Privacy
This Privacy Statement informs you about the types of information Effingham County, Illinois gathers online when you visit https://co.effingham.il.us, how we may use that information, whether we disclose it to anyone, and your choices regarding our use of, and your ability to correct, that information.
This Privacy Statement may change from time to time, so please check back periodically.
Sites Covered by This Statement
This Privacy Statement covers the collection and use of data on the https://co.effingham.il.us website only.
What Information We Collect
The information collect on our Site generally falls into the following two categories: Personally Identifiable Information and Non-Personally Identifiable Information.
Personally Identifiable Information
This refers to information that lets us know the specifics of who you are. The Personally Identifiable Information we collect when you use our Site may include: your name, mailing address(es), phone number(s), email address(es), identification numbers, public postings, employer, and job title.
We request Personally Identifiable Information when you request a service, fill out surveys, and correspond with us.
We also collect Personally Identifiable Information when you ask that we send information directly to other people; in these cases, we will collect the information you submit about the recipient.
Non-Personally Identifiable Information
This refers to information that does not by itself identify you as a specific individual. The non-personally identifiable data we collect when you visit our Site may include the URL of the pages you visit on our Site and your IP address. This Statement also contains More Info about how we use cookies and other technology to collect this data.
We do not connect the Personally Identifiable Information and the Non-Personally Identifiable Information we collect on our Site.
Why We Collect Your Information
Our primary goals in collecting information are to provide constituents with superior service, and to provide all visitors a smooth, efficient, and personalized experience while using our Site.
We use your Personally Identifiable Information to process your request(s) or provide the requested information. We use Non-Personally Identifiable Information on an aggregated basis to help us understand how visitors use our Site and to measure interest in the various pages. We use this information to improve the content of our Site and to make our Site easier to use.
How We Use Your Information
We gather and use information in a number of ways, including the following:
- Surfing: We collect certain Non-Personally Identifiable Information when you visit our Site. We collect this information to help run our Site more efficiently, to gather broad demographic information and to monitor the level of activity on our Site.
- Online Services: We collect Personally Identifiable Information when you request services online, for example property tax payments. We collect this information to process your request, to obtain payment when applicable, and to communicate with you about the status of your request.
- Online Surveys: We collect Personally Identifiable Information from customers who volunteer to complete surveys. We use this information to improve our services.
- Newsletters and e-mails: We collect Personally Identifiable Information when you ask to receive newsletters, e-mails, and other information. We use this information to provide you the information you request.
- Contact Information: If you contact us, we may keep record of your correspondence or comments, including Personally Identifiable Information, in a file specific to you. We use this information to help us provide better service in the event you contact us again.
Sharing Your Information
Effingham County, Illinois will not rent, sell, or give away any Personally Identifiable Information entered into the website to third parties for marketing or mailing list purposes. However, Your Personally Identifiable Information may be shared as required: for a third-party to process the request, and otherwise by law.
Third-Party Processing: Effingham County, Illinois will send Personally Identifiable Information about you to other companies, agencies, or people when:
- We need to share your information to provide the product or service you have requested. For example, we might use a third-party billing company, and we send information for billing purposes only; and
- We need to send the information to companies who work on behalf of Effingham County, Illinois to provide a product or service to you. Unless we tell you differently, these companies do not have any right to use the Personally Identifiable Information we provide them beyond what is necessary to assist us.
Otherwise by Law: Effingham County, Illinois will send Personally Identifiable Information about you as required to do so by law, subpoena, court order or legal process.
Accessing and Changing Your Information
Effingham County, Illinois seeks to ensure that your information and preferences are accurate and complete. If you have registered at https://co.effingham.il.us, you may access and change your information by visiting the site when it was submitted. All e-mail communications from us, such as newsletters, tell you how to stop receiving them. Please follow those instructions if you no longer wish to receive the e-mail messages.
Use of Cookies On This Site
A “cookie” is a small data file transferred by a website to your computer’s hard drive. You are sent cookies when you surf https://co.effingham.il.us, make online payments, respond to online surveys, or request information. Accepting https://co.effingham.il.us cookies does not give us access to your Personally Identifiable Information, but we can use the cookies to identify your computer. The aggregate information collected permits us to analyze traffic patterns on our Site. This can enable us over time to provide you with a better experience on our Site by improving the content and making it easier to use.
Most browsers automatically accept cookies, buy you can usually refuse cookies, or selectively accept certain cookies, by adjusting the preferences in your browser. If you turn off cookies, though, there may be some features of our Site that will no be available to you and some Web pages may not display properly. You can find information on popular browsers and how to adjust them to control cookies at the following website: AboutCookies.com.
Protecting Your Information
Effingham County, Illinois acknowledges your trust and is committed to protecting the information you provide us. To prevent unauthorized access, maintain accuracy, and ensure proper use of information, we have employed physical, electronic, and managerial processes to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
When you complete online transactions on our Site, we use Secure Sockets Layer (“SSL”) encryption technology to safeguard your sensitive information while being sent to us. The SSL encryption is designed to make the information unreadable by anyone but us. This security measure is working when you see either the symbol of an unbroken key or closed lock (depending on your browser).
Links to Other Websites
Parts of our Site contain links to third-party websites for your convenience and information. If you use these links, you will leave the Effingham County, Illinois website. When you access a non-Effingham County, Illinois website, please understand that we do not control the content and are not responsible for the privacy practices of that website. We suggest that you carefully review the privacy policies of each site you visit. This Privacy Statement does not cover the information practices of those websites linked to our Site. These other sites may send their own cookies to users, collect data, or solicit personal information.
Children’s Privacy Protection
Effingham County, Illinois believes that protecting children’s privacy online is extremely important. Effingham County, Illinois respects national and international laws, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), which applies in the United States. Effingham County, Illinois is not directed to children under 13, and does not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Changes to This Statement
If there are changes or additions to the terms of this Privacy Statement, we will post those changes on our website so that you will always know what information we collect online, how we use it, and what choices you have. Please be sure to check this page before proceeding to use our Site. Regardless of any changes we make to our Privacy Statement, we will always use your Personally Identifiable Information in accordance with the version of the Statement in place at the time you provided your information, unless you give your express consent for us to do otherwise.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about Effingham County, Illinois’ use of your information or about this Privacy Statement, please contact us.
Effingham County, IL
101 N 4th St
Effingham, IL 62401
info@co.effingham.il.us
