Privacy Statement
The Florida Senate is committed to protecting individual privacy and securing the personal information made available to us when you visit www.flsenate.gov or any of its sub-domains (*.flsenate.gov). This privacy policy describes what information is made available to The Florida Senate and third parties when you visit www.flsenate.gov and any of its sub-domains that point to this privacy statement. It also references expectations about Florida Senate pages on other sites (such as official Florida Senate profiles on social networks) and what visitors should expect when they visit there.
If you have questions about this policy or suggestions for its improvement, please let us know. You can contact us at webmaster@flsenate.gov or call us at (850) 487-5995 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST Monday - Friday.
- Information Received and Stored by The Florida Senate When You Visit the Website
- Links to External Sites
- Visiting Official Florida Senate Pages on Third-Party Websites
- Children and Privacy
- Security of *.flsenate.gov
We will revise or update this policy if our practices change, or as we develop better ways to keep you informed about them. You should refer back to this page often for the latest information and the effective date of any changes. If we decide to change this policy, we will post a new policy on our site and change the date at the bottom. Changes to the policy shall not apply retroactively.
1. Information Received and Stored by The Florida Senate When You Visit the Website
1.1. Basic Information
When a computer is used to access information on *.flsenate.gov, the following basic information is automatically received and stored by The Florida Senate web servers hosting *.flsenate.gov:
- Internet Protocol (IP) Address. A computer’s IP address establishes its location on the internet and allows other computers, such as those hosting *.flsenate.gov, to send it content and other information;
- The internet domain name when a computer accesses the internet through a domain, such as from a corporation (“xcompany.com”) or university ("yourschool.edu");
- The date, time, and duration of a website visit;
- If a computer accesses a page on *.flsenate.gov via a link on another page, the URL of that referring, non-http://*.flsenate.gov page;
- Information about the computer set-up, such as the type and version of web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer 8.0, Mozilla Firefox 5.0), operating system (e.g., Unix, Mac OS, MS Windows), Java support (yes or no), Flash version (e.g., 10.1 r85), screen resolution (e.g., 1280x800), and connection speed (e.g., DSL, T1);
- The specific pages a computer accesses when it requests information from *.flsenate.gov; and
- The amount of data (measured in number of bytes) transmitted from *.flsenate.gov to a computer.
The Florida Senate does not use this information to identify or track the browsing of individual users. We do use it to generate aggregate statistics about how *.flsenate.gov is used. We retain this information upwards of two years—for example, server logs from June 2011 will be deleted by June 2013.
We do not sell or rent this information to persons or organizations. However, s. 119.01, F.S., indicates that all state records are public records.
1.2. Website Measurement and Customization Technologies (E.g., Cookies)
1.2.1. First-party Website Measurement and Customization Technologies
The Florida Senate uses web measurement and customization technologies to make *.flsenate.gov function better for visitors and to better understand how the public is using the website.
This means that when you visit a page on *.flsenate.gov, the internet browser on your computer may download and save a small file from *.flsenate.gov (commonly called a “cookie”) so that our website can recognize your specific computer and browser when you use *.flsenate.gov in the future. The Florida Senate does not use technologies that track your interactions on non-http://*.flsenate.gov websites.
Information on how to control these web measurement and customization technologies can be found later in this statement.
These technologies fall into two categories, based on the length of time they remain active:
- Single-session cookies last only as long as a web browser is open. Once the browser is closed, the data files on your computer are deleted.
- Multi-session cookies last beyond a single session of browsing a website; this allows a website to recognize a computer or user for defined amount of time.
The Florida Senate uses the following web measurement and customization technologies:
- Session cookies are used for technical purposes, such as enabling better navigation through the site, facilitating the use of user accounts, and generating aggregated statistics about how the website is used.
- Persistent cookies are used to recognize a computer that has previously visited *.flsenate.gov, which can improve a user’s experience, for example by continuing preference settings from previous visits. *.flsenate.gov currently uses the following first-party persistent cookies:
- When a visitor logs into their tracker account and selects “remember me”, *.flsenate.gov sets a persistent cookie to prevent them from having to re-login for up to one year. This cookie does not collect personal identifying information.
- Setting a users’ preference for which bill detail page view they prefer: view by category vs. view by version.
The Florida Senate uses a third-party analytics provider (currently Google Analytics) to analyze the data collected through the session and persistent metrics cookies. The third-party analytics provider does not receive personally identifiable information through these cookies and does not combine, match, or cross-reference *.flsenate.gov information with any other information. Please review the third-party analytics provider’s privacy policy for additional information.
These cookies collect information similar to that automatically received and stored on the servers hosting *.flsenate.gov; they do not collect personal identifying information. The Florida Senate generally does not access or store the raw information collected through these cookies. We do view aggregate statistical analyses prepared by our third-party analytics provider, but these analyses do not include any personally identifiable information.
1.2.2. Third-party Website Measurement and Customization Technologies
Some pages on *.flsenate.gov may include web content or functionality from third parties, such as embedded videos hosted by non-http://*.flsenate.gov services. For example, content or functionality from the following third parties may be present on some *.flsenate.gov pages:
- The Florida Channel;
- YouTube.com;
- Picasa.com;
- Google Search;
- Facebook.com; and
- Twitter.
