The SARS Support Centre has been designed to provide you with customized information and tools to help you to better understand SARS and cope with stress. For some parts of this program you will be asked to sign up and provide personal information. If you take The Anxiety Test, you will be asked for other information specific to your symptoms and situation. The following outlines the type of information collected, what it is used for, and our privacy policy regarding the data that is collected.

What kind of information is collected and why?

The SARS Support Center Support Groups:

• Registration: To deter advertisers and people who are not serious about the effects of SARS and stress, we require registration. We do not collect data from the Support Group and we encourage all users to remain anonymous.
• Email Address: For reasons mentioned above, we require you to register with an email address. This allows us to email you a temporary password. We do not collect or distribute email addresses.
• Nick Name: All community members are given a nickname. We encourage you to use either your first name or an anonymous name. Do not give out any personalized information within group discussions. The Anxiety Test
• Your First Name: As our software is personalized, we require your first name or a "code name". We do not record your first name.
• Data: Any data that is collected is cumulative. That means we compile your data with the results of others. We do not keep individual statistics and we are unable to find out who you are.
• Your Email Address: We provide the option of emailing your results to yourself or your doctor. This is only a service we provide and we do not collect email addresses.

How will cumulative data be used?

Your information will be grouped with other people's information so that V-CC Systems and independent academic researchers can conduct research to improve the system for other people suffering from SARS and/or stress. We will not sell e-mail identification, names, or addresses to third parties.

Your involvement in a world-wide information and support program:

The SARS Support Centre is a truly unique program that allows you be an active member in a world-wide, ongoing effort to give people more control of their SARS-related stress and anxiety. Research data gathered on this site will only be reviewed on the basis of population. At no time will your name ever be associated with any of the information generated from this site. Research data will only be reviewed by people with permission from The SARS Support Centre and V-CC Systems and its advisors. No personal data will be used, forwarded or sold to an outside organization.

Your involvement in a group of people trying to overcome their fears will help others as we will continually upgrade and improve this Web site. You will be asked for your opinion of those elements you found useful and those you didn't. Your opinion is valuable to us.

If you choose to use The SARS Support Centre, you can consider yourself part of an advanced, ongoing program to help other people with SARS-related stress and anxiety everywhere.