Internet Privacy Policy

Thank you for visiting the NYS & CSEA Partnership of Education and Training (Partnership) website. This website is designed to help provide quality learning opportunities and workforce development resources for New York State agencies, their CSEA-represented NYS employees and other individuals who interact with the Partnership. The Partnership recognizes that it is critical for users to be confident that their privacy is protected when they visit the Partnership's website.

Consistent with the provisions of the Internet Security and Privacy Act, the Freedom of Information Law, and the Personal Privacy Protection Law, this policy describes the Partnership's privacy practices regarding information collected from users of this website. This policy describes what information is collected and how that information is used. Because this privacy policy only applies to this website, you should examine the privacy policy of any website, including other State agency websites, that you access by using this website through a hyperlink or otherwise.

For purposes of this policy, "personal information" means any information concerning a natural person that, because of name, number, symbol, mark, or other identifier, can be used to identify that natural person. The Partnership does not collect any personal information about you unless you provide that information voluntarily by sending an email or by initiating an online transaction, such as responding to a survey or submitting an application for a training course.
 

When visiting this website, the Partnership automatically collects and stores the following information about your visit:

• The Internet Protocol Address and domain name used, but not the email address.
• The Internet Protocol Address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet service provider or directly to your computer.
• The type of browser and operating system you used.
• The date and time you visited this site.
• The web pages or services you accessed at this site.
• The website you visited prior to coming to this website.
• The website you visit as you leave this website.
• If you downloaded a form, the form that was downloaded.

None of the foregoing information is deemed to constitute personal information. The information that is collected automatically is used to improve this website's content and to help the Partnership understand how users are interacting with the website. This information is collected for statistical analysis, to determine what information is of most and least interest to our users, and to improve the utility of the material available on the website. The information is not collected for commercial marketing purposes and the Partnership is not authorized to sell or otherwise disclose the information collected from the website for commercial marketing purposes.

Cookies are simple text files stored on your web browser to provide a means of distinguishing among users of this website. The use of cookies is a standard practice among Internet websites. To better serve you, we may use "session cookies" to enhance or customize your visit to this website. Session cookies can be created automatically on the device you use to access this state agency website. These session cookies do not contain personal information and do not compromise your privacy or security. We may use the cookie feature to store a randomly generated identifying tag on the device you use to access this website. A session cookie is erased during operation of your browser or when your browser is closed.

The software and hardware you use to access the website allows you to refuse new cookies or delete existing cookies. Refusing or deleting these cookies may limit your ability to take advantage of some features of this website.

During your visit to this website you may send an email to the Partnership. Your email address and the contents of your message will be collected. The information collected is not limited to text characters and may include audio, video, and graphic information formats included in the message. Your email address and the information included in your message will be used to respond to you, to address issues you identify, or to improve this website. Your email address is not collected for commercial purposes and the Partnership is not authorized to sell or otherwise disclose your email address for commercial purposes.

During your visit to this website you may initiate a transaction involving a survey, course application, or request for services. The information, including personal information, volunteered by you in initiating the transaction is used by the Partnership to operate Partnership programs. The information collected by the Partnership may be disclosed by the Partnership for those purposes that may be reasonably ascertained from the nature and terms of the transaction in connection with which the information was submitted. For example, if you fill out an online application for a work-related training course, that information may be shared with your employer.

The Partnership does not knowingly collect personal information from children or create profiles of children through this website. Users are cautioned, however, that the collection of personal information submitted in an email will be treated as though it was submitted by an adult, and may, unless exempted from access by federal or State law, be subject to public access. The Partnership strongly encourages parents and teachers to be involved in children's Internet activities and to provide guidance whenever children are asked to provide personal information online.

As noted above, the Partnership does not collect any personal information about you during your visit to this website unless you provide that information voluntarily by sending an email or initiating an online transaction involving a survey or course application form. You may choose not to send us an email, respond to a survey, or complete an application. While your choice not to participate in these activities may limit your ability to receive specific services or products through this website, it will not prevent you from requesting services or products from the Partnership by other means and will not normally have an impact on your ability to take advantage of other features of the website, including browsing or downloading publicly available information.