For your convenience, this list will be updated on a regular basis to reflect the third party providers of content or functionality that are commonly used on *.flsenate.gov.
These third parties may use web measurement and customization technologies (such as cookies) in conjunction with the provision of this content or functionality. You should consult the privacy policies of these third parties for further information. We do not knowingly use third-party tools that place a multi-session cookie prior to the user interacting with the tool, for example by playing an embedded video. If you become aware of a third-party tool on *.flsenate.gov that places a multi-session cookie prior to any user interaction, please contact us at webmaster@flsenate.gov or call us at (850) 487-5995 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST Monday - Friday.
1.2.3. How You Can Control Website Measurement and Customization Technologies
Visitors can control aspects of website measurement and customization technologies used on *.flsenate.gov. Visitors who choose to disable these technologies will still have access to comparable information and services on *.flsenate.gov.
One of the most common forms of website measurement and customization technologies is the use of “cookies.” You can choose not to accept cookies from any website, including *.flsenate.gov, by changing the settings of your browser. You can also delete cookies stored in your browser at any time.
Here is a list of the cookies that are used by *.flsenate.gov:
- Cookies that have a name that begin with _utm are each unique and are used for the purpose of website analytics.
- Cookies that have a name of CFID and CFTOKEN are used to store session information.
- Cookies that have MY_ allow users to interact with Tracker.
- Cookies that set preferences have _Prefer_ in it.
This list will be updated frequently with other cookies used by *.flsenate.gov. This list does not include cookies associated with third-party content or functionality included on *.flsenate.gov.
For more information about cookies, including how to delete them from your computer and configure your browser to refuse them from *.flsenate.gov or any other site, visit https://www.usa.gov/optout-instructions.
1.3. Personal Information that you Voluntarily Submit to *.flsenate.gov
If you choose to provide us with personal information, for example by completing a “Contact Us” form, signing up for an email list, or joining Senate Tracker, we may use that information to respond to your message and/or to help us get you the information or services you requested. Submitting this personal information (name, address, telephone number, email address, etc.) is voluntary and is not required to access information on *.flsenate.gov.
Information you voluntarily submit through *.flsenate.gov, such as your name, city, state, and comments on public issues, may be treated as public information. Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.
1.4. Tracker Subscriber Accounts
Tracker is a free service provided by the Florida Senate. Users can sign up for a Senate Tracker account to track bills, committees, Senators, publications, press releases, videos, speeches, photos and more. Users can view the latest status of tracked items on the Tracker tab and receive notifications via email when events occur related to tracked items. Setting up an account requires the user to provide a valid email address and a first name. We use this information to communicate with you and to identify content you create with the account. The features that require a user account may set first party session cookies to maintain a user's login.
Some of the information provided to set up a user account (your name and email) and user-generated content created with the account may be treated as public information. Data from The Florida Senate user accounts are not associated with server logs or website analytics.
2. Links to External Sites
The Florida Senate may contain links to web sites created and maintained by other public and/or private organizations and individuals. *.flsenate.gov provides these links as a service to our users. When you follow a link to an external site, you are leaving *.flsenate.gov and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the external site. *.flsenate.gov does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information contained in a linked site. We also do not endorse the organizations or individuals maintaining sites that we link, any views they express, or any products/services they offer.
3. Visiting Official Florida Senate Pages on Third-Party Websites
The Florida Senate maintains official pages or accounts on several third-party web sites in order to better engage with the public. Your activity on those third-party sites is governed by the security and privacy policies of the third party sites. Users of third-party sites are often sharing information with the general public, user community, and/or the third-party operating the third-party site. These actors may use this information in a variety of ways. Consequently, you should review the privacy policies of third-party sites before using them and ensure that you understand how your information may be used. You should also adjust privacy settings on your account on any third-party site to match your preferences.
In some instances, a first-party session cookie may be set via third-party websites that feature embedded content served by *.flsenate.gov.
Below is the current list of official Florida Senate pages on third party websites.
- Picasa
- YouTube
4. Children and Privacy
We believe in the importance of protecting the privacy of children online and do not knowingly contact or collect personal information from children under 13. Our site is not intended to solicit information of any kind from children under 13.
5. Security of *.flsenate.gov
We take reasonable precautions to protect our site and information automatically collected by *.flsenate.gov or voluntarily submitted to *.flsenate.gov or an official Florida Senate page on a third-party site. For example, we restrict access to information collected by or submitted to *.flsenate.gov or official Florida Senate pages of on third-party sites to employees who access it to perform their official duties. Access to official Florida Senate accounts on third-party sites is limited to the staff who administers those accounts, and all official Florida Senate accounts are clearly labeled. We also utilize commonly used practices and technical controls to protect this information, along with *.flsenate.gov itself. These practices and controls include, but are not limited to, using high-strength firewalls and intrusion detection systems (IDS) to safeguard personal information and maintaining strict technical controls and procedures to ensure the integrity of all data on *.flsenate.gov. We periodically review our processes and systems to verify compliance with industry best practices and ensure the highest level of security for our website.
Last Updated: May 13, 2014