Privacy Policy
Information we receive and how it is used
Sharing and finding you on NeedsToLaugh
Sharing with other websites and applications
Minors and Safety
Some other things you need to know
Your information
Your information is the information that’s required when you sign up for the site, as well as the information you choose to share.
-
Registration information: When you sign up for NeedsToLaugh, you are required to provide your name, email address, birthday, and gender.
-
Information you choose to share: Your information also includes the information you choose to share on NeedsToLaugh, such as when you post a status update, upload a photo, or comment on a friend’s post.
Your name, profile picture, networks, username and User ID are treated just like information you choose to make public.
Your birthday allows us to do things like show you age-appropriate content and advertisements.
Information others share about you
We receive information about you from your friends, such as when they tag you in a photo or at a location, or add you to a group.
Other information we receive about you
We also receive other types of information about you:
-
We receive data about you whenever you interact with NeedsToLaugh, such as when you look at another person’s profile, send someone a message, search for a friend or a Page, click on an ad, or purchase NeedsToLaugh Credits.
-
When you post things like photos or videos on NeedsToLaugh, we may receive additional related data (or metadata), such as the time, date, and place you took the photo or video.
-
We receive data from the computer, mobile phone or other device you use to access NeedsToLaugh. This may include your IP address, location, the type of browser you use, or the pages you visit. For example, we may get your GPS location so we can tell you if any of your friends are nearby.
-
We receive data whenever you visit a game, application, or website that uses NeedsToLaugh Platform or visit a site with a NeedsToLaugh feature (such as a social plugin). This may include the date and time you visit the site; the web address, or URL, you’re on; technical information about the IP address, browser and the operating system you use; and, if you are logged in to NeedsToLaugh, your User ID.
-
Sometimes we get data from our advertising partners, customers and other third parties that helps us (or them) deliver ads, understand online activity, and generally make NeedsToLaugh better. For example, an advertiser may tell us how you responded to an ad on NeedsToLaugh or on another site in order to measure the effectiveness of – and improve the quality of – those ads.
When we get your GPS location, we put it together with other location information we have about you (like your current city). But we only keep it until it is no longer useful to provide you services.
We only provide data to our advertising partners or customers after we have removed your name or any other personally identifying information from it, or have combined it with other people’s data in a way that it is no longer associated with you. Similarly, when we receive data about you from our advertising partners or customers, we keep the data for 180 days. After that, we combine the data with other people’s data in a way that it is no longer associated with you.
Information you choose to make public
Choosing to make your information public is exactly what it sounds like: anyone, including people off of NeedsToLaugh, will be able to see it.
Choosing to make your information public also means that this information:
-
can be associated with you (i.e., your name, profile picture, NeedsToLaugh profile, User ID, etc.) even off NeedsToLaugh
-
can show up when someone does a search on NeedsToLaugh or on a public search engine
-
will be accessible to the games, applications, and websites you and your friends use
-
will be accessible to anyone who uses our APIs such as our Graph API.
Sometimes you will not be able to select an audience when you post something (like when you write on a Page’s wall or comment on a news article that uses our comments plugin). This is because some types of posts are always public posts. As a general rule, you should assume that if you do not see a sharing icon, the information will be publicly available.
When others share information about you, they can also choose to make it public.
Information that is always publicly available
The types of information listed below are always publicly available, and are treated just like information you decided to make public.
-
Name: This helps your friends and family find you. If you are uncomfortable sharing your real name, you can always deactivate or delete your account.
-
Profile Pictures: This helps your friends and family recognize you. If you are uncomfortable making your profile picture public, you can always delete it by hovering over your photo and clicking “Change Picture.”
-
Network: This helps you see whom you will be sharing information with before you choose “Friends and Networks” as a custom audience. If you are uncomfortable making your network public, you can leave the network.
-
Username and User ID: These allow you to give out a custom link to your profile or Page, receive email at your NeedsToLaugh email address, and help make NeedsToLaugh Platform possible.
If you want to see information available about you through our Graph API, just type https://graph.NeedsToLaugh.com/[User ID or Username]?metadata=1 into your browser.
When you sign up for a NeedsToLaugh email address, you will first have to select a public username. Your email address will include your public username like so: username@NeedsToLaugh.com. You can control who can send you messages using your “How You Connect” settings.
We use the information we receive about you in connection with the services and features we provide to you and other users like your friends, the advertisers that purchase ads on the site, and the developers that build the games, applications, and websites you use. For example, we may use the information we receive about you:
-
as part of our efforts to keep NeedsToLaugh safe and secure;
-
to provide you with location features and services, like telling you and your friends when something is going on nearby;
-
to measure or understand the effectiveness of ads you and others see;
-
to make suggestions to you and other users on NeedsToLaugh, such as: suggesting that your friend use our contact importer because you found friends using it, suggesting that another user add you as a friend because the user imported the same email address as you did, or suggesting that your friend tag you in a picture they have uploaded with you in it.
While you are allowing us to use the information we receive about you, you always own all of your information. Your trust is important to us, which is why we don’t share information we receive about you with others unless we have:
-
received your permission;
-
given you notice, such as by telling you about it in this policy; or
-
removed your name or any other personally identifying information from it.
We are able to suggest that your friend tag you in a picture by comparing your friend’s pictures to information we’ve put together from the photos you’ve been tagged in. You can control whether we suggest that another user tag you in a photo using the “How Tags work” settings.
Deactivate
Deactivating your account puts your account on hold. Other users will no longer see your profile, but we do not delete any of your information. Deactivating an account is the same as you telling us not to delete any information because you might want to reactivate your account at some point in the future. You can deactivate your account at: https://www.needstolaugh.com/editaccount.php
Deletion
When you delete an account, it is permanently deleted from NeedsToLaugh. It typically takes about one month to delete an account, but some information may remain in backup copies and logs for up to 90 days. You should only delete your account if you are sure you never want to reactivate it. You can delete your account at: https://www.needstolaugh.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account
Choose this icon if you want to make something Public. Choosing to make something public is exactly what it sounds like. It means that anyone, including people off of NeedsToLaugh, will be able to see or access it.
Choose this icon if you want to share with your NeedsToLaugh Friends.
Choose this icon if you want to Customize your audience. You can also use this to hide your post from specific people.
When you comment on or “like” someone else’s post, or write on their Wall, that person gets to select the audience.
You can control who can see the NeedsToLaugh Pages you’ve “liked” by visiting your profile and clicking “Edit Profile.”
Sometimes you will not see a sharing icon when you post something (like when you write on a Page’s wall or comment on a news article that uses our comments plugin). This is because some types of posts are always public posts. As a general rule, you should assume that if you do not see a sharing icon, the information will be publicly available.
Choose this icon if you want to make something Public. Choosing to make something public is exactly what it sounds like. It means that anyone, including people off of NeedsToLaugh, will be able to see or access it.
Choose this icon if you want to share with your NeedsToLaugh Friends.
Choose this icon if you want to Customize your audience. You can also use this to hide the item on your profile from specific people.
To make it easier for your friends to find you, we allow anyone with your contact information (such as your email address or mobile number), to find you through NeedsToLaugh search, as well as other tools we provide, such as contact importers.
If you share your contact information (such as your email address or mobile number) with your friends, they may be able to use third party applications to sync that information with other address books, including ones on their mobile phones.
Some things (like your name and profile picture) do not have sharing icons because they are always publicly available. As a general rule, you should assume that if you do not see a sharing icon, the information will be publicly available.
Tags
A tag is a link to your profile. For example, if you are tagged in a post (such as a photo or a status update), that post will contain a link to your profile. If someone clicks on the link, they will see your public information and anything else you let them see.
If you are tagged in a private space (such as a message or a group) only the people who can see the private space can see the tag. Similarly, it you are tagged in a comment, only the people who can see the comment can see the tag.
Groups
Your friends can add you to the Groups they are in. You can always leave a Group, which will prevent others from adding you to it again.
Applications also get your age range, locale, and gender when you and your friends visit them. Age range (e.g., 18-21) lets applications provide you with age-appropriate content. Locale (e.g., en-US) lets applications know what language you speak. Gender lets applications refer to you correctly. If you do not want applications to receive this information about you, you can turn off all NeedsToLaugh applications using your Privacy Settings.
Sometimes a game console, mobile phone, or other device might ask for permission to share specific information with the games and applications you use on that device (such as your public information). If you say okay, those applications will not be able to access any other information about you without asking specific permission from you or your friends.
Instant Personalization sites receive your User ID and friend list when you visit them.
If an application asks permission from someone else to access your information, the application will be allowed to use that information only in connection with the person that gave the permission and no one else.
How it works
The website sends over an encrypted version of your email address, and we match it with a database of email addresses that we have also encrypted. If there is a match, then we tell the website the User ID associated with the email address. This way, when you log into the website using NeedsToLaugh, the website can link your NeedsToLaugh account to your account on that website.
Websites that use social plugins can sometimes tell that you have engaged with the social plugin. For example, they may know that you clicked on a Like button in a social plugin.
We receive data when you visit a site with a social plugin. We keep this data for 90 days. After that, we remove your name or any other personally identifying information from the data, or combine it with other people’s data in a way that it is no longer associated with you.
If you turn off an instant personalization site after you have been using it or visited it a few times (or after you have given it specific permission to access your data), it will not automatically delete your data. But the site is contractually required to delete your data if you ask it to.
How it works
To join the instant personalization program, a potential partner must enter into an agreement with us designed to protect your privacy. For example, this agreement requires that the partner delete your data if you turn off instant personalization when you first visit the site. It also prevents the partner from accessing any information about you until you or your friends visit its site.
This setting does not apply to search engines that access your information as an application using NeedsToLaugh Platform.
