Information we collect from you
In connection with your use of our Web site, including conducting transactions on the HoustonStreet.com Trading Floor, we ask for and may collect a variety of information from you in different ways.

For example, when you register to use our site, we ask for and store your or your business' name, address, and email address, along with other identifying contact data. If you have executed a Trading Agreement to use the Trading Floor, we ask for and collect regulatory identifiers such as license numbers. Additionally, you provide us with your "rating" of other potential energy traders registered on our site. If you use HoustonStreet.com and have submitted ratings to us of other companies, those ratings are never revealed to anyone except yourself, to identify your own assessment of a buyer or seller in an online electrical power transaction.

In addition to the individually-oriented information above, we also collect and store statistics and other information about the online activities of registered users, such as tracking the number of people who view certain pages or use certain features of the Web site, and the number and magnitude of trades conducted using the system.

Finally, to ensure the integrity of trades and our quality of service, we may monitor trades and email or conversations between our personnel and our customers or users.

Safeguarding your information
We use industry-standard encryption methods to transmit data during your logged-in sessions with HoustonStreet.com. All communication between your computer and HoustonStreet.com during a session is scrambled with the highest level of encryption available for the popular browsers, including Microsoft Internet Explorer. Encryption is the process of translating meaningful communication into indecipherable code and then back into meaningful communication.

Please remember that you play a valuable part in security as well. Your HoustonStreet.com password to access the Web site and Trading Floor, which you select at registration, is confidential and should never be shared with anyone and should be changed frequently. And, after you have finished using the Web site and/or Trading Floor, be sure to log out of the HoustonStreet.com Web site and exit your browser, so no unauthorized persons can use the system Web site using your name and account information.

Regardless of the precautions taken by you and by us, "perfect security" does not exist on the Internet. We cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, and you transmit such information at your own risk.

Cookies
Cookies are small pieces of data, or data files, which are sent by a Web site to your Web browser, and stored on your computer's hard drive. They can be used to track activity on the Web site, to enable us to better serve your needs and interests, and to help protect confidential data.

When you log in to HoustonStreet.com, cookies are used to track your user preferences for that session, such as a list of expanded sections on the Information Panel, or expanded threads on the Pending Transactions screen. These cookies are only used for a single session, and are useless after you log out.

Our use of your information
We use the information collected to help us provide you with a better Web site. Additionally, we may use certain pieces of personal information, collected through registration or otherwise, to construct aggregate demographic or statistical pictures of our users and the transactions conducted using our system. This information allows us to continue to grow and provide you with quality fellow users and service, through more accurate marketing and advertising of our Web site.

We may use your information to fulfill certain legal and regulatory requirements.

In addition, we may provide your name and email address to one or more third parties who may contact you regarding other products and services that may be of interest to you. Please contact us at info@houstonstreet.com if you do not wish us to disclose your name to third parties.

Finally, we may utilize your email address to correspond with you regarding service and product information that we believe may be of interest to you. Please contact us at info@houstonstreet.com if you do not wish to receive unsolicited electronic communications from us.

Disclosure of your information
Your personal registration information, such as your name, address, email address and any regulatory identifiers generally will not be disclosed to any third party. If you use the Trading Floor, and have submitted rankings to us of other traders, those rankings are never revealed to anyone except you, to identify your own assessment of a buyer or seller in an online transaction. The ratings information you submit to us is only available to your company and its registered users.

However, we may disclose aggregated data and statistics, as described above, in order to describe our Web site and services to prospective partners, advertisers, and other third parties, and for other lawful purposes.

Additionally, we may disclose part or all of your or a user's personal information when we believe, in good faith, that the law requires or compels such disclosure, or when we have good faith reason to believe that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights or property, the rights of another user or to prevent harm.

Editing and updating your information
At any time, you may notify us of changes to any part of your registration information. We will contact you via fax and email to confirm or verify any changes. The new entries will supplant the previously provided information.

Additional Privacy Information
Please remember that any information you voluntarily disclose online, in any news or message postings or chat rooms, may be collected and used by others without your permission. Furthermore, if you provide any information to parties who provide Web sites that are linked to or from our Web site, different rules may apply to their collection, use or disclosure of your personal information. We encourage you to review these sites' policies before revealing any sensitive or personal information.

We are continually looking for ways to improve your experience utilizing HoustonStreet.com. We reserve the right to update this privacy policy as needed.