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 Privacy Policy for Children Under 13
AKALOO.ORGCHILDREN'S PRIVACY POLICYIntroductionThe basic principles of this Children's Privacy Policy are safety, security, and appropriate use. Parents, please read through this policy and note your role in ensuring a positive and safe experience for your child. About UsAugsburg Fortress ("Augsburg Fortress") created, maintains and operates the Akaloo.org web site (this "Site") as a service to churches and other organizations (our "Congregations"), who use this Site to supplement their religious education programs. Each Congregation is responsible for determining which of its members ("authorized users") may access the Site and each authorized user's level of access. Purpose and Scope of this Children's Privacy PolicyAkaloo.org is designed to serve learners of all ages, from pre-school through adulthood. We have adopted this Children's Privacy Policy to protect the privacy of our youngest learners—children under the age of 13. We believe that the best way to protect children is to give parents the means to control what information is collected from their children, how it is used, and with whom it is shared. This Children's Privacy Policy describes what personal information we collect from children who are authorized users of this Site and how we use and share that information. It also describes the choices parents have about the ways we collect, use, and share their children's information. This Children's Privacy Policy is part of our Akaloo.org Terms of Use. DefinitionsAs used in this Children's Privacy Policy:
How Do We Protect Your Child's Personal Information?Web Security. We take reasonable precautions to protect the confidentiality and security of the information we maintain about your child. It is important that you understand, however, that no Web site or database is completely secure or "hacker proof." Password Protection. For your child's protection, all authorized users must log in each time they visit the Site. Akaloo will send your child an email containing a temporary password as soon as your child's registration is complete. Your child should immediately change his or her password. Please help your child select a password that is easily remembered but not easy to guess. Please make sure your child does not share his or her password with others. We have the right to assume that anyone who accesses this Site using your child's password is, in fact, your child and we will grant access accordingly. What Personal Information Do We Collect About Children?We may collect personal information about children through this Site in the following ways: Information Provided by Your Congregation's Akaloo Administrator. Your Congregation's Akaloo administrator is generally responsible for registering your child to use the Akaloo Web site. He or she will provide your child's full name, e-mail address, age and grade level to Augsburg Fortress. Information Your Child Provides If Your Child Initiates the Registration Process. Your child's leader or your Congregation's Akaloo administrator may ask you or your child to initiate the registration process by visiting your Congregation's Akaloo home page. In that case, you or your child will be asked to provide your child's first and last name and email address, age and grade level. You or your child will also be asked to create a username for your child. After we receive your child's information, we will notify your Congregation's Akaloo administrator. He or she will complete your child's registration and assign your child access to age-appropriate areas of the Akaloo Web site. Information Children Actively Provide When They Use This Site. Augsburg Fortress collects the personal information children actively provide (using their mouse or keyboard) when they use this Site. The following chart shows what categories of information children may provide to us at different age/grade levels:
Information Sent to Us by the Child's Web Browser. We collect information that is sent to us automatically by the child's web browser. This information typically includes the child's computer's IP address, the address of the web page the child was visiting when he or she accessed our Site, the name of the operating system (such as Windows® or Macintosh®) installed on the child's computer, the name and version of the browser (such as Netscape® or Internet Explorer®) the child is using, and the date and time of the child's visit. The information we receive depends on the settings on the child's web browser. Please check your child's browser if you want to learn what information the browser sends or how to change your settings. The information provided by the child's browser does not identify the child personally. We use this non-personal information primarily to create statistics that help us improve our Sites and make them more compatible with the technology used by our visitors. We do not link browser information to information that identifies your child personally, except for purposes of technical support and systems troubleshooting; however, if we suspect criminal activity, we might share our server logs — which contain visitors' IP addresses — with the appropriate investigative authorities who could use that information to trace and identify individuals. Information Collected Using "Cookies" and Other Web Technologies. We use "cookies," and similar technologies to collect information and support the functionality of this Site. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your child's hard disk by a web server. Cookies cannot be used to install computer programs or deliver viruses to your child's computer. We may use two types of cookies — "session cookies" and "persistent cookies." Session Cookies. A "session cookie" assigns a randomly-generated, unique identification number to your child's computer when your child accesses this Site. Assigning a number to your child's computer permits us to follow the child as he or she moves from page to page. A session cookie expires after your child closes the browser. Generally, we use session cookies to collect information about the ways visitors use our Site—which pages they visit, which links they use, and how long they stay on each page. We analyze this information (known as "click-stream information") to better understand our visitors' interests and needs and to improve the content and functionality of our Site. Session cookies are also used to facilitate the proper functioning of the features of our Site. For example, session cookies let us follow your child as he or she completes a multi-page quiz or survey. Without the session cookie, we could not collect all of your child's answers as he or she moved from page to page. Session cookies do not identify your child personally. However, once your child logs in, we know your child's identity and we may link the information collected by our session cookies to information that identifies your child personally and store it with other information we have collected from or about your child. Persistent Cookies. We use persistent cookies to remember your child's login name for future logins. These persistent cookies will identify your child as a learner or leader and may contain other information that will allow us to provide your child with a personalized online experience. Unlike a "session cookie," a persistent cookie does not expire when your child closes his or her browser. It stays on your computer until it expires (for example, at the end of the academic year) or until your child deletes it. Rejecting Cookies. Your child has the ability to set his or her browser to reject cookies, however, if your child sets his or her browser to reject cookies, your child will not be able to use key features and functionality of this Site. For this reason, your child must set his or her browser to accept cookies to participate fully in the experience we provide. Your child may; however, choose not to save his or her login/ username. (This choice is offered on the login screen.) If your child chooses not to save his or her login/username, our server will not send any persistent cookies to your child's computer. If your child chooses to save his or her login/ username your child can change his or her mind at any time by deleting our cookies from his or her hard drive. How Do We Use the Personal Information We Collect From Children?We use the personal information we collect through this Site to provide an age-appropriate learning experience to your child and the information, products, and services your child requests. For example,
