Copyright © Tuesday, December 2, 2003 The State of Iowa. All Rights Reserved.

Information Technology Department
Level B Hoover Building
Des Moines, IA 50319-0001

(515) 281-5703 Help Desk
(800) 532-1174 Toll Free
(515) 281-6137 Fax

Personally identifiable information that is available from governmental web sites through IOWAccess ^TM is subject to these principles and policies:

1. Access to personally identifiable information in public records at state and local levels of government in Iowa is controlled primarily by Chapter 22 of the Code of Iowa, the law on EXAMINATION OF PUBLIC RECORDS (OPEN RECORDS). Information generally available under Chapter 22 – and not made confidential elsewhere in the Code of Iowa – may be posted for electronic access through IOWAccess. (While Chapter 22 sets the general policies for access to government records in the State of Iowa, other sections of the Code of Iowa as well as other federal laws deal with confidentiality issues.)

2. The Iowa Fair Information Practices Act, Section 22.11 of the Code of Iowa, recognizes many concerns people have with regard to public records that include information about them, including the right to correct inaccurate information. Consequently, persons concerned with regard to information about them should contact the custodian of the record, which typically is the state agency or other governmental entity that collects and maintains the information.

Personally identifiable information that is collected by governmental web sites through IOWAccess ^TM is subject to these principles and policies:

1. The information collected should only be that necessary to provide the information or services sought by a requester, just as a person might provide such information when visiting a governmental office in person. The information collected is subject to the same controls and uses as that collected by governmental offices visited in person, again subject to the access and confidentiality provisions of Chapter 22, or to other applicable sections of the Code of Iowa. You do not have to provide personal information to visit IOWAccess ^TM Web sites or download information . The IP (Internet Protocol) numbers of computers used to visit IOWAccess ^TM sites are noted as part of our statistical analysis on use of our web sites and how to better design services and facilitate access to them. No marketing databases are created nor is any commercial use made of any such data. Government agencies may request personally identifiable information from you in order to provide requested services, but such information is handled as it would be on an in-person visit to a government office.

2. Various commercial Web sites may be linked through IOWAccess ^TM. These private sector sites are not subject to Chapter 22 or to the Iowa Fair Information Practices Act (Section 22.11). Visitors to those sites may wish to check their privacy statements and be cautious about providing personally identifiable information.