Privacy and Security FAQs on Eons™

Have a question about Eons Privacy and Security? Take a look at these FAQs.

Privacy and Security

How can I protect my privacy?

Use the privacy settings to reflect the degree to which you want to share information. Once you’re logged in, from the Privacy page, you can establish the settings to control who can see your profile and contact information.

How can I control who can see my Profile?

You should review the privacy settings on your Profile to ensure they meet your own individual privacy desires. By using your privacy settings you may choose among three options for how you share your information, with: no one, friends only, or everyone. Of course, anything that you share with everyone, including your posts to a public Group, can also be picked up by Internet search engines like Google.

To get to your privacy settings:

  1. Log in to Eons.
  2. Click the Account Settings link located in the top middle area of the page.
  3. Click the Privacy Settings link located in the Account Setting menu.
  4. Change any of the settings to your desired level of privacy.

Read more in How to use privacy settings on Eons to learn how you can set your privacy settings and stay safe on Eons.

How can I control who can find me in Eons and Internet searches and what they can see?

Like most online communities, when you post content on Eons, your content is public and as such can be picked up by various search engines, including Google. Because Eons is a public website, you should be careful about what information you put on the internet. We recommend that you not post anything you wouldn’t want the world to know (e.g., your phone number, address, email address or specific whereabouts). Note that the use of a screen name on Eons helps to keep your identity discreet. Eons will not reveal your personal email address or your real name, unless you choose to display it on your extended Profile.

By using your privacy settings you may choose among three options for how you share your information, with: no one, friends only, or everyone. Of course, anything that you share with everyone, including your posts to a public Group, can also be picked up by Internet search engines like Google.

To get to your privacy settings:

  1. Login to Eons.
  2. Click the Account Settings link located in the top middle area of the page.
  3. Click the Privacy Settings link located in the Account Setting menu.
  4. Change any of the settings to your desired level of privacy.

Read more in How to use privacy settings on Eons to learn how you can set your privacy settings and stay safe on Eons.

Can others know when I view their Profiles?

We don't currently offer an application that would allow you to track Profile views or statistics on the views of any specific member content.

What happens to my ownership of content (blog, Group posts, photos, etc.) when I post on Eons?

Like other community websites, Eons posts official Terms of Use (TOU) that describe the relationships, rights and responsibilities among the website (that’s us) and its users (anyone who posts on or just visits eons.com). While it is important to read the Eons TOU, we hope that this FAQ will clarify our position about the ownership of any content created by Eons members that you post on Eons.

We feel very strongly that Eons members should not have to give up anything in order to share their ideas and creations with each other and with us. That’s why our TOU specifically state, under the heading, Content and Comments Posted by Eons members, After posting Member Content, you continue to retain your ownership rights in such Member Content, and you continue to have the right to use your Member Content in any way you choose.” If you create any original content (writing, artwork, photos, blogs, etc.), then with regard to that content, even after posting here, you continue to have the rights to:

  • sell it;
  • modify it;
  • license it to others
  • distribute (publish) it anywhere, including posting on other websites; and
  • create other content based upon it.

While you continue to own the content you post, by posting on eons.com you do grant Eons a limited license with regard to that content. But we want to make it clear that in agreeing to this license, you do not give up your copyright rights. A license is simply a kind of permission. For example, when you invite someone into your home, you are giving them a license to enter. But by giving them that license, you are not handing your house over to them, or giving up any of your ownership rights in your house. The situation with content you post on eons.com may not be identical, but it is similar. By giving Eons a license, you give us the right to do certain things with regard to your content (see our FAQ, Why does Eons require a license to use the content I post?), but this does not take away from your own ownership rights in that content. The only thing you can no longer do is give someone else an exclusive license to the same content that you’ve already given Eons a license to. You can, of course, give others the same non-exclusive license you’ve given Eons.

Another point we want to address here is what happens, or can happen, to your content when you post it anywhere on the Internet. We’ve heard it said that when you place something in writing on the World Wide Web, it’s as if you’ve written it on a postcard that travels through the U.S. mail system: anyone can see what you’ve written. Search engines can find your postings, and unless some kind of copy-protection utility is used, someone can copy and distribute your content, either as-is or modified, without your permission. That’s a risk that many of us take, and it’s hard to prevent others from violating the laws against this kind of behavior. At Eons, we do try to protect our members through the TOU, by requiring all who enter to (1) acknowledge that those who post here own the copyright in their original content, and (2) agree to honor each others’ copyrights. We can’t guarantee that this will protect against “pirates,” but at least we’re laying down the law. We hope this gives you a little more comfort in taking part in our community!

Why does Eons require a license to use the content I post?
As copyright owner in any content you create, you alone have the right to display, publish, distribute, reformat and edit your original content. This means that Eons cannot do any of these things unless you give us a license to do so. So the license described in Eons’ Terms of Use (TOU) is necessary, just so that we can do the things needed to run our website and build and maintain the Eons community.

