Written Information Security Plan (WISP)

The Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts, Inc. (GSCWM) is committed to protecting your nonpublic personal information and has taken steps to protect your privacy. The type of information we collect varies depending on the nature of your involvement with our organization. A "minimum necessary" rule is used for both collection and access of secure information. Employees and volunteers may receive, or have access to, information about you only if there is a good reason and they must agree to follow established security and confidentiality procedures.

Periodic training is provided for employees and volunteers who, in carrying out their responsibilities for GSCWM, have reason to collect or access nonpublic personal information. Annually, all employees sign an acknowledgement that they have read and understand our privacy policies and procedures.

We have technical, administrative, and physical security measures in place to protect your personal information from unauthorized access and improper use. Our security procedures are reviewed annually to ensure compliance with applicable federal and state regulations and to consider approprate new technology and updated methods. Despite reasonable efforts, no security measure is ever perfect or impenetrable.

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires the operator of any website or online service directed to children that collects personal information from children or the operator of a website or online service that has actual knowledge that it is collecting personal information from a child (defined as an individual under the age of 13) to:

• Provide notice on the website of what information is collected from children by the operator, how the operator uses such information, and the operator's disclosure practices for such information; and
• To obtain verifiable parental consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information from children.

The Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts maintains a website that includes information of interest to girls under the age of 13.

• GSCWM will not collect personal information about children under 13 years old without verifiable parental consent.
  • Personal information, as defined in the COPPA, means individually identifiable information about an individual collected online including:
    • a first and last name;
    • a home or other physical address including street name and name of a city or town;
    • an e-mail address;
    • a telephone number;
    • a Social Security number;
    • any other identifier that permits the physical or online contacting of a specific individual;
    • or information concerning the child or the parents of that child that the website collects online from the child and combines with an identifier listed above.
  • Verifiable parental consent authorizing the collection and use of personal information before that information is collected from the child.
• Girls under the age of 13 may not purchase items from GSCWM's online retail store.