 | | | PlayStation Terms and Privacy Policy - Copy for your records
Hello,
For your records, please find below a copy of the following PlayStation terms and policy that you recently agreed to:
1.PlayStation Network Terms of Service
2.PlayStation Software Usage Terms
3.PlayStation Privacy Policy
These documents replace any previous versions of these terms and policy that you may have agreed to in the past.
PSN TERMS OF SERVICE
The PlayStation Network (“PSN”) is provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Limited, company number 06020283 (“SIENE”). These terms of service govern your use of the PSN. You may use the PSN so long as:
(i) You have a Sony Entertainment Network account (“Account”)
You must be 7 years old or older to have an Account. If you are 7 or older but under 18 you are only permitted to have an Account with access to the PSN if your parent or guardian has assisted with, and consented to, the creation of the Account. If you are a parent or guardian, your responsibilities for your child Family Members are explained below. Note: on the PS3, PS Vita and PSP, you will see references to Master Account (accounts strictly intended for users aged 18 and over) and Sub Accounts (intended for users aged 7 to 17 and controlled by the Master). For the purposes of these Terms of Service references to child Family Members also means Sub Accounts.
(ii) You comply with all applicable terms
If you fail to comply with these terms of service, including any additional terms (see below), we may take action against you as explained below including banning you from the PSN.
If banned, you will not be able to use services and/or products you have paid for and you will not be given a refund.
Please read these terms of service carefully before you accept them. If there is any term that you do not understand please discuss it with our customer services before accepting these terms of service (for contact details please visit www.playstation.com/get-help/contact-us/).
Last updated: October 2017 (Version Number 9.0)
Contents
1. PSN Accounts
2. Additional terms that apply
3. Your responsibilities for your Account
4. Your responsibilities for your child Family Members
5. Code of conduct
6. PSN wallet and adding funds
7. Purchasing Products
8. Pre-orders
9. Voucher codes
10. Subscriptions
11. Use restrictions (known as DRM)
12. PlayStation Video and its use restrictions
13. Intellectual property rights (including pirated software)
14. Use of your personal information
15. Software updates and how these may affect you
16. Maintenance or closing the PSN
17. Closing your Account
18. Protecting the PSN (including failure to comply with these terms of service)
19. Your rights and our liability
20. Changes to our contracts with you and our right to assign our contracts with you
21. Governing law, jurisdiction and third party rights
22. Our company and contact details
1. PSN Accounts
An Account gives you access to a wide variety of online services and digital content both free and paid-for, including the PSN, the PlayStation®Store, an online wallet (described below), virtual communities (where you can meet, communicate with and play against other users), software, updates, firmware, fixes, new releases, games and online gameplay, music, movies, subscriptions and more, all of which are referred to as “Products”.
Available Products vary depending on which system you are using and some Products may not be available or supported in your country or preferred language.
2. Additional terms that apply
In addition to these terms of service, you must agree and comply with the:
(i) PlayStation Privacy Policy;
(ii) System Software Licence for the PlayStation® system you are using (if any);
(iii) Software Usage Terms (if you are using software on a PlayStation® system;
(iv) Video Usage Restrictions (if you are using PlayStation Video);
(v) Cross-Buy Content Terms and Conditions (if you are using Cross-Buy Content);
(vi) Voucher Code Terms and Conditions (if you are using voucher codes); and
(vii) Website Terms of Use (if you are using www.playstation.com)
These documents can be found at www.playstation.com/legal/PSNTerms/, www.playstation.com/legal/cross-buy-content-terms-and-conditions and https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/legal/website-terms-of-use/.
Your access to some Products may also be dependent on you agreeing to additional terms notified to you by us or third parties. Your failure to comply with any of the additional terms referenced in this section will be a breach of these terms of service.
3. Your responsibilities for your Account
You must provide us with truthful and accurate information during Account registration and keep it up to date via Account management.
Use a strong password, which is different from any password you use for your other online services. If you sign-in to your Account on a system that may be accessed by others, ensure you sign-out from your Account at the end of each session or, if using a PS4, set a passcode by going to [Settings] > [Login Settings] so that others cannot log in to that PS4 as you.
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your Account and password and for restricting access to your system and Account. This includes, keeping your Account details secret, such as your Account ID and password (and PS4 passcode where applicable) and not allowing other users to use your Account. You agree to notify us immediately if you have any reason to believe the security of your account has been compromised, including if you believe that your password has become known to anyone else or if your password is being, or is likely to be, used in an unauthorised manner.
You are responsible for all use of your Account, including all purchases and online conduct (except where such use is directly due to our error). In particular, you may be liable for unauthorised usage of your Account as a result of failing to keep your information secure.
If you believe you have been a victim of crime in relation to the PSN (including any fraudulent activity on your Account) you should immediately contact law enforcement and our customer services.
4. Your responsibilities for your child Family Members
You must be at least 18 years old to create an Account. If you are over 18 and a parent or legal guardian, you can create Accounts with access to the PSN for up to 6 Family Members, including children aged 7 to 17 (children under 7 are not permitted to use the PSN). Each of your children must have their own Account. Click here for more information about Family Accounts: https://www.playstation.com/get-help/help-library/my-account/parental-controls/family-accounts.html.
For all of your child Family Members:
(i) You must ensure the child Family Members comply with these terms of service and keep their Account details secret from everyone (including their friends). This includes their Account password (and PS4 passcode where applicable).
(ii) You are responsible for all use of your child Family Members, including all purchases and online conduct.
(iii) We are not liable for any unauthorised use or sharing of the Accounts of your child Family Members.
(iv) You agree that we can deduct funds from your PSN wallet for purchases made by your child Family Members.
(v) You, or any adult Family Member who you nominate in your Account settings as a Guardian, can set parental controls to restrict a range of activities and content for your child Family Members, including preventing your child Family Members from making purchases or setting a maximum spending limit. When you nominate an adult Family Member as a Guardian of a child Family Member, you are agreeing that the adult Family Member may adjust the parental controls that you’ve set for that Child Family Member (including any controls you’ve placed on the amount the child Family Member can spend from your PSN wallet). Note: you will not be notified of any changes that a nominated Guardian makes to the parental controls of your child Family Members. More information about parental controls is available at: www.playstation.com/safety.
(vi) If there are insufficient funds in your wallet for a child Family Member to complete a purchase, you must add the funds manually because your wallet will not be topped up automatically to complete any purchases made by your child Family Members.
(vii) Child Family Members may not be able to purchase or access Products rated higher than their registered age. This applies even where the child Family Member has or can use a PlayStation Plus subscription.
(viii) Not all Products available via the PSN are rated and some contain adult language and material. We cannot control the behaviour of other users and your child Family Members may receive communications from other PSN users that will not be copied to you.
We recommend you monitor your children’s use of the PSN.
5. Code of conduct
When interacting with us or other users (who may be children), you and your child Family Member must behave lawfully, decently, respectfully and with consideration. This includes your use of any sharing or communication features available via the PSN that allow you to share messages, comments, pictures, photographs, videos, game assets, game videos and other material or information and includes your communications with our customer services and other employees and agents via email, phone or other means.
