PRIVACY POLICY

The MESA has created this privacy notice to explain how we treat Internet visitors and information that may be shared unknowingly over the Internet by visitors to our site.

Policy Regarding Email Addresses

We do not collect your email address.

We do not have any electronic forms, hidden or visible on our website. Should you click on one of our email links, then your mail application will provide you with an empty message with our address entered in the To box. If you choose not to complete the message, and cancel out of the message, the message will not be sent, and we will not have access to your email address. If however, you do send the email, we will have your email address, but we do not store it in any database, and do not use it except to conclude whatever business you have initiated.

Many websites contain forms that will ask you to give your email address; they will then share your email address with potential spammers. We do not even ask for your email address, and do not share it with anyone.

Policy Regarding Website Usage

We DO NOT collect site usage statistics.

When you visit some websites, information is collected on the name of your Internet service provider, the browser and type of computer you are using, the referring website (e.g. Google), the pages you request and the date and time of those requests. This information is often used to generate statistics and measures of site activity to improve the usefulness of the site.

To repeat again, we do not collect this information.

Cookies

We do not use Cookies.

A cookie is a piece of data stored on the user's hard drive containing information about the user. Cookies can be used for measuring site usage, and if an electronic form has been used to collect information such as name, address and email address, this information can be stored in a cookie.

Policy Regarding Social Security Numbers

Some official government websites, including perhaps official NASA websites, will actually require you to use your Social Security Number as a personal identifier in order to complete a request or sometimes even to log in!

The MESA frowns on this practice and has sought to stop this unsafe and unnecessary practice for about two decades (before widespread concern with identity theft).

General Policy on Membership Anonymity

Despite facts to the contrary, the impression persists among some employees that membership in the MESA will be "career limiting." Consequently, MESA makes every effort to protect the identity of its members. The name and mailing addresses collected by the MESA are shared only with the parent organization, IFPTE. Other information, i.e. phone numbers and organization codes are only used internally for contacting a member regarding MESA business.

The names and mailing addresses are used by IFPTE headquarters in the following ways:

1. To verify membership for the payment of dues FROM MESA (Local 27) to IFPTE.
2. To send the quarterly news publication IFPTE Outlook (free) to members.
3. To verify membership status of an employee who has applied for additional Union benefits or services such as scholarships or insurance (See IFPTE Benefits for more information).

Any dues payments received by the MESA office in the form of checks will be seen only by the MESA treasurer and the bank. The MESA cannot insure complete anonymity when payments are made by payroll deduction since official NASA payroll designees process those payments.