Biog: The World Biography Project

Biog, Inc Privacy Policy

March 1, 2009

Biog is a free and open resource that enables anyone around the world to create and edit biographies, share stories and connect to other individuals or organizations. Privacy protection on an open biography web service is a balancing act. We urge everyone to act responsibly, with good intentions and with consideration. This Policy outlines the types of personal information we receive and collect when you use Biog, as well as some of the steps we take to safeguard that information. Biog’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use are inspired by the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use of industry-standard Wikipedia and Craigslist. We may update Biog’s Privacy Policy from time to time. Each version of the Policy will apply to information collected while it was in place, unless you consent to our applying a new version to information that we had collected previously. We encourage you to periodically review our Privacy Policy.

Privacy Policy: Summary

Biog, Inc. is a U.S. company, incorporated in the State of California. As such, we operate under U.S. laws for all operations, including user privacy.

What you post will be published

As Biog is an open source of biographical information, assume that all your postings will be published on the website, and that the data may be kept forever. It may also be published on other websites, in accordance with the Internet standard “Creative Commons.” By posting on Biog, you relinquish ownership of what you post.

• Registration info is different.

While all biog information is publicly posted on Biog’s web pages, we will keep some of the information given for registration purposes private. This includes email addresses and can further include other personally identifiable information not shown on the Biog website.We use email addresses only for updating users about information regarding Biog, Inc and the pages of the Biog websites. Biog, Inc. does not sell, rent or otherwise allow third parties to use email addresses (or other private registration information) except in conjunction with Biog’s operations. Users may also give us email addresses of persons who are not registered users. We treat all email addresses with the same level of privacy, as described.

• Additional protections

Biog Inc. does not knowingly collect any information from persons under the age of 13. If Biog, Inc. learns that a posting is by a person under the age of 13, Biog, Inc. will remove that post and terminate the user account and any information in it except as needed to stop a repeated attempt by the user. Biog Inc. does not allow the posting of a biog for anyone who is alive and under the age 18.

• Write responsibly

Do not assume that because you privacy is protected you can post irresponsibly on Biog.

• What’s not OK to post.

• You cannot post, add to, agree with, or disseminate:

  • information that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, sexually explicit, pornographic, obscene, libelous, hateful, or racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable, advertising, promotional materials, junk mail, spam, chain letters, pyramid schemes.

• You must respect copyright obligations. You cannot reproduce original works of others, except under the “Fair Use” principles as defined in the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, or if the copyright owner grants you explicit and written permission to do so.

• You cannot infringe on or violate any party's trademark, trade secret, patent, or other proprietary right, or that you do not have the right to post.

By writing irresponsibly, you can damage your reputation and expose yourself to legal sanctions. Remember that everything you post on Biog can be read by the public and that you may be held accountable for any damage caused any unlawful actions.

Help us protect yourself

• Password

Your interaction with the rest of the Biog community will depend on the reputation and respect that you will build up over time.

A user’s password is the only guarantee of the integrity of that user's edit history. We encourage you to select a strong password, to never share it, and to change it from time to time. In Biog’s Terms of Use you are required not to release the password of another user to the public, either directly or indirectly.

• Cookies

Biog will set a temporary session cookie (PHPSESSID) whenever you visit the site. If you do not intend to ever log in, you may deny this cookie, but you cannot log in without it. It will be deleted each time you close your browser session.If to avoid typing in your user name or password on your next visit you ask to remember that information, other cookies will likely be installed.

• Check our Privacy Policy from time to time

Our goal is to protect the privacy of our users. We encourage you to review our Privacy Policy periodically.

Times when we may stop protecting your privacy

• Court injunctions And Terms of Use

Disclosure of information about users to a court of law may prove necessary, to respond to subpoenas, court orders or other legal process, or in the good faith belief that such disclosure is reasonably necessary to: protect the rights, property, or personal safety of our users, the general public, or Biog, Inc.; to enforce our Terms of Use; or to respond to claims that any posting or other content violates the rights of third-parties.

• Vandalism

If you commit acts of vandalism (defacing Biog by removing vital content or by posting irrelevant information), we may and will release your identity to the public. You may also be permanently banned from Biog. Your identity may be traced when you are logged in, but also when you post anonymously, by using your network IP address. At all times your IP address will be stored and can be seen by Biog, Inc. server administrators and by others who have been granted administrative access.

The world wide web is not created equal – beware

• Links from Biog to other websites are not endorsements

This Privacy Policy applies to web sites and services that are owned and operated by Biog, Inc. We do not exercise control over links to other sites placed on Biog pages by Biog itself, or by users.  The fact that we link to a website in any way is not an endorsement, authorization, or representation of our affiliation with that third party, nor is it an endorsement of their privacy or information security policies or practices. 

• Not every website is equally privacy-minded, so make sure to check.

Sites that Biog links to may place cookies or other files on your computer, collect data, or solicit personal information from you.  Every site follows different rules regarding the use or disclosure of the personal information you submit to them.  We encourage you to read the privacy policies or statements of the other websites you visit.

International Processing  

Biog Inc. processes personal information on our servers in the United States of America and in other countries.

For more information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at Privacy@Biog.org