Commonwealth Privacy Policy

We are committed to maintaining your privacy. This privacy policy & disclaimers page addresses the collection, security, and access to information that may be obtained by the Commonwealth through your use of a Commonwealth site. This policy covers the following topics:

• Information Collected
• Public Disclosure
• Access to User Profiles
• Choice
• Cookies
• Remarketing/Retargeting Policy

Information Collected

As part of standard internet practice, we collect and retain the following information for thirty-eight months when you visit our sites:

• Your domain name; for example, “xcompany.com” if you use a private internet access account, or “yourschool.edu”, if you are connecting from a university domain;
• Your IP address, a number automatically assigned to your computer when you are using the Internet;
• The type of browser and operating system used to access our site;
• The internet address of the website from which you linked directly to our site;
• The pages you visit within the commonwealth’s site; and
• The links made to other websites through this site.

If you would like to review your information within our contacts database, update it, or remove it, please contact the data protection officer, Kelly Bonner, at kebonner@pa.gov.

This information is collected for statistical analysis using standard third-party software programs (for example, Google Analytics may be used by third parties on behalf of the Commonwealth) to create summary statistics. The statistics are used for determining what information is of interest to visitors and identifying system performance or problem areas. Where Google Analytics is used, the data are used for other limited purposes by Google. For more detail on how data is used by Google Analytics, please see here: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/.

The Commonwealth does not collect any personal information through dced.pa.gov except that knowingly and willingly supplied by the user for the purpose of providing the services/information requested through our site. Depending on the website you are using, the information collected, whether or not personally identifiable, may include audio, video, and other graphic formats you send us.

Personal identifying information may be collected through e-newsletter forms, online request forms, contests, feedback forms, surveys and personal interest forms. Any information that the user provides, such as name, address, email, ZIP code, age, gender and income will be stored in a secure location and will be used only for those purposes stated. The Commonwealth does not sell or provided information collected online. Any information, including personally identifiable information (PII), that you provide will be collected and retained in accordance with existing laws.

Users of our services, such as e-newsletter subscriptions, may also withdraw consent for the use of their personal information at any time. To review, update or delete your collected data or to withdraw consent for use, contact DCED at ra-dcedcs@pa.gov. You can unsubscribe directly from this opt-in email, or at any time in the future by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email newsletter.

Public Disclosure

As a general rule, the Commonwealth does not disclose – except with Google Analytics for statistical analysis – any personally identifiable information collected online except where you have given us permission, or where the information is public information under the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law 65 P.S. 67.101, et seq., or other applicable laws. Visitors should be aware that information collected by the Commonwealth on its websites which is not otherwise protected by law or policy may be subject to disclosure, including public disclosure if such information is a public record.

Access to User Profiles

Any personally identifiable information you enter in a user profile will be open and accessible to you for review and modification.

Choice

You may decline participation in any activity that asks for information (i.e., surveys or emails). Your choice to not participate will have not affect your ability to view information on the Commonwealth’s websites.

Cookies

We may customize your browsing experience by utilizing your browser’s “cookies” to store a randomly generated identifying tag on your computer. A cookie is a small text file that is saved on your computer when you visit a website

You can refuse the cookie or delete the cookie file from your computer’s browser at any time by using any one of several widely available methods. Cookies created by using our websites and stored on your computer do not contain personally identifiable information and do not compromise your privacy or security. Session cookies allow you to move through many pages of a website quickly and easily without having to authenticate or reprocess each new area you visit. Session cookies are destroyed after successful completion of a transaction, after a few minutes of inactivity, or when the browser is closed.

Persistent cookies help websites remember your information and settings when you visit them in the future. They continue to exist after a few minutes of inactivity, after the browser is closed, or after a user completes a single session.

Remarketing/Retargeting Policy

This website utilizes cookies to gather visitor data for advertising on third-party websites (including Google and Bing) to previous visitors to our site. It could mean that we advertise to previous visitors who have not completed a task on our site or visited key pages, for example requesting a brochure. This could be in the form of an advertisement on the Google search results page, or a site in the Google Display Network. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on someone’s past visits to the Commonwealth website (dced.pa.gov). Of course, any data collected will be used in accordance with our own privacy policy, Google’s privacy policy and other third-party vendor privacy policies. You can opt out of Google’s use of cookies by visiting Google’s Ads Settings. Alternatively, you can opt out of a third-party vendor’s use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page.

Disclaimers

External Linking Policy and Disclaimer

The information posted on Commonwealth websites may include hypertext links to information created and maintained by other public and/or private organizations (external websites).

We provide these links for your information and convenience. When you select a link to an outside website, you are leaving the Commonwealth site and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the outside website.

• The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information contained on an outside website.
• The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not endorse the organizations sponsoring outside websites and does not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.
• The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in outside websites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the outside website.
• The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is not responsible for transmissions users receive from outside websites.
• The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania cannot guarantee that outside websites comply with accessibility requirements.

Information Disclaimer

Information provided on the Commonwealth’s websites is intended to allow for access to public information. While all attempts are made to provide accurate, current, and reliable information we recognize the possibility of human and/or mechanical error. Therefore, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, its officers, employees, and/or agents expressly disclaim any warranty of the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of any information published by Commonwealth systems and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance upon the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of such information. Any person who relies upon such information obtained from this system does so at his or her own risk.

Social Media Policy and Disclaimer

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government agencies and government officials engage with Pennsylvanians through many online channels, including PA.gov, state.pa.us, governor.pa.gov, agency websites, and social media. We encourage the public to engage with the commonwealth through these channels and welcome all viewpoints. Please be aware that when engaging with the commonwealth over social media, you are agreeing to the following.

Official Social Media Channels

A list of official Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government online channels can be found on PA.gov. The commonwealth is not responsible for non-official pages or content generated by users on official or non-official pages or platforms.

Terms and Conditions

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s government social media pages are located within platforms such as Facebook and Twitter that have their own terms of services, privacy policies, and other rules to which users are subject when users visit those pages.

User-generated Content

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania monitors its government social media pages but is not responsible for content generated by users on those platforms. Comments and other content posted on those platforms may be subject to public disclosure.

The commonwealth’s individual social media pages also contain their own commenting policy statements and conditions which users are presumed to have read and understand in their use of the channels.

Contacting the Commonwealth

Social media is not considered an official channel for contacting Commonwealth of Pennsylvania agencies and officials. While the commonwealth at times responds to queries and comments on social media, staffing for that purpose is not 24/7. The commonwealth encourages users to follow instructions on how to officially contact government offices found on their individual websites. A list of official commonwealth websites and contact pages can be found on PA.gov.

Communications posted on the commonwealth’s social media pages will not be construed as satisfying requirements for legal notice or service, shall not be considered official public comment, and shall not be construed as an official request for records pursuant to the Right-to-Know Law.

Intellectual Property

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not claim ownership of content users submit or make available on our social media pages. We only claim rights in what official commonwealth users write, post, or otherwise share.

If users want to use a logo, a video, a document, etc., users need to get the commonwealth’s legal permission. Links

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania may post links to other public and/or private organizations on social media. A link does not constitute an endorsement of content, viewpoint, policies, products, or services of that website. Once a user clicks a link to an external website not maintained or owned by the commonwealth, the user is subject to the terms and conditions of that website. Read our full external linking policy and disclaimer on PA.gov.