Legal

Following is a summary of the information that Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), has from users and donors.

Basic Account Information

• Username
• Email address
• Name
• Phone number
• Transaction and/or billing information

We never store credit card or financial account information on our servers. All online transactions are handled through PCI compliant, third-party merchant services. We will generally retain other information pertaining to transactions until changed or removed by the user (if it’s possible to do so). We also collect log data, which may include a user’s IP address, browser type, and operating system. We keep this information for at least 90 days as a matter of course.

Student Information
We retain student records as required for the operation of a fully accredited seminary. We maintain strict security standards for this information as regulated by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

More Information on Data Release and Retention 
Before revealing any of this information to a party that is not the owner of the account, we require a validly issued subpoena, warrant, or court order that specifically requests it, unless we believe in good faith that there is an emergency involving death or serious physical injury. We do not voluntarily provide governments with access to data about users (private or public) for law enforcement, intelligence gathering, or other surveillance purposes. More information on our requirements for releasing private user information can be found below.

To remove any other profile information you’ve chosen to provide, you may access your profile page at portal.ctsfw.edu. You will be required to log in to change your information. For further assistance in removing personal or private information, you may contact us using the methods outlined in the “Contact Us” link at the bottom of every webpage.

Requesting Private Information of CTSFW Users 
Safeguarding our student, constituent, and user private information is of vital importance to us.

Requests from Government Agencies/Law Enforcement 
Except in emergencies (for more information, see “Emergency Requests from Government Agencies/Law Enforcement” below), it is our policy to turn over private user information only upon receipt of a valid subpoena, search warrant, or court order, in each case issued by a United States authority, in compliance with the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and/or Indiana state law.

If available, we can provide the first and last names, phone number, email address currently assigned to a site owner, the date/time stamped IP address from which a site was created, the physical address, and transaction information to government agencies/law enforcement upon receipt of a valid subpoena.

Except in emergencies, we require a court order or a warrant before providing additional IP addresses or information relating to a specific post or a specific comment.

We require a warrant before disclosing the content of user communications to government agencies/law enforcement. We also require a warrant before providing any non-public content information, such as private or draft post content, or pending comments.

Requests in Civil Cases 
It is our policy to turn over private user information only upon receipt of either (1) a valid order from a US court, or (2) a subpoena served as part of an existing lawsuit that complies with Rule 45 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and/or the Indiana Evidence: Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act. Litigants should ensure that any such requests comply with the US SPEECH Act, 28 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.

Requests must identify the specific information (as listed above) sought. If a request is overly broad or seeks information not applicable to CTSFW, we will provide the last known email address of the information owner, applicable IP address information if available, and the date and time of associated transactions.

Emergency Requests from Government Agencies/Law Enforcement 
As permitted by US law, we may disclose user information to the government or law enforcement, without a subpoena or warrant if we believe in good faith that an emergency (imminent danger of death or serious physical injury) requires disclosure of information related to the emergency without delay. If you have an emergency request, please submit your request to our Public Safety Office at (260) 452-2110.

Preservation Requests for CTSFW.edu Sites
Requests for the preservation of information must originate from a law enforcement agency.

Our notification policy with regards to preservation requests is meant to protect user privacy and promote transparency, while also avoiding interference with legitimate investigations of criminal activity.

We notify users of preservation requests. When law enforcement requests that a preservation request remain confidential, we keep it confidential for 45 days, with the expectation that they will be serving a valid US subpoena or search warrant that includes the required certification (2705(b)) or court-ordered, non-disclosure provision. If the certification or court order is obtained, we will keep the preservation request secret under the same conditions as the subpoena/warrant. If, after 45 days, law enforcement has not served a subpoena or search warrant or has served one without the required certification or secrecy order, or has not withdrawn the request, we inform the user of the request.

Enforcing Protection Orders Against CTSFW.edu Users, Students, and Constituents 
CTSFW is not responsible for enforcing protection orders that apply to users, students, or constituents. If you represent a client with an active protection order that may apply to a CTSFW site, please contact the appropriate court or law enforcement agency for assistance.

Serving Process on CTSFW.edu and Making Inquiries 
Any request for user information must include a valid email or mailing address for us to return the information or contact with questions.

Legal process can be served by mail or in person to:

Concordia Theological Seminary
6600 N. Clinton St.
Fort Wayne, IN 46825

Where permitted, we also accept service via email to info@ctsfw.edu.

Questions about Our Policies 
If you have any questions about our Legal Guidelines, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, the practices of this site, or other general inquiries regarding our policies, you can contact us via email at info@ctsfw.edu.

CTSFW complies with properly formatted notices sent in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you believe that material available on our sites infringes on your copyright(s), please notify us by submitting a DMCA notice. After we receive a valid and complete notice, we will investigate the designated material. If it is determined to be in violation, we will remove the material and make a good faith attempt to contact the user who uploaded the material.

Before submitting a DMCA notice, it’s important to consider whether the material used falls under fair use. If you are not sure whether material located on a CTSFW site infringes on your copyright, or if it is subject to fair use protections, you should first consider seeking legal advice. You may be liable for damages (including costs and attorneys’ fees) if you materially misrepresent that the material or activity infringes on your copyright.

Your DMCA notice must include the following information:

• Your full legal name
• Company name (if applicable)
• Full address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Name of copyright holder
• Location (URL) of the unauthorized material on CTSFW sites
• Description of copyrighted work so that it may be easily identified
• Location of original copyrighted work (not the copy on CTSFW sites)

You must state that:

• You have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly infringing is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. Please note that you may be liable for damages if you “knowingly materially misrepresent” your copyrights. Fair use should also be taken into consideration.
• Under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or are authorized on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Finally, you must sign the notice with your full legal name.

DMCA takedown requests should be sent to the Rev. Roger Peters, CTSFW copyright officer, at copyright@ctsfw.edu.

Requests for Takedown of Other Content 

We review and investigate all complaints that we receive. If we determine that reported content violates our Terms of Service, we will take action as appropriate. Regardless of whether or not we take action, we may forward a copy of the complaint to the site owner. 

If we receive a complaint and are not in a position to make a determination (for example, deciding whether something is defamatory or not), we defer to the judgment of a court.

Requests for content takedown (other than copyright) should be sent to webmaster@ctsfw.edu.

Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Learn more about the links, text and images, and accessibility of CTSFW’s website

Use of Links 

Throughout our web pages, we provide links to other servers which may contain information of interest to our readers. We take no responsibility for and exercise no control over the organization, views, or accuracy of the information contained on other servers. Please see our External Links Disclaimer for more information.

Creating a text link from your website to our site does not require permission. 

Use of Text and Images 

If you would like to publish information that you find on our website or use our logo or images, please send your request to webmaster@ctsfw.edu. Where text or images are posted on our site with the original copyright holder’s permission, a copyright statement appears at the bottom of the page. 

Accessibility

Accessibility is important to us. If you have suggestions on how to make the site more accessible, please contact us at webmaster@ctsfw.edu. 

External Links Disclaimer

External links are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or approval by CTSFW of any of the products, services, or opinions of the corporation, organization, or individual. CTSFW bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.