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Overview
In general, The Public Service Commission of South Carolina
policies governing the collection and dissemination of
personally identifiable information follow the same rules that
would apply to an in-person visit, and are governed by the same
state and federal laws that cover such visits.
Purpose
The purpose of this statement is to inform users of this site
with regard to the collection and use of personally identifiable
information. Nothing herein should be construed to, nor does it,
create any new or different rights than those available under
existing State and federal laws.
Definition of Personally Identifiable Information
For the purposes of this statement, "personally identifiable
information" means any information relating to an identified or
identifiable individual who is the subject of the information.
This includes information such as names, addresses, phone
numbers and utility company account numbers.
Personally Identifiable Information Not Routinely Collected
Users are not required to provide personal information simply to
visit the Commission Web sites or to download information. The
Commission may request personally identifiable information in
order to provide requested specialized services, but such
information is handled as it would be on an in-person visit.
Personally Identifiable Information that May Be Subject to
Public Disclosure
In the state of South Carolina, laws exist to ensure that
government is open and that the public has a right to access
appropriate records and information possessed by a government
agency. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public's
right to access certain records in order to preserve the privacy
of individuals. Such exemptions are authorized by both State and
federal laws. Information collected by the Commission, like
information collected during an in-person visit, may be subject
to inspection and copying by the public, unless such an
exemption in law exists. In the event that there is a conflict
between this Privacy Statement and a State or federal law
governing the disclosure of public records, the applicable State
or federal law shall control.
Use, Collection and Retention of Personally Identifiable
Information
The IP (Internet Protocol) addresses of computers used to visit
the Commission Web sites are noted as part of the statistical
analysis used to better design Commission services and improve
access to them. However, the Commission does not attempt to gain
personally identifiable information on individual users or to
associate individual users with IP addresses.
The Commission collects, retains, and uses personal information
about constituents only when they choose to subscribe to a
Commission service. The Commission collects, retains, and uses
personal information only where it is lawful and is essential to
administer and to provide products, services and other
opportunities requested by a constituent.
Use of Cookies
Some Commission web applications may create "cookies" to hold
user information. These "cookies" are then sent to, and stored
on, the user's computer. Any application or Web page that uses
"cookies" will identify itself as such. This information is
handled in the same way as other personally identifiable
information obtained by the Commission. No user information will
be gathered through the use of "cookies" except that which is
required to run the specific application(s) being accessed by
the user.
Use of Constituent E-mail Addresses
E-mail addresses obtained as a result of requests to the
Commission Web sites will not be sold or given to any
organization outside of the Commission for marketing purposes.
The information collected is subject to the access and
confidentiality provisions of the State's Freedom of Information
Act and other applicable sections of the South Carolina Code of
Laws and/or federal law. E-mail or other information requests
sent to the Commission Web sites may be maintained in order to:
respond to the request, forward that request to the appropriate
department, communicate updates to the Commission Web sites that
may be of interest to citizens, or provide the the Commission
Web sites designers with valuable feedback to assist in
improving the site. Individuals will be provided with the option
to subscribe/unsubscribe to communications regarding new service
updates at any time.
Data Security and Quality
The Commission is committed to data security and the data
quality of personally identifiable information that is either
available from or collected by, the Commission Web sites, and
has taken precautions to protect personally identifiable
information from loss, misuse or alteration. Any third parties
responsible for this information are committed to the same
principles, and also are required by contract to follow the same
policies and guidelines as the State of South Carolina in
protecting this information. Unless otherwise prohibited by
state or federal law, rule or regulation, individuals will be
given the ability to access and correct personally identifiable
information maintained by the Commission that may be in error.
Non-Commission Web Sites
Various Web sites will be linked through the Commission website.
This includes Web sites of other governmental agencies, as well
as Web sites of private entities. Many of these sites may not be
subject to the South Carolina Code of Laws, or may operate under
different privacy standards. Visitors to those Web sites are
advised to check the privacy statements of those sites and be
cautious about providing personally identifiable information
without a clear understanding of how the information will be
used.
Limiting Access to Personally Identifiable Information
The Commission has taken steps to limit access to personally
identifiable information to the Commission support staff that
requires access in order to perform their assigned duties. The
Commission has notified and instructed its staff of their
responsibilities concerning the protection of personally
identifiable information.
Contact Us
To offer comments about the Commission Websites or about
information presented in this Privacy Policy, you may contact:
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The Public Service Commission of
SC
101 Executive Center Dr, Suite 100
Columbia, South Carolina 29210
contact@psc.sc.gov
803-896-5100 |
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