Overview
In general, the policies of the South Carolina Department of Insurance governing the collection and dissemination of personally identifiable information follow the same rules that would apply to an in-person visit to a government office and are governed by the same state and federal laws that cover such visits.
The Family Privacy Protection Act of 2002, Sections 30-2-10 through 30-2-50 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, provides that no person or private entity shall knowingly obtain or use any personal information obtained from a public agency for any commercial solicitation. The South Carolina Department of Insurance, as a public agency gives notice to anyone requesting records from this agency that obtaining or using these public records for commercial solicitation is prohibited. Any person who knowingly uses public records for commercial solicitation is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined an amount not to exceed five hundred dollars or imprisoned for a term not to exceed one year, or both.
A person or private entity that requests information from this agency must provide a written statement to the agency certifying that any personal information obtained from the agency will not be obtained or used for commercial solicitation. This written certification must be provided to the agency before any personal information will be released.
For a complete copy of the South Carolina Family Privacy Protection Act of 2002 visit http://www.scstatehouse.net/code/t30c002.htm
Purpose
The purpose of this statement is to inform users of this site with regard to the collection and use of personally identifiable information. Nothing herein should be construed to, nor does it, create any new or different rights than those available under existing state and federal laws.
Personally Identifiable Information Not Routinely Collected
Users are not required to provide personal information simply to visit the Department's website or to download information. Government agencies may request personally identifiable information in order to provide requested specialized services, but such information is handled as it would be on an in-person visit to a government office.
This agency collects only personal information necessary to fulfill legitimate public purposes that are consistent with the statutory charges or mandates of government programs or activities.
Personally Identifiable Information that May Be Subject to Public Disclosure
In the State of South Carolina, laws exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by a government agency. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public's right to access certain records in order to preserve the privacy of individuals. Both state and federal laws authorize such exemptions. Information collected by the Department of Insurance, like information collected during an in-person visit to a government office, may be subject to inspection and copying by the public, unless such an exemption in law exists. South Carolina Code of Laws Section 30-4-40(a)(2) provides that a public body may but is not required to exempt from disclosure information of a personal nature where the public disclosure thereof would constitute unreasonable invasion of personal privacy. In the event that there is a conflict between this Privacy Statement and a state or federal law governing the disclosure of public records, the applicable state or federal law shall control.
Use, Collection and Retention of Personally Identifiable Information
The IP (Internet Protocol) addresses of computers used to visit our Web sites are noted as part of the statistical analysis used to better design government services and improve access to them. However, we do not attempt to gain personally identifiable information on individual users or to associate individual users with IP addresses.
The Department of Insurance collects, retains and uses personal information about constituents only when they choose to subscribe to a Department service and where it is lawful and is essential to administer and to provide products, services and other opportunities requested by a constituent.
Use of Cookies
Some Department of Insurance applications may create "cookies" to hold user information. These "cookies" are then sent to, and stored on, the user's computer. This information is handled in the same way as other personally identifiable information obtained by the Department of Insurance. No user information will be gathered through the use of "cookies" except that which is required to run the specific application(s) being accessed by the user.
Use of Constituent E-mail Addresses
E-mail addresses obtained as a result of requests to Department of Insurance Web sites are subject to the access and confidentiality provisions of the State's Freedom of Information Act and other applicable sections of the South Carolina Code of Laws and/or federal law. E-mail or other information requests sent to our Web sites may be maintained in order to: respond to the request, forward that request to the appropriate department or agency, communicate updates to the system that may be of interest to citizens, or to provide the Department's Web designer with valuable customer feedback to assist in improving the site.
Data Security and Quality
The South Carolina Department of Insurance is committed to data security and the data quality of personally identifiable information that is either available from or collected by, our Web sites, and has taken precautions to protect personally identifiable information from loss, misuse or alteration. SCDOI understands the security of your personal and account information is important to you. To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data security and ensure the correct use of Information, SCDOI in conjunction with Department of Revenue (DOR) has put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information collected online. Any third parties responsible for this information are committed to the same principles, and also are required by contract to follow the same policies and guidelines as the State of South Carolina in protecting this information. Unless otherwise prohibited by state or federal law, rule or regulation, individuals will be given the ability to access and correct personally identifiable information maintained by us that may be in error.
Non-Department of Insurance Web Sites
Various Web sites will be linked through the Department of Insurance. This includes Web sites of other governmental agencies, as well as Web sites of private entities. The inclusion of, or linking to, other website URLs does not imply our endorsement of, nor responsibility for, those websites, but has been done as a convenience to our website visitors. Many of these sites may not be subject to the South Carolina Code of Laws, or may operate under different privacy standards. Visitors to those Web sites are advised to check the privacy statements of those sites and be cautious about providing personally identifiable information without a clear understanding of how the information will be used.
Limiting Access to Personally Identifiable Information
The Department of Insurance has taken steps to limit access to personally identifiable information to Department of Insurance support staff who require access in order to perform their assigned duties. The Department has also notified and instructed its staff members of their responsibilities concerning the protection of personally identifiable information.
Questions, Comments
To offer comments about the Department's Website or about information presented in this Privacy Policy, you may contact:
The South Carolina Department of Insurance 300 Arbor Lake Dr., Suite 1200 Columbia, SC 29223
E-Mail: LeglMail@doi.sc.gov Tel: (803) 737-6200
Form
Certification of Compliance
