Thank you for visiting the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on the World Wide Web. Our websites are designed to make it easier and more efficient for Pennsylvania citizens and businesses to interact with their State Government. But as with all online resources, we appreciate that many visitors to our sites will be concerned about their privacy. The Commonwealth is committed to preserving your privacy when you visit our sites.
This policy addresses the collection, security and access to information that may be obtained through the use of the sites maintained by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This policy covers the following topics:
- Information We Collect
- Public Disclosure
- Access
- Choice
- Cookies
- Security
- Linking
- Information Disclaimer
Information collected
If you visit a website maintained by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to read or download information, we collect the following information:
- The name of domain; for example, "xcompany.com" if you use a private internet access account, or "yourschool.edu", if you are connecting from a university domain;
- An IP address; a number automatically assigned to your computer when you are using the internet;
- The type of browser and operating system used to access our site;
- The Internet address of the website from which you linked directly to our site;
- The pages you visit within the Commonwealth's site; and
- The links made to other web sites through this site.
This information is collected for statistical analysis using standard third-party software programs to create summary statistics. The statistics are used for the purpose of determining what information is of most and least interest to all visitors and identifying system performance or problem areas.
This information is not collected for commercial marketing purposes and the Commonwealth does not sell information collected online for commercial marketing purposes.
If, during your visit to the Commonwealth's web sites, you voluntarily provide personally identifiable information, we will collect such information. Examples of personally identifiable information may include:
- An email address if you are communicating to us through email;
- Information you voluntarily submit to the Commonwealth for the purposes of completing or submitting an application or form online; and
- Other information volunteered, such as survey information or content of email.
In general, please note the information collected, whether or not personally identifiable, is not limited to text characters and may include audio, video and other graphic formats you send us. Information is retained in accordance with existing laws and other Commonwealth policies.
Public Disclosure
As a general rule, the Commonwealth does not disclose any personally identifiable information collected online except where you have given us permission, or where the information is public information under the Pennsylvania Right to Know Act 65 P.S. 66.1 et seq., or other applicable laws. Visitors should be aware that information collected by the Commonwealth on its websites may be subject to examination and inspection, if such information is a public record and not otherwise protected from disclosure.
Access
Any personally identifiable information you enter in a user profile will be open and accessible to you for review and modification. If you have any questions or comments about the information presented in this Privacy Policy, you can contact the Commonwealth Office of Administration/Office for Information Technology as follows:
By Fax: 717-787-4523
By Mail: 209 Finance Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120
By Email: ra-technology@state.pa.us
Choice
You may decline participation in any activity that asks for information (i.e., surveys or emails). Your choice to not participate will have no effect on your ability to access information on the Commonwealth’s web sites.
Cookies
To better serve you, we occasionally use “cookies” to customize your browsing experience. Cookies are simple text files stored by your web browser and they provide a method of distinguishing among visitors to the websites.
Cookies created on your computer by using our websites do not contain personally identifiable information and do not compromise your privacy or security. We use the cookie feature to store a randomly generated identifying tag on your computer. If you have further questions about cookies, the Computer Incident Advisory Capacity Unit that monitors computer problems for the U.S. Department of Energy issued a study on March 12, 1998, of the risks to users of cookies, titled “Information Bulletin 1-034: Internet Cookies”.
You can refuse the cookie or delete the cookie file from your computer at any time by using any one of a number of widely available methods.
Security
The Commonwealth has taken steps to safeguard the submission of information by implementing detailed technology and security policies, which can be viewed at the Office of Administration, Office for Information Technology website. Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation and day-to-day operations of the entire operating environment as part of our continuing commitment to the security of electronic content as well as the electronic transmission of information.
In certain instances, you will have the opportunity to receive or create a password to access or submit personal information. You should not divulge your password to anyone and the Commonwealth will never ask you for your password in an unsolicited phone call or e-mail. When you are finished with those applications that are password protected, you should exit the page.
Link Information
The Commonwealth provides links to other governmental agencies in the Commonwealth and the federal government. We also provide links to web sites of other organizations in order to provide visitors with certain information. A link does not constitute an endorsement of content, viewpoint, policies, products, or services of that web site. Once you link to another web site not maintained by the Commonwealth, you are subject to the terms and conditions of that web site, including but not limited to its privacy policy.
Information Disclaimer
Information provided on the Commonwealth’s web sites is intended to allow the public immediate access to public information. While all attempts are made to provide accurate, current and reliable information we recognize the possibility of human and/or mechanical error. Therefore, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, its employees, officers, and agencies expressly deny any warranty of the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any information published by this system and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance upon the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of such information. Any person who relies upon such information obtained from this system does so at his or her own risk.
