Our Privacy Plegde

General Statement:

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it. This privacy statement explains our policies and practices regarding on-line customer information. It is through this disclosure that we intend to provide you with a level of comfort and confidence in how we collect, use, and safeguard personal and other information we collect or that you provide through this website, and how you can contact us if you have any questions or concerns. It is our sincere hope that by explaining our data handling practices we will develop a trusting and long-lasting relationship with you.

Information About Our Organization and Website:

This Privacy Statement applies to www.thefordstory.com, which is owned and maintained by Ford Motor Company, Marketing, Sales and Service Division, 16800 Executive Plaza Drive, Dearborn, MI 48126.

The business purpose of this website is essentially: (1) to provide customers with Ford’s perspective on news and current events relevant to Ford Motor Co, its employees and its customers; (2) to provide samples of what others are saying about Ford Motor Co. and its products; and (3) to provide customers with a place to post their opinions and their stories.

Personally Identifiable Information We Collect From You:

When you visit thefordstory.com we will not collect any personal information about you unless you provide it to us voluntarily. Personal data includes information that is particular to you such as name, street address, telephone number, and e-mail address. If you opt not to provide us with personal information, you can still access our website, however you may be unable to participate in certain promotions or receive information.

Our primary goal in collecting personal information from you when you visit thefordstory.com is to provide you the functionality and services that you need to have a meaningful and customized experience while using the site features.

How We Use the Personally Identifiable Information We Collect:
Personally identifiable information collected on thefordstory.com may be used to:
• Fulfill a site user request (brochure fulfillment, lead generation, send marketing or promotional materials including e-mails or other information)
• Respond to your comments or requests for information
• Meet a request for or to develop new products or services
• Make the user experience more customer-friendly
• Generate site analytics that improve our site layout, content, product offerings and services
• Compile user data that is stored in our corporate database and may be used for marketing and other purposes
• Match personal data collected here with data about you that we collect offline
• Comply with legal requirements

Other (Non-Personally Identifiable) Information We Collect From Site Visitors:

During a normal visit to our site, no personally identifiable information about you is collected. All information on our site is free to browse at your leisure without the need for you to provide us with any personally identifiable information. Thefordstory.com collects other information, non-personally identifiable information from site visitors. This means that we do not track these items on an individual basis that identifies the site visitor, but rather gather and collect this information on an aggregate [or anonymous] basis that includes all site visitors. Non-personal information includes tracking the site pages that are visited, the amount of time spent on our site, clicks, page views, events (which shopping tools you interacted with), and zip code.

Our primary goal in collecting aggregate information from you is to be able to perform site metrics that allow us to improve the functionality of the website. We need to collect aggregate information in order to track page visits, site click through analysis, peak site usage times and site layout re-design.

We may use session and persistent “cookies,” session logs, spot light ads/web beacons/GIF/pixel tags/banner ads or links to collect aggregate or other non-personally identifiable information about site visitors. An explanation for each of these items and how they work is included in the section, Methods We Use to Collect Information.

How We Use the Aggregate or Non-Personally Identifiable Information We Collect:

Non-Personally identifiable information collected on thefordstory.com may be used to:
• Compile aggregate and statistical data to help in website design and to identify popular features
• Measure site activity to allow us to update our site to better meet user wants and needs

thefordstory.com utilizes session log data and your personal and non-personal data for the purpose of performing analytics on the users’ experience while visiting this site. This analysis:
• Is performed on an aggregate level and does not identify you or your information personally
• Involves the use of a third party vendor acting on behalf of thefordstory.com
• Is performed in order to improve our website and the user experience
• May include the use of session and/or persistent cookies to track user movement across this and other Ford Motor Company websites or to track other events within or across this and other Ford Motor Company websites

Any information that is provided to the third party vendor is to be used only for the purpose of performing the analytics and compiling reports of the data. The third party vendor is restricted from using this data in any other way other than to provide these services to Ford Motor Company and they may not share or resell this data.

Methods We Use to Collect Information

A “cookie” is a small text file that helps us in many ways to make your visit to our website more enjoyable and meaningful to you. For example, cookies avoid you having to log in every time you come back to one of our websites. They also allow us to tailor a website or advertisement to better match your interests and preferences. There are a couple different types of cookies.

A “session” cookie is stored only in your computer’s working memory (RAM) and only lasts for your browsing session. When you close all your browser’s windows, or when you shut down your computer, the session cookie disappears forever.

A “persistent” cookie is stored on your computer’s hard drive until a specified date, which could be tomorrow, next week, or 10 years from now. Persistent cookies stay on your computer until either a) they expire,) they are overwritten with newer cookies, c) you manually remove them. Most browsers can be configured not to accept cookies, however, this may prevent you from having access to some site functions or features.

