Washington State Courts Washington Courts

eService Center

Website Privacy & Disclaimer Notice

Section A. Introduction

This notice addresses collection, use and security of and access to information that may be obtained through use of the Washington Courts website which is maintained by the Administrative Office of the Courts. This notice covers the following topics:

Information Collected and How it is Used
Personal Information and Choice
Public Access to Information
Nondisclosure of Certain Personal Information
Review and Correction of Personally Identifiable Information
Security
Disclaimer
Contact Information

Section B. Information Collected and How it is Used

What information we collect if you only browse this site. If you do nothing during your visit to our web site but browse, read pages, or download information, we will gather and store certain information about your visit. In most cases, this information does not identify you personally. We automatically collect and store the following information about your visit:

The Internet Protocol Address and domain name used (The Internet Protocol address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet service provider or directly to your computer. We use the Internet Protocol Address to direct the web pages you see in your browser to you. This address can be translated to determine the domain name of your service provider (e.g. xcompany.com or yourschool.edu). If you own and use a domain name that is unique to you as an individual, we will be able to identify to you personally the actions you took in browsing our site and our responses.);
The type of browser and operating system you used;
The date and time you visited this site;
The web pages or services you accessed at this site; and
The web site you visited prior to coming to this web site.

The information we automatically collect or store is logged and used by the Administrative Office of the Courts only to improve the content of our web services and to help us understand how people are using our services. We analyze this information and the web site logs to determine how our web site is being used, so that we may continually improve the site's usefulness to the public.

What we collect if you volunteer information. If during your visit to our web site you send us an email, participate in a survey, or fill out a form, we will also collect and retain:

Your email address and the contents of your email including any audio, video, or graphic information files or formats you send us.
Information volunteered in response to a survey.
Information volunteered through an on-line form for any other purpose including the purchase of documents or services.

We use your email to respond appropriately, including to respond directly to you, to address issues you may identify, to further improve our web site, or to forward to another agency for appropriate action. Survey information and information from other on-line forms is used as described on the pages that provide instructions for those forms and surveys.

We do not retain credit card numbers or expiration dates used in transactions for the purchase of documents or services in the website.

Section C. Personal Information and Choice

"Personal information" is information about a natural person that is readily identifiable to that specific individual. Personal information includes such things as an individual's name, address, and phone number. A domain name or Internet Protocol address is not considered personal information.

We collect no personal information about you unless you voluntarily provide it to us by sending us email, participating in a survey, or completing an on-line form. You may choose not to contact us by email, participate in a survey or to provide any personal information using an online form. Your choice to not participate in these activities will not impair your ability to browse www.courts.wa.gov and read or download any information provided on the site. (If choosing to not use email, participate in a survey or use an on-line form will impair the user's ability to access information or obtain a service, specify that information here. If an alternative method is available--for example you can contact the agency by mail, fax or telephone--specify that information in this section.)

If personal information is requested on the web site or volunteered by the user, state law and the federal 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 believe that your personal information is being used for a purpose other than what was intended when submitted, you may contact the [agency contact person or position] AOC Data Dissemination Administrator (see Section H, as shown in the Contact Information, below) Section of this statement.

www.courts.wa.gov is a general audience site and we do not knowingly collect any personal information from children. Users are cautioned that the collection of personal information requested from or volunteered by children on-line or by email will be treated the same as information given by an adult, and may be subject to public access.

Section D. Public Access to Information

In Washington, laws exist to ensure that state government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by state government. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public's right to access public records that serve various needs, including the privacy of individuals. Exceptions are provided by both state and federal laws.

All of the information collected at this site become public records that may be subject to inspection and copying by members of the public, unless an exemption in law exists.

Section E. Review and Correction of Personally Identifiable Information

You may review any personally identifiable information we collect about you via this website by using the information in the Contact Information section at the end of this Notice. You may request changes to your personally identifiable information you believe to be inaccurate by submitting either an email or written request that credibly shows the inaccuracy. We will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.

Section F. Security

As developer and manager of Washington Courts website, the Administrative Office of the Courts has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its data and prevent unauthorized access to information it maintains. These measures are designed and intended to prevent corruption of data, block unknown or unauthorized access to our systems and information, and to provide reasonable protection of private information in our possession.

This information should not be construed in any way as giving business, legal, or other advice, or warranting as fail proof, the security of information provided via Washington courts web sites.

Section G. Disclaimer

The Washington Courts website has links to other web sites. These include links to web sites operated by other government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private businesses. When you link to another site, you are no longer on the Washington Courts website and this Privacy Notice will not apply. When you link to another website, you are subject to the privacy policy of that new site.

Neither the State of Washington, nor any agency, officer, or employee of the State of Washington 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. If you rely on any information obtained from this system, you do so at your own risk.

Section H. Administrative Office of the Courts Contact Information

You may contact the Administrative Office of the Courts as follows:

To offer comments about the Administrative Office of the Courts' web site, or about the information presented in this Privacy Notice:

Webmaster
Administrative Office of the Courts
1206 Quince St. SE
Olympia, WA 98504-1170
Voice: 360-753-3365
Fax: 360-586-8869
webmaster@courts.wa.gov

To review your personal information which was collected via this website, or request correction of such personal information:

Data Dissemination Administrator
Administrative Office of the Courts
1206 Quince St. SE
Olympia, WA 98504-1170
Voice: 360-753-3365
Fax: 360-586-8869
dda@courts.wa.gov

Section I. Disclaimer

Administrative Office of the Courts reserves the right to revise and update this Privacy Notice at any time by posting such revised Privacy Notice at the Administrative Office of the Courts home page. (Note: this change allows for revisions and updates and removes the specific URL references)

[Last Modified: November 23, 2004]