Privacy Policy

In demonstrating the City of Berkeley's commitment to individual privacy, this policy governs any personal, citizen, and business information supplied to the City via the City's website. The City's goal in collecting personal information via the City's website is to provide visitors the most personalized and effective service possible. Our goal is to protect online information with the same diligence that we protect information obtained through other means.

Email Addresses
On certain occasions, we may request your email address for purposes of correspondence or for City business. The City of Berkeley will not use email addresses for any purpose other than that for which it is explicitly provided, nor will we share email addresses with anyone outside the City of Berkeley or disclose user information to any third party, unless under a court order. 

Please note that communications to the City Council are public record and will become part of the City's electronic archive, Records Online, which is accessible through the City's website. Email addresses are also part of the public record. If you do not wish your email address to be made public, communications sent via U.S. postal service or delivered in person to the City Clerk will also be distributed to Council. Please contact the City Clerk Department for further information.

Website analytics
The City of Berkeley uses Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website and to inform decisions about how to make improvements. We use Google Analytics to collect non-personally identifiable information, including the date, time, and page you visited on our site, your browser and operating system, the website or search engine that referred you to our site, and search terms you use on our website.

Read Google’s Privacy Policy for more details about how they collect, store, and protect data. You can opt out from Google Analytics by installing their browser add-on.

Cookies
Cookies are small text files that a server sends to your web browser. These cookies help inform websites about user behavior, such as whether you have visited the website using the same browser in the past.

The City of Berkeley website uses cookies to measure website analytics and to personalize your options for sharing content using social sharing buttons. These cookies are used by third-party tools. Please refer to their privacy policies for more detail: Google Analytics and AddtoAny.

You can use your browser settings to delete stored cookies and to block cookies.
 
Log Files 
The City of Berkeley does not release any information regarding the collection of IP addresses to any third party except under court order. The City of Berkeley web site archives web server log files in order to create aggregate statistical reports, detect errors, and for security reasons. These reports do not contain any personally identifiable information. The web log files are eventually deleted. 

Direct Mail 
The City of Berkeley may use the personal data provided online to distribute information about City services and upcoming civic activities. The City will neither sell nor provide your personal information to any third party for any other direct mail activities, unless under court order.

Other Web Sites
The City's website contains links to other sites. The City of Berkeley is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of sites other than the City's website. 

Security
This site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control.

Choice/Opt-Out
The City's website provides users the opportunity to opt-out of receiving communications from us and/or modify information previously provided by updating your email subscription preferences. 

Contacting the City of Berkeley Website Administrator
Questions about this privacy statement, the City of Berkeley website's guidelines and standards, or your dealings with the City of Berkeley Website, should be directed to: 

Web Manager, City of Berkeley
City Manager's Office
2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 
webmaster@berkeleyca.gov