Updated: February 1, 2022
Effective December 1, 2021, the Application & Network Security (including DDoS), DNS, Threat Feed, and Website Performance Management security solutions services previously offered by Neustar, Inc. (the “NSS Solutions”) are owned and operated by Security Services, LLC (d/b/a Neustar Security Services) (hereinafter, “NSS” or “we”) a Golden Gate Capital and GIC (together “Golden Gate Capital”) portfolio company. Neustar and NSS are no longer affiliated companies. For additional information related to NSS information and content within this website, please review the Legal Notice posted on the NSS website.
This policy applies to information processed on by NSS in connection with its online properties and in the course of providing the NSS Solutions described below. This policy describes how NSS collects, uses, shares and secures personal information about you, as well as your choices regarding use, access, correction, and deletion of your information. We know privacy policies can be confusing and technical. To make this as easy as possible to read and understand, we have used defined terms throughout this policy that are capitalized. These terms are defined in the text, the first time they are used, or in the Glossary below.
OUR COMMITMENT: PRIVACY BY DESIGN
NSS is committed to the respectful and responsible use of information to help businesses make better decisions and secure their operations.
PERSONAL INFORMATION: TYPES & SOURCES
NSS may collect, use, and disclose limited information that can be used to identify or be linked with a specific individual, either directly or when combined with other personal or identifying data (“Personal Information” or “Personal Data”) in the course of providing our products, services, and the content made available on our online properties.
GLOSSARY: A FEW PRELIMINARY DEFINITIONS
Cookies
Cookies are text files placed on a computer's browser that can be used to recognize you as a website user or to provide personalized content.
Device-Identified Information or "DII"
Formerly referred to as "Non-PII," DII is any data that is linked to a particular browser or device if that data is not used, or intended to be used, to identify a particular individual. DII may include, but is not limited to, unique identifiers associated with browsers or devices, such as Cookies, Mobile Advertising IDs (MAIDs), Statistical IDs, and IP Addresses, where such data is not linked or intended to be linked to PII. DII includes data that is linked to a series of browsers or devices linked through Cross-Device Linking, if that data is not used, or intended to be used, to identify a particular individual. We segregate DII from PII, and we use technical and organization measure to maintain that separation and prevent unauthorized identification of individuals. NSS considers DII to be a form of Pseudonymous IDs.
Domain Name System or "DNS"
The Domain Name System or "DNS" is the system that manages database tables that associate IP Addresses with domain names such as www.about.neustar.
Flash Cookies or Locally Shared Objects (Flash LSOs)
Flash Cookies or Locally Shared Objects (Flash LSOs) are messages used in Adobe Flash that are sent from a Web server to a Web browser and is then stored as a data file in the browser. Flash cookies behave like conventional cookies by personalizing the user's experience, but they can hold much more data than conventional cookies. Flash LSOs may stay installed on a drive after ordinary cookies are deleted.
IP Address
Every device connected to the Internet is assigned a unique number known as an Internet protocol (IP) address. IP Addresses are assigned and reassigned by Internet Service Providers and companies regularly.
Mobile Advertising IDs (MAID)
Apple assigns an "ID for Advertising" (IDFA) to each iOS device, and Google assigns an "Advertising ID" to all Android devices. These Pseudonymous IDs can be used to deliver ads and for advertising analytics in mobile applications.
Pixel Tags
Pixel Tags are placed on a website or within the body of an email for the purpose of tracking activity on websites, or when emails are opened or accessed, and are often used in combination with Cookies.
Statistical IDs
We use information about your computer or device to generate the Statistical ID, including your operating system, user-agent string, IP Address, installed fonts, and similar information. This information makes your computer or device distinct enough for our systems to determine within a reasonable probability that they are encountering the same computer or device over time, including in environments where NSS Cookies are not supported.
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)
Uniform Resource Locators or "URLs" are web addresses, a specific character string that constitutes a reference to a resource. Most web browsers display the URL of a web page above the page in an address bar. A typical URL might look like: https://www.home.neustar/privacy.
Web Beacons
Web beacons or "clear Gifs" are small pieces of code placed on web pages that can be used for such purposes as counting visitors and delivering Cookies or to otherwise customize the user experience. They contain a unique identifier that is used to track on-site activities of unique but unidentified website users. In contrast to Cookies, which are stored on your computer hard drive, web beacons are embedded invisibly on Web pages and are about the size of the period at the end of this sentence.
