This document describes how forum.getodk.org, or the ODK Forum for short, collects and uses data about you.

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What is the ODK Forum?

The ODK Forum runs Discourse, open source software for hosting Internet discussion forums. The forum runs on infrastructure provided by Unison Hosting.

How does the ODK Forum collect data about me?

The ODK Forum collects data about you:

  • when you browse the forum

  • when you create and use an account on a forum

  • when you post, send private messages, and otherwise participate in a forum

The ODK Forum collects data whether you visit the forum using a web browser on your own computer or use the Discourse apps for mobile devices.

The ODK Forum does not buy or otherwise receive data about you from data brokers.

What data does the ODK Forum collect about me, and why?

The ODK Forum collects data about visits.

When you visit the forum, whether you have an account or not, the forum uses cookies, server logs, and other methods to collect data about what pages you visit and when.

The ODK Forum uses data about how you use the website to:

  • optimize the forum, so that it’s quick and easy to use

  • diagnose and debug technical errors

  • defend the forum from abuse and technical attacks

  • compile statistics on forum and topic popularity

  • compile statistics on the kinds of software and computers visitors use

The ODK Forum usually stores data about how you use the forum in identifiable form for just a few weeks. In special circumstances, like extended investigations about technical attacks, the ODK Forum may preserve log data longer, for analysis. The ODK Forum stores aggregate statistics about use of the forum for as long as the forum exists, but those statistics don’t include data identifiable to you personally.

The ODK Forum collects account data.

Many features of the ODK Forum require a forum account. For example, you will require an account to post and reply to topics.

To sign up for an account, the ODK Forum requires your name, a user name, and an e-mail address.

The ODK Forum uses your account data to identify you on the forum, and to create pages specific to you, like your profile page. When the forum is public, the ODK Forum publishes your account data. When the forum is access-restricted, the ODK Forum makes your account data available to everyone who can access the forum, according to the forum administrator’s configuration.

The ODK Forum uses your e-mail address to:

  • notify you about posts and other activity on the forum

  • reset your password and help keep your account secure

  • contact you in special circumstances related to your account

  • contact you about legal requests, like DMCA takedown requests

You may provide additional data for your account, like a short biography, your location, or your birthday, on the profile settings page for your account. The ODK Forum makes that data available to others who can access the forum. You don’t have to provide this additional information, and you can erase it at any time.

The ODK Forum stores your account data as long as your account remains open.

The ODK Forum collects data about posts and other activity on the forum.

The ODK Forum collects the content of your posts, plus data about bookmarks, likes, and links you follow in order to share that data with others, through the forum. When the forum is public, the ODK Forum publishes your activity. When the forum is access-restricted, or access restrictions apply to the specific post, the ODK Forum makes your activity available only to users permitted to see it.

The ODK Forum also collects data about private messages that you send through the forum. The ODK Forum makes private messages available to senders and their recipients, and also to forum administrators.

The ODK Forum stores your posts and other activity as long as your account remains open.

How can I make choices about data collection?

You can make choices about how data about you is used on the settings page for your account. When the ODK Forum uses access restrictions that vary by category, you can choose who will see your post by choosing the appropriate category.

The ODK Forum does not respond to the Do Not Track HTTP header.

Where does the ODK Forum store data about me?

The ODK Forum stores data on servers in New Jersey, USA and Oregon, USA.

Does the ODK Forum comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation?

The ODK Forum respects privacy rights under Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Information that GDPR requires CDCK to give can be found throughout this privacy notice. So can information about specific rights, like access, rectification, erasure, data portability, and objection to automated decision-making.

Where can I access data about me?

You can see your account data at any time by visiting your account page on the forum. Your account page also lists your posts and other activity on the forum.

Your account activity page also includes a link to download all of your activity in standard comma-separated values format.

How can I change or erase data about me?

You can change your account data at any time by visiting the profile settings page for your account. The settings for this forum may also allow you to close your account, on the settings page for your account. Closing your account starts a process of erasing or anonymizing the ODK Forum's records of data you provided for your account. Forum administrators can also erase and anonymize accounts.

You may also edit, anonymize, or erase your posts. When you edit posts, the ODK Forum will keep all versions of your posts. Forum administrators can view old versions of posts, and optionally make them visible to other forum visitors.

Does the ODK Forum make automated decisions based on data about me?

The ODK Forum classifies posts as spam automatically.

The ODK Forum uses data about your posts and other activity on many forums to make automated decisions about whether your posts are spam. When Akismet decides that a post is likely spam, the forum refuses to accept the post.

If you think a post has been wrongly blocked or removed, contact an administrator of your forum. They can override the decision that a post was spam.

The ODK Forum uses data about posts and activity to set trust levels automatically.

The forum uses data about your posts and activity to award you badges and calculate a trust level for your account. Your trust level may affect how you can participate in the forum, such as whether you can upload images, as well as give you access to moderation and management powers in the forum. Your trust level therefore reflects forum administrators’ confidence in you, and their willingness to delegate community management functions, like moderation.

If you think your trust level has been set incorrectly, contact an administrator of your forum. They can manually adjust the trust level of your account.

Does the ODK Forum share data about me with others?

The ODK Forum shares account data with others as mentioned in the section about account data.

The ODK Forum shares data about your posts and other forum activity with others as mentioned in the section about account data.

The ODK Forum does not sell or give information about you to other companies or services. However, the ODK Forum does use services from other companies. The companies behind those services may collect data about you on their own, for their own purposes. Some of these services may be used to collect information about your online activities across different websites. All of these services are based in the United States.

Service Privacy Notice Description
Akismet https://automattic.com/privacy Reduces spam posts
Google Analytics https://www.google.com/analytics/terms Compiles visitor statistics. You can opt out of Google Analytics using a browser extension.
Amazon Web Services https://aws.amazon.com/privacy Provides cloud servers and services, in service regions across the world to back up this forum.
Vultr https://www.vultr.com/legal/privacy Provides cloud servers and services, in service regions across the world, to host and back this forum
KeyCDN https://www.keycdn.com/privacy Provides a content delivery network.
Apple Push Notification Service https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy Sends push notifications to users of the Discourse iOS app.
Google Cloud Messaging https://policies.google.com/privacy Sends push notifications to users of the Discourse Android app.

Other individuals and companies may also reuse data about you that the ODK Forum publishes, such as your posts to public forums.

How can I contact the ODK Forum about privacy?

You can send questions and complaints to: team@opendatakit.org

European Users with questions or complaints about GDPR compliance may also lodge complaints with their local data protection supervisory authorities.

How can I find out about changes?

This version of the ODK Forum's privacy questions and answers took effect May 1, 2018.

The ODK Forum will post the next version at https://forum.getodk.org/privacy. The ODK Forum may change how it announces changes in future versions.

In the meantime, the ODK Forum may update its contact information without announcing a change. Please refer to https://forum.getodk.org/privacy for the latest contact information at any time.