Thefordstory.com may use spot light ads/web beacons/GIF/pixel tags which are site instrumentation tools that help us to determine, for instance, whether a page has been viewed or not and, if so, how many times. When you ask us to send you information on a promotion or a newsletter, we may use web beacons to establish how many of the emails are actually opened. In general, any electronic image viewed as part of a web page, including an ad banner, can act as a web beacon.

When you visit our website the server housing the pages automatically generates a “session log.” We use session logs to help us determine how people travel through our site. In this way, we can structure our pages so that the information most frequently visited is easier to find. By tracking page visits, we can also determine if the information we’re providing is being used. The only data gathered is the Internet Protocol (IP) address from which you came (which contains no personal information), the web site that referred you, the pages you visited and the date and time of those visits.

Users may be directed to thefordstory.com via banner ads or site links. Ads or site links that are placed by thefordstory.com use cookies or web beacons to deliver metrics on the effectiveness of the ads or links. They do not collect personal information from the user.

Sharing Your Information

Personal information that you provide to us in the course of requesting a product or service through this website may be gathered and stored in one or more of our corporate databases and be used for purposes of contacting you for things like promotional offers, marketing programs, or other communications from this website or other Ford Motor Company websites.

We may share personal information that we collect about you with other companies within the Ford Motor Company family of companies or subsidiaries. Our “family of companies” is the group of companies related to us by common control or ownership. We share information within this “family” as a normal part of conducting business and offering products and services to our customers.

Vendors, contractors or partners of thefordstory.com who have access to your personal information in connection with providing services for Thefordstory.com are required to keep the information confidential and are not permitted to use this information for any other purpose than to carry out the services they are performing for thefordstory.com .

Thefordstory.com may share your information with subcontractors. Subcontractors are restricted from using this data in any other way other than to provide these services to Ford Motor Company and they may not share or resell this data.

Site metrics for thefordstory.com may be shared with other Ford Motor Company websites or subsidiaries or affiliates. The information shared will be aggregate data and will not include any of your personally identifiable information.

Thefordstory.com will disclose your personal information, without notice, only if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Ford Motor Company or the site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of Ford Motor Company and this site; and, (c) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of Ford Motor Company, its web sites, or the public.

Security of Your Information

Safeguarding information of visitors to our website is important to us. We use systems, policies and procedures to maintain accuracy of information and to protect information from loss, misuse or alteration.

When you send personal information, such as name, address and telephone numbers, to thefordstory.com we use “Secure Socket Layers” or SSL to protect your data. SSL is encryption technology that helps safeguard your personal information against misuse by unauthorized individuals.

Vendors, contractors or partners of thefordstory.com who have access to your personal information in connection with providing services for thefordstory.com are required to keep the information confidential.

Vendors are not permitted to use this information for any other purpose than to carry out the services they are performing for thefordstory.com.

Links to Other Sites

Thefordstory.com provides links to other websites. We encourage you to review the privacy statements of all sites which you visit, including those whose links are provided so that you can understand how those sites collect, use and share your information. Thefordstory.com is not responsible for the privacy statements, content or data handling practices on other websites.

Children’s Privacy

Thefordstory.com does not knowingly intend to collect personal information from children under 13 years of age.

If a child has provided us with personal information, a parent or guardian of that child may contact us at
UNITED STATES
Telephone
800-392-3673
800-232-5952 (TDD for the hearing impaired)

Available 8:00 am – 5:00 pm local time
Monday – Friday

Mailing Address
Ford Motor Company
Customer Relationship Center
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, MI 48126
If they want this information deleted from our records. We will then make reasonable efforts to delete the child’s information from the database that stores information for thefordstory.com.

Contacting Us

If you have any questions, comments or concerns about this online privacy statement for thefordstory.com, thefordstory.com privacy practices, or have any questions regarding the contents of this website please contact us at
UNITED STATES
Telephone
800-392-3673
800-232-5952 (TDD for the hearing impaired)

Available 8:00 am – 5:00 pm local time
Monday – Friday

Mailing Address
Ford Motor Company
Customer Relationship Center
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, MI 48126

CANADA
Telephone
800-565-3673

Available 8:30 am – 8:00 pm local time
Monday – Friday

Mailing Address
Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited
Customer Relationship Center
P.O. Box 2000
Oakville, Ontario L6 J5E4
Thefordstory.com is committed to working with consumers to obtain a fair and rapid resolution of any complaints or disputes about privacy and the handling of your data. Thefordstory.com will be happy to respond to your questions and comments.

Privacy Statement Effective Date and Revision Days

Occasionally we may update the privacy statement for thefordstory.com in order to reflect any changes to the website or our privacy practices. If we update this statement, the new statement will be posted to the website ten (10) days prior to the changes taking effect.

The effective date of this privacy statement is 1/25/2009