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U.S. Department of the Treasury

Privacy Policy

*The myRA program ended on September 17, 2018. This site is no longer being updated.

Protecting your privacy is very important to us. We’re telling you about myRA.gov’s privacy policy so you know what information we collect, why we collect it, and what we do with it.

myRA.gov doesn’t collect any personally identifiable information (PII) about you during your visit to our website unless you choose to provide it to us. We do, however, collect information from visitors who read, browse, and/or download information from our site. We do this so we can understand how the public uses the site and how to make it more helpful.

This policy does not apply to the individual websites hosted by Comerica (i.e., Sign Up and My Account), which maintain separate privacy policies governing information collection, use, sharing, and disposal.

Types of information we collect

When you browse through any website, certain information about your visit can be collected. We automatically collect and temporarily store the following types of information about your visit:

  • Domain from which you access the Internet
  • IP address (an IP or internet protocol address is a number that is automatically given to a computer connected to the Web)
  • Operating system on your computer and information about the browser you used when visiting the site
  • Date and time of your visit Pages you visited
  • Address of the website that connected you to myRA.gov (such as google.com or bing.com)
  • We use this information to measure the number of visitors to our site and its various sections and to help make our site more useful to visitors.

How myRA.gov uses information it collects

myRA.gov uses a variety of Web measurement software tools. We use them to collect the information listed in the “Types of information collected” section above. The tools collect information automatically and continuously. No personally identifiable information is collected by these tools.

The myRA.gov staff analyzes and reports on the collected data from these tools. The reports are available only to myRA.gov managers, members of the myRA.gov communications and Web teams, and other designated staff who need this information to perform their duties.

myRA.gov keeps the data from our measurement tools as long as needed to support the mission of the website.

How myRA.gov uses cookies

The Office of Management and Budget Memo M-10-22, Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies, allows federal agencies to use session and persistent cookies.

When you visit any website, its server may generate a piece of text known as a "cookie" to place on your computer. The cookie allows the server to "remember" specific information about your visit while you are connected. The cookie makes it easier for you to use the dynamic features of Web pages. Cookies from myRA.gov pages collect only information about your browser’s visit to the site. They do not collect personal information about you.

There are two types of cookies, single session (temporary), and multi-session (persistent). Session cookies last only as long as your Web browser is open. Once you close your browser, the cookie disappears. Persistent cookies are stored on your computer for longer periods.

Session Cookies:

We use session cookies to understand more about how you’re using our site. The OMB Memo 10-22 Guidance defines our use of session cookies as "Usage Tier 1—Single Session.” The policy says, "This tier encompasses any use of single session web measurement and customization technologies."

Persistent Cookies:

We use persistent cookies to understand the differences between new and returning myRA.gov visitors. Persistent cookies remain on your computer between visits to our site until they expire. The OMB Memo 10-22 Guidance defines our use of persistent cookies as "Usage Tier 2—Multi-session without Personally Identifiable Information (PII).” The policy says, "This tier encompasses any use of multi-session Web measurement and customization technologies when no PII is collected."

How to opt out or disable cookies

If you do not wish to have session or persistent cookies placed on your computer, you can disable them using your Web browser. If you opt out of cookies, you will still have access to all information and resources at myRA.gov. Instructions for disabling or opting out of cookies in the most popular browsers are located at http://www.usa.gov/optout_instructions.shtml.

Please note that by opting out of cookies, you will disable cookies from all sources, not just from myRA.gov.

How we protect your personal information

You do not have to give us personal information to visit myRA.gov. However, if you choose to receive a launch email notification when myRA® becomes available for retirement savings account creation and management, we collect your email address to complete the subscription process.

If you choose to contact us via email, you should not send us any of your personal information. Email is not normally secured by encryption nor protected by confidentiality. If you choose to provide us with personally identifiable information through an email message, we will maintain the information you provide only as long as needed to respond to your question or to fulfill the stated purpose of the communication. If necessary, we may forward your email to those who manage our websites or other Federal agencies that help us to provide you with a complete response. You must decide if you want to assume the risk that an unauthorized person may learn your email address or other information you may provide as it’s transmitted. Once we receive your email, your information is secured.

How long we keep data and how we access it

myRA.gov will keep data collected long enough to achieve the specified objective for which they were collected. The data generated from these activities will be handled according to the requirements of that schedule at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), General Records Schedules (GRS).

How myRA.gov uses third-party websites and applications

As a response to OMB Memo M-10-06, Open Government Directive, myRA.gov uses a variety of technologies and social media services to communicate and interact with citizens. These third-party website and application (TPWA) tools include Google Analytics, Facebook, ForeSee, LinkedIn, Twitter, TubeMogul, Quantcast, and MSN.

TPWAs are not exclusively operated or controlled by myRA.gov. Users of TPWAs often share information with the general public, user community, and/or the third party operating the website. These actors may use this information in a variety of ways.
TPWAs could cause PII to become available or accessible to myRA.gov and the public, regardless of whether the information is explicitly asked for or collected by us.

myRA.gov does not collect, use, or share your PII if you made it available through third- party websites. You should review the third-party privacy policies before using the sites and ensure that you understand how your information may be used.

If you have an account with a third-party website and choose to “like,” “friend,” follow, or comment, certain PII associated with your account may be made available to myRA.gov based on the privacy policy of the third-party website and your privacy settings within that website. You should adjust privacy settings on your account to match your preferences.

myRA.gov also collects non-personally identifiable information through the use of tracking pixels that appear on our pages. A tracking pixel is a transparent graphic image (usually 1 pixel x 1 pixel) that is placed on a web page and, in combination with a cookie, allows us to collect information regarding the use of the web page that contains the tracking pixel.

We use tracking pixels to tell when an advertisement we run on another website has been clicked on by site visitors. We use that information to judge which advertisements are more appealing to users.

Specifically, myRA.gov uses integrated services that require Google Analytics to collect data via advertising cookies (including third party cookies such as Doubleclick) and anonymous identifiers, in addition to the standard information collected within Google Analytics. The additional services include display network impression reporting, remarketing to site visitors and demographics and interest reporting.

To opt out of these tracking pixels and services, please see the section above titled "How to opt out or disable cookies." You can also use the following link to opt out of the Google Analytics-based tools described above: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/

ForeSee is an externally hosted survey service that allows us to create web surveys. We use this service to collect your feedback on our website so we can continuously improve it.

ForeSee does employ cookies. Cookies enable ForeSee to make sure you don’t see the survey every time you visit the site.