Privacy Policy

This statement pertains exclusively to the collection of personal information on official university websites. Official university websites use the domain names "umd.edu" and "maryland.edu" and are controlled, operated, and maintained by university personnel in connection with university business. However, all uses of university computing resources are subject to the University of Maryland Policy on the Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources.

Collection of Personal Information

Generally, the university does not automatically collect the identity of individual users of or visitors to official university websites. If you are asked to provide personal information on an official university website, university policy provides that you should be notified of the following:

• The purpose for which the personal information is collected;
• Any specific consequences for refusing to provide the information;
• Your right to inspect, amend, or correct personal records, if any;
• Whether the personal information is generally available for public inspection; and
• Whether the personal information is made available or transferred to or shared with any entity.

Unless otherwise notified by the collecting office, information provided to the university may be shared among offices within the university and with the University System of Maryland and outside entities as necessary or appropriate in the conduct of legitimate university business and consistent with applicable law. Because the university is a State educational institution, such information may also be subject to disclosure under the Maryland Access to Public Records Act (Public Records Act). Individuals may inspect and/or correct their personal information as provided by the Public Records Act or applicable university policy. The university is also subject to the disclosure requirements of the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Moreover, personal information you disclose to others via message boards and chat rooms may be collected and used by others who are not under the control of the university.

The university collects information that is available from server logs about user Internet connections and visits to university websites. The university may use this information to analyze trends, create summary statistics for the purpose of determining technical design specifications, and identify system performance or problem areas.

An example of information collected by servers include Internet Protocol (IP) addresses - a number that is assigned to your computer when you log on and that is automatically identified when a computer connects to a server. An IP address identifies the computer, not the computer user. University servers may log and track an IP address upon log-in and as the user moves from Web page to Web page within university websites. The university does not normally link IP addresses to personally identifiable information, so that the identity of users remains anonymous to the university but not, for example, the time users log on, log off and how long they visit any one site. The university uses IP addresses to identify a user when necessary to enforce compliance with law or university policies, for purposes of system administration, and to ascertain demographics and visitor usability.

Some university web pages may utilize "cookies" to better serve you with more tailored information when you return to our site. Cookies are identifiers that a website can send to user browsers to keep on file in order to facilitate future visits to that site. Some university Web pages may use cookies as a way to provide users with more tailored information when they return to those web pages. Users can set their browsers to receive notification when a website sends them a cookie so users may accept or reject it. Note that some parts of a university web page that offers cookies may not function properly or may be considerably slower when users reject cookies.

Data Security

The university will take appropriate steps to protect the information you share with us from unauthorized access or disclosure. The university strives to implement security measures that protect the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control. The university has a policy on Data Management Structure and Procedures which includes Division of Information Technology data security measures.

Not all transmissions to and from official university websites are secure: the website may not encrypt or decrypt data sent to or from the website. In addition, emails that you send to a university address may be subject to interception. If your communication includes personal information that you do not wish to provide electronically, contact the university by postal mail or telephone.

Links to Other Sites

Some official university websites link to websites that are outside the "umd.edu" and "maryland.edu" domains and are controlled and operated by third parties. The university is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such third party websites.

Changes to Privacy Statement

Advances in technology, legal developments, and new university policies and practices may necessitate the need to change or update this privacy statement from time to time. We reserve the right to change this policy without notice. It is the responsibility of the user to check this page for any changes to this policy.

Questions or Complaints

Specific questions about the collection of personal information on specific official university websites should be addressed to the person identified on that site.

If you have any comments or questions about this privacy statement or complaints about official university websites, please contact:

Project NEThics^sm
Division of Information Technology
University of Maryland
Room 4411 Computer and Space Sciences Building
College Park, Maryland 20742
Telephone: 301.405.8787
Fax: 301.405.0720
Email: nethics@umd.edu