We are committed
to the privacy of our visitors. We collect no personal information
about you when you visit our Web site unless you choose to provide
that information to us.
Here
is how we handle information about your visit to our Web site.
Information
Collected and Stored Automatically: If you do nothing during your
visit but browse through the Web site, read pages or download
information, we will gather and store certain information about
your visit automatically. This information does not identify you
personally. We automatically collect and store information like
the following concerning your visit.
We use this
information to help us make our site more useful to visitors—to
learn about the number of visitors to our site and the types of
technology our visitors use.
Information
Protection
For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains
available to all users, this government computer system employs
software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized
attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.
If such monitoring reveals evidence of possible abuse or criminal
activity, such evidence may be provided to appropriate law enforcement
officials. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information
on this server are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under
the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information
Infrastructure Protection Act or other law.
Information
That You Voluntarily Provide
We do not collect personally-identifiable information unless you
choose to provide it to us. If you provide us with personally
identifiable information, for example by sending an e-mail or
by filling out a form and submitting it through our Web site,
we use that information only to respond to your message and to
help us provide you with the information and services that you
request.
Submitting
voluntary information constitutes your consent to the use of the
information for the stated purpose. When a user clicks the "Submit"
button on any of the Web forms found on our site they are indicating
voluntary consent to use of the information they submit for the
stated purpose. We do not collect or use information for commercial
marketing.
How
Information is Used
The information we collect is used for a variety of purposes (e.g.,
comments on proposed rules, license applications, to respond to
requests for information about our regulations and policies and
to fill orders). We make every effort to disclose clearly how
information is used at the point where it is collected so that
our users can determine for themselves whether they wish to provide
the information.
Sharing
of Information
We may share the information you give us with another government
agency if your inquiry relates to that agency. In other limited
circumstances, such as responses to requests from Congress and
private individuals, we may be required by law to disclose information
you submit. Before you submit personally identifiable information,
such as on an online form, you will be advised as to the purpose
and how the information will be used.
Retention
of Information
We destroy the information we collect when the purpose for which
it was provided has been fulfilled unless we are required to keep
it longer by statute or official policy. Electronically submitted
information is maintained and destroyed according to the principles
of the Federal Records Act and the regulations and records schedules
approved by the National Archives and Records Administration,
and in some cases information submitted to us may become an agency
record and therefore might be subject to a Freedom of Information
Act request.
Links
to Other Sites
This site may have links to the Web sites of other federal agencies.
There may be links to private organizations, with their permission.
Once you go to another site, you are subject to the privacy policy
of the new site. It is always a good idea to read the Privacy
Policy of any Web site that you visit.
Cookies
"Cookies" are small bits of text that are either used
for the duration of a session ("session cookies"), or
saved on a user's hard drive in order to identify that user, or
information about that user, the next time the user logs on to
a Web site ("persistent cookies"). This Web site does
not use persistent cookies or any other persistent tracking technology.
One or more of our component sites may use session cookies to
provide streamlined navigation. These session cookies are deleted
from the component's server after your session ends and information
from them is not collected or saved.
Interaction
with Children
This Web site may offer educational content to children under
13. No personally identifiable information is collected from them
unless voluntarily submitted as a request for information or services.
The information collected is used to respond to user inquiries
or to provide services requested by our users.
Your
Rights Under the Privacy Act
More information about the Privacy Act can be found at the following
off-site link. http://www.cftc.gov/foia/foiprivacyact.htm