Privacy Policy

The California Travel & Tourism Commission (the “Commission” ) is a 501c6 organization and recognizes that its members, visitors, users, and others (collectively or individually “Users”) who use www.visitcalifornia.com (the “Website”) value their privacy. This Privacy Notice details important information regarding the use and disclosure of User information collected on the Website. The Commission provides this Privacy Notice to help you make an informed decision about whether to use or continue using the Website.

This Privacy Notice is incorporated into and is subject to our Terms of Use. Your use of the Website and any personal information you provide on the Website remains subject to the terms of this Privacy Notice and our Terms of Use.

Please note that any audio recording, composition, video, image, or other content posted at the direction of Users onto the Website becomes published content and is not considered personally identifiable information subject to this Privacy Notice.

Commission Privacy Policy

The Privacy Policy includes, but is not limited to, the following principles:

(a) Personally identifiable information may only be obtained through lawful means.

(b) 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.

(c) Personal data may not be disclosed, made available, or otherwise used for a purpose other than those specified, except with the consent of the subject of the data, or as required by law or regulation.

(d) Personal data collected shall be relevant to the purpose for which it is needed.

(e) The general means by which personal data is protected against loss, unauthorized access, use, modification, or disclosure shall be posted, unless the disclosure of those general means would compromise legitimate agency objectives or law enforcement purposes.

(f) Consumers can request deletion of personal information collected from them

(g) The Commission does not sell personal information.

The Information Commission Collects

User Provided Information: In order to operate the Website and to provide you with information about services that may be of interest to you, we may collect “personal information” (i.e., information that could be used to contact you directly (without using the Website) such as full name, postal address, phone number or email address, and any other identifier that permits the physical or online contacting of a specific user), “demographic information” (i.e., information that you submit, or that we collect, that is neither personal information nor financial information; this may include but is not limited to your zip code, postal code, hometown, gender, username, age/birth date, occupation, interests and the content of communications between you and other members over the Websites). Nowhere on the website do we knowingly collect personal information from minors under the age of 18.
Cookies Information: When you visit the Website, we may send one or more cookies, a small text file containing a string of alphanumeric characters, to your computer or mobile device that uniquely identifies your browser. The Commission uses both session cookies and persistent cookies. A persistent cookie remains after you close your browser. Persistent cookies may be used by your browser on subsequent visits to the site. Persistent cookies can be removed by following your web browser help file directions. A session cookie is temporary and disappears after you close your browser. You can reset your web browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, some features of the Website may not function properly if the ability to accept cookies is disabled. If you wish to opt out of cookies that allow us to serve advertisements while you are in California and collect aggregate information on website features influence visitation, go to: Cookie Management.
Log File Information: When you use the Website, our servers automatically record certain information that your web browser sends whenever you visit the Website. These server logs may include information such as your web request, Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, browser type, browser language, referring / exit pages and URLs, platform type, number of clicks, domain names, landing pages, pages viewed and the order of those pages, the amount of time spent on particular pages, the date and time of your request, and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser.
Clear GIFs Information: When you use the Website, we may employ “clear GIFs” (a.k.a. Web Beacons) which are used to track the online usage patterns of our Users anonymously (i.e., in a non-personally-identifiable manner). In addition, we may also use clear GIFs in HTML-based emails sent to our users to track which emails are opened by recipients.

The Way the Commission Uses Your Personal Information

If you submit personally identifiable information to us through the Website, then we will use your personal information to operate, maintain, and provide to you the features and functionality of the Website. We also use your email address and your other personal information in order to contact you in connection with your activities on the Website (including, but not limited to, confirmation emails, important news about the Website and so on). To operate the Website, including supporting your activities on the Website, we may share your personal information with our agents, representatives, contractors and service providers so they can provide us with support services such as email origination, receipt or support services and customer relationship management services.
Any video recordings that you submit to the Website may be viewed by the general public.
We do not use your email address or other personally identifiable information to send commercial or marketing messages without your consent or except as part of a specific program or feature for which you will have the ability to opt-in or opt-out. We may, however, use your email address without further consent for non-marketing or administrative purposes (such as notifying you of major changes to the Website or for customer service purposes).
We use both your personally identifiable information and certain non-personally-identifiable information (such as anonymous User usage data, cookies, IP addresses, browser type, clickstream data, etc.) to improve the quality and design of the Website and to create new features, promotions, functionality, and services by storing, tracking, and analyzing User preferences and trends.
We use cookies, clear gifs, and log file information to: (a) remember information so that you will not have to re-enter it during your visit or the next time you visit the Website; (b) provide custom, personalized content and information; (c) monitor the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns; (d) monitor aggregate metrics such as total number of visitors, pages viewed, etc.; and (e) track your entries, submissions, and status in promotions, sweepstakes, and contests.

