Privacy Policy
General Scope
This policy covers personally identifiable information collected or stored by Web Hosting & Design Store on its servers in relation to the Projects and their communities. Consistent with its Data Retention Policy, Web Hosting & Design Store collects and retains the least amount of personally identifiable information needed to fulfill the Projects' operational needs.
General Scope
This policy covers personally identifiable information collected or stored by Web Hosting & Design Store on its servers in relation to the Projects and their communities. Consistent with its Data Retention Policy, Web Hosting & Design Store collects and retains the least amount of personally identifiable information needed to fulfill the Projects' operational needs.
The public and
collaborative nature of the projects
All Projects of Web Hosting & Design Store are collaboratively developed by its users using the Web Hosting & Design Store software. Anyone with Internet access (and not otherwise restricted from doing so) may edit the publicly editable pages of these sites with or without logging in as a registered user. By doing this, editors create a published document, and a public record of every word added, subtracted, or changed. This is a public act, and editors are identified publicly as the author of such changes. All contributions made to a Project, and all publicly available information about those contributions, are irrevocably licensed and may be freely copied, quoted, reused and adapted by third parties with few restrictions.
All Projects of Web Hosting & Design Store are collaboratively developed by its users using the Web Hosting & Design Store software. Anyone with Internet access (and not otherwise restricted from doing so) may edit the publicly editable pages of these sites with or without logging in as a registered user. By doing this, editors create a published document, and a public record of every word added, subtracted, or changed. This is a public act, and editors are identified publicly as the author of such changes. All contributions made to a Project, and all publicly available information about those contributions, are irrevocably licensed and may be freely copied, quoted, reused and adapted by third parties with few restrictions.
Activities on Web
Hosting & Design Store projects
In general, this Policy only applies to private information stored or held by Web Hosting & Design Store which is not publicly available.
In general, this Policy only applies to private information stored or held by Web Hosting & Design Store which is not publicly available.
Interactions with the
Projects not covered by this Policy include, but are not limited to,
aspects of browsing and editing pages, use of the Web Hosting &
Design Store "email user" function, subscribing and posting to
Web Hosting & Design Store hosted email lists, and corresponding with
volunteers via Web Hosting & Design Store's ticketing system ("OTRS").
These interactions may reveal a contributor’s IP address, and possibly other
personal information, indiscriminately to the general public, or to specific
groups of volunteers acting independently of Web Hosting & Design Store.
Users may also interact
with one another outside of Web Hosting & Design Store sites, via email,
IRC or other chat, or independent websites, and should assess the risks
involved, and their personal need for privacy, before using these methods
of communication.
User accounts and
authorship
Web Hosting & Design
Store does not require editors to register with a project. Anyone can edit
without logging in with a username, in which case they will be identified by
network IP address. Users that do register are identified by their chosen
username. Users select a password, which is confidential and used to verify the
integrity of their account. Except insofar as it may be required by law, no
person should disclose, or knowingly expose, either user passwords and/or
cookies generated to identify a user. Once created, user accounts will not be
removed. It may be possible for a username to be changed, depending on the
policies of individual projects. Web Hosting & Design Store does not
guarantee that a username will be changed on request.
Purpose of the
collection of private information
Web Hosting & Design Store limits the collection of personally identifiable user data to purposes which serve the well-being of its projects, including but not limited to the following:
Web Hosting & Design Store limits the collection of personally identifiable user data to purposes which serve the well-being of its projects, including but not limited to the following:
To enhance the public accountability
of the projects. Web Hosting & Design Store recognizes that any system that
is open enough to allow the greatest possible participation of the general
public will also be vulnerable to certain kinds of abuse and counterproductive
behavior. Web Hosting & Design Store and the project communities have
established a number of mechanisms to prevent or remedy abusive activities. For
example, when investigating abuse on a project, including the suspected use of
malicious “sock puppets” (duplicate accounts), vandalism, harassment of other
users, or disruptive behavior, the IP addresses of users (derived either
from those logs or from records in the database) may be used to identify
the source(s) of the abusive behavior. This information may be shared by
users with administrative authority who are charged by their communities with protecting
the projects.
