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TOPIC 1. Office of the Attorney General Website and NYOpenGovernment
PRIVACY POLICY
This section describes the Office of the Attorney General's online
information practice regarding the information collected from visitors to our
Website and ways in which the office uses and maintains this information.
When you voluntarily disclose personally identifiable information (PII) to
the OAG, it means that you consent to the collection and use of your
information by the office as described in this policy.
The OAG Website has two main purposes:
- Provide useful information, including tips for New Yorkers, legal rights
and remedies, and a description of the work of the Attorney
General's Office.
- Provide a means to communicate with the Attorney General's Office.
You can use this Website as a convenient alternative to mail or
telephone communication.
The OAG Website collects two kinds of information:
- Information you decide to give us; and
-
Nonpersonal information your computer automatically provides to every
Website you visit. This is sometimes referred to as "navigation"
information. The OAG retains this information only for a short time.
Click here for details on information your
computer automatically transmits.
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Information you decide to give the OAG
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Information your computer automatically transmits to all
Websites
Click here for details
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How the OAG uses information you provide
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The OAG Website provides a convenient way to communicate with
the Attorney General's Office in addition to more
traditional means such as the mail, phone or in-person visits.
For example, you can
- send the OAG messages that may include text, audio,
video and picture files
- request information
- file consumer complaints
- apply for employment
The OAG retains this information to fulfill the purposes for
which you disclosed the data and for OAG authorized duties. The
OAG protects it just as if you had sent it by mail.
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The OAG temporarily retains the information
automatically sent by your computer to evaluate the
traffic through the OAG Website to help make the
site more user-friendly. |
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
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Personally identifiable information ("PII") is
information about you, such as your name, address, or Social
Security number, that someone could use to identify or locate
you.
The OAG acquires PII online when a visitor voluntarily
sends it.
When browsing the OAG Website -Website - reading, printing,
or downloading information such as consumer brochures or
press releases ? you do not have to provide nor do you
transmit PII. However, to receive certain services and
resources the OAG offers (e.g., a report), you will need to
provide your PII.
The OAG only uses PII for authorized government purposes.
Click here for details on PII.
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Automatic information typically does not personally identify
you. Even when it might, the OAG does not try to discover or use
your identity.
Click below for details on:
-
identifiability of domain names
and IP addresses.
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OAG use of information
your computer
automatically transmits.
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Sensitive Information
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There may be particular privacy concerns with
certain kinds of information such as financial or
medical records. The OAG uses such information only
for authorized government purposes. |
Automatic information typically does not include any sensitive
information about you.
Click on the following topics for details on:
-
information your computer
automatically transmits.
-
OAG use of information
your computer
automatically transmits.
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Information practices the OAG does not use
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The OAG does not have a profile database of all
online visitors. |
The OAG does not use cookies, clear GIFs ("Web bugs"),
or any kind of anonymous identifier to try to track or recognize
you during your visit, or from visit to visit.
Click here to learn more about cookies
and "Web bugs."
The OAG does not draw conclusions about you based on pages
you view or search terms you enter.
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Data sharing and transfer
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- The OAG does not sell or rent information provided by
online visitors.
- The OAG may share or disclose certain information you
provide if necessary to fulfill government functions,
such as mediating a complaint.
Click here for details on
sharing information you provide
the OAG.
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The OAG does not sell or rent the automatic
navigation information your computer transmits. |
Data security, integrity, and retention
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- The OAG does not store information submitted by all our
visitors in an office-wide, master database.
- The OAG retains data related to complaints that members
of the public file and requests for information. Each
bureau maintains a document retention schedule.
Consistent with the provisions in the General Retention
and Disposition Schedule for Governmental Records issued
by the State Archives and Records Administration
pursuant to the Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, records
that may be used for legal action are retained until the
legal action concludes and the records are deemed
obsolete.
- The OAG takes appropriate technical measures to protect
the security and integrity of information the OAG
receives. Such measures have been integrated into the
design, implementation and daily operations of this
Website.