When the Commission Discloses Information

We do not share your personally identifiable information (such as name or email address) with other, third-party companies for their commercial or marketing use without your consent or except as part of a specific program or feature for which you will be informed and will have the ability to opt-in or opt-out.
We do share non-personally-identifiable information (such as anonymous User usage data, referring / exit pages and URLs, platform types, number of clicks, etc.) with interested third-parties to assist them in understanding the usage patterns for certain content, services, advertisements, promotions, and/or functionality on the Website.
We may release personally identifiable information and/or non-personally-identifiable information if required to do so by law, or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with state and federal laws or respond to a court order, subpoena, or search warrant.
The Commission also reserves the right to disclose personally identifiable information and/or non-personally-identifiable information that the Commission believes, in good faith, is appropriate or necessary to enforce our Terms of Use, in order to take precautions against liability, to investigate and defend the Commission against any third-party claims or allegations, to assist government enforcement agencies, to protect the security or integrity of our web site, and to protect the rights, property, or personal safety of the Commission, our Users or others.

Third-party Advertisers, Links to Other Sites

The Commission allows other companies, called third-party ad servers or ad networks, to serve advertisements within the Website. These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to send, directly to your browser, the advertisements and links that appear on the Website. They automatically receive your IP address when this happens. They may also use other technologies (such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons) to record your general location, measure the effectiveness of their advertisements, and to personalize the advertising content you see including serving you advertisements.

The Commission does not provide any personally identifiable information to these third-party ad servers or ad networks without your consent or except as part of a specific program or feature for which you will have the ability to opt-in or opt-out. However, please note that if an advertiser asks the Commission to show an advertisement to a certain audience or audience segment and you respond to that advertisement, the advertiser or ad-server may conclude that you fit the description of the audience they are trying to reach. The advertiser may also use information regarding your use of the Website, such as the number of times you viewed an ad (but not any personally identifiable information), to determine which ads to deliver to you.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers or ad networks (see links below) for more information on their practices and for instructions on how to opt-out of certain practices. The Commission's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

Currently, the Commission has relationships with the following third-party ad servers or ad networks: Google Ad Manager.

Our Commitment to Data Security

The Commission uses commercially reasonable physical, managerial, and technical safeguards to preserve the integrity and security of your personal information. We cannot, however, ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to the Commission and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission of information, the Commission makes commercially reasonable efforts to ensure the security of our systems. However, please note that this is not a guarantee that such information may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or managerial safeguards.

If the Commission learns of a security systems breach, then we may attempt to notify you electronically so that you can take appropriate protective steps. The Commission may post a notice on the Website if a security breach occurs. Depending on where you live, you may have a legal right to receive notice of a security breach in writing. To receive a free written notice of a security breach (or to withdraw your consent from receiving electronic notice) you should notify us as provided in the section below, under the heading “Contact Information”.

Special Note to International Users

The Website is hosted in the United States and is intended for and directed to Users in the United States. If you are a User accessing the Website from the European Union, Asia, or any other region with laws or regulations governing personal data collection, use, and disclosure that differ from United States laws please be advised that, through your continued use of the Website, which is governed by U.S. law, this Privacy Notice, and our respective Terms of Use, you are transferring your personal information to the United States and you consent to that transfer.

GDPR Compliant Privacy Policy

What data do we collect?

In order to operate the Website and to provide you with information about services that may be of interest to you, we may collect “personal information” (i.e., information that could be used to contact you directly (without using the Website) such as full name, postal address, phone number or email address, and any other identifier that permits the physical or online contacting of a specific user), “demographic information” (i.e., information that you submit, or that we collect, that is neither personal information nor financial information; this may include but is not limited to your zip code, postal code, hometown, gender, username, age/birth date, occupation, interests and the content of communications between you and other members over the Websites).

