Protecting the privacy and security of individuals’ personal information is very important to us. We do not collect any information that directly identifies you when you visit FPC.gov unless you choose to provide that information by contacting us. However, the website may collect a limited amount of information about your visit for the purposes of website analytics and customization. Please read this notice to understand what we do with the limited amount of information about your visit that we may collect.
-
As with many Federal Government websites, FPC.gov is hosted by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). GSA, or contractors working on behalf of GSA,collect limited information about visits to FPC.gov. This information is used to measure the number of visitors to the various sections of our website and to identify performance or problem areas.
Authorized individuals may also use this information to help us develop the site, analyze patterns of usage, and to make the site more useful. We do not share or sell visitor data for the purposes of advertising, marketing, or any other commercial purpose. This information is not used for associating search terms or patterns of site navigation with individual users. The information that is automatically collected and stored concerning your visit includes:
- the name of the domain from which you access the Internet (i.e., HHS.gov if you are connecting from a HHS domain, or GMU.edu if you are connecting from George Mason University’s domain);
- the date and time of your visit;
- the pages you visit on FPC.gov;
- Internet Protocol Address;
- the Internet address of the website you came from if it linked you directly to FPC.gov; and
- search terms that you enter into the FPC.gov search tool.
-
When you visit a website, its server may generate a piece of text known as a “cookie” to place on your device. The cookie, which is unique to your browser, allows the server to “remember” specific information about your visit while you are connected.
There are two types of cookies — single session (temporary) and multi-session (persistent). Single session cookies last only as long as your Web browser is open. Once you close your browser, the session cookie disappears. Persistent cookies are stored on your device for longer periods. Both types of cookies create an identifier that is unique to your device. The Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-10-22, Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies, allows Federal agencies to use both session and persistent cookies to improve the delivery of services.
- Session Cookies:We use session cookies for technical purposes, such as to allow better navigation through our site. These session cookies are set by GSA or a contractor acting on GSA’s behalf and let the server hosting FPC.gov know that you are continuing a visit to our site. Our use of session cookies qualifies as “Usage Tier 1—Single Session,” as defined in the OMB M-10-22 guidance.
- Persistent Cookies:We use persistent cookies to understand the differences between new and returning visitors to FPC.gov. Persistent cookies remain on your device between visits to our site until they expire or are removed by the user. As discussed below under “Google Analytics,” our use of persistent cookies qualifies as “Usage Tier 2—Multi-session without personally identifiable information,” as defined in the OMB M-10-22 guidance. The policy states, “This tier encompasses any use of multi-session Web measurement and customization technologies when no [personally identifiable information] is collected.” We do not use persistent cookies to collect personally identifiable information.
-
FPC.gov participates in the U.S. Digital Analytics Program, (DAP) which utilizes a unified Google Analytics account for Federal Government agencies. This program helps Federal agencies understand how people find, access, and use government services online.
The DAP is a hosted shared service provided by the General Services Administration’s (GSA’s) Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, and the protocol and information collected are the same for all websites participating in the DAP. As a participant in GSA’s DAP program, this website’s Google Analytics traffic data is automatically reported to GSA.
Google Analytics is a third-party web measurement and customization technology as defined in OMB M-10-22 (PDF).
Here is how it works: Google Analytics sets one or more cookies on your computer so that it can recognize your computer if you visit the FPC.gov website in the future. This cookie(s) does not collect personally identifiable information. This is considered a Tier 2 usage, as defined in the OMB guidance.
Google Analytics does not collect personally identifiable information through its cookie(s). The program does not track individuals and anonymizes the IP addresses of visitors. Common Questions about DAP (FAQ) provides more information about how Google Analytics handles IP addresses. According to GSA’s Common Questions About DAP, “none of the federal government data tracked as part of the Data Analytics Program will be shared with or available to Google’s corporate advertising partners.”
A limited number of authorized individuals will have user accounts that will allow them to log in to the Google Analytics dashboard and view or run reports regarding visits to FPC.gov and the other web metrics available from the DAP.
Visitors who choose to disable this web measurement tool will still have full access to FPC.gov. While the details vary from browser to browser, most modern browsers can be set up to accept, reject, or request user intervention when a site asks to set a cookie.
You can view web metrics information at https://analytics.usa.gov/. -
Users of this website may send the Federal Privacy Council feedback or report an issue by sending an email to privacy.council@gsa.gov. If you choose to send us your personally identifiable information, we will only use that information to respond to your message. We only share the information you give us with another government agency if your question relates to that agency, or as otherwise required by law. FPC.gov never collects information or creates individual profiles for the purposes of advertising, marketing, or any other commercial purpose. We do not create or store lists of email addresses or other information to deliver email alerts, newsletters, or otherwise send marketing messages or contact individuals. When you contact us, any personally identifiable information you provide is voluntary. Please do not include sensitive personally identifiable information or other sensitive information in the content of your email.
-
We believe in the importance of protecting the privacy of children online. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) governs information gathered online from or about children under the age of 13. This site is not intended to solicit or collection information of any kind from children under age 13. If you believe that we have received information from a child under age 13, please contact us at privacy.council@gsa.gov.
-
This website was built using Federalist, a government-hosted service designed to enable the rapid deployment of government websites in a secure and readily accessible environment. Federalist is a product of 18, which hosts www.FPC.gov, and provides a secure, FISMA compliant platform.
-
If you have questions about this privacy policy or the privacy practices of the Federal Privacy Council, please submit your questions to privacy.council@gsa.gov.