by Mikejw 22 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
I’m an elder who is PIMA, I’m amazed how much info is available to all elders. You can see all private details of every member of the congregation. I wonder how these sisters feel about their private details being available to these creepy elders?
Everyone Has to submit pictures previous details even if they had problems years ago
That borders on criminal behavior.
If the 0rg can legally keep such information they will, and unless It's prevented by governments, the only other way would be for a great majority of JWs to not provide info, which would mean a loss of standing as exemplary, that is, no privileges and the possibility of marking. If it got to the point where so many refused that it became hard to find elders, minservs, and pioneers, it would take a while but eventually the 0rg would change policy That would take a long time, though, and abuses of privacy would continue in whatever form possible because that is how that Evil Slave in Warwick rolls.
@Mikejw
Elders (and upper levels) should only see details of those who have jwpub accounts, right?
I wouldn't be surprised if one day they ask all publishers to open an account to track them more easily.
You can see all private details of every member of the congregation. I wonder how these sisters feel about their private details being available to these creepy elders?
On JWHub, you can only see the details that the publishers themselves have provided. How do elders get info on private details unless given by the publishers? Most of these details are captured when a publisher fills some kind of online form.
Not sure what you mean by private details, but details about Judicial cases are not put on JW Hub, but are in confidential files. Also, the moment a publisher attends a judicial hearing, he effectively agrees to have the details recorded somewhere with the congregation and the branch.
I wonder how these sisters feel about their private details being available to these creepy elders?
If she is a devout JW, then she would feel the same like she would with her family doctor having her details.
If she is a doubting JW, then she will never give out any such details to the elders in the first place itself. Simple.
Would making info available that had to do with a past JC not be violating that member's right of confidentiality? Remember-- WT argues in court that such JC's are subject to "Clergy-Penitent privilege". If one's "confidential file" is made available to anyone else (are you saying all elders?), would that not constitute a violation of the member's rights?
Could this result in a new barrage of lawsuits?
If one's "confidential file" is made available to anyone else (are you saying all elders?), would that not constitute a violation of the member's rights?
As per WT policy, only the S-77 form (Record of Disfellowshipping, Disassociation, or Judicial Reproof) goes into the confidential file. In the form, apart from the persnal info of the accused, there is just one question:
Specify offense(s) for which disfellowshipped (sfl 12:2-39):
Here just the offense is mentioned, for e.g. Apostasy, Sexual Immorality. etc. No other detail about who did it with whom and all is not mentioned.
Elders are not supposed to keep any personal notes on the matters in the file. In all the JC's I have been, even as the Chairman, I never took any personal notes, so there was nothing to retain apart from the form.
If any elder has maintained any document on the case apart from this form, and in the future the accused files a lawsuit, the elder stands at fault. As per policy, no other elder is allowed to access this form apart from the Judicial Committee and the Reinstatement Committee. If the DFéd person accuses that the other elders have accessed his confidential file, then again, in a legal sense those elders will be at fault, not the WT.
Most elders that are selected in the JC are careful in these matters, and hence many disfellowshipping court cases are hardly won by any DF'ed person.
Does anyone know how long they keep these forms for? I was dfed 15 years ago, would they still have paperwork pertaining to me on file?
Does anyone know how long they keep these forms for? I was dfed 15 years ago, would they still have paperwork pertaining to me on file?
It's been over 20 years since I was an elder. Back then JC files for those "reproved" were retained fr 5 years after all privileges were restored. DF files were kept until 5 years after reinstatement (so maybe indefinitely) except anything pertaining to CSA were to be kept indefinitely.
I don't think I ever knew of any Cong Secty that destroyed old files. There were in sealed envelopes in the locked file box in the "elders room".
Perhaps lawsuits and privacy issues have motivated WT to see that things are handled per their rules. CYA is the foremost policy.
Some years ago we were asked to sign a form that allowed the congregation to share our personal information with the WT Society. They in turn could share it with other branches some of which were in lands that did not have the same standards of privacy and data protection as in the UK. We refused to sign the form and never heard any more about it.
George
