Privacy at the BART Website
Because we receive certain types of information from visitors to the BART website, we want you to understand the terms and conditions regarding the use of that information. The following privacy statement discloses what information we receive and how we use it.
What type of information does BART receive at its website?
The information we receive depends upon what you do when visiting this site. In general, we receive two types of information: The personal information you provide voluntarily, and aggregated information about users as a whole.
Personal Information
We may request personal information when you submit comments to BART or register for online contests, sweepstakes or other promotional programs we may offer. This personal information may include your name, email address, phone number, street address, etc. If you use BART's online employment application, we may also request other types of personal information required to process your application.
Aggregated Information
We receive certain types of information about general activity at the BART website. This does not include personal identifying information, but does include how many times the BART website is visited, what pages or search terms are requested most, what domain names (e.g. "aol.com") visitors are coming from and the date and time of each visit. BART gathers and compiles this information into an aggregate form for statistical analysis and reporting.
BART uses third party measurement software from Nielsen//NetRatings to gather and compile aggregated information. Nielsen//NetRatings does not collect, track or have any access to personal information received at the BART website. To find out more about Nielsen//NetRatings, their technology, or their privacy policy, please visit http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/. For Nielsen//NetRatings opt-out alternatives, please visit http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/privacy/sitecensus.htm.
How does BART use this information?
The personal information you voluntarily provide is used to fulfill your request (e.g. for information, for employment consideration, entry in a contest or sweepstakes, etc.). BART does not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to anyone, or disclose personal information except: 1) When the purpose and manner of the disclosure has been disclosed to you prior to your providing the information, or 2) When disclosure is required by law.
Because aggregated information does not include personal identifying information, we cannot use aggregated information to identify you. We use aggregated information to help determine things like which areas of the BART website you like and don't like based on traffic to those areas, peak traffic hours, etc. This helps us continue to build a better website for you. We may disclose aggregated data to third parties (such as advertisers) or include it in public records.
Cookies
A cookie is a small data file that websites commonly write to your hard drive when you visit them. A cookie file contains information that can identify you anonymously in order to track traffic patterns and add functionality to the website. Cookies don't identify you personally, but rather identify your computer when you visit our site. A cookie can't read data off your hard disk or read cookie files created by other sites. Your browser can be set to warn you before accepting cookies. In this case, you will receive the warning message with each cookie. You may choose to refuse cookies by turning them off in your browser. You do not need to have cookies turned on to use the majority of the BART website, but you will need to allow cookies in certain areas of the site to perform certain functions. BART allows users to clear cookies.
Kids: An Important Notice
In keeping with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, children under 13 years of age must have permission from a Parent or Legal Guardian before providing personal information as described above. BART will not knowingly receive personal information from children under 13 years of age who have not received prior Parental Consent. When Parental Consent has been obtained, BART will receive and use personal information from children as described on this page. Any personal information from a child stored by BART will be deleted upon written request from the child's Parent or Legal Guardian. Deletion requests should be addressed to:
Website Manager
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
300 Lakeside Drive, 18th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612-3534 USA
Updates
If we decide to update our privacy policy, we will update this page so that you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we disclose it. BART reserves the right to update this privacy policy at any time. This page was last updated on October 27, 2008.
Consent
By using the BART website, you consent to the collection and use of information as described above.
