Privacy Statement

Purpose

This policy describes privacy practices regarding information collected from the Town of Spencer website. It contains information about what data are collected and how that information is used. This policy may be updated periodically, so please check back from time to time.

This policy applies only to the official Town of Spencer website (www.spencernc.gov or www.ci.spencer.nc.us). When you follow a link to another web site, even the site of another governmental agency, you are subject to the privacy policy of that site. You should check the privacy policies of each of these sites if you have questions about how they handle personally identifiable information.

Privacy of Email Lists and Public Records

The Town maintains e-mail lists, but only of those individuals or organizations that have specifically opted to receive updates and other information from the Town. These lists include members of the media and interested members of the general public who have specifically requested to be kept informed about Town affairs. The Town of Spencer is governed by the North Carolina Public Records Laws. This means that the information Spencer receives online might be disclosed to any person making a public records request (if you have questions about the North Carolina Public Records Laws, refer to N.C.G.S. § 132-1, et. seq.). Certain types of information (such as public enterprise billing information and the account numbers you use for electronic payment) are exempt from disclosure as public records. For purposes of determining whether information is a public record, information sent to the Town through this website is treated the same as information sent to us by mail or delivered to us in person. For example, the e-mail address you give the Town is a public record, just like a return address on an envelope or letterhead.

Automatic Collection of Certain Information

No personally identifiable information is collected from visitors who simply browse this site or who download information from it. While our web servers maintain logs of user activity to help us manage the web site, information stored in these logs does not identify you personally. The logs store things such the domain name and IP address from which you access our site, the type of browser and operating system you used, the date and time you accessed our site, the pages visited and the address of the site that you linked to us from (if you linked to our web site from another web site).

We use this information to learn how many visitors we have, where they are coming from, which parts of our web site are of most interest to visitors, and other facts that will help us improve the web site and the services we offer.

If You Send Us Personal Information

Visitors who request services through this site may be required to furnish additional information in order for us to provide the service requested. The additional information collected will be no more specific than if the visitor were requesting the service by any other means, including by telephone or an in-person visit to a Town facility. If you participate in a survey, send us an email or submit an online form, your email address and the other information you volunteered will be collected. We may share this information with other governmental agencies or organizations to provide the help you are requesting. We may also use that information to help assess user needs and analyze trends.

If you use this web site for electronic commerce, we may collect, process and disclose your name, address and payment information (if applicable) to the extent necessary to complete the online transaction and for record-keeping activities as billing, permits and licenses.

Length of Time Data Will Be Stored / How to Unsubscribe:

Unless you request that we delete any of the information you submitted when you registered for any electronic updates and/or newsletters we may offer, we may store such information indefinitely. You can “unsubscribe” to any newsletters, notices, schedules, etc., sent to you by e-mail by calling 704-633-2231.

Security

Some information that you submit to us through this web site may be protected by encryption technology, whereas other information may not. Unless a particular web page on this site indicates that encryption technology is being used, you should not assume that information you submit through that web page will be secure. If you submit information to our server through a web page containing visible indicators of active encryption technology, we will take reasonable precautions to safeguard the confidentiality of such information. However, no web site can protect itself against all eventualities. The Town will not be held liable for any injury caused by the disclosure of your information, whether by security breach, accident, inadvertence, or any other act resulting in disclosure.

Use of Cookies

Cookies or other technology may transfer information from this web site to your hard disk for record-keeping purposes. Cookies or similar technology can make the Internet more useful by storing information about your preferences on a particular site. The use of cookies or similar technology is an industry standard, and this web site, like many other websites, uses them to provide useful features for our users. Cookies in and of themselves do not personally identify you, although they do identify your computer. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. If you prefer, you can set your browser to refuse cookies. However, you may not be able to take full advantage of this web site if you do so.

