Conditions of Use Agreement

Thank you for visiting the California Transportation Commission websites and reviewing our Conditions of Use Agreement. You agree that the terms of the Conditions of Use govern your use of the Commission’s websites, and that the California Transportation Commission Privacy Policy also governs your use of the Commission’s websites. The California Transportation Commission wants you to know about the collection, use, security, and access to information that pertain to the use of the California Transportation Commission websites. By visiting this or any Commission’s website, you agree to the policies and practices described in this Conditions of Use Agreement. This Agreement covers the following topics:

• Personal Information and Choice
• A Special Note about Children
• Use of Internet Request for Assistance Form Information
• Surveys
• If You Send Us E-mail
• Order Forms
• Public Disclosure
• Automatic Collection of Information/Cookies
• Security
• Links to Other Sites
• Limitation of Liability
• Ownership

Please note that this Conditions of Use Agreement is subject to change without notice, and that it reflects the California Transportation Commission current business practices.

Personal Information And Choice

“Personal information” is information about a natural person that identifies or describes an individual, including, but not limited to, his or her name, social security number, physical description, home address, home telephone number, education, financial matters, and medical or employment history, readily identifiable to that specific individual. A domain name or Internet Protocol address is not considered personal information however, it is Commission's electronically collected personal information.

According to Government Code § 11015.5., “electronically collected personal information” means any information that is maintained by an agency that identifies or describes an individual user, including, but not limited to, his or her name, social security number, physical description, home address, home telephone number, education, financial matters, medical or employment history, password, electronic mail address, and information that reveals any network location or identity, but excludes any information manually submitted to a State agency by a user, whether electronically or in written form, and information on or relating to individuals who are users, serving in a business capacity, including, but not limited to, business owners, officers, or principals of that business.

“Electronically collected personal information” means any electronically collected personal information that we collect, including your domain name or Internet Protocol address, and statistical information about which web pages you visit. If you voluntarily participate in an activity that asks for specific information (i.e., completing a request for assistance, personalizing the content of the website, sending an e-mail, or participating in a survey) more detailed data will be collected. If you choose not to participate in these activities, your choice will probably not affect your ability to use any other feature of the website.

If any type of personal information is requested on the website or volunteered by the user, State law, including the Information Practices Act of 1977, Government Code Section 11015.5, and the federal Privacy Act of 1974, may protect it. However, this information may also be a public record once you provide it, and the information may be subject to public inspection and copying if not otherwise protected by federal or State law.

A Special Note About Children

Children are not eligible to use services that require submission of personal information, and we require that minors (under the age of 18) do not submit any personal information to us. This includes submitting personal information to the Commission as part of a user profile or personalization profile. If you are a minor, you can use these services only if used together with your parents or legal guardians. If you are a minor, you should seek guidance from your parents or legal guardians. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Commission may collect personal information if prior consent is provided by a parent or legal guardian.

Use Of Internet Request For Assistance Form Information

Any information you provide to us will only be shared with entities to address your case. Information you provide may be included with other consumers’ information and may be used for statistical reporting, trending data, and/or investigative actions. For example, we may need to retain information that becomes part of an enforcement action or consumer complaint case for a period of time after the closing date of the case.

If you provide us with information regarding an issue that does not fall within our regulatory jurisdiction, we may refer your information to the appropriate local, State, or federal agency on your behalf.

Surveys

If you participate in a survey or send an e-mail during your visit to the California Transportation Commission website, the following additional information may be collected:

1. The email address and contents of the e-mail.
2. The Information volunteered in response to the survey.
3. The information collected is not limited to text characters and may include audio, video, and graphic information formats you send us.
4. The information is retained in accordance with Government Code § 11015.5.

If You Send Us E-Mail

You may choose to provide us with personal information, as in email with a comment or question. We may use the information to improve our service to you or to respond to your request. We forward your email to other State employees who may be better able to help you, and this staff may be employed by a different agency within the State.

We use the data and information contained in your email. We may use this data and information to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to further improve our website, and/or to forward the email to other parties for appropriate action.

