About/Privacy Policy: Difference between revisions
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From time to time we're asked if we have a privacy policy - for a long time it was never really written down, but as of September 2004, it was! |
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==Summary== |
==Summary== |
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You |
# You do not have to provide any personally-identifying information if you choose not to. |
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# You do not have to provide any personal data to be able to browse the contents of the MusicBrainz database. |
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# Any personal information you choose to provide will not be revealed to anyone else. |
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In order to get maximum value out of http://musicbrainz.org you must create an account and log in. Doing so will grant you the ability to: edit the database, contribute your own data, communicate with other users, and keep track of recently released music from artists in your MusicBrainz Collection. If you choose to create an account then the minimum we ask is that you: choose a unique username and password, use a web browser that accepts "session" cookies, and provide a verified email address. |
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==Slightly Longer Summary== |
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If you do not create an account (or you are not logged in) you will not have access to the above listed features, however, you will still have the ability to browse and examine the database in its entirety. |
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There are two types of ways of using the MusicBrainz web site: you can either register an account and be logged in, or you can choose not to log in. If you don't log in, you can browse, search and examine the site - if you do log in, you can additionally edit the data, communicate with other users, and so on. If you choose to register and log in, then the minimum we ask of you is that you choose a unique user name and a password, and that your web browser accepts "session" cookies, and that you provide a verified email address which allows other MusicBrainz editors communicate with you via the internal messaging system. |
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<ul><li style="list-style-type:none">'''Now read on for the more technical details.''' |
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</ul> |
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== Applicable to all users == |
== Applicable to all users == |
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(The above information assumes that you are using "normal" web browser settings, whereby images are always loaded and HTTP "referrer" information is always sent.) |
(The above information assumes that you are using "normal" web browser settings, whereby images are always loaded and HTTP "referrer" information is always sent.) |
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| ⚫ | Some of the lists allow you to post messages (whereas others only allow you to receive messages, for example the "Announcements" list). If you post a message, your email address will be revealed to all subscribers of the list(s) to which you posted. Additionally, all the mailing lists also have public archives. If you post, then the archives will include your email address (albeit in a form intended to provide some protection from spammer "harvesting"). |
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=== Account creation === |
=== Account creation === |
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As a logged-in user you can subscribe to one or more artists or labels (which causes any data edits made for those artists or labels to be emailed to you). By default, other users can see your list of subscriptions. However you can opt out of this, with the preference labelled "Allow other users to see my subscribed artists". |
As a logged-in user you can subscribe to one or more artists or labels (which causes any data edits made for those artists or labels to be emailed to you). By default, other users can see your list of subscriptions. However you can opt out of this, with the preference labelled "Allow other users to see my subscribed artists". |
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However this does not provide "perfect" privacy - in some cases, it will be possible to infer information about the contents of your subscription list, even though you have disallowed others from viewing that list directly. This imperfection arises because various parts of the system behave differently depending on whether or not an artist has any subscribers; also, the number of users subscribed to each artist is available via the artist pages. In the most extreme (possibly contrived) example, imagine that all users have their subscriptions set to "public", except for exactly one user whose list is "private". In that case, any discrepancy for a given artist between the shown list of subscribers and the total number of subscribers must be down to that one user. Thus, you can infer what artists are on that user's list. |
However this does not provide "perfect" privacy - in some cases, it will be possible to infer information about the contents of your subscription list, even though you have disallowed others from viewing that list directly. This imperfection arises because various parts of the system behave differently depending on whether or not an artist has any subscribers; also, the number of users subscribed to each artist is available via the artist pages. In the most extreme (possibly contrived) example, imagine that all users have their subscriptions set to "public", except for exactly one user whose list is "private". In that case, any discrepancy for a given artist between the shown list of subscribers and the total number of subscribers must be down to that one user. Thus, you can infer what artists are on that user's list. |
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| ⚫ | Some of the lists allow you to post messages (whereas others only allow you to receive messages, for example the "Announcements" list). If you post a message, your email address will be revealed to all subscribers of the list(s) to which you posted. Additionally, all the mailing lists also have public archives. If you post, then the archives will include your email address (albeit in a form intended to provide some protection from spammer "harvesting"). |
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== Exceptions == |
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'''''Please note:''' Reasonable exceptions may apply to the above policy, for example to comply with applicable laws. The MusicBrainz server administrators (about three people in all) can of course see any information on the system they want to, but to be honest we're probably not interested enough to look.'' |
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[[Category:WikiDocs Page]] |
[[Category:WikiDocs Page]] |
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Revision as of 12:02, 6 December 2009
Summary
- You do not have to provide any personally-identifying information if you choose not to.
