Thruway Authority Internet Privacy Policy
Effective Date: 12/15/17
Introduction
This Privacy Policy describes the privacy practices of the New York State Thruway Authority (the "Authority") related to the use, storage, and disclosure of information we collect from, or about, you during the course of providing information and services at this Authority website and through the Authority mobile apps (collectively, sometimes referred to hereinafter as the "Online Resources").
The Authority Online Resources are designed to make it easier and more efficient for you to interact with the Authority and to learn about Authority services and initiatives in New York State.
Because this Privacy Policy only applies to this Authority website and to the Authority mobile apps, you are encouraged to examine the privacy policy of any other websites or mobile services, including other New York State agency websites or mobile apps that may be reached by links or accessed through any of the Authority Online Resources.
The Authority recognizes that visitors to this website and to the Authority's mobile apps are concerned about their privacy. The Authority is committed to preserving your privacy when visiting and using these Online Resources, and the Authority will take reasonable measures to protect your information and privacy. By using the Authority Online Resources, or otherwise providing the Authority with information, you acknowledge and consent to the handling and use of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.
Information Collected Automatically When You Visit or Use the Authority Online Resources
In order to provide visitors to our website and users of our mobile apps the best possible user experience, the Authority strives to improve our content and services by understanding how our visitors and users interact with these Online Resources and by identifying system performance issues. To that end, the Authority automatically collects and stores certain anonymous non-personal information for site administration purposes and statistical analysis. Examples of such information are: the Internet Protocol or IP address and domain name of your Internet service provider; the type of browser and operating system used; the date/time stamps; the web pages or services that were accessed; and referring pages. The Authority also monitors user traffic and patterns for our Online Resources and automatically collects certain non-personal information about a user's device, website visit, or usage of our mobile app by employing standard industry technologies like cookies, log files, web beacons, and unique identifiers to anonymously identify your computer or device and enhance the user experience. This information is not collected by the Authority for commercial marketing purposes, and the Authority will not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise distribute this information for commercial marketing purposes.
For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, none of the foregoing is deemed to constitute personal information (defined in more detail below).
Cookies
The Authority may use cookies, web beacons, or other technologies to track how you visit certain pages on this Authority website and enhance or customize your visit. The use of cookies or web beacons is standard practice among internet websites and services. Cookies are simple text files or small amounts of data sent to your browser from our web servers that are stored on your computer or device to provide a means of distinguishing among users of this website. Cookies may collect information such as your browser type or the server you are logged into. Cookies used by the Authority are not designed to retrieve data from your hard drive or device for any other purposes. They do not capture your email address or other Personal Information, and they do not compromise your privacy and security.
The software and hardware you use to access the Authority's Online Resources may allow 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 the Online Resources and they may be essential for site administration.
Information Collected When You E-mail these Online Resources, Complete a Form, or Initiate an Online or Mobile Transaction
If you use any of the Authorities Online Resources to send an email to the Authority, report an issue through our mobile app, submit an inquiry, or initiate any transaction such as a survey, registration, or order form, any information you voluntarily submit as part of any email, reporting, or transaction is collected by the Authority. Such information includes but is not limited to, your email address and the contents of your message, or your contact or profile information should you choose to provide it. The information collected is not limited to text characters and may include any audio, video, images, and graphic information formats included in the message or submission that you send us. Certain services or features of our mobile app may allow you to submit photos or video through your mobile device to the Authority, such as through the report an issue feature; but access to your mobile device's camera or photo library for this limited purpose must first be granted by you through the permissions or privacy settings of your mobile device. Any data from the camera will only be collected by the Authority if, and when, you choose to share it.
The Authority will use information like this that you voluntarily submit to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to further improve these Online Resources, or to forward your message to another State/Federal agency or entity for appropriate action.
The Authority does not collect your email address or contact information for commercial marketing purposes, and the Authority does not sell or distribute your email address or contact information for commercial marketing purposes. The Authority does not knowingly solicit or collect information from children under the age of 13 years old or create profiles of children under the age of 13 years old through any of these Online Resources. Users are cautioned, however, that the Authority will treat information submitted in an email, or otherwise through our Online Resources, as though it was submitted by an adult, and such information may, unless exempted from access by federal or State law, be subject to public access. The Authority strongly encourages parents and teachers to be involved in children's online activities and mobile app usage, and to provide guidance whenever children are asked to provide personal information online or through any mobile app.
Universally Unique Identifier (UUID)
A UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) is a unique number used by our mobile app to collect usage data to better enhance the user experience and application performance, but this number is not personally identifiable and is randomly generated each time the mobile app is started.
Location Information
If you consent to the use of your geographic location to operate location-enabled features of the Authority's Online Resources, by initially opting in or by changing your permissions or privacy settings, the Authority may collect and process geolocation information about your mobile device or computer by using GPS signals and other various technologies to determine your location, including using network-based sensor data from your device about the proximity of cell towers and Wi-Fi access points. Certain limited features of our Online Resources cannot be provided without utilizing this technology, and the Authority will only collect and process such information with your consent and only for the purpose of providing these relevant features. You may also always opt-out or withdraw your permission, if previously granted, for the Authority to collect your geolocation information by changing your permissions or privacy settings on your mobile device.