We also study the information we collect through our Site to better understand the needs and interests of our learners and leaders, to improve our programs and services, for market research purposes, and to improve the content, functionality, navigation and usability of this Site. We will not use children's personal information for marketing purposes. More About Grades 7-8 and Grades 9-12 SitesOur Grades 7-8 Site (for seventh and eighth graders) and our Grades 9-12 Site (for ninth through twelfth graders) let learners submit comments on the site. For example, learners may submit comments about articles and other content posted on the site. In some cases, learners may also submit other digital materials, such as photographs, video clips, and audio clips. Anyone who has access to the site may view these comments and materials. Our grades 7-8 and grades 9-12 learners may express themselves freely when they submit comments and other materials, so long as they comply with our Terms of Use. The comments and other materials they submit are reviewed by someone on our editorial staff before they are posted to be sure they comply with our Terms of Use. Our ability to screen submissions is limited. We use reasonable efforts to weed out obscene comments, racial slurs, and other offensive or inappropriate content. We do not screen out personal information unless it is patently inappropriate. Parents should talk to their learners, younger learners, about what is and is not appropriate to share publicly. With Whom Do We Share the Personal Information We Collect From Children?Our Service Providers. We share personal information collected through our Sites, including information collected from children, with companies and organizations that perform services on our behalf, such as data storage and web hosting services. These companies and organizations are required by contract to use the personal information we share with them only to perform services on our behalf (and not for their own purposes) and to protect its confidentiality. Leaders and Congregations. Akaloo leaders have access to the leaders' areas of our Site and may view the same personal information that is viewable by other leaders. Leaders and the Congregation's Akaloo administrator may also have access to one or more learner areas of the Site and may view the same personal information that is viewable by learners who have access to those learner areas. In addition, we may share a learner's personal information with leaders or the Congregation's Akaloo administrator under the limited circumstances described below, for example, to protect the vital interests of a learner. Our successors. We may transfer the personal information we collect through this Site to another company (either an affiliate or an unrelated third party) that has acquired the assets of Augsburg Fortress, one of our affiliates, or one of our operating divisions, for example, as the result of a sale, merger, reorganization, dissolution or liquidation. If such a transfer occurs, the acquiring company's use of the personal information will still be subject to this Children's Privacy Policy. Other limited circumstances. There are other limited circumstances in which we may share the personal information in our databases with unrelated third parties. For example, we may disclose the personal information we collect through this Site when we, in good faith, believe disclosure is appropriate to comply with the law or a regulatory requirement or to comply with a subpoena or court order; to prevent or investigate a possible crime, such as fraud or identity theft; to enforce a contract; to protect the rights, property or safety of Augsburg Fortress, our learners and other users; or to protect a learner's interests. Not for Marketing Purposes. We do not share children's personal information with third parties to use for their own marketing purposes. This Children's Privacy Policy May ChangeThis Children's Privacy Statement describes Augsburg Fortress's current policies and practices with regard to the personal information we collect from children through this Site. We are continually improving and adding to the functionality and features of this Site. As a result of these changes (or changes in the law), we may need to update or revise our Children's Privacy Policy. If the change is a minor change (such as a change in our contact information or a non-substantive change (such as reformatting), we will provide a notice at the top of this page for at least 30 days after the new effective date to alert you to the change. If the change is substantive, we will alert you by asking your child's leader to notify you and obtain your written consent to the change. If you do not consent, Augsburg Fortress or your child's leader will deactivate or limit your child's access so that your child's personal information will not be collected, used or disclosed in a manner that is not acceptable to you. You may access the current version of our Children's Privacy Policy by clicking on the link marked "Privacy Policy" at the bottom of each page of this Site and then clicking the button or link marked "Children's Privacy Policy." This Children's Privacy Policy was last revised on May 3, 2007. We Will Not Ask Your Child For More Information Than Is Reasonably NecessaryWe do not condition a child's participation in any Akaloo activity on the child disclosing more personal information than is reasonably necessary to participate in that activity. Parents' Right to Withdraw ConsentWe require the Congregations who use the Akaloo curriculum to obtain written consent from a parent or guardian before registering a child under the age of 13. Click here to download consent forms. A parent who has given his or her consent may withdraw it at any time by contacting our Akaloo Customer Service area by sending a dated and signed request that includes your child's name and email address by mail or by fax to: Akaloo Customer Service Parents' Right to Access and Have Their Children's Personal Information DeletedWe believe that you, as a parent, have the right to know the specific types or categories of personal information we have collected from your child, to review the information your child has provided, and to request that your child's personal information be deleted. Contact your Congregation's Akaloo administrator or contact us directly if you would like to access your child's personal information or have it deleted. You may contact us by e-mail at customerservice@augsburgfortress.org or by postal mail at Akaloo Customer Service Governing LawThis Children's Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the State of Minnesota, U.S.A. without regard to its conflict of law principles. Links to Other SitesThis Site may contain links to other Web sites operated by Augsburg Fortress. It may also contain links to Web sites that are owned and operated by unrelated third parties. This Children's Privacy Policy applies only to personal information collected through this Site. It does not apply to personal information collected on any other Web site operated by Augsburg Fortress or any third party. Questions About Our Children's Privacy PolicyIf you have any questions about our Children's Privacy Policy or Augsburg Fortress's privacy practices, please contact us by email, telephone or postal mail. Our contact information is as follows: Akaloo Customer Service  |
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