Incidents vs. Complaints vs. Violations
An Incident is an action or occurrence that is noteworthy and is generally at the system-level. Examples include:
- storage of personal information in an unlocked room
- sensitive data printed to the wrong printer
- forms containing personal information sent via interoffice mail didn’t reach their destination
- misdirected email containing protected data
A Complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction with a situation or the behaviors of an employee. Examples include:
- an individual objects to the sharing of their personal information
- an individual believes that their privacy rights were violated
- an individual believes that a UVM employee inappropriately accessed or used their private information without permission
A Violation is when a law, act, statute or regulation is not followed or a policy is broken. Examples include:
- An employee accessing personal records without authorization and outside the scope of their job duties
- Sharing login credentials for access to systems containing protected data
- Using personal or protected data for research without consent or authorization
- Intentionally emailing sensitive information outside of UVM and/or to unauthorized recipients
- Emailing sensitive information outside of UVM and/or to unauthorized recipients
If you are unsure, use any of the reporting mechanisms and we will make sure it gets to the right place.
Report an Incident/File a Complaint/Report a Violation
INCIDENT REPORTING
WHO?
All employees of the University have an obligation to report all known and suspected privacy incidents to the Office of Privacy Services immediately. Third parties are required to report as specified under their contractual obligations. All other members of the University community including students and other affiliates should report known and suspected privacy incidents as soon as they become aware.
HOW?
Privacy incident should be reported to the Chief Privacy Officer via one of the following mechanisms:
- Print a hard copy of the Privacy Incident Report Form (PDF), fill it out and send it to:
Mail: Office of Compliance & Privacy Services
ATTN: Chief Privacy Officer
University of Vermont
284 East Ave.
Burlington, VT 05405
Email: privacy@uvm.edu
- Call the Office of Audit, Compliance and Privacy Services at (802) 656-3086
- Employees may also report through the Ethics and Compliance Reporting & HelpLine (opens in new window). Reporting via this mechanism is not available for non-employees.
PRIVACY COMPLAINTS
WHO?
Individuals who believe that their privacy has been violated or legal representatives who feel the privacy of another individual may have been violated may report this at any time.
HOW?
Privacy complaints should be reported to the Chief Privacy Officer via one of the following mechanisms:
- Print a hard copy of the Privacy Complaint Form (PDF), fill it out and send it to:
Mail: Office of Compliance & Privacy Services
ATTN: Chief Privacy Officer
University of Vermont
284 East Ave.
Burlington, VT 05405
Email: privacy@uvm.edu
- Call the Office of Audit, Compliance and Privacy Services at (802) 656-3086
- Employees may also report through the Ethics and Compliance Reporting & HelpLine (opens in new window). Reporting via this mechanism is not available for non-employees.