USE POLICY

Thank you for visiting the State of California's web site and reviewing our Use Policy. You should also be aware that the State has a Privacy Policy, also available on this web site. The State wants you to know about the collection, use, security, and access to information that may be obtained through use of the State's web portal. By visiting this web site, you are accepting the policies and practices described in this Notice. 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. Also note that each department within the State may have additional privacy and use policies specific to the mission and needs of their work. Be sure to review those policies as you access additional sites within the State. If you have any questions, comments, or complaints, or want to learn more about the CDPH privacy policy statement, please contact the Privacy Officer at the address above. This Privacy Policy Statement is effective as of March 26, 2020 and may change with

PERSONAL INFORMATION AND CHOICE

"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. "Electronically collected personal information" that we automatically collect includes your domain name or Internet Protocol address, and statistical information about which web pages you visit. If you voluntarily participate in an activity that asks for specific information (i.e., completing a request for assistance, personalizing the content of the web site, sending an e-mail, or participating in a survey) more detailed data will be collected. If you choose not to participate in these activities, your choice will in no way affect your ability to use any other feature of the web site. 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 California under the authority of the Governor are required to adhere to the Privacy Policy which is also accessible on this web site.

A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT CHILDREN

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

We do 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. 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: 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; The type of browser and operating system you used; The date and time you visited this site; The web pages or services you accessed at this site; The web site you visited prior to coming to this web site; The web site you visit as you leave this web site; and 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: The e-mail address and contents of the e-mail; and 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.