Privacy Policy
Introduction
The City of Mesa is committed to maintaining your online privacy
and the confidentiality of personal information you may provide
while interacting with us online. This policy serves to describe
the City of Mesa's privacy practices regarding the collection
and use of information from visitors to the City of Mesa's
official Web sites:
This privacy policy only applies to these City Web sites. When
you follow a link to another site, even the sites of other
governments, this policy will not apply. This privacy policy is
subject to change at any time by the City of Mesa.
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Collection and Use of Information
The City of Mesa collects two kinds of site visitor information
during browsing sessions:
Anonymous Information
This is information collected that does not identify specific
individuals by name, and is automatically transmitted by your
browser when visiting City Web sites. Examples of the types of
anonymous information we collect includes: URL's or addresses of
the web pages you visit while at our City Web sites, the IP
address assigned to your computer (or as generated by your
Internet service provider), information about the type of
browser you are using and its configuration, and other technical
metrics related to your browser connection to our City Web
sites. This type of information is used for statistical
purposes, to help us improve our Web site content and
navigation. It is collected for ALL City Web site visitors
automatically.
Personally Identifiable Information
This is information that you choose to supply in order for us to
provide an online service, or in response to a survey or
question. This may include items such as: your name, home
address, e-mail address, telephone number or credit/debit card
information. The City of Mesa attempts only to collect the
minimal amount of personal information needed in order to
provide the service being requested. These online requests for
personal information are no different than the types of
questions that you would be asked if you were to visit a City
facility, or use the telephone, to obtain needed services or
information from the City. It is your option to supply us with
this information, however in some cases it is required in order
to complete certain online service requests. Alternative methods
of obtaining services are offered, such as telephone and walk-in
services, and you may contact the appropriate department to
receive information on such alternatives.
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If You Send Us Personally Identifiable Information
The City will make every reasonable effort to protect your
online privacy. The City only collects the information that is
required to respond to your request and restricts access to your
personally identifiable information to those employees or agents
that will respond to your request. The City does not
intentionally disclose any personal information about our users
to any third parties except as required by law and to the extent
required to process your request for services or information.
Any personally identifiable information furnished by a visitor
to the City of Mesa Web sites, for any reason, may be filed and
maintained by the City of Mesa for its own use in performing
statistical analysis, or responding appropriately to a request
for service or information.
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Access To Personal Information and Privacy Policy Questions
We recognize the concerns City Web sites visitors may have about
public records that include information about them, including
your right to correct inaccurate information. You may recommend
changes to your personal information you believe in error by
submitting a written request that credibly shows the error. If
you believe that your personal information is being used for a
purpose other than those described in this policy, you may
contact us. In all cases, we will take reasonable steps to
verify your identity before granting access or making
corrections. All questions regarding personal information
collected on the City Web sites should be directed to the City
of Mesa Marketing and Communications Department or you may
contact us by calling 480-644-5035.
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Disclosure and Application of Public Records Laws
The City of Mesa does not sell, trade or rent City Web sites
visitor information, including electronic mail addresses, to any
outside company or organization. The City will not disclose
personally identifiable information or credit/debit card
information to third parties, except for the purposes of
completing your payment transaction through a secured financial
network or to collection agencies.
The City of Mesa may be required by law enforcement or judicial
authorities to provide personally identifiable information, or
credit/debit card data, to the appropriate governmental
authorities as required by law.
Please be aware that information you provide to any government
entity, including the City of Mesa, on a Web site or otherwise
may be subject to disclosure upon a request under the Arizona
Public Records Law, other state and federal law or Supreme Court
Rule.
Access to library information on the City of Mesa library Web
site is controlled by Title 41 of the Arizona Revised Statutes.
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Subscription E-mail Services
The City of Mesa offers many "subscription-based" e-mail
services, where visitors can elect to sign up to receive
periodic e-mail notifications regarding items such as City news
events, requests for bids for goods and services and job
postings (to name a few). To offer this service we must collect
your e-mail address information and store it. This information
is only used for the purpose of distributing e-mail notices that
you have specifically subscribed to. By agreeing to use this
service, you are granting the City of Mesa permission to send
you periodic e-mails about those topics for which you have
registered. The City will not add you to any e-mail lists that
you have not specifically signed up for through our registration
process. The City of Mesa does not buy, sell, trade or rent
e-mailing lists with, for or to third parties. Visitors are free
to "un-subscribe" from any e-mail list they may be registered to
by following the instructions distributed with every e-mail sent
by this service, or by visiting the
e-mail
subscription page on the site.