Children

No applications on this web site specifically solicit information from minors or seek to determine whether the visitor is a minor. Consequently, visitors should be aware that the collection of personal information requested from or volunteered by children online or by e-mail will be treated in the same manner as information given by an adult. Among other things, this means that it may become a public record and therefore may be subject to public access. We ask that parents guide their children when children are asked to provide personal information online. We ask that children get their parents’ permission before providing any information to us.

Opting Out

While accessing our site, you may decline participation in any activity that asks for information (i.e. survey or e-mail). Your choice not to participate will in no way affect your ability to use any other feature on our site.

Terms and Conditions

Notice Specific to Documents Available on this Website

The Town of Spencer makes no representations about the suitability of the information contained in the documents and related graphics published on this server for any purpose. All such documents and related graphics are provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. Town of Spencer hereby disclaims all warranties and conditions with regard to this information, including all implied warranties and conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement. In no event shall the Town of Spencer be liable for any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tortious action, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of information available from this server.

The documents and related graphics published on this server could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically added to the information herein. The Town of Spencer may make improvements and/or changes in the document(s) and/or the program(s) described herein at any time.

Notices Regarding Software, Documents and Services Available on this Website

In no event shall the Town of Spencer be liable for any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tortious action, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of software, documents, provision of or failure to provide services, or information available from this server.

Links to Third Party Sites

The links contained within this site will let you leave Spencer’s website. The linked sites are not under the control of the Town of Spencer. The Town of Spencer is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. The Town of Spencer is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by the Town of Spencer of the site.

Notices Regarding Official Logos and Trademarks

Town Logos and all Original Graphics are registered Trademarks of the Town of Spencer, North Carolina; none of these images may be used in any form whatsoever without the express written consent of the Town of Spencer.

Public Comment Guidelines – Including the Blockage of and Removal of Comments That Do Not Comply with the Social Media Policy

The following general standards apply to all Town social media sites, accounts and platforms.

1. 1. Unless otherwise specifically noted, when the Town establishes a Town website or social media account, it does so to communicate with the public, to inform and relay official Town content. The Town therefore regulates the Town social media sites that it maintains for the following reasons:
   2. Posts on the Town social media sites appear to carry the approval of the Town and unauthorized posts on those sites can confuse people as to whether the Town endorses the post or if a specific post forms a position of the Town and whether it is the Town’s official position.
   3. The Town social media sites unless expressly noted, are not intended to operate as a traditional open public forum as there are ample open forums for purposes of expressing opinions and views.  social media and Internet sites are many and varied and offer an ever-expanding opportunity for expression over a multitude of platforms, in many different languages and countries all of which can be easily accessed through Internet searches.
   4. Where the Town social media sites have not been opened as public forum or where the Town social media sites have been opened as a limited public forum, Town staff is authorized to edit and remove unauthorized content or links posted on the Town’s social media sites as provided in this policy. All social media sites that permit public comments/postings shall include a link to the legal notices page of the Town website (e.g. This is a moderated public forum guided by community standards. Please review our standards at https://spencernc.gov/terms-conditions), which will include the following disclaimers and notice:

“In order to better serve its citizens, the Town of Spencer utilizes user engagement tools and websites, including social media channels, to provide citizens with information in more places and more ways than were traditionally available.

All Content of this site and all comments submitted to this page are public and are subject to disclosure pursuant to the state’s Public Records Law.  Please be aware that anything you post may survive deletion whether by you or others.

