Privacy Policy for Children Under 13

Introduction

The 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 Us

Augsburg Fortress ("Augsburg") created, maintains and operates thevbsplace.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.

Purpose and Scope of this Children's Privacy Policy

thevbsplace.org is designed to serve leaders and learners from pre-school through Grade 6. We have adopted this Children's Privacy Policy to protect the privacy of those learners. 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 use 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 thevbsplace.org Terms of Use.

Definitions

As used in this Children's Privacy Policy:

• The term "administrator" refers to a person that purchases the VBS Web Tool Kit in order to run a VBS program.
• The terms "child" and "children" refer to children under the age of 13.
• The term "learner" refers to an individual who uses our Site as a student, generally children under the age of 13.
• The term "leader" refers to an individual who uses our Site as the leader or teacher of a group of learners.
• The term "parent" refers to a child's parent or legal guardian.
• The term "personal information" refers to information that identifies a particular child, alone or in combination with any other information that may be available to us.

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 protection, administrators must log in each time they visit the Site. Such administrators will have access to your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. We have the right to assume that anyone who accesses this Site using a password is, in fact, the administrator to whom that password is assigned, 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 Actively Provided. We collect the personal information actively provided, using a mouse or keyboard, by a child, the child's parent, the child's leader, or another person on behalf of the child. In order to facilitate communication between the child and the leader, we collect the personal information of the child including the child's name, address, phone number, e-mail address, age, grade level, and parents' information.

If the learner sends us a message using the "Contact" page, we collect the learner's name, e-mail address, telephone number (optional), and message.

Information Sent to Us by the Child's Web Browser. We collect information that is sent to us automatically by your child's web browser. This information typically includes your child's computer's IP address, the address of the web page your child was visiting when he or she accessed our Site, the name of the operating system (such as Windows® or Macintosh®) installed on your 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 your child's web browser. Please check your child's browser if you want to learn what information the browser sends or how to change the 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, 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.

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.

Sessions 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.

You have the ability to set your child's browser to reject cookies, however, if you set the browser to reject all cookies, your child will not be able to use key features and functionality of this Site. For this reason, your child's browser must be to accept cookies. Your child may; however, choose not to save his or her login/user name. (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/user name, your child can change his or her mind at any time by deleting our cookies from the computer's hard drive.

How Do We Use the Personal Information We Collect From Children?

We use the personal information we collect through this Site to facilitate communication between the child's VBS leader and the child, and to provide the information, products, and services your child requests. For example,

• We register your child for the VBS program.
• We maintain your child's personal information on behalf of the child's administrator and leader so that those persons may contact your child regarding the VBS program, insert your child's name into schedules related to the VBS program, and track your child's attendance.
• We use the information your child provides on the "Contact" page to provide the information or assistance your child requests.

We also study the information we collect through our Site to improve our programs and services and to improve the content, functionality, navigation and usability of this Site.

We will not use children's personal information for marketing purposes.

Augsburg Fortress also operates discussion forums on its main Web site, www.augsbergfortress.org. The ownership of, responsibility for, and other related issues concerning content posted on discussion forums is governed by the General Terms of Use.

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. We do not share children's personal information with administrators or leaders except under the limited circumstances described in this Children's Privacy Policy.

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 the vital interests of a user.

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 Change

This 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 link marked "Children's Privacy Policy."

We Will Not Ask Your Child For More Information Than Is Reasonably Necessary

We do not condition a child's participation in any VBS activity on the child disclosing more personal information than is reasonably necessary to participate in that activity.

Parents' Right to Withdraw Consent

Effective November 7, 2007, we will not collect, use or disclose personal information from children through this Site unless the child's leader first obtains written consent from a parent or guardian of the child. Click here to see a copy of the Consent Form. A parent who has given his or her consent may withdraw it at any time by contacting our VBS 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:

VBS Customer Service
Augsburg Fortress
PO Box 1209
Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
Fax# (612) 330-3455

We will respond to your request within a reasonable time. For your child's protection, we may ask you for additional information to verify your and child's identity.

Parents' Right to Access and Have Their Children's Personal Information Deleted

We 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. If you would like to access your child's personal information or have it deleted, please contact us by e-mail at customerservice@augsburgofortress.org or by postal mail at

VBS Customer Service
Augsburg Fortress
PO Box 1209
Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209

This Site Is Hosted on Servers in the United States.

Augsburg Fortress is a non-profit organization headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This Site is hosted on servers located within the United States.

Different countries have different privacy laws and requirements. Please know, however, that no matter where your child's personal information is collected, used, transferred or stored, if it was collected through this Site, it will be protected by the terms of this Privacy Policy.

Governing Law

This 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 Sites

This Site may contain links to other websites operated by Augsburg Fortress. It may also contain links to websites 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 website operated by Augsburg Fortress or any third party.

VBS Customer Service
Augsburg Fortress
PO Box 1209
Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
customerservice@augsburgfortress.org
(800) 328-4648 or 612-330-3300
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