Privacy Policy

In the State of California, laws exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by government agencies. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public's right to access public records provided by both state and federal laws. These exceptions include the privacy of individuals.

Information collected at this site becomes public record and may be subject to inspection and copying by the public, unless an exception in law exists. During your visit to the County of Kern Web site, information that is not readily identifiable to an individual is automatically collected and stored. This information is used solely to improve our web services. For more detail on our privacy policy, please see the expanded statement following.

• Information Collected and How it is Used
• Personal Information and Choice
• Public Disclosure
• Access and Correction of Personal Information
• Cookies
• Security
• Contact Information Information Collected and How it is Used

If you do nothing during your visit to the County of Kern Web site but browse through the site, read pages or download information, we automatically collect and store the following information about your visit:

1. The Internet Protocol (IP) address 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;
2. The date and time you visited this site; and
3. The web pages or services you accessed at this site.

The information we automatically collect or store may be used to improve the content of our web services and to help us understand how people are using our services. We may analyze our Web site logs to continually improve the value of the materials available on our site. Our Web site logs are not personally identifiable, and we make no attempt to link them with the individuals that browse the County of Kern Web site.

If during your visit to the County of Kern Web site, you participate in a survey, send an e-mail or fill out a feedback form, the following additional information will be collected:

1. E-mail correspondence: The e-mail address, contents of the e-mail and any personal identification/contact information you provide;
2. Surveys: Any information you volunteered in response to a survey including any personal identification/contact information provided;
3. Feedback Forms: All comments you have provided and any personal identification/contact information you have also provided.

All information collected is retained in accordance with California Government Code Section 26200 et. seq.

We use your e-mail address to respond appropriately. This may be to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to further improve our Web site, or to forward the e-mail to another agency for appropriate action. Survey information is used for the purpose designated.

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, and phone number. A domain name or Internet Protocol address is not considered personal information.

At the County of Kern Web site we collect no personal information about you unless you voluntarily participate in an activity that asks for information (i.e. 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 the County of Kern Web site.

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 (see California Government Code Section 6254.20). Non-personal information requested or volunteered however 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.

Users are cautioned that the collection of personal information requested from or volunteered by children on-line or by e-mail will be treated the same as information given by an adult and may be subject to public access.

Public Disclosure

In the State of California, the California Public Records Act (Government Code Section 6250 et seq.) exists to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by state or local government entities. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public's right to access public records that serve various needs: the privacy of individuals is included among these exceptions. Exceptions are provided by both state and federal laws.

The County of Kern Web site strives to protect personally identifiable information by collecting only information necessary to deliver our services. All information collected at this site becomes public record and may be subject to inspection and copying by the public, unless an exemption in law exists.

In the event of a conflict between this Privacy Notice and Government Code Section 6250 et seq., or any other law governing the disclosure of records, Government Code Section 6250 or such other applicable law will control.

Access and Correction of Personal Information

You can review any personal information the County of Kern Web site collects about you. You may recommend changes to your personal information you believe in error by submitting a written request that credibly shows the error. If you believe that your personal information is being used for a purpose other than what was intended when submitted, you may contact us. In all cases, we will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections. See Contact Information section.

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 Web site'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 Web site. If your browser software is set to allow cookies, a Web site can send its own cookie to you. A Web site 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 Web Sites?

Cookies are one mechanism for maintaining continuity during a user's visit to a Web site. They allow data to be maintained for a 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 be also be stored on your computer so that you can be recognized by a Web site on subsequent visits. They can be read by the Web site that set them whenever you enter the Web site. They are often used on Web sites that require you to log in to save you entering all of your log-in information. They may store information on your unique identifier and the areas of the Web site you have visited before. These cookies are stored on your computer's hard drive after you have left your Web site 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.)

The County of Kern Web site's Practices Regarding Cookies When the County of Kern Web site uses session cookies, the information on these cookies would be retained by the site in a table that lists the unique identifiers of those currently using the site only while the user's session is active.

Security

The County of Kern Web site has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its computing infrastructure and data, including but not limited to authentication, monitoring, and auditing. Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation and day-to-day practices of the entire site. This information should not be construed in any way as giving business, legal, or other advice. This information should not be construed as warranting as fail-proof the security of information provided through the County of Kern Web site.

Contact Information

To offer comments about the County of Kern Web site, or to comment about the information presented in this Privacy Notice, please e-mail the Webmaster. Please do not include any information on the e-mail that you feel is confidential as it may become a public record subject to release under the provisions of the California Public Records Act referenced above.