Privacy Policy

The Northshore Utility District web site is designed to provide general information to the public regarding the District and its services. The information presented here is not meant to be a contract of any type, either expressed or implied, and should not be treated as such by site visitors. The information in this statement and/or the policies described here may change at any time, without prior notice to any visitor.

In the State Of Washington, laws exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by its government (The Public Records Act or “PRA” Chapter 42.56 RCW). At the same time, there are exceptions to the public’s right to access public records that serve various needs including the privacy of individuals. Both state and federal laws provide exceptions. The PRA requires the disclosure of all public records unless a particular record (or particular information contained in a record) is specifically exempt under the PRA or other applicable law ( RCW 42.56.210).   For example, there is no categorical exemption for residential telephone numbers, residential addresses, or personal e-mail addresses. However, the PRA does not require the disclosure of “credit card numbers, debit card numbers, electronic check numbers, card expiration dates, or bank or other financial account numbers supplied to [the District] for the purpose of electronic transfer of funds, except when disclosure is expressly required by law” ( RCW 42.56.230).   The PRA does not authorize the District to give, sell, or provide access to lists of individuals to entities seeking to use the lists for commercial purposes.

District practice is to require those who request lists of individuals to sign an affidavit stating that they do not have a commercial purpose (such as contacting those on the list to propose a commercial transaction). However, the District cannot guarantee that a requester will not, despite signing such an affidavit, contact individuals on the list for a commercial purpose. In the event of a conflict between this Privacy Notice and the Public Records Act or other law governing the disclosure of records, the Public Records Act or other applicable law will control.

The District has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its data and prevent unauthorized access to information it maintains, including but not limited to authentication, monitoring, auditing, and encryption. Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation and day-to-day practices of the entire operating environment as part of its continuing commitment to risk management. These measures are designed and intended to prevent corruption of data, block unknown or unauthorized access to our systems and information, and to provide reasonable protection of private information in our possession.

This information should not be construed in any way as giving business, legal, or other advice, or warranting as fail proof, the security of information provided via the District’s web site.

Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this service are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the state Computer Trespass law and federal statutes including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.