OK, since IANAL either, nor have the time to do the research, I will retract my previous statement regarding state laws.
However, I'll stand by the part about contacting the bishop to opt out of being included in a ward list. I will double my efforts to find the document (or PDF file) I used to have, but it was general guidelines about using membership data, including creating ward directories. Among other things, I clearly remember it stated that any such list must have, "
This information is for Church use only and is not to be used for any commercial, business, or political purpose." (or something close to that) typed on it.
In it's absence, here are some bits and pieces you can use to connect the dots. I will focus mainly on the LUWS documents and hopefully explain why in the end.
This is one of the items a person agrees to when they register on their LUWS:
[INDENT]
- I understand that participation in the membership directory at this Web site is purely voluntary. If I do not want personal directory information about my family or me to appear on the site, I will contact my bishop or branch president or ward or branch clerk.
[/INDENT]And in the user's LUWS HELP section, under
Membership, it states:[INDENT]Q. How do I remove my personal information from the membership directory on the Web site?
A. Contact your Web site administrator, or contact your clerk if you are unsure who the administrator is. You can also contact the site administrator by e-mail by clicking
Feedback on the title bar of the local unit Web site.
[/INDENT]Now, in the administrator's help section under
System Maintenance we find the following:[INDENT] System maintenance includes
- Removing member information when requested (ward Web sites only).
[/INDENT]Further down the same page is a section titled
Removing Member Information (Ward Web Sites Only) that lists step by step how this is done.
Still further down the page under
Frequently Asked Questions we find:[INDENT]Q. What should I tell a member who requests that his or her name be removed from the ward membership directory?
A. You may prevent the member’s personal information from appearing on the Web site. To make the change, go to
Administrator Options and click on
Membership Directory. Find the appropriate member. Click
Change. Select which information should be hidden from view (home address, telephone number, spouse’s name, children’s names), or you may select the option,
Do not show anything about this Family on the Web site. Please note that if a member does not want to have his or her e-mail address on the Web site, the member needs to remove it in the Update Profile screen.
[/INDENT]And:[INDENT]Q. Can I remove only part of a family's information in the directory?
A. Yes. All or any combination of address, phone number, e-mail address, spouse name, or children's names may be removed.
[/INDENT]Near the bottom of the page, under
Administrator Quiz (which all admins took when they first logged in) we find:[INDENT]
Question 1:
How soon should the administrator respond when a member requests that all or part of their personal information be removed from the Web site?
a. Within 24 hours
Correct Answer
[/INDENT]And finally, the last sentence of the Administrator's Help document says:
[INDENT]
- Always be sensitive to the requests of members who are not comfortable about their names being listed in the Membership Directory. If they request that their personal information be removed, you should promptly respond to their request.
[/INDENT]
I submit to you the Church's stand on this policy has
not changed over the years, it's just been converted to electronic form by the LUWS system. A person can now make the request through the bishop, clerk,
or website administrator. For individuals who's units are not part of the LUWS system, or who do not wish to participate in it by creating an account, have only one place to go to request their personal information not be published and that's the bishopric. Whether lists are published by the LUWS, or some other means (including ward lists taken from MLS data, RS directories, etc) it's the bishop's responsibility to see that the member's request is honored in each case.
May I also be so bold as to point out that since MLS has no provision to single out and exclude personal information from a general ward list, yet LUWS is abundantly full of these capabilities, that it's possible it wasn't an oversight on the part of the authors of MLS to exclude these features, but rather a part of an overall plan for ward lists to be created by the LUWS and not from MLS.