Privacy policy

Last revised September 1, 2009

The privacy, security, and anonymity of True Latitudes' members are of utmost importance to us. In everything that we do, we take every commercially reasonable step to protect our members' privacy, security, and anonymity. We do this because our relationships with our members are our most important assets.

It is essential to us that our members feel comfortable providing True Latitudes with the limited information that we require in order to provide ultraluxury travel information and advice to them, and totally confident that True Latitudes will take all reasonable and appropriate steps to protect that information.

This privacy policy is our commitment to our members that we acknowledge the importance of their privacy, security, and anonymity to them, and that we will in all respects make our protection of their privacy our highest priority.

Information that we receive

When you become a member of True Latitudes, we ask you to provide us with certain information - a name, a valid e-mail address, a user name, and a password. In addition, you are given the option to provide us with additional information, including your postal address and telephone numbers, which will enable us to provide you with a more personalized service. We will keep all of this information confidential, and use it only for the purposes of running True Latitudes and providing you with the information, advice, and service that you request. You should take care in selecting your user name, and feel confident that it provides you with the level of anonymity which you require, as your user name will be publicly available on True Latitudes.

The information mentioned in the previous paragraph is commonly referred to as personally identifiable information as it could be used to identify you. In addition, True Latitudes will also receive information which is categorized as non-personally identifiable information. This type of information is explained in the following paragraph.

Because of the way the internet is structured, every time that you visit the True Latitudes website, certain non-personally identifiable information will be generated. When you visit True Latitudes' site, we receive the internet protocol address of your computer, or the proxy server that you use to access the internet. In addition, we receive information which tells us your computer operating system, the type of web browser you are using, and the name of your internet service provider. We are able to determine which links you click on. We are also able to determine the URL of the site from which you came and for the site to which you are going when you leave True Latitudes. Finally, we will receive the search query you submitted to find the site on a search engine. We compile this information with that of other members and visitors to our site to determine usage and trends, and to help us improve the service that we provide you. Any linkage between your internet protocol address and your personally identifiable information is never shared with any third party.

As is common among most websites offering a service to its members, True Latitudes uses cookies and web log files to track usage of its site. Cookies are small pieces of information which our website provides to your computer which allows us to recognize you as a member when you return to our site using the same computer and web browser. Cookies do not tell us anything about you personally. They allow us to better understand how you interact with the site. Cookie and web log file data are used to customize your experience on the website. By changing the options on your browser, you can instruct your browser to stop accepting cookies, or to prompt you before accepting cookies from the websites that you visit. If you do not accept our cookies, your use of True Latitudes' site may be limited and you may not enjoy its full functionality.

If you choose to tell a friend about True Latitudes, or invite a friend to join True Latitudes, we will ask for your friend's name and e-mail address. We will send your friend an automatic e-mail telling him or her about True Latitudes and inviting him or her to visit our website and join. We will include your name in the e-mail that we send to your friend unless you instruct us not to. We will store this information and use it only for the purpose of tracking the success of our referral program. We will not release the name and e-mail address of your friend to any third party for any reason.

True Latitudes' website includes a feature which enables you to give a gift of True Latitudes membership to a friend, colleague, or family member. When you give the gift, you have the option of notifying your friend of the gift or having us tell your friend on your behalf. If you choose to inform your friend, one of your options is to have us send you an appropriately luxurious gift card announcing the membership gift which you can then give or send to your friend. For us to send you the card for you to give to your friend, we will ask you for your postal address. We will then use that address to send you the gift card, and then we will store that information with all of the other information that we maintain on you. We will not use that address for any purpose without your express consent (for example, when you give a subsequent gift) and will not under any circumstances make that address available to any third party.

When you give a gift of membership, a second option is to have True Latitudes inform your friend of the gift on your behalf. One of the ways that we do that for you is to send a gift card in your name directly to your friend. To do that, we will ask you for your friend's postal address. We will then use that address to send the gift card to your friend, and then we will store that information with the other information given to us by your friend the first time that he or she logs in to the site. We will not use that address for any other purpose without your friend's express consent, and will not under any circumstances make that address available to any third party.

Another option when you give a gift of membership is for True Latitudes to notify your friend by e-mail. In order to do that, we will ask you for your friend's e-mail address. After we send the gift notification to your friend, we will store that information with the other information given to us by your friend the first time that he or she logs in to the site. We will not use that e-mail address for any other purpose without your friend's express consent, and will not under any circumstances make that e-mail address available to any third party.

How we will use information

True Latitudes is a website designed to provide its members with unique intelligence and advice on ultraluxury travel. All of the information which we receive - be it personally identifiable information or non-personally identifiable information - we use to improve our service to our members and enhance their experience on the site. In doing so, we are striking a balance between our members' need for privacy and anonymity and our need to provide them with the best possible service. While we only require members to provide us with the absolute minimum amount of information in order to join the site, we do give members the opportunity from time to time to volunteer additional information about themselves, their ultraluxury travel experiences, and what we can do to serve them better. We only use this information to better understand our members and their preferences so that we can make True Latitudes more useful and relevant to them.

True Latitudes also collects other information which does not personally identify any member or visitor to the site but which is obtained by monitoring how individuals use the site. True Latitudes uses this information to better understand its business and to advance the interests of its business.

