dnt-policy-discussion-draft.txt

Do Not Track Compliance Policy 

Discussion version 0.1

This domain complies with user opt-outs from tracking via the "Do Not Track"
or "DNT" header  [http://www.w3.org/TR/tracking-dnt/].  This file will always
be posted via HTTPS at https://example-domain.com/.well-known/dnt-policy.txt
to indicate this fact.

SCOPE

This policy document allows an operator of a Fully Qualified Domain Name
("domain") to declare that it respects Do Not Track as a meaningful privacy
opt-out of tracking, so that privacy-protecting software can better determine
whether to block or anonymize communications with this domain.  This policy is
intended first and foremost to be posted on domains that publish ads, widgets,
images, scripts and other third-party embedded hypertext (for instance on
widgets.example.com), but it can be posted on any domain, including those user
visit directly (such as www.example.com).  The policy may be applied to some
domains used by a company, site, or service, and not to others.  Do Not Track
may be sent by any client that uses the HTTP protocol, including websites,
mobile apps, and smart devices like TVs. Do Not Track also works with all
protocols able to read HTTP headers, including SPDY.

NOTE: This policy contains both Requirements and Exceptions. Where possible
terms are defined in the text, but a few additional definitions are included
at the end.

REQUIREMENTS

When this domain receives Web requests from a user who enables DNT by actively
choosing an opt-out setting in their browser or by installing software that is
primarily designed to protect privacy ("DNT User"), we will take the following
measures with respect to those users' data, subject to the Exceptions, also
listed below:  

1. END USER IDENTIFIERS:         

  a. If a DNT User has logged in to our service, all user identifiers, such as
     unique or nearly unique cookies, "supercookies" and fingerprints are 
     discarded as soon as the HTTP(S) response is issued.                                    
  b. If a DNT User is not logged in to our service, we will take steps to ensure 
     that no user identifiers are transmitted to us at all.         

2. LOG RETENTION: 

  a. Logs with DNT Users' identifiers removed (but including IP addresses and
     User Agent strings) may be retained for a period of 7 days or less,
     unless an Exception (below) applies. This period of time balances privacy
     concerns with the need to ensure that log processing systems have time to
     operate; that operations engineers have time to monitor and fix technical
     and performance problems; and that security and data aggregation systems
     have time to operate.

  b. These logs will not be used for any other purposes.         

3. OTHER DOMAINS: 

  a. If this domain transfers identifiable user data about DNT Users to
     contractors, affiliates or other parties, or embeds from or posts data to
     other domains, we will either:         

  b. ensure that the operators of those domains abide by this policy overall
     by posting it at /.well-known/dnt-policy.txt via HTTPS on the domains in
     question,

    OR

     ensure that the recipient's policies and practices require the recipient
     to respect the policy for our DNT Users' data.

    OR  

     obtain a contractual commitment from the recipient to respect this policy
     for our DNT Users' data.

    NOTE: if an “Other Domain” does not receive identifiable user information
    from the domain, because such information has been removed or because the
    Other Domain does not log that information or for some other reason, these
    requirements do not apply.

4. PERIODIC REASSERTION OF COMPLIANCE: 

  a. At least once every 12 months, we reassert compliance with this document.

  b. This reassertion must be after reasonable efforts to ensure that the
     assertion of compliance is accurate. 

  c. If the organization operating this domain has annual revenue of more than
     USD 25 million or €18 million in inflation-adjusted 2013 currency, it
     will conduct an annual audit of compliance with this policy.

5. USER NOTIFICATION: 

  a. If we are required by law to retain or disclose user identifiers, we will
     attempt to provide the users with notice (unless we are prohibited or it
     would be futile) that a request for their information has been made in
     order to give the users an opportunity to object to the retention or
     disclosure.

  b. We will attempt to provide this notice by email, if the users have given
     us an email address, and by postal mail if the users have provided a
     postal address.                                   

  c. If the users do not challenge the disclosure request, we may be legally
     required to turn over their information.

  d. We may delay notice if we, in good faith, believe that an emergency
     involving danger of death or serious physical injury to any person
     requires disclosure without delay of information relating to the
     emergency.

EXCEPTIONS

Data from DNT Users collected by this domain may be logged or retained only in
the following specific situations:

1. CONSENT / "OPT BACK IN"         

  a. DNT Users are opting out from tracking across the Web.  It is possible
     that for some feature or functionality, we will need to ask a DNT User to
     "opt back in" to be tracked by us across the entire Web.                                    

  b. If we do that, we will take reasonable steps to verify that the users who
     select this option have genuinely intended to opt back in to tracking.
     One way to do this is by performing scientifically reasonable user
     studies with a representative sample of our users, but smaller
     organizations can satisfy this requirement by other means.         

2. TRANSACTIONS         

   If a DNT User actively and knowingly enters a transaction with our
   services (for instance, clicking on a clearly-labeled advertisement,
   posting content to a widget, or purchasing an item), we will retain
   necessary data for as long as required to perform the transaction. This
   may for example include keeping auditing information for clicks on
   advertising links; keeping a copy of posted content and the name of the
   posting user; keeping server-side session IDs to recognize logged in
   users; or keeping a copy of the physical address to which a purchased
   item will be shipped.                      

3. TECHNICAL AND SECURITY LOGGING:                   

  a. If, during the processing of the initial request (for unique identifiers)
     or during the subsequent 7 days (for IP addresses and User Agent strings),
     we obtain specific information that causes our employees or systems to
     believe that a request is, or is likely to be, part of a security attack or
     fraudulent transaction, then logs of those requests are not subject to this
     policy.                                   

  b. If we encounter technical problems with our site, then, in rare
     circumstances, we may retain logs for longer than 7 days, if that is
     necessary diagnose and fix those problems, but this practice will not be
     routinized and we will strive to delete such logs as soon as possible.         

4. AGGREGATION:

  a. We may retain and share anonymized datasets, such as aggregate records of
     readership patterns; statistical models of user behavior; graphs of
     system variables; or logs with encrypted IP addresses and simplified User
     Agent strings.                                    

  b. "Anonymized" means we have conducted risk mitigation to ensure
     that the dataset, plus any additional information that is in our
     possession or likely to be available to us, does not allow the
     reconstruction of reading habits or online activity of groups of fewer
     than 4096 individuals or devices.         

5. ERRORS: 

From time to time, there may be inadvertent errors by which user data is
temporarily logged or retained in violation of this policy.  We will delete
this data as soon practicable after we become aware of the error and take
steps to ensure that it is deleted by any third-party who may have had access
to the data.

ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS

"Fully Qualified Domain Name" means a domain name that addresses a computer
connected to the Internet.  For instance, example1.com; www.example1.com;
ads.example1.com; and widgets.example2.com are all distinct FQDNs.

"Supercookie" means any technology other than an HTTP Cookie which can be used
by a server to associate identifiers with the clients that visit it.  Examples
of supercookies include Flash LSO cookies, DOM storage, HTML5 storage, or
tricks to store information in caches or etags.

"Risk mitigation" means an engineering process that evaluates the possibility
and likelihood of various adverse outcomes, considers the available methods of
making those adverse outcomes less likely, and deploys sufficient mitigations
to bring the probability and harm from adverse outcomes below an acceptable
threshold.