Privacy Statement

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is committed to protecting the privacy of our customers. The following information explains our current Internet privacy practices, but shall not be construed as a contractual promise. We reserve the right to amend our Privacy Statement at any time without notice.

Virginia Laws

We protect our records in accordance with our obligations as defined by applicable Virginia statutes, including, but not limited to, the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act, in Title 2.2 of the Code of Virginia, the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, and by other applicable U.S. Federal Laws.

Essential Technical Information We Collect

When you access our Web site, we automatically collect the following essential technical information:

• the Internet domain and Internet address of the computer you are using,
• the Web page you are requesting
• the type and version of browser and operating system installed on your PC, and
• the date and time of access

Though not essential, we also collect the Internet address of the Web site from which you linked to our Web site. No other information is collected through our Web site unless you deliberately decide to send it to us, for example, by conducting an online transaction, registering for personalized Web pages or sending us an email. We use all of the above information to track the number of customers who visit our site and identify our most popular pages so that we can continue to improve site content and functionality and diagnose problems with our servers.

Optional Information We Collect

For each online service we ask only for the information we need to process your request. The questions within each service / transaction would be the same that you are asked over the telephone or during an in-person visit.

Communicating With Us

While visiting our site, you may want to send VDOT an email or request that we call you. We will request your name, your customer number, the subject of your question or comment, your email address and / or telephone number. This information is used solely to fulfill your online request. VDOT does not share this customer information with other individuals, organizations or with advertisers.

How the Information Collected is Used

VDOT does not share, sell or trade email addresses, demographic information collected on surveys or any other information about our online customers. If necessary, VDOT may disclose user information if we have reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against an individual who attempts, even unintentionally, to gain unauthorized access to VDOT information or to disrupt our Web site.

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 again until you perform another action. To ensure that we maintain a connection between our server and your computer, we use 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 will not be able to use certain features, such as our online transactions.

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 Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) or the Commonwealth of Virginia. They are included here solely for their value as reference, research or educational tools or because they relate to the mission of this agency and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Inclusion of any hyperlink should not be interpreted as an endorsement by VDOT or the Commonwealth of Virginia of either the site's sponsor or any commercial product. If you have questions or concerns about a site we link to, please read the privacy and security information for that site.

Plug Ins

Some files on the site require free external "plug ins" to be viewed. These software programs include:

• Adobe Reader
• Adobe Flash Player
• Microsoft Word Viewer
• Microsoft Excel Viewer
• Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer
• Windows Media Player
• Apple QuickTime

If you have difficulty opening files from this site, download and install the latest version of the software.

Security

The VDOT 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 VDOT Web site, none of your personal information is captured or stored by VDOT. When you conduct an online transaction with VDOT, we offer the use of a secure server.

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 VDOT information remains confidential. No customer information is stored on our Internet servers. Records are stored in separate databases not directly connected to the Internet.

Secure Sockets Layer

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is an industry standard technology that creates a secure environment for the information transferred between your browser and VDOT. SSL encrypts all information that you input before it is sent to VDOT. Secure data such as your customer number, PIN, date of birth, plate number, title number, and credit card information are scrambled in the encryption/cryptography process.

In general, you can tell if you are on a secure page by looking at the symbol at the bottom of your browser. If you're using Netscape Navigator, the symbol is a key; if you are using Internet Explorer, it's a lock. You can be sure you are using a secure server if the symbol is unbroken. Another way you can tell if your browser is in secure mode is by looking at the Web site address that your browser displays. The address will begin "http://" in standard, non-secure mode and "https://" in secure mode. The "s" stands for "secure." Whenever you conduct a transaction with VDOT the address will always contain "https://" because we always use the SSL protocol to send information back and forth between our server and your computer for all of our transactions. In fact, you can click on the VeriSign icon to verify that our SSL certificate is valid.

Customer Comments

If you have questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your interaction with this Web site, please contact us.