Cookies
Cookies are small text files which a web server may ask your web browser to store, and to send back to the web server when needed. Cookies may be used to store a transaction identifier or other information a user may provide. We use cookies in the following ways:
- Complex transactions: Cookies are used to store and retrieve unique transaction identifiers or other server-generated or user-provided information in complex, multi-page web applications. This allows us to distinguish between different users, and to use information provided at one stage of an application at a later time (for instance, items placed in a 'shopping cart' might need to be displayed on a later 'check-out' screen). When we use cookies in this way, the cookie is stored on your web browser only temporarily; the cookie is destroyed at the end of the transaction or at the end of the browser session.
- Customized Services: Cookies may also be used to automatically identify a particular user to the system, in order to provide a customized service, such as a personalized web page. In this case, a cookie containing a unique user identifier will be permanently stored on your web browser. We do not store sensitive information in such cookies; only a unique user identifier or generic preference values are stored. Personal information you give us for processing a transaction or using one of our personalization features, may be stored on our secure web server. Personal information that you give us for processing a transaction or using one of our personalization features, may be stored on our secure web server, retained only as long as necessary and properly disposed of by destruction under the State of Rhode Island Title 38 Access to Public Records law.
We do not use cookies in order to track your visit to our website. The "help" portion of the toolbar on most browsers will tell you how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies or how to disable cookies altogether. However, cookies allow you to take full advantage of many State of Rhode Island e-government services, and we recommend that you leave them turned on. The State of Rhode Island does use cookies to note new and repeat visitors for statistical purposes. We do not use cookies to keep a database of personally-identifying information about visitors when you visit our site, unless you choose to provide such information to us. Indeed, we do not maintain any information at all that can personally identify a user of our Web sites. No other attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits. Raw data logs are used for no other purpose than those stated above and are scheduled for frequent and regular destruction. The State of Rhode Island makes no guarantee or warranty that servers not managed or controlled by the State of Rhode Island that are linked to this WWW site are not using cookies or collecting personally-identifying data.
