Thank you for visiting the State of California's
web site and reviewing our Use Policy. You should also be aware that
the State has a Privacy Policy, also available on this web site. The
State wants you to know about the collection, use, security, and access
to information that may be obtained through use of the State's web
portal. By visiting this web site, you are accepting the policies and
practices described in this Notice. This Notice covers the following
topics:
Please note that this Use Policy is subject to
change without notice, and that it reflects the State's current
business practices. This Use policy is dated December 7, 2000.
Also note that each department within the State
may have additional privacy and use policies specific to the mission
and needs of their work. Be sure to review those policies as you access
additional sites within the State.
PERSONAL INFORMATION AND CHOICE
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"Personal information" is
information about a natural person that identifies or describes an
individual, including, but not limited to, his or her name, social
security number, physical description, home address, home telephone
number, education, financial matters, and medical or employment
history, readily identifiable to that specific individual. A domain
name or Internet Protocol address is not considered personal
information, however, it is considered "electronically collected
personal information."
According to Government Code § 11015.5.,
"electronically collected personal information" means any
information that is maintained by an agency that identifies or
describes an individual user, including, but not limited to, his or her
name, social security number, physical description, home address, home
telephone number, education, financial matters, medical or employment
history, password, electronic mail address, and information that
reveals any network location or identity, but excludes any information
manually submitted to a State agency by a user, whether electronically
or in written form, and information on or relating to individuals who
are users, serving in a business capacity, including, but not limited
to, business owners, officers, or principals of that business.
"Electronically collected personal
information" that we automatically collect includes your domain
name or Internet Protocol address, and statistical information about
which web pages you visit. If you voluntarily participate in an
activity that asks for specific information (i.e., completing a request
for assistance, personalizing the content of the web site, sending an
e-mail, or participating in a survey) more detailed data will be
collected. If you choose not to participate in these activities, your
choice will in no way affect your ability to use any other feature of
the web site.
If any type of personal information is requested
on the web site or volunteered by the user, State law, including the
Information Practices Act of 1977, Government Code Section 11015.5.,
and the federal Privacy Act of 1974 may protect it. However, this
information may be a public record once you provide it, and may be
subject to public inspection and copying if not otherwise protected by
federal or State law.
Additionally, departments and agencies of the
State of California under the authority of the Governor are required to
adhere to the Privacy Policy which is also accessible on this web site.
A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT CHILDREN
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Children are not eligible to use services
that require submission of personal information, and we require that
minors (under the age of 18) do not submit any personal information to
us. This includes submitting personal information to the State as part
of a user profile or personalization profile. If you are a minor, you
can use these services only if used together with your parents or
guardians. If you are a minor, you should seek guidance from your
parents.
If the State decides to begin collecting personal
information from children, it will notify parents that it is being
requested, disclose the reasons for collecting it, and disclose our
intended use of it. The State will seek parental consent before
collecting any personally identifiable information. If it does collect
it, parents may request information on the type of data being
collected, view their child's information, and, if they choose,
prohibit the State from making further use of their child's
information. The State will not provide personal information about
children to third parties.
INFORMATION COLLECTED AND HOW IT IS USED
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We do collect personal information directly
from individuals who volunteer to use some of our services. Collection
of this information is required to deliver the specific services, but
use of these services is voluntary.
If you do nothing during your visit to the web
site but browse or download information, we automatically collect and
store the following information about your visit:
- The Internet Protocol Address and
domain name used, but not the e-mail address. The Internet Protocol
Address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet
service provider or directly to your computer. We use the Internet
Protocol Address to direct Internet traffic to you and generate
statistics used in the management of this site;
- The type of browser and operating
system you used;
- The date and time you visited
this site;
- The web pages or services you
accessed at this site;
- The web site you visited prior to
coming to this web site;
- The web site you visit as you
leave this web site; and
- If you downloaded a form, the
form that was downloaded.
The information we automatically collect or store
is used to improve the content of our web services and to help us
understand how people are using our services. This information does not
identify you personally and is used for gathering web site statistics.
The information we automatically collect and store in our logs about
your visit helps us to analyze our web site to continually improve the
value of the materials available. Our web site logs do not identify a
visitor by personal information, and we make no attempt to link other
web sites with the individuals that browse the State's web site.
Government Code § 11015.5.(a)(6) prohibits
all state agencies from distributing or selling any electronically
collected personal information, as defined above, about users to any
third party without the permission of the user. The State does not sell
any "electronically collected personal information." Any
distribution of "electronically collected personal
information" will be solely for the purposes for which it was
provided to us.
The State may provide or distribute certain lists
and statistical reports of regulatory information as provided by law,
but no personal information is sold or distributed, and all relevant
legal protections still apply to the State's web sites.
WHAT HAPPENS TO INFORMATION YOU SUBMIT TO
US?
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If you choose to submit information to us,
the information will be transmitted through secure lines to our
departmental database. Any private information will only be used for
the purposes for which it was provided and will not be shared with
another entity except as prescribed by law. Please see our Privacy
Policy for additional information.
