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.
PERSONAL INFORMATION AND CHOICE
The
"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.
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
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
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:
1.
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;
2.
The type of browser and operating system you used;
3.
The date and time you visited this site;
4.
The web pages or services you accessed at this site;
5.
The web site you visited prior to coming to this web site;
6.
The web site you visit as you leave this web site; and
7.
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?
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
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
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:
1.
The e-mail address and contents of the e-mail; and
2.
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
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
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
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
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
Cookies are simple
text files stored on your computer by your web browser.
The California School Finder website does not use cookies to maintain personalization,
however some other state departmental websites 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
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
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
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
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.
