Privacy Policy
This page explains how OnlineNI.net, which is managed by Delivery and Innovation Division, part of the Department of Finance and Personnel, uses any information you give to us, and the ways in which we protect your privacy. We are committed to protecting your privacy. We will not share your information with others without your prior consent.
The Data Protection Act
Under the Data Protection Act, we have a legal duty to protect any information we collect from you. We use leading technologies and encryption software to safeguard your data, and keep strict security standards to prevent any unauthorised access to it. We do not pass on your details to any third party or government department unless you give us permission to do so.
What information do we collect?
We collect two kinds of information from visitors to OnlineNI.net : feedback (through emails to the Editor) and site usage information, from cookies and log files. Information is collected to help us improve the service we offer.
We also collect information from you when you register for an OnlineNI email account. This information is collected in order to manage your account and also help us to improve the services we offer.
1. Feedback
We welcome your feedback. Please contact us.
i) Comments and questions?
If you send an email or letter to the Editor, asking for information, we may need to contact other government departments to find that information. If your question is technical, we may need to pass it to our technology suppliers. We do not pass on any of your personal information when dealing with your enquiry, unless you have given us permission to do so. Once we have replied to you, we keep a record of your messages for six months for reference and audit purposes, after which it is deleted. We will respect your e-mail privacy. You will receive unsolicited mail from OnlineNI only if you have agreed to this.
2. Site usage information
i) Cookies
Cookies are pieces of data that are often created when you visit a website, and which are stored in the cookie directory of your computer. Two cookies are created when you visit OnlineNI.
Our first cookie stores a random number on your computer to help us count the number of times users return to our site. The second cookie is used to store some of your preferences while you move around the site. This cookie is deleted when you leave the site. The cookies do not contain any personal information about you, and they cannot be used to identify an individual user.
You can set your browser not to accept cookies but if you do this you should note that some areas of the site may not work properly.
ii) Log files
Log files allow us to record visitors' use of the site. We analyse log file information from all our visitors, which we use to make changes to the layout of the site and to the information in it, based on the way that visitors move around it.
Log files do not contain any personal information and they are not used to identify any individual patterns of use of the site.
3. OnlineNI Email registration data
This information is required in order to create and maintain your OnlineNI email account. We will not pass on any of your personal information unless you have given us permission to do so. However we retain the right to collect anonymous statistical information to help us and wider Government to provide a better service to the public. We will also fully co-operate with any law enforcement authorities or court order directing us to disclose information in relation to the OnlineNI email service.
What happens when I link to another site?
OnlineNI.net contains links to other websites, both those of government departments and of other organisations. This privacy policy applies only to our site, so you should always be aware when you are moving to another site and read the privacy statement of any site which collects personal information.
We do not pass on any personal information you have given us to any other site.
Changes to this privacy policy
If
this privacy policy changes in any way, we will place an updated version on this page. Regularly reviewing
this page ensures you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it and under what
circumstances, if any, we will share it with other parties.
Version: 8 September 2006