The license that you, the copyright owner, give Eons is:

  • worldwide – because the Internet and Eons are global in reach;
  • royalty-free – meaning that Eons is not required to pay you for the content that you post;
  • non-exclusive – meaning you are free to license your content to anyone else in addition to Eons; and
  • sub licensable – so that Eons is able to use its affiliates and subcontractors such as Internet content delivery networks to provide our eons.com website.

Among other things, the license you give us includes the right to modify the content you post on eons.com. Without this right, Eons would not be able to format content to satisfy technical requirements of the website.

The license also includes the right to distribute content “in any form.” We realize that this is a very wide-open term. But as we BOOMers know, technology moves at an incredible pace, and the forms of communication we’re familiar with today may quickly be replaced by forms we can’t even envision yet. We’ve already seen our world move on from vinyl records to reel-to-reel tapes, then cassettes, CD’s and DVD’s. We have moved from snail-mail to email, IM’s, blogs, and text and video messaging via cell phones (and probably other media and means of communications that we at Eons don’t even know about). Given the fast pace of change, that “in any form” language enables us to move quickly to meet our members’ changing needs.

Are there any restrictions on the kinds of photos and videos I can post on Eons?

What a great question – we’re glad you asked! And we’re glad to see Members making the most of Eons by sharing photos and videos. In general, the photos and videos you post are considered Member Content under the terms of Eons’ TOU, and should comply with the TOU. For instance, they should not be pornographic or sexually explicit, and they should have been created by you or, if created by someone else, you should have authorization to publish them. For more guidance, see the sections of the TOU entitled “Content and Comments Posted by Eons Members” and “Rules of Conduct.”

There are also some special considerations to keep in mind when posting visual images in which other people are identifiable. Everyone has a right of privacy and a right of publicity – the rights to control who sees their image and who has access to information about them. To avoid violating another person’s privacy and publicity rights, you should get their explicit authorization to post photos and videos in which they are identifiable. (Note: this general rule has some exceptions for celebrities and public figures).

By posting anything on the website, including photos and videos, Members represent that they either have created that content or have authorization to publish it. Eons relies on this representation by Members, and we don’t question it. But we take privacy very seriously – both Members’ privacy, and anyone else’s – so if we do receive notice from anyone that their image has been posted on Eons without their authorization, we may elect to remove that content and/or notify the poster of the complaint anonymously.

As a member of Eons, can I share information about my outside business?

We recognize that many of you have a lot to contribute to the community, including things about your own outside businesses. As an Eons member, we welcome you to post information about outside businesses and organizations within your Eons Profile and blog (as long as you adhere to the Eons Terms of Use). Refrain from spamming so please be careful when posting information about outside businesses and organizations in other areas on the Eons website.

Group posts should add value to the overall community of Eons and to the specific Group you are posting to. If you post to a Group and make reference to an outside business or organization, make sure that it fits the topic to that group. Don’t post the same message to multiple Groups and make sure what you are posting about is both legitimate and legal. Post to the Eons Marketplace Group about your business, website, products and more.

Only send a Private Message (PM) that makes reference to an outside business or organization in response to a member who is requesting the information. Ultimately, it is our discretion to determine if your behavior in the community is spam.

If you represent a company or organization, you may join Eons as a Registered Headquarter (HQ) Member. Humana, Nintendo Wii, Total Cereal, and others have set up HQ memberships so that they can be part of the Eons community. If you wish to create an HQ membership on Eons, please contact us at advertising@eons.com.

What are the privacy options for Groups?

When you create a Group, you have the option of making it as open or exclusive as you wish. There are three different access levels:

  • Public: Everyone can see the Group and any Eons member can join.
  • Public with Approval: Everyone can see the Group, but the Group manager must approve all membership requests or personally send invites.
  • Private: These Groups offer access only by invitation and cannot be found or searched by others on Eons. Private Groups cannot be found on Internet search engines, including Google. If you have a Group you would like to gather on Eons that you would like to be private such as a book club, a class reunion, your volunteer group, then this is a great way to support those personal activities. A Private Group lets you stay updated, share links and schedule get-togethers easily.

Group managers can change these options at any time by clicking on Manage Group.

What are the privacy options for LifeMap?

You have privacy options for your LifeMap. By using your privacy settings you may choose among three options for how you share your information, with: “no one,” “friends only,” or “everyone.”

To get to your privacy settings:

  1. Login to Eons.
  2. Click the Account Settings link located in the top middle area of the page.
  3. Click the Privacy Settings link located in the Account Setting menu.
  4. Change any of the settings to your desired level of privacy.
How do I deactivate my account?

