Surge Media FZE and Its Privacy Policy

Surge Media is a real-time and programmatic advertising network platform that empowers global advertisers and marketers to engage with their audiences and generate leads and transactions as part of their digital marketing efforts. We serve as a global provider of advertising intelligence and digital media solutions for brands and advertisers. Our aim is to simplify and amplify digital marketing, helping advertisers achieve their marketing objectives and return on investments through programmatic media buying across all devices and channels. We ensure precise digital advertising to the right audience, with the right message, at the right moment and in the right location. We operate as an independent trading desk equipped with automated media buying and optimization techniques. We’ve established a robust private marketplace for our publishers, optimizing campaign performance within this exclusive space. Our headquarters are located in Dubai.

This Privacy Policy is provided to inform you about how our ad optimization technology and services, including Real-Time Bidding Service (collectively referred to as the “Service”), gather and process information on behalf of two main groups: (i) advertisers, agencies, and ad networks (collectively referred to as “Demand Partners” or “Clients”); and (ii) website owners, mobile application owners, ad networks, ad exchanges, sell-side platforms, and other suppliers of advertising inventory (collectively referred to as “Supply Partners”). Additionally, we license and use third-party ad serving and media buying platforms, including those with Real-Time Bidding (RTB) capabilities, to deliver ads (collectively referred to as “Technology Partners”). This policy also outlines our privacy practices on our corporate Website, surgemedia.space. If you have any further questions after reviewing this Privacy Policy, please feel free to contact us at accounts@surgemedia.space.

A General Note on Internet Technologies and Privacy

Before delving into this Privacy Policy, we recommend familiarizing yourself with the following concepts and terms to better understand how Surge Media and its Clients utilize data about you and other Internet users to present more relevant and engaging advertisements as you browse the web.

1. Ad Tags: Ad Tags are code snippets that facilitate the display of online advertisements in designated ad slots on websites and in online applications.
2. Cookies: Cookies are small text files sent by web servers to users’ computers when they visit a website. Cookies can be read or modified when the user revisits the website or views an advertisement from the domain that initially set the cookie. Companies use cookies to collect and transmit information about a user’s website visits, such as visit frequency, duration, viewed pages, navigation history, and other statistics. This data is employed to enhance the user’s online experience by, for instance, saving login credentials or improving website loading times. Cookies may also be used to monitor a user’s browsing and online shopping behaviors for targeted advertising. Importantly, cookies cannot access other data on a user’s hard drive, personally identify users, or act as malware or viruses. Users can configure their web browsers to notify them when they receive a cookie or prevent cookies from being stored on their devices. For more information on cookies, visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org/cookies/.
3. Personally Identifiable Information (PII): PII refers to information that can uniquely identify, contact, or locate an individual or can be combined with other data sources to achieve the same result. Examples of PII include names, addresses, social security numbers, and email addresses. This definition is commonly used across the internet industry. Information collected by various internet companies that does not meet the criteria of PII is referred to as “non-PII.”
4. Real-Time Bidding (RTB): RTB is a method of purchasing online or mobile advertising inventory by responding instantly to an ad request with a “bid” (typically priced by cost per thousand impressions or CPM) to secure the opportunity to display an ad to a user. RTB buyers leverage various data sources, including third parties, to precisely target the ads they deliver.
5. Web Beacons & Pixels: A web beacon comprises a small piece of code representing a graphic image request on a web page, online application page, or email. Sometimes, a web beacon is associated with a graphic image, but it is not mandatory. When an image is present, it is typically designed to blend seamlessly with the background of the web page, application, or email. Web beacons are often placed by online data collection companies without a visible image, making them invisible to users. The smallest, discrete element of this technology is known as a “pixel,” which is essentially an invisible web beacon. Pixels and web beacons serve various purposes, including site traffic reporting, unique visitor counts, advertising auditing, personalization, and more. They often accomplish these tasks by creating or modifying cookies on users’ devices. Like cookies, pixels and web beacons cannot log keystrokes, access personal files, or replicate like viruses. The majority of pixels and web beacons, including those employed by Surge Media, only collect anonymous data. However, in some instances, pixels may collect PII, especially in emails that contain a web beacon. In such cases, the data collected via the web beacon may be associated with the recipient’s email address or other identifying information. Surge Media does not use web beacons that collect PII, nor does it engage in direct marketing mailer activities.