1. 1. Requests for emergency services should be directed to 911 not through this site.  Individual complaints, concerns, or service requests will not be addressed via social media unless the Town specifically identifies the site for that purpose.
   2. To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include sensitive personally identifiable information, such as social security numbers. The Town-hosted tools and websites should not be considered secure.
   3. Posts to this site may be edited or removed under the Town’s policy for social media sites if allowed by law and under this policy but may be preserved as a public record.
   4. The Town also reserves the right to discontinue any and all social media sites at any time.
   5. Practical and Legal considerations may sometimes constrain, prevent, or prohibit discussion by the Town of certain topics, including, but not limited to litigation, pending investigations, and other topics through various media including social media.
   6. Following or “friending” persons or organizations is not an endorsement by the Town and is only intended as a means of communication.
   7. Any references or links to a specific entity, product, service or organization posted by individuals on the Town social media sites should not be considered an endorsement by the Town or its departments, Employees or Officers.
   8. The Town does not review, sponsor, or endorse any other website(s) linked to its website or to any Town social media sites. The views and opinions of authors expressed on those websites do not necessarily state or reflect the opinion of the Town and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying any endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service by the Town, or its Employees or Agents.
   9. The Town is not responsible for content that appears on external links.
   10. The Town is not responsible for and does not guarantee the authenticity, accuracy, appropriateness or security of any link, external website or its content.
   11. Investors determining whether to invest or continue to invest in the Town’s debt offerings should not rely on information posted on the site in making their decisions to invest or not to invest; information regarding the Town’s financial position is posted on the Town website.
   12. By accessing this site, posting or commenting I acknowledge having been advised of the foregoing.

The purpose of this site is to discuss matters of public interest in and to the Town of Spencer as identified and raised by the Town for discussion. We encourage you to submit comments that are on topic, but please address your comments to the specific topic(s) discussed. This is a forum limited to the specific topics identified and raised by the Town. Users who submit content to this Town social media site agree they have read, understand and agree to the following terms and conditions by virtue of such use:

Terms of Use

1. 1. • I am submitting content voluntarily and on my own behalf.
      • The content I post reflects my own original thoughts or work. 
      • I understand that that the Town has the right to re-post or share any content, photos or videos that I submit on this or other Town social media sites.
      • I have read and understand the Policy, including the right of the Town to remove, redact or archive content as described in the Town’s policy and as may be allowed by law.
      • I understand that multiple violations of this policy may result in a public user’s comments/postings being banned from Town social media sites.
      • I understand that any content posted or submitted for posting by the public is subject to public disclosure in accordance with the State of North Carolina’s Public Records Laws.
      • I understand that public comments on the Town’s social media sites may be blocked, hidden or removed if in violation of the Town’s content-neutral comment standards. All comments/postings that are blocked, hidden or removed from Town social media sites shall be retained until such time as the Town Attorney advises otherwise.
      • I understand that unless specifically identified as a resource for receiving requests for information under the state public information laws, Town social media sites are not proper vehicles for making requests for public information or public records under state law and any such requests must be made to the appropriate custodian of the records.
      • I understand that my comments are subject to removal, redaction and archiving from this site and I understand that the comments of others are subject to removal, redaction or archiving if my or their comments contain:
      • vulgar, abusive, obscene, indecent or profane language; defamatory statements, nudity or pornographic images in comments, posts, profile pictures, or attachments.
      • personal direct attacks, hate speech that is directed at race, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability or gender identity.
      • promotion or encouragement of illegal activity.
      • the solicitation, promotion or endorsement of specific commercial services, products or entities.
      • apparent violations of the intellectual property right of the Town or a third party.
      • links to any site or content posted by automatic software programs (i.e. “bots”)
      • the promotion or endorsement of a political campaign or candidate.
      • comments not directly on the topic raised for discussion.
      • information that directly interferes or compromises ongoing investigations, public safety tactics, or the safety of the public safety officers.
      • confidential or exempt information.
      • personally identifiable information or sensitive personal information.
      1. I also understand that the views and comments expressed on this site only reflect those of the comment’s author, and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Town, its elected officials and appointed Officers and Employees or its departments and agencies.
      2. Waiver of Liability. Because various laws exist that create liability for various actions, including but without limitation defamation, invasion of privacy, false light, breach of contract, procurement violations, violations of due process among many potential areas of exposure for which the Town accepts no responsibility based on the actions of others or for hosting this social media site, I, for myself, successors and assigns, release and hold harmless and agree to indemnify the Town, including its Officers and Employees, from any and all actions, claims, liabilities and damages of whatever kind and nature arising out of or in connection with my use of the Town social media site/Account.

By posting or commenting I acknowledge that I understand these terms of use.”