For instance:
Do not share anything that is vulgar or use community features to harm or alarm anyone;
Do not share anything that is defamatory or offensive (including anything racially, ethnically, religiously or sexually offensive);
Do not use or promote hate speech, violent behaviour or illegal substances;
Do not make threats of violence or promote violence, including threatening or promoting terrorism;
Do not act in a disruptive, threatening or bullying manner or impersonate or stalk anyone;
Do not spam or forward recommendations / offers to your contacts without their permission;
Do not cheat, exploit or use any bugs, glitches, vulnerabilities or unintentional game mechanics in the Software, the PSN or any of its products to obtain an unfair advantage;
Do not share, trade, phish for or harvest Account sign in details;
Do not use the PSN or any of its Products for, or associate them with, any commercial activity;
Do not act in any manner that infringes privacy or intellectual property rights;
Do not carry out, or attempt or threaten to carry out, any activity that is against these terms of service or applicable law; and
Do use common sense and good manners at all times.
6. PSN wallet and adding funds
Your Account has an associated PSN wallet if you are in a country that has a PlayStation®Store. To find out if there is a PlayStation®Store in your country go to https://status.playstation.com. Please be aware that:
(i) Approved payment methods to add funds to your PSN wallet vary from country to country and we may change the available payment methods at any time. When you ask us to top up your wallet you are purchasing a service which is provided to you immediately, so you can’t change your mind and obtain a refund.
(ii) We may reject your request to register a payment method (e.g. a credit or debit card) to your Account and/or requests to add funds to your PSN wallet if we suspect fraud, your payment provider does not approve the transaction or for any other reason.
(iii) Your payment method details (in the case of a payment card, excluding your card’s 3-digit security number) will be stored for your future use unless you delete them through your Account settings.
(iv) We may impose a minimum PSN wallet top-up amount. Your payment provider may also limit the maximum amount of funds you can add to your PSN wallet in one go.
(v) You can only hold a certain maximum amount of funds in your PSN wallet at one time, which is reflected in the amount you are able to top up.
(vi) Once we have accepted a request made by you to add funds to your PSN wallet (including where we use your registered payment method to automatically fund your wallet with the minimum amount required to make your purchase or the minimum top-up amount, if greater) a contract is formed between you and us on these terms of service.
(vii) Your order to add funds is complete as soon as we make them available in your PSN wallet.
(viii) You expressly agree that we may make all the added funds available to you immediately after we have accepted your payment and that, once made available, as far as permitted by law you will have no right to cancel or to a cooling-off period.
(ix) You must use funds within 24 months of being added to your PSN wallet.
(x) PSN is not operating as a bank and the PSN wallet is not a bank account.
(xi) PSN wallet funds have no value outside the PSN, can only be used to buy Products sold by us, are not redeemable for cash, are not your personal property and cannot be transferred to others.
(xii) We will give you a refund of funds to your PSN wallet if (i) we permanently close the PSN (pursuant to section 16); (ii) your Account is closed following a change to these terms of service or the Software Usage Terms (pursuant to section 20); or (iii) required by law.
Chargebacks
If a top up to your wallet is reversed by your payment service provider (e.g. your bank, credit card provider or PayPal), known as a “chargeback”, you will owe us a debt equal to the amount of the chargeback. We will suspend access to the PSN by your Account or console until that debt is repaid. We reserve the right to deduct funds from your wallet to pay any debt owed by you to us.
Mobile top-ups
If you have opted to fund your wallet using a mobile billing payment method you will be charged via your mobile network provider and standard messaging rates may also be charged by your mobile network provider. Please note that your agreement to pay us for the wallet top-up is separate from and independent of your obligation to pay your mobile phone service provider. If you do not pay your mobile provider, we may suspend your Account and either ourselves or through a third party take action against you to recover payment. A special note for those of you in Germany, after funding your wallet by using the mobile billing option, the debt you owe us will be assigned to a third party and then onto your mobile carrier who will recover it from you on your next mobile bill.
7. Purchasing Products
When you or your child Family Members buy or pre-order Products from PlayStation®Store using funds in your PSN wallet, including subscriptions, you are placing an order with us, even when accessing the PlayStation®Store via a third party game or website.
You agree we may deduct funds from your PSN wallet to pay for all orders placed using your Account (including orders placed by your Child Family Members). Prices are subject to change and promotions may be withdrawn at any time. You must ensure that you or your Child Family Members understand and accept the price, rating, compatibility and product information displayed for Products before placing an order. This information may not be available in your preferred language. If you would like any clarification on this information, including information not available in your preferred language, please contact our customer services.
When placing an order:
(i) All purchases are made in the currency and at the price displayed when you order and are inclusive of any indirect taxes. You must pay any import VAT and duties and bank or card charged that apply (if any).
(ii) We may choose to cancel or not to accept your order for any reason (including price errors).
(iv) Your order is only accepted by us on the earlier of: (a) when we send an email confirmation to the email address registered to your Account (and the Account of your child Family Member, if they have placed the order); and (b) when we make the Product (or any part of the Product) available to you to use, download or stream.
(v) Once we have accepted an order made via your Account or the Account of your child Family Member, a contract is formed between you and us for your order on these terms of service.
(vi) If we do not accept your order, any sums deducted from your PSN wallet will be refunded to your PSN wallet.
(vii) For all orders, if you do not have enough funds in your PSN wallet we will use your registered payment method (if any) to automatically fund your wallet with the minimum amount required to complete your purchase (or the minimum top-up amount, if greater). This does not apply to purchases made by child Family Members.
(viii) Subject to section 12, the Products you have purchased will be available to you to download or stream (as applicable) for a reasonable period.
(ix) You purchase a licence to use the Products – see section 13. Other than this licence, you have no property, proprietary ownership, economic, or monetary interest in the Products you purchase.
Cancellation Rights
All purchases are non-refundable except as stated in these terms of service, the then current PlayStation®Store Cancellation Policy at www.playstation.com/store-cancellation-policy or as required by law.
In-App Purchases
Please be aware that if you or your Child Family Members purchase or download a Product, including a free-to-use Product, it may include options to make in-app purchases of additional Products using the PSN wallet. You agree to pay for all purchases made.
PSN Features
We may decide to withdraw a feature of the PSN at any time. If we do so, we will endeavour to give you reasonable notice. In addition, where we sell Products which have an online mode, the publisher of that Product may decide to permanently shutdown a server hosting or supporting the online mode or to withdraw a specific features of the online mode. Where the publisher is us or an affiliated company, we will endeavour to give you reasonable notice of this. Where the publisher is a third party, we will ask them to do the same. Products for use in online modes may not be useable after PSN features are withdrawn or servers are shutdown and will not be refunded. Access to multiplayer online gaming on PS4 is only available if you are a PlayStation®Plus subscriber, except for multiplayer online gaming available in PlayStation™Now and certain free-to-play games.
Virtual Currency
Products you can buy from the PlayStation®Store or you can earn through game play include quantities of fictional currencies for use in specific games and apps (“Virtual Currencies”). You agree not to be involved in the sale, purchase, transfer or use Virtual Currencies outside of the game or app for which they are purchased and you shall not exchange or redeem Virtual Currencies for money or money’s worth. As a result, you acknowledge that Virtual Currencies have no real world value. Virtual Currencies may expire and will not be usable after PSN features are withdrawn and will not be refunded.
8. Pre-orders
You agree that for pre-orders of digital content we can deduct the price of the pre-order from your wallet on the date you place your pre-order (if we accept it).
We may cancel your pre-order up to the release date. You may cancel your pre-order and obtain a refund in accordance with the PlayStation®Store Cancellation Policy located at www.playstation.com/store-cancellation-policy. When you cancel a pre-order you will no longer be entitled to any promotional products offered with the pre-order.
9. Voucher codes
Unless otherwise stated, voucher codes may only be used once, by a single Account, and, subject to applicable law, cannot be refunded, redeemed, transferred or exchanged for cash or credit (except that you may give a voucher code that you have purchased to someone else as a gift). The use of voucher codes is subject to these terms of service, any specific restrictions displayed on the voucher code and the terms available at www.playstation.com/legal/sen-voucher-code-terms-and-conditions.
