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The Internet Classics Archive is committed to preserving the privacy and security of its visitors. Information about visitors will not be sold or provided to any third party. Visitor information is collected only to enhance the experience of the visitor and subsequent visitors. To that end, the following information is collected by the Internet Classics Archive:
- server access log
- For every page, script, and image access, an entry is recorded in the server access log file. The access log is used only for internal purposes, such as identifying malfunctioning parts of the site, streamlining the site to better react to visitor behavior, and determining the frequency of use of various parts of the site. Occasionally, the access log records may be used to identify visitors who abuse the site (especially the commentary area); specifically, the information is used to identify the visitor's host and Internet service provider in order to send a complaint. Each access log entry includes time and date information, the requested and referring URL, the visitor's browser (name, version, and platform), and the visitor's host IP address. For example (the IP address has been x'ed out):
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx - - [03/Jun/1998:02:44:53 -0400] "GET /Xenophon/xen.anab.html HTTP/1.0" 200 6993 "http://classics.mit.edu/Browse/browse-Xenophon.html" "Mozilla/4.04 (Macintosh; I; PPC)"- server error log
- Every time a visitor encounters an error on the site, an entry is recorded in an error log much like the server access log. The error log is carefully scrutinized to determine any mistakes in the archive. Occasionally, log entries may be correlated with errors reported over e-mail to more fully determine the cause of an error. The error log entry includes time and date information and data about the error, which could include a requested URL and/or the visitor's IP address. For example (the IP address has been x'ed out):
[Wed Jun 3 18:23:16 1998] [error] Directory index forbidden by rule: /var/classics.mit.edu/htdocs/Hesiod/and[Wed Jun 3 18:23:37 1998] [warn] (32)Broken pipe: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx client stopped connection before send mmap completed- comment poster IP address
- Every time a visitor posts a comment (including a reply to an existing comment), the poster's IP address is recorded. This information is used for tracking down errors and also to identify people who misuse the commentary area; specifically, the information is used to identify the visitor's host and Internet service provider in order to send a complaint.
- comment e-mail address
- If a visitor provides an e-mail address when posting a comment (including a reply to an existing comment), that e-mail address is displayed and hyperlinked on the same page as the comment. The address may be used for general Internet Classics Archive announcements. That e-mail address will never be actively disclosed to a third party, but it is publicly available on the comment page. If a poster no longer wishes to have his or her e-mail address listed, he or she should contact the Webmaster at classics@classics.mit.edu.
- comment area subscription e-mail address
- When a visitor subscribes to the mailing list for a particular comment area, his or her e-mail address (as provided by the visitor) is recorded. That address is used for sending out future comments via e-mail. That address may also be used for general Internet Classics Archive announcements. The e-mail address of a subscriber will never be disclosed to a third party.
- trivia response e-mail address
- The trivia question answer form requests the visitor to provide a name and e-mail address. In the event that visitor is selected as the winner (randomly, from all the correct answers) his or her name will be featured on the home page of the Internet Classics Archive for about two weeks. The e-mail address is collected for verification and notification purposes only, and will be used only to contact a winner or for other general Internet Classics Archive announcements. The e-mail address of a trivia respondent will never be disclosed to a third party.
- reader-recommended Web site e-mail address
- If a visitor provides an e-mail address when posting a reader-recommended Web site, that e-mail address is recorded. That address may be used for general Internet Classics Archive announcements. The e-mail address of a site recommender will never be disclosed to a third party. Note that the name of a site recommender is listed on the site list page.