CATEGORIES OF DATA TYPES
The chart below summarizes the categories of data that we collect from different kinds of data sources:
| Data Category | Explanation | Categories of Sources |
|---|---|---|
| PII | Personally Identified Information or PII is information that directly identifies or is used to identify a specific individual, including name, address, telephone number, email address, and in specific, limited cases, government identifiers. |
|
| Pseudonymous IDs | Pseudonymous IDs includes information linked to DIIs (Device Identifiable Information) such as Statistical/Probabilistic IDs, IP Addresses, and other third-party identifiers. Pseudonymous IDs do not, by themselves, identify a specific individual, but can be combined with other information for that purpose. |
|
| Geolocation Data | Geolocation Data is information about the location of an individual or device derived through IP address and/or location-based services such as GPS level latitude-longitude coordinates or Wi-Fi triangulation. Geolocation Data may be precise or imprecise. |
|
| Log Data | Log Data is information that is collected and logged in the ordinary course of operating our business, and may include standard Internet Log Data, Event Data, and/or Service Data:
|
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This information may or may not constitute “Personal Information” or “Personal Data” under applicable law, depending on the context in which the data is collected and any other data to which is linked or linkable.
To opt out of collection, use and/or disclosure of any data listed above, please see the “Transparency and Choice” section below.
PERSONAL INFORMATION USE
The chart below summarizes how we use different categories of data.
| Data Category | Explanation | Categories of Purposes |
|---|---|---|
| PII | Personally Identified Information or PII is information that directly identifies or is used to identify a specific individual, including name, address, telephone number, email address, and in specific, limited cases, government identifiers. |
NSS may use each category of data for the following purposes:
|
| Pseudonymous IDs | Pseudonymous IDs includes information linked to DIIs (Device Identifiable Information) such as Statistical/Probabilistic IDs, IP Addresses, and other third-party identifiers. Pseudonymous IDs do not, by themselves, identify a specific individual, but can be combined with other information for that purpose. | |
| Geolocation Data | Geolocation Data is information about the location of an individual or device derived through IP address and/or location-based services such as GPS level latitude-longitude coordinates or Wi-Fi triangulation. | |
| Log Data | Log Data is information that is collected and logged in the ordinary course of operating our business, and may include standard Internet Log Data and/or Service Data:
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This information may or may not constitute “Personal Information” or “Personal Data” under applicable law, depending on the context in which the data is collected and any other data to which is linked or linkable.
To opt out of collection, use and/or disclosure of any data listed above, please see the “Transparency and Choice” section below.
PERSONAL INFORMATION DISCLOSURE
The chart below summarizes the categories of third parties with whom Personal Information may be shared:
| Data Category | Explanation | Categories of Purposes |
|---|---|---|
| PII | Personally Identified Information or PII is information that directly identifies or is used to identify a specific individual, including name, address, telephone number, email address, and in specific, limited cases, government identifiers. |
NSS may disclose each category of data to the following types of recipients:
|
| Pseudonymous IDs | Pseudonymous IDs includes information linked to DIIs (Device Identifiable Information) such as Statistical/Probabilistic IDs, IP Addresses, and other third-party identifiers. Pseudonymous IDs do not, by themselves, identify a specific individual, but can be combined with other information for that purpose. | |
| Geolocation Data | Geolocation Data is information about the location of an individual or device derived through IP address and/or location-based services such as GPS level latitude-longitude coordinates or Wi-Fi triangulation. | |
| Log Data | Log Data is information that is collected and logged in the ordinary course of operating our business, and may include standard Internet Log Data and/or Service Data:
|
This information may or may not constitute “Personal Information” or “Personal Data” under applicable law, depending on the context in which the data is collected and any other data to which is linked or linkable.
To opt out of collection, use and/or disclosure of any data listed above, please see the “Transparency and Choice” section below.
WEBSITE VISITORS
If you choose to give PII to Neustar, for example by inquiring about or registering for our services, subscribing to RSS feeds or blog posts, or electing to "follow" Neustar or NSS on social media sites, Neustar may share such PII with us. Please keep in mind that any comments or other information you post on our blogs may be read, collected, and used by other blog readers.