Order Forms

If you place an order with us, we request information from the user on our order form. A user may be required to provide contact information (like name and shipping address) and financial information (like credit card number and expiration date). This information is used for billing purposes and to fill your order/request. If we have trouble processing an order, this contact information may be used to contact you.

Public Disclosure

In the State of California, laws exist to ensure that government is open and transparent, and to ensure that the public can access some records and information possessed by State government. At the same time, there are exceptions (under federal and State law) to the public’s right to access public records, and these exceptions serve various needs including maintaining the privacy of individuals.

All information collected at this site becomes public record that may be subject to inspection and copying by the public, unless a disclosure exemption applies to the information. In the event of a conflict between this Conditions of Use Agreement and the California Public Records Act, the Information Practices Act, or other law governing the disclosure of records, the California Public Records Act, the Information Practices Act, or other applicable law will control.

Personal Information

Under Government Code § 11015.5, if you choose, you may have personal information collected about you discarded without reuse or distribution, provided we are contacted in a timely fashion.

Automatic Collection Of Information/Cookies

Cookies are simple text files stored on your computer by your web browser. The California Transportation Commission website uses cookies. No personal information is stored. Cookies expire after the user’s session ends. In other words, California Transportation Commission only uses cookies during the session in which you access our interactive applications.

In addition to the Commission’s cookies, the following are a list of third-party cookies being used:

• Google Analytics (Standard in all CA State Department Websites)
• Google Search (Standard in all CA State Department Websites)
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Siteimprove

Cookies created on your computer by using this website do not contain “personal information” and do not compromise your privacy or security. We use the cookie feature only to store a randomly generated identifying temporary tag on your computer. You can refuse the cookie or delete the cookie file from your computer by using any of the widely available methods.

You can find out more about how to manage your browser cookies below:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Apple Safari
• MS Edge

However, if you turn your cookie option off, you may not be able to access some of the features in our interactive applications.

Security

The California Transportation Commission has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its telecommunications and computing infrastructure, including but not limited to authentication, monitoring, auditing, and encryption. Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation, and day-to-day practices of the entire Commission's operating environment as a part of its continuing commitment to risk management. This general disclosure shall not be construed in any way as giving business, legal, or other advice, or as guaranteeing or warranting the security of information provided to us. The technical standards governing security are enforced by the Department of Finance.

Links To Other Sites

Our website has links to sites that may be useful to you and which may provide services. When you link to another site, you are no longer on our site and you are subject to the conditions of use and privacy policy of the new site.

The California Transportation Commission accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of the external websites or external documents linked to by Commission’s websites.

The Commission’s websites and the information they contain are provided as a public service by the California Transportation Commission. This system is monitored to better ensure proper operation, to verify the functioning of applicable security features, and for comparable purposes. Anyone accessing a Commission’s website or using this system expressly consents to such monitoring. Unauthorized attempts to modify any information stored on this system, to defeat or circumvent security features, or to utilize this system for other than its intended purposes are prohibited and may result in criminal prosecution.

Limitation Of Liability

The California Transportation Commission attempts to maintain high content accuracy on its website. Any errors or omissions should be reported for investigation.

The California Transportation Commission makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the absolute accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this website, and the Commission expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this website. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed, or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third-party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from computer virus, is given with respect to the contents of this website or its hyperlinks to other Internet resources. Reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or preference by the State of California, or its employees or agents.

Ownership

In general, information presented on this website, unless otherwise indicated, is considered in the public domain. It may be distributed or copied as permitted by law. However, the California Transportation Commission does make use of copyrighted data (e.g., photographs) which may require additional permissions prior to your use. In order to use any information on this website that is not owned or created by the California Transportation Commission, you must seek permission directly from the owner of these items of property and sources. The California Transportation Commission shall have the unlimited right to use for any purpose, free of any charge, all information submitted via this website except those submissions made under separate legal contract. You agree that the California Transportation Commission shall own and be free to use, for any purpose, any ideas, concepts, or techniques contained in information provided through this website, and you hereby transfer ownership of such items to the California Transportation Commission.