If you’re worried about who can see you and what they can see, remember that you have control over this and can edit your settings as you see fit from the Privacy page. If you still want to leave Eons, you can deactivate your account from the Account Settings page.

Deactivation will prevent you from logging in to Eons, remove your Profile, remove any connections you have made (Friends, Groups, etc.) and you will no longer receive emails from Eons or its members.

Does Eons distribute my member information?

Eons respects your privacy. We don’t distribute your member information to marketers or spammers. You can read more about this in our Privacy Policy.

How do I report other members who violate the Eons Terms of Use?

We encourage all members to utilize the Report as inappropriate links when they find content that violates the Eons Terms of Use. In most cases, you will find a Report as inappropriate link below the piece of content. Selecting this link takes you to a form where you can contact the Eons Help Team. Eons investigates these reports and makes a determination as to whether or not the content should stay up. All reports on Eons are confidential.

If you have witnessed content on the site that violates the Terms of Use and you are unable to report using these links, please contact the Eons Help Team.

What happens when I report someone?

All abuse reports on Eons are confidential. The member that you are reporting will not know that you have reported them. After the report is submitted, Eons investigates the issue and makes a determination as to whether or not the content should stay up. In certain situations, the circumstances necessitate more severe action. For instance, members who repeatedly violate our Terms of Use can be permanently suspended from the site.

We encourage all members to utilize the Report as inappropriate links when they find content that violates the Eons Terms of Use. In most cases, you will find a Report as inappropriate link below the piece of content. Selecting this link takes you to a form where you can contact the Eons Help Team. We investigate these reports and make a determination as to whether or not the content should stay up. All reports to us are confidential.

If you have witnessed content on the site that violates the Terms of Use and you are unable to report using these links, please contact the Eons Help Team.

What do I do if I find myself in an online conflict on Eons?

Like real-life communities, there are as many different people and opinions as there are members. So, differences of opinion, personality clashes, heated discussions, name calling, blocking, ranting and other types of online conflicts arise. Check out Suzy’s blog.

Someone created an account to impersonate me. What can I do?

Please contact the Eons Help Team with the exact screen name on the account. If possible, please also provide us a URL to the Profile page or the contact email associated with the account. We will look into this issue and take action according to our Terms of Use.

With people of various ages being able to join Eons, are we legally liable for underage children viewing content intended for adults?

While we can’t give you legal advice, we can pass on to you our understanding of some laws that apply to online postings.

For those of us in the U.S., the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution – the “free speech” amendment – protects our right to communicate legal adult content to the public (including through public websites like eons.com). There are some types of content that are not legal, and not protected by the First Amendment. These include child pornography and obscene material. While there is no clear definition of obscene, consider what “community standards” would deem as obscene. Also consider that the determination as to what is obscene or not does not depend on whether or not children are around to view, read or hear it. Posting pornographic or sexually explicit content is prohibited on Eons but simply discussing sexual matters is not a violation of the law or the Eons’ Terms of Use.

There is also a federal law that specifically protects children on the Internet. This law, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), addresses whether private or identifying information is being sought from children under the age of 13. It does not create any liability in situations where children are 13 or over (the minimum age for entry to Eons), or where children simply read or see something on the Internet. Also, COPPA places liability on Web site operators, not on those who merely post on a Web site.

Frankly, other than the laws mentioned above, our lawyers are scratching their heads over what liability might be triggered if a child views adult content posted on Eons. The Internet is like any other public place. If you were reading an adult magazine on a bus and a child looked over your shoulder, would you worry about your liability? Web sites aren’t really any different. Basically, when it comes to protecting children from simply viewing offensive material on the Internet, that’s really up to the child’s parent, and Eons has tried to make this clear in the section of our TOU entitled “Children Between the Ages of 13 and 18.”

Aside from legal liability, however, we think it’s a good idea to behave on Eons as you would in any other public place. If you were in a restaurant, talking about sexual matters with a friend, would you rein in your discussion a bit if you saw a child seated nearby? Or would you move your conversation over to a quieter, maybe less public area? Here on Eons, we can’t always know who is viewing our pages, but our ability to put warnings in place will help to inform parents of adult content and keep their children away from inappropriate content.

I'm concerned that because Eons accepts members of various ages, there will be more instances of spam or inappropriate content. What can be done to avoid such problems?

We do not anticipate an increase in disruptive members, or people joining to try to spam or take advantage of the existing community, due to the removal of the age restriction. Inappropriate members exist in all age groups and no one age group has a greater proportion of “bad apples”. Also, as most information entered by such people is false, their stated age is no exception. Like any online community, Eons is bound to have its share of spam and inappropriate content. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Eons Terms of Use and to report inappropriate content to the Eons Help Team. Collectively, we do a pretty good job of getting rid of disruptive members. To learn how to report an issue to the Eons Help Team, please read the FAQ,How do I report other members who violate the Eons Terms of Use?.

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