Privacy/Security

Revised January 2015

Overview

Georgia government strives to provide online resources in a safe, secure manner that respects your privacy when you visit our sites. This privacy statement addresses the collection, use, disclosure, and security of information that may be obtained by the State of Georgia when you visit Georgia.gov websites that have this privacy statement in the footer.

Information Collected

Georgia.gov sites use Google Analytics to capture information about the effectiveness of its websites. When users visit a Georgia.gov website, the service may collect some or all of the following information:

  • The names of domains; for example, "xyzcompany.com";

  • IP addresses, which are numbers automatically assigned to a computer when using the Internet;

  • The type of browser and operating system used to access the site;

  • The Internet address of the website from which users linked directly to the site;

  • The search terms used to get to the website, in addition to search terms used in the site’s search engine;

  • The dates and times users access the site;

  • The type of device used to access the site;

  • How often users visit the site;

  • The pages users visit within the site; and

  • The links made to other websites through this site.

The information is NOT identifiable by person and is only used cumulatively for statistical purposes to help make our websites more user friendly. For instance, data on what people are searching for helps us determine what type of content to make available on the websites, or make the most popular search terms more easily findable on sites.

Google Analytics plants a permanent cookie on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit this site, but this cookie cannot be used by anyone but Google. Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to this site is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Use (as amended for government websites) and the Google Privacy Policy. You can prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you on return visits to this site by disabling cookies on your browser.

For site security purposes the servers housing these sites use programs to monitor network traffic. Anyone using these sites consents to the monitoring of their use by these programs and the analysis of traffic to recognize possible security breaches..

If, during your visit to a Georgia.gov website, you voluntarily provide personally identifiable information through a form, we will collect such information. Examples of personally identifiable information may include:

  • Your name, address, or phone number;

  • An email address if you are communicating to us through email;

  • Information you voluntarily submit to the State of Georgia for the purposes of completing or submitting an application or form online;

  • Other information volunteered, such as vendor profile/contact information, survey information or content.

The information collected is not limited to text and may include audio, video and other graphic formats you send us. Information is retained and used in accordance with existing laws, rules, regulations, and other policies.

Depending on the specific service or transaction, the State of Georgia may share personally identifiable information among its agencies to provide such service or complete such transaction.

Public Disclosure

As a general rule, we will not disclose any personally identifiable information collected online to entities outside of State of Georgia departments and agencies except where you have given us permission, or where the information is public information under the Georgia Open Records Act O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 et seq., or other applicable laws. Visitors should be aware that information collected through a Georgia.gov website may be subject to examination and inspection, if such information is a public record or not otherwise protected from disclosure.

Security

Several tools, policies and protocols are used to safeguard the submission of information through Georgia.gov websites. Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation and day-to-day operations of the entire operating environment as part of our continuing commitment to the security of electronic content as well as the electronic transmission of information.

For services requiring online financial transactions, Georgia.gov uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption protocol to safeguard your sensitive personal information, including your credit card number. Information is encrypted from your computer to the Portal computer processing your request.

To further secure your privacy, do not divulge any passwords or sensitive information (e.g. credit card number) to anyone in a phone call or email. When you are finished with those applications that are password protected or required the input of your credit card information, always close the browser page.

Email

Email is not a secure form of transmission. Georgia.gov does not recommend that you submit sensitive or personally identifiable information via email. If you choose to provide us with personal information in an email we may use the email and the information contained within it to improve our service to you or to respond to your request. Sometimes we forward your email to other state employees who may be better able to help you, and this staff may be employed by a different agency within the state. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations or as required by law, we do not share our email with any other organizations outside of the public sector.

Changes to this Privacy Statement

Revisions to this privacy statement will be posted to this page so you will know the type of information we collect and how that information is used. We will also post the last date of revision at the top of this page.

Our goal is to provide a private, efficient and friendly digital government experience. Please note that other agency websites not using the GeorgiaGov web platform may contain additional or different privacy statements.

Other useful privacy and security related materials

You can find more useful privacy and security-related materials through Google's policies and principles pages, as well as: