behalf, you must immediately leave this Platform as you are not authorized to access it.
By accessing or using the Platform, you agree to the practices and policies outlined in this Privacy Policy and you hereby consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of certain information as described in this Privacy Policy. You agree to be bound by all the provisions of the Privacy Policy that are displayed on the Website on the date you use the Platform. Your continued use of our Platform indicates your acceptance of all of the provisions of this Privacy Policy displayed on the Website on the date of such use. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, you cannot use or access the Platform and should discontinue use immediately. This Privacy Policy does not apply to the services or products that are provided by third parties that are controllers of your personal information.
Our Privacy Policy is designed to provide transparency into our privacy practices and principles, in a format that our Platform Users can navigate, read and understand. We are dedicated to treating your personal information with care and respect. Please review our Privacy Policy and contact us at info@bars.com if you have any questions or concerns.
If you are an individual that has registered an account to access the Platform in order to explore available tastings, drink samples, events and other offerings (“Users”), your use is at all times also subject to the User Terms of Service (“User TOS”), which are hereby incorporated by reference.
PRIVACY POLICY SCOPE:
This Privacy Policy describes:
- Types of Personal Information We Collect
- How We Collect Information (Sources of Information)
- How We Use Your Information and Our Commercial or Business Purpose for Doing So
- How We Share Your Information
- Sensitive Information
- How We Protect the Privacy of Children Online
- Information Retention
- Security
- Third-Party Services
- Electronic Marketing and Communications; Right to Opt-out.
- CAN-SPAM ACT
- Your Access to and Control Over Your Information
- International Users
- Additional State Specific Privacy Rights
- Changes to our Privacy Policy
- Contact Us
TYPES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT:
We may collect or receive the categories of personal information listed below, which may depend on the services and Platform features you use and your device and account settings. Not all categories of personal information will be collected or received about every Platform user.
- Personal Identifiers, such as your name, email address and phone number;
- Commercial information such as drink choices and survey responses;
- Demographic information, such as age and date of birth;
- Device and online identifiers, such as IP address, device identifiers, and identifiers associated with cookies;
- Internet or other electronic network activity and web analytics, such as information about how you use, access, or interact with our Platform;
- Geolocation information, such as location information derived from your interactions with the Platform and related services, subject to the settings on your device or browser;
- Behavioral data and other inferences regarding your preferences or other characteristics, drawn from and related to browsing patterns, behaviors and services requested or reviewed.
HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION (SOURCES OF INFORMATION):
Information Provided Directly by You.
You actively provide information to Bars.com in various ways while using our Platform. For example, you share information when you:
- Create a user account on our Platform;
- Participate in any of the tastings, events and other offerings featured on our Platform;
- Respond to User surveys;
- Request customer service or contact us by sending us an email.
Automatically Gathered Information.
Where permitted by applicable law, Bars.com automatically tracks certain information about you based upon your behavior while using the Platform. This information is used to better understand and serve you by responding to your particular interests and needs.
Usage Details.
When you access and use the Platform, we may automatically collect certain details related to your access and use of the Platform, including traffic data, date and time you access the Platform, the number of links you click within the Platform, third-party websites you visit that are linked to the Platform, offers you view within the Platform and any sections within the Platform that you access.
Device Information.
When you access the Platform, we may collect information about your device and internet connection, including the device's unique device identifier, IP address, geolocation, operating system, type of mobile device you use, browser type and network information.
Use of Cookies (or mobile cookies) and Other Tracking Technologies.
Our Platform uses cookies and other tracking technologies to enhance your user experience and to provide marketing and targeted advertising. Cookies are pieces of information that some apps and websites transfer to the computer or mobile device that is browsing that app or website and are used for record-keeping purposes by many apps and websites. Use of cookies makes web browsing easier by performing certain functions such as saving your username, saving personal preferences regarding your use of the particular app or website, and ensuring that you don't see the same advertisement repeatedly. It may be possible to refuse to accept cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your device. However, if you select this setting, you may be unable to access certain parts of our Platform.
