Privacy Notice
Revised April 2016
The Ohio Internet Portal, Ohio.gov, is a service provided by the Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Office of Information Technology. We recognize the importance of privacy to our website visitors. This Privacy Notice & Policies applies only to Ohio.gov. Any Ohio.gov website with an additional agency or other name immediately to the left of Ohio.gov is maintained by another Ohio government agency and is governed by the policies of that agency. For example, jfs.ohio.gov has its own privacy statement.
Visitors to Ohio.gov should be aware of the following information:
What we collect
Personally identifiable information provided to us through our contact form.
- Please do not submit to us sensitive personally identifiable information such as social security numbers, driver's license numbers or medical or financial information through our contact form.
Generic, Internet-user information. It may include:
- Internet protocol address of the individual computer (or proxy server) making the request,
- Type of internet browser or computer operating system you are using,
- Date and time you accessed this site,
- Webpages visited on this site, and
- Internet address of the site from which you may have linked to this site.
How we collect information
Personally identifiable information is collected through voluntary disclosure by you through online forms and e-mail questions.
Our website uses log files and web cookies to capture generic, Internet-user information each time a request is made to view a page within this website.
What we do with the information we collect
Personally identifiable information you submit in e-mail or online forms is used so that we can answer or process your request as effectively as possible.
All information collected through server log files is used in aggregate form to analyze usage trends and statistics to help us improve our website. It may also be used to identify and respond to threats to the State network.
Cookies may be used when necessary to complete a transaction, to process data submitted to us online, or to facilitate ongoing Internet interaction.
Public records and when we share your information
Ohio public records law requires state agencies to disclose most documents and records, including electronic records. Therefore, information submitted through this website may be subject to disclosure pursuant to a public records request. Please be aware that for public records, Ohio law requires us to disclose the records despite requests to keep information confidential. Read the DAS Public Records Policy .
We will share personally identifiable information submitted through e-mail or online forms with other Ohio state agencies when necessary to respond to your e-mail request or process your online form. For example, if you have a question regarding the privacy of state income tax filings, we may forward your question to the Ohio Department of Taxation.
Any information collected through this website that indicates a threat of harm to people, property or systems or a violation of a law may be shared with law enforcement and used in connection with a criminal investigation, prosecution or other legal proceedings.
Access and dispute of information
Under sections 1347.08 and 1347.09 of the Ohio Revised Code, individuals have access rights to their information maintained in personal information systems. "Access rights" means you have the right, with limits, to inspect, correct, and dispute such information. The Department of Administrative Services maintains a number of personal information systems to effectively support more than 40 program areas.
For record-keeping systems not covered by chapter 1347 of the Revised Code, we will work with you to give you the opportunity to inspect, correct or dispute information, if any, about yourself in other records system we maintain, subject to restrictions or limits in Ohio law.
How we protect your information: Confidential personal information and the DAS policy on protecting privacy
DAS requires all of its employees and contractors to respect privacy and protect personally identifiable information regardless of the form and system in which it's kept. Read the DAS Policy on Protecting Privacy .
Ohio Revised Code 1347.15 requires DAS to adopt rules regulating access to the confidential personal information the agency keeps, whether electronically or on paper. The DAS rules pertaining to confidential personal information may be found in rules 123-4-01 through 123-4-05 of the Ohio Administrative Code.
The Department of Administrative Services maintains a limited number of confidential personal information systems.
Contact
Any further questions concerning the privacy policy for Ohio.gov should be directed to the Ohio Chief Privacy Officer via the Office of Information Security and Privacy email form. Written correspondence may be sent to:
Ohio Chief Privacy Officer
30 E Broad Street, 19th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Link Policy
The State of Ohio operates Ohio.gov as a public service to Ohio residents and visitors worldwide. Ohio.gov provides links to external websites that are not maintained or controlled by the State of Ohio.
The State of Ohio is not responsible for the content of external websites.
A link to a non-governmental website does not constitute endorsement. View policy details .
Accessibility Policy
The State of Ohio has taken steps to ensure that Ohio.gov is at least minimally accessible to people with disabilities who use assistive technology to access the Internet.
Ohio.gov complies with State of Ohio IT Policy - Web Site Accessibility, IT-09, issued by the Ohio Office of Information Technology. This policy establishes minimum website accessibility requirements for information and services provided on state-controlled websites.
The requirements include compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 which are standards created by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). WCAG 2.0 compliance levels are described as single-A (meets all priority 1 checkpoints), double-A (meets all priority 1 and 2 checkpoints), and triple-A (meets all priority 1, 2, and 3 checkpoints). This website conforms to the double-A compliance level and many of the priority 3 checkpoints.
Ohio.gov takes additional steps to ensure that its website is accessible. Pages are periodically tested using assistive technology, such as a voice browser or screen reader program, and the website administrator continually assesses the website to improve usability and accessibility.
We welcome your comments about the usability and accessibility of Ohio.gov. If you are having a problem accessing any part of Ohio.gov, or would like to make a suggestion for improvement, please contact us.
SMS Terms of Service and Privacy Policies
The InnovateOhio Platform provides integrated and scalable capabilities that enable state agencies to become more customer-centric and data-driven, delivering on InnovateOhio's vision to better serve Ohioans. Through collaboration and innovation, the InnovateOhio Platform creates an integrated customer experience that brings higher-quality services to the public – ultimately making Ohio a better place to live, work, and do business.
You can cancel the SMS service at any time. Just text "STOP" to the short code . After you send the SMS message "STOP" to us, we will send you an SMS message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive SMS messages from us. If you want to join again, just sign up as you did the first time and we will start sending SMS messages to you again.
If you are experiencing issues with the messaging program you can reply with the keyword HELP for more assistance, or you can get help directly at csc@ohio.gov.
Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
As always, message and data rates may apply for any messages sent to you from us and to us from you. You will receive 1 SMS message per one-time pin transaction. If you have any questions about your text plan or data plan, it is best to contact your wireless provider.