Purpose
The purpose of the statement is to inform users of this site with regard to the collection and use of personally identifiable information. The following is not intended and should not be interpreted as a contract of any nature, either stated or implied.
Definition of Personally Identifiable Information
For the purposes of this statement "personally identifiable information" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual who is the subject of the information.
Providing Personally Identifiable Information
Citizens do not have to routinely provide personal information to visit the City of Ottawa portal or to download information. Government agencies may request personally identifiable information from you in order to provide requested specialized services, but such information is handled as it would be on an in-person visit to a government office.
Personally Identifiable Information Available
The IP (Internet Protocol) numbers of computers (servers) used to visit sites are noted as part of our statistical analysis on use of our websites so we may better design services and improve access to them. However, the site does not attempt to gain personally identifiable information on individual users and associate them with IP addresses.
Restrictions on the disclosure of customer information
Our users are important to us. We do not sell or rent our users' information to any outside company or organization. We do not reveal specific information about users or other personally identifiable data to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use, except if required to do so by law. We endeavour to ensure that we collect only the minimum amount of information needed to meet the purpose for which the network was created.
Other Websites
Various websites may be linked through the portal. Visitors to those sites are advised to check the privacy statements of these sites and be cautious about providing personally identifiable information without a clear understanding of how the information will be used. Visitors may also wish to consult privacy guidelines such as those recommended by the Online Privacy Alliance.
Use, collection, and retention of customer information at the City of Ottawa Portal
For each visitor, we do collect information about the Internet Protocol (IP) address, type browser used, the date and time of the visit, and the IP addresses of the locations to which the visitor linked during his or her visit to our website. This information is strictly used for statistical reporting purposes.
We only collect, retain and use personal information where we believe it is essential (and allowed by law) to administer our business and to provide products, services and other opportunities requested by our customers.
We currently accept payment by Visa and Master Card on this site. We have taken many steps to ensure the security of your transaction and your credit card information including transmission, processing and storage of your credit card details.
Web Analytics and Cookies
In order to improve our website, we are presently using Google Analytics to collect data for statistical reporting purposes. Google Analytics analyzes the use of our website through using cookies to collect and generate information about your visits to our web site (including your IP address) that is transmitted to their servers in an anonymous form for processing. In order to better protect your privacy we are currently masking user IP addresses as described in the section labeled “Use of IP address” in the Google Analytics Privacy Policy.
You can opt-out of analytics activity by setting your browser to notify you when a cookie is sent and block analytics cookies if desired. Please consult your browser's Help Menu for instructions. Visiting our website with analytics cookies disabled will have no significant impact on your browsing experience. Google currently offers a free Google Analytics opt-out tool for Internet Explorer (versions 7 and 8), Google Chrome (4.x and higher), and Mozilla Firefox (3.5 and higher).
We also use session-based cookies on the City website to process requested services (e.g., course registration). A session-based cookie is a small file that stores information, but is discarded when the user exits the browser. The City website uses this method in order to collect data that is not personally identifiable, ensuring it is used for statistical reporting purposes only.
Restrictions on the disclosure of customer information
We do not sell or rent our users' information to any outside company or organization. We do not reveal specific information about users or other personally identifiable data to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use, except if required to do so by law.
Protection of information via established security procedures
Improvements in Internet security occasionally cause older browsers to be unable to connect to ottawa.ca. This is for the protection of our users. If your browser is unable to make a secure connection, please consider upgrading your browser if you wish to access protected content.
Limiting employee access to information
Our director limits employee access to personally identifiable information to only those employees who need access in order to perform their assigned duties. The director is instructed to enforce with its staff their responsibilities in protecting subscriber's information.
Freedom of Information (FOI)
The City of Ottawa endeavours to make its information accessible to the public. Some records, however. contain information that is either privileged or of a personal nature. The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act compels the municipality to review such documents prior to their disclosure. Request to access such records requires a written request.
