Michigan Privacy Policy

Thank you for visiting Michigan.gov, the official website for the State of Michigan.

Terms of Use

The Michigan.gov portal is provided as a public service and is owned and operated by the State of Michigan (the State).

If you visit Michigan.gov, you agree to these terms and policies.

All content on Michigan.gov is the property of the State or its content suppliers and is protected by intellectual property laws. 

Michigan.gov is for personal and non-commercial use only.  You may not modify, copy, distribute, display, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works from, sell, or transfer information, products, or services obtained from Michigan.gov unless the law otherwise provides or the State gives you prior written permission.

Use of content, images, designs, or logos from Michigan.gov on another website or on a networked computer environment is prohibited, except as permitted under the Linking Policy, or if the State gives you prior written permission.

You may not use Michigan.gov or any of its content for any purpose that is unlawful or to solicit the performance of any illegal activity or other activity that infringes upon the rights of the State or others.

The State does not promise that Michigan.gov or any content, service, or feature of the website will be error-free or uninterrupted.  Information is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis.

We may amend these terms and policies from time to time.

Privacy Policy

When you access Michigan.gov, we may gather information in the following ways:

• Information collected automatically.  When you view pages on Michigan.gov, some of your information is automatically collected.  This may include information about how you linked to Michigan.gov, when you accessed our website, the searches you initiated, things you clicked on, your IP address, the type of browser and operating system you used, and the pages you requested and visited.  This information is aggregated and is used to improve the website.

• Information voluntarily submitted.  The State (or our third party vendors) may collect additional information if you voluntarily provide it (e.g., in connection with an online transaction).  The type of information varies by transaction and may include: your name, address, phone number, email address, social security or federal identification number, credit card number, driver license number, username, and password.

Emails from us

If you provide us with your email address, we may use it to email you newsletters and announcements. 

You may unsubscribe to these services by following the instructions contained in the email.

Information on third party provided by user

If you provide us with information about a third party, we may retain that information to provide the service requested.  For example, users may share articles on Michigan.gov with a third party through the "mail to a friend" option.

Cookies

Michigan.gov uses "cookies" to customize your browsing experience.  A cookie is a small text file that is saved on your computer when you visit a website.

Session cookies allow you to move through many pages of a website quickly and easily without having to authenticate or reprocess each new area you visit.  Session cookies are destroyed after successful completion of a transaction, after a few minutes of inactivity, or when the browser is closed.

Persistent cookies help websites remember your information and settings when you visit them in the future.  They continue to exist after a few minutes of inactivity, after the browser is closed, or after a user completes a single session.  Persistent cookies generated by Michigan.gov expire within five years.

Michigan.gov uses cookies in the following ways:

• To help you to conduct online transactions.
• To perform statistical analyses on website usage to understand how people are using the website and how we can improve it.

If you choose to do so, you can configure your browser to notify you when a new cookie is received.  You can also view and delete existing cookies, prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, and disable cookies altogether.  If you disable cookies, you can still use Michigan.gov, but your ability to use some areas or functions of the website may be limited.

Sharing information

We will only share personal information about you with others if:

• We have your consent to share the information, or
• We need to share your information to provide the product or service you have requested, or
• We are authorized to do so by law.  E.g., to respond to subpoenas, court orders, legal process, or to requests pursuant to a statute requiring or permitting disclosure such as the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, MCL 15.231, et seq.

Security

We limit access to personally identifiable information gathered through Michigan.gov to employees and agents who need access to perform a specific job.  Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation, and day-to-day operations of this website as part of our continuing commitment to the security of electronic content as well as the electronic transmission of information.

Michigan.gov uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt and protect your personal financial information during Internet transmissions.

Please link to the Michigan Security Policy for more information about security.

Outside links

We provide links to other organizations through Michigan.gov.  These links provide are for informational purposes only.  In providing these links, we do not endorse the content, products, services, or viewpoints of these external websites.  Once you leave Michigan.gov and link to an external website, Michigan.gov terms and policies no longer apply.

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

Individuals under the age of 13 are not eligible to use services that require submission of personal information and should not submit any personal information to Michigan.gov.  This includes submitting personal information to Michigan.gov as part of a user profile or personalization profile.  If you are an individual under the age of 13, you may use these services only if used with your parent or legal guardian.

Linking Policy

Linking to Michigan.gov is permitted under limited conditions. 

If you link to Michigan.gov, you must not: (1) portray any person, entity, or subject in a false or misleading light; (2) visually alter Michigan.gov pages being linked to; or (3) imply that the State endorses your products or services.

To link to Michigan.gov, use the following HTML code:

<a href="http://www.michigan.gov">

You may download this icon to link to Michigan.gov's homepage:

But the above icon may only be used to link to the Michigan.gov homepage.    

You may also link to individual State department or agency websites by creating a text link to a specific State department or agency.  You are not, however, permitted to use the individual State department or agency logo for linking purposes. 

Feedback

We are always seeking to improve and welcome your feedback.  Please access the Michigan.gov Customer Survey to submit comments or suggestions.  You may report technical issues and error notices here. 

Questions

For questions or comments about this webpage, please contact us using this form:

http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192--192782--,00.html

Effective date May 2, 2012