WELCOME TO THE TY PRIVACY POLICY

Ty Inc. strives to maintain an educational playground for kids and adults all over the world! We have put this section together to provide information for our visitors about privacy concerns, particularly concerns from a parent's perspective. With the attention being given to online safety, we would like to take advantage of this opportunity to address the following issues:

1. What Type of Information We Collect and Why.

As with any site on the World Wide Web, any individual can observe the events taking place on Ty.com; however, in order to participate in the interactive portions of our website, Ty Inc. requires users to register. These interactive portions have a number of features that allow users to post information and write content to our site. By requiring users of our interactive features to register, we can work to make sure that Ty.com remains a safe environment for everyone. For example, in the event questionable material is posted on our site, we have the information necessary to track down the source of the messages and, if necessary, block that user from posting entries in the future.

During the registration process we ask adult users their names, e-mail addresses, dates of birth, country and state of residence and zip codes. We do not request a home address or telephone number. Before allowing children under 18 to register at our site, we first ask for parental permission. Of course, we must collect limited information from children (first name, country and state of residence, and the child and parent's e-mail addresses) in order to obtain parental permission. If we do not obtain permission in a reasonable period of time, that information is destroyed. Before parents provide consent, we ask that they read through this document carefully to understand our privacy policies with regard to their children. After parents provide consent, we will ask children to give some additional personal information, namely gender and zip code. We ask this data so that we can better provide our services to you and your child. Parents, we may also send surveys to your child. Their responses will be aggregated and stored on a non-personal basis.

At the time of registration, we require both adult and child visitors to establish a "USER ID" which is a password-protected screen name. This is your identity on the site, and all the other users will know you by your USER ID. This eliminates the disclosure of full names or e-mail addresses on our website. However, on the Beanie Board of Trade (BBOT), adult registered users may provide and access contact information from other adult users.

In one, limited circumstance, we will collect personal information from non-registered users, specifically, to fulfill purchase orders at the Ty Store. Non-registered users may purchase product on provision of a valid credit card. The information provided will be used to fulfill the order request, as well as to notify the individual about other Ty products in which we believe he or she may be interested. If you do not want to receive these messages, simply notify us of your wishes by e-mail to contact@Ty.com.

We use the information we collect from adult and child users to provide you with a better online experience, to assist us in providing you with our BEANIE products in a fast and efficient manner, and to notify you about exciting new products or features in which we think you may be interested. To give you a better idea, here are a few examples: we ask you for your zip code so that we can find out where our fans live, and make sure our distributors in those areas have enough product on-hand. We ask you for your e-mail address so that we can send you information about our site or our products. We ask for your country so that we know what privacy laws apply to you.

In addition to information we expressly request, we also record certain non-personally identifiable information through the standard operation of Ty's Internet servers. This information allows us to keep our website running efficiently. The information that we record includes the browser (such as Netscape, Internet Explorer, etc.) and the operating system (such as Macintosh, Windows 95, etc.) being used by the visitor. Another use of this type of information includes the number of visits to the various pages in our site. E-mail addresses and other personally identifiable data about visits to this site are known only when voluntarily submitted.

Ty utilizes a "cookie" application for the limited purposes of recognizing registered visitors, and communicating a personalized welcome message and data displays based on personal preferences (a "cookie" application automatically collects information from a visitor to a website and transfers such information to the visitor's hard drive). We also use cookies to recognize and protect our child visitors.

Personally identifiable information, including names and identities, collected through our website is kept by Ty (and our agents) and is not released, sold, or in any way transferred outside the company or our agents. Ty firmly believes in safety and privacy on the Internet and does not collect information about or disclose the identity of children on the Internet without prior parental approval, nor does it disclose the identity of adults without prior approval.

One closing note about what we collect and why: Due to overwhelming popular demand, Ty Inc. is pleased to offer a trading forum for its fans, the Beanie Board of Trade (BBOT). On this forum, adult registered users may list items that they wish to sell. Sellers' electronic mail addresses will then be available on demand to potential purchasers (who must be registered adult users). You should not participate in this forum unless you wish for your e-mail address to be shared. To learn more about the BBOT, please read the Rules and Regulations for that area.