USE OF INTERNET REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE
FORM INFORMATION
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Any information you provide to us will only
be shared with entities involved in your case as necessary. Information
you provide may be included with other consumers' information to be
used for statistical reporting, trending data, and/or investigative
actions. For example, we may need to retain information that becomes
part of an enforcement action or consumer complaint case for a period
of time after the closing date of the case.
If you provide us with information regarding an
issue that does not fall within our regulatory jurisdiction, we may
refer your information to the appropriate local, State, or federal
agency on your behalf.
SURVEYS
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If during your visit to the State's web
site you participate in a survey or send an e-mail, the following
additional information will be collected:
- The e-mail address and contents
of the e-mail; and
- Information volunteered in
response to the survey.
The information collected is not limited to text
characters and may include audio, video, and graphic information
formats you send us.
The information is retained in accordance with
Government Code § 11015.5.
IF YOU SEND US E-MAIL
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You may choose to provide us with personal
information, as in e-mail with a comment or question. We use the
information to improve our service to you or to respond to your
request. Sometimes we forward your e-mail to other State employees who
may be better able to help you, and this staff may be employed by a
different agency within the State. Except for authorized law
enforcement investigations or, as required by law, we do not share our
e-mail with any other organizations.
We use your e-mail to respond appropriately. This
may be to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to further
improve our web site, or to forward the e-mail to another agency for
appropriate action.
ORDER FORMS
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If you place an order with us, we request
information from the user on our order form. A user must provide
contact information (like name and shipping address) and financial
information (like credit card number and expiration date). This
information is used for billing purposes and to fill your
order/request. If we have trouble processing an order, this contact
information is used to get in touch with you.
PUBLIC DISCLOSURE
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In the State of California, laws exist to
ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to
access appropriate records and information possessed by State
government. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public's
right to access public records. These exceptions serve various needs
including maintaining the privacy of individuals. Both State and
federal laws provide exceptions.
All information collected at this site becomes
public record that may be subject to inspection and copying by the
public, unless an exemption in law exists. In the event of a conflict
between this Use Policy and the Public Records Act, the Information
Practices Act, or other law governing the disclosure of records, the
Public Records Act, the Information Practices Act, or other applicable
law will control.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
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Under Government Code § 11015.5., if
you choose, you may have any personal information collected about you
discarded without reuse or distribution, provided we are contacted in a
timely fashion.
AUTOMATIC COLLECTION OF
INFORMATION/COOKIES
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Cookies are simple text files stored on
your computer by your web browser. The main State portal does not use
cookies to maintain personalization, however some departmental
applications may.
The State makes every attempt to avoid the use of
cookies. When needed to maintain the functionality of an application,
unlike the common usage of cookies, the State only uses cookies during
the session in which you access our interactive applications.
Cookies created on your computer by using this
web site do not contain "personal information" and do not
compromise your privacy or security. We use the cookie feature only to
store a randomly generated identifying temporary tag on your computer.
You can refuse the cookie or delete the cookie file from your computer
by using any of the widely available methods. However, if you turn your
cookie option off, you may not be able to access some of the features
in our interactive applications.
SECURITY
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The State, as developer and manager of this
web site, has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its
telecommunications and computing infrastructure, including but not
limited to authentication, monitoring, auditing, and encryption.
Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation,
and day-to-day practices of the entire State operating environment as
part of its continuing commitment to risk management. This information
should not be construed in any way as giving business, legal, or other
advice, or warranting as fail proof, the security of information
provided via the State's supported web site. The technical standards
governing security are enforced by the Department of Finance.
LINKS TO OTHER SITES
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Our web site has links to sites we feel
might be useful to you and which may provide services. When you link to
another site, you are no longer on our site and are subject to the
privacy policy of the new site.
This web site and the information it contains are
provided as a public service by the State of California. This system is
monitored to ensure proper operation, to verify the functioning of
applicable security features, and for comparable purposes. Anyone using
this system expressly consents to such monitoring. Unauthorized
attempts to modify any information stored on this system, to defeat or
circumvent security features, or to utilize this system for other than
its intended purposes are prohibited and may result in criminal
prosecution.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
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The State attempts to maintain the highest
accuracy of content on its web site. Any errors or omissions should be
reported for investigation.
The State makes no claims, promises, or
guarantees about the absolute accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of
the contents of this web site and expressly disclaims liability for
errors and omissions in the contents of this web site. No warranty of
any kind, implied, expressed, or statutory, including but not limited
to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title,
merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from
computer virus, is given with respect to the contents of this web site
or its hyperlinks to other Internet resources. Reference in this web
site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or
the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information
and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement,
recommendation, or favoring by the State of California, or its
employees or agents.
This Use Policy is subject to change without
notice.
OWNERSHIP
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In general, information presented on this
web site, unless otherwise indicated, is considered in the public
domain. It may be distributed or copied as permitted by law. However,
the State does make use of copyrighted data (e.g., photographs) which
may require additional permissions prior to your use. In order to use
any information on this web site not owned or created by the State, you
must seek permission directly from the owning (or holding) sources. The
State shall have the unlimited right to use for any purpose, free of
any charge, all information submitted via this site except those
submissions made under separate legal contract. The State shall be free
to use, for any purpose, any ideas, concepts, or techniques contained
in information provided through this site.
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