We don’t collect much in the way of personal information here at Sotonians. The one thing we do collect is a person’s email address, partly for account verification if you have that switched on (the site currently isn’t configured to require email verification), but also, so that users can get notified when a topic that they are watching is subscribed to.
Nevertheless, there have been a couple of questions in earlier threads about how email addresses are treated. Thought it would be helpful to re-state some of those questions here.
Will my email address be displayed?
Absolutely not, and for very good reasons. First, it’s potentially personal information; many people use their real names in their email addresses. The other reason that almost no site displays email addresses, this included, is because there are programs out there that attempt to harvest them for spam purposes.
Will my email be address be passed on, sold, redistributed?
No. Private information is private information, and this won’t be passed on. Apart from anything else, such information is legally protected. The email addresses are for two purposes; account verification and notifications from site owners or the site itself.
Can site leaders see my email address?
Yes, but we’re bound by the above. No improper use, redistribution, etc.