POLICIES | Letters to Strangers

Terms of Use

Legal Policy & Terms of Use

This website and its Subsidiary (www.letterstostrangers.herokuapp.com, "Subsidiary") is operated by Letters to Strangers Inc. (referred to as "Company" and "we", "us", "our" and like terms).

Access to and use of this website ("Site", "Web site" and like terms) is subject to the following terms and conditions, the Privacy Policy posted on this Site and all applicable laws which, by accessing and browsing the Site, you, the user (referred to as "User" and "you", "your" and like terms) accept, without limitation or qualification. Please return to this Site and review these Terms of Use from time to time, as they may be amended without notice by posting of new terms and conditions. Any changes will be effective immediately upon the posting of the revised terms and conditions on this Site.

The information set forth in this Site concerning any products or services is subject to change without notice. The products and services posted on this Site may not be available in all geographic locations.

The information contained in this Site is intended for charitable, educational, and promotional purposes only and the views and opinions expressed therein are not necessarily ours. Trademarks, service marks, designs, and logos displayed on the Site are the exclusive property of Company, and such trademarks may not be used without our express written consent. All letters, graphics, and other content displayed on the Site and its Subsidiary site (the Letters to Strangers Letter Exchange Platform) remain the exclusive property of Company unless otherwise noted ("Properties") and may not be downloaded, altered, shared, or sold without written permission by us. Company retains the right to use these Properties for commercial, educational, and promotional purposes throughout the universe at any time, in perpetuity, in any and all media now known and hereafter devised, without any compensation to third parties whatsoever. The rights granted herein shall also include the right to edit, delete, or advertise Properties as Company sees fit in Company’s sole discretion. To the extent that any materials contributed or produced by User on the Site and/or Subsidiary site are copyrightable, they shall be deemed “works made for hire” specially ordered as part of a Company work, and shall be the exclusive property of Company, and Company shall be the exclusive owner of any and all copyrights. If at any time a User decides to stop participating in the Site or Subsidiary site, Company may use and/or re-use the Properties that have been provided up to the time the user informs Company about their decision.

All other products or trademarks used herein are the exclusive property of their respective trademark owners and are denoted as such.

Company has not reviewed all of the sites linked to the Site and are not responsible for the content of any off-site pages or any other sites linked to the Site that are not the express offspring of Site, as those may be changed at any time without our awareness.

Privacy Policy

PRIVACY

Letters to Strangers Inc. (referred to as "L2S" "we," "us," or "our" herein) recognizes the importance of protecting the privacy of personal information collected from users of our Web site. This Privacy Statement discloses how we collect, use, and share information gathered about users when they visit our Web site. By accessing our Web site, you are assenting to the terms of this Privacy Statement and the terms of the user agreement, located at www.letterstostrangers.org/policies, including without limitation, the limitation of liability provisions. A copy of the privacy policy may be downloaded, stored, or printed.

CHILDREN

L2S is committed to protecting the on-line privacy of children. We are mindful children may also visit this site. We do not collect personal information from children we know are under 13 years of age.

INFORMATION COLLECTION AND USE

L2S collects personally identifiable information, such as name, email address, and demographics information from some areas on our Web site and Subsidiary Site, which may be done through the use of analytics pixels from social media websites. We collect personal information in order to respond and fulfill your requests for our services and products and to better meet your needs and safety. We do not sell, share, or rent personal information collected from our users to third parties in ways different from what is disclosed in this Privacy Statement. If we ever do see the need to do so in the future, we will be transparent and give you ample choices. In addition, we may share your personal information with business partners that we have contracted with to help process orders and deliver products and services that you have requested. We will thoroughly research the security and reputation of such third parties before sharing any of your information, as your privacy is of utmost concern to us.

A "cookie" is a small file stored on your computer by a Web site that gives users a numeric user identification and stores certain information about the user's activity on the Web site. We use cookies to let us know that the user is a prior customer and to provide certain features such as storage of the user's password or user name. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but most allow you to instruct your browser to prevent the use of cookies. However, if you disable this feature, certain aspects of our Web site, such as the shopping cart, may not function properly.

LINKS

This Web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of other Web sites that you may link to from the www.LetterstoStrangers.org Web site. We ask our users to be aware that when they enter other Web sites they will be subject to privacy practices that may differ from ours. We encourage you to read the privacy statement of each Web site that you link to and that collects personally identifiable information. This Privacy Statement applies solely to information collected on the www.LetterstoStrangers.org Web site.

CONSENT AND NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES

By using our Web site, you consent to the collection and use of personal information as described above. If we decide to change our Privacy Statement, we will post these changes so our users are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances we disclose it.

We encourage you to check this page from time to time because your continued use of this Web site following any changes to the Privacy Policy will be deemed to constitute your acceptance of such changes.

CONSENT TO USE PERSONAL TESTIMONIALS AND IMAGES

By submitting personal testimonials and/or images via our website, email correspondences without confidentiality notices, or social media profiles, you consent to any legal use of any submitted person testimonials and/or images by L2S, in its sole discretion. Additionally, by submitting a person's testimonials and/or images via our website, email correspondences without confidentiality notices, or social media profiles, you release and waive any and all present and further claims, rights, royalties, or any form of compensation related to the use of the submitted person testimonial and/or image by L2S. Note that currently, most correspondences with L2S via email already defaults to a confidentiality notice detailed in our email signature. In such cases, this waiver does not apply and we will seek your explicit permission.

If you do not agree to the terms and conditions above, you must inform L2S of your objection in writing via email with a confidentiality notice within 10 days of submitting the person testimonial and/or image. Failure to adhere to this condition will be deemed consent as described above. Written objections must be forward to the following email address: contactl2shq@gmail.com

FEEDBACK

L2S welcomes your questions, comments, and concerns about privacy. Please send us any and all feedback pertaining to this, or any other issue to hi@letterstostrangers.org

Code of Conduct

OVERVIEW

Letters to Strangers Inc. (referred to as "L2S" "we," "us," or "our" herein) seeks to provide a safe, supportive, and respectful for all members of our community. Therefore, anyone who is found in violation of these terms may be subject to permanent removal from our website and network. By participating in any of our services, you agree to follow this Code of Conduct.

THE CODE

No hate speech, harassment, and/or other presentations that carry similarly volatile and/or vulgar connotations.
Always keep the golden rule in mind - don't do or say things to others that you wouldn't want to experience yourself!
Speak in the “I.” Don’t assume, accuse, or make generalizations, such as with advice. You don’t know the person on the other side of the screen, after all.
Share information, but avoid condescension. Share experiences, but avoid blatant self-promotion.
Avoid pushing your beliefs.
Empathy and compassion are key. Try to connect with your fellow human being by choosing love as a default. That is, do offer support when relevant (“If you feel lost, too, know my spirit is with you. You matter. You matter to me.”) and trust others with genuineness.
Act like each other is a friend.
Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. However, do include trigger warnings whenever relevant. Furthermore, like how you wouldn't want to watch a movie that ends in the middle of the climax, make sure you have some sort of resolution if you share something dark or very deep. It doesn't have to be happily ever after, but do share tips and people and experiences that have been helpful for you. Small things count!
Practice makes perfect. Talk the talk, then walk the walk. If you want to up your community support game, the best way to do so is by committing yourself to the principles behind Letters to Strangers: empathy, connection, growth, love, and vulnerability. When you inject these values into your own life, you may find that your actions online, too, become more inspiring and heartfelt.