Re: MUG Privacy notices
Re: MUG Privacy notices
- Subject: Re: MUG Privacy notices
- From: Deborah Shadovitz <email@hidden>
- Date: Sat, 04 Dec 2004 13:45:24 -0800
On 12/4/04 7:03 AM, "Glenn Chase" <email@hidden> wrote:
> Dear fellow MUG leaders,
>
> We have long realized the need for a documented privacy policy for our
> web site and membership data, but still have not created one. Since I
> expect others have been down this road and discovered the bumps and
> twisty turns we'd really like to benefit from your experience. If you
> have one we can view would you please point me to it?
>
> We have a clause in our bylaws which expressly forbids distributing
> member information (ie, to vendors who request a list of members) and
> our acceptable use policy for members who utilize the our online
> services (email and personal web space accounts) doesn't allow spamming
> or inappropriate content, but we need kind of an umbrella statement. I'd
> like to keep it simple and readily understandable while still covering
> the necessary legal bases.
Of course, I believe we should all have a privacy policy and adhere to it as
long as it's within our control. But there is also a reality I had
experience with and think maybe I should share. I hope I don't sound like a
negative curmudgeon for sharing this.
In the end a policy only goes so far. Some of you may know that I was on the
BoD of the LA Mac Group (LAMG) from 1993(?) until it closed in '98 or '99.
The LAMG had a very strict policy of not selling our member's names or
contact info. We believed in this strongly and upheld it over and over
again. Believe me, with 5,000 paid members and being in LA, the heart of the
entertainment industries, (we have film, music, Disney, and more) our lists
were sought after. But then we declared bankruptcy and shut down. The court
puts a man in to go over assets and value them in order to sell them and pay
off debts. I was in the court when I heard this man list a value for our
membership list. I spoke up, telling the judge that we promised our members
that we'd never sell or give out their names. The response was something to
the affect that we are no longer in existence or that we're not. They are.
No one there cared about my feelings of honor.
In our case, a member fronted the purchase of all LAMG assets (including the
name) and now, as far as the public sees, he owns it all. I have no idea if
the names were ever used. I was on the list and don't recall anything bad
happening. The guy pretty much has done nothing with what he has, and now
all the email addresses are likely dead. So no harm came, at least as far as
I know. But I thought I should share the reality with you all.
Actually though, some years ago a flood of emails came at me, coming to an
older email address I'd used. I believe it was because some list I'd signed
up at got sold, despite promises otherwise. So many of the early web sites
were sold or bankrupted that it could have been any that experienced what I
experienced via the LAMG hearing.
Ian reality, when we give our names anywhere, they are ultimately not
protected by a privacy policy. Of course, I wish they were and I still
believe in such a policy.
--
Deborah Shadovitz http://www.shadovitz.com
Here for the San Gabriel Valley (Pasadena, CA) mug <http://sgvmug.org>
Mac Specialist: Training & Tech Support, Author, Instructor, Speaker
GoLive Specialist: including <http://macdesignonline.com/golive.html>
MacAddict Contributing Editor, O'Reilly Network author, Mac Design Columnist
Creator of the Mac Gathering: <http://www.macgathering.com> next 4/2-3/05
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