Hello, Ello. That’s the sound I heard when I signed up for Google Plus a few years ago. I said “hello”, and the word echoed briefly, as a few friends did more or less the same. Which I somehow suspect won’t happen with Ello, the new social networking site that is getting so much buzz the last few days. One thing that is often overlooked about social networking is that the user is the most important element, and as long as you facilitate what they want to do and stay out of the way, some social networking will happen. In spite of Google’s clean interface, they bunged things up right away by demanding that the user understand what a “circle” is, for instance.

The Experts of the Internet are already babbling enough about why Ello is the next big thing or not, so I’ll spare you another pseudo-analytical opinion piece, or prediction of when Ello will sell out like every other startup of the last decade and a half. We’ll all figure out what Ello is about soon enough on our own; according to this Vox piece, 31,000 people are signing up hourly.

Okay, I lied. Here’s one opinion: the design savvy – you know, those friends of yours who can tell the difference between Arial and Helvetica, and have a copy of The Vignelli Canon on their iPad – they will LOVE it. And this simplicity of interface – provided it isn’t TOO simple for average users – may be just the thing a lot of people need to get re-engaged with this kind of social site.

Me? I’m more interested at this point as a spectator than a participant. Personally, I’ve been intrigued with social networks since back in 2002, when I was trying to create one on this site, but couldn’t make it sexy enough to keep my friends engaged because of my feeble coding skills. Like many of us, since then I’ve used most of the popular ones as they came and went, and in 2008, Facebook came along with the right stuff at the right time, and I became pretty engaged for awhile. Now I joke that using Facebook is like “going doo doo”, I certainly don’t enjoy it, but I seem to do it every day anyway, and feel like I should wash my hands afterwards. I’m sure I’m not alone in my wish that another “next thing” would come along, maybe one that wasn’t run by a bunch of shameless liars who want to monetize my friendships at every turn or treat me like a lab rat.

So I was briefly intrigued with Diaspora and Google Plus, but they both had a few quirks that turned me off pretty quickly. Diaspora was kind of cool, but it was a rather nerdy affair that required too much work to achieve the net result of connecting only with a bunch of people who all seem to be members of that hipster/hacker open source cult that overlaps at its edges with Occupiers who run Linux on their netbook. And Google Plus showed a lot of promise, but for me, its very Googleness was a profound turnoff in itself. While I admire a lot of Google’s smart design ethic, I could never get over the feeling that I was “getting Googled” while I looked for ways to connect or share with friends. And early on, it simply felt like you were walking into a big party with a blindfold on, and shouting tentatively to see if anyone was there.

In the end, Google Plus seems to have become home mostly to tech industry folks, or people who simply like Google all up in their daily mix or feel driven to create a pervasive online presence. And Diaspora got all “Yo Nerd Up To Your Motherboard”, and kind of off-putting. The many ADD-oriented tools like Snapchat, Vine, and Instagram are kind of irrelevant to my needs, and a site like Tumblr is just too amporphous and image-oriented for what I like to do. So when people started quietly yammering about Ello over the last week, I was like, okay, okay, GIMME AN INVITE. I’m obligated to sign up for just about every social doodad that comes along because of my consulting work, so I was going to do it eventually anyway.

And I’m glad I signed up yesterday, because it gave me an unexpected insight that is likely to change how I manage my time. The interface is admirably lean and functional. I actually really like it, even if it may evolve into something clunkier when the site moves out of beta. But I couldn’t help noticing something peculiar right away. It may just be an “early adopter” phenomena, but it seemed like all the users, no matter how inarticulate they seemed otherwise, had mastered some kind of “brand of self” well before they signed up. As I prepared to start fleshing out my profile, I felt like I was pouring myself a cup of regular brewed coffee as I prepared to sit down with a bunch of people who had just artfully pulled a sea salt latte with a carefully crafted image of their face in the crema.

And then it hit me: why the hell would I want to create YET ANOTHER version of myself via some virtualized sharing space?

Maybe I don’t.

More on that next week in “Part II: Hello, Ello, Goodbye?”

See some info about Ello’s terms below.

One thing you might want to take note of: in spite of all the feelgoody talk about how Ello isn’t going to abuse you like Facebook, their terms of service clearly state:

“Ello is a platform built for posting and sharing public content. You should assume that anything you post on Ello other than private messages will be accessed by others. Search engines will be able to see the content you post. Content you post may be copied, shared, or re-posted on Ello and on other parts of the internet in ways that you and we cannot control.”

Here are all their terms and policies. Click the title to expand:

[expand title=”Ello’s Rules” swaptitle=”Close”] Ello Rules

Ello was created by idealists who believe that the essential nature of all human beings is to be kind, considerate, helpful, intelligent, responsible, and respectful of others.

