However, we track how our site is used by both visitors and our registered customers. One way we track is by using a small string of text that is sent to your browser known as a "cookie." Cookies collect information that includes the server your computer is logged onto, your browser type (for example, Netscape or Internet Explorer), and whether you responded to an American Express banner ad from outside our site or through an e-mail link. A cookie cannot retrieve any other data from your hard drive, pass on computer viruses, or capture your e-mail address or any other personally identifiable information.

Using cookies enables us to recognize your computer if you or someone else using your computer returns to our site, and to keep track of the pages on our site that you or another user of your computer visit, and whether or not you or another user of your computer respond to certain banner ads or special offers. We use this information to help us present more relevant offers and information.

You can adjust your computer browser settings so that you are informed when a cookie is being placed on your browser. You can also set your browser to decline or accept all cookies. However, if you choose to register for an online service on runwayfashionsnyc.com you must accept cookies in order to access Runway Fashions NYC site pages that enable you to view and place your orders.  These cookies are essential for site administration and security.

Another way we track site activity is by using transparent electronic images called "clear GIFs," "Web bugs," or "Web beacons" on runwayfashionsncy.com Web pages. These images count the number of users who visit that page from specific banner ads outside runwayfashionsnyc.com or through e-mail links. A similar image, sometimes called a "Spotlight Tag," is used on runwayfashionsnyc.com Web pages where transactions take place. The Tag collects numeric information, such as the dollar amount of an online purchase, to help us understand usage of the site. E-mail offers we send may contain these electronic images to help us record who responds to the offer and to measure the offer's effectiveness.

When you become a registered user on our Web site, you provide us with personal information such as your name, address, e-mail address and telephone number. Becoming a registered user enables you to review confidential account information for the service(s) in which you are enrolled, and to perform other confidential transactions. After you have become a registered user on runwayfashionsnyc.com we may obtain additional personal information, such as information we have about you as a customer, your usage of our site, and your usage of the online services in which you enroll.

Whether or not you are a registered user on our site, if you purchase products or services on runwayfashionsnyc.com, we may request that you provide your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and other personal information in order to provide the product or service.  And, if you receive an e-mail offer from Runway Fashions NYC, we may record whether you "click through" to view or respond to the offer.

We use information collected on our site to process transactions you conduct on our Web site, and to process applications and deliver the products and services you enroll in or apply for. To do this, it is often necessary to share this information with carefully selected vendors and business partners we work with, such as companies that manage accounts, offer affinity, frequent-user, and reward programs, and companies that perform marketing services and other business operations for us. We also use it, together with information we have about you as an American Express customer, publicly available information, and preferences you indicate, to customize your online experience and to provide you with more relevant offers and updates.

We may use your e-mail address to send you the following types of e-mail messages:

• Occasional updates about our products and services as well as Runway Fashions NYC marketing offers.
• Regularly scheduled e-mail newsletters related to the Runway Fashions NYC products or services you are enrolled in.

You may decline to receive e-mail offers from Runway Fashions NYC at any time. Click here to find out how.

We do not share your e-mail address with other companies for them to market their products or services to you. When we hire vendors to deliver e-mails to you on our behalf, they cannot use your e-mail address for any other purpose.

To make our e-mail offers more relevant to you, we may use information you provided in your initial transaction with us, in surveys, from information we have about you as a Runway Fashions NYC customer — such as purchasing preferences — and information available from external sources such as census bureau data.

When we send e-mail to you, we may be able to identify information about your e-mail address, such as whether you can view graphic-rich HTML e-mail. If your e-mail address is HTML-enabled, we may choose to send you graphic-rich HTML e-mail messages.

We do not knowingly solicit data online from or market online to children under the age of 13.

SSL Technology and how you benefit from it
Runway Fashions NYC realizes how important security is to you, so we've taken a number of steps to enhance the protection of personal or confidential information sent to or from Runway Fashions NYC over the Internet. This includes Card and other account information. First, we require that a "secure session" be established, using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Technology. This is done any time you supply or access personal or confidential information in one of our secure online areas.

SSL Technology creates a private conversation that only your computer and Runway Fashions NYC systems can understand. The SSL Technology encodes information as it is being sent over the Internet between your computer and Runway Fashions NYC systems, helping to ensure that the transmitted information remains confidential.

The use of SSL requires two components: an SSL-compatible browser and a Web server to perform the "key-exchange" that establishes a secure connection to Runway Fashions NYC Web server systems.

The technological requirements needed to benefit from SSL Technology

1. A Compliant Browser
   
   In order to securely access your personal information via the Internet, you will need a browser with SSL capabilities. We recommend you use the latest browser versions available to ensure you have a browser with SSL capabilities. Examples of SSL browsers include Netscape 2.0 and above, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 2.0 and above, and the Web browser for America Online version 3.0 for Windows and above. (Note that some older versions of browsers will not support SSL sessions and some older versions of browsers are not JavaScript-enabled, which means that you may not be able to view all the features on the Runway Fashion NYC Web site). If you don't already have a JavaScript-enabled browser with SSL capabilities, you can download an SSL and JavaScript-enabled browser from any of the links below.
    
   • Netscape Navigator
   • Internet Explorer
   • AOL
   
    
2. A Compliant Internet Service Provider
   
   Nearly all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) automatically enable the SSL session described above. If you use your company's internal connection to access the Internet and you find you cannot access the Runway Fashions NYC secure pages with an SSL browser described above, your company may be blocking access via a "firewall." Please speak to your firm's Internet access systems administrator for further details on your network's Internet access.
   
    
3. Enabled Cookies
   
   You also must have enabled cookies on your browser in order to access confidential information. If you have chosen to disable cookies on your browser, you will not be able to access confidential information.

You should be aware that other Internet sites that you link to from the Runway Fashions NYC site or a Runway Fashions NYC e-mail may contain privacy provisions that differ from the provisions of our Privacy Statement. To ensure your privacy is protected, we recommend that you review the privacy statements of other Internet sites you visit