How do we collect your data?

When you visit the Website, we may send one or more cookies, a small text file containing a string of alphanumeric characters, to your computer or mobile device that uniquely identifies your browser. The Commission uses both session cookies and persistent cookies. A persistent cookie remains after you close your browser. Persistent cookies may be used by your browser on subsequent visits to the site. Persistent cookies can be removed by following your web browser help file directions. A session cookie is temporary and disappears after you close your browser.

You can reset your web browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, some features of the Website may not function properly if the ability to accept cookies is disabled. If you wish to opt out of cookies that allow us to serve advertisements while you are in California and collect aggregate information on website features influence visitation, go to: Cookie Management.

How will we use your data?

If you submit personally identifiable information to us through the Website, then we will use your personal information to operate, maintain, and provide to you the features and functionality of the Website. We also use your email address and your other personal information in order to contact you in connection with your activities on the Website (including, but not limited to, confirmation emails, important news about the Website and so on). To operate the Website, including supporting your activities on the Website, we may share your personal information with our agents, representatives, contractors and service providers so they can provide us with support services such as email origination, receipt or support services and customer relationship management services.

Any video recordings that you submit to the Website may be viewed by the general public.
We do not use your email address or other personally identifiable information to send commercial or marketing messages without your consent or except as part of a specific program or feature for which you will have the ability to opt-in or opt-out. We may, however, use your email address without further consent for non-marketing or administrative purposes (such as notifying you of major changes to the Website or for customer service purposes).
We use both your personally identifiable information and certain non-personally-identifiable information (such as anonymous User usage data, cookies, IP addresses, browser type, clickstream data, etc.) to improve the quality and design of the Website and to create new features, promotions, functionality, and services by storing, tracking, and analyzing User preferences and trends.
We use cookies, clear gifs, and log file information to: (a) remember information so that you will not have to re-enter it during your visit or the next time you visit the Website; (b) provide custom, personalized content and information; (c) monitor the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns; (d) monitor aggregate metrics such as total number of visitors, pages viewed, etc.; and (e) track your entries, submissions, and status in promotions, sweepstakes, and contests.

How do we store your data?

The Commission securely stores your data via third-party vendors.

Personal information shared to receive a California Visitor Guide or International Visitor Guide is stored by third-party vendor PFC.
Personal information shared to receive e-newsletters is stored by third-party vendor Zeta.
Personal information shared to create a log-in to VisitCalifornia.com is stored by third-party vendor AuthO.

What are your data protection rights?

The Commission would like to make sure you are fully aware of all your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following:

The right to access – You have the right to request the Commission for copies of your personal data.
The right to rectification – You have the right to request that the Commission correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request the Commission to complete the information that you believe is incomplete.
The right to erasure – You have the right to request that the Commission erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that the Commission restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to the Commission’s processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to data portability – You have the right to request that the Commission transfer the data we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights please contact us at our email: privacy@visitcalifornia.com

Cookies

Cookies are text files placed on your computer to collect standard Internet log information and visitor behavior information. When you visit our websites, we may collect information from you automatically through cookies or similar technology

For further information, visit allaboutcookies.org.

How to manage cookies

You can set your browser not to accept cookies, and the above website tells you how to remove cookies from your browser. However, in a few cases, some of our website features may not function as a result.

Privacy policies of other websites

The Commission’s website contains links to other websites. Our privacy policy applies only to our website, so if you click on a link to another website you should read their privacy policy.

In the Event of Merger, Sale, Bankruptcy or Substantial Change of Control

In the event that the Commission is acquired by or merged with a third party entity, we reserve the right, in any of these circumstances, to transfer or assign the information we have collected from our Users as part of such merger, acquisition, sale, or other change of control. In the unlikely event of our bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, or assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the application of laws or equitable principles affecting creditors' rights generally, we may not be able to control how your personal information is treated, transferred, or used.

How to Change Your Personally Identifiable Information

After registering, you may review and request to make changes to your personally identifiable information at any time. You may review and/or make changes to your personally identifiable information by emailing privacy@visitcalifornia.com.

Changes and updates to this Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice may be revised periodically and this will be reflected by the “effective date” below. When we make any changes to our Privacy Policy, we will send a notice to your account informing you that certain changes have been made and encouraging you to revisit this web page.