This doesn’t mean that everyone always acts this way. Therefore, we’ve created a list of simple rules that you need to follow when you use Ello. If you don’t follow the rules, you risk being kicked off Ello and banned as a user forever.
The Rules:

Don’t threaten people.
This includes threats of violence, and threats to hurt others in any way.

Don’t Hate.
Slurs based on race, sexual orientation, religious or political belief, age, or just about anything else, whether they be personal or general, besides being very uncool, are not allowed.

Don’t Spam.
Don’t use fake tags or deceptive links or try to mislead others about the things you post. Don’t use malware or other evil code when you post. Don’t use Ello as a vehicle for generating revenue for affiliate marketing. No phishing.

Don’t Automate.
Ello is for human beings. It is against the rules to use a computer to register a lot of users on Ello, or to follow lots of users, or to automate posting.

Don’t infringe on other people’s copyrights and trademarks.
Please make sure you have the legal right to post the things that you put on Ello.

Don’t impersonate others.
Be yourself, or a version of yourself. Please don’t pretend to be someone else.

Don’t hurt young people.
Don’t post anything inappropriate about minors, including things that are violent or sexual in nature.

Don’t use Ello to intrude on other people’s privacy.
There’s enough of that going on by big internet and governments around the world.

Don’t post sexually explicit content without flagging your profile Not Suitable for Work (NSFW). NSFW flagging in is development. This policy will go into effect as soon flagging is completed. We respect the diverse views of the Ello community. Not everyone wants to see sexually explicit content. If you regularly post this sort of content, please respect those in our community who do not wish to see it by flagging your profile NSFW. Doing so will screen your Profile’s content from Ello users who would prefer not to see it.

Ello’s rules expressly forbid posting abusive content of any kind, including sexually explicit content that portrays or encourages violence towards people or animals.

If you break the rules we may contact you and ask you to fix the problem immediately.

If you don’t, your account may be suspended or deleted, your username forfeited, and your IP address may be permanently banned from logging into Ello. We reserve the right to enforce or not to enforce these rules in whatever way we see fit, at our sole discretion.

According to our lawyer, we should also tell you that Ello’s rules and policies do not create a duty or contractual obligation for us to act in any particular manner. And we reserve the right to change these rules at any time. So please play nice, be respectful, and have fun.

If you notice abusive behavior, please report it immediately by emailing reportabuse@ello.co and we will look into it, and take necessary action as soon as possible. This email box is strictly for reporting abuse, and we will not respond to other requests sent here.
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[expand title=”Ello’s Terms” swaptitle=”Close”]Ello Terms of Use
Updated June 20, 2014

Even though you may feel that reading the Terms of Use of a service like Ello is a boring waste of time, we highly recommend that you read Ello’s.

Your privacy is is a big deal to us, and by choosing to use Ello, you are bound to the terms of this agreement — which is binding. That means that if you don’t agree to these Terms, please don’t use Ello.

This is a contract between you and Ello, Inc. (“Ello”, “us”, “we”), which is applicable when you use our web sites, services, mobile applications, products, and content provided by Ello, globally, in existence now or in the future, forever and ever (“Ello Services” or “Service”).
When You Post on Ello

We don’t claim ownership over anything that you own and that you post on Ello. However, when you post or transfer content to Ello, you give us permission without limitation to use it in such a way that we can display, store, reproduce, and distribute it.

When you post on Ello, you are agreeing to allow others to view your content.

We have the right (though no obligation) to refuse or remove any content you post or transfer to Ello for any reason.

We will never sell your content for use by third parties without your permission.

You may delete your content from Ello or ask us to delete your account at any time. However, there may be a delay between your request and when the content or account is publicly visible due to technical or operational limitations. Note that we do retain backups of user content on our servers, and some of your content may remain on our servers (though not publicly visible) even after you ask to have it deleted. If you delete your account or content, it may be permanently unrecoverable.

You are responsible for the things you submit to Ello. You assume all risks associated with it, including accuracy, intellectual propety claims, or any other legal rights claims. When you post text, photos, videos, or other content on Ello, you represent that you have the rights to post that content on Ello. You may not impersonate others.

We may modify our Services at any time, since Ello is a constantly changing and evolving service. We may delete or modify to any part or all of this service at any time, without notice. If the changes we make are significant we will let you know by posting a notice on our web site, or by email. This notice will be designated as a reasonable amount of time after which the new terms will go into effect. If you don’t agree with the new terms, please delete your account before the end of the notice period.
User Activity

If you haven’t uploaded a profile picture or header image within 60 days of creating your account, we may remove your account and allow another user to select your username. We will send you a warning e-mail before doing so.

