Website Disclaimer and Privacy Policy

Disclaimer

The Town of Sterling maintains this website to enhance public access to Town services and information.  The Town aims to keep the information accurate and timely, but cannot guarantee this in every case.  The Town provides no warranty of any kind, and shall not be liable for any claim for damages relating to electronic access or transmission related to the website. The content of the website may change from time to time without notice.  If misleading, inaccurate or otherwise inappropriate information is brought to our attention, a reasonable effort will be made to fix or remove it.  Please notify the Webmaster of any web page errors that you find as you use this website.  Content errors should be directed to the department / committee / board / official responsible for the content.

Links Policy

In order to provide the community with easy access to a broad range of public information and to avoid duplicating existing content, the Town's website may provide links to external websites. Any text, link or other reference to these web pages or sites does not constitute endorsement or support by the Town for the organization, or its website.  The Town is not responsible for the content and links of the websites maintained by outside organizations.

Appropriate websites the Town links to include those that have a legitimate public purpose or are related to Sterling government services, programs and information. It is our policy not to link to sites devoted solely to commercial sales, those of a partisan nature, or those which advocate a particular point of view.  Linking to for-profit businesses and enterprises is only acceptable if the business furthers the goals of the Town (e.g. a Health Department link to a local hospital or a Library link to a local newspaper).

Privacy Policy

Your privacy is one of our top priorities.  The following policy applies only to the use of the Town of Sterling website. Information is collected by this site for statistical purposes.  When you visit the Town of Sterling website, the system automatically collects and stores the Internet Protocol (IP) address and domain name used. The IP address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet Service Provider or directly to your computer. This is the same information collected by most websites.

This information is used to improve the content and delivery of our Web services and to help understand how people are using Town services and what technology they use to access the site. The Town analyzes our Website logs to improve the value of the materials and services available on our site and the ease of accessing them. The Town makes no attempt to link the logs with the individuals who browse our site.

Use of Personal Information

Personal information is information that is readily identifiable to a specific individual, and includes such things as an individual's name, address, phone number and email address.  A domain name or Internet protocol address is not considered personal information.

We collect no personal information about you unless you voluntarily participate in an activity that asks for information (e.g., subscribing to email notification lists, sending an email from within our website, or filling out a form on our website). If you choose not to participate in these activities, your choice will in no way affect your ability to use any other feature of our website.

If during your visit to the Town of Sterling website you subscribe to an email notification list or send an email, the following additional information will be collected:  the email address and contents of the email.

We use your email to respond appropriately. Form information is used for the purpose designated. Please note that email and form information is a public record.

Control of personal information

We do not sell, rent or share any personally identifiable information collected through this website. However, once you voluntarily submit personally identifiable information to us through an e-mail or online form, its dissemination is governed by applicable laws and regulations.  If personal information is required on the website or volunteered by the user, this information is a public record once you provide it, and may be subject to public inspection and copying if not protected by federal or state law.

What we provide to third parties

The Town of Sterling offers services online as a means to improve services and to make them more convenient and accessible. If during your visit to the Town of Sterling website you access services (e.g. online payments), we will collect additional information related directly to the service you are accessing. We will limit the information requested to only that required to conduct the service. We will not use the information for any other purpose without your permission except if required by law.  If you have a concern, you may wish to conduct transactions via a phone, regular mail, or during a personal visit.

Public Access to Information

In the State of Massachusetts, laws exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by state and local government. At the same time, there are certain limited exceptions to the public's right to access public records.

The information that you provide and we collect is retained in accordance with MGL c.66, 950 CMR 32.00 In some limited cases the information may be exempt from these regulations and we will identify it as such.  

Policy Changes

We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Disclaimer Statement at any time, without prior notice.  Any and all changes will be posted on this page.

Acceptance

The use of the Town of Sterling website indicates your unconditional acceptance of the above disclaimers and statements. You further agree that the Town of Sterling and its Staff have no liability for direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, or consequential damages with respect to the information, services, or content contained on or otherwise accessed through this web site.

Contact Information

For questions and comments regarding this Privacy Statement, please use the "Contact Us" form.