Internet Privacy Policy

Introduction

Thank you for visiting the Alfred State website. Alfredstate.edu is designed to make it easier and more efficient for individuals and businesses to interact with Alfred State. Alfred State recognizes that it is critical for individuals and businesses to be confident that their privacy its protected when they visit alfredstate.edu.

Consistent with the provisions of the Internet Security and Privacy Act, the Freedom of Information Law, and the Personal Privacy Protection Law, this policy describes Alfred State's privacy practices regarding information collected from users of alfredstate.edu. This policy describes what information is collected and how that information is used. Because this privacy policy only applies to www.alfredstate.edu, you should examine the privacy policy of any website, including other state agency websites, that you access using alfredstate.edu.

For purposes of this policy, “alfredstate.edu” pertains to www.alfredstate.edu and "personal information" means any information concerning a natural person, as opposed to a corporate entity, which, because of name, number, symbol, mark, or other identifier, can be used to identify that natural person. Alfred State only collects personal information about you when you provide that information voluntarily by sending an email or by initiating an online transaction, such as a survey, registration or order form.

Information Collected Automatically When You Visit alfredstate.edu

When visiting alfredstate.edu, Alfred State automatically collects and stores the following information about your visit:

  • The Internet Protocol address of the computer that accessed alfredstate.edu.
  • The type of browser, its version and the operating system on which that browser is running.
  • The web page from which the user accessed the current web page.
  • The web pages, services, or files requested by the user.
  • The date and time of the request.
  • The status code the server returned to the user.
  • The web pages that were visited and the amount of time spent at each page

None of the foregoing information is deemed to constitute personal information.

The information that is collected automatically is used to improve alfredstate.edu's content and to help Alfred State understand how users are interacting with the website. This information is collected for statistical analysis, to determine what information is of most and least interest to our users, to improve the utility of the material available on the website, and to troubleshoot reported issues. The information is not collected for the commercial marketing purposes of third parties and Alfred State is not authorized to sell or otherwise disclose the information collected from the website for commercial marketing purposes of third parties.

Information Collected When You Email alfredstate.edu or Complete a Transaction

During your visit to alfredstate.edu you may send an email to Alfred State. Your email address and the contents of your message will be collected. The information collected is not limited to text characters and may include audio, video, and graphic information formats included in the message. Your email address and the information included in your message will be used to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to improve alfredstate.edu, to notify you about updates, services, special events or activities offered by Alfred State, ask for your participation in surveys, or to forward your message to SUNY or another SUNY campus or State agency for appropriate action. Your email address is not collected for commercial purposes and Alfred State is not authorized to sell or otherwise disclose your email address for commercial purposes.

During your visit to alfredstate.edu you may initiate a transaction such as a survey, registration, application, or order form. The information, including personal information, volunteered by you in initiating the transaction is used by Alfred State to operate Alfred State programs, which include the provision of goods, services, and information. The information collected by Alfred State may be disclosed by Alfred State for those purposes that may be reasonably ascertained from the nature and terms of the transaction in connection with which the information was submitted.

Alfred State does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 or create profiles of children under the age of 13 through alfredstate.edu. Users are cautioned, however, that the collection of personal information submitted in an email or through an online transaction will be treated as though it was submitted by an adult, and may, unless exempted from access by federal or State law, be subject to public access. Alfred State strongly encourages parents and teachers to be involved in children's Internet activities and to provide guidance whenever children are asked to provide personal information online.

Cookies

Cookies are simple text files stored on your web browser to provide a means of distinguishing among users of alfredstate.edu. The use of cookies is a standard practice among Internet websites. To better serve you, Alfred State uses "session cookies" to enhance or customize your visit to alfredstate.edu. Session cookies can be created automatically on the device you use to access alfredstate.edu. These session cookies do not contain personal information and do not compromise your privacy or security. Alfred State may use the cookie feature to store a randomly generated identifying tag on the device you use to access alfredstate.edu. A session cookie is erased during operation of your browser or when your browser is closed.

If you wish, you may complete a registration to personalize alfredstate.edu and permit a "persistent cookie" to be stored on your computer's hard drive. This persistent cookie will allow the website to recognize you when you visit again and tailor the information presented to you based on your needs and interests. Alfred State uses persistent cookies only with your permission.

Information and Choice

As noted above, Alfred State does not collect any personal information about you during your visit to alfredstate.edu unless you provide that information voluntarily by sending an email or initiating an online transaction such as a survey, registration, or order form. You may choose not to send Alfred State an email, respond to a survey, or complete an order form. While your choice not to participate in these activities may limit your ability to receive specific services or products through alfredstate.edu, it will not prevent you from requesting services or products from Alfred State by other means and will not normally have an impact on your ability to take advantage of other features of the website, including browsing or downloading most publicly available information.

The software and hardware you use to access the website allows you to refuse new cookies or delete existing cookies. Refusing or deleting these cookies may limit your ability to take advantage of some features of alfredstate.edu.

Disclosure of Information Collected Through alfredstate.edu

The collection of information through alfredstate.edu and the disclosure of that information are subject to the provisions of the Internet Security and Privacy Act. Alfred State will only collect personal information through alfredstate.edu or disclose personal information collected through alfredstate.edu if the user has consented to the collection or disclosure of such personal information. Participation in an online transaction resulting in the disclosure of personal information to Alfred State by the user, whether solicited or unsolicited, constitutes consent to the collection and disclosure of the information by Alfred State for the purposes reasonably ascertainable from the nature and terms of the transaction.

