1. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE
Software, documentation, electronic text and image
files, audio and video clips and all other content on
this web site are proprietary and are protected by
copyright and intellectual property laws and may be
covered by other restrictions as well. The New York
State Department of Economic Development retains all
rights, including copyright, in data, image, text, and
any other information contained in this site or its
files. Copyrights and other proprietary rights in the
material on this site may also subsist in individuals
and entities other than, and in addition to, the
Department. The Department expressly prohibits the
copying of any protected materials on this site without
written permission. Permission from the Department for
such use is granted on a case by case basis at the sole
discretion of the Department. All requests should be
directed to
[email protected]. For use of copyrights and
other proprietary rights that may subsist in third
parties other than and in addition to the Department,
those third parties must also be contacted directly for
permission to copy and use their protected materials.
The New York State Department of Economic Development
provides this web site as a public service for
informational purposes. In providing information on this
site, the Department has attempted to be as accurate,
complete and timely as possible. However, the Department
makes no claims, guarantees or promises about the
accuracy, currency, or completeness of the information
provided. In no event shall the Department be liable for
any errors or omissions with respect to any information
on this site. Users are solely responsible for
compliance with the copyright and intellectual property
laws with respect to use of any and all information
gained from this site or links available on or through
this web site.
This web site provides links to sites of government
agencies and other organizations maintained by third
parties. A link does not constitute an endorsement,
express or implied, of the content, viewpoint, accuracy,
opinions, policies, products, services, or accessibility
of that web site. Links to third-party web sites are
provided as a convenience to the user; the Department
does not control, endorse or recommend their content.
Once you link to another web site from this web site,
including one maintained by the State of New York, you
are subject to their terms and conditions of that web
site. The third party web sites and users of those sites
are solely responsible for compliance with the copyright
and intellectual property laws and the compilation and
use of any and all information on the third party web
site.
The Department does not assure the accuracy of any
information provided by a third party that is available
on the Department’s web sites, including representations
available through the “accommodations” page or
representations made by local organizations or private
businesses.
The Department has no responsibility relating to any
transactions undertaken or contractual relationships
entered into between third parties through or as a
result of links to third party web sites or
representations made on or through the Department’s web
sites, including representations available through the
“accommodations” page.
Linking by third party web sites to this web site is strictly prohibited unless the Department grants express written consent. All requests to link to this site should be directed to [email protected].
If you have any questions or concerns about the accessibility of any part of this Web site please contact us via email at [email protected].
Thank you for visiting the Empire State Development
(“ESD”) web sites (hereinafter referred to simply as “web
site”). The web site is designed to make it easier and more
efficient for individuals and businesses to get information
from and, in certain circumstances, to interact with ESD.
ESD recognizes the importance of protecting web site
visitor’s privacy and has taken measures to protect
users privacy with
respect to visit to this web site.
Consistent with the provisions of the Internet Security and
Privacy Act, the Freedom of Information Law, and the
Personal Privacy Protection Law, this policy describes ESD’s
privacy practices regarding information collected from users
of this web site. This policy describes what information is
collected and how that information is used. Because this
privacy policy only applies to ESD’s web site, to you would
be well advised to examine the privacy policy of any web
site, including other state agency
web sites, that you may access.
For purposes of this policy, "personal
information" means any information concerning a
natural person which, because of name, number, symbol, mark,
or other identifier, can be used to identify that natural
person. ESD does not collect any personal information
about you unless you provide that information voluntarily by
sending an e-mail, responding to a survey, or completing an
on-line transaction.
SUMMARY OF PRIVACY POLICY
ESD respects your privacy. ESD will not collect personal
identifying information about you when you visit our web
sites, unless you choose to provide us with that
information. Exceptions to this policy are when such
information is required for law enforcement investigations
or in the case of hackers, or others who might attempt to do
harm to ESD’s system. ESD will not retain “cookies” except
for what is necessary to run the system. ESD may archive web
server activity logs or related summaries at our discretion
for an indefinite period to be used to study site usage and
to aid in our efforts to improve all aspects of our sites.
