Website Privacy Statement on the Collection and Use of Information

The University of Texas System Administration maintains this website on behalf of The University of Texas at Austin (“UT Austin”). This website links at times to content hosted by UT Austin, and this Privacy Statement extends to those exchanges as well. The following statement applies only to members of the general public and is intended to address concerns about the types of information gathered from the public and how that information may be used.

Since UT System Administration and The University of Texas at Austin are public institutions, the information we collect may be subject to public disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act (Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code).

I. Information Collected and Stored Automatically

The site may use cookies, logs, network monitoring, or other tracking technologies to automatically collect certain non-personal information when you use the site.

Use of Cookies

Certain parts of the site require cookies. A “cookie” is a small file containing information that is placed on a user’s computer by a web server. Typically, these files are used to enhance the user’s experience of the site, to help users move between pages in a database, or to customize information for a user. UT System Administration servers do not store personally identifiable information in cookies from pages intended for use by the general public. You are free to set your browser or operating system settings to limit certain tracking or to decline cookies, but by doing so, you may not be able to use certain features on the site. Our system may not respond to Do Not Track requests or headers from some or all browsers.

Please refer to your Web browser’s or operating system’s site or “Help” section for more information on how to delete and/or disable your browser or operating system from receiving cookies or controlling your tracking preferences. We may use cookies or other technologies to deliver more relevant advertising on our site and other third party sites on behalf of UT System Administration, The University of Texas at Austin and other System Institutions, and to link data collected across other computers or devices that you may use. You can learn more about, and opt out of receiving, this type of more relevant advertising by clicking here. On your mobile device, you may also adjust your privacy and advertising settings to control whether you want to receive more relevant advertising.

Except as otherwise provided in this privacy statement, information stored in cookies by UT System Administration web servers is not used in any way that would disclose personally identifiable information to parties outside of the University of Texas System unless legally required to do so.

Logs and Network Monitoring

System Administration maintains log files of all access to its site and also monitors network traffic for the purposes of site management and security. This information is used to help diagnose problems with the server and to carry out other administrative tasks. Log analysis tools are also used to create summary statistics to determine which information is of most interest to users, to identify system problem areas, or to help determine technical requirements.

The following information is collected in these files:

• Hostname: the hostname, site name, username, and IP address of the computer requesting access to the site
• User-Agent: the type of browser, its version, and the operating system of the computer requesting access (e.g., Netscape 4 for Windows, IE 4 for Macintosh, etc.)
• Referrer: the web page the user came from
• System date: the date and time on the server at the time of access
• Full request: the exact request the user made
• Status: the status code the server returned, e.g., fulfilled request, file not found
• Content length: the size, in bytes, of the file sent to the user
• Method: the request method used by the browser (e.g., post, get)
• Universal Resource Identifier (URI): the location of the particular resource requested. (More commonly known as a URL.)
• Query string of the URI: anything after a question mark in a URI. For example, if a keyword search has been requested, the search word will appear in the query string.
• Protocol: the technical protocol and version used, i.e., http 1.0, ftp, etc.

The above information is not used in any way that would reveal personally identifying information to outside parties unless System Administration is legally required to do so. Web server logs are scheduled for regular destruction in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

II. Information Collected by Email and Forms

UT System Administration collects the e-mail address of those individuals who communicate with us via e-mail or who give us their e-mail address and other identifying information by completing a web based form. By completing an email or web-based form, you agree that you are providing your information to UT System Administration as well as the Institutions within the University of Texas System, and their Service Providers as outlined below.

III. Information Collected from Other Sources

UT System Administration may obtain information from and about you from other sources including information from Institutions within The University of Texas System, third parties that provide updated or additional information or other online and offline data. This information may be combined with the information that UT System Administration collects from and about you.

IV. Use of Information

UT System Administration, System Institutions and Service Providers may use the information collected from and about you to: (1) respond to your requests and inquiries; (2) provide services and communicate with you; (3) provide you with customized content and ads on the site, third party websites, or via email; (4) provide you with information, newsletters, and promotional material from UT System Administration or on behalf of the System Institution that is offering the program on the site; (5) to review the usage and operations of our site and improve our content and services; (6) to research, improve, or address problems with the site; (7) protect the security or integrity of the site or UT System Administration’s operations; and (8) as described to you at the point of collection.

V. Information Disclosure

UT System Administration and System Institutions may disclose the personal information collected from and about you as follows: (1) to its Service Providers (as defined below), if the disclosure will enable them to perform a business, professional, or technical support function for UT System Administration or System Institutions; (2) another government agency or person who is better able to respond to the question or comment; (3) as necessary if UT System Administration believes that there has been a violation of applicable site terms and conditions, or of the UT System Administration’s rights or the rights of any third party; (4) to respond to judicial process and provide information to law enforcement or regulatory agencies or in connection with an investigation on matters related to public safety, as permitted by law or required by law; (5) subject to public disclosure requirements under the Texas Public Information Act (Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code); and (6) as described to you at the point of collection. Additionally, UT System Administration may share aggregate or anonymous non-personal information with third parties.

VI. Service Providers

UT System Administration, The University of Texas at Austin, and other System Institutions may contract with third parties to perform functions related to the site or information collected through the site (each a “Service Provider”), including third party analytics technologies. Service Providers will have access to your information needed to perform their support functions, but may not use or share that information for other purposes.

VII. Notice About Information Laws and Practices

With few exceptions, you are entitled on your request to be informed about the information UT System Administration collects about you. Under Sections 552.021 and 552.023 of the Texas Government Code, you are entitled to receive and review the information. Under Section 559.004 of the Texas Government Code, you are entitled to have UT System Administration correct information about you that is held by us and that is incorrect, in accordance with the procedures set forth in University of Texas System Policy 139, “Texas Public Information Act.”.

The information that UT System Administration collects will be retained and maintained as required by Texas records retention laws (Section 441.180 et seq. of the Texas Government Code) and rules. Different types of information are kept for different periods of time.

VIII. Links

This site contains links to other sites outside of System Administration. UT System Administration is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites.

IX. Security

This site has security measures in place to protect from loss, misuse and alteration of the information under the control of UT System Administration.
Contacting System Administration

If there are any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or dealings with this website, contact: feedback@utsystem.edu