Ask Media Group Cookie Policy

Ask Media Group LLC (“AMG”), directly or indirectly operates Ask.com, as well as Reference.com, Life123.com, Consumersearch.com, Shop411.com and many other sites offering search services and everyday useful content (click here for more info about other AMG sites). We understand that your privacy is important to you, and we are committed to being transparent about the information we collect and process upon your use of AMG sites.

If you are accessing the ask.com site via a downloadable application, you are using a service offered by AMG’s affiliated business Ask Applications and this cookie policy is applicable.

We operate our sites from the United States of America and, regardless of your place of residence or access location, your use of our sites is governed by the laws of the State of California, USA. Users who access or use our sites from other locations do so at their own risk and consent to the transfer and processing of their data in the United States of America and any other jurisdiction throughout the world. This Cookie Policy is provided in English. Translations to certain other languages may be available and can be requested by contacting us here.

This Cookie Policy explains how and why cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, clear gifs, and other similar files or technologies may be used to collect and store the information automatically collected about your browser, computer, device, and Service usage and how you can control the use of these technologies.

If you do not accept the use of cookies, please disable them as described in the Cookie Controls.

This Cookie Policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

What is a cookie?

How do we use cookies?

What types of cookies do we use?

Cookie Controls

About cookies set in the past

Changes to this Cookie Policy

More cookie resources

Contact Information

WHAT IS A COOKIE?

Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information which are downloaded to your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. Cookies are then sent back to the originating website on each subsequent visit, or to another website that recognizes that cookie.A pixel tag (also called a web beaconor) is a tiny graphic with a unique identifier, embedded invisibly on a webpage (or an online ad or email) that links web pages to particular web servers and their cookies, and may be used for a variety of purposes, such as counting the number of visitors to the Sites, analyzing how users navigate around the Sites, assessing what content or ads are viewed or clicked on by our visitors. Some ad companies and game developers use "flash cookies" for ads and games that use Flash media technology. We use the term “cookies” in this policy to refer to cookies and all such similar technologies.

Cookies are widely used in order to make websites work, or to work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site. We use these technologies to let you navigate between pages efficiently, remember your preferences, track your use of the Services and generally improve your experience. Ad companies we work with place cookies on your computer to track your activities across various sites so that they can display ads on our Sites and third party websites that are more relevant to you and your interests.

There are two broad categories of cookies:

First party cookies,served directly by us to your computer or mobile device.
Third party cookies,which are served by a third party on our behalf. We use third party cookies for functionality, performance / analytics, advertising and social media purposes.

Cookies can remain on your computer or mobile device for different periods of time. Some cookies are 'session cookies', meaning that they exist only while your browser is open. These are deleted automatically once you close your browser. Other cookies are 'permanent cookies', meaning that they survive after your browser is closed. They can be used by websites to recognize your computer when you open your browser and browse the Internet again.

HOW DO WE USE COOKIES?

We use cookies to:

track traffic flow and patterns of travel in connection with our services;
understand the total number of visitors to our sites on an ongoing basis and the types of internet browsers (e.g. Chrome, Safari or Edge), operating systems (e.g. Windows or Mac OS), and screen resolutions used by our visitors;
monitor and analyze the performance of our Services and to continually improve them;
customize and enhance your online experience;
enable AMG and third-party advertising both on and off our sites.

WHAT TYPES OF COOKIES DO WE USE?

The types of cookies used by us and our partners in connection with the services can be classNameified into one of the five categories below. We've set out some further information about each category, and the purposes of the cookies we and third parties set in the following table.

TYPE OF COOKIE	WHAT IT DOES
Strictly Necessary Cookies	These cookies are essential to operate our sites and provide our services by helping us provide basic functionality such as loading and rendering pages on the sites and enabling your navigation around the sites and use of certain features. They are also used to identify and prevent fraud and improve security.
Functionality Cookies	Functionality cookies record information about choices you've made and allow us to tailor the sites to you. These cookies mean that when you continue to use or come back to the sites, we can provide you with our services as you have asked for them to be provided. For example, these cookies allow us to store language preference. They may also be used to provide certain functionality such as playing a video.
Performance / Analytics Cookies	We use performance/analytics cookies to analyze how the sites are accessed, used, or is performing in order to provide you with a better user experience and to maintain, operate and continually improve the sites. For example, these cookies allow us to: 1. Better understand our website visitors so that we can improve how we present our content; 2. Test different design ideas for particular pages, such as our homepage; 3. Collect information about site visitors such as where they are located and what browsers they are using; 4. Determine the number of unique users of the sites; 5. Improve the sites by measuring any errors that occur; and 6. Conduct research and diagnostics to improve product offerings.
Advertising and Tracking Cookies	As you use our sites, you will notice that it features advertising. Through pixels and JavaScript code implemented on our sites, we allow third party advertising companies to place cookies on our users’ browsers. These cookies enable such companies to track your activity across various sites where they display ads and record your activities so they can show ads that they consider relevant to you as you browse the web. Cookies also allow us and third parties to know whether you've seen an ad or a type of ad, and how long it has been since you've last seen it. This information is used for frequency capping purposes, to help tailor the ads you see, and to measure the effectiveness of ads.
Social Media Cookies	Social media platform that make their social sharing features available through/on our sites may set their own cookies in order to track the performance of their features or customize them. For example, when you share an article using a social media sharing button on our sites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus), the social network that has created the button will record that you have done this. Because of how cookies work, we cannot access these cookies, nor can the social media platform access the data in cookies used by us. Some pages of our website may also contain embedded content, such as video content from YouTube, and these sites may set their own cookies.