Also, if you haven’t logged into your account for 365 days, we may delete your account to make room for new users. Again, we will send you a warning e-mail to let you know that your account is about to be removed, giving you a chance to log in and keep your account.

If you use a robot to post on Ello, or to sign up for multiple accounts, or to follow lots of other users, we may delete your account. If you follow too many other users we may delete your account if we feel you are not acting like a human being.
Content

Ello, Inc. owns all rights to our logo, services, apps, and our website, including any intellectual property rights related to it. You may not reuse, copy, or duplicate any part of the site, including the Ello HTML/CSS, JavaScipt, logos, or visual design elements without express written permission from Ello.
Privacy

When you use Ello, you consent to the Ello Privacy Policy.
No Children Under 13

You need to be 13 years or older to use Ello. If you’re under 13, please don’t use Ello. If we learn that you or anyone else is under 13 and is using Ello, we’ll close the child’s account.
Security and Responsible Disclosures

We do our best to protect our service from security vulnerabilities, and to make Ello better. You can read about this in our Security Policy.
Ello’s Rules

Ello has rules that all users must follow. You can find them here.
DMCA Copyright Policy

Ello complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. We will terminate copyright infringers when legally required or appropriate.

You can contact Ello’s Designated Agent for receipt of infringement notices here:

Ello, 47 Maple Street #111, Burlington, VT 05401 or by emailing legal@ello.co.
Other Stuff Our Lawyers Made Us Put In

USE RESTRICTIONS. THE RIGHTS GRANTED TO YOU IN THESE TERMS ARE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTIONS: (A) YOU SHALL NOT LICENSE, SELL, RENT, LEASE, TRANSFER, ASSIGN, DISTRIBUTE, HOST, OR OTHERWISE COMMERCIALLY EXPLOIT THE SITE, WHETHER IN WHOLE OR IN PART, OR ANY CONTENT DISPLAYED ON THE SITE OR SERVICE; (B) YOU SHALL NOT MODIFY, MAKE DERIVATIVE WORKS OF, DISASSEMBLE, REVERSE COMPILE OR REVERSE ENGINEER ANY PART OF THE SITE OR SERVICE; (C) YOU SHALL NOT ACCESS THE SITE OR SERVICE IN ORDER TO BUILD A SIMILAR OR COMPETITIVE WEBSITE, PRODUCT, OR SERVICE; AND (D) EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN, NO PART OF THE SITE OR SERVICE MAY BE COPIED, REPRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED, REPUBLISHED, DOWNLOADED, DISPLAYED, POSTED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS.

No Warranty. THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, ELLO, ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AND ITS LICENSORS DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE CONTENT IS ACCURATE, RELIABLE OR CORRECT; THAT THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS; THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE AVAILABLE AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME OR LOCATION, UNINTERRUPTED OR SECURE; THAT ANY DEFECTS OR ERRORS WILL BE CORRECTED; OR THAT THE SERVICE IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

Limitation of Liability. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL ELLO, ITS AFFILIATES, AGENTS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, SUPPLIERS OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, USE, DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, THAT RESULT FROM THE USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS SERVICE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ELLO ASSUMES NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY (I) ERRORS, MISTAKES, OR INACCURACIES OF CONTENT; (II) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF OUR SERVICE; (III) ANY UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR USE OF OUR SECURE SERVERS AND/OR ANY AND ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION STORED THEREIN; (IV) ANY INTERRUPTION OR CESSATION OF TRANSMISSION TO OR FROM THE SERVICE; (V) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR THE LIKE THAT MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH OUR SERVICE BY ANY THIRD PARTY; (VI) ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN ANY CONTENT OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF ANY CONTENT POSTED, EMAILED, TRANSMITTED, OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICE; AND/OR (VII) USER SUBMISSIONS OR THE DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE, OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY CONTAINED HEREIN, OUR LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE (FOR ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER AND REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE ACTION), WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) $100 OR (B) TOTAL FEES PAID BY YOU TO ELLO DURING THE SIX (6) MONTHS PRIOR TO THE TIME SUCH CLAIM AROSE.

