WikiForUs:Privacy policy
From WikiForUs
This Privacy Policy is effective as of May 15, 2008.
Summary
If you only read pages on the Wiki For Us website ("the Site"), no more information is collected than is typically collected in server logs by web sites in general.
If you contribute to the Site, you are publishing every word you post publicly. If you write something, assume that it will be retained forever. This includes articles, user bios, user pages and talk pages. Some limited exceptions are described below.
Publishing on the Site and public data
Simply visiting the web site does not expose your identity publicly (but see private logging below).
When you edit any page in the Site, you are publishing a document. This is a public act, and you are identified publicly with that edit as its author.
Identification of an author
When you publish a page on the Site, you may be logged in or not.
If you are logged in, you will be identified by your user name. This may be your real name if you so choose, or you may choose to publish under a pseudonym, whatever user name you selected when you created your account.
If you have not logged in, you will be identified by your network IP address. This is a series of four numbers which identifies the Internet address from which you are contacting the wiki. Depending on your connection, this number may be traceable only to a large Internet service provider, or specifically to your school, place of business, or home. It may be possible that the origin of this IP address could be used in conjunction with any interests you express implicitly or explicitly by editing pages to identify you even by private individuals.
It may be either difficult or easy for a motivated individual or your employer to connect your network IP address with your real-life identity. Therefore if you are very concerned about privacy, you may wish to log in and publish under a pseudonym.
When using a pseudonym, your IP address will not be available to the public except in cases of abuse, including vandalism of a page by you or by another user with the same IP address. In all cases, your IP address will be stored on the Site's servers and can be seen by Wiki For Us's server administrators and by users who have been granted access. Your IP address, and its connection to any usernames that share it may be released under certain circumstances (see below).
Cookies
The Site will set a temporary session cookie whenever you visit the site. If you do not intend to ever log in, you may deny this cookie, but you cannot log in without it. It will be deleted when you close your browser session.
More cookies may be set when you log in, to avoid typing in your user name (or optionally password) on your next visit. These last up to 30 days. You may clear these cookies after use if you are using a public machine and don't wish to expose your username to future users of the machine. (If so, clear the browser cache as well.)
Passwords
Many aspects of the Site's community interactions depend on the reputation and respect that is built up through a history of valued contributions. User passwords are the only guarantee of the integrity of a user's edit history. All users are encouraged to select strong passwords and to never share them. No one shall knowingly expose the password of another user to public release either directly or indirectly.
Private logging
Every time you visit a web page, you send a lot of information to the web server. Most web servers routinely maintain access logs with a portion of this information, which can be used to get an overall picture of what pages are popular, what other sites link to this one, and what web browsers people are using. It is not the intention of the Site to use this information to keep track of legitimate users.
Log data may be examined by developers in the course of solving technical problems and in tracking down badly-behaved web spiders that overwhelm the site. IP addresses of users, derived either from those logs or from records in the database are frequently used to correlate usernames and network addresses of edits in investigating abuse of the Site, including the suspected use of malicious "sockpuppets" (duplicate accounts), vandalism, harassment of other users, or disruption of the Site.
Policy on release of data derived from page logs
Personally identifiable data collected in the server logs, or through records in the database may be released by the system administrators in the following situations:
- In response to a valid subpoena or other compulsory request from law enforcement
- With permission of the affected user
- Where the information pertains to page views generated by a spider or bot and its dissemination is necessary to illustrate or resolve technical issues.
- Where the user has been vandalising pages or persistently behaving in a disruptive way, data may be released to assist in the targeting of IP blocks, or to assist in the formulation of a complaint to relevant Internet Service Providers
- Where it is reasonably necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of the Site, its users or the public.
Sharing information with third parties
Service Providers We engage certain trusted third parties to perform functions and provide services to us, including, without limitation, hosting and maintenance, customer relationship, database storage and management, and direct marketing campaigns. We will share your personally identifiable information with these third parties, but only to the extent necessary to perform these functions and provide such services, and only pursuant to binding contractual obligations requiring such third parties to maintain the privacy and security of your data.
Compliance with Laws and Law Enforcement Wiki For Us cooperates with government and law enforcement officials or private parties to enforce and comply with the law. We may disclose any information about you to government or law enforcement officials or private parties as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate to respond to claims, legal process (including subpoenas), to protect the property and rights of the Site or a third party, the safety of the public or any person, to prevent or stop any illegal, unethical, or legally actionable activity, or to comply with the law.
Business Transfers The Site may sell, transfer or otherwise share some or all of its assets, including your personally identifiable information, in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of assets or in the event of bankruptcy. You will have the opportunity to opt out of any such transfer if the new entity's planned processing of your information differs materially from that set forth in this Privacy Policy.
Security of information
Wiki For Us makes no guarantee against unauthorized access to any information you provide. This information may be available to anyone with access to the servers.
You may provide your e-mail address in your Preferences and enable other logged-in users to send email to you through the Site. Your address will not be revealed to them unless you respond, or possibly if the email bounces. The email address may be used by the Site to communicate with users on a wider scale.
If you do not provide an email address, you will not be able to reset your password if you forget it.
You can remove your email address from your preferences at any time to prevent it being used.
User data
Data on users, such as the times at which they edited and the number of edits they have made are publicly available via "user contributions" lists, and in aggregated forms published by other users.
Removal of user accounts
Once created, user accounts will not be removed. It may be possible for a username to be changed. The Site does not guarantee that a name will be changed on request.
Deletion of content
Removing text from the Site does not permanently delete it. In normal pages, anyone can look at a previous version and see what was there. If a page is "deleted", any user with "administrator" access on the Site, can see what was deleted. Information can be permanently deleted by those people with access to the servers, but there is no guarantee this will happen except in response to legal action.
Links to Other Websites
Our Site contains links to other websites. The fact that we link to a website is not an endorsement, authorization or representation of our affiliation with that third party. We do not exercise control over third party websites. These other websites may place their own cookies or other files on your computer, collect data or solicit personally identifiable information from you. Other sites follow different rules regarding the use or disclosure of the personally identifiable information you submit to them. We encourage you to read the privacy policies or statements of the other websites you visit.
Contact Us
If you have questions regarding this privacy policy, contact us at help@wikiforus.org .
