Privacy Policy for Websites
Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy, we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used.
OVERVIEW
The City automatically collects information from visitors to burlingtonvt.gov, including:
- the Internet Protocol (“IP”) address and Fully Qualified Domain Name of your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and your computer, if assigned;
- the type of browser and operating system you are using;
- the page(s) you access; and
- if you followed a link or were forwarded to burlingtonvt.gov from another website, the City collects the URL of the site that directed you to the City’s website.
The City uses this information to identify site performance needs, to ensure compatibility with the technology used by site visitors, and generally to add and improve services offered. In order to accomplish those goals, from time to time, the City may conduct analysis of the data it collects, using a service such as Google Analytics. We do not sell this information to outside parties.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Burlingtonvt.gov collects personal information, such as your name, address, email address, credit card information, or other information if you provide it to us - for example, if you ask us to process various applications, such as:
- You respond to a survey.
- You perform a transaction such as paying a bill.
- You submit a comment or question though a contact form.
- You post a question or comment on an applicable page.
- You register for a program.
To correct or access the personal information collected by the City about yourself, email privacy@burlingtonvt.gov.
All of these activities are purely voluntary.
SHARING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
When you submit personal information to Burlingtonvt.gov, the City of Burlington generally does not share the personal information it collects with outside parties except to complete the transaction for which you have submitted it. For example, the City may use a third-party payment processor such as MuniciPay to process credit card payments. We will not use the personal information you provide for purposes other than those outlined in this policy without providing you an opportunity to opt-out. We will not sell your information to an outside party. We may, however, aggregate personal information data from individuals to analyze and improve our site and services.
SECURITY
The City has security measures in place in the design, implementation and operation of the site and in its underlying servers and networks. Furthermore, the City maintains ongoing efforts to identify and/or block unauthorized intrusions into the site. Unauthorized attempts to upload to or change information on or otherwise cause damage to the site are prohibited.
By using this site, you consent to the City’s monitoring of your uses of the system. If such monitoring reveals possible evidence of criminal activity or other unauthorized use, City personnel may provide your information to law enforcement or other officials, as authorized or required by law.
PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION AVAILABLE
FROM GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES OVER THE WEB
Some City departments may already have, or may acquire, personally identifiable information through the normal functions of government. The Vermont Public Records Act governs the use of any information maintained or acquired by a public agency. If state or federal law treats information as public and not confidential, a City department may choose to make the record available through this site in much the same manner as it would make a record available to a member of the public who visits the department in person.
COOKIES
A cookie is a small text file that a website can place on your computer’s hard drive, for example to collect information about your activities on the site. The cookie transmits this information back to the website’s computer, which, generally speaking, is the only computer that can read it. Cookies may be used on the City’s website for purposes such as to distinguish between visitors, track information about site usage, or to enhance the user experience.
Most consumers do not know that cookies are being placed on their computers when they visit Web sites. If you want to know when this happens, or to prevent it from happening, you can set your browser to warn you when a website attempts to place a cookie on your computer.
LINKS TO OTHER SITES
Burlington’s websites may contain links to other sites on the Internet that are operated by parties other than the City. Once you link to another site, you are subject to the terms of use and privacy policy of the new site. These links are provided for your convenience, and the City does not control or make any guarantee about the other sites or their policies. Further, links to particular items in hypertext should not be considered an endorsement of any organization or viewpoint in that text. To report problems with links on our site, please see the contact information below.
CHILDREN
No applications on burlingtonvt.gov specifically solicit information from minors or seek to determine whether the visitor is a minor. Consequently, because such information will not be specifically identified as being from minors, users of the site should be aware that personally identifiable information submitted to the site by minors will be subject to being treated in the same manner as information given by an adult and may become subject to public records act requests.
The City strongly believes that parental supervision is an important factor in Internet use by minors. Therefore, the City asks parents to guide minor children under the age of 13 when children are asked to provide any personal information online. The City further requires that children under the age of 13 ask for and receive their parent’s permission before providing any information online to the City. Any personal information for children under 13 that is identified as being collected without parental permission will be deleted.
The City may change this policy from time to time, and reserves its right to do so without notice. This policy is effective July 10, 2017.
Questions
For more information, or if you have questions about this Privacy Policy, you may contact privacy@burlingtonvt.gov