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Chat Services
The City of Mesa offers online assistance for customers via a
service offered on various Web pages. This service is hosted by
a third party vendor, and any interactive sessions initiated
through this service is subject to the privacy policies of
MEEBO, which can be found at
http://www.meebo.com/
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Information Provided By Minors
Except for information provided on the City of Mesa Library Web
site, no applications, services or surveys on the City of Mesa
Web sites seek to determine or verify the age of site visitors.
Consequently, visitors should be aware that the collection of
personal information requested from or volunteered by minors
on-line or by email will be treated in the same manner as
information given by an adult, and may be subject to public
access as prescribed by applicable laws. We advise children
(minors) to get their parents' permission before providing any
information online.
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Protection of Information
The City of Mesa is committed to maintaining the security and
quality of data provided that is either available from or
collected by our City Web sites and has taken reasonable
precautions to protect such information from loss, misuse or
alteration.
The City of Mesa maintains security standards and procedures
regarding unauthorized access to electronic information to
prevent unauthorized removal or alteration of data. The City
utilizes 128-bit encryption and SSL services to secure all
transactions that may involve payment of fees through the City
Web sites. Those utilizing our online payment services are
encouraged to verify the validity of the site's digital server
certificate when processing payment transactions, by clicking on
the "lock" icon that appears at the bottom of your browser
screen when processing credit/debit card information. There is
also a "Verify Certificate" link provided on all pages where
payment information is requested. Checking certificate status
ensures that you are utilizing the City's secured payment
processing system.
This information should not be construed in any way as giving
business, legal, or other advice, or warranting as fail proof,
the security of any personal information collected through our
web City Web sites.
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Use Of "Cookies"
To better serve our users we may use "cookies" in certain City
Web site areas to customize your browsing experience. Cookies
are text files stored on your computer by your web browser. They
provide a method of distinguishing among visitors to our City
Web sites, and assist in performing certain online transactions.
Cookies created by using the City Web sites do not contain
personally identifying information and do not compromise your
privacy or security. We use the cookie feature only to store a
randomly generated identifying tag on your computer. Visitors
may configure their browsers to not accept cookies from sites,
however this may impact our ability to provide certain online
services for you.
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Non-City Links From The City Web sites
The City of Mesa Web sites contain links to other Non-City
(external) Web sites. Links to other Web sites do not constitute
an endorsement of the City of Mesa. Such external Web sites
contain information and services that have been created
independently of the City of Mesa Web sites, and are only
provided as a convenience for our site visitors who may need
additional information that we do not control, or otherwise
cannot provide. The City of Mesa does not endorse, approve,
certify or control these external Web sites, nor any of the
information and data contained on those Web sites. The City of
Mesa cannot guarantee the privacy of your personal information
while accessing those Web sites. The City encourages visitors to
check the privacy policies of all external Web sites visited,
and to be cautious about providing personal information while on
these sites without first obtaining a clear understanding of how
such information will be used. Many non-City sites may or may
not be subject to the Public Records laws and other provisions
of state or federal law.
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Social Media and Public Comments
The City may sponsor blogs, wikis, and other social networking
sites to further its mission to serve our citizens and provide
quality customer service. The City of Mesa sponsored sites are
also a place for the public to share opinions about city related
subjects and issues. Comments are welcome and may be reviewed
prior to publishing. The City of Mesa reserves the right not to
publish a posting, or to later remove it. City of Mesa blogs and
wikis may be hosted by the City or by third party vendors. City
of Mesa may also use social networking sites such as
Facebook.com business pages or sites such as YouTube for video
sharing.
Comments from the Public
Where moderation of comments is an available option, comments
from the public may be moderated before posting by the City of
Mesa designated staff. Where moderation prior to posting is not
an option, sites will be regularly monitored by city staff.