ESD will retain e-mail communications long enough to allow
us to appropriately respond.
If you do submit personal information and requests via this
web site, that information may be used only by ESD or its
affiliates and only: (1) in the compilation of data for use
only by the ESD and its affiliates; or (2) to provide you
with information or materials about ESD or New York State or
to distribute prizes. This information will not be shared
with any other organization.
Where appropriate, ESD may add additional terms and
conditions of use and privacy for certain interactive events
or programs. In such circumstances, access to the additional
terms and conditions will be conspicuously displayed.
When visiting this web site ESD automatically collects and stores the following information about your visit:
None of the foregoing information is deemed to constitute personal information. The information that is collected automatically is used to improve this web site's content and to help ESD understand how users are interacting with the web site. This information is collected for statistical analysis, to determine what information is of most and least interest to our users, and to improve the utility of the material available on the web site. The information is not collected for commercial marketing purposes and ESD is not authorized to sell or otherwise disclose the information collected from the web site for commercial marketing purposes.
B. Cookies
Cookies are simple text files stored on your web browser
to provide a means of distinguishing among
users of this web site.
The use of cookies is a standard practice among Internet web
sites. To better serve you, we occasionally use "session
cookies" to enhance or customize your visit to this web
site. Session cookies can be created automatically on the
device you use to access this state
agency web site, and generally do not contain
personal information and
do not compromise your privacy or security. We may use the
cookie feature to store a randomly generated identifying tag
on the device you use to access this web site. Depending
upon your system settings, session cookies may be erased
during operation of your browser or when your browser is
closed.
You may be able to personalize your computer with respect to
this web site and permit a "persistent cookie" to be stored
on your computer's hard drive. If not currently available,
this option may be available in the future. A persistent
cookie would allow the web site to tailor information
presented to you based on your past needs and interests. ESD
would use persistent cookies only with your permission.
The software and hardware you use to access the web site
allows you to refuse new cookies or delete existing cookies.
Refusing or deleting these cookies may limit your ability to
take advantage of some features of this web site.
C. Information Collected When You E-mail or Complete a Transaction
During your visit to this web site you may send an e-mail
to ESD. Your e-mail address and the contents of your message
will be collected. The information collected is not limited
to text characters and may include audio, video, and graphic
information formats included in the message. Your e-mail
address and the information included in your message will be
used to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to
improve this web site, or to forward your message to another
State agency for appropriate action. Your e-mail address is
not collected for commercial purposes and the ESD is not
authorized to sell or otherwise disclose your e-mail address
for commercial purposes.
During your visit to this web site you may complete a
transaction such as a survey, registration, or order form.
The information, including personal
information, volunteered by you in completing the
transaction is used by ESD to operate ESD’s programs, which
include the provision of goods, services, and information.
The information collected by ESD may be disclosed by ESD for
those purposes that may be reasonably ascertained from the
nature and terms of the transaction in which the information
was submitted.
Unless for a children's contest, ESD does not knowingly
collect personal information
from children or create profiles of children through this
web site. Users are
cautioned, however, that the collection of
personal information
submitted in an e-mail will always be treated as though it
was submitted by an adult or with parental approval and
supervision, and may, unless exempted from access by federal
or State law, be subject to public access. The Agency
strongly encourages parents and teachers to be involved in
children's Internet activities and to provide guidance
whenever children are asked to provide
personal information on-line.
D. Information and Choice
As noted above, ESD does not collect any personal information about you unless you provide that information voluntarily by sending an e-mail, responding to a survey, or completing an on-line form. You may choose not to send us an e-mail, respond to a survey, or complete an on-line form. While your choice not to participate in these activities may limit your ability to receive specific services or products through this web site, it will not normally have an impact on your ability to take advantage of other features of the web site, including browsing or downloading information.
