As part of last year’s group effort to rewrite the Webminister Handbook, I spent a bunch of time closely reading the privacy policy on the SCA.org website, as it applies to all SCA-controlled websites and online services.
One line in the policy caught my eye and prompted me to write Society leadership for more information; frustratingly, it required three emails over the course of six months to elicit a reply.
Date: July 17, 2022From: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
To: privacy@sca.org
Greetings from the East!
I noticed today that the SCA.org privacy policy includes this statement:
The most current version of this Privacy Policy will govern our use of your information and will be located at https://www.sca.org/privacy_statement. You may contact us to obtain prior versions.
I don’t want to create a huge amount of extra work for you, but if it is reasonably convenient to share prior versions of the privacy policy, I would love to see them.
Thank you,
— Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
Date: October 14, 2022From: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
To: privacy@sca.org
Hello again,
I’m checking in because it’s been 90 days since I reached out to ask about prior versions of the privacy policy, and I have not yet heard anything back.
Is it actually possible to obtain prior versions of this policy?
Thank you for your service,
— Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
Date: January 5, 2023
From: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
To: privacy@sca.orgCc: Society Webfolks, Society Webmaster, Society Webminister
Good day,
I see that in response to my most recent message, you have decided to handle the situation by silently removing this provision from the website.
You’re certainly free to make such changes, but I would have thought that the SCA’s core values would have called for at least giving me the courtesy of a reply to acknowledge my inquiry.
It’s disappointing, and discouraging.
— Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
Date: January 7, 2023
From: Society Webmaster
To: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
Mathghamhain,
I’m very sorry to hear that you did not receive a response. When the officers discussed this in October, you were supposed to be sent an email about it.
It turns out that we have only ever had one version of the privacy policy. The language about “prior versions” was most likely included from a boilerplate privacy notice. Since it doesn’t apply, it was removed.
Date: January 7, 2023
From: Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
To: Society WebmasterCc: Society Webfolks, Society Webminister
Thank you for following up, and I apologize for the petulant tone of my previous email. I know you folks are busy and it’s easy for things to fall though the cracks.
In service,
— Mathghamhain