TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY

Updated: 9/26/2022

This policy describes the Huntsvilletx.gov Terms of Use and Privacy Policy practices regarding information collected from visitors to the site. It contains information about what data is collected and how that information is used. The Huntsvilletx.gov privacy policy applies only to this Web site. When you follow a link to another site, even the sites of state agencies and local governments, this policy will not apply. You should check the privacy policy of each site if you have concerns about how they handle personally identifiable information.

By using our website or any digital City service, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. You agree to not use a digital City service for any unlawful or harmful purposes. If you do, your actions shall be considered a violation of these terms of use, and we may limit your access. There are different ways you can access City services online. Some involve just reading through a page on Huntsvilletx.gov, but others require information being entered into an online form. We have certain rules to follow when interacting with any of these online services.

You may not use digital City services for any of the following purposes:

  • To commit a criminal offense or to encourage others to engage in any conduct that would constitute a criminal offense;
  • To cause any harm that would result in the payment of damages, or encourage others to cause such harm;
  • To impersonate a person or entity, or to claim a relationship with or represent any person or entity you are not authorized to represent;
  • To upload any malicious content that may impact a digital City service, the City’s servers or networks, or the hardware or software of any other person who accesses them; or
  • To upload, post, or otherwise transmit any materials that you do not have the right to transmit (like uploading a video with copyrighted music).  

The City reserves the right to suspend or restrict your access to digital City services if we have reason to believe that your access is being used for any of the prohibited purposes listed above (or for any other inappropriate or unlawful use). If we have a way to contact you, we will do our best to let you know about the suspension. If you believe your account has been suspended unfairly, please contact us using the Request menu.

Digital City services are an additional service provided as an alternative method for interacting with the City in-person. However, the City can remove digital services, or access to those services, at the City's discretion. If you have outstanding business with the City, you are still required to fulfill those obligations, even if a digital City service is unavailable for any reason.

Disclaimer of Liability

The City of Huntsville provides this web site as a public service for informational purposes. In providing information on this site, the City has attempted to be as accurate, complete and timely as possible. However, the City makes no claims, guarantees or promises about the accuracy, currency, or completeness of the information provided. In no event shall the City be liable for any errors or omissions with respect to any information on this site. Users are solely responsible for compliance with the copyright and intellectual property laws with respect to use of any and all information gained from this site or links available on or through this web site.

Indemnity Clause

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you acknowledge and agree to indemnify, hold harmless, and assume the defense of the City, its officers, agents or employees, with counsel acceptable to City, which acceptance shall not be unreasonably withheld, from all liabilities, suits, claims, losses, and costs or any other damages against them or any of them arising from any act or omission by you, your agents, officers, employees, or subcontractors in any way connected with your use of our Services, your violation of these Terms, or the infringement, or alleged infringement, by you of any intellectual property or other right of any person or entity.

Collection and Use of Information

Huntsvilletx.gov does not sell or rent personally identifiable information. Please be aware that when you provide information to any government entity, however, that information may be subject to the Texas Public Information Act and applicable federal legislation. Information about the Texas Public Information Act is available from the Office of the Attorney General at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/open-government/members-public/overview-public-information-act. Each governmental body must be contacted directly about the records they keep and their use of personally identifiable information.

Our web server automatically collects limited information about your computer configuration when you visit our website, including the type of browser you use, the operating system you are running, the resolution of your computer monitor, the website that referred you, and your IP address. Your IP address is a number that is used by computers connected to the Internet to identify your computer so that data such as the web pages you want to view can be transmitted to you. We use IP address information for systems administration and troubleshooting purposes.

Whenever personal information is requested from you on this site, there will be an indication of whether your disclosure of such information is mandatory or optional. Information collected in the course of the transaction may be used for the following purposes:

  • To conduct online transactions with the appropriate government entities (e.g., the payment of sales tax or the renewal of a license or permit).
  • To send you an email confirming your transaction.
  • To forward new product announcements or content features to you, only if you have chosen to request this service.

Huntsvilletx.gov may be required by law enforcement or judicial authorities to provide personally identifiable information to the appropriate governmental authorities.

