Respecting Individual Privacy
VIDEO DISCUSSION available here. Also see here for the JwContacts Privacy Policy.
All persons have an inherent right to privacy that must be respected throughout your use of JwContacts and similar software.
Some legal jurisdictions have laws covering collection, storage, safeguarding, distribution, and use of any or certain data about a person.
JwContactsUD must ALWAYS be used in full accordance with CURRENT applicable law, which may change over time.
The following applies with equal force to ANY data you or the Body keeps, whether with aid of JwContactsUD or other software or through other means.
The author is simply a layman in these areas and the following are NOT legal findings.
Please verify any applicable topic independently.
Internet links below were valid as of this writing. If a link does not work now a similar location should be available by careful web search.
To cite two examples as of this writing:
1. The European Union enforces a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, please see https://www.eugdpr.org/.) that has severe penalties for violating the privacy of any of its citizens, even if that citizen is living abroad.
Although JwContacts is not a commercial product and must never be used for any commercial purpose, use of JwContacts' users must never violate the right of a EU citizen to give full prior consent to storage of any of his own personal information.
The GDPR exempts only police agencies and natural person's use of data for their own household; otherwise storage of even a name, an address, etc. requires prior informed consent.
GDPR also has requirements for how data is stored and distributed. Encryption and storage in secure cloud accounts may meet these requirements; please see Encryption and Data Distribution.
2. United States Privacy Act of 1974 and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) place certain restrictions on handling the private data of individuals, especially anything having to do with their health status.
Before entering any information in JwC regarding Known Allergies, Infirm status, Cautions, etc., be sure no violation of these laws would be entailed. See https://www.hhs.gov/foia/privacy/index.html.
SUMMARY: Throughout the world concerns over proper safeguarding of personal data continues to grow and means laws will surely be enacted and modified regularly.
Please stay aware of all applicable adjustments both in local law and foreign law that affects certain citizens living outside their home countries and now are in your territory.
Data it was once permissible to store or share may eventually need to be deleted; do so without delay!
JwC accepts NO responsibilities in this area. You must bear full responsibility to conform to all applicable laws.
Remember, in JwC nearly all data is optional; use only what persons have given their consent for and which law allows and, if you distribute JwC data, do that only as law allows.