PRIVACY POLICY and DISCLAIMER STATEMENT

The following information explains the City of Costa Mesa’s policy regarding any information you may supply to us when you visit the City of Costa Mesa Website. We will collect no personal information about you when you visit our website unless you choose to provide that information to us. The City will not give, share, sell or transfer any personal information to a third party unless required to do so under federal or state law, including, but not limited to the California Public Records Act. The information we receive depends upon what you do when visiting this site. In general, we receive two types of information: The personal information you provide voluntarily, and information that is collected and stored automatically.

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

Because of the way Internet computer servers work, we receive certain information about general activity on the website. This information does not include personal information, and is used to help us make this site more useful to visitors, to learn about the number of visitors to our site and the types of technology they use. All of this helps us ensure that this site is as useful as possible. This basic information that may be collected is as follows:

Personal and identifying information

We do not automatically collect personal information about visitors who view or download information from our websites. However, personal information may be voluntarily provided by you for certain reasons. Personal information may include, but is not limited to e-mail addresses, responses to surveys, electronic form filing or registering for services. Any personal information you voluntarily provide will be treated the same as any other written communication received by the City and may be subject to public inspection or legal disclosure and may be saved for a period of time before they are destroyed.

Use of Personal Information

The City’s goal in collecting personal information online is to provide you, with the most personalized and effective service possible. By understanding your needs and preferences, the City will be in a better position to provide you with improved service. The City will maintain the confidentiality of information it receives online to the same extent it is legally able to do so with respect to information obtained through other means. Using e-mail addresses provided at registration or otherwise, users are giving the City permission to periodically send out e-mail newsletters and promotional email to our users about web site updates, and product and service information offered by the City.

Users may indicate that they do not wish to receive e-mail information from the City. Upon request, the City will remove users (and their information) from the City database or permit them to elect not to receive any further e-mail newsletters or contact.

Communications made through e-mail and messaging systems shall in no way be deemed to constitute legal notice to the City or any of its agencies, officers, employees, agents or representatives, with respect to any existing or potential claim or cause of action against the City or any of its agencies, officers, employees, agents, or representatives, where notice to the City is required by any federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations.

One of the City services online is to provide educational information about Costa Mesa; therefore, children are not restricted from visiting the City site. The City urges children only to give the City any information after getting permission from their parents or guardians. In some cases, there are age limits for certain contests and give-a-ways.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files that a web server may ask your web browser to store, and to send back to the web server when needed. Cookies may be used to store a transaction identifier or other information a user may provide. We do not use cookies in any service within the scope our web site.

Disclaimer

Neither the City of Costa Mesa, nor any department, or employee of the City of Costa Mesa warrants the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any information published on the City of Costa Mesa website, nor endorses any products or services linked from this system, and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of such information. Portions of the information may be incorrect or not current. Any person or entity that relies on any information obtained from this system does so at his or her own risk.

Various websites may be linked through the City of Costa Mesa. Visitors to those sites are advised to check the privacy statements of those sites and be cautious about providing personally identifiable information without a clear understanding of how the information will be used. This Privacy Statement does not apply to non-Costa Mesa websites linked to the City of Costa Mesa website.

The City does not warrant that the functions contained in the materials will be uninterrupted or error-free; that any defects will be promptly corrected; that this site or the server that makes it available is free of viruses or other harmful components; or that the City is responsible for the content or the privacy policies of web sites to which it may provide links.

Security

The City uses reasonable precautions to keep the personal information disclosed to the City secure. The City web site employs industry-standard methods to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise cause damage.

Contact Information

To offer comments about the City of Costa Mesa website or about information presented in this Privacy Statement, contact webmaster@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us.