Terms

Borough of Watchung
Somerset County, New Jersey

Website Privacy Notice

The following notice applies to this web site, which is the Official Local Government Web Site for Watchung.

Thank you for visiting the Watchung web site and reviewing our Privacy Notice. This statement addresses collection, use and security of and access to information that may be obtained through the use of the Watchung web site. This notice covers the following topics:

• Information Collected and How it is Used
• Personal Information and Choice
• Public Access to Information
• Cookies
• Security
• Disclaimer
• Contact Information

Section A. Information Collected and How it is Used

Information Collected and Stored Automatically
If you do nothing during your visit but browse through the web site, read pages, or download information, we will gather and store certain information about your visit automatically. This information does not identify you personally. We automatically collect and store only the following information about your visit:

1. The Internet domain (for example, "xcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a university's domain) and IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web) from which you access our web site;
2. The type of browser and operating system used to access our site;
3. The date and time you access our site;
4. The pages you visit; and
5. If you linked to the Watchung web site from another web site, the address of that web site.

We use this information to help us make our site more useful to visitors - to learn about the number of visitors to our site and the types of technology our visitors use. We do not track or record information about individuals and their visits.

If You Send Us Personal Information 
If you choose to provide us with personal information -- as in an e-mail to an elected official or municipal employee, or by filling out a form with your personal information and submitting it to us through our web site -- we use that information to respond to your message and to help us get you the information you have requested. We only share the information you give us with another government agency if your inquiry relates to that agency, or as otherwise required by law. Moreover, we do not create individual profiles with the information you provide or to give it to any private organizations. Watchung does not collect information for commercial marketing. Please note that under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act, any email you send to Watchung is considered a government record and it may be disclosed as a requirement under OPRA guidelines.

Section B. Personal Information and Choice

You may choose whether to provide personal information on-line.

"Personal information" is information about a natural person that is readily identifiable to that specific individual. Personal information includes such things as an individual's name, address, e-mail address and phone number. A domain name or Internet protocol address is not considered personal information.

We collect no personal information about you unless you voluntarily provide it to us by sending us email, participating in a survey or completing an on-line form. You may choose not to contact us by email, participate in a survey, or provide any personal information using an online form. Your choice to not participate in these activities will not impair your ability to browse the Watchung web site and read or download any information provided on the site.

Privacy Warning
Email is not a secure medium. Personal information sent via the Internet can be intercepted. You may, therefore, wish to reconsider the advisability of sending messages that contain sensitive, personal information to this Internet address.

The Watchung does not plan on divulging information collected or information disclosed voluntarily, but may be required to do so pursuant to a request under OPRA, the Right to Know law, the common law Right to Know, other State or Federal law or pursuant to court order.

If you believe that your personal information is being used for a purpose other than what was intended when submitted, you may contact Watchung as shown in the Contact Information Section of this statement.

Children 
We at the Watchung are especially concerned about protecting children's privacy. We hope parents and teachers are involved in children's Internet explorations. It is particularly important for parents to guide their children when children are asked to provide personal information on line. Watchung encourages children to communicate with their local government officials and send email messages with their feedback and suggestions. We specifically ask children to get their parent's permission before providing any information on line -- at our site or any other site -- and hope parents will always be involved in those decisions. Most importantly, when children do provide information through the Watchung web site, it is only used to enable us to respond to the writer, and not to create profiles of children.

Section C. Public Access to Information

In Watchung, laws exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by the municipal government. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public’s right to access public records that serve various needs including the privacy of individuals. Exceptions are provided by both state and federal laws.

All the information collected at this site becomes public record that may be subject to inspection and copying by members of the public, unless an exemption in law exists.

Section D. Cookies

The Borough of Watchung Watchung uses cookies to enhance the user’s experience.  The user’s web browser maintains cookies on the user’s devices for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track non-identifiable information about the user.  The user may choose to set their web browser to refuse cookies or to alert the user when cookies are being sent.  If, you, as the user, does so, please note that some parts of the website may not function properly.

Section E. Security

Watchung, the web site development company, and the manager of this web site have taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its data and prevent unauthorized access to information maintained. These measures are designed and intended to prevent corruption of data, block unknown or unauthorized access to our systems and information, and to provide reasonable protection of private information in our possession.

Section F. Disclaimer

The Watchung web site and materials may contain hypertext or links to other Internet web sites which are not owned, operated, controlled or reviewed regularly by the Watchung. These links are provided solely as a courtesy and convenience to you, the visitor. When you link to one of these sites, you are no longer on the Watchung web site and this Privacy Policy will not apply. When you link to another web site, you are subject to the privacy policy of that new site.

Watchung, its agencies, officers, or employees exercise no control over the organizations, views, accuracy, availability, copyright or trademark compliance or the legality of the material contained on those servers and do not sponsor, endorse, or approve the information, content, products, materials, opinions or services contained on such external sites. The visitor proceeds to these external sites at their own risk. The Watchung and its web development company specifically disclaims any and all liability from damages which may result from the accessing of a third party site which is linked to the Watchung web site, or from reliance upon any such information.

Section G. Contact Information

You may contact Watchung as follows:

To review your personal information, request correction of your personal information, or to offer comments about the Watchung web site, or about the information presented in this Privacy Notice, please contact:

Office of the Clerk
15 Mountain Boulevard, Watchung, NJ 07069
908-756-0080