Privacy Policy and the Terms of Engagement
Influent SA (the Organization) is committed to protecting your privacy as a member and visitor of this web site and a user of its resources. Because of that, Communities.cc (the Site) operates by the following principles.
The Site and its services are the owner of the information provided/collected on this Web site. We will not sell, disseminate, disclose, trade, transmit, transfer, share, lease or rent any personally identifiable information to any third party not specifically authorized by you to receive your information except as we have disclosed to you in this document.
Information Collection and Processing
When you request membership within the system, we will ask for information that personally identifies you. This information will include your name, location, and email address. This information will be provided to the system coordinators so they can create your account. Your personal details will be available in the contacts section of your the Site community and accessible only by community members of communities you are member of.
Your email address will be used as the primary channel for the Site communicating alerts, news, discussions, new developments, and resources. At no time is communication within the system anonymous.
Automatically Collected Information
In the course of operating the Site with the intent of providing communication services to community members, the software platform automatically collects and stores the following data about users:
Web log
Access to any URL on the Site is logged together with the unique identifier and the IP address of the logged in user performing the request. This is necessary for security auditing purposes, technical support, and legal auditing. For example, downloading a list of members from a community is logged.
The log files are stored in backup for at least a year.
Web browser version and screen size
When a user is logged in and has the web browser open on the Site, the user’s browser emits its version, screen size, and the window size back to the site. This information is processed in aggregate to assist site developers in meeting users’ technical needs. The data is never used to profile individual users.
The information is sent as a web request and is thus recorded in web logs.
Presence
When a user is logged in and has the web browser open on the Site, the user’s browser emits its IP address and the user identifier every 30 seconds. This information is used in aggregate to count the unique number of users accessing the site at a given time, for the sole purpose of assessing whether the site meets the capacity necessary to serve its users. The data is never used to profile individual users.
The information is sent as a web request and is thus recorded in web logs.
Email logs
Whenever a message is sent to a community, the email server sending the email to all community members records in a log the email address of each individual recipient, unique identifier of the sent message, together with the time sent. This information is used for support purposes to allow verification of message delivery. The information is not used to profile individual users.
The email log files are stored on the sending server for a maximum of 30 days.
Cookies
A cookie is a piece of data that is stored on a visitor's hard drive while they are visiting this Web site. We may utilize a short-lived form of cookie when you visit this site.
For the Site, a cookie is only used to identify one unique visitor from another visitor during a particular session. A session is the period of active site-use while that unique visitor is linked to our server. We may use cookie technology during a session as a tool to carry forward your input information during use of the system. No personally identifiable information is stored on the cookie. The cookie expires and is deleted from the visitor's computer as soon as they close their browser or if they are not actively browsing our Web site. Should a previous visitor to our Web site return for a new session, they will be issued a new cookie and in no way will they be recognized as a visitor from a previous visit or session.
You may optionally request that a cookie remains permanently written on your computer in order to allow the Site to identify you on repeated visit without having to provide your username and password.
Data Processing Locations
Personally identifiable user data needed to operate the Site is processed on servers in the following locations:
Paris, France (GDPR compliant data center).
- Servers holding operational databases, web site assets, and files uploaded in the library
- All email received from members intended for communication in communities
- Outgoing email servers
Amsterdam, The Netherlands (GDPR compliant data center)
- Outgoing email servers
Transfers
Depending on the affiliation of the organizer of a community in which you participate, your personal information might be transferred to an International organization, or to a country outside of the European Union.
Your personal data is never shared with other web sites or commercial organizations.
Automated Profiling
This Site does not use any kind of automated profiling of users.
Data Processing Purpose
The personal data you provide is necessary to enable effective functioning of the knowledge sharing within the communities you participate. In addition to community participation, the data you provide may be used for statistical purposes in anonymized form. At no time does the Site profile you as an individual user through automated means.
Legal Basis for Processing
The legal basis for processing personally identifiable information on the Site is legitimate interest.
Changes in Our Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy without providing you with advance notice of our intent to make the changes. If you have any queries, please contact your community administrator.
The Site Code of Conduct
This Site is a restricted information service offered free of charge to its users.
If and when granted, access to the Site services is restricted to the authorized member only and for the intended use. Use of the Site is subject to the acceptance of the below code of conduct.
Copyright Code of Conduct
This Site is a collaborative project. Copyright of any material made available by the Site services is held by a relevant service hosted by the Site. Applications for reuse of materials and all other inquiries should be addressed to the relevant service administrator. Copyright in individual working documents and resources made available on the Site and its services rests with the original publishers of these documents. The copyright-holders alone are responsible for the contents of their documents. When granted, access to service(s) and use of information provided via the Site are subject to the specific license agreements of the individual the Site services.
Information provided by the Site is made available for non-commercial use only.
The information presented is protected under the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literature and Artistic works, under other international conventions and under national laws on copyright and neighboring rights. Extracts of the information in the web site may be reviewed, reproduced or translated for research or private study but not for sale or for use in conjunction with commercial purposes. Any use of information in the web site should be accompanied by an acknowledgment of the relevant the Site service as the source, citing the uniform resource locator (URL) of the web source. Reproduction or translation of portions or all of the information posted on this web site, require explicit, prior authorization in writing.
Applications and enquiries should be addressed to administrator(s) of the relevant the Site service. The designations employed and the presentation of the information in this web site do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the Site or the Organization in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. The Organization does not warrant that the information contained in the web site is complete and correct and shall not be liable whatsoever for any damages incurred as a result of its use.
Third Party Links
The Site may contain links to third party Web sites that are controlled neither by the Organization nor the leaders of the communities you participate in. These third party links are made available to you as a member of the relevant the Site service(s) and you agree to use these links at your own risk. Please be aware that owners and community leaders of the Site cannot be held responsible for the content of third party Web sites nor are we responsible for the privacy policy or practices of those third party Web sites. Our Privacy Policy only applies to information we collect from you for navigation purposes while you are on the Site Web site. If you should link to a third party Web site from the system, we strongly encourage you to review and become familiar with that Web site's privacy policy.
Liability Disclaimer
This system contains submissions from parties outside the Organization. The views expressed in these submissions are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Organization. The designations employed and the presentation of the information on this system do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the Organization in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. The Organization does not warrant that the information contained in the web site is complete and correct and shall not be liable whatsoever for any damages, including any general, special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of this system. The authors of contributions to discussion forums are alone responsible for their contributions.