State of California Department of Finance Privacy Policy

The Department of Finance (Finance) is committed to protecting the privacy rights of individuals and any personal information submitted and collected via the department’s public website, as specified in the Information Practices Act (IPA) of 1977 (Civil Code Section 1798 et seq) and as described in Government Code Section 11019.9 and Management Memo 2000-14 (www.documents.dgs.ca.gov).

The Information Practices Act of 1977 (Civil Code Section 1798) restricts State agencies in the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of personal and confidential information relating to individuals via their websites. With specific exceptions, individuals may obtain copies of personal information pertaining to them in State records.

Electronically collected personal information, as defined in the Information Practices Act is information collected via Finance’s website that identifies or describes an individual including, but not limited to, name, Social Security number, physical description, home address, home telephone number, education, financial matters and medical or employment history. Finance only collects the personal information that is appropriate for the type of service requested. Finance adheres to the following principles of privacy policy.

Collection And Management of Personal Information

  • Finance may only obtain personally identifiable information through lawful means. The purposes for which personally identifiable data are collected shall be specified at or prior to the time of collection, and any subsequent use of the data shall be limited to and consistent with the fulfillment of those purposes previously specified.
  • Finance limits the collection of personal information to what is relevant to the purpose for which it is needed. Personal information will not be disclosed, made available, or otherwise used for purposes other than those specified at the time of collection, except with the consent of the individual, or as required by law or regulation.
  • This policy is the general means by which personal data is protected against loss, unauthorized access, use, modification, or disclosure and shall be posted at the department, unless the disclosure of those general means would compromise legitimate agency objectives or law enforcement purposes.
  • Finance will not disclose personal and confidential information relating to individuals to unauthorized persons or entities.
  • Finance employees will not seek out or use personal or confidential information relating to others for their own interest or advantage. Intentional violation of this rule may be cause for disciplinary action, including dismissal from State service.

Access to Personal Records

  • All individuals who are the subject of records collected via Finance’s website and maintained by Finance have the right to inquire and be notified as to whether a record pertaining to him/her is maintained by Finance. An individual requesting access to information or to make corrections due to inaccuracies must make such a request in writing when the disclosure cannot be made directly to the subject of the records. Access will be at a reasonable place determined by the record holder.
  • Upon proper identification, any individual who requests access to a record pertaining to himself/herself will be granted access as quickly as practical, but no later than 30 days after the request for active records or 60 days for records stored in the State Records Center. “Proper identification” may be personal recognition or photo and signature identification.
  • In allowing an individual to see or obtain copies of information about himself/herself, any confidential information relating to another individual shall be deleted. If Finance refuses access to an individual to information pertaining to himself/herself because the information is deemed “confidential,” it shall inform the individual of that fact in writing, stating the reason for refusal.

Electronic Information

Finance does not collect IP addresses, cookies, operating system version, or browser information from persons who simply visit Finance’s public website. Finance only monitors traffic to our website for statistical purposes.

Though Finance does not collect or store cookies, all devices that access websites collect cookies from the websites visited.  The cookies will remain on your computer unless specifically deleted. You can manage your cookies by accessing your browser’s settings and preferences menu to prevent them from being placed on your computer or to delete them from your computer. Be advised that some websites may not work properly if you block cookies within your computer.

Electronically collected personal information is exempt from requests made under the Public Records Act.

Government Code section 11015.5 prohibits all state agencies from distributing or selling any electronically collected personal information about users to any third party without the permission of the user. Finance does not sell any electronically collected personal information. Any distribution of electronically collected personal information will be solely for the purposes for which it was provided to us.

Finance may provide or distribute certain lists and statistical reports of regulatory information as provided by law, but no personal information is sold or distributed, and all relevant legal protections still apply to Finance’s website.

If you have any further questions, comments or require more information about Finance’s privacy policy, you may contact us at:

Department of Finance
Attn:  Privacy Officer
915 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 445-3274

Effective Date: 08/21/2023
Reviewed/Revised Date: 08/21/2023