Huntsvilletx.gov fully cooperates with law enforcement agencies in identifying those who use our services for illegal activities. We reserve the right to report to law enforcement agencies any activities that we in good faith believe to be unlawful and may release information about our visitors when the release is appropriate to comply with the law, to protect the rights, property, or safety of visitors to our sites, the public, our customers, or our government and its employees, agents, partners, and affiliates.

User-Generated Content Featured Within a Digital City Service

Some digital City services may display content that is user-generated. This means the content was created by a member of the public, not someone affiliated with the City. For example, user-generated content could be a Request ticket submitted by a citizen, or a call to the community to submit artwork that is published on Huntsvilletx.gov. We do not endorse, support, or share the viewpoint of any user-generated content on a digital City service. 

If you are creating content you know will be posted publicly on a digital City service, you agree not to post anything illegal, obscene, threatening, or fraudulent (you have to be who you say you are). If you don’t follow these rules, we can remove the publicly posted content. Also remember that any information submitted to the City is subject to the Texas Pub­lic Informa­tion Act.

If you post content on a digital City service, you are granting the City permission to use your content. If you publicly post content to a digital City service that infringes on a copyright, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act gives us the power to take it down, dictates how we notify you of the infringement claim, and what you can do if you think your content was taken down by mistake. 

User-Generated Content Created From City Information

It’s possible that a third-party could take information from a digital City service and host it on a separate platform (for example, taking the food truck schedule from Huntsvilletx.gov and displaying it on a separate website). The City is not responsible for information posted by third parties we are not affiliated with, so cannot ensure the information’s accuracy.

If you are using City information on a third-party site, please keep in mind:

  • You and your application must not express or imply any sponsorship or endorsement by the City of Huntsville.
  • The text and images used in applications produced using City information should not be similar to those used by the City of Huntsville. They should not imply ownership, endorsement, or approval by the City of Huntsville. You may not use the City seal in any way.
  • City of Huntsville services should not be misrepresented. For example, non-city services should not be represented as City of Huntsville Services.
  • If you are using an API (Application Programming Interface) to source information from a digital City service, we ask that you be mindful of excessive usage (which could slow down service for others). Though there is currently no usage limit, we ask that you let us know if you plan to make heavy use of an API featured on a digital City service.

Security

This site uses a secure server for conducting online activities. All information that you transmit to us will be protected by 128-bit encryption technology, provided your browser is properly configured and your computer is operating properly. Security technology requires that you have a reasonably current browser that is capable of supporting 128-bit encryption. Current browsers such as these will activate the appropriate security features when you enter an online transaction through this site. In general, you can determine whether you are on a secure site by looking at the symbol to the left of the URL at the top of your screen. You can be sure you are using a secure server if the key is unbroken or the lock is locked.

We limit employee access to personally identifiable information to only those employees who need access to perform a specific job. All employees are kept up-to-date on our security and privacy practices.

Cookies

Some of the online government transactions hosted by and linked from this site use cookies. A cookie is an extremely small text file that is stored on your computer and created to track specific information. The services hosted on this website use cookies to set a session ID - this can be thought of as a kind of name tag, so the service can keep track of your transaction. To help make our website more responsive to the needs of our visitors, we use a standard feature of browser software, called a “cookie”, to assign each visitor a unique, random number that resides on your computer. The cookie does not identify the visitor, just the computer that a visitor uses to access our site. Unless you voluntarily identify yourself, we won't know who you are, even if we assign a cookie to your computer as the only personal information a cookie can contain is information you supply. A cookie cannot read unrelated data from your computer. We use cookies to help us deliver a better, more personalized service. For more information on cookies, you may wish to review the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency's article Browsing Safely: Understanding Active Content and Cookies.

Contact Information

If at any time you are concerned that your information is incorrect and you are unsure how to correct or update it, please use the "Contact Us" option within the Request menu or contact the appropriate government partner directly.

Changes to this Policy

We reserve the right to change the terms of this policy at any time and encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed of any updates. The date that this policy was last modified can be found at the top of this page. Any modifications are effective immediately. Your continued use of our digital City services signifies your consent to any changes to this policy.