PRIVACY STATEMENT

Overview

Thank you for visiting the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s network of websites and reviewing our Privacy Statement. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) does not collect personal information about visitors to our websites unless you choose to provide that information to us. MDAH will use that information to respond to your message and to help us get you the information you have requested.

This Privacy Statement applies to the online activities of MDAH and its museums and sites (collectively “websites”).

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

MDAH uses online analytics tools such as Google Analytics, WebTrends, etc., to collect and track information about your visit so that MDAH can monitor usage and make improvements. These tools may store your IP address from which you access our website. MDAH also collects anonymous data elements in aggregate form that cannot be tied to an individual:

The name of the domain from which you access the internet (for example, gmail.com, if you are connecting from a Google Online account)
The type of device, browser, and operating system used to access our website
The date and time you access our site
The length of your visit
Demographic data
The location from which you access our site (approximate country, state, city and postal code based on Google Analytics data)
The pages, files, documents, and links that you visit and engage with
The domain of the website that referred you to this website (the last website you visited before visiting this one)

Additionally, to better understand our visitors and supporters, we may ask that you share additional information about you or your experience (such as your city or state, age) Your participation would be voluntary, and unless specifically stated otherwise in the request, the information you provide will not be connected with your personally identifiable information.

Social Media

When you access or interact with the MDAH through a social media service such as Facebook or Instagram, we may have visibility to your profile name and other information you have made public in connection with that particular social media service. The social media companies may collect and share with us anonymous aggregate metrics regarding use, such as the total number of clicks, shares, users’ demographics (e.g., age range, gender, location). These social media companies are not operated by MDAH; use of their services is governed by the privacy policies of the social media companies.

If You Send Us Personal Information

MDAH websites will only collect personal information that you knowingly and voluntarily provide by, for example, sending emails, completing membership forms, registering for classes, events, or other programs, or responding to surveys. If you provide us with personal information, we will respond to your inquiry, request, or order. We may also contact you to provide information about MDAH activities, programs, membership and development opportunities, and special events that may interest you. Except as described below, we will not share your name or information outside MDAH unless you affirmatively authorize us to do so by opting-in.

When we send you such information by email, you will always have an immediate opportunity to decline further communication. Please use the contact specified in the email so that we can remove you from the list that contains your name. If you are uncertain about whom to contact, email info@mdah.ms.gov.

MDAH uses outside vendors to provide certain services, such as companies that process credit card transactions for MDAH. These third-party vendors will have access to the information needed to perform their functions, but may not use your information for any other purpose. MDAH may occasionally share information that may include your name, address, email address, and demographic data with other charitable or cultural non-profit organizations.

Please note that MDAH also may provide your information to: (1) a Federal, State, or local law enforcement agency if MDAH becomes aware of a violation or potential violation of law or regulation; (2) a court or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if MDAH is a party or in order to comply with a subpoena; (3) the Department of Justice or in certain legal proceedings when MDAH, an employee of MDAH, or the United States is a party to litigation or has an interest in the litigation and the use of such records is deemed relevant and necessary to the litigation; (4) protect the security or integrity of MDAH websites and services; and (5) any other person or entity as required by law.

Opt-Out and User Control

Customers may opt out of emails and regular mailings by emailing info@mdah.ms.gov.

Customers can change their email communication preferences by using the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email or contacting info@mdah.ms.gov.

You may also update, review, correct, or remove any of the personal information you have given to us by emailing info@mdah.ms.gov.

Data Retention

We will retain your information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Statement unless a longer retention period is required or allowed by law.

Remember that even after you cancel your account, or if you ask us to delete your personal information, copies of some information from your account may remain viewable in some circumstances where, for example, you have shared information with social media or other services. Because of the nature of caching technology, your account may not be instantly inaccessible to others. We may also retain backup information related to your account on our servers for some time after cancellation or your request for deletion, for fraud detection or to comply with applicable law or our internal security or recordkeeping policies. It may not always be possible to completely remove or delete all of your information due to technical constraints or contractual, financial, or legal requirements.

Cookies and Pixels

Cookies

In addition to information collected automatically, we use cookies to support the internal functionality of the websites. Cookies, which are small pieces of information sent to your browser by a website that you visit, are used to track usage patterns, traffic trends and customer behavior, as well as to record other information from the website. When you register on the websites, cookies also allow us to save information so that you will not have to re-enter it the next time you visit. Many content adjustments and customer service improvements are made based on the data derived from cookies. Some MDAH websites use third-party vendors, such as Google Analytics, to place cookies and analyze the information collected by cookies in order to make MDAH websites more interesting and useful to you. No personally identifiable information is collected. Information that we collect from cookies will not be used to create profiles of individual users and will be used only in aggregate form. The data is retained for as long as necessary to support the mission of MDAH websites. You may set your browser to refuse cookies from any website that you visit. If you so choose, you may still gain access to most of MDAH’s websites, but you may not be able to conduct certain types of transactions (such as purchasing tickets, engaging in online comments or polls, submitting web forms) or take advantage of some of the interactive elements offered. You may opt-out of Google Analytics using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Additionally, some MDAH websites may use the Demographics and Interest reporting feature for Google Analytics for Display Advertising. The data provided by this service (such as age, gender, and interests) is used to better understand visitors to these websites and customize our websites to our users’ interest. You may opt-out of Google Analytics for Display Advertising by visiting Ad Settings.

Pixels

MDAH also collects non-personally identifiable information through the use of tracking pixels that appear on our pages. A tracking pixel is a transparent graphic image (usually 1 pixel x 1 pixel) that is placed on a web page and, in combination with a cookie, allows us to collect information regarding the use of the web page that contains the tracking pixel.

We use tracking pixels to trigger ads on participating websites based on activity tracked from the browser on a device used to visit MDAH websites. We also use them to tell when an advertisement we run on another website has been clicked on by MDAH website visitors, and we use that information to judge which advertisements are more appealing to users.

To opt out of these tracking pixels and services, please follow this link to opt out of the Google Analytics-based tools (https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/), the Facebook Pixel (https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads), and the Bing Pixel (https://choice.microsoft.com/en-US/opt-out).

Children and Privacy

MDAH’s websites are intended to be accessible and enjoyed by general audiences. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13, without first providing the parent or legal guardian with notice and obtaining prior verifiable consent. If a visitor known to be a child sends an email to MDAH, we will use the address to respond to the writer and not to create profiles or otherwise retain the information.

Security

MDAH takes reasonable steps to design and manage our websites’ technology to ensure that its information technology systems, applications, and information technology infrastructure are secure. When you use your credit card for any purchase or donation on a MDAH website, that transaction is encrypted using “Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)” encryption to protect your credit card information when traveling over the internet. Further, we comply with Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards that require credit card processing to be secure.

Linking

Within MDAH’s websites are embedded applications, plug-ins, widgets, and other content links to non-MDAH websites. These sites operate independently of MDAH and have their own privacy policies. MDAH is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of non-MDAH websites, and such link is not intended to be an endorsement of the non-MDAH website or its content. For your protection, you should review the privacy policy of the site you linked to from our website.