Surge Media’s SERVICE & THE DATA IT COLLECTS

We Do Not Collect Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

We refrain from collecting PII through our Service and explicitly prohibit our Clients from transmitting PII to us. We take extensive precautions to prevent the receipt of PII from our Clients. If, despite our measures, we receive PII from a Client or inadvertently transmit PII to a third party, we will promptly take steps to eliminate the PII from our systems and records and ensure that third parties do the same.

We Use Cookies and Web Beacons, and So Do Our Clients.

We employ cookies and web beacons for specific purposes. These technologies help us track the delivery of advertising impressions, allowing us to accurately attribute them to Demand Partners and invoice them accordingly. Additionally, we use cookies to monitor the frequency of ad exposures, aligning with Demand Partners’ campaign objectives regarding frequency capping.

Opting Out

As a part of the ad network industry, Surge Media collaborates with various third-party ad platforms, known as Technology Partners. Some of these partners offer behavioral targeting solutions by deploying cookies on users’ browsers from their respective ad-serving domains. In such cases, Surge Media adheres to the privacy policies of these platforms. To opt out of behavioral or interest-based targeting, you can click on the opt-out button provided by our third-party platforms [insert links to opt-out pages].

Please note that if you opt out but later delete, block, or restrict cookies in any way, the opt-out may not function as intended. Even if you have previously opted out, accessing the website from a different computer or web browser will require you to opt out again in that environment. Additionally, opt-out preferences are specific to individual browsers and devices and will be reset if you install a new browser version. Deleting a cookie or opting out does not mean you will cease receiving online advertising; it simply means you will no longer receive targeted ads. Surge Media will respect your opt-out choice and cease using the information we collect about you to deliver targeted ads or personalized content. However, it is essential to understand the following about opt-outs:

• Opting out does not block ads: You will continue to see online ads from the Surge Media Ad network, but they will not be interest-based targeted ads.
• Opting out does not block data collection: Surge Media can still collect data about your browsing activity, which helps us deliver ads and support other services. However, we will not use that data to serve you targeted ads or personalized content.
• Opt-outs are invalidated when you delete opt-out cookies: Your opt-out status is recorded using opt-out cookies stored on your device. Deleting these cookies will nullify your opt-out status, and Surge Media will resume displaying targeted ads until you explicitly opt out again.
• Opt-out duration is five years: If you opt out of the Surge Media Ad network, you will remain opted out of targeted advertising by Surge Media for five years from the day of your opt-out, as per NAI guidelines. After five years, you may once again receive interest-based advertising unless you opt out again.
• Opt-out is browser-specific: Your opt-out action applies to the specific web browser from which you opted out. If you use multiple browsers, you must opt out using each one.

Opting Out Through the Network Advertising Initiative

You can also opt out of receiving cookies from certain third-party companies and other Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) compliant entities by visiting http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp. This platform provides a mechanism to opt out of non-PII collection by numerous Demand Partners and other internet companies, including third-party data providers. If you opt out through the NAI, consult the FAQ on the NAI website to better understand their opt-out process.

Children Under 13 Years of Age

Surge Media’s advertising products and services are not intended for individuals under the age of 13 and are not intentionally designed for or directed towards children. We do not knowingly request or collect any personally identifiable information from children under the age of 13, nor do we intentionally market our products or services to this demographic.

Changes to Surge Media’s Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to revise this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes or updates to the policy will be directly reflected on this page. We encourage you to periodically visit this page to review our current Privacy Policy, ensuring that you are always informed about the information we collect and how we utilize it. In the event of significant changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify our Clients in advance. We are committed to adhering to all applicable regulations and laws.

Contacting Us

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or Surge Media’s privacy practices, please contact our representatives at the following email address. They will be more than happy to provide clarification and assistance: accounts@surgemedia.space.