Online Privacy Information

The following is a letter sent from Bishop Wenski dated February 15, 2007 regarding the Online Privacy Protection Act. There are two important announcements to which I call your attention:

  1. After careful study and at the recommendation of the Diocesan Response Team, the Diocese of Orlando will comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule, a guide from the Federal Trade Commission, the Direct Marketing Association and the Internet Alliance. There is one change in our adoption of this Privacy Protection Act. That is, in the Diocese of Orlando, it will apply to the online collection of personal information from children under 18 (instead of 13 years of age).
  2. A database of subscribers for parish or other Diocesan use can be a useful tool for parish or entity distribution of important messages, calendar of events, or other data. The marketplace is full of companies which offer such database opportunities. This type of database can also compromise a person’s identity and/or place an individual in danger, if the database is mis-used or shared indiscreetly. No parish or Diocesan entity should create or subscribe to a vehicle by which subscribers, other than authorized personnel such as employees, priests, deacons, religious or those designated at the discretion of the pastor or entity head, are given e-mail addresses to communicate with other subscribers.

In addition, the database should NOT:

  1. Offer Chat or Chat Rooms
  2. Allow Blogs
  3. Require or Request Photos of Subscriber
  4. Ask for Age or Gender of Subscriber
  5. Display Subscriber E-Mail Addresses
  6. Allow Subscribers Access to Other Subscriber Information

As we utilize the internet, e-mail and other technology for communication, we must be aware of the serious and grave danger to our children and young people when information is misguided or given innocently to the wrong people.

The information collected by this website is solely used to contact the repsondent to give more information regarding the Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church’s Ministry of Altar Servers. This information is NOT shared with any outside agency or persons.

Please remember, as per Diocesan Guidelines, ministry coordinators within the Diocese of Orlando are NOT permitted to contact a child via email unless a copy is sent to the parent or legal guardian of that child. For more information, please go to the Diocese of Orlando website or the Federal Trade Commission’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) information page.