HGWiki:Privacy policy
From HGWiki
Contents |
Summary
If you only read HGWIki, no more information is collected than is typically collected in server logs by web sites in general.
If you contribute to HGWiki, you are publishing every word you post publicly. If you write something, assume that it will be retained forever. This includes articles, user pages and talk pages. There may be some limited exceptions.
Publishing on the wiki and public data
Simply visiting the web site does not expose your identity publicly.
When you edit any page in the wiki, you are publishing a document. This is a public act, and you are identified publicly with that edit as its author.
Identification of an author
When you publish a page in the wiki, you must be logged in.
If you use a company mail server from home or telecommute and use a DSL or cable Internet connection, we recommend you check with your employer to see if these activities are within company policy.
Remember to log out or disconnect yourself after each session using a pseudonym on a shared computer, to avoid allowing others to use your identity.
Cookies
The wiki 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 when you close your browser session.
More cookies may be set when you log in, to avoid typing in your user name (or optionally password) on your next visit. These last up to 30 days. You may clear these cookies after use if you are using a public machine and don't wish to expose your username to future users of the machine. (If so, clear the browser cache as well.)
Passwords
Many aspects of the HGWiki depend on the reputation and respect that is built up through a history of valued contributions. User passwords are the only guarantee of the integrity of a user's edit history. All users are encouraged to select strong passwords and to never share them. No one shall knowingly expose the password of another user to public release either directly or indirectly.
Sharing information with third parties
Except where otherwise specified, all text added to HGWIki projects is available for reuse under the terms of the GFDL, where the text is available under a Creative Commons License.
Security of information
HGWiki makes no guarantee against unauthorized access to any information you provide. This information may be available to anyone with access to the servers.
You may provide your e-mail address in your Preferences and enable other logged-in users to send email to you through the wiki. Your address will not be revealed to them unless you respond, or possibly if the email bounces. The email address may be used by HGWiki to communicate with users on a wider scale.
If you do not provide an email address, you will not be able to reset your password if you forget it. However, you may contact one of the Wikimedia server administrators to enter a new mail address in your preferences.
You can remove your email address from your preferences at any time to prevent it being used.
User data
Data on users, such as the times at which they edited and the number of edits they have made are publicly available via "user contributions" lists.
Removal of user accounts
Once created, user accounts will not be removed. It may be possible for a username to be changed (depending on the number of edits you have). HGWiki does not guarantee that a name will be changed on request.
Whether specific user information is deleted is dependant on the deletion policies of the project that contains the information.
Deletion of content
Removing text from HGWiki does not permanently delete it. In normal articles, anyone can look at a previous version and see what was there. If an article is "deleted", any user with "administrator" access on the wiki, meaning almost anyone trusted not to abuse the deletion capability, can see what was deleted. Information can be permanently deleted by those people with access to the servers, but there is no guarantee this will happen except in response to legal action.
