Geneva fixes newsletter subscriber privacy issue

Subscribers to Geneva's city newsletter and e-mail alerts can rest easier regarding their privacy.

They can now mark whether their e-mail address is a personal or business one when signing up.

Hundreds of people dropped their newsletter subscriptions after receiving notice in December that, under the Freedom of Information Act, their e-mail addresses were public information anyone could obtain from the city. That was because the city's system did not distinguish between personal and business e-mails.

Business e-mail addresses will remain public information.

The drop in subscribers concerned city officials because the city newsletter, sent quarterly, is no longer printed and mailed to residents. To get it, you have to sign up for e-mail, or pick up a photocopy at the police department or city hall.

If you are still an e-mail subscriber, click the "Update Profile/E-mail Address" link at the bottom of the newsletter, and you will be sent a separate e-mail message with instructions on how to change your profile. Additionally, you can access it through the city's Web site, geneva.il.us, by clicking on the links to sign up for the newsletter and the "GenevaMail" bulletin.

Call (630) 938-4544 for assistance with the process.