Privacy Policy

Welcome to Gangfree.org, an online service and Web site administered by the Harbor Area Gang Alternatives Program, dba as the Gang Alternatives Program, (“the Program”, or “We”), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The Program’s online properties are comprised of, but are not limited to, all pages found under www.gangfree.org, including our youth portal for children and teens, “My Gangfree Life” (www.gangfree.org/mylife) (“Program sites”, or “Site”)

We respect your privacy. Below you will find our Privacy Policy that describes our information collection practices, as well as how we protect Children’s privacy. Please review our Terms and Conditions for more information on how to use this Site. BY ACCESSING OR USING THE SITE, YOU ARE ACCEPTING THE PRACTICES DESCRIBED IN THE PRIVACY POLICY.

FAMILY NOTICE

Children and Teens – If you are 18 years old or younger, please ask a parent or guardian for permission to use gangfree.org, and be sure to ask their permission before providing any information to us.

Parents and Guardians – Our goal at gangfree.org is to provide an informative online service for you and your children. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), set forth by the Federal Trade Commission, has issued guidelines for Web sites gathering information from minors. The Gang Alternatives Program and Gangfree.org intends to comply with the COPPA guidelines in order to protect your kids and their privacy. We recommend that you become familiar with these guidelines and monitor your child’s internet use and submissions.

COLLECTION OF INFORMATION
We do not require users to register or provide information to us in order to view our Site. The only personally identifiable information that we collect about you is from submission forms, polls and surveys that you voluntarily choose to fill out, or emails, donations, or requests that you knowingly send. This information will be closely protected and used for internal purposes by the Program and the Program’s third party professionals who have agreed to maintain the confidentiality and security of the information. We do not collect information using cookies, and we do not sell information to third parties.

DONATIONS
When you donate to the Program online you submit confidential credit card information and contact information. We limit access of this information to personnel authorized to process your request. The information collected is not used for any direct mail or email databases or solicitations, nor is it sold to any third parties. Donors have the option of sending checks in the mail to avoid online submissions.

USER SUBMISSIONS AND E-MAILS
Our Site offers many opportunities for users to share their personal stories, testimonials, ideas, opinions, suggestions or creative materials (“material” or “materials”). Please be advised that any material that a user voluntarily submits to the Site is considered public. By submitting your material (using submission forms, polls, call for entries, email, or postal mail) you automatically give us permission to post your material on our Program sites. We reserve the right to edit, remove or refuse to post any materials submitted to the Site that the Program deems to be not in the best interests of the Program or the people it serves. Your email address may be required for certain submissions, but it will not be stored in any database, published or shared with any third parties except as noted in this Policy. Please review our Terms and Conditions for more information.

OUTREACH RESOURCES
Our Site offers many outreach resources to its users. However, the Program does not provide professional advice, legal advice, or carry out investigations of any kind through our Program sites or email services. By submitting emails to the Program that are considered requests for help, advice or crisis intervention, you agree that your emails may be forwarded to a qualified professional resource, such as a state agency, social worker, mental health professional, legal or law enforcement professional, that can best meet your needs. This information will be closely protected by the Program’s third party professionals who have agreed to maintain the confidentiality and security of the information.

COPPA
We will never knowingly request personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13, to remain consistent with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998.

Our Site offers many opportunities for children to participate in contests, fill out surveys and quizzes (“activities”), and to share their personal stories, poetry, testimonials, ideas, opinions, nominations, interests, hobbies and creative expressions (“material” or “materials”). None of the information we require for submissions is personably identifiable, and we encourage children to ask a parent or guardian for permission before submitting any materials to the site.

Parents can review their child’s submissions, ask to have those materials deleted or removed from public posting, and refuse to allow any further collection or use of the child’s information at any time by emailing us a request at contact@gangfree.org or by mailing the request to: Gangfree.org, ATTN: Web site Coordinator, P.O. Box 408, San Pedro, CA 90733. Please identify your child’s first name and age and provide a brief description of their materials. If we have questions about your request, we may write back to you at least one time.

If a child chooses to submit materials, we will require the following information:

• Screen Name
• Age

And will request the following optional information:

• City, State

If a child chooses to submit materials to participate in contests, we will require the following information:

• Screen Name
• First Name only
• Age
• City, State
•  E-mail address

We will respond to the child on a one-time basis to notify them that they are eligible to win the contest, and to request the name or online contact information of a parent or guardian for the purpose of obtaining verifiable parental consent or providing parental notification. We will only use a screen name and age next to materials selected for posting.

LINKS TO EXTERNAL WEB SITES
Please be aware that the Site links to other Web sites that are not maintained by gangfree.org or administered by the Gang Alternatives Program. We try our best to ensure that these links are safe for kids and appropriate for our users in general. However, the Site and the Program are not responsible for, nor have we reviewed all of the content and material of linked sites, and we encourage children to check with an adult before linking to any new sites. These linked sites and information are for reference only, and their views, products or services of do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the Program.

How to Contact Us:
If you have questions or concerns with our Privacy Policy, email us at contact@gangfree.org, or write to us at:

Gangfree.org
ATTN: Web site Coordinator
P.O. Box 408
San Pedro, CA 90733

The Program reserves the right to change, modify, add, or remove portions of these terms at any time by posting a new version on this website. You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are familiar with any changes.

Updated September 30, 2008

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