The City of Mesa reserves the right to modify or remove any
messages or postings that it deems, in its sole discretion, to
be abusive, obscene, and defamatory, in violation of the
copyright, trademark right, or other intellectual property right
of any third party, or otherwise inappropriate or incorrect.
For example, the following may be removed by City of Mesa
- Potentially libelous comments;
- Obscene or racist comments;
- Personal attacks, insults, or threatening language;
- Plagiarized material;
- Private, personal information published without consent;
- Comments totally unrelated to the topic of the forum;
- Commercial promotions or spam; and
- Hyperlinks to material that is not directly related to
the discussion.
The City of Mesa is not responsible or liable for content posted
by any subscriber in any forum, message board, or other area
within the service.
By posting a comment, customers agree to indemnify the City of
Mesa, its officers and staff from and against all liabilities,
judgments, damages, and costs (including attorney's fees)
incurred by any of them which arise out of or are related to the
content posted by customers. Forums and messaging may not be
used for commercial purposes or for organized political
activity.
If a customer does not agree to these terms, the individual
should not use the City of Mesa sponsored sites as a violation
of these terms may lead to legal liability.
Copyright
Content on City of Mesa blogs, wikis, and other social web
applications is governed by a Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States
licensing
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/).
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File Modification
If permitted to do so, you may download material on a City of
Mesa Web site for personal, non-commercial use. The City of Mesa
will not be held liable concerning any downloaded files and for
any effect the downloaded files has on your computer or
software. The download, maintenance and use of any files are the
responsibility of the visitor. It is your responsibility to
check the information for accuracy and to check the Web site
regularly for deleted or changed information.
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Copyright and Trademark
Some of the City of Mesa Web sites may provide data, information
and images that are copyrighted. If a copyright is indicated on
any material, permission to copy these materials must be
obtained from the original source. Any trademarks and trademark
logos may not be reproduced without the written permission of
the trademark owner.
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Terms of Use/Disclaimers
Neither the City of Mesa, nor any agency, officer, or employee
of the City of Mesa warrants the accuracy, reliability or
timeliness of any information published on the City Web sites,
nor does the City of Mesa endorse any content, viewpoints,
products, or services provided via external links to Non-City
Web sites, and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by
reliance on the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of such
information. Any mention of vendors, products or services is for
informational purposes only. Portions of information on the City
of Mesa Web site may be incorrect or not current. Any person or
entity that relies on any information obtained from the City Web
sites does so at his or her own risk.
The City of Mesa is neither responsible nor liable for any
viruses or other contamination of your system nor for any
delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions arising out of your
use of the City Web sites or with respect to the material
contained on the City Web sites, including without limitation,
any material posted on the City Web sites. The City of Mesa
shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the
data or materials on the City Web sites. These City Web sites
and all materials contained on them, including but not limited
to software, materials and data, are distributed and transmitted
"as is" without warranties of title or any kind or implied
warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular
purpose.
The City of Mesa is not responsible for claims for breach of
warranty or contract and is not responsible for any damages,
direct or indirect, special, incidental, consequential
including, but not limited to, business interruption or loss of
use, data or profits) or punitive damages that may arise from
the use of, or the inability to use, the sites and/or the
materials contained on the site whether the materials contained
on the sites are provided by the City of Mesa, or a third party.
This disclaimer of liability applies to any damages or injury,
including but not limited to, those caused by any failure of
performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect,
delay, computer virus, communication line failure, theft, or
destruction of data, whether for breach of contract, tortuous
behavior, negligence, or under any other cause of action.
Communications to the City of Mesa via these Web sites shall in
no way be deemed to constitute legal or official notice to the
City of Mesa, its agencies, officers, employees, representatives
or agents with respect to any existing, pending or future claim
or cause of action against the City of Mesa or any of its
agencies, officers, employees, representatives or agents or for
any other purpose.
DATE APPROVED. February 25, 2002
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Questions About This Policy
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or the
content or practices of our Web site, you can contact City of
Mesa directly at
citymgt.info@mesaaz.gov.
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