South Carolina State Museum. Columbia, South Carolina, Museum, Attraction, Planetarium, Observatory, 4D Theater, Exhibitions

Museum Privacy Policy

The South Carolina Museum Website is a creation and a service of the South Carolina State Museum. The term “we” in this policy refers to the South Carolina State Museum.

Your privacy and security are our highest priority.

The SC State Museum collects from users only the personal information necessary to provide the information and services requested by them. Personal information in our possession is maintained and used in ways that respect individual privacy. Employees are educated about the importance of protecting personal information and consumer privacy, and only authorized employees are officially granted access to personal information.

The SC State Museum will not disclose personal information collected from users to private third parties unless the law requires such disclosure. Laws do exist in the State of South Carolina to ensure government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by a government agency. At the same time, however, there are exceptions to the public’s right to access certain records in order to preserve the privacy of individuals. Such exceptions are authorized by both State and Federal law. Information collected from users by The SC Museum Website, similarly to information collected during in-person visits, may be subject to inspection and copying by the public, unless an exemption exists in law. In the event there is a conflict between this Privacy Statement and a State or Federal law governing the disclosure of public records, the applicable law shall control.

The Family Privacy Protection Act of 2002 prohibits persons or private entities from using personal information obtained from State agencies for commercial solicitation purposes. A person knowingly violating this prohibition is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to the penalties specified in S.C. Code Ann. Section 30-2-50(D).

Depending on the situation, we may collect the following information about visitors to our Web site:

The domain name and or IP address

The e-mail addresses of those who communicate with us via e-mail

Aggregate information about which pages consumers access or visit

Information volunteered by the consumer, such as survey information

This information is used to improve the scope and content of the museum’s services on the Internet, and in some cases to respond to you.

 

Cookies

Cookies are short and simple text files that are stored on a user’s computer hard drive by web sites. They are used to keep track of and store information so the user does not have to supply the information multiple times. The information that is collected through cookies at this site is handled in the same manner as other information collected here. You can configure your web browser to refuse cookies or to notify you when a web site attempts to send you a cookie. You can also check your hard drive for cookie files and delete them from your computer.

 

Email Correspondence

E-mail messages will be treated the same as any other written communication. They may be subject to public inspection or legal disclosure. Please do not put confidential and personal information such as social security number, date of birth, bank account and credit card information, mother’s maiden name or medical information in your non-secure e-mail communications to the State Museum. Your privacy cannot be protected or insured by the State Museum during email or unsecured web form transmission.

If you send an E-mail message or complete a web form which contains personal information, we collect and store the following information:

Any personally identifying information, which you choose to provide (for example your mailing address), in an electronic mail message or web form requesting information, any comments on policies, or issues. Information collected in this manner is used solely for information and, in some cases, to respond to you. An email automatically includes your email address and certain routing information, including your internet server.

 

Links to Other Websites

This web site has links to other websites. These include links to websites operated by other governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private businesses. Many of these sites may not be subject to the South Carolina Code of Laws, or may operate under different privacy standards. Visitors to those websites are advised to review the privacy statements of those sites. Neither the State nor South Carolina State Museum is responsible for any content on a linked site.

 

Contact Information

The State Museum welcomes comments regarding this privacy statement. Please convey any questions or concerns to:

The South Carolina State Museum Website
301 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29201
803.898.4953