Privacy Policies

The City of Milwaukee commits itself to protecting the privacy of its web site visitors and users. We believe strongly that users expect and deserve to have their personal privacy protected while using the internet. Safeguarding the privacy of visitors to the City of Milwaukee web site will help to preserve this trust and increase users' confidence and participation in online activities.

What we learn about you will depend upon what you do while visiting the City of Milwaukee web site. If you visit our site solely to browse, read, or download information, our servers — like most web servers on the Internet — will collect and store only that information that your web browser sends when it requests a web page. This information will likely include:

• The name, domain, and numerical Internet address of the host computer (typically a computer belonging to your Internet service provider and not your personal computer) from which you access the Internet. For example, your host computer will tell us that you have accessed our site from "yourcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a university's domain. It will also provide us with an IP address (which is a number that gets automatically assigned to your computer whenever you access the internet.) The information we receive may look something like this: IP address 169.207.69.84 at d84.as28.nwbl0.wi.voyager.net;
• The date and time of your visit;
• The Internet address of the web page from which you came;
• The page(s) you visit on our web site; and
• The information your web browser software sends as its so-called "user agent", which typically identifies the browser software and may also indicate the operating system and type of CPU used in your personal computer

The city collects this information solely for the purpose of improving the quality of online services that we provide to users. We will periodically summarize and analyze this information in order to study site usage over time and to perform other studies that will help us improve the site's organization, performance, and usefulness.

When you visit our site simply to browse, read, or download information we will not collect any individual identifying or personal information. Nor will we use "cookies" without your express permission or any other means (such as Adware or Spyware) to track your visit in any way. Based upon the data we do collect during such "information-gathering" visits, the city cannot ascertain any personal information regarding an individual user (such as name, street address, or telephone number.)

If you use our site to request a service, make a payment, or apply for a job or permit we will ask that you submit certain pieces of relevant personal information, based on the action taken. For example, when you request a service, we may ask for a name and street address. To complete a payment transaction we may require name, street address, and credit card or bank account number. You may need to provide certain personal information and property or other related data for permit applications. Online job applications will require complete and detailed personal information. As allowed by law, we will not share any of your personal or financial information with any third party at any time without your explicit permission.

However, please be aware that the City of Milwaukee, as a governmental agency, must comply with various state and federal guidelines concerning open records and freedom of information. Thus, any information that we receive through use of our site will be subject to the same provisions as information provided to us through other media (such as printed material or voice records.) Property and permit information, in particular, are commonly deemed to be "public records." As such we often must, by law, make this information available upon request.

If you use our web site to conduct interactive transactions such as service requests, job applications, and online payments we may use "non-persistent" cookies to facilitate information processing. Certain application forms and other transaction-related features on our site may require use of cookies to work correctly. The "non-persistent" cookies that our site uses for such transactions will disappear as soon as you finish filling out the form or application that requires them.

Your participation in any feature, option, or service provided on our web site is and will remain entirely at your discretion. We will never assume that you wish to "opt in" to anything nor will we require you to "opt out" of any feature, option, or service that our site provides. Users visiting our web site may, at any time, decline to participate or discontinue their participation in any activity that asks for personal information (service requests, payment transactions, job applications, surveys, and the like). Choosing not to provide this information will in no way affect your ability to continue to use our site or any other feature on our site. However, electing not to provide certain important information may prevent the city from responding to your request for service or completing your transaction

If you send us an electronic mail message with a question or comment that contains personally identifying information, or fill out a form that E-mails us this information, we will use only the personally identifiable information to respond to your request. We may, if appropriate, redirect your message to another government agency or person who can better respond to your question or need.

Our web site may offer links to web sites of other organizations. Our privacy policy does not apply to these web sites. Please review carefully the appropriate privacy policies of any independent site you may access through links provided on the City of Milwaukee site.

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the City of Milwaukee has responsibility for changes to and interpretation of these policies. To comment or inquire about their content, please contact the Information & Technology Management Division for the City of Milwaukee.