Privacy Statement

Trident Technical College (“the College”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of individuals who visit its website. This Privacy Statement explains how information may be collected, used, stored, and disclosed through the College’s public-facing website and related online services.

This Privacy Statement applies to tridenttech.edu (“the Site”) and related public-facing digital services operated by the College. It does not apply to third-party websites linked from College pages, external services not operated by the College, or secure authenticated systems such as student portals, employee systems, or learning management platforms, which are governed by separate institutional policies.

Use of the Site constitutes acknowledgment of the practices described in this Privacy Statement.

 

Collection of Non-Personal Information

When you visit tridenttech.edu, the College may automatically collect certain technical and usage information, including browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution, approximate geographic location, referring websites or search engines, pages visited, and date and time of access.

This information is used in aggregate form to help measure website performance, improve usability and accessibility, understand visitor engagement, and support institutional operations. This data does not directly identify individual users.

 

Information Voluntarily Submitted

The Site may collect personal information that users voluntarily provide through forms, surveys, applications, or other interactive features. This may include name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and academic or service-related interests.

Information submitted voluntarily is used only for the purpose for which it was provided, consistent with applicable laws and College policies. Users may visit the Site anonymously.

 

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

The Site may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality, analyze traffic, remember user preferences, and improve user experience. Cookies are small text files stored on a user’s device.

Users may disable cookies through their browser settings; however, some features of the Site may not function properly without them. Cookies used by the Site generally do not collect directly identifying personal information.

 

Google Analytics and Google Signals

The College uses Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, to understand how users interact with the Site.

Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to collect information such as IP address, device and browser information, approximate geographic location, pages visited, time spent on the Site, and general usage patterns.

The Site uses Google Signals to provide aggregated reporting based on users who are signed into Google accounts and have enabled Ads Personalization. This may include aggregated demographic and interest data and cross-device usage trends.

The College receives only aggregated reports and does not use this data to identify individual users or combine it with student education records.
Information may be transmitted to and processed by Google in accordance with its privacy policies.

Opt-Out of Google Analytics: Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on Download Page

How Google Uses information from sites: How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services – Privacy & Terms – Google

 

Social Media Plugins

Some pages may include embedded social media features from platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn. These features may use cookies or tracking technologies provided by the respective platforms.

The College does not control data collected by these third parties. Users should refer to each platform’s privacy policy for more information regarding their data practices.

 

Use of Information

The College may use collected information to:

  • provide and improve website services and resources
  • respond to inquiries and requests
  • support institutional communications and outreach
  • monitor website performance and usage trends
  • support legitimate educational, administrative, and public service functions 

Information collected in aggregate form may be used to better understand website usage and improve services.

 

Children’s Privacy

The College does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through its public-facing website, in compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

 

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The College complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects the privacy of student education records.

Information collected through the College’s public website and analytics tools is not used to collect or access protected student education records and is not combined with FERPA-protected systems.

More information about FERPA is available here: Trident Technical College’s FERPA Information 

 

South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

As a public institution of higher education and an agency of the State of South Carolina, the College is subject to the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-10 et seq. Information submitted to the College through the Site may constitute a public record subject to disclosure unless otherwise protected by applicable law.

 

Contact Information

Questions regarding this Privacy Statement may be directed to: publicinfo@tridenttech.edu

 

Updates to This Statement

The College may update this Privacy Statement periodically. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.

(Last Updated: 05/08/2026)