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The purpose of the ShalomNet Web Site and the E-Pal programs is to connect people to people and people to information. The success of these programs depends upon the amount and the accuracy of the information that they contain, as well as the format design that allows the information to be easily accessed. In order for the Programs to accomplish their missions, basic information may be requested from the visitor/participant in order to better serve the Community, to help to find an E-Pal match, and/or to help the Web Site to function more efficiently among many other reasons. However, in order to accomplish this task, the visitor/participant is sometimes asked to reveal personal, and/or impersonal information. We at the JCC understand that this includes privacy issues, and that these privacy issues must be addressed.
Your privacy is important to us. The Cincinnati Jewish Community Center is completely dedicated to its supporters and to its’ mission to connect people and information in the least intrusive way possible. We assure you that the JCC is committed to protecting your privacy while we are also committed to expanding your resource for relevant and helpful information and human contact in a personal and friendly format.
The following privacy policy is offered by the Cincinnati Jewish Community Center, to fully disclose the JCC’s policy regarding the use of the visitor/participant’s personal and impersonal information. This information may be gathered by interacting with the ShalomNet Web Site or by requesting a partner in the E-Pal Program.
Privacy Policy
The JCC will not be using the ShalomNet Web Site to collect personal information from or about you on a regular basis. However, the JCC and ShalomNet reserve the right to occassionaly review monthly traffic statistics as a means of evaluating the usefulness and effectiveness of the ShalomNet Web Site. In addition, the Bulletin Board and the Visitor Feed Back Sites will be monitored on an irregular basis to ensure that the information is in compliance with the JCC/ShalomNet “Usage” Policy.
Other than an occasional sweep of the data to ensure “Usage” compliance, there are only a few situations where the JCC and ShalomNet may utilize the visitor/participant’s personal, and/or, impersonal information, that may be gathered as a result of utilizing the ShalomNet Web Site or the E-Pal Program.
It is because the Jewish Community Center of Cincinnati is dedicated to the safe usage of the ShalomNet Web Site and the E-Pal Program, and to the protection of the visitor/participant’s privacy, that the JCC is taking steps to all of the Program Participants. The JCC pledges that the ShalomNet Web Site, and the E-Pal Program, will never sell, trade, rent, disclose, or make available in any way, any personally, and/or impersonally identifiable information about you to any third party. The only three exceptions to the general privacy rule are:
- if we receive your express written approval authorizing the JCC to act on your behalf to disclose such information,
- if, the JCC, in good faith, believes that the law requires the JCC to disseminate that information, including, but not limited to: threat of harm to self or to others, or any and all illegal activities, or acts defined as illegal, under any United States Federal, State, County or Civic/Municipal laws found to be valid in a Court of Law that is recognized as a legitimate Court of Law under the United States Constitution, by the Federal Government of the United States of America.
- if, the JCC, in good faith, believes that the disclosure of such information is necessary to protect the rights and property of the JCC, or to defend the JCC, its’ Board, personnel, volunteers, and any/ staff which may be permanent, temporary, contractual, or otherwise associated with the JCC. This exception also pertains to any third party that may suffer damages due to a violation of the JCC Usage Policy.
Your personal information will only be used in ways that are compatible with this privacy policy.
Information About You
The purpose of the ShalomNet Web Site and the E-Pal programs is to connect people to people and people to information. In order for the Programs to accomplish their mission, basic information may be requested to better serve the Community, to help to find an E-Pal match, and/or to help the Web Site to function more efficiently among other reasons. The ShalomNet program may ask for basic information such as name, age, demographic information, hobbies, interests, email address, or you home address so that additions can be made to improve the Web Site. You are NEVER REQUIRED to answer these questions and may choose to ignore them or to select the “opt out” option that is available on your screen. You may also choose to participate in another way by selecting a different option, like the telephone or the U.S. Mail to make your connection.
The E-Pal Program has a very limited Privacy Policy due to the very personal nature of the Program and the specialized materials that accompany the E-Pal package and initiation training, which is similar to Bikur Cholim. Although you may access the E-Pal program and request computer classes, or an E-Pal, via the internet, you may also access the program by contacting the Coordinator by phone or by mail. The ShalomNet Web Site provides instructions that make all of these options available to the visitor/participant. How much information you choose to disclose on the Web Site and the email regarding the E-Pal Program is left to you and to your discretion.
The goal of the E-Pal program is to establish a personal connection between two E-Pal participants. At this point, the relationship becomes interpersonal. Therefore, aside from the initial training and ongoing support from the Program Coordinator, once the E-Pal relationship is established, all further issues of privacy become the responsibility of the program participants. For this reason, the participants automatically waive any and all rights of action against the JCC regarding issues of privacy beyond the point of matching E-Pals. However, the JCC will honor the confidentiality of the initial collection of the personal information under the aforementioned general guidelines, which apply to all ShalomNet and E-Pal privacy issues.
