This is the website of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) which includes the Department of Labor and the Department of Workforce Development, and the agencies under them. The following policy applies only to the use of the EOLWD website. Other websites operated by other Massachusetts state agencies have different policies. We strongly suggest that you read the privacy policies for each Commonwealth website that you visit, and any external site that you visit through a link appearing at this site.

In particular, please note that, although EOLWD's weblog ("blog") Commonwealth Conversations: Jobs appears to be part of this site, it is hosted by a third-party provider, Typepad. EOLWD's blog, Commonwealth Conversations: Jobs at http://jobs.blog.state.ma.us/ is intended to facilitate an ongoing dialogue between the public and EOLWD's Secretary, Joanne F. Goldstein, and her administration. While we encourage your comments, ideas, and concerns, please note that, when visiting the blog, you are subject to the Terms and Conditions of the third-party provider, Typepad, including Typepad's site terms (Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Copyright Policy), which are available to you at http://www.typepad.com/legal/privacy-policy.html.

A Privacy Partnership

Your privacy with respect to the use of this website results from a partnership between EOLWD and you, the user. At this website, we attempt to protect your privacy to the maximum extent possible. However, because some of the information that we receive through this website is subject to the Public Records Law (Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 66, Section 10 ), we cannot ensure absolute privacy. Some information that you provide to us through this site may be made available to members of the public under that law. This policy informs you of the information that we collect from you at this site, what we do with it, to whom it may be disseminated, and how you can access it. Based on this information, you can make an informed choice about your use of this site. You can maximize the benefits of your privacy partnership with EOLWD by making informed choices about whether to share personal information with us through this site.

Personal Information

EOLWD employs the maximum feasible measures reasonably needed to ensure the security, confidentiality and integrity of personal information, as defined in Chapter 93H, and personal data as defined in Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 66A, (hereafter, collectively, "personal information"). We use the term "personal information" to mean any information that could reasonably be used to identify you, including your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, Social Security number, employer business identification number, birth date, bank account information, credit card information, or any combination of information that could be used to identify you.

Information Voluntarily Provided by You

This site collects voluntary information from you only through the e-mails that you send through this site and the blog entries that you make at this site. All e-mails sent by you to this site and some blog entries that you make at this site will contain personal information.

EOLWD asks that you do not use blog entries to send information that you consider to be confidential. If your communication relates to service you have received from EOLWD, is highly sensitive, or includes personal information, such as your Social Security number or business identification number, we suggest that you call EOLWD, or send your message by regular mail or e-mail, which is now secure.

In order to maintain your confidentiality, EOLWD will respond by blog entries only to questions of general interest. We will contact you by telephone, regular mail, or e-mail to respond to inquiries about your unemployment insurance claim, employment situation, or business.

Information Automatically Collected and Stored by this Site

This website employs the use of "Persistent Cookies." The purpose of these Persistent Cookies is to collect and aggregate data regarding the site's visitor activity in order for EOLWD or its agencies to continuously evaluate and update its website services. You may elect to disable the Persistent Cookies. Please be advised that disabling the Persistent Cookies may affect your ability to view or interact with this website. The site also uses temporary "session cookies" to allow visitors to interact with EOLWD's website and to use online applications. "Session cookies" do not allow us to personally identify a visitor. These cookies are stored only in memory and are deleted when the user's browser is shut down.

Additionally, MassStats, our on-line interactive economic data system uses a temporary connector. This is necessary because MassStats is designed to allow desktop users to query a central database and receive immediate response to those queries at their desktops. In order to know where to send responses to your queries, we must be temporarily connected to your personal computer.

This connection exists only during the time that you are using MassStats. It contains no personal data, is not stored in any way by EOLWD's website, nor can it be retrieved by EOLWD. Once you stop using MassStats, or turn off your computer, the connection disappears.

If you choose not to accept this connection, all sections of the EOLWD website will still be fully functional, except for MassStats.

Some of the forms posted on the EOLWD website do include text boxes that allow you to complete the forms on-line. These forms, however, cannot be transmitted electronically to EOLWD and this site does not capture any of the information you place on the form.

This site does collect and store indefinitely your Internet Protocol ("IP") address, which does not identify you as an individual, as well as information about the date and time of your visit, and the EOLWD website pages visited. We use your IP address to assess the frequency of visits to this site and the popularity of its various pages and functions. We will not attempt to match any personal information that you provide to us with your IP address, unless there are reasonable grounds to believe that doing so would provide information that is relevant and material to a criminal investigation.

Usage Data

In addition, we use a tool called "Google Analytics" to collect information about use of this site. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit this site, what pages they visit when they do so, and what other sites they used prior to coming to this site. We use the information we get from Google Analytics only to improve this site. Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit this site, rather than your name or other identifying information. We do not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with personally identifiable information. Although Google Analytics plants a permanent cookie on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit this site, the cookie cannot be used by anyone but Google. Google's ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to this site is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Use and the Google Privacy Policy. The Google Analytics Terms of Use are available online at http://www.google.com/analytics/tos.html. The Google Privacy Policy is available online at http://www.google.com/privacypolicy.html. You can prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you on return visits to this site by disabling cookies on your browser.

