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Web Site Privacy and Security PolicyThis policy addresses collection, use, and security of and access to information that may be obtained or collected through the use of Helpinsure.com and the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Web site. Information Collected and How It Is Used If you do nothing during your visit but browse through our web site, or download information, we automatically collect and store the following information about your visit:
We analyze this information to help us make our web site more useful and for the following reasons:
This information is not reported or used in any manner that would reveal personally identifiable information, and will not be released to outside parties unless legally required to do so in connection with law enforcement investigations or other legal proceedings, or in accordance with the Texas Public Information Act. Personal Information and Choice You may choose whether to provide personal information on-line."Personal information" is information about an individual person that is readily identifiable to that specific individual. Personal information includes such things as an individual's name, address, and phone number. If during your visit to our web site you participate in a survey, fill out one of our on-line forms, or send an e-mail, you will be providing personal information to us. We use this information in the following manner:
All of our on-line forms that require you to enter personal information are encrypted to meet privacy requirements. We will only share the personal information with another government agency, whether sent to us by e-mail or through an on-line form, if the information you submitted relates to that agency, or as otherwise required by law. Please be aware that the information you submit to the Texas Department of Insurance, whether it is through our web site or through the United States mail, or by another method may be considered a public record and therefore subject to the Texas Public Information Act. Please refer to our Open Records Policy for further information. If you choose not to contact us by e-mail, participate in a survey or fill out an on-line form, your choice will in no way affect your ability to use other features on our web site. You always have the option of printing the survey, or on-line form, or you may fill them out by hand and send it to us via fax or through the U.S. mail. Access and Correction of Personal Information With few exceptions, you are entitled to be informed about the information that the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) collects about you. Under sections 552.021 and 552.023 of the Texas Government Code, you have a right to review or receive copies of information about yourself, including private information. However, TDI may withhold information for reasons other than to protect your right to privacy. Under section 559.004 of the Texas Government Code, you are entitled to request that TDI correct information that TDI has about you that is incorrect. For more information about the procedure and costs for obtaining information from TDI or about the procedure for correcting information kept by TDI, please contact the Agency Counsel Section of TDI's Legal & Compliance Division at (512) 475-1757 or visit the Corrections Procedure section of our web site. Under most circumstances, an e-mail address of a member of the public that is provided for the purpose of communicating electronically with Helpinsure.com or TDI is confidential and not subject to disclosure. However, you may agree (opt "in") to disclosure of your e-mail address by checking the appropriate box on the Homeowners sign-up form. Cookies As a practice, Helpinsure.com and TDI do not use persistent cookies. We may use "session" cookies with some or all of our on-line forms. A session cookie is a line of text that is stored temporarily in your computer's memory. Because a session cookie is never written to a hard drive, it is destroyed as soon as you close your browser. A session cookie makes it easier for you to fill out a form by allowing it to keep track of where you are in the process. Security Helpinsure.com and the Texas Department of Insurance 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. This privacy policy does not guarantee that all personal information provided via this web site will remain secure. As a convenience, the Helpinsure.com Web site may offer links to certain government- and insurance-related web sites created and maintained by public and private entities. TDI has no control over linked sites nor can it be held responsible for material found on any non-TDI Web site. A link to another web site does not mean the site is endorsed in any way by TDI. Please check the state's Web link policy for more information. Contact Information Please address questions about this policy to Helpinsure.com and TDI's Public Information Office (PIO):
For more information contact:
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