- You do not have to provide any personal data to be able to browse the contents of the MusicBrainz database.
- Any personal information you choose to provide will not be revealed to anyone else.
In order to get maximum value out of http://musicbrainz.org you must create an account and log in. Doing so will grant you the ability to: edit the database, contribute your own data, communicate with other users, and keep track of recently released music from artists in your MusicBrainz Collection. If you choose to create an account then the minimum we ask is that you: choose a unique username and password, use a web browser that accepts "session" cookies, and provide a verified email address.
If you do not create an account (or you are not logged in) you will not have access to the above listed features, however, you will still have the ability to browse and examine the database in its entirety.
Applicable to all users
Cookies
We use session cookies, but only if you're logged in and/or using Picard Tagger. We currently only use two "permanent" (i.e. non-session) cookies:
- If you download something via one of our "download" pages, we use a cookie to remember your preferred MusicBrainz mirror site.
- When you log in there's an option called "Log in permanently" - if you activate this option, it uses a "permanent" cookie to remember your login details.
Web and FTP access logs
Like just about all web sites, we keep logs of all web requests made against our servers. These logs include the usual stuff: your IP address, your browser's "User-Agent" string, which page you requested. Aggregate information about web and FTP traffic is made available to the public via our site usage pages.
Third-party content
There is no third-party content hosted on the MusicBrainz web servers (e.g. Javascript, CGI etc). The only third-party content loaded by MusicBrainz web pages are the album cover art images, provided and hosted by Amazon, CDBaby, or Archive.org. This means that the relevant site will know (if they want to) your IP address, your User-Agent string, etc, and which MusicBrainz web page you were visiting (the one which included the cover art image). If you log in, you can opt out of using Amazon cover art images if you wish.
(The above information assumes that you are using "normal" web browser settings, whereby images are always loaded and HTTP "referrer" information is always sent.)
Applicable to account holders
Account creation
When you create an account with MusicBrainz you need to pick a unique username, and choose a password. Other MusicBrainz users will know you by your username. You may optionally also tell us the URL of your "home" page, and/or a few words about yourself. Any information thus provided is made available to the public. If you want to change data stored in MusicBrainz, you need to enter, and verify your email address. We will never reveal this address to anyone. The only way in which the system can reveal your email address is if you choose to send a message to another MusicBrainz user, and tick the box marked "reveal my email address" (this box is not ticked by default).
Edits and notes
If you make any changes to the MusicBrainz database (such as adding any data, including fingerprint submissions) then the details of the changes you make are visible to everyone, and the change is associated with your username.
Subscriptions
As a logged-in user you can subscribe to one or more artists or labels (which causes any data edits made for those artists or labels to be emailed to you). By default, other users can see your list of subscriptions. However you can opt out of this, with the preference labelled "Allow other users to see my subscribed artists".
However this does not provide "perfect" privacy - in some cases, it will be possible to infer information about the contents of your subscription list, even though you have disallowed others from viewing that list directly. This imperfection arises because various parts of the system behave differently depending on whether or not an artist has any subscribers; also, the number of users subscribed to each artist is available via the artist pages. In the most extreme (possibly contrived) example, imagine that all users have their subscriptions set to "public", except for exactly one user whose list is "private". In that case, any discrepancy for a given artist between the shown list of subscribers and the total number of subscribers must be down to that one user. Thus, you can infer what artists are on that user's list.
Mailing lists
MusicBrainz has a number of mailing lists to which you can subscribe. To subscribe to the mailing lists, you need to provide your email address. This email address will not be revealed to anyone, unless you post a message to the list (see below).
Some of the lists allow you to post messages (whereas others only allow you to receive messages, for example the "Announcements" list). If you post a message, your email address will be revealed to all subscribers of the list(s) to which you posted. Additionally, all the mailing lists also have public archives. If you post, then the archives will include your email address (albeit in a form intended to provide some protection from spammer "harvesting").
Exceptions
Please note: Reasonable exceptions may apply to the above policy, for example to comply with applicable laws. The MusicBrainz server administrators (about three people in all) can of course see any information on the system they want to, but to be honest we're probably not interested enough to look.