ENTIRE TERMS. THESE TERMS AND THE REST OF OUR LEGAL TERMS CONSTITUTE THE ENTIRE AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND US REGARDING THE USE OF THE SITE AND SERVICE. OUR FAILURE TO EXERCISE OR ENFORCE ANY RIGHT OR PROVISION OF THESE TERMS SHALL NOT OPERATE AS A WAIVER OF SUCH RIGHT OR PROVISION. THE SECTION TITLES ARE FOR CONVENIENCE ONLY AND HAVE NO LEGAL OR CONTRACTUAL EFFECT. THE WORD INCLUDING MEANS INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION IF ANY PROVISION OF THESE TERMS IS, FOR ANY REASON, HELD TO BE INVALID OR UNENFORCEABLE, THE OTHER PROVISIONS OF THESE TERMS WILL BE UNIMPAIRED AND THE INVALID OR UNENFORCEABLE PROVISION WILL BE DEEMED MODIFIED SO THAT IT IS VALID AND ENFORCEABLE TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO ELLO IS THAT OF AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR, AND NEITHER PARTY IS AN AGENT OR PARTNER OF THE OTHER. THESE TERMS, AND YOUR RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS HEREIN, MAY NOT BE ASSIGNED, SUBCONTRACTED, DELEGATED, OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED BY YOU WITHOUT ELLO’S PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT, AND ANY ATTEMPTED ASSIGNMENT, SUBCONTRACT, DELEGATION, OR TRANSFER IN VIOLATION OF THE FOREGOING WILL BE NULL AND VOID. THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH IN THESE TERMS SHALL BE BINDING UPON ASSIGNEES.

THESE TERMS SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF COLORADO WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ANY CONFLICT OF LAWS PRINCIPLES THAT MAY REQUIRE THE APPLICATION OF THE LAW OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION. IF YOU BELIEVE THAT ELLO HAS NOT ADHERED TO THESE TERMS, PLEASE CONTACT ELLO BY E-MAIL AT HELLO@ELLO.CO. WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO ADDRESS YOUR CONCERNS. IF YOU FEEL THAT YOUR COMPLAINT HAS BEEN ADDRESSED INCOMPLETELY, WE INVITE YOU TO LET US KNOW FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION. IF YOU AND ELLO ARE UNABLE TO REACH A RESOLUTION TO THE DISPUTE, YOU AND ELLO WILL SETTLE THE DISPUTE EXCLUSIVELY UNDER THE RULES OF THE AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION (WWW.ADR.ORG) AT ITS DENVER, COLORADO OFFICE. ANY ELECTION TO ARBITRATE BY ONE PARTY WILL BE FINAL AND BINDING ON THE OTHER. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT IF EITHER PARTY ELECTS TO ARBITRATE, NEITHER PARTY WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO SUE IN COURT OR HAVE A JURY TRIAL. YOU AND ELLO AGREE THAT ANY ARBITRATION WILL BE LIMITED TO THE DISPUTE BETWEEN ELLO AND YOU INDIVIDUALLY. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU AND ELLO ARE EACH WAIVING THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS ACTION OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. FURTHER, UNLESS BOTH YOU AND ELLO OTHERWISE AGREE, THE ARBITRATOR MAY NOT CONSOLIDATE MORE THAN ONE PERSON’S CLAIMS, AND MAY NOT OTHERWISE PRESIDE OVER ANY FORM OF ANY CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

Copyright & Trademark Information

Copyright © 2014, Ello, Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks, logos and service marks (“Marks”) displayed on the site and Service are our property or the property of other third parties. You are not permitted to use these Marks.

Feedback is highly appreciated. Contact us at hello@ello.co.
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[expand title=”Security Policy” swaptitle=”Close”] Ello welcomes the assistance of the security community. We especially appreciate help finding vulnerabilities and bugs in Ello’s technology and interface. If you are a security specialist and find a vulnerability, please let us know right away.

Please note, however, that while doing your research you may not destroy or hurt Ello, harm the performance of our services, or violate the privacy of our users, their accounts, and data. As long as you work within the bounds of these rules and our policies, we are grateful for your help.

Please contact us at security@ello.com. [/expand]
[expand title=”Privacy Policy” swaptitle=”Close”]Ello Privacy Policy
Updated June 20, 2014
Your Privacy is Important

As an ad-free network that does not sell data about its users to third parties, Ello has also taken unique steps that help you control how much information about you is shared when you use Ello.

Please read this document in its entirety and take it seriously. It explains Ello’s privacy practices, and what information we collect when you use our web site, mobile apps, services, products, and other content; and also how you can opt-out of sharing some of this information.
Information Ello Collects

When you visit Ello, we may collect information about what pages you access, about the device you are using, information that you send to us directly or post on our web site or on your page, and the address of web sites that refer you to Ello. We also store your name and your email address when you register for an account or contact us directly.

We may also collect and store an anonymized version of your IP address, which we may use to protect Ello and its users from spam, viruses, identity theft, illegal or harmful activities; we use this information to understand how people use Ello, which features work and which don’t, and to help us develop and improve Ello’s features and services.

