Privacy Policy

This privacy policy is part of our Terms of Service.  (Terms of Service URL: http://www.ncfpd.umn.edu/member/login/tos.cfm)

The policy of NCFPD is to respect the privacy of all web site visitors to the extent permitted by law. This online privacy statement is intended to inform you of the ways in which this web site collects information, the uses to which that information will be put, and the ways in which we will protect any information you choose to provide us.

Web Visit Data and Cookies
We routinely collect and store information from online visitors to help manage our site and improve service.  This information includes your IP address, the domain name and IP address from which the access occurred, the web address of the site that referred you and the site to which you exit, your computer’s operating system web browser (and plug ins), the time of your visit, whether you are a new user or not, the approximate geographic area from which you are logging in, and the areas and files that you visit.  IP addresses or domain names may be used to analyze this website's traffic patterns and usage, to help diagnose problems with the server, and to otherwise improve performance of the site. Website logs may be analyzed and reviewed, but are not sold to third parties.  This site makes no attempt to identify individual visitors from this information: any personally identifiable information is not released to external parties without your consent unless required by law.

This site also uses cookies.  Cookies are pieces of information stored by your web browser on behalf of a web site and returned to the web site on request.  This site uses cookies to carry data about your current session at the site from one web page to the next, and to identify you to the site between visits.  Usage of a cookie is not linked to any personally identifiable information while on our site. Cookies allow the user not to have to log in a password more than once, thereby saving time while on our site.  We do not use cookies to collect private information from anyone.  Unless otherwise notified on this site, we do not exchange cookies with other entities.  If you prefer not to receive cookies, you can set your browser to warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies.  If you turn cookies off, you won't have access to many features that make your Web experience more efficient and some of our services will not function properly.

We have the assistance of consultant parties who help us maintain our web site and the computers on which it operates. Those companies have access to the demographic data described above, and are bound by written confidentiality agreements.

Information Voluntarily Provided by You
If you become a registered user of NCFPD, additional information is collected at the time of registration, including personal contact information.  Your contact information is stored in our directory of registered users.  Some of this information will be accessible to other registered members, depending upon their access rights.  Additionally, NCFPD may use this information to contact you under conditions described in the "Email" section, below.  Use of this information is bound by our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.  Users who violate these agreements forfeit their access to the site and may be subject to further action.

All personal contact information collected by NCFPD during the registration process is voluntary. However, contact name and email address are required to register and have access to certain parts of the site.  You have the ability to edit your account information and preferences at any time by accessing the secure site with the login information set up during registration, or by contacting us (see "Contact Us" section, below).  You may choose to unregister at any time by contacting us (see "Contact Us" section, below).  Furthermore, NCFPD may display public information about agencies, organizations, entities, and their personnel on our site, regardless of registration.

You may also fill out other forms on this site to request further information about our services and information, if you want to set up a meeting or workgroup, or wish to be contacted by us.  Information asked for may include basic contact information such as your name, address, and phone number.  These forms take your information over a encrypted link.  All information collected is voluntary. However, you may not be able to participate in the meeting, workgroup, forum, or may be denied access to certain parts of the site if the information is not completed.

If you use a bulletin board or forum on this site, you should be aware that any sensitive or personally identifiable information you submit there may be read, collected, or used by other users of these forums, depending on the access rights associated with each forum.  We are not responsible for the sensitive or personally identifiable information you choose to submit in these forums.  Furthermore, we reserve the right to terminate the accounts of members who use these services in a manner inconsistent with our Terms of Service policy.

Email
We use return email addresses to answer the email we receive.  We may also send you strictly service-related announcements on rare occasions when it is necessary to do so.  Such addresses are not used by NCFPD for any other purpose and are not shared with other parties except our consultants and NCDPD members.

Other Sites
This site contains links to other web sites.  We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other web sites.  Please be aware when you leave our site, and read the privacy statements of each web site that collects personally identifiable information.  This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Changes in Policy
We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time.  Users will be notified each time changes are made to the policy statement.

Other Disclosures of Your Information
We may disclose your personal information as permitted by law and may also be required to disclose your personal information to governmental or regulatory entities in response to regulatory inquiries in connection with investigations or to comply with applicable law, rules, regulations, orders subpoenas, or other legal processes.

We may disclose all of the information we collect from or about you, including personal information, to third-party service providers which help us maintain our website, host our servers, and deliver information, products, and services to you and other users of our website, and which help us analyze our website traffic.  The companies we hire to provide such support services are not allowed to use your personal information for their own purposes and are contractually obligated to protect your personal information.

We do not transfer personal information to third parties for their use as a mailing list or for other advertising purposes.  As an exception, your personal information may be used by any company with which we merge, acquire or are acquired by; we may also use it in the event of bankruptcy. In the event our Privacy Policy is modified due to such merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, or for any other reason, notice of the revised Privacy Policy will be posted on this website.

We keep personal information for an unlimited time period.

Our website is not designed for children, and we do not seek to collect any information from children including those under the age of 13.
 
Security of Information
We use appropriate safeguards to ensure the security, integrity, and privacy of personally identifiable information submitted to our site and periodically update measures with new technologies.  We take reasonable technical, contractual, administrative, and physical security steps to protect information collected via this website.  When appropriate, we use user authentication systems and access control mechanisms.  When you fill out forms, we use secure socket layer (SSL) encryption to protect your information during transit to our systems.

This web site contains links to other sites.  Please be aware that NCFPD is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites.  We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects personally identifiable information.  This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

There are some things that you can do to help protect the security of your information as well. Never give out your password, since this is what is used to access all of your account information. Remember to sign out of your account and close your browser window when you finish surfing the Web, so that other people using the same computer won't have access to your information.

Contact Us
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the site or our privacy policy, or if you wish to unregister, please contact us at ncfpd@umn.edu