Privacy Page for DonationCoder.com Posted -- Suggestions Wanted

[mouser]

So I finally got around to adding a "Privacy Policy" page to the help section on the DonationCoder.com site.

Basically it's meant to say that we will do nothing bad at all with user email and info and reassure people that we aren't trying to build a mailing list to sell or share or spam.

I'd love to have suggestions on how it could be improved, or anything i should mention and don't, or anything that's not clear, or any concerns anyone might have.

http://www.donationcoder.com/Help/entry/75/

-mouser

[mouser]

We do strongly try to encourage people on this site to sign up at the forum in order to download free license keys, and I can completely understand that people might be concerned and suspicious about why we want them to sign up.

So of the things I was hoping to do on that page is allay people's fears that we are trying to collect emails for some nefarious spam-related purpose, and make clear why we ask them to sign up.

Personally i think the entire internet is out of control with spam and we should make spamming a serious crime.

[wanderer]

I've been a member since the early days.I can confirm that I have had not spam from any members on this site.

Spammers should be taken outside and shot........................with rusty bullets. Then hung out for the crows.

[f0dder]

The only thing I get "spammed" with from DC is the topic reply notification emails - and that's by choice

[app103]

That page is fine for a brief intro to a privacy policy, but it is lacking in some areas.

You do collect more than email addresses,for example

• member kits, and some prizes like cody mugs require a name & shipping address (explain what you do with that info and how long it is kept)
• software giveaways (winner may have his email address & name revealed to a 3rd party in order to get the license for the software they won)
• visitors will have their IP in your server logs (explain what you do with that data)
• you offer paypal as an option for donating to the site (should have link to paypal's privacy policy)
• other donating options (link to each 3rd party privacy policy)
• you have google analytics installed on the site that collects data (explain what you do with that data, that google has access to it, and should include link to google's privacy policy)
• cookies on the forum (should state purpose, how to get rid of them, how to avoid them, and what happens if you don't accept them)

You should also explain how a visitor can view, correct, and/or have removed, any personal information you may have about them.

Plus the usual part about if the US government or a court of law demands the info, and you are legally required to supply it, they will get it.

That's just off the top of my head, for starters.

[mouser]

Great suggestions app!
I've updated the page now, can you have a look and see what you think now?

[app103]

Looks good now...if I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

[mouser]

I've now linked to the privacy page from donation, about, forum signup, and other pages.

[f0dder]

s/dissapear/disappear - and perhaps "we will be happy to do so" from that section should be changed to "we will do it with no questions asked" or similar, because we're never really happy about losing a member, are we?

I really like how the page is split into sections, makes it a lot easier to read than those massive blurbs you usually just click "I accept" without reading the crap. And it's kept in human-understandable language (boy do I hope you'll never need it translated to legalese).

Oh, as a final thing: once the privacy page is stable, if you need to make changes later on, it would be very nice if you keep a public diff/changelog (and perhaps also archived old-versions), imho that would be a real sign that DC is serious & friendly and doesn't try to sneak things in through the back door.

[mouser]

thanks for comments f0dder.

Oh, as a final thing: once the privacy page is stable, if you need to make changes later on, it would be very nice if you keep a public diff/changelog (and perhaps also archived old-versions), imho that would be a real sign that DC is serious & friendly and doesn't try to sneak things in through the back door.

good point, i will start a section on that page for change revision list.

[housetier]

Before we can shoot or hang spammers we have to find them first.  That is where the problem lies, not with the punishment, but with "catching 'em".

[justice]

I'd take out the capitals in the headings, because it looks rude/yelling. Anything that shows how friendly DC is the better in my opinion. Also the font seems to be larger than other pages. Maybe add a link to this thread to show you're always willing to listen to ways to improve it (might not be apparent for a new visitor).  Also should a privacy page list how long they keep the information for? I'm not sure how complete you want it to be

Great work!