- Access to information provided by visitors online is
limited to OAG personnel who have authorization to the
data. Personnel with access are made aware of the need
to adhere to appropriate security procedures.
- The same rules of confidentiality that apply to
information you might send the OAG offline apply to
information provided online.
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- The OAG temporarily stores the automatic navigation
information in a computer database. After six months, it
purges this information from the OAG databases.
- The OAG takes appropriate technical measures to protect
the security and integrity of this information. Such
measures have been integrated into the design,
implementation and daily operations of this Website.
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The following notices apply generally to any information the OAG receives:
Exceptions
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- Legal obligations to disclose information: The OAG may
disclose information to comply with a court order,
authorized law enforcement request, subpoena, or a
request under federal or state "freedom of
information" law.
- Emergency exceptions: If necessary to protect health or
safety in an emergency situation, the OAG may use, share
or disclose information other than outlined in this
policy.
- If there are other exceptions or special needs for
handling information in a specific case, the OAG will
provide notice as appropriate.
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Notice of changes
in this Privacy Policy
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If any of the information in this section changes
in a material way, the OAG will post 30 days
advance notice on every page of this Website, with
the effective date of the change. Where a page is
affected specifically by a change in policy, the
OAG will post a clear and conspicuous notice. |
Links to other Websites
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This Privacy Policy applies to the Website of the
Office of the Attorney General of the State of New
York. While the OAG offers links to other Websites
that may be of interest, the OAG disclaims any
responsibility for their content, accuracy or
services and cannot vouch for their information
practices. Once you link to another Website from
this site, you are subject to the terms and
conditions of that site. |
Security Disclaimer
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This privacy policy should not be construed as giving any
legal or other advice or guaranteeing the security of the
information provided through this Website.
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TOPIC 2. Details on OAG Online Information Practices
Details:
Personally identifiable information you give
the OAG
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Many visitors to the OAG Website provide personally identifiable
information for a particular purpose. For example -
- If you send the OAG a message and want a reply, the OAG
needs at least your name and your e-mail address or
telephone number.
- If you request a publication, the OAG needs your name
and street address to send it to you.
-
Regarding requests for information, please note:
If
you
request
a
particular
brochure
or
report,
we
will
send
you
the
document
you
requested
and
updated
related
information
as
it
becomes
available.
If you want other publications or additional
unrelated information, please request it, i.e. opt-in
on the OAG's Information Request Form.
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Details:
Sharing information you give the OAG
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The OAG may need to share your information to perform government
functions, just as if you had sent the OAG the information by
mail. For example -
- If you request that the OAG mediate a consumer complaint
against a merchant, the OAG must tell the merchant the
details of the transaction, which may include your
identity. The OAG does not control and cannot vouch for
the information practices of these businesses.
- If you apply for employment, the OAG may need to contact
your references and perform other appropriate
verification.
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Details:
Access to personally identifiable information you give
the OAG
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Access to PII is limited to OAG personnel who have
authorization to the data.
Except as otherwise provided by law, the OAG will provide you
with access to your PII which has been collected through this
Website. Access to the data and the opportunity to request
correction or amendment of such information is provided under
the procedures set forth in section 95 of the Public Officers
Law. Reasonable proof of identity will be required.
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Details:
Information your computer automatically provides to
all
Websites
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While you are browsing, your computer automatically provides
certain "navigation" information to every Website you
visit, including the OAG Website. The navigation information
includes:
- The address (also known as URL, short for "uniform
resource locator") of any Web page you visited
before you linked to an OAG Web page.
-
Your Internet Protocol address (or "IP
address"). This is the Internet's address for
your particular computer. A Website's computer must
know your IP address so the site can send the Web page
you ask to view.
Click here for more details on
domain names and IP addresses.
- The Web-browsing software you are using.
- Whether your computer is configured to display English
or some other language.
- Your online service provider.
- The date and time you visited this site.
-
Note: Your computer
does not
automatically provide your e-mail address.
For example, if you have an AOL account, were visiting a page on
the Yahoo site, and clicked on a link to the OAG home page, your
computer would transmit to the OAG Website that:
- You are an AOL subscriber;
- You use a particular browser software version such as
Internet Explorer 5.0.
