Website Submission Agreement

Private and Sensitive Information Is Prohibited

READ THIS AGREEMENT CAREFULLY. YOU MUST AGREE TO IT BEFORE SUBMITTING ANY FORM OR UPLOADING ANY FILE THROUGH THIS WEBSITE.

1. My Agreement Not to Submit Private or Sensitive Information

Except only for the minimum contact information expressly requested in the form’s labeled fields, I agree that I will not enter, provide, attach, upload, transmit, or otherwise submit any private, confidential, personal, medical, or other sensitive information through any part of this website.

This agreement applies to information about me and information about every other person.

Prohibited information includes, without limitation:

• Social Security numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, birth dates, or government-issued identification numbers;

• Driver’s licenses, identification cards, passports, birth certificates, or copies or images of those documents;

• Medical or health information, including medical histories, diagnoses, treatments, medications, test results, mental-health information, disability information, insurance information, or medical records;

• Bank-account numbers, payment-card information, financial statements, tax records, or credit information;

• Passwords, security codes, personal identification numbers, account credentials, or security-question answers;

• Biometric, genetic, employment, education, legal, or other confidential records;

• Private information concerning children or other minors; and

• Any other information that I or another person would reasonably expect to remain private, protected, privileged, or confidential.

2. My Agreement Applies to Everything I Submit

I understand and agree that this prohibition applies to:

• Every form field, including message, description, comment, and narrative fields;

• Every attachment or upload;

• Every document, photograph, image, video, audio recording, or other file;

• Filenames, file properties, embedded information, and metadata; and

• Information that may be visible, hidden, or recoverable within a submitted file.

I agree that I am solely responsible for carefully reviewing everything I submit and for completely removing or permanently redacting all prohibited information before submission.

3. My Confirmation About This Submission

By checking the agreement box and selecting Submit, I knowingly and affirmatively represent, confirm, and agree that:

1. I have read this entire Website Submission Agreement;

2. I understand its requirements;

3. I agree to comply with every requirement stated in it;

4. I have carefully reviewed every form field and every attachment included in my submission;

5. Except only for information expressly required in the form’s labeled fields, my submission contains no private, confidential, personal, medical, or other sensitive information about me or anyone else;

6. I have not submitted identification documents, medical records, financial records, passwords, account credentials, or other prohibited materials;

7. I will not use this website to transmit prohibited information;

8. If I cannot truthfully make each of these confirmations, I will not submit the form or upload any file; and

9. My act of checking the agreement box and selecting Submit constitutes my affirmative electronic acceptance of this Agreement.

4. Government Records and Confidentiality

I understand that information submitted to the Department may become a government record. It may be retained, reviewed, used, or disclosed as permitted or required by applicable law, including the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and applicable records-retention requirements.

I understand that submitting information through this website does not, by itself, create a confidential or privileged relationship or a promise that the information can be deleted, returned, or withheld from disclosure. Any protections required by applicable law will continue to apply.

5. Special Agreement for FOIA Requests

If I am submitting a Freedom of Information Act request, I agree to provide only:

• The minimum requester or contact information expressly requested in the form’s labeled fields; and

• A description of the public records I am requesting.

I agree not to include private or sensitive information in the description of my request. I also agree not to upload identification documents, medical records, photographs, supporting evidence, or other materials containing private or sensitive information unless the Department’s FOIA Officer has expressly instructed me to use an approved method of delivery.

6. If Information Must Be Provided

If I believe the Department needs private or sensitive information for a legitimate, non-emergency purpose, I agree that I will not submit it through this website or ordinary email. I will call the Department at 815-728-0088 and request instructions for an approved delivery method.

7. Emergencies Are Prohibited

I understand and agree that I will not use this website to report a fire, medical emergency, crime, hazardous condition, or any other emergency. In an emergency, I will call 911 immediately.

Website forms may not be reviewed promptly.