2. Your Options.

Ty Inc. strives to make its site user friendly, and we have worked hard to give you options about the information you provide to us, and about the activities in which your children may participate. Here are some of the ways we give you control:

When you register, you may select whether or not you wish to receive e-mail notices from us about exciting new additions to the Ty.com site. If you change your mind, you may return to your "My Info" profile at any time and update your choice.

Although Ty Inc. will not share your personal information with third parties without your consent, it does provide adult users the opportunity to share information on the BBOT. So please, be careful! Adult users who do not want their personal information to be shared with third parties should not use this area. Remember, if you post something on the BBOT, anyone who wants to contact you will be able to access your electronic mail address.

We want parents to retain control over their children's online experience. When providing parental consent, parents can decide (1) whether or not they want their children to participate in moderated forums, (2) whether or not their children can send electronic mail messages using our web site to people they already know (like sending a BEANIE GREETING to a friend or MY TY FOLIO to a grandparent), and (3) whether we can send e-mail information to the child.

For users who purchase product at Ty Store, you have the ability to opt out of receiving notices from us by sending us an e-mail to mailto:contact@Ty.com

3. Who We Are and How to Get a Hold of Us.

Ty.com is brought to you by Ty Inc., the manufacturer of the fun and fuzzy BEANIE BABY. Ty believes in online safety and would welcome any suggestions that you may have. Please contact us at:

4. Can't Wait? How to Access, Change or Even Delete the Information You Gave Us.

Any time you want, log into the Ty.com website, click the "My Info" link on the top of the home page and change your profile. Parents, don't worry. We won't let kids change their ages (and you can't either, so don't try to convince us this is your fourth 29^th birthday!). But, if you find out that your child gave us the wrong age, please don't hesitate to contact us. We'll probably ask you a few questions to make sure you are really the parent, but we'll get it taken care of.

Parents, if you want to access the information your child has provided, you have two options. Of course, you can always send us an e-mail message. We'll ask you those same questions to make sure you are who you say you are, and then we'll send it on its way. Also, when you give consent, we will share with you your child's username and password. If you would like to see what information your child has provided, log in as your child, select the "My Info" page, and you will be able to see what additional information (gender and state) they have provided.

5. Protecting Your Children on Ty.com and other Safety Concerns.

Ty is particularly dedicated to providing children with a safe and fun Internet environment. Ty has developed privacy policies that are focused on protecting children, including a general policy not to disclose a child's identity on the site, nor to let the child disclose his or her identity on this site. It is Ty's intention to adhere to the Federal Trade Commission's Rule implementing the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA") as well as the Children's Advertising Review Unit ("CARU") Guidelines for Advertising on the Internet and Online Services.

Before children age 17 or younger can participate in those areas of our site that require registration, including Ty Talk Cyberboard, TyFolio, and Ask Ty, we require parental consent. We do this not only because the law requires it, but also because we are dedicated to providing children with a safe online environment at the Ty.com website. When seeking parental consent, we send parents a notice that includes a copy of this privacy policy so that they can more fully understand our information collection practices.

Moreover, not only do we require parental participation on our site, we have also set up language filters to electronically monitor all entries for objectionable content. Any objectionable entries which are not removed by our electronic filters are removed by our human monitors. If you happen to see a posting anywhere on our website that you feel is objectionable, please use the Emergency E-mail Form which will direct your message to an individual at Ty who will look into the matter as soon as possible.

Ty believes that parents should actively supervise and participate in their children's online activities. We comply with the requirements of COPPA, and allow parents to modify any selections they have made for their children. If you no longer want your child to participate in Ty Talk Cyberboard or TyFolio, or if you would like to correct any information that your child has submitted to us, please notify us at contact@Ty.com, and we will make your requested changes within 48 hours.

Finally, to take further measures to protect your child, Ty recommends the use of parental control software tools that are readily available from online services and software manufacturers. Such parental software tools are designed to not only screen out objectionable content, but also to allow parents to prevent their children from disclosing names, addresses, and other personal information without parental permission.

Ty Inc. is not only concerned about children's safety, but adults' safety as well. Ty Inc. takes many measures to protect your privacy online. Our site is hosted from a secure server, and access to your personal information by our employees (and web hosting service's employees) is limited. If you have any concerns about your privacy, or your children's privacy, we encourage you to contact us at contact@Ty.com

Thank you for reading our Privacy Policy!

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