Privacy Policy

PURPOSE

This Policy is a disclosure statement to users of County of Cook (“County”) websites. The policy addresses the collection, use, disclosure, and security of information that may be obtained by the County and third parties through the use of www.cookcountyil.gov and other County websites operated by the Offices under the President. A copy of this policy shall be accessible via a persistent hyperlink labeled “Privacy Policy” on the bottom of every County webpage.

AREAS AFFECTED

This policy applies to the use of County websites operated by the Offices under the President of the County Board of Commissioners.

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

The County may, from time to time, modify this Privacy Policy to reflect legal, technological and other developments. In that event, the changes will appear on County websites under a hyperlink labeled “The County has Updated its Website Privacy Policy”.

POLICY

Information collected by the County. In order to improve the content and usability of County websites, the County automatically collects several categories of information from County website users. This information includes the following:
1. The apparent Internet Protocol ("IP") address of a user’s Internet Service Provider ("ISP") and/or computer, if the user’s computer has an IP address assigned directly to it.
2. The apparent Fully Qualified Domain Name ("Domain Name") of a user’s ISP and/or computer, if the user’s computer has a domain name assigned directly to it.
3. The type of browser (such as, for example Internet Explorer, Opera, Firefox, Chrome, etc.) and operating system used.
4. The date and time a user visited the site.
5. The web pages accessed at the site, as well as any applications, forms, and data used.
6. The Uniform Resource Locator ("URL") of the site which a user visited prior to the County’s websites (if detectable), if such user did not connect directly to the County’s websites, or use it as a homepage or “Portal”.
  
  The County uses this information to identify site performance needs, to ensure compatibility with the technology used by the County’s website visitors, and to generally add and improve services offered on the County’s websites. In order to accomplish those goals, from time to time, the County may conduct statistical analysis of the data it collects.
  
  The County does not collect data for commercial purposes and does not sell, exchange or otherwise distribute the data collected by the County’s websites for commercial purposes.
Information submitted to the County’s websites. During a session on the County’s websites, a user may affirmatively submit information to the County by, among other means, electronic mail ("e-mail"), by filling in and submitting an on-line form, or by uploading a file. Such affirmatively submitted information is stored in a secure environment and will be used by the County in furtherance of its governmental purposes, which include, but are not limited to:
1. Helping the County respond to a request for information not readily available from the County’s websites.
2. Investigating a problem reported to the County via the County’s websites.
3. Keeping lists of parties interested in some particular issue or facet of County life about which the County anticipates issuing further information in the future.
4. Disclosure of such information pursuant to a request made under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") or court order, if such information is not protected by federal or state law.
  
  The County does not rent or sell personally identifiable information (i.e., information such as name, address, phone number, e-mail, etc., that identifies a user as a particular person), nor would the County exchange or trade such information with third parties without a user's explicit permission.
Security. The County has integrated industry standard or better security measures and systems into the design, implementation and day to day operation of the County’s websites and underlying servers and networks. Furthermore, the County maintains ongoing efforts to identify and/or block unauthorized intrusions into or onto the County’s websites, and to upload to or change information on or otherwise cause damage to the County’s websites or the information resident hereon or submitted hereto.
Cookies. Cookies are text files, or entries in larger files, utilized to distinguish between visitors to a website, and to track information during multiple visits to a website. Cookie storage can be either temporary (“Session”) or permanent (“Persistent”). A Session cookie is deleted when you exit your web browser and a Persistent cookie remains on your hard drive until you manually delete it or the cookie expires. The County may use both types of cookies to improve the content and usability of County websites.The use of cookies is a standard practice among Internet websites. Most Internet web browsers may be customized to reject cookies, to only accept or reject cookies by user intervention, or to delete cookies. Rejecting and/or removing cookies, however, may lead to loss of functionality on those County website pages requiring cookies to function fully.
Third Party Services. In order to improve the content and usability of County websites, the County enlists the services of third parties. In so doing, the County may pass along certain data collected under Section 1 to the third party. Additionally, some third parties place Cookies on County website user machines. In such cases, the third party’s use of County website user data is restricted by and subject to the third party’s own Terms of Service (“TOS”) and Privacy Policy. Below is a table of third parties to which the County transfers County website user data.
1. Third Party: Amazon Web Services
  1. Information Transferred: The County uses AWS GovCloud to host its websites and all information collected thereunder.
  2. Cookies: Yes
  3. Privacy Policy Hyperlink: https://aws.amazon.com/agreement/
2. Third Party: ESRI
  1. Information Transferred: Information including, but not limited to, IP address as well as date and time the IP address visited the County website.
  2. Cookies: Yes
  3. Privacy Policy Hyperlink: http://www.esri.com/legal/privacy
3. Third Party: Google Analytics
  1. Information Transferred: Information including, but not limited to, IP address as well as the date and time the IP address visited the County website. For more information, click here and here.
  2. Cookies: Yes
  3. Privacy Policy Hyperlink: http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/
4. Third Party: Google Maps
  1. Information Transferred: Information including, but not limited to, IP address as well as the date and time the IP address visited the County website, as well as any available locational information. For more information, click here and here.
  2. Cookies: Yes
  3. Privacy Policy Hyperlink: http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/
5. Third Party: Oracle Taleo
  1. Information Transferred: Information collected and submitted under sections 1 and 2 above.
  2. Cookies: No
  3. Privacy Policy Hyperlink: https://www.oracle.com/legal/privacy/services-privacy-policy.html
6. Third Party: Socrata
  1. Information Transferred: IP address, operating system, browser type, the address of a referring web site, and user activity on the Site.
  2. Cookies: Yes
  3. Privacy Policy Hyperlink: https://www.tylertech.com/privacy
Children. None of the County’s websites specifically solicits information from minors or seeks to determine whether the visitor is a minor. Consequently, because such information will not be specifically identified as being from minors, users of the County’s websites should be aware that personally identifiable information submitted to the County’s websites by minors will be subject to being treated in the same manner as information given by an adult and may become subject to FOIA.
Third Party Links. The County’s websites provides links to, and may be linked from, local, State and federal government agencies, and from, or to, other websites. When you link to another site, you are subject to the privacy policy and TOS of that new site.