By continuing to use our Platform, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. We may choose to use any or all of the following cookies:
Strictly necessary cookies. These are cookies that are required for the operation of our Platform. They may include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our Platform.
Analytical/performance cookies. These allow us to recognize and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our Platform when they are using the Platform. This helps us to improve the way our system works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily.
Functionality cookies. These are used to recognize you when you return to our Platform. This enables us to personalize our content for you and remember your preferences.
Targeting cookies. These cookies record your visit to our Platform, the pages you have visited and the links you have followed. We may use this information to make our Platform and the advertising displayed more relevant to your interests.
Please note that third parties (including, for example, advertising networks, data management platform providers and providers of external services like web traffic analysis services) may also use cookies, over which we have no control.
Use of Web Beacons.
A “web beacon,” “clear GIF,” “web bug,” or “pixel tag” is a tiny graphic file with a unique identifier that is similar in function to a cookie but allows us to count the number of users that have visited certain pages or screens of our Platform, and to help determine the effectiveness of promotional or advertising campaigns, and for other related Platform statistics.
Information Provided by Our Service Providers and Third Parties.
We may use third party service providers to provide us with analytics on Platform traffic and use of the Platform. Bars.com uses analytic tools to analyze the performance of our Platform as well as how visitors use our Platform including, but not limited to:
Google Analytics - For more information on Google Analytics and how Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services, visit at www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/, or any other URL that Google may provide from time to time. To opt-out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. This will allow you to download and install a Google Analytics cookie-free web browser.
We may also receive information about you from third parties, such as data management platform providers that provide contextual, behavioral, demographic and other data to us. This information may include things like your name, email address, phone number, and social-media profile. We may combine this information with information we collect through other means described above.
Personal information may be freely provided by a User or may be collected automatically when using our Platform. You are not obligated to provide any personal information to Bars.com, however, certain services or features require the collection of specific personal information for their proper functioning. (e.g., you must confirm you are 21 or older before entering the Platform). Failure to provide such information will result in Bars.com being unable to provide access to certain features.
HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION AND OUR COMMERCIAL OR BUSINESS PURPOSE FOR DOING SO:
Generally.
We use your personal information for our commercial and business purposes including:
- creating and maintaining your Bars.com profile and account;
- providing information about different venues and the special offers that are being made available at such locations;
- establishing that you are of legal age to use our Platform and access our offerings;
- connecting users with brands and venues to provide special offers;
- providing the functionality and services requested;
- providing users with a tailored experience when using our Platform;
- enhancing functionality of our Platform; and
- providing analytic services.
- providing Users with customer service and technical support;
- providing information about different venues and the special offers that are being made available at such locations;
- connecting Users with brands and venues to provide special offers; and
- responding to correspondence we receive from you directly.
- sending SMS and email marketing communications with content and special offers we think will interest you; and
- marketing our services and special offers being offered by brands and venues.
- Understanding your needs and interests, and personalizing your experience with the Platform and our communications;
- Troubleshooting, testing, and research, and keeping the Platform secure;
- Investigating and protecting against fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, or illegal activity.
- Debugging;
- Undertaking internal research for technological development and demonstration; and
- Verifying or maintaining quality or safety or improving or upgrading our Platform.
- Protecting our, your or others' rights, privacy, safety, or property (including by making and defending legal claims);
- Auditing our internal processes for compliance with legal and contractual requirements and internal policies;
- Enforcing the terms and conditions that govern the Platform; and
- Preventing, identifying, investigating, and deterring fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, unethical or illegal activity, including cyberattacks and identity theft.
Some processing may also be necessary to comply with applicable laws, lawful requests and legal process, such as to respond to subpoenas or requests from government authorities, and other legal obligations such as to keep records of transactions.
Non-Personal Information.
We may collect and create de-identified and aggregated information and other non-personal information, which is not related to an identified or identifiable natural person (“Non-Personal Information”). You agree that Bars.com owns, without restriction, all Non-Personal Information and that you have no rights in or to any Non-Personal Information. Because Non-Personal Information cannot be used to personally identify you, you agree we may use such information for any lawful purpose.
HOW WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION:
- To service providers and other third parties, including brands and venues that we contract with to support and provide our business, in order to offer Users events, tastings and other campaigns. We do not authorize these parties to use your information for purposes other than for which it was provided and as contractually agreed to. These third parties are prohibited from disclosing or using personal information for purposes not expressly authorized by Bars.com.
- To analytics and search-engine providers that assist us in the improvement and optimization of our Platform.
- To advertising and DMP service providers for advertising purposes.
- To a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of Bars.com's assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by Bars.com's about our Users is among the assets transferred.
- To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it. For example, if a User submits a drink order through the Platform, we will share the drink order with the venue.
- For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information.
- With your consent. For example, connecting you with our brand and venue third-party providers, if you opt-in to receiving direct communications and offers from them.
- If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of Bars.com, our service providers, Users, or others.
- To enforce or apply our User TOS.
- Our Platform may contain social-sharing widgets or features that let you share information you find on our Platform on third-party sites, including, for example, X, Facebook, and Instagram. By doing so, you authorize us to facilitate this sharing of information, and you understand that the use of shared information will be governed by the social media provider’s privacy notice.
Legal Requirements.
As we may determine in our sole discretion, we may disclose personal information if required to do so by applicable law, including, without limitation, responding to a subpoena or request from law enforcement, court, or government agency, or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (i) comply with a legal obligation; (ii) protect or defend our rights, interests or property or that of third parties; (iii) prevent, investigate, or identify possible wrongdoing in connection with the Platform; (iv) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of Users or other third parties; or (v) protect against legal liability.
SENSITIVE INFORMATION:
With the exception of geolocation information, which may be considered sensitive information under certain state laws, we do not collect any sensitive data about you. Sensitive data generally refers to data that includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, or information about your health and genetic and biometric data. We also do not collect any information about criminal convictions and offenses.
HOW WE PROTECT THE PRIVACY OF CHILDREN ONLINE:
We understand the importance of protecting children's online privacy. Our Platform is not directed to children or any individuals under the age of 21 and Bars.com will never knowingly collect or maintain personal information through our Platform from anyone under the age of 21. If we learn that we have received information directly from an individual who is under the age of 21, we will delete such information as soon as possible.
INFORMATION RETENTION:
We retain personal information for as long as needed or permitted in light of the purpose(s) for which it was collected. The criteria used to determine our retention periods include:
- The length of time we have an ongoing relationship with you and provide services to you (for example, for as long as you have an account with us or keep using our services) and the length of time thereafter during which we may have a legitimate need to reference your personal information to address issues that may arise or provide our services;
- Whether there is a legal obligation to which we are subject (for example, certain laws require us to keep records of your transactions for a certain period of time before we can delete them); or
- Whether retention is allowed by applicable law (such as in regard to applicable statutes of limitation, litigation or regulatory investigations).
When we no longer need to process your personal information for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, we will delete or archive your personal information from our systems.
SECURITY:
Bars.com uses technical, administrative, and physical measures to protect your personal information against accidental or intentional destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure, or access and against other unlawful forms of collecting and processing. Bars.com follows industry standards and practices to help protect the confidentiality and integrity of your personal information that is collected and processed.
THIRD-PARTY SERVICES:
Our third-party service providers, such as DMPs and analytic providers, have their own privacy policies in respect to the information they collect. Our Platform also contains links to other websites, applications, and services maintained by third parties. When engaging with such third parties or considering the data privacy practices of such third parties, the privacy policy of such third parties applies and this Privacy Policy does not apply. The information practices of such other services are governed by the third-party privacy policies, which we encourage you to review to better understand those third parties' privacy practices.
