PRIVACY POLICY

EPH(b)LOG PRIVACY POLICY [DRAFT]

Ephblog values and seeks to respect the privacy choices of all its members and visitors.  In the past,  incidents and questions have occurred which lead us to present a written "draft" privacy policy.

EphBlog's privacy policy is that the private data of its contributors and members,  including but not limited to their emails,  names,  and other identifying information,  including any other data,  shall not be revealed by EphBlog or its personnel,  or due to technological failure,  to other parties without the knowledge and consent of users.

EphBlog is currently undergoing a technological revamping ("alpha development").  As on our previous platform,  but to a far lesser extent,  we and this platform are not yet capable of fully protecting users from unintentional revelation of their private data to other users,  nor of offering an opt-in / opt-out series of privacy settings to control and define these matters.

We anticipate developing such a system by the end of the Fall Semester,   but current users are advised that their participation is in a "beta-"stage,  developmental project and that we cannot provide such privacy controls at this point.  Please don't worry-- the current situation is better than before,  and we are moving forward,  but we also wish to entirely frank and accurate.

In the future,  Eph(b)log imagines a implementing "staged" community in which users can choose to reveal their identities to others with similar "trust levels."  In such a community,  privileged users will need to sign a privacy agreement to view such data.

As with many sites,  Eph(b)Log personnel and staff have a significant deal of access to private information in the course of their administrative duties (email addresses,  real names and Profile information,  passwords that may potential decrypted,  real-time "geolocation" data).   We intent to treat this private data with a great deal of respect,  and not reveal it to parties who are unauthorized by you. 

Such disclosures are also governed by the Electronic Communications and Privacy Acts:  for instance,   some EphBlog personnel have access to private on-site messages,  but by law may not read them except incidently and as necessary in the course of other routine administrative duties.  In any case,  such messages are considered private (by law and by us) and their contents will not be revealed to parties whom you do not explicitly authorize.

In the near future,  all EphBlog personnel and staff will be required to sign a privacy agreement and acknowledgement in order to have systems-level access to private data.

EMAIL and copyrighted materials.   Email is a relatively new communications medium,  with widely varying levels of privacy expectations as well as legal expectations.  Publication of email may violate the author(s)' right to first publication or incur other civil or criminal liabilities,  potentially in jurisdictions beyond the United States;  on the other hand,  there is a long-standing tradition of the right to "fair use" publication of materials,  especially in excerpt,  in "the public" and other interests.

We ask all participants in EphBlog to be aware of these issues, attentive to the complex questions that may surround them,  and respectful of others' rights.

In particular,  we assert the following:  purely private "discussion" emails between participants on EphBlog are not to be published here without the permission of the sender.  Emails or parts of emails which directly address EphBlog "business,"  operations,   and the like may be published without notice to the originating party.   For reasons of transparency,  we strongly encourage participants to raise discuss EphBlog "business" in public in the appropriate places on EphBlog,   and to seek to avoid the creation of factions and divisions through side conversations.

The above is a draft quality version of a policy document which will be reviewed and revized periodically,  on a published schedule.