This site also uses a survey tool called ForeSee™ provided by ForeSee Results. ForeSee collects voluntary information from you through surveys posted at this website. Surveys may collect personally identifiable information you voluntarily submit, such as name, e-mail address or phone number, so that we may contact you for follow up to your question, concern or recommendation. We use the information we get from ForeSee only to improve this site. ForeSee also collects data such as browser information, operating system, and page views through the implementation of session cookies. We do not combine the information collected through the use of ForeSee with any other personally identifiable information not voluntarily provided by you through your survey responses. Although ForeSee plants a persistent cookie on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit this site, the cookie cannot be used by anyone but ForeSee Results. ForeSee Results' ability to use and share information collected by ForeSee about your visits to this site is restricted by the ForeSee Results' Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The ForeSee Results' Terms of Use and Privacy Policy are available online at http://www.foreseeresults.com. You can opt out of ForeSee collecting information via the survey by declining to participate in the survey when the invitation pops up on the site. If you do opt out of completing the survey or you have completed a survey, ForeSee uses a persistent cookie so that it does not offer the survey to you again when you revisit this website. You may prevent ForeSee from usings persistent cookies by disabling cookies on your browser. Disabling cookies will in turn prevent ForeSee from recognizing you on return visits and thus ForeSee may present you with the survey questionnaire upon a return visit given that it will not have any means to recognize that you've opted out on a previous visit. Dissemination of Your Personally Identifiable Information. We do not sell any personally identifiable information collected through this website or submitted to the Commonwealth in conjunction with using functions on the website, and there is no direct or online public access to the information. However, once you voluntarily submit personally identifiable information to us related to your use of the Portal, its dissemination is governed by the "Public Records Law," the "Fair Information Practices Act (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 66A), " Executive Order 504," and other applicable laws and regulations. For this reason, part or all of the information you send us may be provided to a member of the public in response to a public records request. There are pieces of information, such as credit card numbers, TIN, username, or password that are not considered public for the purposes of a public records request. For more information on types of data exempted from disclosure under the Public Records Law, please read the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Public Records Law.

In addition, the information that you voluntarily submit will be disclosed only to Commonwealth employees or officials, or those under contract with the Commonwealth, with a "need to know" for purposes of fulfilling their job responsibilities. The information will be used for such purposes as; answering your questions, responding to any requests for assistance, generating summary statistics about usage, auditing applications and detecting fraud, aiding in the planning, design and development of the Mass.Gov Portal, and fulfilling the Commonwealth's legal obligations.

We will collect and aggregate the information you provide through surveys and through the website's collection of non-personally identifying analytics data for purposes of market research to improve this Portal by making it more responsive to customer needs. Where appropriate, we may provide the information you submitted voluntarily through an e-mail to the person or company that is the subject of your inquiry, or to a government agency responsible for the matters referred to in your communication.

Your Access and Opportunity to Correct
 The "Public Records Law" and the "Fair Information Practices Act" provide you certain rights to get information about you that is in our records. To learn more about the circumstances under which you can get and correct this information, please click on the above references to these laws.

Confidentiality at EOLWD and the Dissemination of Personal Information

EOLWD takes seriously its role in protecting the privacy of our customers. Claimants, job seekers, and employers who do business with EOLWD are protected by strict rules of confidentiality. The laws requiring this confidentiality are the Massachusetts Unemployment Insurance Law (Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 151A, Section 46) and Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 23H, Section 6(b) under which EOLWD administers its programs.

This means that information held by EOLWD on individual unemployment insurance claims, job seekers using EOLWD and One-Stop Career Center services, and Massachusetts employers covered by the Massachusetts unemployment insurance law is confidential and cannot be divulged without the permission of the customer, except under very specific circumstances.

Information that you voluntarily submit through an e-mail to this website may be shared with EOLWD employees or officials, but only with those authorized employees with a "need to know" for purposes of fulfilling their job responsibilities. Those EOLWD staff members will use the information solely to answer your questions, respond to any requests for assistance, and fulfill our obligations. Any of these e-mails may be retained as a record of service provided or may be archived.

EOLWD will not disclose any personal or business information we obtain to third parties, unless one of the following limited exceptions applies:

  • EOLWD may furnish your personal information (provided, for example, when you apply for unemployment benefits in person or by telephone) to other government agencies if required by state or federal law.
  • Where appropriate, we may provide the information submitted by you to the person or company that is the subject of your inquiry, or to a government agency responsible for the matters referred to in your communication.