ELECTRONIC MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS; RIGHT TO OPT-OUT:
From time to time your personal information, such as your name and phone number may be used to contact you with promotional materials, newsletters, marketing or other information that may be of interest to you based on your preferences. You may be contacted by the phone number or email address you provide to us. We may contact you in this way based on our legitimate interest in undertaking marketing activities to provide you with the most up-to-date information on our Platform and other products and services you may be interested in based on your preferences. By providing your contact information and opting-in, you may receive direct marketing and commercial information by means of electronic communication (SMS or email, as applicable). Message frequency may vary. Message and data rates may apply. You can withdraw your consent to receive any direct marketing communication from us by following the opt-out instructions in our emails or SMS communications or contacting us directly at info@bars.com.
CAN-SPAM ACT:
We are committed to being compliant with the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (“CAN-SPAM Act”). All e-mails you receive from Bars.com or through the Platform are intended to fully comply with the CAN-SPAM Act. If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future e-mails, you can e-mail us at info@bars.com and we will promptly remove you from all correspondence for the Platform. You understand and agree that being removed from all correspondence for the Platform may mean some features of our Platform may not function properly or may not be available to you, and you may not be able to use all of the services.
YOUR ACCESS TO AND CONTROL OVER YOUR INFORMATION:
You have options about the various ways we collect, use and store your personal information.
Account Information.
If you have created an account through the use of our Platform, you may log in to your account to enter and update your own contact information. You can also contact us through one of the options provided in the Contact Us section at the bottom of this Privacy Policy. User may deactivate their account by emailing us at info@bars.com, but we may retain certain personal information necessary to comply with our legal obligations or for legitimate business purposes, such as to resolve disputes or enforce our agreements. We may also retain cached or archived copied of personal information for a certain period.
Advertising.
You may opt out of receiving promotional texts messages or email from us by replying “STOP” to the text messages, clicking “Unsubscribe” in the promotional email or by emailing info@bars.com directly. If you opt out of receiving promotional communications, we may still send you non-promotional messages, such as those about your account or as needed to provide you with the services requested.
INTERNATIONAL USERS:
Please be aware that we are based in the United States, and the information we obtain through the Platform will be transferred to, processed in, and stored on our servers in the United States and other countries where our service providers operate. The data protection laws and regulations applicable to individuals residing outside of the United Stated may be different from the laws in your country. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) does not apply to our operations as we are not located in the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA), we only provide services to individuals located in the United States, and we do not market or advertise to individuals residing outside of the United States.
ADDITIONAL STATE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS:
Do-Not-Track Disclosures; Third-Party Tracking
Certain mechanisms may allow you to send web browser signals, known as “Do Not Track” (“DNT”) signals, indicating your choice to disable tracking on websites. We do not respond to browsers do not track signals currently. We may not be aware of or able to honor and respond to every such mechanism. More information about “do not track” is available at www.allaboutdnt.org concerning such information.
Third parties, other than our service providers, do not have authorization from us to track which websites, apps, or other online services you visit prior to and after visiting our websites. Please note, however, that we cannot control third-party tracking and there may be some third-party tracking that occurs without our consent or knowledge. Shine the Light Request California Civil Code § 1798.83 permits residents of California to request from Bars.com a notice disclosing:
(1) the categories of personal information we have shared with third parties, if any, for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes, during the preceding calendar year, and (2) the names and addresses of those third parties.
To submit a shine the light request, please contact us by using the contact details in the “Contact Us” section below.
CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY: We reserve the right to change the terms of this Privacy Policy at any time by posting those changes to this Privacy Policy, so that you are always aware of our processes related to collection, use and disclosure of your personal information. For significant changes, we will notify you by posting a prominent notice on our Website indicating when the Privacy Policy was most recently updated. Please consult this portion of the Website regularly for important changes to the Privacy Policy as they occur. CONTACT US: To ask questions or comments about this Privacy Policy and our privacy practices, or to exercise any of your rights, contact us using any of the following methods: Call our support line: 314-200-5863
Email us: info@bars.com
Last Updated: June 5, 2024