Personal Information and Choice
For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, "Personal Information" is defined as any information connected or related to an individual which can be used to specifically identify that particular individual due to the information containing a certain name, number, mark, symbol, or other identifier (e.g., a person's maiden name, phone number, physical address, social security number, or personal email address). The type of Personal Information the Authority might collect about you generally depends on your particular interaction with us and/or your use of our Online Resources. The Authority only collects Personal Information about you when you provide that information voluntarily by sending an email or by initiating an online transaction, such as a survey, registration, or order form; or by voluntarily supplying that information or consenting to its collection via the Authority mobile app, such as through our report-an-issue feature. You may always make the decision not to voluntarily provide certain information to the Authority, including Personal Information, by choosing not to include such information in an email, not to respond to a survey, or not to complete a registration or order form.
While your choice not to participate in these activities may limit your ability to receive specific services or products through the Authority Online Resources, it will not prevent you from requesting services or products from the Authority by other means and will not normally have an impact on your ability to take advantage of other features of our Online Resources, including browsing or downloading publicly available information, or the ability to report certain issues anonymously.
Disclosure of Information Collected Through the Authority Online Resources
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 Authority does not collect or disclose Personal Information of the users of our Online Resources unless you have consented to the collection or disclosure by knowingly providing this Personal Information in connection with your use of the Authority's Online Resources, and for purposes that are reasonably obvious or ascertainable to you. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Authority may collect or disclose Personal Information without your consent if the collection or disclosure is: (1) necessary to perform the statutory duties of the Authority, necessary for the Authority to operate a program authorized by law, or authorized by state or federal statute or regulation; (2) made pursuant to a court order or required by law; (3) required for the purpose of validating the identity of the user; or (4) involving information to be used solely for statistical purposes that is in a form that cannot be used to identify any particular person. Further, the disclosure of information, including Personal Information, collected through the Authority's Online Resources is subject to the provisions of the New York State Freedom of Information Law and the New York State Personal Privacy Protection Law.
The Authority may also disclose Personal Information to federal, State, or local law enforcement authorities to enforce the Authority's rights against unauthorized access or attempted unauthorized access to the Authority's information technology assets or against other inappropriate uses of this website or other State or Authority property.
Retention of Information Collected Through the Authority Online Resources
In general, the Authority's Internet services logs, comprised of electronic files or automated logs created to monitor access and use of Authority services provided through this website, will be retained for one (1) year and then destroyed. Information, including Personal Information, otherwise collected through the Online Resources will be retained by the Authority in accordance with the Authority's Records Retention and Disposition Schedule and in accordance with any applicable requirements under New York or Federal law. For further information about the Authority's Records Retention and Disposition Schedules, please contact the Authority Privacy Compliance Officer listed below.
Access to and Correction of Personal Information Collected Through Authority Online Resources
Any user may submit a request to the Authority Privacy Compliance Officer to determine whether Personal Information pertaining to that user has been collected and retained through the Authority Online Resources. 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 other appropriate identification. The address of the privacy compliance officer is:
Privacy Compliance Officer
Legal Department
200 Southern Boulevard
Albany, New York 12209
The Privacy Compliance Officer shall, within five (5) business days of the date of the receipt of a proper request: (i) provide access to the Personal Information; (ii) deny access in writing, explaining the reasons therefore; or (iii) acknowledge the 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 Authority has collected and retained Personal Information pertaining to a user through the Online Resources 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.
Confidentiality and Integrity of Personal Information Collected Through the Authority Online Resources
The Authority is strongly committed to protecting Personal Information that has been collected and retained through our Online Resources against unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Consequently, the Authority limits employee access to Personal Information collected through our Online Resources 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 disclosure of Personal Information. In addition, the Authority 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 our Online Resources as part of the Authority's continuing commitment to the security of electronic content as well as the electronic transmission of information.
For security purposes and to maintain the availability of the Online Resources for all users, the Authority employs software to monitor traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise damage these Online Resources.
Privacy Policy Disclaimer
The information contained 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. This Privacy Policy is not a contract and does not create any legal rights or obligations as if it were a contract, but rather serves as guidelines and notice for how we will protect your information and privacy.
Amendments to this Privacy Policy
The Authority may revise or update this Privacy Policy and our practices from time to time. If the Authority makes any changes to this Privacy Policy or our practices, we will change the "Effective Date" found at the beginning of this Privacy Policy. You are free to decide whether or not to accept a revised version of this Privacy Policy, but accepting this Privacy Policy, as modified, is required for you to continue using our Online Resources. If you do not wish to be subject to the terms of this Privacy Policy and our privacy practices, or to any revised version of this Privacy Policy, your sole recourse is to cease your use of the Authority's Online Resources.
Contact Information
For questions regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact:
Media Relations
518-471-5300
518-426-3995