Department of Employee Trust Funds
Internet Site Privacy Policy
Privacy Statement
The Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) maintains
this Internet site to provide benefits information and service to
Wisconsin state and local government employees and employers. In
order to operate this site, we collect information about how the
Internet site is used. The purpose of this privacy policy is to
let you know what information we collect, why it is collected, how
we use it, and the extent to which the information may be disclosed
to third parties.
Information Collected
We collect and analyze certain information to continually improve
the value of the materials available on our site. The data in our
Internet site logs is not personally identifiable, and we make no
attempt to link any data with individuals. When you browse or download
information from our site, we collect and store the following information:
- Your Internet Protocol (IP) address or domain name;
- The date and time you visited our Internet site; and
- The Internet pages or services you accessed at this site.
An IP address is a unique number assigned to your computer
and is functionally similar to a street address or telephone
number. A domain name is an IP address that has been converted
into words. We count IP addresses and domain names to determine
the number of visitors to each page, document or form during
specific time periods. Analysis of the number of visitors to
a page helps us to determine if we should continue to provide
the information on the page in the future.
- The type of Web browser and computer operating system.
Knowing the type of browser (for example, Internet Explorer,
FireFox. Safari, etc.) and computer operating system (for example,
Windows XP, 2007, Mac OS X, etc.) used to access our Internet
site helps us configure our pages to display properly. Web pages
do not always display the same on every type of browser and
operating system, so the pages must be coded for appropriate
access.
- The Web site you visited prior to coming to ETF’s site.
We collect the name of the Web site you visited prior to coming
to ETF’s Internet site to determine the sites that provide
the most referrals to our site, as well as to learn which search
engines (for example, Google, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.) are used
most frequently to find ETF’s site. This information helps
us to find effective ways to attract visitors and to properly
structure our Internet site to appear when you look for it using
a search engine.
Security
Any personally identifiable information obtained by ETF via this
Web site is protected from public access from the Internet. It is
only available to the public when it is required by state and federal
laws.
We provide users of our Internet site with a secure means to send
electronic mail (e-mail) to ETF, using a fill-in form at contact
us. The form uses Secure Sockets Layers (SSL), the industry standard
for securely transferring information on the Internet. If you send
us a message using the form we have provided, all information in
your message is encrypted, or scrambled, into a code as it is sent
over the Internet. This means that your message cannot be read by
anyone other than us. However, if you send us an e-mail message
using another means, such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, or another e-mail
client, your message may not be protected from being read by a third
party before the message reaches ETF.
Personal Information and Choice
"Personal information" is information about an individual
that is readily identifiable to that specific individual. Personal
information includes personal identifiers such as an individual's
name, address, phone number, driver’s license number and Social
Security number.
A domain name or IP address is not considered personal information.
While an IP address can be associated with an individual computer,
the IP address does NOT automatically identify the name of the computer's
user or its purchaser.
We do not collect any of your personal information via our Internet
site unless you voluntarily provide it to us (for example, if you
choose to send an e-mail message to ETF). If during your visit to
the ETF site you send us an e-mail message, the following information
will be collected: Your e-mail address and contents of your e-mail
message. We may use the information in your e-mail message to respond
to you, to research issues you identify, to further improve our
Internet site, or to forward the e-mail to another state or federal
agency for appropriate action.
If you voluntarily provide ETF with personal information, state
and federal privacy laws may protect it. However, if the information
is not protected by federal or state law, this information is a
public record once you provide it and may be subject to requests
for public inspection and copying.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files placed on your computer’s hard
drive by a Web site that you visit. A cookie contains information
that your browser saves and sends back to a Web server when you
visit a site again. There are different types of cookies. ETF uses
only session cookies. Session cookies allow data to be maintained
for your benefit as you navigate our Internet site. For example,
a session cookie is used to temporarily store the information you
enter into the Internet site’s Retirement Benefits Calculator.
Session cookies do not remain on your computer when you terminate
your visit to the Internet site. The information on these cookies
is retained by ETF only while your session is active. Additionally,
our interactive programs, such as the WRS Retirement Benefits Calculator,
use cookies to track the information you input into the system.
These cookies allow the programs to operate correctly and know where
to return the results. These cookies do not contain confidential
or personally identifiable information.
You can configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all
cookies, or notify you when a cookie is set. (Each browser is different,
so check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how
to change your cookie preferences.)
Disclaimer
The ETF site links to other sites. These links may include Web
sites operated by other government agencies, nonprofit organizations
and private businesses. When you link to another site, you are no
longer on a site covered by this privacy policy and are subject
to the policies of that new site.
Neither ETF, nor any agency, officer or employee of ETF warrants
the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any information published
by this system, nor endorses any content, viewpoints, products or
services linked from this system, and shall not be held liable for
any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability or timeliness
of such information. Portions of such information may be incorrect
or not current. Any person or entity that relies on any information
obtained from this system does so at their own risk.
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