The
State of Nevada is committed to protecting the privacy of visitors to our
websites. This policy defines the minimum online privacy requirements for
State of Nevada executive branch organizations. Any executive branch
organization may augment this policy with information that pertaining to
services offered on their specific website.
2. SCOPE
All Nevada state
executive branch organizations must adhere to the policy in this document
to the extent of the governor’s authority. This policy applies to all
state Internet sites but does not apply to state Intranet sites.
3. EFFECTIVE DATES
The requirements of
this policy are effective 90 days after sign-off by the Governor or his
designee.
4. RESPONSIBILITIES
Heads of all
Nevada state executive branch organizations are responsible for their
organization’s compliance with the requirements of this policy and all
applicable laws of the United States and the State of Nevada. They are
also responsible for any information captured from users who access their
websites (see section 6. 5 of this policy.
All Nevada state
executive branch organizations must publish a link to this policy on the
homepage of their websites. A link to this privacy policy and any
additional agency-specific privacy policy is also required on every page
of a web site that collects personal information or incorporates an e-mail
or other form where users may submit questions or comments.
6.1.1When information is Collected
The state does not collect or retain personally identifiable information
unless a person voluntarily:
Participates
in an activity that asks for information (i.e. sending an email,
participating in a survey or filling in an online form). This
information will only be used to respond to the person’s request and to
analyze trends. A message may be redirected to another government agency
or person who is in a better position to respond.
Uses an online service or
transaction that requires collection of personally identifiable
information.
Choosing not to
participate in an activity or service that requests personal information
will in no way effect a visitor’s ability to access any other feature of
the State of Nevada website.
If personal
information is requested on the web site or volunteered by the user, state
law and the federal Privacy Act of 1974 may protect it. However, this
information is a public record once it is provided, and may be subject to
public inspection and copying if not protected by federal or state law.
6.1.2
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 2001 Nevada websites directed to children under 13, that knowingly collect
information from children, must comply with the Children’s Online Privacy
Protection Act of 2001. However, visitors are cautioned that the state
has no way of determining the age of a person volunteering personally
identifiable information online or by email. As such, this information
will be treated the same as information given by an adult, and may be
subject to public access.
6.1.3Password Information User names
and passwords or PINs may be required to access an online service offered
by a Nevada state executive branch organization. No representative of the
state of Nevada will ever request a user to reveal their username,
password or PIN. Under no circumstances should this information be shared
with or disclosed to any other person. However, online systems may offer
the built-in capability to securely assist users who have lost or
forgotten their PIN or password.
6.1.4
Correcting Personal Information Unless otherwise prohibited by state or federal law, rule or
regulation, an individual may request correction of personally
identifiable information. Persons concerned about information contained in
their personal records should contact the custodian of that record, which
is typically the organization that has collected the information
6.1.5 Public
Disclosure of Information It is important to understand that
under applicable state and federal law, various forms of correspondence
and other communications may be subject to public disclosure.
6.2. Automatic Information
6.2.1What is Captured
The Nevada state web portal utilizes server logs and log analysis tools to
create summary statistics about the use of the portal. These logs collect
the Internet Protocol ("IP") address of all computers accessing the
portal, and may collect other similar information about the computer’s
network. Summary statistics are used for various purposes such as
assessing what information is of most interest to users, determining
technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or
problem areas.
This data 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.
6.2.2Cookies The Nevada state web portal does not use cookies to collect
information. However, other executive branch organizations are not
prohibited from using cookies. If cookies are used, the organization must
disclose the specific information regarding the use of the cookie as part
of their privacy statement.
6.3. Link Disclaimer
In order to make
information available to visitors, the Nevada state web portal provides
links to web sites of other governmental agencies and other non-government
organizations. A link does not constitute an endorsement of the content,
viewpoint, policies, products or services of that web site. Once you link
to another web site, you are subject to the terms and conditions of that
web site, including but not limited to its privacy policy.
6.4 .Information
Disclaimer
Information provided on state of
Nevada web sites is intended to provide immediate 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 State of Nevada, its employees, officers,
and agencies expressly deny any warranty of the accuracy; reliability or
timeliness of any information published by this system 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.
7.EXCEPTIONS/OTHER ISSUES
Any exception to this
policy must be approved by organization management, the e-government
Steering Committee and by the Nevada State CIO or his designee.
8. DEFINITIONS/BACKGROUND
Base URL
String - Also known as the root URL or Domain Name. The nomenclature,
which identifies the address of a web site. The base string means the root
URL. Example: www.microsoft.com is a root or base URL that takes a user to
the first page of Microsoft’s web site.
Cookies -
A "cookie" is a small text file that a website can place on your
computer's hard drive in order, for example, to collect information about
your activities on the site or to make it possible for you to use an
online "shopping cart" to keep track of items you wish to purchase. The
cookie transmits this information back to the Web site's computer which,
generally speaking, is the only computer that can read it. Most consumers
do not know that "cookies" are being placed on their computers when they
visit websites. 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.
Executive
Branch Organizations – Includes departments, divisions, agencies,
units, commissions, boards or institutions.
Home Page
- The first page a user will encounter when visiting a web site for the
first time through the base URL string.
Internet –
Worldwide network of networks and computers that are interconnected to
communicate with each other through web pages, e-mail and many other
services.
Intranet –
An internal, restricted private network in which access is restricted to
those within a company or organization. Intranets provide many of the
same services as the Internet including websites and e-mail, but access is
allowed only to approve individuals within an organization.
Links -
Also known as hyper-links. Used to connect one web page to another web
page via some form of Hyper-Text Markup Language, whether graphical or
text in nature.
Personal
Information – Examples of personally identifiable information include:
Name
Address
E-mail
address
Social
Security number
Password
Bank account
information
Credit/debit
card information
Any
combination of data that could be used to identify you such as your
birth date, zip code, ethnicity or gender.
Portal - A website serving as a
common entry point and frequent gateway to information and services.
Web Page –
Any page located on a web site
Web Site -
Public set of documents, called pages, developed using some form of
Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML).
The Nevada State Board of Accountancy is funded from license fees collected from our licensees. The Nevada State Board of Accountancy does not receive funds from the State General Fund.