Web Privacy Statement

Thank you for visiting The Pennsylvania State University (“Penn State”) website. This Web Privacy Statement generally describes the privacy practices for Penn State’s homepage, www.psu.edu, including how we collect and process personal data. By using the Penn State website, you are consenting to our collection and use of information in accordance with this Web Privacy Statement.

Please note that Penn State is comprised of many colleges, campuses, affiliates, units, and activities, all of which may have individual representation on the web and may therefore have separate web privacy statements detailing their privacy practices. Some Penn State websites may also contain links to other websites, which will have their own privacy practices. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites.

Collection, Use, and Sharing of Information

Penn State does not require you to identify yourself while using our public webpages linked from www.psu.edu. Penn State public webpages do not collect your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) (as defined by Penn State Policy AD53), but we may automatically collect and store general information about you and your visit to our public webpages, but that information does not identify you personally unless you choose to provide your personal information. The information that we collect is used to track how users interact with our website, so that we can improve the user’s experience and make other improvements to the services and resources that we make available via Penn State’s websites. In addition, anonymous information collected during your visit can be associated with you, if you choose to provide your personal information during your visit. The information that we collect includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• The IP address from which you access our website

• The name of the domain from which you access the Internet

• The type of browser and operating system used to access our website

• The date and time you access our site

• The pages, files, documents, and links that you visit

• The advertisement or link that you click on to get to our website (referral data)

• The Internet address of the website from which you linked to this website

The information that we collect automatically is stored and used in aggregate form only and is not used to contact you personally. We may also collect other information as described in this Web Privacy Statement.

Penn State may share information with contracted non-Penn State entities, third-party vendors, or service providers to provide services to you on our behalf or, in limited circumstances, offer ads that may be of interest to you. Penn State may also offer opportunities for you to opt-in to receive information from non-Penn State entities. If you opt-in, you may receive correspondence from these organizations on programs, products, or services that might interest you. You will always have the opportunity to opt-out with these organizations directly by using their unsubscribe or opt-out process.

Cookies, Other Websites, and Website Activity

When you visit our website(s), we may store some information on your computer in the form of a cookie. Cookies are small text files placed on your computer used to collect standard Internet log information and visitor behavior information in an anonymous form. Cookies allow us to tailor our website to better match your interests and preferences. Information that we gather from cookies is not linked to any of your personally identifiable information while on our site, unless you choose to provide your personal information during your visit. You can accept or decline cookies at your discretion. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser settings to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience all features and content of our website.

Some Penn State webpages may also have cookies that originate from third parties. These “third-party cookies” may, for example, originate from websites such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, or other social media services for which www.psu.edu has implemented “plug-ins.” Since the cookie policies of these sites change over time, you should review their policies by visiting the privacy policy pages of these sites directly.

Google Analytics and Other Marketing Tools

Penn State may use Google Analytics, as well as other similar tools, as business needs arise, to help analyze how users interact with our websites and, in some cases, to provide our users with more personalized content. The third-party tools typically utilize cookies but may also use pixel gifs or beacons. The information generated by the cookie and/or beacons about your use of Penn State websites is transmitted to these tools. This information is then used to evaluate visitors' use of the website and to compile statistical reports on activity for our websites.

We may use Google Analytics to aggregate and track non-identifiable visitor information for the following business purposes: remarketing across devices with Google Analytics, Google Display Network Impression Reporting, DoubleClick (Google Ads), Google Analytics Demographics, and Interest Reporting.

If you would like to opt-out of Google Analytics tracking, Google has provided a plugin for most browsers that enables this functionality. Learn more about how the plugin works and how to install it. Google Analytics also provides you with the ability to modify and delete the information that Google tracks for remarketing purposes by visiting Google's ad settings page. You can also disable collection of any demographic data on that page. Additionally, you are able to modify and delete the information that Google tracks for remarketing purposes by visiting Google's ad settings page. You also have the option of disabling collection of any demographic data on that page.

Information Protection

Penn State uses reasonable security measures to protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of the formation under our control. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure.

For additional information pertaining to security at Penn State, please refer to Penn State Policy AD95, Information Assurance and IT Security, and AD96, Acceptable Use of University Resources or visit security.psu.edu.

Comments

Questions and comments about this Web Privacy Statement or Penn State’s Privacy Policy, AD53, may be directed to us via email at privacy@psu.edu. Penn State is a large organization with many people sharing responsibility for the content of its websites. Please help us respond to your comments and inquiries by sending them to the appropriate Penn State office.

Last updated: September 2019