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Privacy Policy
Virginia Department
of Game and Inland Fisheries
Internet Privacy
Policy Statement and Disclaimer
Privacy Information
It is the policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia
that personal information about citizens will be collected only
to the extent necessary to provide the service or benefit desired;
that only appropriate information will be collected; that the
citizen shall understand the reason the information is collected
and be able to examine their personal record which is maintained
by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF),
according to the Government
Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act of Virginia
(Code
of Virginia, §§ 2.2-3800 through 2.2-3809).
This document explains how the VDGIF gathers information
on its web site (http://www.dgif.virginia.gov
or http://www.dgif.state.va.us
or http://www.dgif.virginia.gov),
and with whom and under what conditions the agency shares this
information. The following is intended to explain the agency's
current Internet privacy practices but shall not be construed
as a contractual promise. VDGIF reserves the right to amend its
Internet Privacy Policy Statement at any time without notice.
Information Collection
Virginia law requires that state bodies not collect
personal information about citizens unless it is required to provide
services for the citizen. When personal information is collected,
it must be protected from unauthorized access, use or disclosure,
and the VDGIF is required to provide a prescribed procedure by
which you may learn the purpose for which information has been
recorded and how the agency will use and disseminate it.
In General
VDGIF does not capture personal information about
any visitor to its site without their permission. When you browse
the agency's site without logging on to any of the interactive
online services, you do so anonymously. Information, such as your
name, address, phone number, or e-mail address, is not collected
as you browse. Information, such as your domain name, Internet
Protocol number, browser type, and date and time of your visit,
is collected, but not tied to your personal identity. VDGIF uses
this information to track the number of customers who visit the
site and identify the most popular pages so that the agency can
improve site content and accessibility.
Online Transactions
Though personal information may be required either
by law or in order for the VDGIF to provide a requested service,
in doing so the agency is subject to the requirements for administering
information systems as established in the Government
Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act of Virginia
(Code
of Virginia, §§ 2.2-3800 through 2.2-3809). A different
agency or entity, whose practices are not under the control of
VDGIF, may regulate pages that appear after you click on a link.
When you log on to one of the agency's current online
services, such as the Wildlife Information Online Service or queryable
Boat Registration Database, or future services, such as online
watercraft registration or purchase of hunting or fishing license,
the personal information that you submit is captured to enable
you to conduct business with VDGIF. In addition, the agency collects
the following information about your visit: Internet Protocol
address, browser type, the name of the domain from which you access
the Internet, and the date and time of your visit. As previously
mentioned, this additional information allows the agency to track
the number of customers who visit our site and identify the most
popular pages so that it can improve site content and accessibility.
The personal information you provide is required to enable you
to complete various purchase or subscription transactions with
the agency online and for VDGIF to deliver the requested services.
Once registered with VDGIF, you are eligible to request additional
services that may require you to provide additional personal information.
VDGIF only collect, retain, and use personal information when
it believes it is essential, and allowed by law, to conduct business
and provide products and services. Should you not desire to provide
the requested personal information, VDGIF will not be able to
provide you with online services.
Under policy of the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries,
all comments submitted during the public comment period for proposed
regulations must include your name, address, and telephone number.
If you use the online submission form, you will be required to
provide this information prior to submitting any comments. VDGIF
does request your e-mail address to facilitate its interaction
with you about your comments, future proposed regulations, and
other related items of interest about the VDGIF, but you are not
required to provide that information.
Personal information that you provide to the agency
is safeguarded according to the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Information that you provide on the online surveys is used to
improve the online services that the agency offers and to determine
your level of satisfaction with the VDGIF site and services.
Contacting Us
When visiting the site, VDGIF encourages you to
contact it if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, or
would like a return call. VDGIF will request your name, the subject
of your question or comment, and your e-mail address or telephone
number. This information is used solely to respond to your inquiry.
If you would like the agency to mail you materials, VDGIF will
request your mailing address so that it may provide the appropriate
materials. VDGIF may share this customer information with other
individuals, organizations, or with advertisers, unless you indicate
otherwise.
Under policy of the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries,
all comments submitted during the public comment period for proposed
regulations must include your name, address, and telephone number.
