Introduction
Othernet is strongly committed to
protecting the privacy of its user community. The intent of this privacy policy is
to detail the information Othernet may gather about individuals who visit its web site(s),
how that information is used, and Othernet's disclosure practices. Please note that
this policy applies only to Othernet's web site(s) and not to those web site(s) of
other companies or organizations to which we provide links.
Site Usage Information
Othernet gathers "site usage"
information from all visitors to the Othernet web site(s). Such data is used
in the aggregate, to help determine general usage patterns and fine tune layout
in order to ensure that our site(s) are as useful and enjoyable as possible.
This "site usage" and statistical
information may be made public information at Othernet's discretion.
Please note that Othernet does
not control all HTML served in conjunction with its site(s). Othernet site(s) may
include content from other parties that may perform user activity tracking other
than that described herein. In particular, some of our partners may use "cookies"
in ways that we do not.
Individual User Information
Individually identifiable information
will not be released without that individual's prior consent. Visitors are specifically
asked for individually identifiable information when signing up to use certain Othernet
services, such as the message boards or the channel registration option. In some instances,
users may be asked for personal interest and demographic information in order to create
a more customized user experience; however these fields will generally be optional.
From time to time, Othernet and/or its
partners may wish to contact individual users regarding community news or to make
promotional offers. However, such communications will only be delivered to users who have
previously approved them.
Special Notification with respect to Children's Privacy (Users under the age of 13)
In response to concerns about protecting
children's privacy online, Congress enacted the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998
("COPPA"), which sets forth rules and procedures governing the ways in which web site(s) may collect,
use and disclose any personal information for children under the age of 13. In accordance with
Othernet policy and COPPA regulations, we DO NOT:
- Request or knowingly collect personally identifiable online or offline
contact information from users under 13 years of age;
- Knowingly use or share personal information from users under 13 years of age with third parties;
- Give children the ability to publicly post or otherwise distribute personally identifiable contact information;
- Entice children with the prospect of a special game, prize or other activity to divulge more information than is needed to participate in the activity.
Questions regarding children's privacy should be directed to
our webmaster at web@othernet.org.
Disclosure
Othernet reserves the right to access and disclose
individually identifiable information to comply with applicable laws and lawful government requests,
to operate its systems properly or to protect itself or its users. Where practical, Othernet will
attempt to obtain the prior consent of the individual prior to disclosing individually identifiable
information. As mentioned above, we reserve the right to share aggregated "site usage" information
with third parties. Last Modified: 08-16-2003 22:20:49 by dogbert |