- You were just visiting a particular page on
www.yahoo.com.
-
You linked to
www.ag.ny.gov
on a particular date at a particular time.
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Details: Use of
information your
computer
automatically provides
to
all
Websites
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The OAG Website uses automatic navigation information for
internal, site-monitoring purposes.
- This data allows OAG staff to measure visitors'
interest in different sections of the Website, so the
OAG can make the site more useful to visitors.
-
The OAG generates internal reports that identify the
number of web users on a given day who requested pages
through particular online service providers. This
information may report the volume of requests
originating from a service provider associated with a
particular school or company or from foreign countries.
The OAG does
not:
- analyze our visitors' automatic navigation
information to attempt to identify unique or repeat
visitors
- routinely retain permanent records of automatic
navigation information
- attempt to identify individual visitors by analyzing
their IP (Internet Protocol) addresses
Click here for details on
identifiability of domain names
and IP addresses.
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Details: Identifiability of
domain names
and IP
addresses
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-
Identifiability of your domain name: If you
access the
Internet
through
facilities
provided by an
organization
such as your
school or
business, your
automatic
navigation
information
may reveal the
name of your
organization.
For example, a
student's
navigation
information
might let a
Website know
that the
student
accesses the
Internet
through
www.myuniversity.edu.
-
Geographic area: Similarly, if you access the
Internet through an Internet
Service Provider (ISP) located in
a particular geographic area, a
Website may be able to use the
ISP's identity to infer that
to be your geographic location.
-
Identifiability of your IP address: Whether your
IP address is
identifiable
depends on
whether it is
dynamic or
static. If it
is dynamic,
your ISP
(Internet
Service
Provider)
assigns a
different IP
address for
each online
visit that does
not identify
any person or
machine.
In contrast, if you access the Internet through an ISP that
assigns you a static or fixed IP address (for example, DSL
or cable modem service), your IP address will always be the
same, and will identify your computer.
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TOPIC 3. General Information about Fair Information Practices
The information practices of the Office of the Attorney General incorporate a
set of principles that have become known as Fair Information Practices. The
OAG follows these principles in handling information about visitors to the
OAG Website in the following manner:
Notice and disclosure
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The OAG provides notice and disclosure of its
information practices by posting its privacy policy. |
Choice/ Consent
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The OAG receives your online information only when
you choose to disclose it, for example, by
submitting an online complaint form or request for
information. The OAG only uses this information for
the purpose for which you disclosed it, except when
the law or emergencies require the OAG to do
otherwise. |
Access
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Because the Attorney General's Office is a law
enforcement agency, it must carefully safeguard
information. The office monitors access to its
information on a case-by-case basis. If you need
information you previously gave the OAG, please
contact this office, and, if known, the bureau
working on your initial request. Access to the data
and the opportunity to request correction or
amendment of such information is provided under the
procedures set forth in the Public Officers Law. |
Security
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The OAG takes reasonable measures to protect the
security and integrity of information received.
Such measures have been integrated into the design,
implementation and daily operations of the Website.
The OAG periodically purges its computer files that
log activity on the OAG Website. The OAG implements
procedures to safeguard the integrity of its
information technology. |
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TOPIC 4. General Information about Cookies and Clear GIFs ("Web
Bugs")
Although the OAG does not use cookies or clear GIFs ("Web
beacons") on this Website, many sites do use this technology. Here is
some helpful information.
Cookies
A cookie is...
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- A cookie is a small data file placed on your hard drive
by a Website so it can "remember" information
about you or your computer.
- A Website may assign you an ID and create a cookie with
that ID number on your computer. The Website then can
create a profile with your ID number on the
Website's server.
- In your profile, the Website can store information about
your interests and other characteristics. For example, a
site that carries news and weather might record your zip
code so it can display local weather and news each time
you visit the site. A credit card or bank site might use
your profile to store your password, so that it has a
way to recognize you and display your account
information.
