Privacy Notice - Maryland Department of Labor

Last Updated: 9/22/2026

Introduction
The State of Maryland’s Department of Labor (“we,” “our,” “us”) is committed to maintaining the confidentiality, accuracy, and security of your Personal Information (as defined in Section 2) and the application of generally accepted fair information privacy principles. This Privacy Notice governs our actions related to the collection, processing, protection, and disclosure of Personal Information. We are responsible for maintaining and protecting the Personal Information that is under our agency’s control. This Privacy Notice applies to all Personal Information collected, used, and disclosed by our agency through various means, including our websites, in-person services, and written correspondence.
What Personal Information We Collect
We may collect and process the following categories of information about you (“Personal Information”):
- Standard Identifiers. Examples include full name (including given and surnames), personal mark, home address, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
- Government-Issued Identifiers. Examples include Social Security Number (SSN), driver’s license number, state identification card number, passport number, or other individual identification numbers issued by state or federal units.
- Financial Information. Examples include Taxpayer Identification Number, financial or other account numbers, credit card numbers, or debit card numbers that, in combination with any required security code, access code, or password, would permit access to an individual’s account.
- Sensitive Data Examples include data revealing racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, consumer health data (including protected health information), sex life, sexual orientation, status as transgender or nonbinary, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, military status, unique biometric or genetic print/image, precise geolocation data, or personal data of an individual known or reasoned to be a child.
This information is collected in accordance with all applicable laws, including, but not limited to, the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA), the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Labor and Employment, Business Regulation, Business Occupations and Professions and Financial Institutions Articles of the Annotated Code of Maryland, the Maryland Public Information Act, the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the Maryland Data Privacy and Protection Act of 2026.
Why We Collect and Process Your Personal Information
1. Why we Collect Your Information
  We collect, process, and may disclose Personal Information to determine, for example, whether you are eligible for the services, benefits, and/or products you have applied for or requested from us. Examples of such services and benefits include Unemployment Insurance, Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI), Emergency (e.g., Federal Shutdown) Loans, Occupational and Professional Licensing, services provided through American Jobs Centers (AJCs), and Consumer Financial Protection Services. We may also collect certain sensitive or financial information for other purposes, such as in order to fulfill a service or benefit request that requires that information.
  
  We may offer you the opportunity to apply for additional benefits or services from other agencies that we believe you might be eligible for or interested in. In certain circumstances, the purposes for which information is collected may be self-explanatory, and consent may be implied, such as where you or a designee provide your name, address, and payment as part of an application or other process.
2. How We Use Your Information
  We collect and use your information to see if you qualify for the benefits or services you’ve requested. This may include financial or sensitive information if it i s necessary to process your application.
  Your information may also be used to comply with legal requirements, support audits and investigations, detect and respond to security incidents, prevent fraud, manage service delivery, and use analytics to improve agency programs and operations. Where permitted by law, information may be shared with other government agencies or authorized entities for these purposes.
  We only use personal information as necessary to fulfill these functions and in accordance with applicable privacy and data protection laws.
  Sharing & Consent
  When you provide Personal Information we may let you know about programs from other agencies that might help you.
  
  Also, when you voluntarily provide details like your address or payment information as part of an application we take that as your permission to use the data for that specific purpose (processing the application, for example).
  Uses Specific to Electronic Licensing
  As you may be aware, the Maryland Department of Labor provides certain users with the opportunity to renew their licenses, make legal name changes, query active licenses and communicate with regulatory boards. Certain licensing information is made public as displayed in our public queries section. In the event you have any questions with regard to that service, please send e-mail to your regulatory board by going to the individual board's page and clicking on the e-mail address for the individual board.
  
  You can send mail to the following postal address regarding online Occupational and Professional Licensing:
  Maryland Department of Labor Occupational & Professional Licensing (State the Regulatory Board's Name) 100 S. Charles Street, Tower I Baltimore, Maryland 21202
  In addition, you may call the following telephone number: 410-230-6231.
Knowledge and Consent
Your knowledge and consent are required for the collection, processing, or disclosure of Personal Information, except when the law permits us to do so without your knowledge or consent. The purposes for which we collect Personal Information will be identified before or at the time we collect the information. Providing us with your Personal Information is always your choice.
However, your decision not to provide certain information may limit our ability to provide you with the services you seek. We will not require you to consent to the collection, processing, or disclosure of information as a condition to the supply of a product or service, unless such information is necessary to provide the product or service to you, or if it is required by law. Your signature on a document or “clicking” your agreement on an electronic application serves as your consent.
Limiting Collection
We adhere to data minimization principles, collecting only the Personal Information that is reasonably necessary, proportionate, and directly relevant to fulfill the specified purposes. In the event we receive your Personal Information from a third party, such as the federal government or identity verification vendor, we enter into appropriate agreements and request only that information required to meet a contractual purpose.
Use, Disclosure, and Retention of Personal Information
Unless you give permission, this Notice explains otherwise, or the law requires or allows it, we use or share your Personal Information only for the purpose for which it was collected. We retain your Personal Information only for as long as necessary to meet that purpose, following approved state retention schedules, or in compliance with the law.

We may share Personal Information with third-parties that process your Personal Information on our behalf so that we can fulfill your requests. Prior to sharing Personal Information with these third-parties we enter into agreements with them requiring them to adhere to strict obligations regarding data use, protection, security, confidentiality, and non-disclosure. We do not sell your personal information to any third-party under any circumstances.

To better serve Marylanders, we may de-identify or anonymize Personal Information that pertains to you for our performance improvements, and make it available to other State agencies, so they can measure and improve service performance, or for research purposes. New protection methods, like privacy enhancing technologies such as data masking, differential privacy, federated learning, homomorphic encryption, zero-knowledge proofs, and trusted execution environments , ensure that Maryland State agencies can securely utilize anonymous data without releasing any personal information.