The collection of information through this website and the disclosure of that information are subject to the provisions of the Internet Security and Privacy Act. The Partnership will only collect personal information through this website or disclose personal information collected through this website if the user has consented to the collection or disclosure of such personal information. The voluntary disclosure of personal information to the Partnership by the user, whether solicited or unsolicited, constitutes consent to the collection and disclosure of the information by the Partnership for the purposes for which the user disclosed the information to the Partnership, as was reasonably ascertainable from the nature and terms of the disclosure.

However, the Partnership may collect or disclose personal information without user consent if the collection or disclosure is:

• Necessary to perform the statutory duties of the Partnership.
• Necessary for the Partnership to operate a program authorized by law
• authorized by the state.
• Federal statute or regulation.
• Made pursuant to a court order or by law.
• For the purpose of validating the identity of the user.
• Of information to be used solely for statistical purposes that is in a form that cannot be used to identify any particular person.
• Required for employees' agencies to verify participation in training or other programs offered by the Partnership.

Further, the disclosure of information, including personal information, collected through this website is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Law and the Personal Privacy Protection Law.

The Partnership may disclose personal information to federal or state law enforcement authorities to enforce the Partnership's rights against unauthorized access or attempted unauthorized access to the Partnership's information technology assets.

The information collected through this website is retained by the Partnership in accordance with the records retention and disposition requirements of the New York State Arts & Cultural Affairs Law. Information on the requirements of the Arts & Cultural Affairs Law may be found at https://www.archives.nysed.gov/records/retention-schedules. In general, the Internet services logs of the Partnership, comprising electronic files or automated logs created to monitor access and use of Agency services provided through this website, are retained by our hosting company for one calendar month and then destroyed. Information, including personal information, that you submit in an email or when you initiate an online transaction such as a survey, registration form, or request for information is retained in accordance with the records retention and disposition schedule established for the records of the program unit to which you submitted the information. Information concerning these records retention and disposition schedules may be obtained through the Internet privacy policy contact listed in this policy.

Any user may submit a request to the Partnership privacy compliance officer to determine whether personal information pertaining to that user has been collected through this website. Any such request shall be made in writing to the address below and must be accompanied by reasonable proof of identity of the user. Reasonable proof of identity may include verification of a signature, inclusion of an identifier generally known only to the user, or similar appropriate identification. The address of the privacy compliance officer is:

Attention: Website Compliance Officer
NYS & CSEA Partnership for Education and Training
Corporate Plaza East 240
Washington Avenue Extension
Albany, New York 12203

The privacy compliance officer shall within five (5) business days of the date of the receipt of a proper request:

• Provide access to personal information.
• Deny access in writing, explaining the reasons therefore.
• Acknowledge receipt of the request in writing, stating the approximate date when the request will be granted or denied, which date shall not be more than thirty (30) days from the date of the acknowledgment.

In the event that the Partnership has collected personal information pertaining to a user through the state agency website and that information is to be provided to the user pursuant to the user's request, the privacy compliance officer shall inform the user of his or her right to request that the personal information be amended or corrected under the procedures set forth in Section 95 of the Public Officers Law.

The Partnership is strongly committed to protecting personal information collected through this website against unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Consequently, the Partnership limits employee access to personal information collected through this website to only those employees who need access to the information in the performance of their official duties. Employees who have access to this information are required to follow appropriate procedures in connection with any disclosures of personal information.

Only aggregate, non-personally identifying information will be shared with non-Partnership entities, or third parties such as, training contractors, training vendors, non-Partnership trainers, CSEA, Inc., etc.

In addition, the Partnership has implemented procedures to safeguard the integrity of its information technology assets, including, but not limited to, authentication, monitoring, auditing, and encryption. These security procedures have been integrated into the design, implementation, and day-to-day operations of this website as part of our continuing commitment to the security of electronic content as well as the electronic transmission of information.

For website security purposes and to maintain the availability of the website for all users, the hosting company used by the Partnership employs software to monitor traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise damage this website.

The information provided in this privacy policy should not be construed as giving business, legal, or other advice, or warranting as fail proof, the security of information provided through this website.

For questions regarding this Internet privacy policy, please contact:
[email protected]                                                                                                  or
Attention: Website Compliance Officer
NYS & CSEA Partnership for Education and Training
Corporate Plaza East - Suite 502
240 Washington Avenue Extension
Albany, New York 12203
(via regular mail)