Privacy  Notice

Web Site Privacy Statement on the Collection and Use of Information Gathered from the General Public

The University of Texas Permian Basin maintains the U. T. Permian Basin web site as a public service. The following statement applies only to members of the general public and is intended to address concerns about the types of information gathered from the public and how that information is used. Employees of U. T. Permian Basin should refer to UTS165, which outlines U. T. Permian Basin’s internal policy for the use and protection of information resources.

Since U. T. Permian Basin is a public institution, the information collected by our web servers may be subject to public disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act (Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code).

The U. T. TeleCampus collects somewhat different information from other servers within the U. T. Permian Basin site. You may view the U. T. Telecampus privacy policy at:  http://tis.telecampus.utsystem.edu/tispp.asp

I. Information Collected and Stored Automatically

a. Cookies 

A “cookie” is a small file containing information that is placed on a user’s computer by a web server. Typically, these files are used to enhance the user’s experience of the site, to help users move between pages in a database, or to customize information for a user. U. T. Permian Basin servers do not store personally identifiable information in cookies from pages intended for use by the general public.

Information stored in cookies by U. T. Permian Basin web servers is used for internal purposes only. It is not used in any way that would disclose personally identifiable information to outside parties unless U. T. Permian Basin is legally required to do so.

b. Logs and Network Monitoring

U. T. Permian Basin maintains log files of all access to its site and also monitors network traffic for the purposes of site management and security. This information is used to help diagnose problems with the server and to carry out other administrative tasks.  Log analysis tools are also used to create summary statistics to determine which information is of most interest to users, to identify system problem areas, or to help determine technical requirements.

 The following information is collected in these files:

Hostname: the hostname, site name, username, and IP address of the computer requesting access to the site.

User-Agent: the type of browser, its version, and the operating system of the computer requesting access (e.g., Netscape 4 for Windows, IE 4 for Macintosh, etc.)

Referrer:  the web page the user came from 

System date: the date and time on the server at the time of access

Full request: the exact request the user made

Status: the status code the server returned, e.g., fulfilled request, file not found

Content length: the size, in bytes, of the file sent to the user

Method: the request method used by the browser (e.g., post, get)

Universal Resource Identifier (URI): the location of the particular resource requested. (More commonly known as a URL.)

Query string of the URI: anything after a question mark in a URI. For example, if a keyword search has been requested, the search word will appear in the query string. 

Protocol: the technical protocol and version used, i.e., http 1.0, ftp, etc.

The above information is not used in any way that would reveal personally identifying information to outside parties unless Permian Basin is legally required to do so.  Web server logs are scheduled for regular destruction in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

II. Information Collected by Email and Forms

U. T. Permian Basin collects the e-mail address of those individuals who communicate with us via e-mail or who give us their e-mail address.  U. T. Permian Basin collects information that is voluntarily provided by those individuals who communicate with us via e-mail or who submit forms on our web site. 

If a member of the general public sends Permian Basin an e-mail message or fills out a web-based form with a question or comment that contains personally identifying information, that information will only be used for the purposes for which the form is intended, to respond to the question or comment, and to analyze trends. The message or form may be redirected to another government agency or person who is better able to respond to the question or comment.  U. T. Permian Basin does not market such information.  U. T. Permian Basin does not use such information in any way that would reveal personally identifying information to outside parties unless we are legally required to do so.

III.  Notice About Information Laws and Practices

With few exceptions, you are entitled on your request to be informed about the information U. T. Permian Basin collects about you. Under Sections 552.021 and 552.023 of the Texas Government Code, you are entitled to receive and review the information. Under Section 559.004 of the Texas Government Code, you are entitled to have U. T. Permian Basin correct information about you that is held by us and that is incorrect, in accordance with the procedures set forth in UTS139.

The information that U. T. Permian Basin collects will be retained and maintained as required by Texas records retention laws (Section 441.180 et seq. of the Texas Government Code) and rules.  Different types of information are kept for different periods of time.

IV. Links

This site contains links to other sites outside of U. T. Permian Basin. U. T. Permian Basin is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such web sites.

V. Security

This site has security measures in place to protect from loss, misuse and alteration of the information under the control of U. T. Permian Basin.

Contacting U. T. Permian Basin

If there are any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or dealings with this web site, contact

webmaster@utpb.edu

The University of Texas Permian Basin