Preamble
Pursuant to the fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of government, it is declared to be the public policy of the City of Champaign website that all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts and policies of those who represent them as public officials and public employees. The access to this information is not intended to be used to violate individual privacy, nor to further a commercial enterprise, nor to disrupt the duly-undertaken work of any public body independent of the fulfillment of any of rights of the people to access to information.
Privacy Statement
Information collected and received through the City of Champaign website may become public record and therefore subject to disclosure under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. It is therefore the policy of the City of Champaign that no personal information you provide to us, including, but not limited to, your name, address, telephone number, drivers license number, Social Security Number or email address will be sold or rented to any entity or individual or disclosed to unauthorized entity or individual. The release of personal information by the City shall be limited to city departments or their authorized agents of the City, State or Federal agencies, or as mandated by Illinois law or court order.
Personal Information and Choice
“Personal information” is information about an individual that is readily identifiable to that specific individual. Personal information includes personal identifiers such as an individual’s name, address, phone number, drivers license number and social security number. A domain name or Internet Protocol address is not considered personal information. We collect no personal information about you unless you voluntarily participate in an activity that asks for information (e.g., sending an e-mail or participating in a survey). If you choose not to participate in these activities, your choice will in no way affect your ability to use any other feature of City of Champaign websites. If personal information is requested on the website 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 you provide it, and may be subject to public inspection and copying if not protected by federal or state law.
Policies for Individuals Under 13 Years of Age
The City of Champaign is committed to complying fully with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Accordingly, if you are under the age of 13, you are not authorized to provide us with personally identifying information, and we will not use any such information in our database or other data collection activities. We appreciate your cooperation with this federally mandated requirement. Users are cautioned that the collection of personal information volunteered by children online or by email will be treated the same as information given by an adult and may be subject to public access.
Web Server Logs
The City of Champaign analyzes our website logs to continually improve the value of the materials available on our site. Our website logs are not personally identifiable, and we make no attempt to link them with the individuals that browse the City of Champaign website.
Information Retained and How it is Used
If, during your visit to the City of Champaign website, you just browse or download information, the following information about your visit will be retained: 1. Your Internet Protocol address (not the e-mail address). Unique IP addresses are counted to determine the number of visitors to each web page during specific time frames. Analysis of the number of visitors helps to determine how, where or if the page will be delivered in the future. 2. The type of web browser used (Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.). Web pages do not always display the same on every type or version of web browser and thus must be coded for appropriate access.
Correspondence
If during your visit to the City of Champaign website you participate in a survey or send an email, the following additional information will be collected: 1. Email correspondence: The email address and contents of the email. We may use your email to respond appropriately. This may be to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to further improve our website, or to forward the email to another agency for appropriate action. 2. Surveys : Any information you volunteered in response to a survey. Survey information is used for the purpose designated. The information collected is not limited to text characters and may include audio, video, and graphic information formats that you have provided.
Cookies
What is a cookie?
A cookie is a small amount of data, which may include an anonymous unique identifier, that is sent to your browser from a website’s computers and may either be used only during your session (a “session” cookie) or may be stored on your computer’s hard drive (a “persistent” cookie). Cookies can contain data about user movement during the visit to the website. If your browser software is set to allow cookies, a website can send its own cookie to you. A website that has set a cookie can only access those cookies it has sent to you, it cannot access cookies sent to you by other sites.
Why are cookies used on websites?
Cookies are one mechanism for maintaining continuity during a user’s visit to a website. They allow data to be maintained for users’ benefit as they navigate a site. This is referred to as “session” or “state management” cookie. These cookies go away when you terminate your visit to the website as they are maintained only in your browser’s active memory during your session. Cookies may also be stored on your computer to so that you can be recognized by a website on subsequent visits. They can be read by the website that set them whenever you enter the website. They are often used on websites that require you to log in to save you entering all of your login information. They may store information on your unique identifier and the areas of the website you have visited before. These cookies are stored on your computer’s hard drive after you have left your website visit and consequently are often referred to as “persistent” cookies.
Choices about cookies
You can configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is set. (Each browser is different, so check the “Help” menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.)
City of Champaign website practices regarding cookies
The City of Champaign website may use either session or persistent cookies at any given time. Cookies used by the City of Champaign website attempt to make accessing the site more convenient for the user. Any services provided by the website that require the use of cookies to function properly will expressly notify the user of this requirement.
Link Privacy Disclaimer
The City of Champaign website has links to other websites. This include links to websites operated by other government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private businesses. When you link to another site, you are no longer on a site covered by this Privacy Policy. When you link to another website, you are subject to the privacy policy of that new site.
Changes to the Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may change from time to time at the discretion of the City of Champaign. Any changes will be posted on this webpage, and if the changes are significant, the City will provide a more prominent notice on this website. Continued use of this website after the changes have been made constitute the user’s acceptance of the changes.