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Department of Transportation Privacy PolicyThank you for visiting the Department of Transportation's Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), Volpe Center Web site. We are committed to respecting your right to privacy and will protect it when you visit our Web site. This Privacy Policy explains our online information practices only, including how we collect and use your personal information. It covers information collected on this RSPA/Volpe Center Web site. Our Privacy Policy does not apply to third party Web sites that you are able to reach from our Web site, nor does it cover practices of other elements within the Department of Transportation. We encourage you to read the Privacy Policies of those elements and third parties to learn how they collect and use information about you. To assist you with reading our Privacy Policy, we have provided answers to the following questions you may find most important:
What information do we collect automatically online? When you visit our Web site, we collect information about your visit that does not identify you personally. We can tell the type of computer, browser, and Web service you are using. We also know the date, time, and pages you visit. Collecting this information helps us design the site to better meet our customers' needs. What additional information do we collect about you online? When you visit our Web site, we may request and collect the following personal information from you in order to answer your requests, or conduct business with you:
Why do we collect information online and how do we use it? Our principal purpose for collecting personal information online is to provide you with the information you need and want, to conduct business with you, and to facilitate the use of our Web site. We will only use your information for the purposes for which you have provided this information, or for the purposes required under the law. (In order to learn more about how we provide choices to you regarding our use of your information, visit the "Choices" section in this Privacy Policy.) Generally, our uses of information collected online include:
How, and with whom, do we share the information we collect online? We may share personally identifiable information you provide to us online with appropriate representatives within the Department of Transportation (see http://www.dot.gov/DOTagencies.htm for information on DOT Operating Administrations and related entities), other federal government agencies, or other designated representatives as needed to facilitate your request or transaction. Additionally, we may be required by law to share information we collect with authorized law enforcement, homeland security, and national security activities (See also the "What are your rights under the Privacy Act of 1974?" section in this Privacy Policy). Do we give you choices on how we use the information you provide us? Throughout our Web site, we will let you know whether the information we ask you to provide is voluntary or required. By providing personally identifiable information, you are granting us consent to use this personally identifiable information for the primary purpose for which you are providing it. Additionally, we will ask for you to grant us consent before using your voluntarily provided information for any secondary purposes, other than those required under the law. What are our information practices for children? We do not have a designated children's section, nor do we intentionally collect information from children. We have no way to know if children have submitted information since we do not request age, DOB, or any other age-identifying data. For additional information on privacy laws associated with children, visit: http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/privacyinitiatives/childrens.html. Do we use cookies or other tracking devices? A "cookie" is a small text file that is stored on your computer and makes it easy for you to move around a Web site without having to continually re-enter your name, password, preferences, etc. We use only "session" cookies; this means we store the cookie on your computer only during each visit to our Web site. After you turn off your computer or stop using the Internet, the cookie is erased and nothing will be remembered the next time you visit our Web site. How do we secure your information we collect online? We are committed to properly securing the information we collect online. To help us accomplish this, we take the following steps:
Tampering with the RSPA/Volpe Center Web site is against the law. If anyone tries to tamper with it, they may be punished under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act. What are your rights under the Privacy Act of 1974? The Privacy Act of 1974 protects the personal information the federal government keeps on you in "systems of records (SOR)" (information an agency controls that can be retrieved by name or some other personal identifier). The Privacy Act regulates how the government can disclose, share, provide access to, and maintain the personal information that it collects. Not all information collected online is covered by the Privacy Act. The Act's major provisions require agencies to:
When the RSPA/Volpe Center collects information from you online that is subject to the Privacy Act (i.e., information to be kept in a SOR), we will provide you, through a link on the Web page from which we collect information, access to our Privacy Act Notice. This Privacy Act Notice will inform you what portion of the information is maintained and retrieved by your name or other personal identifier. Each Privacy Act Notice will also notify you of the following:
Click here to view our Privacy Act Notices How do you find out more about, or comment on, our privacy practices? For more information on our privacy practices, or for comments and concerns, please contact our Internet Manager at: Email: may@volpe.dot.gov Disclaimer and Limitation of LiabilityThis Web site and the information it contains is provided as a public service by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). This system is monitored to ensure proper operation, to verify the functioning of applicable security features, and for other like purposes. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring. Unauthorized attempts to modify any information stored on this system, to defeat or circumvent security features, or to utilize this system for other than its intended purposes are prohibited and may result in criminal prosecution. Limitation of LiabilityThe DOT makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this Web site and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this Web site. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and freedom from computer virus, is given with respect to the contents of this Web site or its hyperlinks to other Internet resources. Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by DOT. OwnershipInformation presented on this Web site is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. However, all information submitted to DOT via this site shall be deemed and remain the property of DOT, except those submissions made under separate legal contract. DOT shall be free to use, for any purpose, any ideas, concepts, or techniques contained in information provided to DOT through this site. |
 U.S. Department of Transportation |