Office of Farmland Preservation Web Site – Privacy Notice

Section A. Introduction

Thank you for visiting the Office of Farmland Preservation's web site and reviewing our Privacy Notice. This notice addresses collection, use and security of and access to information that may be obtained through use of our web site.

Information Collected and How it is Used

• Personal Information and Choice
• Public Access to Information
• Public Access to Your Private Information
• Your right to review and correct personally identifiable information
• Cookies and applets
• Security
• Disclaimer
• Contact Information

Section B. Information Collected and How it is Used

Information collected if you only browse this site.

If you do nothing during your visit but browse through the web site, 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:

1. The Internet domain and IP address used to access this site. The Internet domain is the portal through which you access the Internet, such as AOL if you are an AOL user, “xcompany.com” if you use a private Internet access account, or “yourschool.edu” if you connect through a school. An IP address is a number that is assigned to your computer whenever you are using the Internet;
2. The type of browser and operating system used;
3. The date and time;
4. The pages you visit; and
5. The last web site you visited before coming to ours.
6. The information we automatically collect is logged and used by the Office of Farmland Preservation only to improve the content of our web services and help us understand how people are using our services. We analyze this information to determine how our web site is being used, so that we may continually improve the site's usefulness to the public.

What we collected if you volunteer information

If during your visit to our web site you participate in a survey, send an e-mail, or perform some other transaction on-line, the following additional information will be collected:

1. The e-mail address, and contents of e-mail, for those who communicate with us via e-mail.
2. Information volunteered in response to a survey.
3. 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 e-mail you send to respond appropriately. This may be to respond to you, to address issues you may identify, to further improve our web site, or to forward the e-mail to another agency for appropriate action.

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, and does not include the user’s domain name or IP address.

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

If personal information is requested on the web site, 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 information is being used for a purpose other than what was intended when submitted, you may contact the Office of Farmland Preservation as shown in the Contact Information Section of this statement.

Users are cautioned that the collection of personal information requested or volunteered by children online or by e-mail 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 Washington, laws exist to ensure that government is open and the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by State 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.

All of the information collected at this site is considered public information and may be subject to inspection and copying by members of the public. RCW 42.17. 260(1) states that:

Each agency, in accordance with published rules, shall make available for public inspection and copying all public records, unless the record falls within the specific exemptions of subsection (6) of this section [RCW 42.17.260(6)], RCW 42.17.310, 42.17.315, or other statute which exempts or prohibits disclosure of specific information or records. To the extent required to prevent an unreasonable invasion of personal privacy interests protected by RCW 42.17.310 and 42.17.315, an agency shall delete identifying details in a manner consistent with RCW 42.17.310 and 42.17.315 when it makes available or publishes any public record; however, in each case, the justification for the deletion shall be explained fully in writing.

In the event of a conflict between this Privacy Notice and the Public Records Act, the Public Records Act provision will control.

Section E. Public Access to Your private Information

The Office of Farmland Preservation does not currently collect personally identifiable information, unless you send us an e-mail.

Section F. Your Right to Review and Correct Personally Identifiable Information

State law requires agencies that collect personally identifiable information to provide “procedures for correcting inaccurate information, including establishing mechanisms for individuals to review information about them and recommend changes in information they believe to be inaccurate.” (RCW 43.105.310)

In the event the Office of Farmland Preservation decides to begin collecting personally identifiable information in the future, section E above will be changed to describe that activity. You will be able to access any personally identifiable information we collect about you by using the Contact Information at the end of this Notice. You will be able to correct factual errors in your personally identifiable information by submitting an e-mail or written request that credibly shows the error. We will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.

Section G. Cookies and Applets

The Office of Farmland Preservation may employ cookies and Javascript to enhance the usability of our web site.  Information that may be collected is listed in Section B.

Section H. Security

The Office of Farmland Preservation, as developer and manager of this web site, has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its data and prevent unauthorized access to information maintained by us. 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 failproof, the security of information provided via this web site, or sites to which we link.

Section I. Disclaimer

Neither the State of Washington, nor any agency, officer, or employee of the State of Washington 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 who relies on any information obtained from this system does so at their own risk.

Section J. Contact Information

You may contact the Office of Farmland Preservation using our Contacts page.