10. Subscriptions
When you purchase a paid subscription, redeem a voucher for a subscription or use a free trial subscription for services via the PSN:
(i) Paid and trial subscriptions are offered to you on a rolling basis with specific recurring subscription billing periods, as explained prior to purchase or use.
(ii) When you purchase a subscription, we will turn “On” Automatic Funding in your account settings. This means that if you do not have enough funds in your wallet to pay a recurring subscription fee, the required balance will be charged to the payment method registered to your Account (if any) unless you turn off Automatic Funding. This does not apply to purchases made by child Family Members. You can switch Automatic Funding “Off” at any time via your Account management page.
(iii) At the end of each billing period we will deduct the subscription fees from your PSN wallet for the next period unless:
a. you cancel the subscription prior to the end of the current billing period by turning off [Auto-renew] (for more information see: www.playstation.com/store-cancellation-policy);
b. you do not have enough funds in your wallet and Automatic Funding is “Off” or you do not have a registered payment method; or
c. we discontinue the subscription for any reason.
This will happen at the end of any free trial, which will turn into a paid subscription unless you cancel it prior to the end of the free period or we tell you otherwise.
(iv) If your payment for a subscription fails we may retry to take payment from you over the next few days and you may be able to access the subscription service during that period. Your subscription billing period will not change and, if a payment retry is successful, your subsequent recurring subscription payment dates will be the same as they would have been had your initial payment not failed.
(v) The price of your subscription will remain the same unless we notify you in advance by email to the email address registered to your Account when you will have the option to cancel before the price rise takes effect.
(vi) If you already have a paid or free trial subscription and purchase another subscription for the same service, your current subscription will end at the end of the current billing period and the new subscription will begin.
(vii) Once your subscription has ended, you may no longer be able to access or use all or part of the Products you downloaded via the subscription.
The package of Products in a subscription may vary throughout your subscription and some of the Products may be available to non-subscribers separately. You may not be able to access all of the Products that are part of the package due to age, geographic or other restrictions.
11. Use restrictions
Some Products available via the PSN may have specific rules on how they may be used. For instance, when you purchase a Product (including a subscription service) you may be restricted to downloading, streaming and/or using the Product:
(i) in your country of residence only;
(ii) with the purchasing Account only;
(iii) during a limited period or periods only;
(iv) with certain compatible Sony system and/or other devices only; and/or
(v) with a certain number of compatible devices (including Sony systems) that are associated with the purchasing Account only.
If you access a streaming service in a country other than the country to which your Account is registered, the quality of the streaming service may differ from that experienced in the country to which your Account is registered.
Any material restrictions will be outlined at the time of purchase. Please make sure you understand these restrictions before purchasing (if you want further clarification, including in respect of any wording not displayed in your preferred language, please contact our customer services). In those restrictions, HOME CONSOLE means a PS3 or PS4 and PORTABLE CONSOLE means a PSP, a PS Vita or a PS TV.
Activation of a compatible Sony system and/or other device for a Product by the purchasing Account may be required before you can use it. If you delete the Account that purchased the Product or deactivate the relevant compatible device (including Sony system), then you may lose access to and use of the Product. We reserve the right to limit the number of times that a compatible device (including Sony system) may be activated or deactivated.
12. PlayStation Video and its use restrictions
Due in particular to restrictions placed on us by our licensors we may limit or remove the ability to stream, download or re-download videos rented and/or purchased via PlayStation Video at any time. Trial, sample and trailers versions of PlayStation Video videos may not be fully representative of the final videos. Digitised versions of some videos may not be identical to the original formatted item or previously released versions of the same titled item.
Certain restrictions apply to how you can use the videos made available to you via PlayStation Video and these restrictions vary depending on whether you are renting or purchasing a video and whether it is HD or SD. In particular:
(i) Once a rented video is downloaded to a compatible device it cannot be accessed from another compatible device.
(ii) Certain purchased and rented videos may not be accessible through Remote Play and may be available for download only or for streaming only depending on the compatible device you are using.
(iii) Certain compatible devices may stream only or download only from PlayStation Video.
(iv) Your ability to download or stream a rented and purchased video may also be restricted to:
a. certain compatible devices only;
b. a specified number of times only;
c. a specified number of compatible devices only;
d. streaming via one compatible device at a time;
e. a specified period of time if renting the video; and/or
f. specific, specified software on a compatible device.
These restrictions are explained at www.playstation.com/legal/playstation-video-usage-restrictions, but may not be displayed in your preferred language. Please make sure you understand these restrictions before purchasing. If you want further clarification, including in respect of any information not displayed in your preferred language, please contact our customer services.
13. Intellectual property rights (including pirated software)
All intellectual property rights in PSN and its Products belong to us and/or our licensors. All company, Product, and service names on the PSN are trade names, trade marks or registered trade marks or service marks of their respective owners.
When you purchase a Product you agree that you are purchasing a licence to use that Product and you do not take ownership of the Product. Where the Product you purchase from us is Software (as defined by the Software Usage Terms), you are granted a licence to use that Software in accordance with the Software Usage Terms. For all other Products you purchase from us, you are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferrable, personal licence to use such Products. Aside from this licence, we and/or our licensors reserve all rights, interests and remedies.
You may have the opportunity to share with us and other users your text, messages, comments, pictures, photographs, voice, music, videos, game assets, game videos and game-related information and other materials through the PSN (“UGM”). UGM created and shared by you belong to you but we and, where applicable, the relevant publisher of the Product still have intellectual property rights in your UGM so you must not commercially exploit UGM without our consent and the consent of the Product publisher.
Without payment to you, you authorise:
(i) us, our affiliates and other PSN users, to use, distribute, copy, modify, display, and publish your UGM, your PSN Online ID and, if you choose to use it, your real name throughout the PSN and other associated PlayStation® products and services such as websites associated to the Product; and
(ii) us and our affiliates to license, sell and otherwise commercially exploit your UGM (for example, selling subscriptions to access your UGM (alone or in combination with other UGM) and/or receiving advertising revenue in connection with UGM), and to use your UGM in the promotion of Products and any other PlayStation® products and services.
You recognise that we and other PSN users may alter or delete your UGM and you waive any moral rights you may have in your UGM. By posting UGM you are telling us that you have all rights necessary to post such UGM and to grant the rights set out in this section 13.
In addition you must not:
(i) share, sell, buy, transfer, rent or sublicense all or part of an Account (including Accounts of Child Family Members), an Online ID or any other Account credentials; or
(ii) disrupt, misuse, modify, adapt, translate, hack, crack, reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any Product or part of any Product (or any equipment, system or infrastructure used in connection with the PSN) for any reason unless expressly permitted by applicable law; or
(iii) create any derivative works, attempt to create the source code from the object code, or download a Product or any part of any Product for any purpose not authorised by us; or
(iv) scrape, copy, reproduce, communicate to the public or transmit, use for public performance or exploit any Product or part of any Product including any information accessed via or in connection with the PSN; or
(v) use or make available unauthorised hardware or software to access or interact with the PSN or its Products (including any cheat code or devices that circumvent security features or limitations); or
(vi) bypass or attempt to bypass any user authentication system or security features unless expressly permitted by law; or
(vii) introduce code, content or communications that could be harmful to us, our licensors or other users, such as any virus, worm, spyware or time bomb; or
(viii) use stolen or illegally acquired hardware, software, Accounts, Account credentials, Virtual Currencies or Products.
14. Use of your Personal Information
When you use the PSN and its Products, we, other users and third parties may collect, use and share with others information that relates to you (or your child family member). The collection, use and sharing of personal information that relates to you is explained in the PlayStation Privacy Policy, available at www.playstationnetwork.com/privacy-policy. By using the PSN and its Products, you agree to the collection, use and sharing of your personal information as explained in that policy.
We reserve the right in our sole discretion to monitor and record (or engage a third party to monitor or record) any or all of your activity and to remove any materials that you share at our sole discretion, without further notice to you. This may include information such as the content of your voice and text communications, video of your gameplay, the time and location of your activities, and your name, your PSN Online ID and IP address. We may also receive information about your activity on the PSN from other users. Any information collected in this way, may be used by us or our affiliated companies to enforce these terms of service, to comply with the law, to protect our rights and those of our licensors and users, and to protect the personal safety of our employees, contractors and users. This information may be passed to the police or other appropriate authorities. Please note that we cannot monitor all PSN activity and we make no commitment to do so.
Do not give out your personal information on the PSN, including but not limited to: phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, etc.
15. Software updates and how these may affect you
You agree that we can automatically upload updates to your Sony system when you connect your system to the internet and/or sign into your Account to ensure that your system is functioning properly in accordance with these terms of service and/or to improve functionality or features. In addition, your Sony system may download updates if you have set it to do so automatically or manually request your system to download updates.
You agree that these updates may:
(i) update your Sony system’s operating system and other software, and may change or remove certain features or functionality;
(ii) cause loss of data, and to ensure such loss is not permanent you should archive any personal photos, music, video or other data stored on your Sony system; and
(iii) be used by you subject to these terms of service.
You agree you will not be entitled to a refund in respect of any changed or removed features or functionality, or any loss of data, relating to a software update.
16. Maintenance or closing the PSN
We may take down the PSN and/or any of its Products at any time for any duration and for any reason, including for investigation of any security incident and for carrying out system maintenance and upgrades. If the entire PSN is permanently closed, you will be able to obtain a refund on request for your unused wallet funds and any unexpired period of your subscriptions. You will not be entitled to a refund for any unused Virtual Currency or other Products.
17. Closing your Account
You may close your Account by contacting us using the details below. We may close your Account if it has not been used for at least 24 months. In both cases, we will not provide you with a refund of your unused wallet funds and unexpired periods of your subscriptions unless we are required to do so by law. After your Account is closed, you will not be able to access the PSN nor use the Products purchased with that Account.
18. Protecting the PSN (including failure to comply with these terms of service)
If there are reasonable grounds on which to conclude that you, one of your child Family Members or any Account that you permit to use your console has breached these terms of service, brings the PSN into disrepute, is involved in fraudulent activity, or we believe that your Account has been hacked or otherwise compromised, we may take any actions we believe are reasonable in the circumstances to protect our interests and those of other users. In particular, we may:
(i) reset the password for your Accounts (including the Accounts of your child Family Members);
(ii) upload updates to your Sony system intended to discontinue unauthorised use;
(iii) stop or suspend any subscriptions associated with your Accounts (including the Accounts of your child Family Members);
(iv) stop or suspend access to all or any part of the Products available via the PSN;
(v) ban your Accounts (which will include all of your child Family Members), temporarily or permanently;
(vi) ban access to the PSN from any Sony system that you use, temporarily or permanently; and/or
(vii) bring, initiate and/or participate in government, criminal and/or private legal action against you.
While your Account(s) and/or Sony system is banned, you will not be able to use the Products that you have paid for. We will not provide you with a refund of your unused wallet funds and unexpired periods of your subscriptions unless we are required to do so by law. If your Account is banned, you may still need to contact customer services if you do not wish to renew your subscriptions.
A failure or delay in taking action in response to any breach(es) is not a waiver of any of our rights or remedies and we may still take action in response to such breach(es), or any other breach, at a later date.
19. Your rights and our liability
We do not exclude or limit our liability for:
(i) death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors;
(ii) our fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; and
(iv) any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.
Other than as set out in this section 19, we are not responsible or liable in contract, tort, including negligence, or otherwise, for, nor do we give warranty or representation in relation to:
(i) the quality, functionality, availability, completeness, accuracy or performance of the PSN or its Products;
(ii) any errors, bugs or viruses in, or malicious use of, the PSN or its Products;
(iii) inability to purchase or use any Products or the PSN;
(iv) the activity and shared materials of other PSN users or hackers;
(v) Products not sold by us;
(vi) incompatibility of Products with Sony systems and software licensed for sale outside of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Russia and Oceania;
(vii) loss of data, loss of or damage to software or hardware as a result of using or accessing the PSN;
(viii) any loss of enjoyment;
(ix) your Internet connection, including connection, data and roaming charges and any failure to have sufficient bandwidth to download or stream Products from PSN;
(x) loss that you may incur that was not caused by us breaching these terms of service;
(xi) the use of the Products for any commercial or business purpose (we only supply the Products for domestic and private use) and we will have no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity;
(xii) malicious acts of third parties, including but not limited to acts such as “hacking”, spreading viruses, denial of service attacks, introduction of malicious code, trojans or unauthorised access to your Account;
(xiii) loss that you may incur as a result of any unauthorized usage of your Account or the Account of your child Family Members (unless the usage was directly due to our error); and
(xiv) any liability arising from an event that was outside of our reasonable control (e.g. a force majeure event).
We may withdraw access to free Products or subscription trials at any time.
Subject to the terms set out in this section 19:
(a) if we fail to deliver any paid-for Product, our liability and your only remedy is (at our option) either providing the Product or refunding the amount you paid for the Product to your PSN wallet;
(b) if we deliver a faulty paid-for Product, we will (at our option) offer to fix or replace the Product. If we choose to fix the Product but can't fix it within a reasonable time, or without causing you significant inconvenience, we will provide you with a full or partial (based on the value of the content you’ve received) refund; and
(c) our liability and your only remedy in any other case is limited to £50 (or local currency equivalent) or, if higher, the amount of unused funds in your PSN wallet.
20. Changes to our contracts with you and our right to transfer our contracts with you
We may make changes to these terms of service from time to time. If the changes are material changes, we will ask you to accept a new version of these terms of service. If the changes are minor changes, we will either ask you to accept a new version or give you reasonable notice of the changes, for example by a posting when you sign in to the PSN, by PSN message or by email to the email address registered to your Account. Your or your child Family Members’ continued use of the PSN after such notification will comprise your agreement to the changes. You will not be able to continue to use the PSN or the Software you’ve previously purchased unless you agree to all changes. If you do not accept a change to these terms of Service or to the Software Usage Terms, please contact us to close your Account. In these circumstances, you will be given a refund of any unused wallet funds.
We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms of service and any contracts between you and us governed by these terms of service without your consent at any time. However, we will notify you to let you know if we plan to do this. If you are unhappy with the transfer you may close your Account in accordance with section 17. You may not transfer your rights and obligations under these terms of service or your contracts with us on these terms of service.
21. Governing law, jurisdiction and third party rights
As far as permitted by law, you and we agree these terms of service, their subject matter and formation and any disputes relating to the same shall be governed by and construed and interpreted in accordance with English law and that the courts of England will have exclusive jurisdiction.
Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited has the right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any term in these terms of service that benefits Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Limited. Otherwise, no one other than a party to these terms of service, their successors and permitted assignees shall have any right to enforce any of the terms. The rights of the parties to terminate, rescind or agree any variation, waiver or settlement under these terms of service are not subject to the consent of any other person.
