(Revised 11/13/02)

Policy
The Connecticut Judicial Branch respects and protects the privacy of our website users; however, as a public agency, the Judicial Branch may be required to disclose personal information in response to a valid legal process, such as a search warrant, subpoena, or court order, or pursuant to the Connecticut Practice Book or the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act.
 

This policy does not apply to Judicial Branch employees, as Administrative Policy 1005 governs our employees.

Policy Revision and Notification of Changes
The Judicial Branch will update this policy as new services and features are added to the website. Users will be informed about policy changes through notices on this page, which will contain the date that the policy went into effect and the version number.

A. Automatic Information
The following information is collected and stored automatically from all users accessing the Judicial Branch website:

This information is used to create summary statistics, which are used, in part, to assess what information is of most interest to users, determine technical design specifications, and identify system performance or problem areas.

This information is not reported or used in any manner that would reveal personally identifiable information, and will not be released to any outside (third) parties unless legally required.

B. Personal Information You Provide to Us
The Connecticut Judicial Branch does not retain personally identifying information about you when you visit our website unless you choose to provide such information to us (i.e. sending an e-mail, participating in a survey, responding to a feedback or "contact us" form, or signing up for access to the electronic services of the Connecticut Judicial Branch, etc.)

C. E-Mail Communications and Web Forms
The Connecticut Judicial Branch website may request personally identifying information from you in order to provide requested services, but such information is handled as it would be on an in-person visit to a Judicial Branch courthouse or facility.

If personal information is requested on the website or volunteered by the user, state law and the United States Privacy Act of 1974 may protect it. However, this information is a public record once you provide it, and may be subject to public inspection and copying if not protected by federal or state law. If you send us an electronic mail message with a question or comment that contains personally identifying information, or if you fill out a form that e-mails us information, we will only use this personally identifying information to respond to your request. We may redirect your message to another government agency or person who is in a better position to answer your question. If you register for access to the electronic services of the Connecticut Judicial Branch, we will use this personally identifying information to provide you with the requested service.

All e-mail messages collected by the Connecticut Judicial Branch website contain the e-mail addresses of persons who voluntarily communicated with or requested information from us. When a user has given us their e-mail address for purposes of communicating with or requesting information from the Connecticut Judicial Branch website, that communication becomes part of the public record and may be subject to public inspection and copying if not protected by federal or state law.

Does the Connecticut Judicial Branch use Cookies to Collect Information About a User?
Certain Judicial Branch web pages use "cookies" which are small amounts of information stored by your web browser software on your computer. In most cases, this information is temporary in nature (called session cookies) and is deleted as soon as you leave the Judicial Branch website. The use of temporary cookies is solely for the purpose of allowing the user to interact with the Judicial Branch website in an effective manner. In a few cases, the Judicial Branch website uses cookies to store information for a longer period than the current session (persistent cookie). As noted above, in no case does the Judicial Branch disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about Judicial Branch website visitors unless required for law enforcement or otherwise required by law.

What is the Judicial Branch's Commitment to Security?
The Connecticut Judicial Branch Information Technology Division, which manages the computers that support the Connecticut Judicial Branch website, has put into place appropriate safeguards to ensure that any personal information is secure from destruction, corruption, unauthorized access and breach of confidentiality. This effort includes an ongoing review of safety measures, implementation of changes, and regular training for their personnel.

Does the Judicial Branch link to other sites?
The Connecticut Judicial Branch website contains links to other websites created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for visitors' convenience. When you link to another site, you are no longer on the Judicial Branch website and this privacy notice does not apply. When you link to another website, you are subject to the privacy policy of that website.

The Connecticut Judicial Branch exercises no control over the views, accuracy, copyright or trademark compliance or the legality of the material contained on third party sites and does not sponsor, endorse or approve the information, content, products, materials, opinions or services contained on such external sites. The visitor proceeds to these external sites at their own risk. The Connecticut Judicial Branch specifically disclaims any and all liability from damages which may result from the accessing of a third party site which is linked to the Connecticut Judicial Branch website, or from reliance upon any such information.