As a user (administrator) you agree to the following SDB Code of Conduct and the specific rules listed below.

• Be the digital guardian in your area: As an officer of Shambhala, protect and advocate for the protection of individuals (their digital rights and data about them).
• Be virtuous: Shambhala gathers, records, and processes accurate data about people for their benefit. Therefore, do not send unwanted email or contact people without their consent. Never mis-represent them or use Shambhala data or email to harass, abuse, or harm another person.
• Be precise: Having good data requires precision and attention. As an SDB user you are responsible for the data's quality. Please comply to any recommendations that you might receive from the IT staff.
• Obey applicable laws and regulations: never use Shambhala email for spamming or for commercial or political purposes.
• Follow Shambhala’s policies: Only use Shambhala data for official purposes and delete when no longer needed. Only share Shambhala data with trusted people who will also be bound by these terms of use. Unless required for purposes such as organizing local practice events, registration or financial management, data extracts from the SDB to be used in independent databases are not permitted.
• Be security minded: Never share your password with others or bypass mechanisms designed to enforce these terms of use.
• Enforcement: These terms of use are enforceable by Shambhala (Shambhala Global Services staff) and your local authorities. Your privileges may be revoked if you do not comply. Please follow recommendations from the IT staff and agree to keep yourself informed by consulting the online manual when necessary.
• Persistent obligation: Your obligation to comply with these terms of use does not end when you cease being a DBA or are not connected with Shambhala.

Why does Shambhala have these “terms of use”? To make privacy and other rules clear to everyone so that Shambhala’s tax status is protected, our email is not blacklisted, and we are able to get our message out to the world. These terms of use were approved by the Shambhala Digital Oversight Commission in November, 2018 and updated on February 21, 2019.

• Do not share your password with anyone. Use only strong, secure passwords and change them at least once a year, take care of the security of your passwords
• Do not use another system to manage Shambhala's data. (Mailchimp and some other systems synchronize with the SDB and are approved for use.)
• Do not copy/paste SDB data; delete copied data when it's no longer needed (don't forget about deleting old backups, USB drives, cloud backups etc.)
• Do not share SDB data with others you have been authorized to do so by the IT staff; do not send SDB data via emails unless it's encrypted and password protected.
• Every email needs an opt-out footer, so use a newsletter channel unless you explain the legitimate reason for your message.
• If your responsibilities include registration or approving edits by others, you should log onto the SDB on a regular basis (at least once a week).
• Inform us if you don't need to access the SDB anymore.
• Read, contemplate, and agree to the latest code of conduct at least once a year (you will be automatically reminded to do so)
• Protect your computer and other electronic devices from unauthorized access by others; scan your devices for viruses and other malware on a regular basis.
• Keep your software updated (OS, browsers etc.) and work behind a firewall if at all possible.
• You must report any privacy breach that you are aware of or if you notice any privacy or other threats related to SDB by contacting: [email protected].

• See additional information here:
  • Shambhala maintains detailed information for DBAs on how to use its systems. Please consult the documentation.
  • You should never share an SDB Password
  • Specific roles and privileges according to your level of authorization.
  • Shambhala is bound by the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

• SDB admins who are inactive for more than 6 months will lose access.
• Reactivation after a period of inactivity is readily available here.
• This new policy (as of July 2020) is instituted to reduce the list of inactive users. This helps to keep our data secure.