22. Our company and contact details
We are Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Limited (with company number 06020283) of 10 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7LP, United Kingdom (prior to 29 July 2016, known as Sony Network Entertainment Europe Limited). You can contact us at this address or at:
UK: help@uk.playstation.com
Ireland: support@ie.playstation.com
Australia: support@playstation.com.au
New Zealand: general_enquiries@playstation.co.nz
Bulgaria: support@bg.playstation.com
Croatia: support@hr.playstation.com
Slovenia: podpora@si.playstation.com
Slovakia: podpora@sk.playstation.com
Estonia: support@ee.playstation.com
Lithuania: support@lt.playstation.com
Latvia: support@lv.playstation.com
Iceland: olafur@sena.is
Cyprus: info@playstation.com.cy
Malta: playstation@forestals.com
Israel: support@isfar.co.il
For other means of contacting us (including by telephone) please visit www.playstation.com/get-help/contact-us/.
If you have any comments or questions about third party services and/or Products available via PSN, you should contact that third party.
Software Usage Terms
1. Who are we?
1.1. We are Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited (with company number 03277793) of 10 Great Marlborough Street, London, W1F 7LP, United Kingdom.
2. Defined Terms
2.1. “Authorised Systems” means any of PS one, PlayStation®2, PlayStation®Portable, PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Vita, PlayStation®TV and PlayStation®4 systems.
2.2. “PSN” means the PlayStation®Network.
2.3. “Software” means PlayStation game and application software developed to operate on one or more of the Authorised Systems.
3. When do these Software Usage Terms apply?
3.1. These Software Usage Terms (“Terms”) apply to your use of all Software on Authorised Systems. This includes your use of PlayStation™Now, which allows you to access Software via devices such as PCs and Smart TVs.
4. Software is Licensed
4.1. When you purchase Software, you are granted a licence to use that Software as described in these Terms, but you do not acquire ownership of the Software. If you do not comply with these Terms we can terminate the Software licence granted to you under these Terms, which means you will no longer have the right to use the Software.
5. Who Licenses the Software to me?
5.1. There are two types of Software:
5.1.1. software published, and licensed to you, by us; and
5.1.2. software published, and licensed to you, by other companies.
5.2. The publisher is identified either:
5.2.1. on the box - for Software on a physical disc such as DVD, Blu-ray Disc or PS Vita Card (“Disc-based Software”); or
5.2.2. in the product description - for Software made available on the PlayStation®Store or on such other digital retail stores as we approve from time to time (“Digital Software”).
5.3. If we are the publisher of the Software, we license you to use it on these Terms and any other specific terms we tell you about in relation to specific Software.
5.4. If another company is the publisher of the Software, they license you to use it on terms which include, but may not be limited to, these Terms. That company may tell you about other terms it imposes on your use of its Software, in which case those terms apply in addition to these Terms, not instead of them. In the case of any conflict between the additional terms and these Terms, these Terms apply.
6. Limitations on Your Use of Software
6.1. Your licence to use Software is a non-exclusive, non-transferrable, personal licence to use the Software for private use only on the applicable Authorised Systems (as indicated on the box for Disc-Based Software, in the product description for Digital Software or otherwise notified by us to you from time to time) and only in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Russia and Oceania.
6.2. You must not use Software commercially, broadcast it, charge for its use or make other public performance of it without express permission from us and, if the publisher is another company, additionally from the publisher.
6.3. You must not lease, rent, sublicense, publish, modify, adapt, or translate any portion of the Software.
6.4. You must not emulate the Software.
6.5. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you must not reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or copy any portion of the Software, or create any derivative works, or otherwise attempt to create source code from Software object code.
6.6. You must not use any means to bypass or disable any encryption, security, or authentication mechanism for the Authorised Systems or any Software, or to gain unauthorised access or to interfere with any account, service, hardware, software or network connected to the PSN.
6.7. You must not use stolen or illegally acquired Authorised Systems or Software.
6.8. Use of the community features provided by your Authorised System and authorised Software published for use on it in accordance with the applicable agreements described in clause 10.1 will not breach clauses 6.2 and 6.5 of these Terms.
7. Resale
7.1. You must not resell either Disc-based Software or Digital Software, unless expressly authorised by us and, if the publisher is another company, additionally by the publisher.
8. Age Ratings
8.1. If Software displays an age rating, it means it contains content that is unsuitable for anyone below that age. If you are a parent or guardian, see www.playstation.com/safety for information on how to stop games rated above a certain level running on your PlayStation®Portable, PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Vita or PlayStation®4 system.
8.2. If you, or an account-holder for whom you are responsible, have a registered age below the age rating indicated on specific Software, we may prevent you or that account-holder, viewing, purchasing or using that Software. In respect of games Software, we may prevent you or that account-holder using online modes of that game, even if the offline modes are playable on your PlayStation®Portable, PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Vita or PlayStation®4 system.
9. Privacy and Using Software Online
9.1. The PSN allows you to use your Software online. When you use the PSN:
9.1.1. the PSN Terms of Service and User Agreement (“Terms of Service”) which you entered into with Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Limited when you created your account for the PSN (“Account”) applies in addition to these Terms. The current Terms of Service can be found at http://www.playstation.com/legal/PSNTerms;
9.1.2. we and Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Limited may collect information about you. An explanation of how your personal information is used can be found in the PlayStation Privacy Policy. You can find the Terms of Service and PlayStation Privacy Policy at http://www.playstation.com/legal/PSNTerms; and
9.1.3. if Software is licensed to you by another company, they may also collect information about you and they will explain that in their privacy policy.
10. How to behave towards us and other users
10.1. The Authorised Systems and Software may provide community features that let you communicate and interact with other people via the PSN and via other social networks. Your use of community features is governed by several agreements, with different companies:
10.1.1. these Terms; and
10.1.2. the Terms of Service; and
10.1.3. the PlayStation Privacy Policy; plus
10.1.4. any additional terms provided by the Software publisher; and
10.1.5. any additional terms provided by the company that operates the social network you use (for which you might have to have an account).
10.2. When interacting with us or other users (who may be children), you must behave lawfully, decently, respectfully and with consideration. This includes your use of any sharing or communication features available via the PSN that allow you to share messages, comments, pictures, photographs, videos, game assets, game videos and other materials and information (“User Generated Media” or “UGM”), and your communications with our customer services team and other employees and agents via email, phone or other means.
10.3. For instance:
10.3.1. do not share anything that is vulgar or use community features to harm or alarm anyone,
10.3.2. do not share anything that is defamatory or offensive (including anything racially, ethnically, religiously or sexually offensive);
10.3.3. do not use or promote hate speech, violent behaviour or illegal substances;
10.3.4. do not make threats of violence or promote violence, including threatening or promoting terrorism;
10.3.5. do not act in a disruptive, threatening or bullying manner or impersonate or stalk anyone;
10.3.6. do not spam or forward recommendations/offers to your contacts without their permission;
10.3.7. do not cheat, exploit or use any bugs, glitches, vulnerabilities or unintentional game mechanics in the Software, the PSN or any of its products to obtain an unfair advantage;
10.3.8. do not share, trade, phish for or harvest Account sign in details;
10.3.9. do not use or associate the Software, the PSN or any of its products for or with any commercial activity;
10.3.10. do not act in any manner that infringes privacy or intellectual property rights;
10.3.11. do not carry out, or attempt or threaten to carry out, any activity that is against these Terms or applicable law; and
10.3.12. do use common sense and good manners at all times.