In general, we only use your personal information in the manner described in the Privacy Notice in effect when we received the personal information you provided. Your continued use of the Website constitutes your agreement to this Privacy Notice and any future revisions.

For revisions to this Privacy Notice that may be materially less restrictive on our use or disclosure of the personal information you have already provided to us, we will attempt to obtain your consent before implementing such revisions with respect to such information. To protect your privacy and security, we take reasonable steps (such as requesting a unique password) to verify your identity before granting you profile access or making corrections. You are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your unique password and account information at all times.

Please contact the Commission with any questions or comments about this Privacy Notice, your personal information, your consent, or your opt-in or opt-out choices using this contact form.

Contact Information: Please contact the Commission with any questions or comments about this Privacy Notice using the contact information found at www.visitcalifornia.com.

Visit California will not sell your data to outside parties. If you have questions about how your data was captured, please contact us at the below address.

Email: privacy@visitcalifornia.com

Address: 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 1100, Sacramento, CA. 95814

User-Generated Content

IF YOU DO NOT WANT US TO USE OR REPUBLISH YOUR POSTED TEXT, PHOTO, VIDEO OR OTHER MATERIALS (collectively "CONTENT") AS CONTEMPLATED BELOW, THEN PLEASE DON'T RESPOND TO OUR QUESTIONS/POSTS OR OTHERWISE POST CONTENT ON OR VIA OUR OFFICIAL BRAND PRESENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. EXAMPLES OF OUR OFFICIAL BRAND PRESENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS INCLUDE THE VISIT CALIFORNIA FACEBOOK PAGE VISIT CALIFORNIA PINTEREST PAGE, VISITCALIFORNIA INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT, AND THE VISITCA TWITTER ACCOUNTS.

By posting or otherwise making available any Content, or otherwise responding to or communicating with us on or via our official brand presence on social media platforms/sites and branded hashtags (including, without limitation, Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, Instagram, Google+, Flickr, LinkedIn, YouTube and Pinterest, collectively "Social Media Platforms") you represent and warrant that you are eighteen (18) years of age or older and that you agree to the following terms and conditions:

You irrevocably grant us, and our affiliates, licensees and assigns, a royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive, unrestricted right and license to copy, reproduce, modify, edit, adapt, translate, create derivative works of, publish, post, distribute, publicly perform, sublicense, or otherwise provide to others, your Content in any and all media, formats and channels (now in existence or hereinafter developed) for any purpose, including advertising and commercial purposes.

Important Note: we may also use any ideas, suggestions, developments, and/or other material embodied in your posted Content as we see fit without any compensation or attribution to you. We will, however, attempt to credit you as the author/source of the Content and you agree that we may identify you as the author/source of the Content by referring to your Social Media Platform handle or identifier as we see appropriate.

You represent and warrant that the Content does not violate or infringe any rights of any third party, including, but not limited to, copyright, trademark, and\or rights of publicity and privacy.

Important Note: If any third-party content is included in your posted Content you must obtain permission from the content owner and attribute/credit such content to the owner. By posting Content you represent and warrant that you have the permission of the content owner to do so.

Don't post any Content that is disruptive, abusive, vulgar, profane, obscene, hateful, threatening, harassing, defamatory, or which discloses personally identifiable information or private or personal matters concerning any person;
Don't post any Content that you don't have the right to post/transmit (and grant us the rights above) under applicable law or under contractual or fiduciary relationship;
Don't impersonate any person, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;
You represent that all testimonials, endorsements and/or advertisements contained in your posted Content are truthful, accurate and represent your opinion and personal experience.
You agree to hold the Commission (sometimes referred to herein as "us" or "our") and our affiliates, agents and licensees (collectively, "Indemnitees") harmless, and defend and indemnify the Indemnitees from any claim, disputes, demands, proceedings, cause of action, judgments, damages, liabilities, losses, costs or expense of any kind and nature, known and unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed which may arise out of or are in any way connected with your posted Content and/or your use of our official brand presence on Social Media Platforms.
These terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California without giving effect to principles of conflict of laws. In no event will we be liable hereunder for extraordinary, consequential, indirect or punitive damages, including lost profits.