This policy covers the use of personal information that we collect when you use our sites. The policy also gives you information about cookies; our and third parties' use of cookies; and how you may reject such cookies.

From time to time, you will be asked to submit personal information about yourself (e.g. name and email address) in order to receive or use services on our website.

By entering your details in the fields requested, you enable us and its service providers to provide you with the services you select. Whenever you provide such personal information, we will treat that information in accordance with this policy. When using your personal information we will act in accordance with current legislation and aim to meet current Internet best practice.

2. Visitor Information

During the course of any visit, the pages you see, along with a short text file called a 'cookie', are downloaded to your computer. Many websites do this, because cookies enable website publishers to do useful things like find out whether the computer (and probably its user) has visited the website before. This is done on a repeat visit by checking to see, and finding, the cookie left there on the last visit.

Information supplied by cookies can help us to provide you with a better online user experience and assist us to analyze the profile of our visitors. For example: if on a previous visit you went to our education pages, we might find this out from your cookie and highlight educational information on your second and subsequent visits.

3. What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small amount of data, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier that is sent to your browser from a website's computer and stored on your computer's hard drive. Each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser's preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a web site to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites.

Many sites do this whenever a user visits their website in order to track online traffic flows.

Cookies record information about your online preferences. Users have the opportunity to set their computers to accept all cookies, to notify them when a cookie is issued, or not to receive cookies at any time. The last of these, of course, means that certain personalized services cannot then be provided to that user and accordingly you may not be able to take full advantage of all of the features. Each browser is different, so check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.

If you have set your computer to reject cookies you can still browse anonymously until such time as you wish to register for services. For further information on cookies please visit www.aboutcookies.org.

4. Use and storage of your personal information

When you supply any personal information we have legal obligations towards you in the way we use those data. We must collect the information fairly, that is, we must explain how we will use it (see the notices on particular web pages that let you know why we are requesting the information) and tell you if we want to pass the information on to anyone else.

In general, any information you provide will only be used within and by its agents and service providers. Your information will be disclosed where we are obliged or permitted by law. Also, if you post or send offensive, inappropriate or objectionable content or otherwise engage in any disruptive behavior, we can use whatever information that is available to it about you to stop such behavior. This may involve informing relevant third parties such as your employer, school e-mail/Internet provider and law enforcement agencies about the content and your behavior.

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as you use the service you have requested, and remove it in the event that the purpose has been met, or, in the case of membership you no longer wish to continue your registration as a member. For safety reasons, however, we may store messaging transcript data (including message content, member names, times and dates) arising from the use of Community services. Where personal information is held for people who are not yet registered but have taken part in other services, that information will be held as long as is necessary to ensure that the service is run smoothly. We will ensure that all personal information supplied is held securely, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

5. Access to your personal information

You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you and to have any inaccuracies corrected. (We charge $20 for information requests.) Please address requests to the Data Protection Officer, SIBA, 3806 Yale Avenue, Columbia, SC 29205.

6. Users 18 and under

If you are aged 18 or under, please get your parent/guardian's permission before-hand whenever you provide personal information to any website. Users without this consent are not allowed to provide us with personal information.

7. How to find and control your cookies

If you're using Netscape 6.0:
On your Task Bar, click:

Edit, then
Preferences
Click on Advanced
Click on Cookies
If you're using Internet Explorer 6.0:

Choose Tools, then
Internet Options
Click the Privacy Tab
Click on Custom Level
Click on the 'Advanced' button
Check the 'override automatic cookie handing' box and select Accept, Block or Prompt for action as appropriate.
If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0 or 5.5:

Choose Tools, then
Internet Options
Click the Security tab
Click on Custom Level
Scroll down to the sixth option to see how cookies are handled by IE5 and change to Accept, Disable, or Prompt for action as appropriate.
If you're using Internet Explorer 4.0:

Choose View, then
Internet Options
Click the Advanced tab
Scroll down to the yellow exclamation icon under Security and choose one of the three options to regulate your use of cookies.
If you're using Internet Explorer 3.0:
You can View, Options, Advanced, then click on the button that says Warn before Accepting Cookies.

If you're using Netscape Communicator 4.0:
On your Task Bar, click:

Edit, then
Preferences
Click on Advanced
Set your options in the box that says Cookies.
8. How do you know which of the sites you've visited use cookies?

If you're using Netscape 6.0:
On your Task Bar, click:

Edit, then
Preferences
Click on Advanced
Click on Cookies
Click the View Cookies button
If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0 or 6.0:

Choose Tools, then
Internet Options
Click the General tab
Click Settings
View Files
If you're using Internet Explorer 4.0:
On your Task Bar, click:

View, then
Internet Options
Under the tab General (the default tab) click
Settings
View Files.
If you're using Internet Explorer 3.0:
On your Task Bar, click:

View
Options
Advanced
View Files.
If you're using Netscape Communicator 4.0:
Netscape bundles all cookies into one file on your hard drive. You'll need to find the file, which it calls Cookie.txt on Windows machines. [Top]

9. How to see your cookie code

Just click on a cookie to open it. You'll see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are your identification card, which can only be seen by the server that gave you the cookie.