Information Sent Through a Form
Names, phone numbers, and addresses entered into the search boxes are sent to the third-party provider that supplies the results. Merced Residents Directory does not keep a copy of those entries on its own servers. A message sent through the contact route contains the information the sender chooses to include and is used to answer that message.
Ordinary Technical Logs
Hosting systems may record an IP address, browser type, viewed URL, referrer, date, time, and similar connection details. Those logs are used in aggregate for security, reliability, and broad page-use statistics. Cookies or comparable tools may support basic analytics or advertising, depending on the services active at the time.
How Limited Data Is Used
Technical information helps identify broken links, unusual traffic, and server faults. Contact details are used to reply, keep a short correspondence record when needed, and handle a request about the reference pages. Search-box data is governed by the provider that receives it, so its own privacy policy and retention terms control that submission.
Links to Other Services
Pages link to government portals, libraries, archives, courts, and third-party search tools. Following a link moves the visitor to another service with its own collection practices. Merced Residents Directory does not control those policies, the availability of a portal, or the information a linked office publishes.
Who Can Receive Information
Hosting, security, analytics, and search providers may process information needed to operate their services. A contact message may be reviewed by the person handling the reference. Information is disclosed when required by law, to protect the service, or to respond to a valid legal request. Government records linked from the pages remain under the control of their public custodian.
Security Measures and Limits
Reasonable technical and administrative steps are used to limit unauthorized access to the small amount of information connected with the site. No internet transmission or storage system is guaranteed secure. Visitors should avoid putting sensitive identifiers, confidential case facts, or private records into a contact message or an unverified search form.
Visitors Under 18
The reference is not directed to children. A parent or guardian who believes a child sent personal information can use the Contact page to request a review. Public records held by Merced County, the City of Merced, California courts, or state agencies follow the custodian's rules and are not controlled by this private reference.
California Data Choices
California's Consumer Privacy Act and California Privacy Rights Act are codified in Civil Code sections 1798.100 and following. Depending on the person and the covered business involved, rights may include access, correction, deletion, and opting out of sale or sharing, subject to exceptions. The California Privacy Protection Agency's data-broker deletion system under the Delete Act is separate from a request to remove a government record.
The California Public Records Act is a separate access law in Government Code Division 10, sections 7920.000 and following. A request about a Merced County or City record must go to that record custodian.
To ask what limited information this reference may hold, use the Contact page. Public records are not erased from the government source by asking a private service to remove a copy.
Policy Changes
This policy may be revised when the site, vendors, or applicable California rules change. The date of the current version should be checked when a privacy choice matters. Continued use after a posted revision indicates awareness of the revised terms.