Last updated July 10, 2023
Summary
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is committed to protecting the privacy of our visitors. The following information explains our current digital services privacy practices, which may be amended at any time without notice. Please check the terms from time to time as your continued use of the site signifies your acceptance of the terms and conditions, including changed items. If you have any questions or concerns about our digital services privacy policy, please contact nvtc@novatransit.org.
Virginia Laws
NVTC protects its records in accordance with applicable Virginia and federal law including, but not limited to, the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Any web pages that appear after navigating away from the NVTC website are controlled by a different agency or entity, whose practices are not under NVTC’s control and for which NVTC is not responsible.
Essential Technical Information Collected and How it is Used
NVTC endeavors to collect only the minimum amount of information needed to provide services. NVTC will automatically collect and store the following essential technical information about your visit to the NVTC website:
- The Internet domain and IP address from the device you used to access the website;
- The type of browser and operating system you used;
- The date and time you visited the website;
- The pages visited; and
- If you linked from another website, the address of that website.
The information collected is used to improve the content of NVTC’s web services and to help NVTC understand how people are using its website. NVTC analyzes this data to continually improve the value of the content on its website, the website’s functionality and to diagnose problems with our servers.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics™ to collect information about use of this site. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit this site, what pages they visit when they do so, and what other sites they used prior to coming to this site. We use the information from Google Analytics only to improve this site. Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit this site, rather than your name or other identifying information. We do not combine the information collected using Google Analytics with personal identifiable information. According to Google, the data collected cannot be altered or retrieved by services from other domains. If you choose, you can opt out by turning off cookies in the preferences settings in your browser. For more information on Google Analytics, please visit Google’s web site.
User Personally Identifiable Information
The only personally identifiable information NVTC collects is volunteered directly from individuals who subscribe to services or participate in surveys. Collecting personal information is necessary for NVTC to deliver the services requested. Personal information collected, retained, and used is in NVTC’s judgment essential to administer its business and to provide products, services and other opportunities requested by NVTC’s customers. Users may unsubscribe to such services at any time.
Restrictions on the Disclosure of Personal Information
NVTC does not share, sell or trade users’ personal information to any outside company or organization. It does not reveal specific information about users or other personally identifiable data to unaffiliated third-parties for their independent use, except as required by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act or other law.
Communicating with Us
If you send NVTC an e-mail message, it will collect the e-mail address and contents of the message, including audio, video, and graphic information or documentation you send. NVTC uses your e-mail address to respond to your request.
Cookies
When you visit a web site and request information, the site’s server sends the request to you and then breaks the connection. The connection does not resume until you perform another action. To ensure that we maintain a connection between our server and your computer, NVTC uses a standard web technology called “cookies.” A cookie is a very small amount of data that is sent from our server to your computer’s hard drive. In addition, cookies allow us to save the information that you input while progressing through an online transaction. If your browser is not configured to “accept” cookies, you will still be able to access the static information on our web site, but you may not be able to use certain features.
Advertising Cookies
Advertising cookies (or web beacons) are used to show you content relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement, as well as help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. They are usually placed by advertising networks, with our permission. A web beacon is a transparent image that has been placed on a webpage and sends a signal when a user has visited that page. They may be used to show you content relevant to you and your interests, limit the number of times you see an advertisement, as well as help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. A web beacon does not contain any personal information. No personal information is transmitted to the third party using the web beacon.
Third Party Information Collection
Some content or applications, including advertisements, on NVTC’s website are served by third-parties, including advertisers, ad networks and servers, content providers, and application providers. These third parties may use cookies (alone or in conjunction with web beacons or other tracking technologies) and/or device identifiers to collect Information about you when you use our website. They may combine this Information with other data about your online activities over time and across different websites and other online services. They may use this information to provide you with interest-based (behavioral) advertising or other targeted content. NVTC does not control these third parties’ tracking technologies or how they may be used. If you have any questions about an advertisement or other targeted content, you should contact the responsible provider directly. Visitors may opt out of a third-party vendor’s use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page or control the use of device identifiers by using your device’s settings.
Embedded Content
NVTC may also embed content from websites such as YouTube or Instagram. As a result, when you visit a page featuring such content, you may be presented with cookies in the embedded content from these third-parties. NVTC does not control these cookies and cannot prevent these sites or domains from collecting information on your use of this content. You should check the relevant third-party website for more information about them and how to opt out. If you are not logged in to their services, they will not know who you are but may still gather anonymous usage information.
Links to Other Web Sites
This web site and its document collection might include hyperlinks to sites on the World Wide Web or Internet that are neither controlled nor sponsored by the NVTC. They are included here solely for their value as reference, research or educational tools or because they relate to the mission of this agency. Inclusion of any hyperlink should not be interpreted as an endorsement by NVTC of either the site’s sponsor or any commercial product. If you have questions or concerns about a site NVTC links to, please read the privacy and security information for that site.
Security
The NVTC site has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of information under our control. When you browse public areas of the NVTC web site, none of your personal information is captured or stored by NVTC.
Firewalls
Our firewalls are a complex system of hardware and software that allow us to strictly regulate information and data that can both enter and exit our servers. This ensures that only authorized access occurs and that NVTC information remains confidential.
Customer Comments
If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your interaction with this site, please contact us at nvtc@novatransit.org or 703-524-3322.