PRIVACY STATEMENT
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The Office of the Public Defender (OPD) Website has been created to provide information to citizens, potential employees and potential clients.
We take data security and the privacy of any personal information you provide very seriously. Maryland law mandates that State agencies may not create personal records unless the need for the information is clearly established and that those records are relevant to the purposes for which they were collected, that they are accurate and current, and were not obtained by fraudulent means.
In accordance with Maryland's Public Information Act (State Government Article, Section 10-601, et seq.), we are notifying you that this website collects user data for purposes of monitoring system use and responding to requests for service. The information is of the type normally and automatically transmitted during the Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) request process, and as voluntarily provided on online forms and email messages solely for the purpose(s) stated.
It is our policy to preserve the privacy of personal records and to protect confidential or privileged information. Such information will be disclosed publicly only as required by the Public Information Act or as necessary and permissible to carry out official duties.
Inspection, amendment and correction of all records, along with the availability of this information to the public or any other entity, is governed by the Maryland Public Information Act and applicable State and federal law.
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OPD is hosted on the Wix.com platform. Wix.com provides us with the online platform that allows us to sell our products and services to you. Your data may be stored through Wix.com’s data storage, databases and the general Wix.com applications. They store your data on secure servers behind a firewall.
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We reserve the right to modify this privacy policy at any time, so please review it frequently. Changes and clarifications will take effect immediately upon their posting on the website. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated, so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.
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ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT
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OPD is committed to providing equal access to all individuals seeking information on this site. This website has been tested to be compliant with nonvisual accessibility requirements in accordance with Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 14.33.02.01-.12. For more information on these regulations, please visit the Maryland Information Technology Nonvisual Access Website.
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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader, eye tracking device, voice recognition software, etc.) and have difficulty accessing information, please contact us and provide the URL (web address) of the information you tried to access, the problem you experienced, and your contact information so we may assist you with the request.
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Accessing Documents in Different File Formats
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Content on this website may be in different file formats that require plug-ins, or separate browser components, to properly view. All required plug-ins are free to use. PDF documents ensure that you will be able to obtain publications in their original format regardless of what type of computer, browser or operating system you use to access the Internet. In order to view and/or print PDF documents, you must first download the Acrobat Reader software. For best results, make sure you install version 6 or later of the Acrobat Reader. Other plug-ins you may need are: Microsoft Word Viewer and Microsoft Excel Viewer.
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If you experience difficulty accessing information, please contact us and tell us what information you were seeking, the URL (web address) of the material you tried to find, and your contact information so we may assist you with the request.
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