Newsletter Privacy

Recent fraudulent emails received by club members had one person ask, "Is it possible they [the bad guys] have access to NWC online information?"

It's more than possible. It's certain they do. The online newsletter is a webpage available over the Internet (the World Wide Web), so the bad guys can read it just like club members. This is no different than the club's website, also on the Internet, and available to the bad guys.

The difference is that the newsletter has email addresses and phone numbers of some members for all to see. This was never intended. The online newsletter was designed to allow only members to see the personal information about other members.

It's supposed to work this way: When a member's name appears in the newsletter, it appears as green text. Readers know they can click or tap the name to see this person's email address or phone number. Before that information is revealed, the reader must login with info provided every month in the email announcement of the newsletter availability.

Once you login, you won't be asked to login again for days, weeks, or months depending on your web browser and computer. So, this privacy measure comes with little additional effort.

But this privacy protection didn't last long. A few members objected to their email address and phone number not immediately appearing without having to login. They convinced most others that this protection was not necessary, and the email addresses and phone numbers of most members whose name appears in the newsletter are now visible to the bad guys. This is in spite of an educational audio sent to these members:

We can once again add that protection to your name if it appears in the newsletter, but keep in mind that this is closing the barn door after the horses have escaped.