Terms of Use

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE

Access to the County websites is provided subject to the following terms and conditions. Please read these terms carefully as use of these sites constitutes acceptance of all of the following terms and conditions:

1. Disclaimer of Liability

NEITHER COOK COUNTY, NOR ANY OF ITS AGENCIES NOR ANY OF ITS EMPLOYEES SHALL BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY IMPROPER OR INCORRECT USE OF THE INFORMATION DESCRIBED AND/OR CONTAINED HEREIN AND ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYONE’S USE OF SUCH INFORMATION. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COUNTY OR ITS AGENCIES OR EMPLOYEES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OR SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SYSTEM, WEBSITE, OR LINKED WEBSITES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY APPLIES TO ANY DAMAGES OR INJURY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THOSE CAUSED BY ANY FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE, ERROR, OMISSION, INTERRUPTION, DELETION, DEFECT, DELAY IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, COMPUTER VIRUS, COMMUNICATION LINE FAILURE, THEFT OR DESTRUCTION OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO, ALTERATION OF, OR USE OF RECORD, WHETHER FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORTIOUS BEHAVIOR, NEGLIGENCE, OR UNDER ANY OTHER CAUSE OF ACTION.

2. Disclaimer of Warranties and Accuracy of Data

NO WARRANTY, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, IS MADE REGARDING ACCURACY, ADEQUACY, COMPLETENESS, LEGALITY, RELIABILITY OR USEFULNESS OF ANY INFORMATION POSTED ON THE COUNTY WEBSITES. THIS DISCLAIMER APPLIES TO BOTH ISOLATED AND AGGREGATE USES OF THE INFORMATION. THE COUNTY PROVIDES THIS INFORMATION ON AN “AS IS” BASIS. ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, FREEDOM FROM CONTAMINATION BY COMPUTER VIRUSES AND NON-INFRINGEMENT OF PROPRIETARY RIGHTS ARE DISCLAIMED. CHANGES MAY BE PERIODICALLY MADE TO THE INFORMATION HEREIN; THESE CHANGES MAY OR MAY NOT BE INCORPORATED IN ANY NEW VERSION OF THE PUBLICATION. IF YOU HAVE OBTAINED INFORMATION FROM ANY OF THE COUNTY’S WEB PAGES FROM A SOURCE OTHER THAN THE COUNTY’S WEBSITE, BE AWARE THAT ELECTRONIC DATA CAN BE ALTERED SUBSEQUENT TO ORIGINAL DISTRIBUTION. DATA CAN ALSO QUICKLY BECOME OUT OF DATE. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT CAREFUL ATTENTION BE PAID TO THE CONTENTS OF ANY DATA ASSOCIATED WITH A FILE, AND THAT THE ORIGINATOR OF THE DATA OR INFORMATION BE CONTACTED WITH ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING APPROPRIATE USE.

3. Disclaimer of Endorsement

Cook County is a distributor of content sometimes supplied by third parties and users. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including information providers, users, or others, are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and do not necessarily state or reflect those of Cook County and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the County, its employees, or agents.

4. Disclaimer for External Links

Cook County may occasionally provide links to content supplied by third parties and users. The existence and/or provision of those links neither constitutes nor implies endorsement of the destination or departure website(s) or of the content, viewpoint, accuracy, opinions, policy(ies), product(s), accessibility or privacy policy of said destination or departure website(s). Nor does any link between the County’s websites and a third-party website imply sponsorship of such website, or the creator of such website. When you link to another site, you are subject to the privacy policy and terms of use of that new site.

5. Disclaimer of Duty to Continue Provision of Data

Due to the dynamic nature of the Internet, resources that are free and publicly available one day may require a fee or restricted access the next, and the location of items may change as menus, homepages, and files are reorganized. You expressly agree that use of the County websites is at your sole risk. The County does not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted or error free. The documents and related graphics published on this server could contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically added to the information herein. The County and/or its respective agencies and programs may make improvements and/or changes in the information and/or programs described herein at any time.

6. Content

To promote open and productive dialogue, and in the spirit of fair and transparent access to the County’s websites, users are hereby advised that all postings, including any links to 3rd-party sites, shall be subject to limited monitoring for appropriateness. For purposes herein, appropriateness is defined as postings that are relevant to Cook County’s official governmental business, responsive to the issue(s) being discussed, and phrased in respectful and appropriate language for the general public.  Content that is commercial, self-promotional, campaign-related, prurient, abusive, or that contains discriminatory speech, including but not limited to, hate speech based on race, gender, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, religion, or disability is considered inappropriate for posting on the Cook County websites.  If content is determined to be inappropriate, such content either will not be posted or will be removed from the website.

7. Choice of Law

Construction of the disclaimers above and resolution of disputes thereof are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois. The laws of the State of Illinois, U.S.A., shall apply to all uses of this data and this system. By use of this system and any data contained therein, you agree that your use shall conform to all applicable laws and regulations and you shall not violate the rights of any third parties.

8. Security

Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation and day-to-day operations of the entire operating environment as part of our continuing commitment to the security of electronic content as well as the electronic transmission of information.

The Cook County Bureau of Technology, as developer and manager of the County websites, has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its communications and computing infrastructure, 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.

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 County websites.

9. Web Accessibility Compliance

Cook County is committed to providing equal, multi-platform access to all County government internet/web-based information and services.  The County has adopted W3C Standards for Accessibility for websites covered by this policy.

10. Intellectual Property
The content of County websites is copyrighted and may contain some third party content that is used with permission of the third party. Users are notified, therefore, that one should presume the need to obtain permission from the copyright holder before reproducing or otherwise using images/graphics from this website.