True Latitudes will communicate with you by putting information on the website and by sending you e-mails. You should expect to receive e-mails from True Latitudes regarding your membership and various administrative matters such as changes to our service, updates to our website, and any important changes to our terms of use and this privacy policy. We will never send you e-mails of a commercial nature. If you contact us with a question or problem, or if you request our assistance with planning and arranging an ultraluxury trip, we will ask you at that time how you would like us to communicate with you about that matter.

True Latitudes publishes periodic newsletters which it sends to its members and selected others by e-mail. You may choose not to receive the e-mail newsletters by unsubscribing using the link provided in every newsletter. You may also choose to resume your subscription to the newsletters at any time by sending us a message by e-mail.

When we will share information

True Latitudes does not share, rent, or sell its member list or its members' personal information or personally identifiable information with or to any third party - except in the circumstances described below. In addition, True Latitudes will not give your name or e-mail address - or any other personal information that we receive - to any other member of the True Latitudes community.

In certain instances when you ask True Latitudes for advice or assistance in planning and arranging an ultraluxury trip, we will utilize the services of a trusted third party to assist us in planning and arranging the trip. In these instances, it will be necessary for us to provide certain information to them so that they can contact you directly. We will never provide that information without first advising you what information we wish to provide and to whom, and getting your express consent to do so. The third parties with which we work are bound by strict confidentiality agreements which limit their use of the information we provide.

In addition, we hire other trusted third parties to help us provide services to our members. These services include e-mail newsletter transmission, customer support, technical services, and other services which we require. It may be necessary for us to provide these third parties with some of your personal information in order for them to fulfill their services - for example, to distribute our e-mail newsletters to you. These third parties do not store or share this personal information except to provide these services, and they are bound by strict confidentiality agreements which limit their use of such information.

We may provide third parties with aggregated and anonymous data about the members of True Latitudes and their usage of our service. This data does not contain any personally identifiable information about any individual.

Protecting yourself

On True Latitudes' website, you will be identified by your user name. Please ensure that your user name conceals your true identity and provides the level of anonymity you require. Any information that you provide or statement that you make when you are logged in to the website is public. Any personal information or personally identifiable information which you may post or submit regarding yourself or your previous or intended travels can be read, collected, and used by other members, and could be used to contact you or send you unsolicited or unwelcome messages. We cannot be responsible for any personal information that you choose to reveal or the consequences, so we urge you to take great care in providing information about yourself, and, when uncertain, to always err on the side of providing less information rather than more.

If you want to contact another True Latitudes member, you may send him or her a message through us. We will not disclose your e-mail address to that member, or his or hers to you.

As a convenience to you, the True Latitudes website contains a number of links to the sites of other organizations which provide information and services which we believe are of value to ultraluxury travelers. However, please understand that these other companies are neither owned nor controlled by True Latitudes. Each has its own privacy policy and its own house rules. These policies and rules may not be as strict as True Latitudes'. Before providing any personal information or personally identifiable information on or to any site with a link to True Latitudes, we urge you to carefully read the site's privacy policy.

In order to secure your membership, access to your information on True Latitudes is password protected. Please do not share your password with anyone else, and, if you have written it down, keep it in a secure place separate from your user name.

True Latitudes automatically encrypts your confidential personally identifiable information when it is in transit from your computer to ours using the secure socket layer protocol. This includes sensitive data such as credit card and payment information. Our servers sit behind an electronic firewall and are not directly connected to the internet. We regularly audit our system for vulnerabilities and attacks, and we use a tier-one secured-access data center.

Nevertheless, please understand that no data transmission over the internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed 100 percent secure. If you suspect that your True Latitudes membership has been compromised in any way, please contact us immediately.

Finally, you may at any time change your e-mail address, user name, or password to further protect your privacy and anonymity. To do so, click on the "Change your settings" tab on the bottom of any members-only page of the website.

In the event of legal proceedings

True Latitudes may from time to time be required by a court with appropriate jurisdiction to reveal personal information in response to a court order or subpoena. We will comply with any legal obligation which we may have in this regard after first assuring ourselves that we are compelled to do so. We may also reveal personal information where we have a good faith belief that such action is necessary for us to exercise or defend our legal rights, or to defend any legal action against us. We will also disclose personal information if it is necessary because we have a good faith belief that a member's actions violate True Latitudes' terms of use, applicable laws in their or our jurisdiction, or threaten the rights, property, or safety of True Latitudes, our members, or others.

With regard to children

True Latitudes is not intended for the use of persons under the age of eighteen. You must be eighteen or older to access and use this site. True Latitudes does not knowingly collect information of any nature from or regarding persons under eighteen.

Change of True Latitudes ownership

If we sell, transfer, or merge all or a portion of True Latitudes, we may transfer some or all of our members' information as a part of the transaction in order that the service being provided to our members may continue, or in order to satisfy some other business purpose.

Changes to this privacy policy

True Latitudes may update or change this privacy policy from time to time. If we do so, and the change is meaningful, we may display a notice on the website or send an e-mail notice to affected members. In addition, we will change the date of the last revision shown at the beginning of the privacy policy. If you continue to use True Latitudes after notice of the change is posted or sent to you, or the date at the beginning of the policy is changed, you will be deemed to have accepted the changed policy.

Your consent to this policy

By using this website, you signify your agreement to this privacy policy and the manner in which True Latitudes collects, stores, and uses information. If you do not agree to this privacy policy, please do not use this website.

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us.