Information that you share with us, including Personal Information, may be subject to public disclosure if required by the Maryland Public Information Act ( General Provision Article § 4-101 et seq .), if necessary to perform our official duties, or as otherwise required by applicable law. However, Maryland law includes exemptions that protect certain information from being publicly released in specified circumstances.
Public Forums, Social Media and Department of Labor Events
- This site may make chat rooms, forums, message boards, news groups and third-party tools available to its users. Please remember that any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information.
- The Maryland Department of Labor uses social media to share information and resources. We encourage respectful engagement and ask you to follow our Community Guidelines. Please avoid sharing personal information, keep comments relevant, and refrain from spam or malicious content. MD Labor social media isn't for service requests; contact the relevant office directly for specific case inquiries. View our full Social Media Guidelines.
- By entering a Maryland Department of Labor event or program, you consent to being photographed, audio recorded, or video recorded. View the full Consent to Photography, Audio, and Video Recording page.
Accuracy
We strive to maintain Personal Information in as accurate, complete, and up-to-date form as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which you provided it. We may ask for or implement verification processes to maintain up-to-date Personal Information. Pursuant to the Maryland Public Information Act ( General Provisions Article § 4-502 — “Corrections of Public Record.” ), data subjects have the right to request corrections, update old information, or add missing details to their records. You are responsible for ensuring that the Personal Information you provide to us is accurate and current and you should notify organizations whenever your details change.
Safeguarding Personal Information
State and federal laws provide protections for the Personal Information you provide. For example, health information is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 1320d et seq.) and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (15 U.S.C. § 6801 et seq.) protects consumer financial information. Pursuant to Maryland law, we will protect Personal Information using reasonable security safeguards that are appropriate to the nature of the Personal Information collected, the services we provide, and our operations. We use encryption, access controls, and secure data storage to protect your Personal Information. In the event that your Personal Information is accessed by unauthorized individuals, we will notify you in accordance with applicable laws and our data breach response plan.
Privacy Notice Changes
We will make information available to you about our policies and practices with respect to how we manage Personal Information. Following statutory directives and industry best practices, we review and update our privacy notices at least annually to ensure they accurately reflect current data practices, new system implementations, or evolving legal frameworks.. We will inform you of significant changes to our privacy practices by posting an updated Privacy Notice with a “Last Updated” date
Access to Personal Information
Upon your request, we will inform you of the existence, use or disclosure of your Personal Information . You may gain access to and verify the accuracy and completeness of your Personal Information. You may also request amendment or deletion of the Personal Information we obtained directly from you, as permitted by law and subject to State records retention schedules. To make changes to Personal Information that we have received about you from a third party, contact the third party directly. We cannot update third party records.

There may be times when we are prohibited from disclosing certain information to you. For example, we cannot provide access to records that contain the Personal Information of other individuals, or where other legal, law enforcement, or security restrictions apply. If we are unable to fulfill your request, we will provide an explanation and document the denial in your record.
Artificial intelligence
As technology advances, you may interact with Artificial Intelligence (AI) directly (such as through a public-facing Chatbot) or indirectly when we utilize automated systems or algorithms to process your Personal Information. We will maintain strict transparency during direct AI interactions. We follow the State of Maryland’s Responsible AI Policy and related guidelines to ensure your privacy is protected.
How to Contact Us
You may direct any questions about this Privacy Notice, requests to exercise your data rights or complaints about our privacy practices by contacting the Maryland Department of Labor’s Webmaster at:

Office of Information Technology Maryland Department of Labor 100 S. Charles Street, Tower I Baltimore, Maryland 21202
[email protected]
E-Mail
If you send us an email, we may use the information you sent us to respond to your inquiry, just as we do with written correspondence. E-mail correspondence, like mailed correspondence, may become a public record, and could be disclosed to other parties upon their request, in accordance with the Maryland Public Information Act.
Website Privacy
This section explains privacy practices related to our website(s).
1. Cookies
  A cookie is a small computer file or piece of information that may be stored in your computer's hard drive when you visit our websites. We may use cookies to improve our website’s functionality and, in some cases, to provide visitors with a customized online experience.
  
  Cookies are widely used, and most web browsers are configured initially to accept cookies automatically. You may change your browser settings to prevent your computer from accepting cookies, or to notify you when you receive a cookie, so that you may decline it. Please note that disabling cookies may limit your access to certain features and affect your overall experience on our website.
2. Information Collected and Stored Automatically
  When you browse our websites, read pages, or download information, certain information about your visit is automatically gathered and stored. This information does not identify you personally and includes the following:
  - The internet domain (example: Maryland.gov or example.com) and the IP address (the number automatically assigned to your computer when surfing the Web) from which you access the site,
  - The type of browser and operating system used to access a site,
  - The date and time you access the site,
  - The page(s) you visit, and
  - Your navigation through the website and actions (like clicking a button), but no content entered into form fields other than search.
  This information is used to make our websites more useful to visitors, to learn about the number of visitors to our sites, and the types of technology our visitors use. We do not track or record identifying information about individuals and their visits.
3. Other Websites
  Our websites may contain links to other third-party sites that are not governed by this Privacy Notice. Although we try to only link to sites with high privacy standards, our Privacy Notice does not apply once you leave our website. Additionally, we are not responsible for the privacy practices employed by third-party websites. Therefore, you should read their privacy statements to learn how they collect, use, share, and disclose your information.
4. Site Security
  To ensure that our websites are secure and remain available to all users, we employ commercial software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise cause damage.
  
  Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no other attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits. Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on our websites are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under State and Federal laws that protect against fraud and abuse of computer systems. In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected individuals in accordance with applicable laws and our data breach response plan.