Board of Pilot Commissioners Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 08/03/2026

Revision Date: 08/03/2026

Last Revision Date: 08/03/2026

The Board of Pilot Commissioners (BOPC) is committed to promoting and protecting the privacy rights of individuals, as enumerated in Article 1 of the California Constitution, the Information Practices Act of 1977, and other state and federal laws.

It is the policy of the BOPC to limit the collection of, and to safeguard the privacy of, personal information collected or maintained by the BOPC. The BOPC’s information management practices seek to conform to the requirements of the Information Practices Act of 1977 (Civil Code Section 1798 et seq.), the California Public Records Act (Government Code Section 7920.000 et seq.), Government Code Sections 11015.5 and 11019.9, and other applicable laws pertaining to information privacy. This Privacy Policy only applies to the BOPC.

According to Government Code 11019.9, “each state department and state agency shall enact and maintain a permanent privacy policy, in adherence with the Information Practices Act of 1977 (Title 1.8 (commencing with Section 1798) of Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code). Each state department and state agency shall conspicuously post its privacy policy on its Internet Web site.”

“Personal information” is information about a natural person that identifies or describes an individual, including, but not limited to, his or her name, social security number, physical description, home address, home telephone number, education, financial matters, and medical or employment history, readily identifiable to that specific individual. A domain name or Internet Protocol address is not considered personal information; however, it is considered to be  “electronically collected personal information.”

According to Government Code § 11015.5, “electronically collected personal information” means any information that is maintained by the BOPC that identifies or describes an individual user, including, but not limited to, his or her name, social security number, physical description, home address, home telephone number, education, financial matters, medical or employment history, password, electronic mail address, and information that reveals any network location or identity, but excludes any information manually submitted to the BOPC by a user, whether electronically or in written form, and information on or relating to individuals who are users, serving in a business capacity, including, but not limited to, business owners, officers, or principals of that business.

“Electronically collected personal information” also means any electronically collected personal information that BOPC collects, including your domain name or Internet Protocol address, and statistical information about which web pages you visit. If you voluntarily participate in an activity that asks for specific information (i.e., completing a request for assistance, personalizing the content of the website, sending an email, or participating in a survey) more detailed data will be collected. If you choose not to participate in these activities, your choice will probably not affect your ability to use any other feature of the BOPC’s website.

If any type of personal information is requested on the website or volunteered by the users, it is governed by state law, including the Information Practices Act of 1977, Government Code 11015.5, the California Public Records Act, and the Federal Privacy Act. This information may become a public record once it is provided and except for the BOPC’s electronically collected personal information, it may be subject to public inspection and copying if not otherwise protected by federal or state law. However, some information BOPC collects is confidential, which may include but is not limited to social security numbers, medical information, and financial or employment data. Confidential information is protected, and it will only be disclosed pursuant to a legal process or as otherwise required by law. Personal information will not be disclosed, made available, or otherwise used for purposes other than those specified, except with the consent of the subject of the data, or as authorized by law or regulation.

Attending Public Meetings When a person attends a BOPC public meeting, in person, including but not limited to Board or committee meetings, they may provide their name and email address. When a person attends via Webex, Microsoft Teams, or other internet-based platform, they may reveal some information such as name, IP address, email address, and phone number.

Public Comments during Rulemaking or Public Meetings When a person speaks or comments during the BOPC’s rulemaking activities or during public meetings such as Board or committee meetings, they may provide their personal information such as,  name, contact information (e.g., email address, phone number, mailing address), and other personal information in the contents of the comment.

Emails or Public Records Act (PRA) Requests to the BOPC When a member of the public emails the BOPC or makes a request under the PRA, they may provide the BOPC with personal information such as their name, organization, address, email address, and the content of their email.

Joining a listserv or email list. When a member of the public joins a listserv or email communication broadcast offered by the BOPC, they provide us with their email address.

