Terms of Use

Introduction

Welcome to the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) & Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) Social Networking Website.  This policy governs your conduct while using this Website.  If you do not accept and abide by this policy, do not use this Social Networking Website or any of the services provided on the Website.  By using any of the services found on this website, you are indicating your acceptance to be bound by this policy.  SCCE & HCCA reserves the right to revise this Policy at any time at its sole discretion by updating this posting.  You should visit this page periodically to review the policy because it is binding on you.   

Rationale

The use of the SCCE & HCCA Social Networking Website is growing and has become a desired service of compliance & ethics profession.  Unrestricted use of this service can cause problems.  The purpose of this Policy is to encourage and allow for the maximum utilization of the service, yet provide a methodology that ensures the efficiency, effectiveness, and manageability of the service, based on the principle that the electronic information environment is provided to support SCCE & HCCA business and its mission of compliance & ethics education, networking, and service.  Other uses are secondary.  Uses that threaten the integrity of the Association, the privacy of others, the actual or perceived safety of others; or that otherwise is illegal are forbidden. 

General Policy Guidelines:

By using the SCCE & HCCA Social Networking Website you assume personal responsibility for its appropriate use and agree to comply with this Policy and any other applicable SCCE & HCCA Policies. 

Public discussions: All discussion posts are public and may be indexed by internet search engines.  Use caution when posting a new message. Private messages to individual users are not indexed by search engines.

Acceptable Users:  All individuals with affiliation or interest in the compliance & ethics profession are encouraged to participate.  

Social Networking Website Fees:  The Social Networking service is available at no charge to signed up users. There are restricted SCCE & HCCA Association member areas such as libraries containing documents, templates, and manuals.

Enforcement and Penalties for Violation of this Policy:  It may be necessary to suspend someone’s access to the SCCE & HCCA Social Networking Website immediately for violations of this Policy.  Continued violations of this policy may result in permanent suspension of access to the Website.

Specific Policy Guidelines:

·                 Do not use the Website for conducting any private business or commercial activity without the expressed, written consent of SCCE & HCCA.  Commercial activities include, but are not limited to, job postings, promotional announcements, product-related press releases, or advertising.  Such conduct should immediately be brought to the attention of SCCE & HCCA.

·                 Do not put copyrighted material on this web site without permission from the owner of the copyrighted material.

·                 No offensive or inappropriate pictures may be posted on the Website.

·                 No offensive or inappropriate comments may be posted on the Website. 

·                 Feel free to express yourself, but do not do anything to injure or harm other individuals, organizations, or corporations.

·                 You are expected to use common sense and courtesy in the communications you transmit on the Website. 

·                 Defamatory, harassing, sexist, racist, obscene, and any other offensive communications are not acceptable forms of communication over the SCCE & HCCA Social Networking Website, and could lead to legal liability for those engaging in such improper communications.

·                 If you dislike someone’s idea, you may attack the idea but not the person. 

·                 If you have a different opinion, express yourself in a professional manner.

·                 Maintain a civil tone in your communications at all times.

·                 Do  not use the Website to defame or disparage anyone.

·                 Do not misrepresent yourself, in any way, on the Website.

·                 Do not use the Website for anything that might be illegal. 

·                 Do not use the Website to communicate with SCCE & HCCA competitors that may, in any way, violate the antitrust laws.

·                 Do not use the Website to express opinions on politics, religion, or other controversial topics that are not pertinent to the particular topic of the social network.

·                 Do not attempt to gain access to Website areas which are restricted from your use.

·                 Do not send or propagate communications that contain viruses or components that threaten to interfere with or compromise the integrity of SCCE & HCCA computer systems, networks, or Websites.

·                 Do not use the Website in any way that may violate any rules of membership in the Association.

Limitation of Liability and Indemnity

The greatest danger to SCCE & HCCA, as for all operators of Social Networking Websites, is that we might be held accountable for the wrongful acts of participants. 

This Website was not started to take responsibility for the actions of others.  Accordingly, all participants must accept responsibility for their own acts, and to accept that an act by another participant that damages them must not be blamed on SCCE & HCCA, but on the participant causing the harm.  Therefore, as a condition of participation in the SCCE & HCCA Social Networking Website, participants must agree to the following:

You agree that SCCE & HCCA will not be responsible to you for any indirect, consequential, special or punitive damages or losses you may incur in connection with our Social Networking Website or any of the data or other materials transmitted through or residing on the Website, even if SCCE & HCCA has been advised of the possibility of such damage or loss.  In addition, you agree to defend and indemnify SCCE & HCCA, its officers, directors, employees, and agents and hold SCCE & HCCA, its officers, directors, employees, and agents harmless from and against any and all claims, proceedings, damages, injuries, liabilities, losses, costs and expenses (including attorney’s fees) relating to any acts or omissions by you or materials or information transmitted by you in connection with our Social Networking Website leading wholly or partially to claims against SCCE or HCCA, its officers, directors, employees, or agents or our Website by other users and third parties.

Choice of Law

Our Social Networking Website has participants from all over the World.  Each state & country has a different set of laws.  SCCE & HCCA cannot keep track of the various laws of the 50 states & countries governing Websites.  Because of this, you agree that the laws of Minnesota USA will apply to all matters relating to the SCCE & HCCA Social Networking Website.  You also agree and consent that if there is ever any legal action against SCCE & HCCA, the state and federal courts of Hennepin County, Minnesota USA will have exclusive jurisdiction and be the exclusive venue for any such legal action.

User Acknowledgment and Acceptance

This Policy and its provisions is the entire understanding between you and SCCE & HCCA regarding your relationship to the SCCE & HCCA Social Networking Website.  You have read and understand the rules contained in the SCCE & HCCA Social Networking Website Policy and accept these rules and to use the SCCE & HCCA Social Networking Website Policy only in compliance with them.