To provide site statistics. Web Hosting & Design Store statistically samples raw log data from users' visits. These logs are used to produce the site statistics pages; the raw log data is not made public.
To solve technical problems. 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.
To provide site statistics. Web Hosting & Design Store statistically samples raw log data from users' visits. These logs are used to produce the site statistics pages; the raw log data is not made public.
To solve technical problems. 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.
Details of data
retention
General expectations
General expectations
IP and other technical
information
When a visitor requests or reads a page, or sends email to a Web Hosting & Design Store server, no more information is collected than is typically collected by web sites. Web Hosting & Design Store may keep raw logs of such transactions, but these will not be published or used to track legitimate users.
When a page is edited by a logged-in editor, the server confidentially stores related IP information for a limited period of time. This information is automatically deleted after a set period. For editors who do not log in, the IP address used is publicly and permanently credited as the author of the edit. It may be possible for a third party to identify the author from this IP address in conjunction with other information available. Logging in with a registered username allows for better preservation of privacy.
When a visitor requests or reads a page, or sends email to a Web Hosting & Design Store server, no more information is collected than is typically collected by web sites. Web Hosting & Design Store may keep raw logs of such transactions, but these will not be published or used to track legitimate users.
When a page is edited by a logged-in editor, the server confidentially stores related IP information for a limited period of time. This information is automatically deleted after a set period. For editors who do not log in, the IP address used is publicly and permanently credited as the author of the edit. It may be possible for a third party to identify the author from this IP address in conjunction with other information available. Logging in with a registered username allows for better preservation of privacy.
Cookies
The sites set a temporary session cookie on a visitor's computer whenever a Project page is vested. Readers who do not intend to log in or edit may deny this cookie; it will be deleted at the end of the browser's session. More cookies may be set when one logs in to maintain logged-in status. If one saves a user name or password in one's browser, that information will be saved for up to 30 days, and this information will be resent to the server on every visit to the same Project. Contributors using a public machine who do not wish to show their username to future users of the machine should clear these cookies after use.
The sites set a temporary session cookie on a visitor's computer whenever a Project page is vested. Readers who do not intend to log in or edit may deny this cookie; it will be deleted at the end of the browser's session. More cookies may be set when one logs in to maintain logged-in status. If one saves a user name or password in one's browser, that information will be saved for up to 30 days, and this information will be resent to the server on every visit to the same Project. Contributors using a public machine who do not wish to show their username to future users of the machine should clear these cookies after use.
Page history
Edits or other contributions to a Project on its articles, user pages and talk pages are generally retained forever. Removing text from a project does not permanently delete it. Normally, in projects, anyone can look at a previous version of an article and see what was there. Even if an article is "deleted", a user entrusted with higher level of access may still see what was removed from public view. Information can be permanently deleted by individuals with access to Web Hosting & Design Store Web Hosting & Design Store servers, but aside from the rare circumstance when Web Hosting & Design Store is required to delete editing-history material in response to a court order or equivalent legal process, there is no guarantee any permanent deletion will happen.
Edits or other contributions to a Project on its articles, user pages and talk pages are generally retained forever. Removing text from a project does not permanently delete it. Normally, in projects, anyone can look at a previous version of an article and see what was there. Even if an article is "deleted", a user entrusted with higher level of access may still see what was removed from public view. Information can be permanently deleted by individuals with access to Web Hosting & Design Store Web Hosting & Design Store servers, but aside from the rare circumstance when Web Hosting & Design Store is required to delete editing-history material in response to a court order or equivalent legal process, there is no guarantee any permanent deletion will happen.
User contribution
User contributions are also aggregated and publicly available. User contributions are aggregated according to their registration and login status. Data on user contributions, such as the times at which users edited and the number of edits they have made, are publicly available via user contributions lists, and in aggregated forms published by other users.
User contributions are also aggregated and publicly available. User contributions are aggregated according to their registration and login status. Data on user contributions, such as the times at which users edited and the number of edits they have made, are publicly available via user contributions lists, and in aggregated forms published by other users.
