Privacy Policy

A QUICK SUMMARY OF MAJOR POINTS

• By using our website or any digital County service, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
• Whenever a user visits a digital County service, be aware that some information is automatically collected.  None of the information automatically collected is personally identifiable.
• Some digital County services (like the creation of a user account) will require you to provide additional information.
• The County is subject to the Missouri Sunshine Records Law. Any information you submit to us becomes public record and is subject to disclosure upon request unless it meets a statutory exemption.

WHAT THIS COVERS

The St. Louis County is committed to providing users with convenient and secure digital government services while protecting digital privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect and treat information when you visit StLouisCountyMO.gov or use any digital County service. Every time you use a digital County service, you are consenting to this Privacy Policy.

THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

The County contracts with third-parties for certain services, like:

• web traffic monitoring and website optimization
• form submissions and workflow tools
• web portals
• financial transactions

Whenever you use a third-party service, you are also agreeing to that service’s Privacy Policy.  If you have any questions about if a digital County service involves a third-party service, please reach out to webmaster@stlouiscountymo.gov.

INFORMATION WE AUTOMATICALLY COLLECT AND RECEIVE

Some information is automatically collected when you visit StLouisCountyMO.gov or any digital County service. As with many websites, we use server logs, cookies, metadata, and geocodes. The information automatically collected may include, but is not limited to:

• the domain name of your Internet Service Provider and/or your computer the IP address from which you access our website
• your browser type (e.g., Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Mozilla Firefox)
• your operating system (e.g., Windows or Mac)
• the type of device you are using
• the date and time you accessed our Services
• location data
• the pages you visited, as well as any applications or forms used, and
• the Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) of the webpage that linked you to our Services.

We do not collect this information to provide targeted advertising. We collect this information in order to help us better analyze and improve our digital County services. This information allows us to learn how many visitors we have, where they are coming from, and which of our services are of most interest to users. We analyze traffic to our services in various ways, including using third-party services listed below. We reserve the right to change analytic service providers at any time, with or without notice.

Unless you affirmatively provide additional information to us (e.g., as part of an account creation process described below), we do not collect or store personally identifiable information.

INFORMATION YOU AFFIRMATIVELY PROVIDE TO US

While some information is automatically collected when you visit a digital County service, there are also times you may provide us with additional information. These could include:

User submissions

Some of our digital County services allow users to submit suggestions, comments, or requests to us. This could be by emailing us, filling out an online form, or reporting a problem via 311. This data may include personally identifiable information such as a name and email address. If you send us a message via email or through an online form, we will use that information to respond to the request. We may also direct your message to another government agency that can help in fulfilling your request.

User accounts

Users do not have to register for accounts to browse or read the County website. However, some of our digital County services involve the creation of a user account. Creating an account may involve the submission of personally identifiable information. This could include a username, password, email address, full name, mailing address, telephone number, etc.

We do not use any of this information to send commercial or marketing messages. We may use this information to notify you of major changes to digital County services or provide you with customer service.

Some of our user account systems can be linked with third-party websites, such as social media networks. To link your accounts, you must provide us with your display name or user ID on those third-party websites. You may also be required to engage in an authorization process with each of those websites. During the process, we will receive a token or account identifier that allows us to link your account on our system with your account on that particular website. We do not receive or store your passwords from those websites.

Secure transactions

The County takes security very seriously. We make every reasonable effort to protect information provided to us or our third party service providers. We have adopted an HTTPS-only policy to protect visitors to our digital County services. Some exceptions may apply for legacy websites and digital County services hosted on StLouisCountyMO.gov.  If you’re making an online payment through a digital County service, it’s always good to make sure the website address starts with “https”.

Email and text messages

There are multiple ways you can sign up to receive information from the County or a specific department or program. Usually, this information will be sent through email or text messages.

These email communications may include web beacons. Web beacons allow us to collect information such as:

• the time and date the email is opened
• the IP address of the recipient
• the recipient’s browser or email client.

We use this information to make our communications better.

You can unsubscribe from these email or text notifications at any time. Just follow the instructions included at the bottom of each email or in the text. We generate email alerts using a number of different systems. If you are subscribed to multiple email threads, you may need to unsubscribe from each one individually. Although you may be unsubscribed from alerts, your email address or phone number may still remain in our system. If you have any questions about these alerts, or if you would like to ensure your information is removed from the system, please contact webmaster@stlouiscountymo.gov.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU PROVIDE PERSONAL INFORMATION

Our only intention in collecting information is to provide users with smooth and efficient digital County service experiences. However, because we are a government agency, there are a few important things to note.

Information storage

We are required by law to retain records for a certain amount of time, as laid out in our records retention schedule. Retention timelines can vary depending on what kind of information you provide (for example, general correspondence like an email must be held for three years).

Sharing information

We may share information or statistics with third parties or the public in an anonymous form that does not directly identify you. This would typically be done to assess a digital County service (like using information in our County Open Government Portal to assess the efficiency of bus routes) – no personally identifiable information would be released.

Additionally, if a user is having issues with a digital County service, we may share information with outside parties to the extent necessary to troubleshoot the issues or enhance the performance of the system.

Public records

As a government agency, any information we have in our system is subject to Chapter 610 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri, commonly known as the Sunshine Law.  If an appropriate request is made to the County for information that is subject to disclosure by the Sunshine Law, the County may be required to disclose the requested information, even if it includes personally identifiable information – (unless there’s an exemption under the Sunshine Law.

Subpoenas

It’s possible that the County may receive a subpoena, or other lawful order, that legally requires information to be turned over to the court system. A subpoena could include personally identifiable information entered into a digital County service.

Data security

We have implemented data security measures to protect the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We also maintain ongoing efforts to identify and block unauthorized use of our servers. However, no website or data storage system is completely secure. To the extent permitted by law, the County is not responsible for any harm that comes as a result of a breach in a digital County service.

Children’s information

Our digital County services are intended for use by adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age. However, we also do not try to determine whether a visitor is underage. If you are a parent or legal guardian of a child under the age of 13 who you believe has submitted personal information by use of our Services, please contact us immediately at webmaster@stlouiscountymo.gov.

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We reserve the right to change the terms of this policy at any time. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed of any updates. The date that this policy was last modified can be found at the top of this page. Any modifications are effective immediately. Your continued use of our digital County services signifies your consent to any changes to this policy.