- A cookie can be read and updated only by the Website
that created it. One Website cannot "peek" at
another Website's cookies.
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A cookie is not...
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- A cookie is not a program. It is a data file.
- A cookie is not a spy device that can read files on your
computer.
- A cookie is not a way for a Website to secretly discover
your personal information.
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Cookies on your computer
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- To learn more about cookies on your computer and what
you can do about them, consult your browser's help
or tutorial feature.
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Clear GIFs or "Web beacons"
A clear GIF is...
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- Another common way that web sites collect information
about you is by using technology called clear GIF or
"Web beacons" (also referred to as a
"1-by-1 GIF," "pixel tag," or
"Web bugs").
- A clear GIF is an invisible image that can be imbedded
in a Web page or certain kinds of e-mail. ("GIF"
stands for "graphical interface format," which
is one of the technologies used to show pictures in a
Web page.)
- As with cookies, a Website can use clear GIFs to collect
data about you.
- Unlike cookies, clear GIFs are not stored on your
computer.
- Unlike cookies, most browsers do not have built-in
features to explain or help you detect clear GIFs.
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TOPIC 5. General information about the privacy of your online
information
Learn how websites are
collecting information about you.
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- Anytime you are online, the site you are visiting may
collect information about you. In a world where users
regularly access information online or make online
purchases, it is important to know how to safeguard your
privacy.
- All internet users should understand a Website's
information practices, especially if you disclose your
name, address, or e-mail address.
- Some Websites keep profiles on their visitors, and even
purchase information about you from other marketers.
- Websites may maintain information profiles about you so
that they have a list of subscribers to the site. Or a
site may profile you to send you a targeted
advertisement matched to your interests. Your profile
can be sold to other marketers (including businesses
that market by sending unwanted, "spam"
e-mails).
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When Websites collect
consumer information, consumers may benefit in
important ways.
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- An online business may monitor visitors' activities
to determine which of its Web pages are the most
interesting, or to make sure that its computers can
handle the volume of visitor traffic.
- An online business may design its Web pages to display
different information - such as local weather reports or
sports articles - to match the interests of its visitors.
- The online advertisements you see may be targeted to
items more likely to appeal to you. An online merchant
may store your credit card and mailing address to make
online purchasing more convenient for you.
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Online collection of
consumer information can also pose risks.
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- Increasingly, businesses are collecting, and even
buying, selling, and combining information about
consumers. With more computerized information about
consumers, consumers are exposed to greater risk that
someone may misuse that information.
- For example, there have been cases of hackers stealing
and selling credit card numbers. Identity theft crimes
are on the rise, such as where someone falsely obtains
credit and makes unauthorized financial transactions in
the consumer's name. Some businesses acquire e-mail
addresses in order to send unwanted marketing
solicitations or even "spam" e-mail messages.
There have even been cases of malicious individuals
obtaining other people's personal information to
embarrass, blackmail or stalk them.
- These acts can have serious consequences for the victim
who unexpectedly suffers from a negative credit rating
and must spend hours or even months dealing with
merchants and financial institutions to repair the
damage. Also, many consumers are simply concerned that
the businesses gathering and sharing information simply
know too much personal information.
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TOPIC 6. General Information about Children's Online Privacy
The OAG does not solicit information from children under the age of
thirteen. If the OAG receives information submitted by children under the
age of thirteen, those communications are accorded the same protections as
if the information had been submitted offline.
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998
("COPPA") imposes restrictions on commercial Websites, not
government agency websites. Although COPPA does not apply to the OAG
Website, the OAG practices are consistent with its mandates. If you would
like more information about COPPA, please visit the FTC's official
COPPA page at:
http://www.ftc.gov
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TOPIC 7. OAG Privacy Links
(COMING SOON)
OAG CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have questions about The OAG Website privacy statement or this
Website, please contact the OAG by e-mailing the Webmaster at
webmaster@ag.ny.gov.
You can also write the OAG at:
Attorney General
The Capitol
Albany, New York 12224
You can also
click here to view
contact information
for regional offices.
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