Introduction
The Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA), a program of the Board of Regents, strives to develop innovative
services to better serve our users. We recognize that privacy is an important issue, so we design and operate our services with
the protection of your privacy in mind. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect and use data, as well as some of the steps we
take to safeguard personal information we may gather when you use LOSFA's on-line services.
Collection of Information
We only collect information that you give voluntarily. Information may be collected when you willingly fill out a form or register
on our site. When registering on our site, you may be asked to provide personally identifiable information necessary to provide the
requested information or services. Personally identifiable information is information that is readily identifiable to a specific individual.
Personally identifiable information includes an individual's name, address, email address, and phone number. Personal Information also includes
information treated confidential by law, such as your social security number. The personal information that may be requested on the site is the
same as information that may be requested when visiting a governmental office. A domain name or Internet Protocol address is not considered
personal information. You may also visit our site anonymously.
Use of Information
Any of the information we collect from you may be used to process transactions or send periodic emails:
To process transactions
Your information will not be sold, exchanged, transferred, or given to any other company for any reason whatsoever, without your consent, other than for the express purpose of delivering the information or service requested.
To send periodic emails
Your email address will not be used to promote any contest or survey. The email address you provide will only be used to send you information and updates pertaining to your request.
Protection of Information
We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you voluntarily enter, submit, or
access your personal information. Access to your personal information is restricted to those individuals who have a need to know the
information, such as to those who service your account, resolve problems, etc.
Additionally, industry-standard methods are employed on our web servers to monitor network traffic and to prevent unauthorized attempts to
upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. An unauthorized attempt to upload information or change information on the LOSFA
servers is strictly prohibited and is a criminal offense punishable by law.
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 on this site.
Cookies
Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer's hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow) that enables
the sites' or service providers' systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information. This website uses cookies to distinguish
among site visitors. When you visit this site, a session cookie is created and a randomly generated identifying tag is placed on your computer. This session
cookie authenticates you and authorizes the Website to provide services and resources to you. The session cookie is destroyed as soon as your browser is closed.
LOSFA's Website cookies do not contain personally identifying information and do not compromise your privacy or security.
Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. If you prefer, you can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent,
or you can reset your browser to refuse all cookies. If you refuse cookies, some of the website's features and services will not function properly.
You may also delete the cookie file off of your device.
Disclosure of Information
We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information. This does not include trusted third parties
who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential.
We may also release your information when we believe releasing it is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others
rights, property, or safety.
Public Records
When using our site, please be aware that, subject to certain statutory exceptions, documents and records maintained by the state of Louisiana, including
but not limited to electronic data, may be considered public records under Louisiana law. Therefore, information submitted through this website may be
subject to disclosure pursuant to a public records request.
Third Party Links
The website may contain links to third party websites. These websites are considered external Websites because they are not part of the LOSFA Website.
These external websites include websites created and maintained by other governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private entities. Some of
these websites may operate under privacy, quality, and security standards that are less stringent and/or protective than those employed by LOSFA. These
links are provided solely as a convenience to you, and not as an endorsement by LOSFA. LOSFA does not assume any responsibility or liability for the actions,
product, content and/or information of third party websites, or the collection of your information on linked third-party websites. LOSFA does not make any
representations regarding the content or accuracy of materials on such third party websites. LOSFA encourages you to read closely the privacy statements of
those Websites and to be very cautious about providing personally identifiable information if you do not have a clear understanding of how your information
will be used and protected. If you decide to access linked third party websites, you do so at your own risk.
START, START K-12, ABLE
The security of your personal information, account transactions, and savings is a priority. Through your participation in START, START K-12, and/or ABLE,
we collect various types of personally identifiable information that you provide on your enrollment form and other forms, such as your name and the name
of your designated beneficiary, addresses, and demographic information. We also collect confidential information relating to your transactions in START,
START K-12, or ABLE, such as account balances, contributions, distributions, and investments. We do not sell information about current or former participants,
designated beneficiaries, or custodians to any third parties, and we do not disclose it to third parties unless necessary to process a transaction, service an
account, as otherwise permitted or required by law, or with your consent.
Children's Privacy Act
We do not knowingly collect information from children under the age of 13. We will delete any information from our systems if we learn that it was collected
from a child under the age of 13.
Online Privacy Policy Only
This online privacy policy applies only to information collected through our website.
Your Consent
By using our site, you consent to our privacy policy.
Changes to our Privacy Policy
If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page.
Disclaimer
LOSFA makes every effort to ensure that published information is accurate and current and that any linked products, services, or websites
contained within this website are accurate, reliable, and timely. To the extent that we are aware of new information which impacts LOSFA
Programs, we publish updates and informational bulletins on our sites for your consideration.
LOSFA makes every effort to ensure that information, services, or websites linked from this website that are not directly managed as a LOSFA
Program are accurate, timely, and useful to our customers. However, neither the state of Louisiana, nor any agency, officer, or employee of
the State of Louisiana endorses or warrants any information obtained by utilizing said links. Neither the state of Louisiana, nor any agency,
officer, or employee of the State of Louisiana shall be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability or timeliness
of information obtained through these links. Any person or entity that relies on any information obtained from those websites does so at their own risk.
Contacting Us
If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy you may contact us using the information below.
602 North 5th Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Phone: 225-219-1012
In light of recent cyber attacks on private businesses and government agencies, and on the START Saving Account Program in March 2019,
LOSFA has implemented some security measures to protect your information. The good news is that no losses have been incurred by any START
Saving Program Account owners to date, and those who were affected have been directly notified by LOSFA staff. These security updates
include the following:
- If you attempt to logon 4 times unsuccessfully, your IP address will be blocked from further access to the START Saving website. In addition, your profile will be suspended, and you will be required to contact LOSFA to reactivate your account.
- If you attempt to retrieve your user name, reset your password, or provide incorrect responses to challenge questions 3 times unsuccessfully, your IP address will be blocked and you will be denied access to the START Saving website. In addition, your profile will be suspended, and you will be required to contact LOSFA to reactivate your account.
- On the deposit page, account information will no longer be displayed.
- An email will be sent notifying you of any changes to your account.
What you can do to protect yourself:
- Use a strong password. Passwords should be at least 10 characters and include capital letters, lower case letters, symbols, and numbers. Do not use any words within your password.
- Login to your account at least once a month to verify all of your information. Contact LOSFA immediately if you identify a change that you did not make.
Last Revised: 7/19/2019