Other than personal information, ShalomNet may also gather what is called “non personal identifiable” information about you. Impersonal information may include, but is not limited to:
- the type of web browser you use (e.g. Netscape, Internet Explorer),
- the type of operating system you have (e.g. Windows, Mac OS),
- your IP address (Internet Protocol set of numbers called Internet Address) you are
using,
- and the domain name of your Internet Service Provider (e.g. America On Line,
Earthlink, Road Runner, etc..).
We may also use the information to analyze and to improve the design and functionality of the Web site or to gather statistical information to determine how many people use the Web Site or what time of day is the Web Site most accessed. Non personal information is collected without notice and without permission of any visitor/participant and is randomly gathered.
Security
Due to the nature of the internet, it is not possible to ensure that all personally identifiable information will never be disclosed or otherwise disseminated in ways not intended by the visitor/participant or the Web Site. Government regulations, law enforcement agencies and authoritative third parties may require release of personal information. In addition, there is always the risk of unlawful access to information by way of transmission interception and database raids.
 However, The Cincinnati Jewish Community Center is committed to serving our supporters and our Community and is following the accepted industry standard practiced by other organizations in our position. It is because “perfect” security does not exist, that we are limited to applying representative protective approaches to your privacy to the best of our ability. The security systems that we employ are in compliance with the accepted industry standards for other non-profit agencies that share our background and resources. The security systems that we apply to this web site are in compliance with similar web sites that are used by comparative non-profit agencies that use equivalent models to protect your privacy.
Because we respect you privacy and because we recognize that the “perfect” security system does not exist, we limit the amount of information that we request from you online. However, it is also for these reasons that the visitor/participant also has a responsibility to protect his/her own privacy. We therefore strongly recommend that you, the visitor/participant, limit the amount of information that you provide to other people on line. We highly caution the visitor/participant against the release of any personal information to anyone while on line, either through the bulletin boards, through email, or in any other way where the computer is the repository of the revelation of the personal information that is to be provided. The JCC and its’ associates can not be held responsible for any information that you, the visitor/ participant, provide to other on-line users, whether that information is about yourself or a third party, where that information was not specifically requested by the JCC or the ShalomNet Web Site.
Links
The ShalomNet Website is sensitive to the privacy needs of our Community. However, because the mission of ShalomNet is to connect people with people, and people with information, the ShalomNet Web Site is a Web Site with many links to third party Web Sites. If a visitor/participant chooses to connect to a third party Web Site, he/she does so at his/her own risk. Neither the JCC, nor ShalomNet, endorses, supports, or promotes any of these third party Web Sites.
Neither the JCC, ShalomNet, the JCC’s Board, nor any of its’ personnel, may be held accountable, or otherwise liable, for any possible damages that may be incurred by any visitor/participant choosing to interact with ShalomNet or with the E-Pal Program. By accessing the ShalomNet Web Site, the visitor/participant automatically agrees to waive any and all rights of action for damages incurred from interacting with a third party Web Site connected or linked to ShalomNet. This waiver pertains to any and all actions against the Cincinnati Jewish Community Center, ShalomNet, and all entities heretofore connected to the JCC, as well as all JCC staff members, volunteers and any other personnel so designated by the JCC as being covered by this Policy.
Bulletin Boards and Reader Feedback
The JCC and ShalomNet provide Bulletin Boards and Reader Feed Back features within the ShalomNet Web Site. Please remember that these are public sites, similar to public bulletin boards. Any information that is disclosed in these arenas becomes public immediately. We urge you to be cautious when deciding what to post and how much personal information to disseminate. And, please, please, please exercise good taste and manners when deciding how to post your information.
These sites will be monitored from time to time to ensure common decency for all visitor/participants. If these sites are misused or abused in any way, they will be removed from the ShalomNet Web Site. This decision is to be made solely at the discretion of the JCC and, specifically, the Director of Senior Adult Services at the JCC.
Notice
The JCC reserves the right to change and/or amend this Privacy Policy from time to time based on your comments and our needs. All changes to this policy will be made within a thirty- day (30) period of notice that will be clearly posted on the home page of the ShalomNet Web Site, and sent by U.S. mail to all E-Pal participants. The thirty- day (30) period will begin on the date posted on the letter to be sent to all E-Pal participants, and will correspond to the date that will be posted on the ShalomNet Web Site. Therefore, the policy change will go into effect thirty days from the date posted on the E-Pal letter and on the ShalomNet Web Site.
Privileges regarding the JCC Computer Lab Program and the E-Pal Program may be revoked at anytime without notice or warning at the discretion of the Senior Adult Services Program Director. Furthermore, any, and/or all Chat Rooms, Bulletin Boards, and Feed Back Pages may be similarly closed without warning also at the discretion of the JCC, and, specifically, the Director of Senior Adult Services at the JCC.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site or your dealings with this Web Site, please contact us. |