Ello uses an anonymized version of Google Analytics to gather and aggregate general information about user behavior. To the best of our knowledge, the information gathered by Google on Ello’s behalf is collected in such a way that neither Ello, nor Google, can easily trace saved information back to any individual user.

Ello is unique in that we offer our users the option to opt-out of Google Analytics on the user settings page. We also respect “Do Not Track” browser settings. If you choose either of these options, we make best efforts not to send any data about your user behavior, anonymized or otherwise, to Google or any other third party service provider. Please be aware that there may be other services that you are using and that are not controlled by Ello (including Google, Google Chrome Web Browser, Android Operating System, and Youtube) that may continue to send information to Google when you use Ello, even if you have asked us not to send information through our services.

We may create anonymous records by excluding information (such as your name) that makes the data personally identifiable to you. We may use or share this anonymous data for any purpose — for example, to analyze request and usage patterns so that we may make Ello better.
Email Communications

From time to time we may email you information about Ello that we think is necessary and important. By opening or maintaining an account with Ello, you agree to receive administrative emails as part of your basic service. You can always opt-out of non-administrative emails.

If anyone ever contacts you and asks for your Ello password, they are probably trying to scam you. Ello will never do this. Please don’t give your Ello password to anyone, and let us know about it so we can hunt them down and execute suitable punishment.
Information Sharing

Ello does not make money from selling advertising.

We also don’t sell information about our users to any third party. This includes advertisers, data brokers, search engines, or anyone else.

We may share your personal information with third parties under several circumstances, including (1) if you tell us it is OK to do so (2) if we believe that we need to do so by law (3) if we contract with a third party service provider to offer services for you — for example, with a credit card processing company if you decide to buy something through Ello.

Ello does not have any affiliated companies right now. But if we do in the future, we may share information with them, too.

We will do our best to resist requests to access information that we believe are not justified. Ello’s policy is to give you, advance notice if we are going to release your information unless by law we are prohibited from doing so. If we think that by disclosing your information we may prevent serious harm to Ello, its users, you, or anyone else for that matter, we may do so without notifying you.
Ello is a Public Network

Ello is a platform built for posting and sharing public content. You should assume that anything you post on Ello other than private messages will be accessed by others.

Search engines will be able to see the content you post. Content you post may be copied, shared, or re-posted on Ello and on other parts of the internet in ways that you and we cannot control.

We have made it easy for you to delete posted content from your personal account, and also to delete your account altogether (there’s a link to do so on your personal settings page).

However, we may store backups of your content on our servers, even after it is deleted or after you delete your account.

Furthermore, deleting your account or specific content doesn’t mean that your content hasn’t been copied or shared on Ello, and on other parts of the internet by people or services that have nothing to do with Ello.

We strongly suggest that you consider this when deciding what to post and what not to post on Ello (or anywhere on the Internet, for that matter). Please post responsibly!
Ello and Cookies

Ello uses cookies to enable our servers to recognize your web browser and tell us how and when you use Ello Services. A cookie is a small amount of information that is stored in your web browser, which may contain information about you and the way you use the internet and services like Ello. We use cookies to identify our users, provide automatic login, and personalize your Ello experience. We also may use cookies embedded in emails to help figure out whether anyone is actually reading the drivel that we write.

You can turn cookies off on your web browser, but if you do, Ello may not work properly, and in some cases, you may not be able to log into Ello at all.

There are many other third party services and web sites that may place cookies in your browser. Our privacy policy only covers our use of Ello cookies, not cookies used by third parties.
Data Storage and Deletion of Accounts and Data

You can access or change your personal profile and contact information or delete your account through your Ello personal settings page.

If you choose delete or deactivate your account, you can no longer retrieve your content or reactivate your account, and we cannot do so for you. Also, your username may become available for another person to use.

Ello stores its data on servers run by third parties. We or a third party we work with may keep backups of Ello’s data and code, which may or may not include posts and other information that you put on Ello, even after you have deleted your account. Therefore, even after you delete your account, your data may remain in backups on our system, although it will be no longer visible or publicly accessible on Ello.
Children Under 13

Ello Services are intended for the general public, and are not meant for children under 13. We don’t knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Please contact us if you become aware that a child under the age of 13 is using Ello, or has posted personal information about themselves on Ello, and we will work to remove both the information and the child’s Ello account.
Changes to the Ello Privacy Policy

Ello may update this policy from time to time. We will let you know if we make signifiant changes by sending a notice to the email address connected with your Ello account, or by placing a notice in a prominent place on our web site.

You can also always find the most current version of this policy on our web site, as well as older versions.
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