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sdb_privacy_and_security
What can other members of Shambhala see and do with my information on the SDB?

A member can see:

  • Your Name
  • Your Address
  • Your Phone Number
  • Your Email
  • Your birthday
  • Your Teaching Level
  • Your Administrative Functions at the Center

A member cannot see:

  • Your MI
  • Your Practice Level
  • Your Practice History

If you set your record to invisible, then an ordinary member won’t see your record at all. Only Database Administrators can see invisible members.

An ordinary member can click your email address to send you an email, but they cannot select your email to make it part of a bulk emailing.

There is no financial information in our database (no credit card, no bank account number).

What can a Database administrator (DBA) see and do with my info on the SDB?

Your local DBA can see all member information, for visible and invisible members.

Local DBAs can send bulk emails only to their local people—members and non-members that are identified with their center.

The SDB Systems Administrator can give a DBA privileges to email to a group of centers;.For example in Northern California the local administrator is allowed to send emails to all groups in the northern Californian region.

What about if I don’t want email or mail through the post?

You can opt-out of bulk emails by checking “no” on the “Email Mailing Accepted” field. Also on each email sent through the database, there is a link at the bottom of the message that enables one to switch the “Email Mailing Accepted” flag on and off as well as requesting to be deleted for ever from the database.

You can opt-out of post mailings by checking “no” on the “Post Mailing Accepted” field.

What will be allowed in future?

We are in the process of working out a Shambhala-wide policy on bulk emailing and mailing. There will be the ability for the Center of the Mandala to contact all the members, and restricted ability for regional contacts and contacts to people about special programs. The details of this will be worked out soon with the involvement of the Mandala Council and the Sakyong’s Council.

If you have concerns or suggestions about this policy, please send an email to [email protected]

How is the SDB protected from hackers and other security problems?

When you contact the SDB, data you send or receive is encrypted so it can’t be looked at by anyone in transit.

The access to the database itself is password protected so that only Shambhala Members can see information, and only the DBA who “owns” the record can make a change to it.

Regular data quality checks are done. The database statistics are reviewed regularly for unusual activity so that in the unlikely event of a security breach, it will be found and the correct data restored quickly. A full back-up of the data is done on a daily basis.

sdb_privacy_and_security.txt · Last modified: 2020/07/01 17:15 (external edit)