The AQMD respects your right to privacy and maintains a privacy policy that
includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the following principles to
protect your right to privacy when viewing pages on our Internet site:
- Personally identifiable information
may only be obtained through lawful means.
- The purposes for which personably
identifiable data are collected shall be specified at, or prior to, the
time of collection and any subsequent use of the data shall be limited to,
and consistent with, the fulfillment of those purposes previously
specified.
- Personal data may not be disclosed,
made available, or otherwise used for a purpose other than those
specified, except with the consent of the subject of the data, or as
required by law or regulation.
- Personal data collected shall be
relevant to the purpose for which it is needed.
- The general means by which personal
data is protected against loss, unauthorized access, use, modification, or
disclosure shall be posted, unless the disclosure of those general means
would compromise legitimate agency objectives or law enforcement purposes.
Cookies
The AQMD does not place "cookies" on
the computers of visitors to our Web site, except for “session cookies”
needed to maintain the functionality of an interactive application.
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.
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 government agencies. 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.
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. AQMD’s Guidelines for
Implementing the California Public Records Act explain how records can be
exempted. In the event of a conflict between this Privacy Statement 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.
Information Collected and How It Is
Used
We 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. The AQMD 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. However, the AQMD 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 privacy protections still apply to AQMD’s Web site.
If you do nothing during your visit to
this Web site but only browse and download information, we automatically
collect and store the following information about your visit:
- The Internet Protocol Address and
domain name used, but not your e-mail address. The Internet Protocol
Address is a numerical identifier assigned either by your Internet service
provider or directly by 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 the
site;
- The web pages or services you
accessed at the site.
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 AQMD’s Web site. AQMD will not be responsible
for information you provide us that is subsequently displayed by Google,
Yahoo, or any other search engine.
What Happens to Information You
Submit to Us?
If you submit information to us
through an on-line application or form, the information will be transmitted
through secure lines to our central database. Any private and/or
confidential information will only be used for the purposes for which it was
provided and will not be shared with another person except as prescribed by
law, including, but not limited to, the California Public Records Act.
AQMD limits employee access to
customer information to those who have a business reason to know this
information. Employees are required to honor our code of conduct, which
includes standards to protect confidentiality. Employees are subject to
disciplinary action if they fail to do so. AQMD requires independent
contractors and outside companies to adhere to strict privacy standards as
well.
AQMD uses technological means (such as
backup files, virus detection and eradication software, firewalls, and other
computer software and hardware) to protect against unauthorized access or
alterations to user data.
If You Send Us E-mail
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 AQMD employees who may be better
able to help you. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations or,
as required by law, we do not share our e-mail with any other organizations.
Registration
In those instances in which
registration is required, please use your real name and address in the
registration process. Users are reminded to remember their password and
please do not share your password with others.
Feedback Information
Any information provided to the AQMD
through its Web site and received by the AQMD on a non-confidential basis
allows free and unrestricted use of the information by the AQMD.
If you are not prepared to abide by
any of the above policies, please log off now.
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