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EPA.net Privacy and Security Policy

 

The East Palo Alto Community Network is committed to keeping individual and community interests as our main focus, and we strive to maintain confidentiality of the information our users provide to us.  Therefore, unless you designate otherwise, any personal information you provide, besides your name will be known only to two parties: you and Community Network staff.  We only ask for information that will help us to provide specific and valuable services.

The following policy is intended to explain precisely how your personal information will be collected and used.  Please be aware that this may be subject to change, so check back periodically.  Changes to this policy will be posted on this page.

                                                                                                                       

What We Mean By Personal Information

Personal information includes your contact information and any other personal information you may choose to provide.

 

Why We Collect This Information

All of the required or voluntary information we collect from you is so that we can provide better services to you and other community members.

 

Access to and Disclosure of Personal Information 

Only you and East Palo Alto Community Network administrators have full access to your personal information, with the exception of children under the age 13, whose parents or guardians will also have access to their accounts (see below for more information).  East Palo Alto Community Network administrators will only access your personal information to create and maintain your account.

 

The East Palo Alto Community Network will never disclose any of your personal information unless required to by law, court order or as requested by other government or law enforcement authority. This does not include any information you choose to share with others, either through the storage, photo album, or discussion/chat public areas of Epa.net .

 

The Types of Information We May Collect

There are five types of information we may collect:

§         Administrative Information 

§          

§         “My Profile” Information

§         Files

§         Survey Information

§         Usage Data

 

Administrative Information

Administrative Information is personal information we require when you register on EPA.net.  This includes your first and last name, your e-mail address, a screen name and password, which you will create in order to access your account and log on to the system. 

 

Please be aware, however, that you should never share your username and password with anyone.  Accounts issued to individuals are intended for the sole use of that individual, and are non-transferable.  You are responsible for all activities that originate from your account.

 

 

“My Profile” Information

This is information you voluntarily provide for other Epa.net users to learn about you.  This may include your first and/or last name, your e-mail address, and others.  All of this information will remain private unless you choose otherwise.  You can add, change, or delete your profile information at any time.

 

Though we strongly encourage honesty, open communication, and members taking responsibility for their own words, please exercise cautious when sharing your personal information.

 

Please note, because the East Palo Alto Community Network is committed to ensuring the privacy and security of our members, particularly minors, all children under 18 must receive parental permission before registering on Epa.net.

Files

One feature of Epa.net is the ability for members to store and share files—including word processing documents, classified ads, presentations, and images.  When creating folders or uploading files, you have the ability to set permissions for who can view these files.  You can make these public for anyone to see, grant permissions only to specific members, or keep your files completely private.  Please be aware that any files you upload will automatically be made public, unless you choose otherwise.

 

Survey Information

Periodically, you may be requested to provide us with some additional information about your interests or experiences using Epa.net.  This information is strictly voluntary and is asked only to help improve the services we provide and to assess the value and impact of these services.  All survey information will be aggregated (that is, removing all personally identifiable information).  No personally identifiable information you provide will ever be shared with a third party.

 

Usage Data

To help us improve the services we provide and to understand what services are most and least beneficial to our users, we collect various pieces of visitor information.  This includes information like which pages on Epa.net users visit and how many messages members post in online community discussion areas.

 

This information will only be used in an aggregate form, stripped of all personally identifiable information, and will not be shared with any outside parties.

 

Use of “Cookies”

Epa.net uses a standard Internet technology called "cookies" to store and track visitor information. A cookie is a small text file that a server can automatically store on your computer and retrieve later. Cookies allow us to count the number of visitors to the site, personalize a visitor's experience, and facilitate the login process for registered members. If you do not wish to have your browser accept cookies, the "Help" section of most browsers has instructions for disabling cookies and/or requesting that the browser notify you when you receive a new cookie.  Note: without cookies, the login and download processes may be compromised.

 

Collecting Personal Information From Minors

It is our highest priority to make sure that our visitors feel safe and supported, and that the privacy of our users—particularly minors—is secured.  For this reason, we require all children under the age 18 to receive parental or guardian permission before registering on Epa.net.

 

Keeping Your Personal Information and Property Secure

The East Palo Alto Community Network will make the best possible efforts to ensure that your personal information is secure from unauthorized access, improper use or disclosure, unauthorized modification, unlawful destruction, or accidental loss.

 

All personal information will be secured through the use of a firewall and a permissions protection system built into Epa.net.  This facility will include 24 hr. security guards and redundant power systems. 

 

All East Palo Alto Community Network staff with access to or are associated with the processing of personal data are obliged and committed to respecting the confidentiality of our visitors’ personal information.

 

Plugged In ensures that personal data will not be disclosed to State institutions and authorities except if required by law or other regulation.  Our users will be informed that if required by law, we must turn over personal information. 

 

Please be aware that the East Palo Alto Community Network can only be responsible for securing the personal information you choose not to make public.  We are not liable for any consequences as a result of personal information you elect to share in public areas of the site mentioned above,, or for your failure to log-out of the system.

 

Contacting Us

Please feel to contact us should you have any questions about your privacy or the security of your personal information.  If you feel that your privacy or security have been violated in any way, please contact us at Producer@epa.net. 

Click to see more information on our Terms of Use or Acceptable Use policies.



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NOTICE: We collect some personal information on this site.
To learn more about how we use your information,
see our Privacy and Security Policy.
and Our Acceptable Use Policies .