PUC of Texas Privacy & Security Policy Notice

The Public Utility Commission of Texas maintains the this site as a public service. The following is the privacy policy for this site (all pages starting with www.puc.state.tx.us or interchange.puc.state.tx.us) and pertains to non PUC employees* only:

Cookies
We do not use cookies to collect information. Note: A cookie file contains unique information a web site can use to track such things as passwords, lists of pages you've visited, and the date when you last looked at a specific page or to identify your session at a particular web site. A cookie is often used in commercial sites to identify the items selected for a specific shopping cart application.

Email
If you send us an electronic mail message with a question or comment that contains personally identifying information, or fill out a form on-line that e-mails us this information, we will only use the personally-identifiable information to respond to your request and analyze trends. We may redirect your message to another government agency or person who is in a better position to answer your question. Please note that under the Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code, commonly known as the "Open Records Act", information sent the PUC in an email is subject to disclosure. For additional information please reference the Attorney Generals "Open Records Act".

Site Management
For site management functions, information is collected for analysis and statistical purposes. This information is not reported or used in any manner that would reveal personally identifiable information, and will not be released to any outside parties unless legally required to do so in connection with law enforcement investigations or other legal proceedings. We use Log analysis tools to create summary statistics, which are used for purposes such as assessing what information is of most interest, determining technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or problem areas. The following information is collected for this analysis:

User Client hostname - The hostname (or IP address if DNS is disabled) of the user/client requesting access.
HTTP header, "user-agent" - The user-agent information includes the type of browser, its version, and the operating system it's running on.
HTTP header, "referer" - The referer specifies the page from which the client accessed the current page.
System date - The date and time of the user/client request.
Full request - The exact request the user/client made.
Status - The status code the server returned to the user/client.
Content length - The content length, in bytes, of the document sent to the user/client.
Method - The request method used.
Universal Resource Identifier (URI) - The location of a resource on the server.
Query string of the URI - Anything after the question mark in a URI.
Protocol - The transport protocol and version used.

Disclosure of Information

If you file an on-line complaint or otherwise submit information to us electronically, by fax or through the mail, the information will be disclosed to staff to assist us in fulfilling our official duties. The information may also be sent to the person or company that is the subject of your complaint or comment or to other governmental agencies involved in the administration or enforcement of the matter. The information will not be disclosed to third parties, unless we receive an Open Records Request and we disclose the information pursuant to the "Open Records Act". The rules regarding the release of public information received online are the same rules that apply to disclosure of information that we receive in a paper format. We will not market any information that we collect. If you have a question or concern about a complaint that you have submitted to us, please contact us at customer@puc.state.tx.us.

Upon your request, with few exceptions, you are entitled to be informed about the information that we collect about you. Under the "Open Records Act" you are also entitled to receive and review this information. Please direct such a request to open.records@puc.state.tx.us Under section 559.004 of the Government Code, you are entitled to have us correct any information about you in our possession that is incorrect. If you determine that we have recorded information about you incorrectly, you may request a correction by filing your request at customer@puc.state.tx.us.

Security, Intrusion, Detection Language

For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.

Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no other attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits. Raw data logs are used for no other purposes and are scheduled for regular destruction in accordance with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this service are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Texas Penal Code Chapters 33 (Computer Crimes) or 33A (Telecommunications Crimes).

Last Updated: 01/23/04