University of California, Santa Barbara Privacy Notification Statement

General

The privacy of visitors to a University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Web site is important to UCSB. Our Web site privacy practices are summarized below and apply to all authorized UCSB Web sites. Our practices comply with federal and state laws and University of California policy (see Additional Resources below).

Information Collection and Use

Log Information

When you visit UCSB Web sites, our servers may automatically record (or log) information that your browser sends. This information may include: your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and language, the date and time of your request, the number of times a Web page was accessed, the paths (links) taken through the Web site, and search terms entered on our search engines. Our Web sites may also collect information about the internet address (URL or IP) of the referring site. This type of information is collected to improve Web site or individual Web page content, monitor performance, improve functionality (including navigation and searches), site security, troubleshooting, and to provide services to you.

Cookies

Some of our sites may employ cookies. A cookie is a small file containing a string of characters that is either maintained only for the duration of a particular session visit (called a session cookie) or is stored on your computer to uniquely identify your browser to support future visits (a persistent cookie). A session cookie terminates when the visitor closes the browser, the data is not stored. UCSB sites that use persistent cookies store the information collected during the visit to make subsequent visits more efficient for the visitor. Cookies provide usage statistics about our Web sites; as we understand how our sites are used we can facilitate navigation in our UCSB Web space and enhance the visitor's experience. Cookies may also be used for authentication processes (site security purposes). You may remove UCSB persistent cookies from your computer at any time by following your internet browser directions. If you prefer not to receive a cookie, you may set your browser to refuse it or set it to ask you whether you want to accept a particular cookie. However, some pages may not function properly if the cookies are turned off.

Visitor Communications

If you make an inquiry via our Web sites, those communications will be used to respond to you and to improve services. Unless you request otherwise, your inquiry may be forwarded to another UCSB addressee who may be more appropriate to respond. We recommend that you do not include in your inquiry social security numbers, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information. Email is not a secure medium.

Information You Voluntarily Provide

On some of our Web sites, you may choose to provide information to us to obtain services or information. For example, you may sign up for a mailing list or send us your address so we may send you an application or other material. We will use your information to respond to your request and may also use it to keep you informed of other campus activities, programs, or for future communications. You may opt out of these additional types of communications at any time by following the Web site's unsubscribe instructions or by directing your request to the contact for the Web site on which you provided the original information.

Other types of personally identifiable information that you may provide to us on our Web sites include: name, address, telephone numbers, birthday, student identification number, social security number, credit card number, user name, password, and/or net-id. This information will be used to respond to you or to provide you with a requested service, such as enrollment, purchases, making a donation, and other educational, research, service programs or administrative purposes. In some cases, the information requested is mandatory in order for us to provide you with the information or service you seek. These fields will be marked with an "*". If you do not wish to provide the mandatory information, you may contact the specific Web site's contact person and ask whether there is an alternate method for you to provide the required information to obtain the service. Article IX, Section 9 of the California Constitution grants authority to the University of California to maintain this information.

Please be aware that we will never use an email note to ask you to provide confidential or restricted information. (For definitions of confidential and restricted information please refer to University of California Business and Finance Bulleting IS-2, Inventory, Classification, and Release of University Electronic Information.) If you receive such an email request, it is not from UCSB regardless of the purported sender's identification. We recommend that you do not respond to that email.

We will not sell or share your personally identifiable information with third parties without your consent, unless required by law or legal instruments. We retain the information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected and to comply with laws and retention requirements. Applicable laws and UC policies are listed below in Additional Resources.

Information Children May Voluntarily Provide

If a UCSB site collects information from children (an individual under the age of 18), information will be collected, maintained, and secured in compliance with the provisions of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998. If you are a parent or guardian, you can help us protect your child's privacy by instructing them never to provide personal information on UCSB Web sites without your permission.

Third Party Sites

UCSB Web sites may contain links to non-University sites (Third Party Sites). UCSB is not responsible for nor does it control the content, use, or retention of information found on linked Third Party Sites. Third party sites may collect or solicit data from you or place their cookies or other files on your computer. Checking the privacy statement of a Third Party Site is recommended. UCSB does not endorse the services or products found on Third Party Sites.

Choices

You have the option to decline providing information about your self online and may use other methods, such as the U.S. mail to submit requests. You may ask the individual identified as the contact for the Web site you're visiting whether there are additional alternatives to obtaining the information or services you seek.

Updating Personal Information

To review, update, or correct inaccurate personal information you've previously provided or to delete it, if it is not otherwise required to be retained by law or for a university business purpose, direct your request to the contact for the Web site on which you provided your personal information.

Security Practices

UCSB is committed to employing security measures which strive to protect your information against unauthorized alteration or destruction and unauthorized access or disclosure. UCSB Web masters that administer sites collecting personal information are encouraged to enlist physical security measures as well as use the industry standard security protocol known as Secured Sockets Layer (SSL). For additional information on security measures, please refer to University of California Business and Finance Bulletin IS-3, Electronic Information Security.

All UCSB employees, including Web site operators are charged with complying with all applicable laws and University regulations governing privacy and the confidentiality of personal information. Information that doesn't fall under established legal protections is subject to public disclosure under law.

Changes to this Privacy Notification Statement

Any revisions to this notification will be posted at this URL.

Contact Information

If you have questions about a specific Web site's collection, use, or security of information, please contact the specific Web site's identified contact. For general questions about UCSB's electronic information privacy and security policies, please contact Karl.Heins@oist.ucsb.edu. For information about this privacy statement contact policy@ucsb.edu.

Definitions

*Personal Information means, as used in this statement/advisory, information that personally identifies or describes an individual, including: an individual's first name or first initial and last name, in combination with any one or more of the following: 1) Social Security number, 2) driver's license number or California identification card number, 3) financial account number or credit or debit card number in combination with any required security code, access code, or password that would permit access to an individual's financial account, 4) medical information, and 5) health insurance information. Source: UC Santa Barbara SB 1386 and AB 1298 Guidelines

The following information, when affiliated with a specific individual's name, is also considered personal information: 1) birth date, 2) citizenship, 3) biometrics, 4) home address, 5) home telephone number, 6) partner's or relatives' names, 7) income tax withholding, 8) staff performance evaluations or letters of corrective actions. Source: University of California Business and Finance Bulletin RMP-8

Additional Resources

To access applicable privacy laws and UC policy see:

UCSB Engineering