11. Creating and Sharing Online
11.1. UGM created and shared by you belong to you but we and, where applicable, the relevant Software publisher still have intellectual property rights in your UGM so you must not commercially exploit UGM without our consent and the consent of the Software publisher.
11.2. You authorise us, our affiliates and other PSN users, to use, distribute, copy, modify, display, and publish your UGM, your PSN Online ID (and, if you choose to use it, your name) throughout the PSN and other associated services such as websites associated to the Software. You also authorise us, without payment to you, to license, sell and otherwise commercially exploit your UGM (for example, selling subscriptions to access your UGM (alone or in combination with other UGM) and/or receiving advertising revenue in connection with UGM), and to use your UGM in the promotion of PlayStation® products, Software and services. You recognise that we and other PSN users may alter or delete your UGM and you waive any moral rights you may have in your UGM. By posting UGM you are telling us that you have all rights necessary to post such UGM and to grant the rights set out in this clause.
12. What if I have a bad experience online?
12.1. We want you all to enjoy our online community but we can’t guarantee that everyone will behave properly. As such, we accept no liability to you for other PSN Users’ activity and UGM and no liability to others for your activity and UGM.
12.2. If you experience any unacceptable or inappropriate behaviour in-game, we want you to let the relevant publisher (which might be us) know.
12.3. Although we may enable you and other users to post to social network services and other third party sites, we are not responsible for those services. If you experience any unacceptable or inappropriate behaviour on a social network service or third party site, please report it to the social network service or third party site using their grief reporting process.
13. Reporting from games we publish
13.1. In the games we publish and for functionality we provide via our Authorised Systems (e.g. PSN messaging), we include grief reporting mechanisms where we think they might be most relevant. For example, you’ll see a report option next to messages you receive on PSN and in-game reporting tools in each of the games we publish, if that game offers the ability to share UGM. If you use the most proximate grief reporting tool, when you submit the report, you may also be able to send us applicable evidence which will help us assess your report. Of course, this means other people can grief report you and your UGM too.
13.2. For more information on grief reporting please visit http://www.playstation.com/safety.
14. Are we monitoring online behaviour?
14.1. Yes but we can’t monitor all Software activity and we make no commitment to do so. However, we reserve the right in our sole discretion to monitor and record any or all of your Software activity and to remove any of your UGM at our sole discretion, without further notice to you. Your use of the Software may be recorded and collected by us or sent to us by other users as described in clause 13.1. Any information collected in this way, for example, your UGM, the content of your voice and text communications, video of your gameplay, the time and location of your activities, and your real name, your PSN Online ID and IP address, may be used by us or our affiliated companies to enforce these Terms and the Terms of Service, to comply with the law, to protect our rights and those of our licensors and users, and to protect the personal safety of our employees and users. This information may be passed to the police or other appropriate authorities. By accepting these Software Usage Terms, you expressly consent to this.
15. Online Stores
15.1. Whilst using Software online, you may have the opportunity to purchase items from an online store, using your SEN wallet. All purchases are made from Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Limited and are subject to the Terms of Service.
16. Feedback and Beta Trials
16.1. We welcome your ideas and feedback on our services and products, but you must only provide us with your own ideas and feedback. By providing your ideas and feedback to us you transfer ownership of them to us, although we may or may not implement them. You will not get paid or receive any other compensation for your ideas or feedback.
16.2. If you participate in, or redeem a voucher for, a free beta trial you agree to the following additional terms:
16.2.1. you must keep the beta software secure and in good condition and must not copy the beta software, give or sell it to anyone, try to reverse engineer it, nor use it to create derivative works;
16.2.2. you are licensed to use the beta software only for the beta;
16.2.3. we do not warrant that the beta software will work correctly (or at all);
16.2.4. during the beta we may modify the beta software without notice, which may add or remove data, content and functionality, and you agree we will not be liable for any such loss of data, content or functionality; and
16.2.5. we can end the beta or stop you accessing it at any time.
17. Software Updates and End of Service
17.1. Software may be updated from time to time, which may include adding to or removing existing functionality.
17.2. We and other publishers sometimes find it necessary to cease online support for Software. This means that features such as online multi-player and leaderboards will no longer be available. If a game is an online-only title you may no longer be able to use it.
17.3. If we decide we need to turn off online support for a specific game, we will endeavour to provide you with reasonable notice of that decision via our game forums and at http://eu.playstation.com/gameservers.
17.4. Other publishers may withdraw online support for their games and may notify you of forums or websites you should check for updates.
18. Copyright Ownership
18.1. All Software contains library programs, the copyright to which is owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. and exclusively licensed to us for our geographic area of operation. Other copyrights and intellectual property rights subsist in the Software and may be notified to you from time to time.
19. Enforcement of Software Usage Terms
19.1. You agree we can enforce these Terms against you in respect of all Software whether or not we are the publisher.
20. Your rights and our liability
20.1. We do not exclude or limit our liability for:
20.1.1 death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors;
20.1.2 fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; and
20.1.3 any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.
20.2. Subject to the terms set out in clause 20.1, our liability and your only remedy is limited to £50 (or local currency equivalent).
21. Changes to these Terms and our right to transfer our contracts with you
21.1 We may make changes to these Terms from time to time. If the changes are material changes, we will ask you to accept a new version of these Terms. If the changes are minor changes, we will either ask you to accept a new version or give you reasonable notice of the changes. Your or your child Family Members continued use of the Software after such notification will comprise your agreement to the changes. You will not be able to continue to use the Software you’ve previously purchased unless you agree to all changes.
21.2 We may transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms and any contracts between you and us on these Terms without your consent at any time. However, we will notify you to let you know if we plan to do this. You may not transfer your rights and obligations under these Terms.
22 Governing law, jurisdiction and third party rights
22.1 As far as permitted by law, you and we agree these Terms, their subject matter and formation and any disputes relating to the same shall be governed by and construed and interpreted in accordance with English law and that the courts of England will have exclusive jurisdiction.
Last Updated: October 2017 Privacy Policy
About Us and this Policy
Who we are and how to get in touch Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited and its wholly owned subsidiary Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Limited control the data collected when you interact with PlayStation.
This Privacy Policy explains when we collect data about you, what we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, where it is processed, how we handle it and what your choices and legal rights are.
For further information about our Privacy Policy or our processing of data about you, please contact us by either of the following methods:
Post:
Data Protection Officer
Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited
10 Great Marlborough Street
London
United Kingdom
W1F 7LP
Online:
dpo@scee.net
Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Limited are registered in England under company numbers: 03277793 and 06020283.
Version 7.1 (October 2017)
Data Collection
What data we collect about you This section explains what data we collect about you and the sources of this information. We may combine data we receive from any of these sources. For example, we may process together information we have collected from you, your visits to our website, your PS4 system gameplay history, etc., for the purposes explained in this Privacy Policy.
Data You Provide
You may provide us with certain information directly, including:
• Account information: When you create an account for PlayStation Network, we ask you to provide information such as your name, date of birth, gender, email address, country, address and password. You can also add pictures and other details about you to your account profile and set various account settings (including social privacy controls)
• Payment information: If you wish to purchase funds for your account wallet or make any other payments via PlayStation Network using a payment method, we will ask you to provide certain data such as your billing address and payment details
• User Content: Some PlayStation products and services will allow you to upload to our servers: messages, comments, forum posts, game levels, videos, images and other information
• Customer Services: If you contact us for assistance we may ask you to provide information about you (such as your name and contact details) and the nature of your query, and you may choose to send further communications about your query. We may record calls you make to PlayStation Help & Support and other customer service teams
• Other: We may ask you to provide information if you participate in market research surveys, beta and other user testing research, competitions, promotions or events or agree to receive marketing information from us
Please make sure that any personal details which you provide are accurate and current as we will send important information relating to your account using the contact information you provide (including account security and data protection notices). Let us know if there are any changes. You can check and update the information you have provided to us any time via PlayStation Network Account Management. Always obtain consent first before giving us anyone else's personal information (for example, for send-a-friend promotions).