If you e-mail your comments to the agency, you will be required
to provide this information for your comments to be considered
in the regulation review process. VDGIF does request your e-mail
address to facilitate its interaction with you about your comments,
future proposed regulations, and other related items of interest
about the VDGIF, but you are not required to provide that information.
Constituent Database and Mailing List
VDGIF maintains a database of interested persons
who voluntarily request to be contacted about agency work and
activities. This database enables VDGIF to send information, such
as meeting notices and other announcements, to such persons quickly
and efficiently. VDGIF also maintains an e-mail list of qualified
individuals and organizations that have specifically requested
to receive the agency's weekly Outdoor Report, Fishing Report,
or similar publication. VDGIF may authorize other persons to use
these databases or e-mail lists for a purpose other than those
stated above, but will only include your information unless you
indicate otherwise.
Information Access
Any personal information that is collected and retained
by VDGIF is maintained in compliance with the Government
Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act of Virginia
(Code
of Virginia, §§ 2.2-3800 through 2.2-3809). The
agency does not share, sell or trade e-mail addresses, information
collected on surveys or any other information about its online
customers to any entity except as provided for or required by
the Code of Virginia § 2.2-3806, the Virginia
Freedom of Information Act, or other law. Under FOIA, any
records in VDGIF's possession at the time of a Freedom of Information
Request might be subject to being inspected by or disclosed to
members of the public. If necessary, VDGIF may disclose user information
if it has reason to believe that disclosing such information is
necessary to identify, contact, or bring legal action against
an individual who attempts, even unintentionally, to gain unauthorized
access to VDGIF information or to disrupt our web site.
Use of "Cookies"
In certain applications, user information is stored
as "cookies," which are then sent back and stored on
your hard drive. Cookies allow the agency to save the information
that you input while progressing through an online transaction.
If your browser is not configured to accept cookies, you will
still be able to access the information on the web site, but you
may not be able to complete many of the online transactions. No
user information is gathered through cookies except for that needed
to run the specific application. Any application or web page that
uses cookies will identify itself as such.
Security
VDGIF maintains security standards and procedures
regarding unauthorized access to customer information to prevent
unauthorized removal or alteration of data. When you browse public
areas of the VDGIF web site, none of your personal information
is captured or stored by the agency. VDGIF protects its records
in accordance with its obligations as defined by applicable Virginia
statues, including, but not limited to, the Government
Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act of Virginia,
the Virginia
Freedom of Information Act, and by any applicable U.S. federal
laws.
Information Accuracy and Your Rights
VDGIF has established procedures to ensure that
information is as accurate and current as is practical to enable
us to conduct business with you. Although the agency strives to
do things right the first time, it also responds to requests to
correct inaccurate information in a timely manner. You have the
right to review the record the VDGIF maintains about you in order
to verify its accuracy. You may do this by contacting the individual
listed below. If you find errors in your personal record, or desire
that the agency purge your data from its records, you must contact
the individual listed below. VDGIF employee access to personally
identifiable information is restricted to only those employees
who need access in order to perform their assigned duties.
Contact Us
VDGIF welcomes your comments and invites you to
contact us if you have any questions or concerns. For any concerns,
comments or problems regarding this website please contact :
Chandresh Chhatpar
Web Administrator
Conservation Management Institute
1900 Kraft Drive Suite 250
Blacksburg, Va 24060
E -mail: chandresh@vt.edu
For all other inquiries/comments please contact
VDGIF at wildlifeplan@dgif.state.va.us
Disclaimer
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland
Fisheries (VDGIF) provides links to many web sites that are not
controlled, maintained, or regulated by VDGIF or any organization
affiliated with VDGIF, and as such VDGIF is NOT responsible for
the content of those web sites. Use of information obtained from
those web sites is voluntary, and reliance on that information
should only be undertaken after an independent review of its accuracy.
Reference at those web sites to any specific commercial product,
process, or service by trade name, trademark, or otherwise DOES
NOT constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or preference
by VDGIF. The agency tries to screen all sites included on its
web site, but cannot control the content they possess. Any inappropriate
information or links they have on their site that pertains to
VDGIF, its authority, or related activities, should be reported
to VDGIF and can be e-mailed to the Web Manager at chandresh@vt.edu.
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