We take protecting the privacy of members seriously! The information that is shared with third party application developers is set forth in the Ning Applications Terms of Use. As mentioned in the Ning Applications Terms of Use, Ning doesn’t give third party application developers your members’ email addresses or dates of birth. The only information provided to third party application developers is:
- Profile names and profile pictures as provided by them in their profiles on your Ning Network;
- Profile names and profile pictures of their friends on your Ning Network; and
This is exact same information that would be provided if a member added a My App himself/herself. The Ning Applications Terms of Use have been posted on our site since the launch of My Apps in October 2008 and were recently updated to include Ning Apps.
Additionally, all third party application developers and their Apps must follow the Third Party Application Developer Terms of Service and Terms of Service. Both specifically prohibit third party developers from using the Ning Platform to collect, use or disclose data, including personal information, about other members without their consent or for unlawful purposes or in violation of applicable law or regulations. Third party developers also agree to implement and observe standards of privacy and confidentiality for the collection, use and sharing of any data related to any members that are at least as stringent as the standards set forth in the Ning Privacy Policy.
If you’d like to let your members know that certain pieces of information will be provided to third party developers before you add a Ning App, you could send a broadcast message. Alternatively, sending a broadcast message beforehand allows you to gauge how your members feel and then decide whether or not you should add a Ning App. If you decide to take advantage of Ning Apps, you can create a required profile question to make sure that all new members know about this before joining.