E. Disclosure of Information Collected Through This Web Site
The collection of information through this web site and
the disclosure of that information are subject to the
provisions of the Internet Security and Privacy Act. ESD
will only collect personal
information through this web site or disclose
personal information
collected through this web site if the
user has consented to the collection or
disclosure of such personal
information. The voluntary disclosure of
personal information to
ESD by the user, whether
solicited or unsolicited, constitutes consent to the
collection and disclosure of the information by ESD for the
purposes for which the user
disclosed the information to ESD, as was reasonably
ascertainable from the nature and terms of the disclosure.
However, ESD may collect or disclose
personal information without consent if the
collection or disclosure is: (1) necessary to perform the
statutory duties of ESD, or necessary for ESD to operate a
program authorized by law, or authorized by state or federal
statute or regulation; (2) made pursuant to a court order or
by law; (3) for the purpose of validating the identity of
the user; or (4) of
information to be used solely for statistical purposes that
is in a form that cannot be used to identify any particular
person.
Further, the disclosure of information, including
personal information,
collected through this web site is subject to the provisions
of the Freedom of Information Law and the Personal Privacy
Protection Law.
ESD may disclose personal information to federal or state law enforcement authorities to enforce its rights against unauthorized access or attempted unauthorized access to ESD's information technology assets.
F. Retention of Information Collected Through this Web Site
The information collected through this web site is retained by ESD in accordance with the records retention and disposition requirements of the New York State Arts & Cultural Affairs Law. Information on the requirements of the Arts & Cultural Affairs Law may be found at http: www.archives.nysed.gov. In general, the Internet services logs of ESD, comprising electronic files or automated logs created to monitor access and use of Agency services provided through this web site, will be retained for several backup cycles and then destroyed unless relevant audit, documentation requirements have not been met or unless appropriate review and verification has been completed. Information, including personal information, that you submit in an e-mail or when you complete a survey, registration form, or order form is retained in accordance with the records retention and disposition schedule established for the records of the program unit to which you submitted the information. Information concerning these records retention and disposition schedules may be obtained through the Internet privacy policy contact listed in this policy.
G. Access to Correction of Personal Information Collected via this Web Site
Any user may submit a request to ESD to determine whether personal information pertaining to that user has been collected through this web site. Any such request shall be made in writing and must be accompanied by reasonable proof of identity of the user. Reasonable proof of identity may include verification of a signature, inclusion of an identifier generally known only to the user, or similar appropriate identification. The address to which such requests should be made is:
Counsel’s Office
Empire State Development
Albany, N.Y. 12445
Within five (5) business days of the receipt of a proper
request ESD will attempt to provide a response or access to
the personal information;
deny access in writing, explaining the reasons therefore; or
acknowledge the receipt of the request in writing, stating
the approximate date when the request will be granted or
denied, which date shall not be more than thirty (30) days
from the date of the acknowledgment.
In the event that ESD has collected
personal information pertaining to a
user through the state
agency web site and that information is to be
provided to the user
pursuant to the user's
request, the privacy compliance officer shall inform the
user of his or her right
to request that the personal
information be amended or corrected under the
procedures set forth in section 95 of the Public Officers
Law.
H. Confidentiality & Integrity of Personal Information
ESD is strongly committed to protecting
personal information
collected through this web site against unauthorized access,
use or disclosure. Consequently, ESD limits employee access
to personal information
collected through this web site to only those employees who
need access to the information in the performance of their
official duties. Employees who have access to this
information follow appropriate procedures in connection with
any disclosures of personal
information.
In addition, ESD has implemented procedures to safeguard the
integrity of its information technology assets, including,
but not limited to, authentication, monitoring, auditing,
and encryption. These security procedures have been
integrated into the design, implementation, and day-to-day
operations of this web site as part of our continuing
commitment to the security of electronic content as well as
the electronic transmission of information.
For web site security purposes and to maintain the
availability of the web site for all
users, the Agency employs software to monitor
traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or
change information or otherwise damage this web site.
I. Privacy Policy Disclaimer
The information provided in this privacy policy should not be construed as giving business, legal, or other advice, or warranting as fail proof, the security of information provided through this web site.
J. Contact Information
For questions regarding this Internet privacy policy, please contact:
Counsel’s Office
Empire State Development
Albany, N.Y. 12445
518-292-5120