The BOPC adheres to the following principles in connection with the collection and management of personal information:

  1. The BOPC collects personal information on individuals only as allowed by law. The BOPC limits the collection of personal information to what is relevant and necessary to accomplish a lawful purpose. For example, the BOPC may need to know an individual’s home address, email address, or telephone number, in order to answer the individual’s questions or in order to provide requested assistance.
  2. The BOPC does not collect home, business or email addresses, or account information from persons who simply browse the BOPC’s Internet website. Personal information about individuals is collected through the BOPC’s website only if an individual provides such information to the BOPC voluntarily through email, registration forms, surveys, or other method. This information will be used to facilitate responding to the person or to improve the content or navigation of the website. The information collected in this manner is not subject to requests made pursuant to the Public Records Act, and site visitors may request to have their information discarded without reuse or distribution.
  3. The BOPC uses Google Analytics to help improve the website. Automatic Collection of Information/Cookies. Cookies are simple text files stored on your computer by your web browser. Google tracking cookies may be used to provide information to Google Analytics. Our website may use Google Analytics to track website statistics. You can read the privacy policy for Google Analytics here. If you do not enable cookies, some functions of our site may not work properly. Users always have the option of clearing their browser cache after the site visit, which will delete related cookies. You can choose not to have your data collected by Google Analytics by downloading their opt-out browser add-on.
  4. The information being collected is restricted to IP address, domain name, type of browser, operating system, country in which the user is located, and the date and time of site visit, and BOPC’s electronically collected personal information is exempt from requests made under the Public Records Act. 
  5. The BOPC endeavors to tell the purpose for which information is collected to those people who provide personal information. The BOPC strives to tell persons about the BOPC’s potential uses of that information.
  6. The BOPC use of your email. A member of the public may choose to provide the BOPC with personal information (as in email) with a comment or question. We may use the information to improve BOPC services or respond to a request. The BOPC may forward your email to other State employees who may be better able to help you, and this staff may be employed by a different agency within the State. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations or, as required by law, the BOPC does not share email information collected or provided to the BOPC with any other organizations. We use email to respond to inquiries and requests, to address the issues identified by members of the public, to further improve the BOPC website, and to forward the email to another State agency for appropriate action. Submission of email to the BOPC staff, and/or communication through the website, does not create any attorney-client or other privileged or confidential relationship. Accordingly, members of the public should not disclose any information to the BOPC that that person wishes to remain private or confidential.
  7. The BOPC may provide people who provide personal information with an opportunity to review that information. Individuals, who provide personal information, have the right to access information about themselves and may request a correction of any inaccuracies in such records. Please use the privacy contact information provided on the Contact Page.
  8. The BOPC will seek to use personal information as described in this Policy, and some information may be disclosable under the Public Records Act. The Public Records Act exists to ensure that California government is open and transparent.  At the same time, there are exceptions that recognize the public’s right to access records. These exceptions serve various needs, including maintaining the privacy of individuals. In the event of a conflict between this Policy and the Public Records Act, the Information Practices Act of 1977 or other law governing the disclosure of records will apply.
  9. How the BOPC collects and uses your information. We collect personal information directly from individuals who volunteer to use some of our services. Collection of this information may be required to deliver the specific services.  Use of these services by individuals is voluntary.
  10. How the BOPC protects your information. The BOPC has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its telecommunications and computing infrastructure. Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation, and day-to-day practices of the State’s operating environment as part of its continuing commitment to risk management. This information should not be construed in any way as giving business, legal, or other advice, or as stating that the State’s operating environment and its security are guaranteed, warranted, or fail proof. The technical standards governing security are enforced by the California Department of Technology.

Electronically collected personal information is exempt from requests made under the Public Records Act.

Government Code § 11015.5 prohibits all state agencies from distributing or selling any electronically collected personal information, as defined above, about users to any third party without the permission of the user. The BOPC does not sell any electronically collected personal information. Any distribution of electronically collected personal information will be solely for the purposes for which it was provided to the BOPC.

The BOPC may provide or distribute certain lists and statistical reports of regulatory information as provided by law, but no personal information is sold or distributed, and all relevant legal protections still apply to the BOPC’s website.

The BOPC will provide additional explanations of this privacy policy, if requested. If any individuals have any further questions about the BOPC’s privacy policy, they are encouraged to contact the BOPC by using the contact information provided below.

If you would like to request amendments to your personal information, deletion of electronically collected personal information, or have questions regarding the BOPC’s Privacy Policy, you may contact us at:

Board of Pilot Commissioner’s Privacy Officer
bopc@bopc.ca.gov

415-397-2253

Board of Pilot Commissioners
ATTN: Privacy Officer
660 Davis Street
San Francisco, CA 94111

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