DRE Web Site Privacy Policy

Information Collected

Information collected through the DRE Web site includes:

• Electronic information consisting of Internet browser type, browser version, operating system, Internet Protocol address and statistical information about which Web pages are visited.
• Names, mailing addresses, email addresses and phone numbers voluntarily provided through the Customer Survey and Suggestion Box.
• Licensee information voluntarily provided but necessary to use eLicensing services.

Cookies

Cookies are simple text files stored on a computer, often without a user's knowledge, when visiting certain sites on the Internet. Cookies are used to identify a specific computer. For example, some sites use cookies to greet visitors personally or to generate a list of products a visitor may be interested in.

A cookie is a short piece of data. A cookie is not an executable program and cannot do anything to your machine. There are two kinds of cookies, "session cookies" and "persistent cookies."

Session cookies are not written to your hard drive and do not contain personal information about you.

Persistent cookies continue in operation after the close of the individual Internet session. Shutting down the Internet browser will cause the cookie to be written into a special cookie file on the user's computer so that the next time the user visits the Web site that generated the cookie, the cookie will be sent to the Web site's server again.

The DRE uses session cookies to enable electronic transactions. The session cookie is not used for any other purpose. You can prevent cookies from being sent to your system using the browser options. However, if you do so, or already have your browser set to do so, you may not be able to process transactions electronically.

The DRE only uses session cookies when providing eLicensing services. The cookies are not used to collect or store information and do not track if the licensee returns to the DRE Web site. The cookies are automatically deleted upon conclusion of the eLicensing session. Session cookies are temporary, are not written to your hard drive and do not contain personal information about you. They are not stored anywhere after you close your Internet browser or end your session on the DRE Web site.

Security

Your online security is important to the DRE. We are committed to keeping your personal information (including your credit card number) secure and confidential.

eLicensing is hosted on a secure Web server whose identity is certified by VeriSign, an industry leader in Web site trust services. When you logon to eLicensing, your username and password are sent over the Internet from your computer to our Web site using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. SSL encrypts your personal information before it leaves your computer, ensuring that no one else can read it.

Once you have signed in, you can check that your eLicensing session is secure in two ways:

• Look for the small padlock icon located in either the lower right- or left-hand corner of your browser window. A closed or locked padlock indicates a secure connection.
• Look for the letters "https://" at the beginning of the Web site address. The "s" stands for secure.

For your protection, the DRE neither keeps credit card information on file nor processes online payments itself. To pay for an online transaction, you temporarily leave eLicensing for a secure payment processing site hosted by VeriSign. When you enter your credit card information, it, too, is encrypted by SSL technology to ensure it can't be read by others. Once your payment has been approved, you are returned to eLicensing for completion of your session.

From start to finish, all of your eLicensing transactions are performed in a secure environment, so that you don't have to worry about your credit card information being intercepted by others.

Further Information

See Conditions of Use and Information Management Practices.

Also visit:

California Office of Privacy Protection

Assists individuals with identity theft and other privacy-related concerns; provides education and information on privacy issues; coordinates with local, state and federal law enforcement on identity theft investigations; and recommends policies and practices that protect individual privacy rights.

Contact

Questions or concerns regarding the DRE Privacy Policy may be directed to:

Margaret Lahey
Privacy Program Coordinator
Department of Real Estate
2201 Broadway
Sacramento, CA 95818