You should still be aware, however, that once you voluntarily submit personal information to us through an e-mail or blog entry, and that information does not pertain to a claim for unemployment insurance benefits, an employer's unemployment insurance tax account, or job search activities provided by EOLWD or career center staff, its dissemination is governed by:

Information that you submit voluntarily through EOLWD's blog, Commonwealth Conversations: Jobs, including your name, city or town, and anything of substance that you post, may be disseminated further by being posted online at this website or be publicly discussed by a member of the administration. In addition, EOLWD may be required to provide blog entries and part or all of the information you send us by e-mail, if that information is not covered by the laws governing confidentiality, to a member of the public in response to a public records request.

Finally, EOLWD does not sell any personal information collected through this website.

Links to Other Websites

The EOLWD website contains links to other websites such as job search sites, career resource sites, and other government agency sites over which EOLWD has no control. Once you link to these sites, you are no longer on the EOLWD website and are subject to the privacy policy of the new site.

Security

Because this site does not encrypt incoming e-mail, EOLWD asks that you do not send through e-mail any information that you consider to be highly sensitive or confidential. E-mail is not secure and may be intercepted by a third party. If your communication is in regard to service you have received from EOLWD, is highly sensitive or includes personal information such as your Social Security number, we suggest that you call EOLWD or send your message by regular mail.

We use standard security measures to ensure that any personal information is not lost, misused, altered, or unintentionally destroyed. We also use software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits.

Special Protections Against Misuse of Person Information Within Commonwealth Offices

Executive Order 504 enhances the privacy protection given to any information about you as a named individual held by the Executive Department of state government. Executive Order 504 limits the collection and dissemination of personal information within the Executive Department. This site complies with Executive Order 504, so all of the personal information that you submit to this site is given the privacy protections set forth in Executive Order 504.

Policy Changes

We will post changes to this policy at least 30 days before they take effect. Any information we collect under the current privacy policy will remain subject to the terms of this policy. After any changes take effect, all new information we collect, if any, will be subject to the new policy.

Your Access and Opportunity to Correct

The Public Records Law and the Fair Information Practices Act provide you certain rights to get information about you that is in our records. To learn more about the circumstances under which you can get and correct this information, please click on the above references to these laws.

Information Disclaimer

EOLWD provides this website as a public service to provide immediate access to EOLWD information. While EOLWD makes every effort to keep the information on the site accurate, current, and reliable, we can make no guarantees about the accuracy, currency, completeness or adequacy of the contents of this website, including any links to other websites. As a result, EOLWD expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions of any kind. If information on this website differs from information on an official EOLWD notice and/or publication, the official notice and/or publication take precedence. EOLWD makes no warranty of any kind, implied, express or statutory with regard to this website, including its links to other websites.

Link Disclaimer

EOLWD provides links to other sites simply as a service and a convenience to its customers. Inclusion of links to any reference, referral service, or outside website, including job databases and their contents, or the use of any trade name or other business name is solely for the convenience of website visitors. It is not intended to reflect their importance and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of website content, viewpoint, policies, products or services by EOLWD.

Databases accessible through EOLWD's Mass Job Bank site may contain job listings in which applicants are instructed to apply directly to employers or private placement agencies. EOLWD is not responsible for any arrangements concerning employment interviews or terms of employment made directly between applicants and employers or placement agencies.

The contents and links on this website are subject to change without notice.

Definitions

Cookies are files that a website can place on your computer. A cookie file contains unique information that a website can use to track such things as your password, lists of Web pages you have visited, and the date when you last looked at a specific Web page, or to identify your session at a particular website. A cookie file allows the website to recognize you as you click through pages on the site and when you later revisit the site. A website can use cookies to "remember" your preferences, and to record your browsing behavior on the Web. Although you can prevent websites from placing cookies on your computer by using your browser's preference menu, disabling cookies may affect your ability to view or interact with some websites.

An " Internet Protocol Address" or " IP Address" is a series of numbers that identifies each computer and machine connected to the Internet. An IP address enables a server on a computer network to send you the file that you have requested on the Internet. The IP address disclosed to us may identify the computer from which you are accessing the Internet, or a server owned by your Internet Service Provider. Because it is machine-specific, rather than person-specific, an IP address is not, in and of itself, personally identifiable

"Social Media". A social media website is a website on a social media application that is usually maintained by an individual and has regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. A social media identity is a specific user identity that has been registered on a third party social media site and is associated with the Agency. Government social media sites or identities typically provide forums for commentary or news on topics related to the government agency that hosts the social media site or has secured the social media identity. A typical social media site (whether hosted by the Agency or a third party) combines text, images, and links to other websites including blogs, wikis, and other media related to the topic and enables readers to leave comments in an interactive format.

"Weblog" or "Blog" is a website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Government blogs typically provide commentary and news on topics related to the government agency hosting the blog. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to the topic, and enables readers to leave comments in an interactive format.