Other than being an encyclopaedia about Boroondara, this is also a wiki about people. This is why a privacy policy is enacted by the Staff in order to protect all the information posted by members on their articles, and the data submitted automatically when signing in (IP addresses, usernames, etc.).
BoroondaraWiki is committed to respecting and protecting the privacy of its members and visitors. In order to allow said individuals a better understanding of our online practices concerning their privacy, here is a notice explaining such. But remember: it is important to note that this privacy policy applies strictly to BoroondaraWiki and is not to be considered a reflection upon the policies or practices of any other site linked to us. By visiting BoroondaraWiki or making use of its services, you consent to the terms set forth in this policy.
Editing
Editing on or adding some content - regardless of size - to the Wiki is known as an "act of publication". When you contribute to BoroondaraWiki, your action will be displayed, showing your username. Your IP is unlikely to be shown, as only registered members can post and edit articles.
Identity
Upon submission of an edit, your username will be recorded along with the information you've submitted. As you've registered to edit something and logged in, only your username will be publicly displayed. It will generally appear in the "Edit history" tab of the article you've edited, on your "Contributions" list, and the "Recent Changes" directory. Your IP address will not be shown publicly, and is visible only by staff (who obviously don't hand it out to random people).
For registered editors, the IP addresses of all edits are also recorded in the Recent Changes log, but only Administrators have access to these. These IP addresses are not normally made public, although Administrators may post the information on the user talk page in cases where the user has vandalised the site and is suspected of being a repeat offender.
Passwords
The integrity of a user account is maintained first and foremost by the password protecting it. This password remains the sole domain of the user having created the account, and will not be made publicly available under any circumstance. No Administrator will ever request your password, and because passwords are encrypted into the database, they are inaccessible and will remain secret.
User data
Minors
Since registering to BoroondaraWiki does not require members to post any form of personally identifiable information, minors under 13 years of age are free to join BoroondaraWiki, unless they're not legally allowed to do so (and unless their parents don't want them to). Since we are unable to check edits before their publication, and since this also may lead to the submission of potentially offensive material (which we do not allow), the parent or guardian of each minor is ultimately responsible for their conduct on the Wiki and what they view, subject to the interpretation of the relevant state/territory or Australian federal law.
Account removal
User accounts will not be removed solely for low levels of activity, and the removal of an account may be denied should a request for such be submitted. An account will only be deleted if its presence constitutes a liability to the integrity of the site, or infringes upon local or national laws. Only site administrators have the power to remove an account.
Data logs
The BoroondaraWiki server routinely maintains access logs detailing page visits and user-related information. These logs are regularly consulted in order to derive the popularity of, links connected to, and web browsers used to access pages on the site. Outside of such, BoroondaraWiki does not make use of the information contained in these logs, other than in the course of regular technical maintenance, to investigate abuse of the wiki, to protect the integrity of BoroondaraWiki or the privacy of its users, or when given permission by the target user.
Disclosure
The disclosure of information regarding any members or visitor may take place to protect our site against liability or to prevent fraudulent activity, where it is necessary to limit any damage as a result of vandalism or related activities, or where the information is in the public domain. In any of these circumstances, public notice of this disclosure will be posted.
In certain circumstances, however, BoroondaraWiki will disclose information related to any member or visitor without their consent where the disclosure of such information may be justified or permitted. Such circumstances include:
- If required to comply with a subpoena, warrant, or order issued by a court of law or body with the jurisdiction to compel the production of said information.
- If we receive a formal request to disclose your information in connection with a legal action; under said circumstances, and if permitted by law, we will attempt to notify you of such prior to responding to the request.
- If we believe in good faith that a law, regulation, rule or guideline requires it.
- If the release of said information will negate the emergency of a situation that threatens the life, health, or security of an identifiable person or group.
Save in the above-noted circumstances, data derived from any source regarding BoroondaraWiki's members or visitors will never be publicly distributed or made available.
Articles on people
It is not strange for many users to publish articles about living persons. These sometimes may include birth dates, biographies, or important data about people's lives. Although BoroondaraWiki is not responsible for what is published inside articles on people, we hold such information to a higher standard than other articles. This approach is consistent with Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons. Users desiring more information on this topic are advised to read this Wikipidia policy for guidance.
We may delete articles by "Author request" for privacy reasons. Users who request the Admins to remove an article for privacy must remember that:
- We will not delete them automatically just because you requested us to do so. If we believe that the article is not being a threat to the privacy of yourself or another, we may reserve the right to deny your request. However, in such a case we would still remove any pictures of the individual in question.
- Blanking an article doesn't delete it, and is against site rules. That's why it is better to ask us to delete it instead of just blanking the page. Blanking an article will still give people the possibility to see what was there before by looking at the article's history.
Security
BoroondaraWiki is equipped with physical, administrative, and technical safeguards that help us to protect the confidentiality and integrity of the site and information contained therein. All information submitted to the site is retained, regardless of edits made thereafter to such, and may be recovered at any time by an administrator with the appropriate access. For further information, you may also check our deletion policy which clearly explains how articles are recovered.
Miscellaneous
Amendments to this policy
This policy may be regularly updated to encompass new aspects of the site, or supplemented to better accommodate the privacy of our members. For this reason, we urge our members and visitors to regularly consult this page for changes. Continued access or use of this website thereafter shall constitute an express acceptance of any modifications.
Questions
If you have questions or concerns regarding this policy, or the privacy practices of BoroondaraWiki, please contact an Administrator via their respective contact page, or through the Community Portal.