Reading projects
No more information on users and other visitors reading pages is collected than is typically collected in server logs by web sites. Aside from the above raw log data collected for general purposes, page visits do not expose a visitor's identity publicly. Sampled raw log data may include the IP address of any user, but it is not reproduced publicly.
No more information on users and other visitors reading pages is collected than is typically collected in server logs by web sites. Aside from the above raw log data collected for general purposes, page visits do not expose a visitor's identity publicly. Sampled raw log data may include the IP address of any user, but it is not reproduced publicly.
Editing projects
Edits to Project pages are identified with the username or network IP address of the editor, and editing history is aggregated by author in a contribution list. Such information will be available permanently on the projects.
Edits to Project pages are identified with the username or network IP address of the editor, and editing history is aggregated by author in a contribution list. Such information will be available permanently on the projects.
Logged in registered
users:
Logged in users do not expose their IP address to the public except in cases of abuse, including vandalism of a Web Hosting & Design Store page by the user or by another user with the same IP address. A user's IP address is stored on the Web Hosting & Design Store servers for a period of time, during which it can be seen by server administrators and by users who have been granted Check User access.
IP address information, and its connection to any usernames that share it, may be released under certain circumstances (see below).
Editors using a company mail server from home or telecommuting over a DSL or cable Internet connection, are likely to be easy to identify by their IP address; in which case it may be easy to cross-identify all contributions to various Projects made by that IP. Using a username is a better way of preserving privacy in this situation.
Unlogged-in registered users and unregistered users:
Editors who have not logged in may be identified by network IP address. Depending on one's connection, this IP address may be traceable to a large Internet service provider or more specifically to a school, place of business or home. It may be possible to use this information in combination with other information, including editing style and preferences, to identify an author completely.
Logged in users do not expose their IP address to the public except in cases of abuse, including vandalism of a Web Hosting & Design Store page by the user or by another user with the same IP address. A user's IP address is stored on the Web Hosting & Design Store servers for a period of time, during which it can be seen by server administrators and by users who have been granted Check User access.
IP address information, and its connection to any usernames that share it, may be released under certain circumstances (see below).
Editors using a company mail server from home or telecommuting over a DSL or cable Internet connection, are likely to be easy to identify by their IP address; in which case it may be easy to cross-identify all contributions to various Projects made by that IP. Using a username is a better way of preserving privacy in this situation.
Unlogged-in registered users and unregistered users:
Editors who have not logged in may be identified by network IP address. Depending on one's connection, this IP address may be traceable to a large Internet service provider or more specifically to a school, place of business or home. It may be possible to use this information in combination with other information, including editing style and preferences, to identify an author completely.
On Web Hosting &
Design Store discussion pages:
Any editable page can theoretically be the location of a discussion. In general, discussions on Web Hosting & Design Store projects occur on user talk pages (associated with particular users), on article talk pages (associated with particular articles) or in pages specially designated to function as forums (e.g., the Village Pump). Privacy expectations apply to discussion pages in the same way as they do elsewhere.
Any editable page can theoretically be the location of a discussion. In general, discussions on Web Hosting & Design Store projects occur on user talk pages (associated with particular users), on article talk pages (associated with particular articles) or in pages specially designated to function as forums (e.g., the Village Pump). Privacy expectations apply to discussion pages in the same way as they do elsewhere.
Via email:
Users are not required to list an email address when registering. Users who provide a valid email address can enable other logged-in users to send email to them through the Web Hosting & Design Store. When receiving an email from other users through this system, one's email address is not revealed to them. When choosing to send an email to other users, one's email is displayed as the sender.
The email address put into one's user preferences may be used by Web Hosting & Design Store for communication. Users whose accounts do not have a valid email address will not be able to reset their password if it is lost. In such a situation, however, users may be able to contact one of the Web Hosting & Design Store Web Hosting & Design Store server administrators to enter a new e-mail address. A user can remove the account's email address from his preferences at any time to prevent it from being used. Private correspondence between users may be saved at those users' discretion and is not subject to Web Hosting & Design Store's policy.
Users are not required to list an email address when registering. Users who provide a valid email address can enable other logged-in users to send email to them through the Web Hosting & Design Store. When receiving an email from other users through this system, one's email address is not revealed to them. When choosing to send an email to other users, one's email is displayed as the sender.