COOKIE CONTROLS.

You can control your cookie settings as explained below. We may disclose your opt-out choices to third parties so that they can honor your preferences in accordance with applicable laws.

Web Browser Controls. Most browsers allow you to change your cookie settings. Users can usually set their browsers to block all third-party cookies (which are those set by third-party companies collecting information on websites operated by other companies), block all cookies (including first-party cookies such as the ones We uses to collect search activity information about its users), or block specific cookies. These settings will typically be found in the “options” or “preferences” menu of your browser. In order to understand these settings, the following links may be helpful, otherwise you should use the “Help” option in your browser for more details.

Flash Cookie Controls. You can manage the use of Flash technologies with the Flash management tools available at Adobe's website.

Web-Beacons: You can usually prevent the operation of web-beacons by changing your web-browser cookie settings and your ad choices, or for those in emails, by switching off images in your email client or viewing emails using only the “text” display (rather than “HTML” display”). See the “Help” section of your email client for instructions. Please see the All About Cookies website for further information about managing your options.

Mobile Apps. You can stop all collection of information via an app by uninstalling the app. Also, you may be able to exercise specific privacy choices, such as enabling or disabling certain location-based services, by adjusting the permissions in your mobile device.

Google Analytics. To see an overview of privacy at Google and how to opt out of certain Google practices, visit https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy. You can prevent your data from being collected by Google Analytics by downloading the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on here. Opting-out is generally done by the third party dropping a cookie on your browser indicating your intent to opt-out. If you get a new device, install a new browser, erase, or otherwise alter the third party’s browser cookie file, you may clear the opt-out cookie and no longer be subject to its opt-out.

Third Party Advertising. You may exercise choices regarding certain third party advertising cookies through the following organizations:

Digital Advertising Alliance(DAA) Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising. You exercise the DAA choices regarding Interest-based Advertising here. You can also download the DAA AppChoices app for control over how information about your interests is used for in-app advertising on your mobile device here.
European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (“EDAA”). To learn more about the EDAA and your opt out options, see Your Online Choices.
Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”). To learn more about the NAI and your opt out options for their members, see http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/.

We only enable behavioral targeting with your consent where such consent is required. Please be aware that, even if you have not consented to behavioral targeting where consent is required, or if you have opted out of certain Interest/behavioral/targeted –based advertising, you may continue to receive customized content and/or ads based on the search queries you submitted or the content of the pages you are visiting. AMG is not responsible for effectiveness of, or compliance with, any third-parties’ opt out options or programs or the accuracy of their statements regarding their programs.

Promotional Communications. You can opt-out of receiving certain promotional communications (push notifications) from us at any time by adjusting the permissions in your browser or mobile device.

If you have disabled one or more cookies, we may still use information collected from cookies prior to your disabled preference being set, however, we will stop using the disabled cookie to collect any further information.

CHANGES TO THIS COOKIE POLICY.

We will occasionally update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in our practices and services. When we post changes to this Cookie Policy, we will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this Cookie Policy. If we make any material changes in the way we collect, use, and/or share information held in cookies, we will notify you in advance of those changes taking effect. We recommend that you check this page from time to time to inform yourself of any changes in this Cookie Policy or any of our other policies.

MORE COOKIE RESOURCES.

If you would like to find out more about cookies and their use on the Internet, you may find the following links useful:

CONTACT INFORMATION.

If you have any questions or concerns about this Cookie Policy or would like to submit a request to our Data Protection Officer, please contact us here or via mail at:

Ask Media Group, LLC

Privacy Officer

555 12th Street, Suite 300

Oakland, CA 94607