Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Updated May 16, 2019

Section A – Introduction.

Thank you for visiting a Douglas County website and reviewing our Privacy Policy. This statement addresses collection, use and security of, and access to information that may be obtained through use of the Douglas County website. This notice covers the following topics:

  • Information Collected and How it is Used
  • Personal Information and Choice
  • Public Access to Information
  • Nondisclosure of Certain [Personal/Private] Information
  • Cookies and applets
  • Security
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact Information

Section B – Information Collected and How it is Used.

If you do nothing during your visit to our website but browse, read pages, or download information, we will gather and store certain information about your visit. This information does not identify you personally. We automatically collect and store the following information about your visit:

  • The Internet Protocol Address and domain name used. 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. This address can be translated to determine the domain name of your service provider (e.g., xcompany.com or yourschool.edu);
  • The type of browser and operating system you used, such as Internet Explorer 11.0, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Windows 10, Mac, etc.;
  • The date and time you visited this site;
  • The web pages or services you accessed at this site; and
  • The website you visited before coming to this website.

The information we automatically collect or store is logged and used by Douglas County only to improve the content of our web services and to help us understand how people are using our services. Douglas County analyzes this information to determine how our website is being used, so that we may continually improve the site’s usefulness to the public.

What we collect if you volunteer information.  If during your visit to our website you participate in a survey, send an email, or perform some other transaction online, the following additional information will be collected:

  • The email address and contents of the email for those who communicate with us via email;
  • Information volunteered in response to a survey’;
  • Information volunteered through an online form for any other purpose;
  • The information collected is not limited to text characters and may include audio, video, and graphic information formats you send us.

We use your email to respond appropriately. This may be to respond to you, to address issues you may identify, to further improve our website, or to forward the email to another internal department for appropriate action. Survey information may be used to improve services and better gauge constituent sentiment on issues ranging from County services to website look and feel. All information, including both survey and email information, is only shared internally and will not be distributed. Survey data will only be released in an aggregated format.

Information from other online forms will be used solely for the purposes stated or identified within the form.

Section C – Personal Information and Choice.

You may choose whether to provide personal information online.

“Personal information” is information about a natural person that is readily identifiable to that specific individual. Personal information includes such things as an individual’s name, address, and phone number. A domain name or Internet Protocol address is not considered personal information.

We collect no personal information about you online unless you voluntarily provide it to us by sending us email, participating in a survey, or completing an online form. You may choose not to contact us by email, participate in a survey or to provide any personal information using an online form. Your choice to not participate in these activities will not impair your ability to browse the Douglas County website and read or download any information provided on the site.

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.

If you believe that your personal/private information is being used for a purpose other than what was intended when submitted, or that it contains incorrect information, you may contact the appropriate department or the County Administrator’s office as shown in the Contact Information Section of this statement. We will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.

Users are cautioned that the collection of personal information requested from, or 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.

Section D – Public Access to Information.

In the State Of Colorado, laws exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by County government. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public’s right to access public records that serve various needs including the privacy of individuals. Exceptions are provided by both state and federal laws.

Pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes 24-72-204, all of the information collected at this site potentially becomes public record that may be subject to inspection and copying by members of the public, unless an exemption in law exists. Some state laws outside the Open Records Act protect specific records. For example, certain medical records held by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are specifically kept from disclosure under separate laws. Certain records maintained by the Department of Human Services are kept from disclosure. Investigative records maintained by regulatory agencies and business and licensing boards may be exempt. Finally, specific federal law may govern whether certain information or documents may be disclosed. Careful legal research is required to evaluate each request for public records.

In the event of a conflict between this Privacy Notice and the Colorado Open Records Act or other law governing the agency’s disclosure of records, the Colorado Open Records Act or other applicable law will control.

Section E – Nondisclosure of Certain Personal/Private Information.

In order to conduct some transactions over the Douglas County website, you may be required to provide certain personal information online. However, any service or transaction available through Douglas County’s website may be conducted in person or by mail. Accordingly, if you prefer not to provide personal information over the internet, you need not do so.

Section F – Cookies and applets.

Cookies are simple text files stored on your computer by your web browser. They are used to customize certain browsing features of the website. The cookies used by Douglas County are designed to identify “session” information only. No personal or identifying data is contained within them and they do not compromise individual privacy or security. They are designed to be ephemeral and they will expire shortly following a browsing session on the County’s website.

Applets are mini-applications with limited capabilities that are downloaded to your computer to work with the software you have. Applets are intended to enhance your browsing experience by enabling you to view or access information and services in a unique manner. No applets are currently used by the Douglas County website. In the event that Douglas County begins using applets, notification will occur within this privacy statement.

Section G – Security.

Douglas County, as developer and manager of the Douglas County website, has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its data and to prevent unauthorized access to information maintained by the County. These measures are designed and intended to prevent corruption of data, block unknown or unauthorized access to our systems and information, and to provide reasonable protection of private information in our possession.

This information should not be construed in any way as giving business, legal, or other advice, or warranting as fail proof, the security of information provided via Douglas County websites.

Section H – Disclaimer

The Douglas County website has many links to other websites. These may 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 the Douglas County website and this Privacy Notice will not apply. When you link to another website, you are subject to the privacy policy of that new site.

Neither Douglas County, nor any agency, officer, or employee of Douglas County warrants the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any information published by this system, nor endorses any content, viewpoints, products, or services linked from this system, and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of such information. Portions of such information may be incorrect or not current. Any person or entity that relies on any information obtained from this system does so at his or her own risk.

Please note that the Internet is an evolving medium. If we need to change our policy at some point in the future, we will post changes before they take effect. Our use of information gathered while the current policy is in effect will always be consistent with current policy, even if we later change that policy.

This Douglas County website is provided to the public for informational and educational purposes only. Although every effort has been made to provide accurate and timely information on the pages of this website, the information contained herein is subject to frequent correction and revision and may not represent the most current version available. The reader of the information on this website is responsible for verifying its accuracy and relevance, and any use of this information is undertaken at the reader’s sole risk. Douglas County does not guarantee the timeliness or accuracy of the information provided on this website, and Douglas County shall not be held liable for any errors or omissions in the content of the website or for any action taken in reliance on the information provided.