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PRIVACY POLICY

The privacy policy at Zyra.org.uk is loosely based on the ideals of the Hippocratic Oath which doctors swear to and a similar ideal which priests have. Until May 2003 this understanding was unwritten, as it is implicit that you can trust Zyra without having to be told you can!

Here are some examples of Zyra's privacy policy in action:

* Someone writes in and says something like "I must confide in you that I have a personal problem and I wish to ask your advice... etc", then obviously I don't tell anyone information which has been told to me in confidence.

* Someone asks "What's the phone number of <person>?", then, if I know, I check to see if that information is public (ie whether the information can be acquired by reasonably easy public methods such as looking it up in the phone book), and if so I tell them. However, if the phone number was ex-directory, then I don't reveal the secret number, but instead I offer to pass a message by the enquirer to the private person, thus allowing privacy to be maintained without it becoming a bureaucratic secrecy problem!

* Someone accidentally sends their credit card details in an e-mail. I keep the info secret, but I reply and point out the security risk. I also delete the number from the returned-copy as a paranoid measure to stop hackers getting a second chance to snaffle it!

A few other notes:

* When sending the Zyra's Circular Newsletter, it's sent BCC to the recipients, so they don't all get to know each other's addresses! The Circular Newsletter is opt-in, so people have to actually request to be included in the list. Also, there's always an opt-out option on the Circular, usually right at the end. It's also possible to REPLY to the newsletter!

* The site reserves the right to send SPAM, but generally doesn't. See outgoing spam policy. It's a very inefficient way of marketing and generates a lot of bad feeling, so it's not generally done. However, as with other bad habits such as drinking and smoking, it's a matter of personal liberty and important to have a right to do it!

* Personal data is kept private. The list of e-mail addresses of people on the Circular List isn't sold or given away to companies to send all sorts of rubbish to people. That would be very poor form!

* Photographs taken and put on this site are taken in public places and in places where permission is given. ("Public" is defined as where it's possible to go there without having to ask). Pictures of people on this site are, to as great an extent as is reasonably possible, with their permission. In the unlikely event of a mistake being made on this, a person will be "painted out" at their own request!

* Requests of the form "Please forward this message to everyone in your address book" are politely declined.

* After Zyra has been frozen in liquid nitrogen, the members of the committee running the estate will be expected to continue to run it at a level of reasonableness similar to that of Zyra.

Special note on the social stigma of having a privacy policy: Zyra does not have a law-abiding ethic, as law is often against the interests of freedom. (see libertarian links). Don't assume that just because there's a privacy policy at this site it means we obey other people's rules and laws. Zyra's own belief in doing what's right supersedes government-based law. However, there's also a crime-fighing ethic here, it being a matter of defeating wrongdoing. So, for example, Nigeria Scams will be reported! What's important is to do what's right, rather than what's legal!