The email address put into one's user preferences may be used by Web Hosting & Design Store for communication. Users whose accounts do not have a valid email address will not be able to reset their password if it is lost. In such a situation, however, users may be able to contact one of the Web Hosting & Design Store Web Hosting & Design Store server administrators to enter a new e-mail address. A user can remove the account's email address from his preferences at any time to prevent it from being used. Private correspondence between users may be saved at those users' discretion and is not subject to Web Hosting & Design Store's policy.
On mailing lists:
The email addresses used to subscribe and post to Project mailing lists are exposed to other subscribers. The list archives of most such mailing lists are public, and searches of public archives may be performed on the Web. Subscribers’ addresses may also be quoted in other users' messages. These email addresses and any messages sent to a mailing list may be archived and may remain available to the public permanently.
The email addresses used to subscribe and post to Project mailing lists are exposed to other subscribers. The list archives of most such mailing lists are public, and searches of public archives may be performed on the Web. Subscribers’ addresses may also be quoted in other users' messages. These email addresses and any messages sent to a mailing list may be archived and may remain available to the public permanently.
Via OTRS:
Some e-mail addresses (such as info@webhostinganddesignstore.com) forward mail to a team of volunteers trusted by Web Hosting & Design Store to use a ticket system, such as OTRS, to respond. Mail sent to this system is not publicly visible, but volunteers selected by Web Hosting & Design Store will have access to it. The ticket system team may discuss the contents of received mail with other contributors in order to respond effectively. Mail to private addresses of members of Board of Trustees and to staff of Web Hosting & Design Store may also be forwarded to the OTRS team. These messages and e-mail addresses may be saved by members of the OTRS team and any email service they use, and may remain available to them.
Some e-mail addresses (such as info@webhostinganddesignstore.com) forward mail to a team of volunteers trusted by Web Hosting & Design Store to use a ticket system, such as OTRS, to respond. Mail sent to this system is not publicly visible, but volunteers selected by Web Hosting & Design Store will have access to it. The ticket system team may discuss the contents of received mail with other contributors in order to respond effectively. Mail to private addresses of members of Board of Trustees and to staff of Web Hosting & Design Store may also be forwarded to the OTRS team. These messages and e-mail addresses may be saved by members of the OTRS team and any email service they use, and may remain available to them.
On IRC:
IRC channels are not officially part of Web Hosting & Design Store and are not operated on Web Hosting & Design Store controlled servers. The IP address of users who chat over such a service may be exposed to other participants. IRC users' privacy on each channel can only be protected according to the policies of the respective service and channel. Different channels have different policies on whether logs may be published.
IRC channels are not officially part of Web Hosting & Design Store and are not operated on Web Hosting & Design Store controlled servers. The IP address of users who chat over such a service may be exposed to other participants. IRC users' privacy on each channel can only be protected according to the policies of the respective service and channel. Different channels have different policies on whether logs may be published.
Access to and release of
personally identifiable information
Access:
Projects are primarily
run by volunteer contributors. Some dedicated users are chosen by the community
to be given privileged access. For example, for an English Web Hosting & Design
Store user, user access levels to Web Hosting & Design Store are determined
by the user's presence in various 'user groups'. User group rights and group
members are reachable in every project from the Special: List Group Rights
page.
Other users who may have
access to private identifiable information include, but are not limited to,
users who have access to OTRS, or to the Check User and Oversight functions,
users elected by project communities to serve as stewards or Arbitrators, Web
Hosting & Design Store employees, trustees, appointees, and contractors and
agents employed by Web Hosting & Design Store, and developers and others
with high levels of server access.
Access to and
publication of this information is governed by the Access to nonpublic data
policy, as well as specific policies covering some of the functions in
question. Sharing information with other privileged users is not considered “distribution."
