Privacy Policy

Introduction

Thank you for visiting the website of the Great New York State Fair and/or the website of the Fair’s official e-commerce retailer (currently etix.com). This website is designed to make it easier and more efficient for individuals and businesses to interact with the Fair. The Fair recognizes that it is critical for individuals and businesses to be confident that their privacy is protected when they visit the Fair’s website.  This website is part of the group of websites owned and operated by the State of New York.  The Fair is a division of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, which is an agency of the State of New York.

Consistent with the provisions of the Internet Security and Privacy Act, the Freedom of Information Law, and the Personal Privacy Protection Law, this policy describes the Fair’s privacy practices regarding information collected from users of this website. This policy describes what information is collected and how that information is used. Because this privacy policy only applies to this website, you should examine the privacy policy of any website, including other state agency websites, that you access using this website.

For purposes of this policy, "personal information" means any information concerning a natural person, as opposed to a corporate entity, which, because of name, number, symbol, mark, or other identifier, can be used to identify that natural person. The Fair only collects personal information about you when you provide that information voluntarily by sending an e-mail or by initiating an online transaction, such as a survey, registration or order form.

Information Collected Automatically When You Visit this Website

When visiting this website the Fair automatically collects and stores the following information about your visit:

(i) The Internet Protocol Address and domain name used, but not the e-mail address. The Internet Protocol Address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet service provider or directly to your computer;

(ii) The type of browser and operating system you used;

(iii) The date and time you visited this site;

(iv) The web pages or services you accessed at this site;

(v) The web site you visited prior to coming to this web site;

(vi) The web site you visit as you leave this web site; and

(vii) If you downloaded a form, the form that was downloaded.

None of the foregoing information is deemed to constitute personal information.

The information that is collected automatically is used to improve this website's content and to help the Fair understand how users are interacting with the website. This information is collected for statistical analysis, to determine what information is of most and least interest to our users, and to improve the utility of the material available on the website. The information is not collected for commercial marketing purposes and the Fair is not authorized to sell or otherwise disclose the information collected from the website for commercial marketing purposes.

Cookies

Cookies are simple text files stored on your web browser to provide a means of distinguishing among users of this website. The use of cookies is a standard practice among Internet websites. To better serve you, we use "session cookies" to enhance or customize your visit to this website. Session cookies can be created automatically on the device you use to access this state agency website. These session cookies do not contain personal information and do not compromise your privacy or security. We may use the cookie feature to store a randomly generated identifying tag on the device you use to access this website. A session cookie is erased during operation of your browser or when your browser is closed.

The software and hardware you use to access the website allows you to refuse new cookies or delete existing cookies. Refusing or deleting these cookies may limit your ability to take advantage of some features of this website.

Information Collected When You E-mail this Website or Initiate an Online Transaction

During your visit to this website you may send an e-mail to the Fair. Your e-mail address and the contents of your message will be collected. The information collected is not limited to text characters and may include audio, video, and graphic information formats included in the message. Your e-mail address and the information included in your message will be used to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to improve this website, or to forward your message to another State agency for appropriate action. Your e-mail address is not collected for commercial purposes and the Fair is not authorized to sell or otherwise disclose your e-mail address for commercial purposes.

During your visit to this website or to the Fair’s e-commerce partner website (currently etix.com) you may initiate a transaction such as a purchase, survey, registration, or order form. The information, including personal information, volunteered by you in initiating the transaction is used by the Fair to operate Fair programs, which include the provision of goods, services, and information. The information collected by the Fair may be disclosed by the Fair for those purposes that may be reasonably ascertained from the nature and terms of the transaction in connection with which the information was submitted.

The Fair does not knowingly collect personal information from children or create profiles of children through this website. Users are cautioned, however, that the collection of personal information submitted in an e-mail or through an online transaction will be treated as though it was submitted by an adult, and may, unless exempted from access by federal or State law, be subject to public access. The Fair strongly encourages parents and teachers to be involved in children's internet activities and to provide guidance whenever children are asked to provide personal information online.

Information and Choice

As noted above, the Fair does not collect any personal information about you during your visit to this website or its e-commerce partner’s website unless you provide that information voluntarily by sending an e-mail or initiating an online transaction such as a purchase, survey, registration, or order form. You may choose not to send us an e-mail, respond to a survey, or complete an order form. While your choice not to participate in these activities may limit your ability to receive specific services or products through this website, it will not prevent you from requesting services or products from the Fair by other means and will not normally have an impact on your ability to take advantage of other features of the website, including browsing or downloading most publicly available information.

Disclosure of Information Collected Through This Website

The collection of information through this website and the disclosure of that information are subject to the provisions of the Internet Security and Privacy Act. The Fair will only collect or disclose personal information through this website or the website of its e-commerce partner if the user has consented to the collection or disclosure of such personal information. Participation in an online transaction resulting in the disclosure of personal information to the Fair by the user, whether solicited or unsolicited, constitutes consent to the collection and disclosure of the information by the Fair for the purposes reasonably ascertainable from the nature and terms of the transaction.

However, the Fair may collect or disclose personal information without user consent if the collection or disclosure is: (1) necessary to perform the statutory duties of the Fair, or necessary for the Fair to operate a program authorized by law, or authorized by state or federal statute or regulation; (2) made pursuant to a court order or by law; (3) for the purpose of validating the identity of the user; or (4) of information to be used solely for statistical purposes that is in a form that cannot be used to identify any particular person.

Further, the disclosure of information, including personal information, collected through this website is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Law and the Personal Privacy Protection Law.

The Fair may disclose personal information to federal or state law enforcement authorities to enforce the Fair’s rights against unauthorized access or attempted unauthorized access to the Fair 's information technology assets or against other inappropriate use of this website.

Retention of Information Collected Through this Website

The information collected through this website and the website of its e-commerce partner is retained by the Fair in accordance with the records retention and disposition requirements of the New York State Arts & Cultural Affairs Law. Information on the requirements of the Arts & Cultural Affairs Law may be found at http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/records/mr_laws_state.shtml.

Information, including personal information, that you submit in an e-mail or when you initiate an online transaction such as a purchase survey, registration form, or order form is retained in accordance with the records retention and disposition schedule established for the records of the program unit to which you submitted the information. Information concerning these records retention and disposition schedules may be obtained through the Internet privacy policy contact listed in this policy.

Confidentiality and Integrity of Personal Information Collected Through this Website

The Fair is strongly committed to protecting personal information collected through this website or the website of its e-commerce partner against unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Consequently, the Fair limits employee access to personal information collected through this website to only those employees who need access to the information in the performance of their official duties. Employees who have access to this information are required to follow appropriate procedures in connection with any disclosures of personal information.

In addition, the Fair has implemented procedures to safeguard the integrity of its information technology assets. These security procedures have been integrated into the design, implementation, and day-to-day operations of this website as part of our continuing commitment to the security of electronic content as well as the electronic transmission of information.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this privacy policy should not be construed as giving business, legal, or other advice, or warranting as fail proof, the security of information provided through this website.

Links

In order to provide users with certain information, the Fair provides links to the websites of local, state, and federal government agencies, and to the websites of other organizations. A link does not constitute an endorsement of the content, viewpoint, accuracy, opinions, policies, products, services, or accessibility of that website. Once you link to another website from this website, including one maintained by the state, you are subject to the terms and conditions of that website, including, but not limited to, its Internet privacy policy.