Privacy Policy

Pen A Friend, Inc. understands and respects that your privacy should always remain strictly under your control. It is because of this philosophy that you can be confident that the information you divulge to Pen A Friend, Inc. will not be accessible to people whom you have not authorized. Neither will it be sold or otherwise distributed to third parties other than in accordance with this policy without your consent. Pen A Friend, Inc. is not a source of unsolicited e-mail.

What personal information will Pen A Friend, Inc. collect?

Pen A Friend, Inc. will collect the following personal information:  First Name, Last Name, age, gender, email address, hobbies & interests, any previous experience you may have being a pen pal, what you’d like to get out of the experience of becoming a pen pal, and why we should chose you to become a pen pal. 

How will Pen A Friend, Inc. collect personal information?

If you are interested in becoming a member you will fill out an application on Pen A Friend, Inc.’s website.  Pen A Friend, Inc. will then use this information to match you to a pen pal.  Please visit www.penafriend.org to become a pen pal. 

What does Pen A Friend, Inc. you use my personal information for?

Your personal info, such as your e-mail address, name or age, and any other information you provide on your application, will never be shown on any pages on the Pen A Friend, Inc. website. Pen A Friend, Inc. will use your information so that we can properly and carefully match you with another pen pal. Your personal information provided to Pen A Friend, Inc. will never be shared publicly. 

Does Pen A Friend, Inc. conduct background checks on potential pen pals?

Pen A Friend, Inc. does not conduct background checks on incoming members. In order to conduct back ground checks, we would need to collect much more personal information that we found to be an unnecessary intrusion. Furthermore, background checks cannot be conducted on youth under 18, so in those cases, a background check of the adult guardian would need to be required. We again found that this to be unnecessarily intrusive. Since more then half of our clientele is under 18, we found that the logistics of this would be near impossible. We have a very thorough Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 

Who can apply to become a pen pal with Pen A Friend, Inc.?

Currently we are accepting members between the ages of 5 and 21 and who live in the United States.  You do not have to be in the foster system to become a pen pal to a foster youth.  We will match pen pals in accordance with their preference. Please visit our website for more information.

Does Pen A Friend, Inc. sell my information to third parties?

As a matter of policy, Pen A Friend, Inc. does not sell, rent or lend any of your personal information to third parties other than in accordance with this policy without your consent. However, the following describes some of the ways that your personal information may be used in the normal routine to provide Pen A Friend, Inc. range of services to you.

Service Management. Pen A Friend, Inc. uses your personal information to provide the services you request. Pen A Friend, Inc. uses your personal information to: troubleshoot problems; measure consumer interest in Pen A Friend, Inc.’s services; customize your experience; detect and protect Pen A Friend, Inc. against error, fraud and other criminal activity; enforce Pen A Friend, Inc.’s Terms of Use; and as otherwise described to you at the time of collection.

You agree that Pen A Friend, Inc. may use personal information about you to improve Pen A Friend, Inc.’s services. These uses improve the site and better tailor it to meet your needs, so as to provide you with a smooth, efficient, safe and customized experience while using the site.

Law Enforcement. Pen A Friend, Inc. cooperates with law enforcement inquiries, as well as other third parties, to enforce laws such as intellectual property rights, fraud and other rights, In order to help protect you and Pen A Friend, Inc.’s service. Therefore, in response to a genuine request by law enforcement or other government officials relating to a criminal investigation or alleged illegal activity, Pen A Friend, Inc. can disclose personal information about you. Third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications, or users may abuse or misuse your personal information that they collect from the site. Therefore, although Pen A Friend, Inc. uses industry standard practices to protect your privacy, Pen A Friend, Inc. does not promise, and you should not expect, that your personal information or private communications will always remain private.

Will I be added to any mailing lists? 

Pen A Friend, Inc. does not sell, rent or lend e-mail addresses for any purpose.

Do you send unsolicited e-mails?

Pen A Friend, Inc. will not send any unsolicited information, including e-mail. You will, however receive e-mails from Pen A Friend, Inc. as an essential part of the service. Once you are assigned an email by Pen A Friend, Inc. you will receive emails from your pen pal on that assigned email address. Your personal email will not be given out to anyone. 

How will I be notified of changes?

Pen A Friend, Inc. may amend this Privacy Policy at any time by posting the amended terms on the site. All amended terms shall automatically be effective immediately after posting on the site. Pen A Friend, Inc. might but is not obligated to notify you in accordance with its importance.

What do you use cookies for?

Cookies are a standard internet technology, and many major web sites use them to provide useful features for their members. Cookies themselves do not personally identify users, although they do identify a user’s computer. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. If you’d prefer, you can set yours to refuse cookies.

This document was last modified on May 30, 2019