“Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.” – 12 Steps and 12 Traditions of
12 Steps and 12 Traditions
Anonymity
The purpose of anonymity in Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) serves two important functions:
- Personal Protection: At the personal level, anonymity provides protection for all members from identification as alcoholics, this is especially crucial for newcomers seeking sobriety in a supportive environment free from judgment.
- Maintaining Equality: Anonymity ensures equality among all members by preventing anyone from exploiting their A.A. affiliation for personal recognition, power, or gain, especially in public platforms like press, radio, TV, and the internet.
When using digital media, A.A. members must uphold their own anonymity and that of others. Posts, texts, and blogs should be treated as public, and breaking anonymity online can inadvertently expose others. Anonymity has been a cornerstone of A.A. since its inception, offering a safe environment for individuals to address their alcoholism without fear of judgment or exposure. This assurance of confidentiality has been crucial in attracting and helping alcoholics achieve sobriety. Despite reduced stigma, many newcomers still find solace in the protected environment anonymity provides, fostering trust and openness within the A.A. community.
Online Privacy
Information Collected Automatically and Anonymously
Every effort is made to protect the anonymity of A.A. members.
In order to improve our website and to tailor our web services to your needs, New Group in New York City, of Alcoholics Anonymous may use web analytics and a content management system that automatically collect information about website traffic when you use our website. The type of information collected may include information about the device used to access the website or other application(s), which may include, for example, IP address, geolocation information, unique device identifiers, browser type, browser language, and other transactional information. We may also collect information about your use of our website and application(s), which may include, for example, a reading history of the pages you visit on our website.
The fundamental principles and traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) apply for all member communications using electronic media, such as the Internet, phone, websites, email, etc. The tradition of anonymity is explained in depth in AA publications such as The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, and the pamphlet “Understanding Anonymity.” This Online Advisory Statement is intended to clarify some special situations that arise for electronic-based AA meetings and communications, to help individuals retain privacy regarding their membership in the fellowship, and ensure no single member speaks for the whole of AA.
Members who accept electronic-based service positions sacrifice some of their privacy in order to serve best. If personal circumstances prevent such openness, the member should decline or step down from the position.
The AA community connects online by using chatrooms, email, message boards, phone conferencing, and video conferencing. These technologies, when used properly, can effectively ensure individuals can work together while preserving anonymity. For example, last names are typically not required for chatroom group members, and internet meeting attendees may alter their name and hide their video.
Where the common good requires further identification (e.g., a private email address or last name to register a website), further identification should be provided or the member should perform other service that permits a higher degree of privacy.
It is the responsibility of the administrators, group leaders, and other electronic-media owners to guard the confidentiality of any messages or communications shared with them and that online messages remain as private as the sender intends.
Your Privacy
New Group of Alcoholics Anonymous NewGroupNYC.com respects the privacy of every individual who visits this site. This privacy statement provides notice of the standards and terms under which the NewGroupNYC.com protects the privacy of information supplied by visitors. This privacy statement provides notice of our information collection practices and of the ways in which your information may be used. This policy may change from time to time, so please check back periodically to review this information.
The Information We Collect
NewGroupNYC.com may collect personally identifiable information in a variety of ways, including through online forms and other instances where visitors are invited to volunteer such information. NewGroupNYC.com may also collect information about how visitors use our website, for example, by tracking the number of unique views received by the pages of the web site or the domains from which visitors originate.
We may use “cookies” to track how visitors use our website. A cookie is a small file that a web server can store on the visitor’s computer and use to identify the visitor’s IP Address, browser and/or computer type, and general geo-location information should they visit the web site again.
How We Use Information
NewGroupNYC.com may use personally identifiable information collected through our web site, and email accounts to contact visitors regarding new activities and services. NewGroupNYC.com also may use information collected to improve the effectiveness of the web site.
NewGroupNYC.com does not lend, lease, sell, or otherwise intentionally transfer visitors’ personal information to any third party.
Maintenance of Information
Information about visitors that is maintained on our systems is protected using industry standard security measures. However, we cannot guarantee that the information submitted to, maintained on, or transmitted from our systems will be completely secure.
Embedded content from other websites
Content on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, audio recordings, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
Links to external sites
External Links
This website provides links to other websites, including websites affiliated with other organizations. Linking to any other website, including but not limited to websites affiliated with other organizations inside the Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) service structure, does not constitute the endorsement, sponsorship, or approval of such other website by New Group or Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (A.A.W.S.), or any products, services, or content displayed, provided, promoted, or offered by such other website. Please be aware that New Group and A.A.W.S. is not responsible for the content, practices, policies, or methods of any other website, including, without limitation, any other website’s collection, dissemination, use, and protection of personal information, its use of tracking technology, or its level of computer security. Additionally, A.A.W.S. cannot attest to the accuracy, relevancy, timeliness, legality, or completeness of information provided by any other website.