Release: Policy on
Release of Data
It is the policy of Web Hosting
& Design Store that personally identifiable data collected in the server
logs, or through records in the database via the Check User feature, or through
other non-publicly-available methods, may be released by Web Hosting & Design
Store volunteers or staff, in any of the following situations:
1.In response to a valid
subpoena or other compulsory request from law enforcement,
2.With permission of the affected user,
3.When necessary for investigation of abuse complaints,
4.Where the information pertains to page views generated by a spider or bot and its dissemination is necessary to illustrate or resolve technical issues,
5.Where the user has been vandalizing articles or persistently behaving in a disruptive way, data may be released to a service provider, carrier, or other third-party entity to assist in the targeting of IP blocks, or to assist in the formulation of a complaint to relevant Internet Service Providers,
6.Where it is reasonably necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of Web Hosting & Design Store, its users or the public.
Except as described above, Web Hosting & Design Store policy does not permit distribution of personally identifiable information under any circumstances.
2.With permission of the affected user,
3.When necessary for investigation of abuse complaints,
4.Where the information pertains to page views generated by a spider or bot and its dissemination is necessary to illustrate or resolve technical issues,
5.Where the user has been vandalizing articles or persistently behaving in a disruptive way, data may be released to a service provider, carrier, or other third-party entity to assist in the targeting of IP blocks, or to assist in the formulation of a complaint to relevant Internet Service Providers,
6.Where it is reasonably necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of Web Hosting & Design Store, its users or the public.
Except as described above, Web Hosting & Design Store policy does not permit distribution of personally identifiable information under any circumstances.
Third-party access and notifying
registered users when receiving legal process:
As a general principle,
the access to, and retention of, personally identifiable data in all projects
should be minimal and should be used only internally to serve the well-being of
the projects. Occasionally, however, Web Hosting & Design Store may
receive a subpoena or other compulsory request from a law-enforcement agency or
a court or equivalent government body that requests the disclosure of
information about a registered user, and may be compelled by law to comply with
the request. In the event of such a legally compulsory request, Web
Hosting & Design Store will attempt to notify the affected user
within three business days after the arrival of such subpoena by sending
a notice by email to the email address (if any) that the affected user
has listed in his or her user preferences.
Web Hosting & Design
Store cannot advise a user receiving such a notification regarding the law or an
appropriate response to a subpoena. Web Hosting & Design Store does note,
however, that such users may have the legal right to resist or limit that
information in court by filing a motion to quash the subpoena. Users who wish
to oppose a subpoena or other compulsory request should seek legal advice
concerning applicable rights and procedures that may be available.
If Web Hosting &
Design Store receives a court-filed motion to quash or otherwise limit the
subpoena as a result of action by a user or their lawyer, Web Hosting &
Design Store will not disclose the requested information until Web Hosting
& Design Store receives an order from the court to do so.
Registered users are not
required to provide an email address. However, when an affected registered user
does not provide an email address, Web Hosting & Design Store will not be
able to notify the affected user in private email messages when it receives requests
from law enforcement to disclose personally identifiable information about the
user.
Disclaimer
Web Hosting & Design Store believes that maintaining and preserving the privacy of user data is an important value. This Privacy Policy, together with other policies, resolutions, and actions by Web Hosting & Design Store, represents a committed effort to safeguard the security of the limited user information that is collected and retained on our servers. Nevertheless, Web Hosting & Design Store cannot guarantee that user information will remain private. We acknowledge that, in spite of our committed effort to protect private user information, determined individuals may still develop data-mining and other methods to uncover such information and disclose it. For this reason, Web Hosting & Design Store can make no guarantee against unauthorized access to information provided in the course of participating in Web Hosting & Design Store Projects or related communities.
Web Hosting & Design Store believes that maintaining and preserving the privacy of user data is an important value. This Privacy Policy, together with other policies, resolutions, and actions by Web Hosting & Design Store, represents a committed effort to safeguard the security of the limited user information that is collected and retained on our servers. Nevertheless, Web Hosting & Design Store cannot guarantee that user information will remain private. We acknowledge that, in spite of our committed effort to protect private user information, determined individuals may still develop data-mining and other methods to uncover such information and disclose it. For this reason, Web Hosting & Design Store can make no guarantee against unauthorized access to information provided in the course of participating in Web Hosting & Design Store Projects or related communities.
E-mail:
info@webhostinganddesignstore.com