Privacy Policy for Scouting.org
The Boy Scouts of America is committed to respecting and protecting the
personal privacy of its members and those who visit its Web site. It is
our policy to acquire personal information from users only by overt and
voluntary means, only when it is in the interest of the user to provide it,
and to utilize this information only for the purpose it was provided.
The information that follows explains the kinds of information the BSA
Web site collects, how it is used, the conditions under which it is made
available to third parties, how information is maintained, and our compliance
with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.
NOTE: This privacy policy applies only to www.scouting.org.
This privacy policy does not apply to any council or unit Web site, as
their content is not controlled by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of
America. Please contact the administrator of any council, unit, or other
Scouting-oriented Web site for information about their own privacy policies
and the information they collect about their site visitors.
What information does this site collect?
This site collects anonymous data that is not indicative of and cannot be
traced to an individual without the cooperation of their Internet Service
Provider. This data includes information about the user's remote IP address,
referral data (which page "linked" to the present request), and the browser
software's user-agent string. This information is accepted passively from
the HTTP headers that are sent from the user when requesting any file from
the server. Other anonymous data entered by the user may be collected in a
common repository, including terms entered into the search engine, ZIP codes
entered into the council locator, etc.
Personally identifiable data is collected only by means of form interfaces
on the site, into which the user must voluntarily enter the information
requested. This information is requested only when it is necessary to
accomplish the overt purpose indicated by the interface containing the form
that requests it. Such for interfaces require only the information reasonably
necessary to accomplish the overt purpose indicated on the interface.
No attempt is made to covertly or "quietly" collect personally identifiable
information, nor are cookies or any other tracking technology used for the
purpose of coordinating information that a user may opt to enter in various
interfaces on the site.
What organization is collecting the information?
Information entered by site visitors is retrieved directly by the Boy Scouts
of America, National Council: 1325 West Walnut Hill Lane, Post Office Box 152079,
Irving, TX, 75015-2079 - telephone (972) 580-2000.
How does the BSA use the information it collects?
The anonymous information collected is used to monitor the usage of this Web
site and the interests of those who use it. Data such as the volume of traffic
to the server, the number of visitors a certain section of the site receives
each month, or the most popular search terms are analyzed to derive general
statistics about the site's reach and the audience's usage patterns.
Personally identifiable information is used only for the express purpose for
which it was submitted. For example, if a user enters their contact information
in the "change of address" form for Scouting magazine, the information will be
used only to change their address or to correspond with them regarding the
change of address.
With whom does the BSA share the information that is collected?
The BSA does not share personally identifiable information about its web site
visitors with anyone.
Reports, statistics, and other analysis of aggregate anonymous information
may be shared within the organization or provided to third parties at the sole
discretion of the Boy Scouts of America. This information does not include any
personally identifiable information.
Exception: the Boy Scouts of America reserves the right to use all information
at its disposal and to share this information with ISPs and other third parties
as necessary to investigate any incident of misuse or abuse of its site, server,
or information systems.
How does the BSA maintain the information it collects?
In most cases, personally identifiable information is not maintained. Once it
has been used for its intended purpose, it is deleted. Because of the brevity of
this interval, no mechanism is provided to enable users to alter or delete
information they have submitted.
How does the BSA comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998?
This legislation applies only to Web sites of a commercial nature. However, the
Boy Scouts of America considers it to provide sound advice for any Web site
that is intended for use by children.
Therefore, the Boy Scouts of America does not use its Web site to collect any
personally identifiable information from children under 13 years of age. Any
input form that requests personally identifiable information that appears on an
interface that is expected to be viewed by children under 13 years of age
is accompanied by a notice that submissions cannot be accepted from users under
13 years of age. Where "age" or "date of birth" is requested, no information
will be stored or transmitted unless the response indicates that the user is
13 years of age or older.
Providing personal information is never a prerequisite for accessing any
of the content or resources on this Web site. Specifically, refusal to provide
personal information via a Web interface will never result in a user being denied
access to any on-line content or resource he would be able to access were the
information submitted.
Policy Modifications and Deviations
This policy was last modified on 12 January 2001.
We may modify this privacy policy and will post those changes here. If the
privacy policy changes in the future, we will not any personal information you
have submitted to us under the current Privacy Policy in a manner that is
materially inconsistent with this Privacy Policy, without your prior consent.
It may be necessary to deviate from this general policy in unique instances and
for specific purposes. In such instances, a link will be provided to a description
of the deviation. This link will be placed where it can be reasonably expected to
be noticed prior to submitting any information for which this privacy policy is
modified or exempted in any way.