Neustar uses first-party and third-party Cookies to enhance your experience on this website. When you first visit this website with a new device or browser, Neustar advises you about the use of Cookies on that site. You may choose to continue with the website Cookies or turn them off. If you choose to continue with Cookies, you won’t be reminded for one year. Certain website features may not work properly if you elect to turn Cookies off. For example shopping cart functionality requires Cookies to work properly.
This website may include social media features such as the Facebook "Like" button. These features, which are either hosted by a third party or directly on this site, may collect Internet Log Data and, in order to function properly, may set Cookies. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policy of the company that provides them, and not this policy.
When you visit this website, PII that you provide, Pseudonymous IDs (e.g., from Cookies) and Log Data is used to respond to your requests, process transactions you initiate, improve the website, and deliver personalized content to you. We may disclose this information to third parties to help us in these activities, for example, to a service provider that sends email communications to you on our behalf.
DATA PROCESSED TO PROVIDE NSS SOLUTIONS
SiteProtect
The NSS SiteProtect and Web Application Firewall services collect and process network traffic information containing both source and destination IP Addresses, Referrer URL, Internet Log Data, and Service Data to help our customers identify and respond to cyber-attacks and other malicious online traffic, including distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. NSS analyzes attack vector information containing the source and destination IP Addresses, attack duration, and traffic volume to enhance our ability to detect and mitigate malicious activity on the Internet more broadly. Based on this analysis, NSS may share information about malicious activities, blocked hostnames or IP Addresses, source and target Geolocation Data, and target industry or vertical information with third parties such as internet security research groups and service providers to prevent, detect, and mitigate against malicious online behavior.
DNS Services
NSS provides a variety of Domain Name Service (DNS) services, including both authoritative and recursive DNS servers, and a suite of related services to facilitate the global flow of Internet traffic. In providing these services, NSS collects and processes DNS queries, which includes both source and destination IP Addresses, time and date stamps, and other technical information. We use this information to provide connectivity and routing services to our customers, to investigate, identify and mitigate malicious and fraudulent activity, and to enhance our products and services.
Threat Feeds
NSS uses insights derived from Log Data, including DNS and Service Data, and other information associated with trends and patterns linked to IP Addresses to understand the connections between internet domains, IP Addresses, and data received by our DNS servers. Our DNS data, collected from over 30 globally distributed nodes, allows us to observe DNS queries and responses, and synthesize this data in our proprietary analytics platform leveraging Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). We combine this with (i) information about new domain name registrations and domain behavior information and (ii) IP Addresses and other Geolocation Data licensed from reputable third parties, in order to provide proprietary near real-time cyber-threat information to network administrators, threat/security researchers, and other businesses who use this information to protect their digital assets, including intellectual property.
Website Performance Management
NSS collects Internet Log Data and Geolocation Data along with website performance metrics such as, total load time, page rendering time, and any JavaScript errors to provide a variety of Web Performance Tools that enable our customers to monitor their site's performance and load time, to identify and address technical problems quickly, and to understand and improve their users' online experience.
OTHER USE AND DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
NSS does not use or disclose Personal Information other than as described above, except:
- As a data processor or service provider at the direction of our business customers, and in accordance with their own privacy policies;
- With your express permission;
- Where permitted by our customer agreements, for internal use, research, fraud prevention and detection, and product development;
- Where necessary for the performance of a contract, or where necessary for preliminary procedures related to a contract to which you are a party;
- To investigate, identify, respond to, and assist others to investigate and respond to cyber security threats to other criminal behavior;
- To protect our rights and the rights of third parties and consistent with this Privacy Statement;
- For internal research purposes;
- In response to and support of law enforcement investigations;
- To (i) comply with US or foreign laws and/or regulations or to respond to lawful requests and legal process in US or foreign civil, criminal or investigative matters, (ii) enforce agreements, our terms and conditions, and policies, and protect our rights and property as the site owner, and (iii) in an emergency to protect the life or personal safety of NSS, its customers, or any person;
- In an aggregated or de-identified form that does not directly identify you;
- With third party vendors, consultants and other service providers who are working on our behalf, but we limit their access and use of PII to that which is needed to carry out their work for us, including cloud service providers, software development and support contractors, contractors providing data base management and other administrative support services, security services partners, and legal and accounting professionals, and where required by applicable law, NSS takes additional steps designed to ensure that data processors and other third party vendors are carrying out data processing according to instructions provided by NSS; and
- In connection with any merger, sale of company assets, financing or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.