Austin Community College is committed to ensuring the privacy of personal information. We do not actively share personal information gathered from our web servers. However, because ACC is a public institution, some information collected from the ACC website, including summary server log information, emails, and information collected from web-based forms, may be subject to. This means that while we do not share or sell information unless solicited, in some cases we may be compelled by Open Records law to release information.
Student directory information is routinely requested by vendors through the Texas Public Information Act. Students have the option of excluding their personal information from the directory during registration.
ACC complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which prohibits the release of education records without student permission.
The ACC website consists of several web servers. Some servers hosted by ACC may adopt different privacy statements as their specific needs require. If another ACC web server has a privacy statement that is different from this statement, that policy will be posted on their site.
The ACC website contains links to external websites. The college is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external web links.
Information We Gather
The following information is collected and stored automatically from all users accessing the ACC website to browse or download information:
- Internet address of computer being used
- Webpages requested
- Referring web page
- Date and time
- Type of web browser being used
This information is used to create summary statistics which are used for purposes such as assessing what information is of most interest to users, determining technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or problem areas.
This information is not reported or used in any manner that would reveal personally identifiable information, and will not be released to outside (third) parties unless legally required.
ACC will collect anonymous non-personally identifiable information about your website visit through pixel tags, sometimes known as cookies. These tags help us track information about your visit and are used to deliver banner advertisements to you on the Internet.
Personal Information You Provide to Us
ACC does not retain personally identifiable information about you when you visit our web sites unless you choose to provide such information to us (i.e. sending an email, participating in a survey, responding to a request for information or “contact us” form, etc.)
We consider any information that could reasonably be used to identify you as “personally identifying information.” This includes, but is not limited to:
- Name
- Address
- Email address
- Social Security Number
- Any combination of data that could be used to identify you such as your birth date, your zip code and your gender
If you provide personal information in an email or by completing a form and submitting it through our Web site, we may use that information to respond to your message and to help us get you the information you have requested. We do not collect personal information from such communications for any purpose other than to respond to you.
Cookies
ACC uses cookies, which are small pieces of information sent to your browser by a website that you visit. These cookies do not collect personally identifiable information. Cookies are used to track usage patterns, traffic trends and customer behavior, as well as to record other information from the website. Many content adjustments and customer service improvements are made based on the data derived from cookies. Information that ACC collects from cookies will not be used to create profiles of users and will only be used in aggregate form.
Web Beacons
A “tracking pixel” (sometimes called “web beacons”, “transparent GIFs”, “clear GIFs”, “pixel gifs”, or “pixel tags”) is a tiny, invisible image that allows us to track activities based on pages you visit. Tracking pixels redeliver advertising and notifications through 3rd party vendors. No personally identifiable information is collected through these retargeting services, and we do not sell or rent the information collected through tracking pixels. Information collected through tracking pixels can only be shared with third parties in aggregated form and in accordance with the college’s privacy policy.
Security & Accuracy of Personal and Confidential Information
Although no computer system is 100 percent secure, Austin Community College has deployed extensive security measures to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. If you are concerned about the accuracy of information contained in your personal records, you should contact the custodian of the record, which is typically the department that collects and maintains the information. For example, contact the Admissions and Enrollment Office about information collected through the web application for admission.
Offsite Links
Links to non-ACC organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by ACC, and none should be inferred. ACC is not responsible for the content found at these links.
Questions?
If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent email the Help Center.