Consoles and other devices
Each time you use a PlayStation console or a PlayStation app on a PlayStation console or other devices (such as a mobile or PC), we may automatically access and store information about your use of that device and app. If you sign into an account for PlayStation Network, we may combine it with other data we have for that account.
The data that we access from and store on your devices may include:
• Device identifiers such as your PlayStation console ID, mobile device IDs, cookie IDs
• Network identifiers such as your IP address and MAC address
• Account authentication tokens that avoid you having to log in repeatedly
• Content and ads downloaded to your device for the online services that you access
• Your current and recent locations if you choose to share this with us
• Trophies, scores and rankings achieved online and offline
• Some device type and setting details and error reporting
• Information about which features and services you are accessing from your PlayStation device or app and when (such as Share, Netflix or Spotify if applicable)
• Information about the device you are using and how you have configured it and any connected peripherals (such as controllers and VR headsets), such as model and serial number and device settings
• Information about how you use the software installed on your device (including offline), such as date and time of use, what games or music you play, what content you browse, share or download, what services you access and for how long, including how often you use chat and other communication applications
• What actions you take within a game or app (for example, what obstacle you jump over and what levels you reach)
• Software errors and load times details
If your device or app crashes, you may be asked to provide detailed information about the crash, including screenshots and video captured before the crash (this information may be sent automatically if you have the "Report System Software Errors Automatically" setting turned on).
PlayStation Network and Store
Each time you sign in to PlayStation Network and access our online services (including PlayStation Store), we may automatically:
• access and store information about your use of PlayStation Network features and services on your device, including for offline (see the 'Consoles and other devices' section of this Privacy Policy); and
• log your activity on our PlayStation Network servers.
For example, we may receive device and Account identifiers, such as Account identifiers, such as PlayStation Network Online ID and Account ID and details of what content, ads and other information your devices request and receive from our servers (such as store content, trophies and friends lists) and when you receive and interact with them, what content and apps you add to your 'basket' in our Store and what you purchase.
Games
Each time you play a game developed and/or published by us or another Sony Interactive Entertainment company we may automatically:
• access and store information about your use of that game on your device, including for offline games (see the 'Consoles and other devices' section of this Privacy Policy); and
• log your activity on our game servers.
For example, we may receive device and Account identifiers, such as PlayStation Network Online ID and Account ID information, and information about how you use our online games, which players you play against, when you jump over a hurdle or complete a task, when you move between areas on a map and how long you spend in an area.
Websites, Marketing and Advertising
Each time you visit our websites or receive and interact with our marketing communications and advertising on our and third party websites and services, we may automatically:
• access and store information about your use of that game on your device, including for offline games (see the 'Consoles and other devices' section of this Privacy Policy); and
• log your activity on web, advertising and marketing servers managed by us or by a third party on our behalf
For example, we may receive:
• Online identifiers usually stored in cookies on your device
• Other tracking data, such as tracking pixels and browser configuration details (e.g. browser type, list of installed plugins and list of installed fonts)
• If you sign into your account, account identifiers such as PlayStation Network Online ID and Account ID
• Information about the content, marketing communications and advertisements you view and interact with (for example, if you click on a banner on PlayStation.com about Unchartered, open a marketing email about PlayStation VR or click on one of our adverts on a social network about PlayStation 4)
• If you use your account to sign into other Sony or third party websites or online services, information about that third party website or online service and when you signed in
Please see the PlayStation Cookie Policy at www.playstation.com/legal/cookies for more details on our use of cookies and how to control them when accessing our websites.
Third Party Partners
We may receive limited information about you from third party partners, including from:
• Our financial and anti-fraud service providers processing your account sign in and purchase transactions, including fraud risk scores
• Other Sony companies, other online service providers, our security service providers, government agencies, law enforcement and public security sources, including IP addresses and details of suspected unlawful or fraudulent activity and security risk scores
• Third party partners providing games and apps via PlayStation Network, including information about accounts, IP addresses and devices reasonably suspected of breaching our or our third party partners terms of service or of being involved in fraudulent or malicious activity
• Other third parties where permitted under notices and choices that they or we have provided to you (for example, we may receive information from a PlayStation merchandising store that you visit if you've agreed that the provider of that store can send us information about your activity and purchases on that store)
Data Use
How we use the data we collect
This section explains how we may use the data we collect about you. We may use data combined from any of the sources explained in the 'Data Collection' section of this Privacy Policy. For example, we may process together information we have collected from you, your visits to our website, your PS4 system gameplay history, etc., for the purposes explained in this Privacy Policy.
Services
We (and affiliates and third parties operating on our behalf in accordance with our instructions) may use your information to operate PlayStation Network and to provide the services you have requested - for example, in order to maintain your account, process your purchases and/or carry out credit and anti-fraud checks.
We may personalise the services we provide to you based on the combined data we have collected about you (for instance, we may use your IP address to display content relevant for your area or we may recommend new players to you or to help you discover new games or social media that you are entitled to play and watch using information about your past activity).
Development
We use the data we collect to understand, improve and enhance our existing products and services and your experiences using them, and to help develop new ones. For example, we may use the data to optimize user interfaces, for bug and error fixing, to improve the balance between different characters, teams or factions in a game, to tune game progression and economy mechanics and to design entirely new hardware, games, apps and websites.
Moderation and Safety
We cannot monitor the whole of PlayStation Network and make no commitment to do so. However, we reserve the right in our sole discretion to monitor and record your online activity and communication throughout PlayStation Network and to remove and/or delete any content. We may use the combined data we collect (including information such as the content of your voice and text communications, the time and location of your activities, and your PlayStation Network Online ID, registered account details and IP address) to detect breaches and enforce our PlayStation Network Terms of Service, Software Usage Terms, System Software Licence Agreements, any other terms of service you have agreed to and any rules or codes of conduct applying to your use of PlayStation Network. Enforcement action that we may take can include suspending or banning accounts and/or devices.
Legal and Compliance
We may use the combined data we collect for auditing, compliance and legal purposes (for example, making or defending claims or activities that are required by law).
Marketing and Advertising
We may target and personalise our marketing communications, purchase recommendations and adverts that we display on our and third party websites and services based on the combined data we have collected about you.
You may notice this personalisation when you visit the PlayStation Store (whether via console, website or game), when we send you marketing communications or when you visit our and third party websites (such as social network sites) that show purchase recommendations or advert from us (for example, you might see an adverts for a game similar to one you have played recently or a product that you have recently viewed on one of our websites or the PlayStation Store).
You can choose whether to allow us to use the combined data we have collected about you to personalise and target our advertising and/or our Store and recommendations to purchase products and services via your account Personalisation Settings as follows:
• Personalised Purchase Recommendations: If this setting is on, our Store offerings and recommendations-to-buy for products and services may be personalised based on what we know about you. If this setting is off, you will still see our Store offerings and these recommendations, but they may be less relevant.
• Advertising: If this setting is on, ads in our products and services and our ads on third party apps and sites may be personalised based on what we know about you. If this setting is off, you may still see these ads but they may be less relevant.
We will always slightly customise what you see (e.g. to avoid displaying content you've already purchased from our Store). Marketing communications – including recommendations – may still be personalised, if you choose to receive them (see below). And some older devices (e.g. PS3/Vita), apps and games may still show some commercial personalisation.
You can also choose whether to receive personalised and targeted marketing emails from us relating to PlayStation and Sony. If you later decide not to receive personalised emails from us, you can turn off marketing communications:
• Via Marketing Preferences in your PlayStation Network Account Management area
• By following the instructions and/or the link ""unsubscribe"" attached to our marketing emails
We will aim to process your request as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event, within 28 days. Note that we will still send you important emails about your account even if you opt-out of marketing emails.
If you choose not to allow us to store and access cookies that are not strictly necessary for the provision of our websites, this will also limit when we can recognise your visits to our websites and target and personalise the advertising and commercial purchase recommendations displayed on those websites. Please see the PlayStation Cookie Policy at www.playstation.com/legal/cookies for more details on our use of cookies and how to control them when accessing our websites.
Data Sharing and Transfers
Who we share data with and where
This section explains how we may share the combined data we collect with third party vendors and partners that provide services to us or provide games and apps on PlayStation Network that you use.
Services
We may share the combined data we collect with third party vendors and partners that provide services to us or provide games and apps on PlayStation Network that you use. For example, we may share your payment details to banks and other financial and anti-fraud organisations in order to complete your purchase, obtain payment and carry out credit and anti-fraud checks.
If you access third party games or apps via PlayStation Network or log in to third party applications and websites using your PlayStation Network account, such as third party game publishers, social networking and game consolidation websites, we may provide those third parties with access to some of your PlayStation Network account details (such as your Account ID, PlayStation Network Online ID, country, gender, age and Friends and Block lists) so they can operate and improve their services and websites.
When you log in with your PlayStation Network account to access a third party service, you provide your details to us and we confirm your identity to the third party but never share your password or passcode.
When those third parties access your information or when you link your account for PlayStation Network with a third party's account, they should inform you about their use of your information for any other purposes and, where required by law, obtain your prior consent. Such third parties' processing of your information will be covered by their notices, policies and consents rather than this Privacy Policy.
Other Users
When you create an account for PlayStation Network, certain information will form part of your public profile and we will make it accessible to all accounts on PlayStation Network and on the Internet via PlayStation.com and third party gaming websites. This includes:
• Your PlayStation Network Online ID
• "About Me" statement, avatar, language, country and gaming scores and statistics
You can also choose whether to share other information via your Account Social Settings, such as:
• Your real name
• Your PlayStation Network Friends
• Your activity feeds
• Shared content via the "Share" button
Please be aware that anyone who can see your information will be able to share it with others, for example by sharing a gameplay video that you feature in. Some devices allow users to record, stream and upload online activities such as gameplay and therefore may be distributed outside PlayStation Network without your knowledge, which means that you and we have no control over it.
You are responsible for any content you share on forums, communities, chat and messaging features and this content will be accessible to others.
We recommend you consider carefully with whom you share your information. Avoid sharing your contact information with others.
Security and Fraud
We may share limited information about you with third party partners, including:
• Our financial and anti-fraud service providers processing your account sign in and purchase transactions, including fraud risk scores
• Other Sony companies, other online service providers, our security service providers, government agencies, law enforcement and public security sources, including IP addresses and details of suspected unlawful or fraudulent activity and security risk scores
• Third party partners providing games and apps via PlayStation Network, including information about accounts, IP addresses and devices reasonably suspected of breaching our or our third party partners terms of service or of being involved in fraudulent or malicious activity
Legal and Corporate
We may share the combined data we collect:
• To defend legal claims or exercise legal rights
• With our service providers processing data on our behalf
• With our professional advisors dealing with, for example, legal, tax, audit or accounting matters
• During negotiations for and following conclusion of a sale of all or part of our business
Government Authorities
We may share your information with police and other government authorities if we believe that it is reasonably necessary to comply with a law, regulation, or legal process, to detect, protect and enforce the safety of any person, their property or their rights, to address fraud and security and report criminal activity. The majority of the cases in which we have shared information with police and government authorities concern their investigations into stolen devices or unauthorised use of payment methods. In a small number of cases, we have also provided information in response to anti-fraud or more serious criminal investigations.
International Transfers
Your information may be processed, stored and transferred outside your country of residence and beyond the European Economic Area (EEA) where we are located for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, such as the United States or Japan. Data protection laws in these countries may not offer the same level of protection as in your country or the EEA and you may have fewer legal rights in relation to your information. We ensure there are adequate safeguards in place when transferring your data outside your country and the EEA, including by relying on Privacy Shield, Model Clauses or other lawful mechanisms or otherwise that the transfer only occurs where permitted by applicable law.
Data Handling and Your Choices
How we store your data and your rights
Storage
We keep the data that we collect about you for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. In general, we will retain information that is associated with your account or device until you close your account. Even following account closure, please be aware that the data that we collect about you may still be retained for legal, accounting and community reasons.
Security
Access to your PlayStation device may usually be restricted by setting up a passcode. Access to your account for PlayStation Network is restricted through the password that you set. We advise you to make use of the enhanced account access controls that we make available such as 2 Step Verification. Please visit www.playstation.com and/or contact PlayStation Help and Support if you need any assistance in restricting access to your devices or accounts.
Please keep any passwords and passcodes for your devices and accounts safe and do not disclose them to anyone else. Consider ensuring automatic account log in setting is disabled and the setting requiring a password to be entered before completing purchases is enabled, particularly if your PlayStation device is shared with others. You should contact PlayStation Help and Support (or another customer services team) immediately if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account or other security breach.
Children's Data
You must be at least 18 years old to create an account for PlayStation. However, if you are a parent or guardian, you may create accounts (or confirm the creation of an account initiated by your child) under your PlayStation Network account for your children aged 7 to 17 to access PlayStation Network and some of its services. If you do so, we will process your child's data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
You may be able to access to certain information about accounts created for your children, including details of Sub Account transactions and communications, and you should you're your children aware that you can see this information about their activity.
You can use our parental controls to tailor your child's account's use of the PlayStation Network (e.g. preventing them from chatting online). Search for "Parents" on PlayStation.com for more details.
Your Choices and Rights
If you are a user of our services, you can access, correct, and modify some of the personal information that you have provided to us via PlayStation Network Account Management.
You can choose:
• Whether we may use data we have collected about you to personalise advertising and purchase recommendations – See PlayStation Personalisation Settings in Account Management
• Whether to receive personalised marketing communications in the Notification Preferences in your PlayStation Network Account Management
You also have the right to request a copy, rectification, erasure or blocking of your personal information and to object to our processing of your personal information in certain situations. You can exercise these rights by contacting us via the information in the About Us and Complaints section of this Privacy Policy.
You can close your account for PlayStation Network by contacting PlayStation Help & Support. Note that this will not affect any accounts you have for other Sony services even if you have accessed those services using an account created using your account for PlayStation Network (and you will need to close those accounts separately) – see https://www.sony.co.uk/mysony or https://account.sonymobile.com/#/signup/learnmore for more information.
Complaints
If you have a concern about our information rights practises, please get in contact with us first so we can try to resolve your query using the details in the 'About Us and this Policy' section of this Privacy Policy. If however you feel we have not dealt with your concern and that we are failing to meet our legal obligations, you can report this to your local data protection regulator or the Information Commissioner's Office ("ICO") in the United Kingdom. More information on reporting a concern to the ICO can be found at https://ico.org.uk/.
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