Please select a topic:
Transaction Security
When you are performing credit card transactions on the Cuesta College Web Site, you are utilizing our secure server, which encrypts all of your personal information, including name, address, and credit card number. Encryption ensures that no one can access or use your personal information. With encryption the information cannot be read as it travels over the Internet. Additionally, credit card numbers are used only for payment processing and are not retained for other purposes. We collect only the information required to process orders. When your credit card information is transmitted to our Merchant Service for validation, it is encrypted and only our Merchant Service has the key that will unencrypt that data. Please keep in mind that e-mail does not use SSL encryption technology and we advise against sending credit card information to us via e-mail. We will not be responsible for the confidentiality of any personal or credit card information transmitted via e-mail.
Our 128-bit encryption is implemented on SSL 3.0 with a certificate
from Thawte and IPSCA. SSL encryption is active in all areas where
credit card transaction information is requested. You can check
to see that you have entered an SSL-active area by looking on the
bottom of your screen. If you see an unbroken key or a closed lock
(depending on your browser), you will know that SSL technology is
in place and ready to encrypt your information. How to check if
you are on a secure page? Look up at your address line at the top
of your browser page for the (http://). You will notice in the address
line, that there is an (https://) rather than an (http://). The
(s) indicates that you are on a secure page. Also, you'll see a
key or a closed lock icon depending on your browser. These symbols
tell you that any information you send to us will be "scrambled"
using SSL technology. SSL uses "Public-Key Encryption"
to exchange a session key between you and our server. This session
key is used to encrypt (or scramble) your transaction twice - when
it is sent and when it is received. If you are using a security-enabled
browser, your information is secure. Please note that in some systems,
such as myCuesta registration and payment screens, the secure window
is wrapped in a frame and therefore the security symbols may not
necessarily appear. These pages are still using SSL technology,
and your protection is top priority.
Top | Cuesta Home How we collect information
When you visit our Web pages or utilize transaction features on our site, Cuesta College's web servers automatically collect information about you. Some information is detected electronically, and is collected without your direct input. Other information may be voluntarily provide by you as you place an order, fill out forms (personal information, meeting or course registration, guest book, parking registration, etc.), or send us e-mail.
Information you involuntarily provide When you visit Cuesta's web site, our server automatically logs information about your visit:
- Web site
address from which you linked to us
- Type of
browser you are using
- Country
from which you are accessing the Internet
- Time
and date of your visit
- Length
of visit
- Pages
viewed
- Your
Internet Provider (IP) address
We use this
information to learn about our visitors as a group--not about you as
an individual. This information helps us identify overall usage patterns
and trends on the site. Additionally, we may use this information for
any of the following purposes:
- Identify
how much traffic various areas of the site receive
- Identify
peak and off-usage times and days. (This helps us determine when to
schedule site maintenance) Identify which other Web Sites send visitors
to our site
- Determine
the number of visitors from various locations
- Optimize
the site for common browsers used to access the site
The above
information is used by software programs on our Web Site to create summary
statistics which allow us to assess the number of visitors to the different
sections of our site, identify what information is of most and least interest,
determine technical design specifications, monitor system performance,
and help us make our site more useful to visitors.
Top | Cuesta
Home
Information you voluntarily provide via interactive
web based forms
There are
several transaction sites on the Cuesta College web site that allow users
to send money to the college. These transactions involve submission of
some kind of electronic form. When you use online (or traditional printed)
forms, you voluntarily provide Cuesta College with the following information:
- Your
name
- Home
and/or work postal addresses
- Home
and/or work phone
- Home
and/or work email addresses
- Your
credit card type number and expiration date
Additional
information may be gathered, depending on the nature of the form. This
information may include, but not be limited to, the following:
- Your
age and birth date
- Comments,
suggestions or feedback
- Documents
you would like to obtain from the college
-
Literary resources you wish to view
-
Forum discussion
-
Social Security number
-
Courses you are interested in
-
Vehicle model and license information
Top | Cuesta
Home
Information you provide when you send us e-mail
When you
send us e-mail and request a response, we use the e-mail address you have
provided to respond to your inquiry. We may periodically log the nature
of these e-mail requests to help us analyze visitor interests overall
and identify areas for improvement on the site.
You also may decide to send us personally identifying information, (for
example your mailing address) in an electronic mail message requesting
that information be mailed to you. Information collected in this
manner is used solely for responding to requests for information
or records. We may forward your E-mail to other Cuesta employees
who are better able to respond to you.
If you are using our my.cuesta.edu email system, the
privacy policy governing Gmail may be found here.
Top | Cuesta
Home
Use of "cookies"
Cookies are small text files placed in your computer system to
track certain pieces of information about your browser and your
interaction with a web site. Cuesta College uses cookies for a variety
of technology applications on our site to verify your credentials
and keep you logged into secure areas, but we do not collect any
data from cookies other than what is needed to diagnose or maintain
our systems.
Top | Cuesta
Home
Third-party use of information
Cuesta College will not sell, trade, rent or disclose any personal
information that you provide to us on-line to third parties unless
specifically noted. Student email systems may be exempt from this
provision for security purposes. All information will be kept private
and confidential.
Top | Cuesta
Home
External Sites
This site
contains links to other external sites. Cuesta College is not responsible
for the privacy practices, content or availability of any linked, external
Web sites.
Thank you
for taking the time to educate yourself about the ways in which Cuesta
College collects, uses, and stores the information that you provide. Please
revisit this site on occasion to make sure that you have viewed the most
recent version of the privacy policy and security statement. Cuesta College
reserves the right to change any of the information listed on this document
and will notify users of any changes by posting the new version of this
document to the site at the Security Statement & Privacy Policy link.
Top | Cuesta
Home |