However, Alfred State may collect or disclose personal information without user consent if the collection or disclosure is: (1) necessary to perform the statutory duties of Alfred State, or necessary for Alfred State to operate a program authorized by law, or authorized by state or federal statute or regulation; (2) made pursuant to a court order or by law; (3) for the purpose of validating the identity of the user; or (4) of information to be used solely for statistical purposes that is in a form that cannot be used to identify any particular person.

Further, the disclosure of information, including personal information, collected through alfredstate.edu is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Law and the Personal Privacy Protection Law.

Alfred State may disclose personal information to federal or state law enforcement authorities to enforce Alfred State's rights against unauthorized access or attempted unauthorized access to Alfred State's information technology assets or against other inappropriate use of alfredstate.edu.

Retention of Information Collected Through alfredstate.edu

The information collected through alfredstate.edu is retained by Alfred State in accordance with the records retention and disposition requirements of the New York State Arts & Cultural Affairs Law.

In general, the Internet services logs of Alfred State, comprising electronic files or automated logs created to monitor access and use of Agency services provided through alfredstate.edu, are retained for approximately thirty days and then destroyed. Information, including personal information, that you submit in an email or when you initiate an online transaction such as a survey, registration form, or order form is retained in accordance with the records retention and disposition schedule established for the records of the program unit to which you submitted the information. Information concerning these records retention and disposition schedules may be obtained through the Internet privacy policy contact listed in this policy.

Access to and Correction of Personal Information Collected Through alfredstate.edu

Any user may submit a request to Alfred State privacy compliance officer to determine whether personal information pertaining to that user has been collected through alfredstate.edu. Any such request shall be made in writing to the address below and must be accompanied by reasonable proof of identity of the user. Reasonable proof of identity may include verification of a signature, inclusion of an identifier generally known only to the user, or similar appropriate identification. The address of the privacy compliance officer is:

Michael Case - Director of Technology Services
Hinkle Memorial Library
10 Upper College Drive
Alfred, New York 14802

The privacy compliance officer shall, within five (5) business days of the date of the receipt of a proper request: (i) provide access to the personal information; (ii) deny access in writing, explaining the reasons therefore; or (iii) acknowledge the receipt of the request in writing, stating the approximate date when the request will be granted or denied, which date shall not be more than thirty (30) days from the date of the acknowledgment.

In the event that Alfred State has collected personal information pertaining to a user through alfredstate.edu and that information is to be provided to the user pursuant to the user's request, the privacy compliance officer shall inform the user of his or her right to request that the personal information be amended or corrected under the procedures set forth in section 95 of the Public Officers Law.

Confidentiality and Integrity of Personal Information Collected Through alfredstate.edu

Alfred State is strongly committed to protecting personal information collected through alfredstate.edu against unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Consequently, Alfred State limits employee access to personal information collected through alfredstate.edu to only those employees who need access to the information in the performance of their official duties. Employees who have access to this information are required to follow appropriate procedures in connection with any disclosures of personal information.

In addition, Alfred State has implemented procedures to safeguard the integrity of its information technology assets, including, but not limited to, authentication, authorization, monitoring, auditing, and encryption. These security procedures have been integrated into the design, implementation, and day-to-day operations of alfredstate.edu as part of our continuing commitment to the security of electronic content as well as the electronic transmission of information.

For website security purposes and to maintain the availability of the website for all users, Alfred State employs software to monitor traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise damage alfredstate.edu.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this privacy policy should not be construed as giving business, legal, or other advice, or warranting as fail proof, the security of information provided through alfredstate.edu.

External Links

In order to provide users with certain information, Alfred State provides links to the websites of local, State, and federal government agencies, and to the websites of other organizations. A link does not constitute an endorsement of the content, viewpoint, accuracy, opinions, policies, products, services, or accessibility of that website. Once you link to another website from alfredstate.edu, including one maintained by the State, you are subject to the terms and conditions of that website, including, but not limited to, its Internet privacy policy. If you decide to visit any linked third party website, you do so at your own risk.

Contact Information

For questions regarding this Internet privacy policy, please contact:

CaseMA@alfredstate.edu

Michael Case - Director of Technology Services
Hinkle Memorial Library
10 Upper College Drive
Alfred, New York 14802

Defined Terms

Cookie
shall mean a unique text file stored on a user's computer by an Internet browser. These text files are used as a means of distinguishing among users of a website and as a means of customizing the website according to the user's preferences and interests. A cookie will not include personal information unless the user has volunteered that information.

Collect
shall have the same meaning as defined in State Technology Law §202. This shall mean to store information, including via cookie technology, for purposes of retrieval at a later time to initiate communication with or make determinations about the person who is the subject of such information.

Disclose
shall have the same meaning as defined in State Technology Law §202. This shall mean to reveal, release, transfer, disseminate or otherwise communicate information orally, in writing or by electronic or other means, other than to the person who is the subject of such information.

Internet
shall have the same meaning as defined in State Technology Law §202. This shall mean a system of linked computer networks, international in scope, that facilitate DATA transmission and exchange.

Internet Protocol Address or IP Address
shall mean a numerical identifier assigned either to a user's Internet service provider or directly to a user's computer.

Persistent cookie
shall mean a cookie that remains on the user's computer.

Personal information
shall have the same meaning as defined in State Technology Law §202. This shall mean any information concerning a natural person which, because of name, number, symbol, mark or other identifier, can be used to identify that natural person.

Session cookie
shall mean a cookie that is erased during browser operation or when the browser is closed.

User
shall have the same meaning as defined in State Technology Law §202. This shall mean any natural person who uses the Internet to access a state agency website.