Municipal Applications

Privacy Policy Statement

Updated 1/1/2024.

This Privacy Statement ("Statement") describes the personal information we collect through our website (the "Site"), and how we collect and use it. The terms "we", "us", "MuniApps", "MuniApps.org" refer to Municipal Services, a service managed by an independant California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, established in 2019.

I. Free and Member Services for Government Entities

We offer both free and membership (paid) services to municipalities and their visitors, citizens, vendors, suppliers, and others whom they serve and support. In most cases, free offerings available to any municipality requesting help. Enhancing the relationship by becoming a contributing member to our nonprofit organization enables access to standard and customized digital solutions on our cloud platform. Automated Cloud Integration with your municipal systems is also an exclusive option for members. Contact MunicipalitySupport@MuniSvcs.org for more information.

II. Information We Collect and How We Use It

Personal data from Public Records. In most cases, your government employee name, extrapolated email address, compensation and other information have been previously compiled from publicly released records provided by their associated entities (typically through Public Records Requests via the California Public Records Act, the Freedom of Information Act, or directly from their employeers' respective websites). As this is of Public Record, we state endemnity from any privacy claim or complaint related to such data.

Personal data you provide. We safegard this private infomation with the highest of care:

1. We do not release/share/sell any of your private information (eMail address or other contact information) with any other entity.
2. Private email address(es) that you provide are encrypted at rest.
3. Passwords are not transmitted nor stored (in neither raw nor encrypted forms); instead, we use a one-way key derivation function (scroll down to "Password Hashing" at Wikipedia), that can only be used to determine the password you provide is a correct match, but can not be reversed back to its original form. Such results in roughly a 1 in 3 trillion chance of guessing someone's password, and we lock the account after 5 wrong guesses.
4. The above ensures that should we ever have a data breach via a third-party, the information will be useless to the perpetrators.

Location data. The Site determines the country, state, and city from which your Intenet connection originates (and if it is masked by a VPN or other service). We use this to track and/or restrict use of the Site - in some cases, usage is restricted to the United States or the U.S. State in which services are being provided for (as requested by the respective municipality engaging MuniApps's services).

Third party services. We may provide links to third party services in addition to the municipality engaging our services, such as the sources of the Public Information we display on this Site. We make no claim of accuracy of these external sources.

Activity and log data. We automatically store information related to your use of the Site, such as the pages you view on the Site, your browser type, IP address, approximated gelocation, requested URL, browser language, referring URL, and the date and time of your visit. We use this type of information to administer the Site and provide the highest possible level of service to you. We also use this information in the aggregate to perform statistical analyses of user behavior and characteristics in order to measure interest in and use of the various areas of the Site. We do not sell nor share the raw data with anyone other than the muncipality engaging our services, unless legally obligated to do so.

Cookies. The Site may send a non-static/transient cookie to your computer in order to uniquely indentify your browser and improve the quality of our service. "Cookies" refer to small pieces of information that a website sends to your computer while you are viewing the Site. We do not use persistent cookies (which stay on your computer until you delete them) unless requred by the municipality engagning MuniSvcs for statistical vistitor tracking. Under no circomstances to we store personally identifiable information, that by itself could allow the third party to identify or contact you (typically used for cross-advertising). These guidelines meet State and Federal laws that exempt us from having to notify you of cookie use via a visual notification when visiting the Site.

Advertising. We do not allow any form of adversiting on the Site.

Feedback. You should feel free to give us feedback, register a complaint, or ask questions about the Site. We may store your communications, including any personal information you include in them, so that we can effectively respond to you.

Administration. We may use the information described above for routine administrative purposes, such as investigating abuses on the Site, responding to user inquiries and enforcing and applying our Terms of Service and Statement.

Data storage. We store data in the United States, using industry best-practices for intrusion protection.

III. Transfer of Information

Third party service providers. We may use third parties to provide data processing, technical and customer support, perform tracking and reporting functions, conduct quality assurance testing, perform payment processing and provide other services in connection with the Site. We may share information about you with them so that they can perform the services they are required to perform, but they are not permitted to use your personal information other than to provide the services requested by you or MuniApps.

Aggregate information. We may share non-personal information in the aggregate to third parties relating to user behavior. For example, we may disclose the number of people that have been exposed to or used our services, along with the name of their government entity.

Business transfers. If another organization acquires this Site or MuniSvcs, that entity will possess your information, and will assume the rights and obligations with respect to that information as described in this Statement.

Investigations. We reserve the right to investigate abuses on the Site, and enforce and apply our Terms of Service and Statement. We may disclose information about you to third parties if we have a good faith belief that such disclosure is reasonably necessary to (a) take action regarding suspected illegal activities; (b) enforce or apply our Terms of Service and Statement; (c) comply with legal process and law enforcement instructions and orders, such as a search warrant, subpoena, statute, judicial proceeding, or other legal process served on us; or (d) protect our rights, reputation, and property, or that of our users, affiliates, or the public.

IV. Managing Your Information

We provide a number of tools to manage the use of your information on the Site. You may optinally receive quarterly/annual newsletter communications from us. However, despite any requests to close your account or your indicated email preferences, we may still need to contact you as required by law or on legal matters, for example to inform you of any updates to our Terms of Service or this Statement.

V. Links

The Site may contain links to third party websites with which we have no affiliation. Except as set forth herein, we do not share your personal information with those third parties, and are not responsible for their privacy practices. We suggest you read the privacy policies on all such third party websites.

VI. Security

We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. No method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure, however. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

VII. Modifications to this Statement

We may revise this Statement from time to time. The most current version of the Statement will govern our use of your information and will always be located here. If we make a change to this Statement that, in our sole discretion, is material, we will notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes prior to implementing the change on the Site and/or via the email associated with your account. By continuing to access or use the Services after those changes become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised Statement.