The Science Circle Privacy Policy
The Science Circle is a non-governmental organization (NGO) registered in The Netherlands. The organization is a multinational alliance of scientists, educators, students, and science enthusiasts who collaborate on a common mission: to share knowledge and promote open-source education on a global scale in the virtual environment of Second Life. The Science Circle values dialogue within a community that promotes inclusion, diversity, and respect.
The Science Circle does not share information with third parties in any way. When necessary within the organization for the purpose of collaborative work, email addresses are shared only after consent is obtained from the individuals involved.
The Science Circle is not involved in the marketing or sale of any items. Hence no customer information is collected or retained in any way or in any format.
- What information does the Science Circle collect and share?
The information collected depends on the type of affiliation: student, member, or member of the Board of Directors. Unless otherwise specified, ‘names’ in all cases refer to names in real life as well as names of avatar’s in Second Life.
Students provide only the names of their avatars in Second Life and their personal verification of student status and interest in science.
Non-students requesting membership fill out a questionnaire. The form requests the following: name in both real life and Second Life, city and country of residence, and telephone number. In addition, education level, title, field of endeavor, and current employer are requested. A biography, any relevant urls to pertinent websites, and a photo in real live are requested, as is information on the applicant’s affiliation with other non-profit organizations and any political and media experience. These forms are received by the CEO or the Vice-Chairman and stored in a folder in the password-protected Microsoft OneDrive maintained by the organization. Only current members of the Board have access to these documents. This information is used only to determine qualifications for membership and possible roles in the organization. If an applicant is refused membership, the registration form is deleted as soon as the decision is made. If a member resigns from the organization, the registration form is deleted upon acceptance of the resignation. No financial information is ever requested or retained.
The Science Circle maintains a Facebook page for members, the content of which is moderated by members of the Board. Users may share pictures, comment on posts, or like other user’s information. The Science Circle collects no data on these activities.
Members of The Science Circle frequently work together on projects in Second Life. Email addresses of the parties involved may be shared among the collaborators after permission to do so has been received.
The Science Circle occasionally runs events in partnership with other organizations in Second Life. No information, other than the fact of an individual’s membership, is ever shared in the context of such partnerships.
The web site of the Science Circle includes a listing of ‘Our Scientists,’ which includes names of the participants in real life, nationality, and educational degree. When a person resigns from the group, this information is deleted.
Candidates for membership on the Board of Directors of The Science Circle provide additional information to the Board: verified home address and verified copy of passport. These data are only accessible to the current Board and to the Chamber of Commerce in The Netherlands under the registration number 6911870. All data is stored for The Science Circle as received in the organization’s Microsoft OneDrive. When a Board member leaves service, their registration form is destroyed in the records of The Science Circle and the Microsoft account terminated. The data remain in the records of the CEO at the Chamber of The Netherlands. Other information: picture, professional degree, name, and nationality in real life, are published with permission of the Board member on The Science Circle website. When a member terminates service on the Board, this information is removed from the site.
- Presentations and Intellectual Property
Members and guest speakers may use slides, videos, and other formats when presenting lectures or other forms of information to audiences. In all cases, such material remains the property of the presenter.
The Science Circle may archive the visual or audio material on its the web site, and some presentations may be made available on youtube or other video application. In all cases, permission to film a presentation is sought in advance and no video recording occurs without permission. In addition, any materials, including titles and abstracts, are made available only with the expressed consent of the presenter and remain the property of the presenter. They will be removed from public view at any time upon the request of the presenter. However, the listing of the presentation will remain on the event calendar of the Science Circle as a matter of historical record.
- Archival Information
The archive is accessible only to members of the Board or other designated individuals who may take part in ad hoc committees of the Board for the purpose of writing articles or scholarly publications on activities of The Science Circle. Only the number of people attending an event is recorded; the attendance data are only numerical and hence totally impersonal, and they are retained in the calendar of the Microsoft OneDrive data base.
- Your Rights
You have the right to request access to the personal data that The Science Circle has about you. If the personal data held by The Science Circle is incorrect, incomplete, or inaccurate, you may ask for it to be corrected. As indicated above, if your membership in The Science Circle is terminated, any personal information will be eliminated from the data base.
Prepared by The Science Circle Board, written by Natalie Foster