If you turn your public search setting off and then search for yourself on a public search engine, you may still see a preview of your profile. This is because some search engines cache information for a period of time. You can learn more about how to request a search engine to remove you from cached information at: https://www.needstolaugh.com/help/?faq=13323
Advertisers sometimes place cookies on your computer in order to make their ads more effective. Learn more at: http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp
Sometimes we allow advertisers to target a category of user, like a “moviegoer” or a “sci-fi fan.” We do this by bundling characteristics that we believe are related to the category. For example, if a person “likes” the “Star Trek” Page and mentions “Star Wars” when they check into a movie theater, we may conclude that this person is likely to be a sci-fi fan.
Learn what happens when you click “Like” on an advertisement or an advertiser’s NeedsToLaugh Page at: https://www.needstolaugh.com/help/?faq=19399
We may serve ads with social context (or serve just social context) on other sites. These work just like the ads we serve on NeedsToLaugh – the advertisers do not receive any of your information.
We sometimes allow businesses or anyone else to sponsor stories like the ones that show up in your News Feed, subject to the audience set for that story. While these are sponsored, they are different from ads because they don’t contain a message from the person that sponsored them. Your friends will see these stories even if you have opted out of the “Show my social actions in NeedsToLaugh Ads” setting
Your “Show my social actions in NeedsToLaugh Ads” setting does not control ads about NeedsToLaugh’s services and features.
Games, applications and websites can serve ads directly to you if they have your User ID.
Safe harbor
NeedsToLaugh complies with the EU Safe Harbor framework as set forth by the Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union. As part of our participation in the Safe Harbor, we agree to resolve all disputes you have with us in connection with our policies and practices through TRUSTe. To view our certification, visit the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Safe Harbor website at: https://safeharbor.export.gov/list.aspx
Responding to legal requests and preventing harm
We may share your information in response to a legal request (like a search warrant, court order or subpoena) if we have a good faith belief that the law requires us to do so. This may include responding to legal requests from jurisdictions outside of the United States where we have a good faith belief that the response is required by law in that jurisdiction, affects users in that jurisdiction, and is consistent with internationally recognized standards. We may also share information when we have a good faith belief it is necessary to: detect, prevent and address fraud and other illegal activity; to protect ourselves and you from violations of our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities; and to prevent death or imminent bodily harm.
Access requests
We provide initial responses to access requests within a reasonable period of time, typically within thirty days. You can also download a copy of everything you’ve put into NeedsToLaugh by visiting your “Account Settings” and clicking on “Download a copy of your NeedsToLaugh data”.
Notifications and Other Messages
We may send you notifications and other messages using the contact information we have for you, like your email address. You can control most of the notifications you receive, including ones from Pages you like and applications you use, using your “Notifications” settings.
Invitations
When you invite a friend to join NeedsToLaugh, we send a message on your behalf using your name, and up to two reminders. We may also include names and pictures of other people your friend might know on NeedsToLaugh. The invitation will also give your friend the opportunity to opt out of receiving other invitations to join NeedsToLaugh.
Cookies
Cookies are small pieces of data that we store on your computer, mobile phone or other device to make NeedsToLaugh easier to use, make our advertising better, and to protect you (and NeedsToLaugh). For example, we may use them to know you are logged in to NeedsToLaugh, to help you use social plugins and share buttons, or to know when you are interacting with our advertising or Platform partners. We may also ask advertisers to serve ads to computers, mobile phones or other devices with a cookie placed by NeedsToLaugh (although we would not share any other information with that advertiser). Most companies on the web use cookies (or similar technological methods), including our advertising and Platform partners. You can always remove or block cookies (such as by using the settings in your browser), but it may affect your ability to use NeedsToLaugh.
Service Providers
We give your information to the people and companies that help us provide the services we offer. For example, we may use outside vendors to help host our website, serve photos and videos, process payments, or provide search results. In some cases we provide the service jointly with another company, such as the NeedsToLaugh Marketplace. In all of these cases our partners must agree to only use your information consistent with the agreement we enter into with them, as well as this privacy policy.
Security
We do our best to keep your information secure, but we need your help. For more detailed information about staying safe on NeedsToLaugh, visit the NeedsToLaugh Security Page.
Change of Control
If the ownership of our business changes, we may transfer your information to the new owner so they can continue to operate the service. But they will still have to honor the commitments we have made in this privacy policy.
Notice of Changes
If we make changes to this Privacy Policy we will notify you by publication here and on the NeedsToLaugh Site Governance Page. If the changes are material, we will provide you additional, prominent notice as appropriate under the circumstances. You can make sure that you receive notice directly by liking the NeedsToLaugh Site Governance Page.
Opportunity to comment and vote
Unless we make a change for legal or administrative reasons, or to correct an inaccurate statement, we will give you seven (7) days to provide us with comments on the change. If we receive more than 7000 comments concerning a particular change, we will put the change up for a vote. The vote will be binding on us if more than 30% of all active registered users as of the date of the notice vote.






