Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 25, 2023

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

When you visit our website to browse, read pages, submit forms, or download information, we automatically collect and store the following information:

  • The Internet domain and IP address from which you access our portal;
  • The date and time you access our site;
  • The pages you visit;
  • If you linked to this website from another website, the address of that website.
  • IP addresses, which are numbers automatically assigned to a computer when using the Internet;
  • The type of browser and operating system used to access the site;
  • The search terms used to get to the website, in addition to search terms used in the site’s search engine;
  • The dates and times users access the site;
  • The type of device used to access the site;
  • How often users visit the site;
  • The pages users visit within the site;
  • The links made to other websites through this site;
  • Pages users scrolled to the bottom;
  • Clicks on links leading away from this website; and
  • Files that were downloaded.

The NCMNS Website (https://naturalsciences.org) uses this information to help make the site more useful to visitors, to learn about the number of visitors to the site and the types of technology visitors use.

The state uses Google Analytics measurement software to collect the information listed above. The data is automatically sent to Google’s system and the system immediately aggregates the data. Neither the Museum nor Google ever have access to the specifics of your particular site visits. The staff can only see the aggregate data from all users for a particular time period.

The state gathers this information to improve our websites and has chosen to not share the aggregate data with Google. We may use the aggregated data to share with our partners and contractors to help improve visitor experiences.

Website Security

For website security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Use of this site constitutes consent to such monitoring. Unauthorized attempts to upload information and/or change information on this website are strictly prohibited and subject to legal action to include the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986.

Public Disclosure

Government records in North Carolina generally are public in nature. The public policy of the State of North Carolina as established by the General Assembly is to 'provide that, as a general rule, the public would have liberal access to public records.'

The North Carolina Public Records Law states that public records 'shall mean all documents papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data-processing records, artifacts, or other documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance in connection with the transaction of public business by any agency of North Carolina or its subdivisions.' For information to be confidential, a specific provision must be made in the law.

Email

If you email us and include personal information, we may use that information in responding to your request. Email is not necessarily secure or confidential. Send only the information that is necessary for us to answer your question or process your request. The email is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law.

Cookies

A persistent cookie is generally defined as a piece of data that is stored on the user's hard drive. We do not use persistent cookies on our website or in our web applications.

Temporary or session cookies are used on all NCMNS Website (https://naturalsciences.org) pages. These cookies are stored in memory and are only available during an active browser session. Session cookies are also used by some of the applications deployed on our web site to temporarily save information entered by a user as long as the user's browser is open. These cookies do not collect personal information on users, and they are erased as soon as you close your web browser. No personally identifiable information about you is maintained as a result of a temporary or session cookie.

You can configure your web browser to accept or decline cookies, or to alert you when cookies are in use. You do not have to accept cookies from us, but if you choose not to, some of the functions on our site may not be available to you.

Interaction with Children Online

The State is committed to the protection of children’s online privacy. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) governs information gathered online from or about children under the age of 13. Verifiable consent from a child’s parent or guardian is required before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from a child under age 13. If a State agency website intends to collect information from children under 13 years old, COPPA-required information and instructions will be provided by the specific web page that collects information about the child. The web page will specify exactly what the information will be used for, who will see it, and how long it will be kept.

Links to Other Sites

Our site provides links to other websites. The privacy policies described here do not necessarily apply to any external sites. Read the privacy policies of other sites you visit. Be informed. You are the person best qualified to protect your own privacy.

Disclaimer

All information provided in this website is believed to be accurate and reliable; however, the state of North Carolina assumes no responsibility for the use of this information.

Additional Policies and Pages

Several sections of our website are subject to additional privacy policies, referred to as extended policies. Please see the table below for links to those policies and the pages they apply to. When the terms and conditions in an extended policy (listed in the table below) conflicts with the policies in this document, the extended policy preempts this policy.

Section Pages Link
Purchases (Blackbaud/Altru) https://3947.blackbaudhosting.com/3947/* Privacy Policy
Online Store (Shopify) https://store.naturalsciences.org/* Shopify Privacy Policy

Note: Asterisks represent wildcards for matching web addresses. For example, pages represented by https://3947.blackbaudhosting.com/3947/* correspond to any webpage with an address that begins with https://3947.blackbaudhosting.com/3947/, such as https://3947.blackbaudhosting.com/3947/Annual-Fund.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page. We will update the 'Last updated' date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you can contact: