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SBA's Internet Privacy Policy |
[Also See Privacy Act and SBA CFR PART 102--Record Disclosure and Privacy]
Cookies are small files that web servers place on a user's hard drive.
They can serve several functions:
they allow the web site to identify you as a previous visitor each time
you access a site;
they track what information you view at a site (important to commercial
sites trying to determine your buying preferences);
in the more advanced cases they track your movements through many Web sites
but not the whole Web;
businesses use them for customer convenience to allow them to produce a list
of items to buy and pay for them all at one time and to garner information
about what individuals are buying at their sites;
advertisers use them to determine the effectiveness of their
marketing and offer insights into consumer preferences and tastes by
collecting data from many Web sites; and
they can be used to help a web site tailor screens for each customer's preference.
To protect your privacy, be sure to close your browser completely after you have finished conducting business with a web site that does use cookies. If you are concerned about the potential use of the information gathered from your computer by cookies, you can set your browser to prompt you before it accepts a cookie. Most Internet browser have settings that let you identify and/or reject cookies.
SBA does not use cookies.
Session variables are small files that a Web site transfers temporarily to your computer's memory,
not to your computer's hard drive.
On some SBA web pages, we use "session variables"
to help you use our web sites interactively. Netscape's browser
labels our session variables as cookies -- these are not cookies.
The session variables on SBA's Web pages do not collect information about you, but only about your browser "session." The session variable makes it easier for you to use the dynamic features of these Web services, without having to provide the same information again as you move from one page to another.
Session variables on SBA's Web pages expire as you exit the service delivering the session variable. That is, they are automatically removed from your computer's memory when you close your browser,
reboot, or flush your cache.
Items on SBA's web site that use session variables are the
HUBZone Certification Area,
Chat and Forum Servers (when live only on special occasions),
SUB-Net, and
Business Cards.
SBA provides many links to other web sites. When you leave any SBA Web site (xxx.sba.gov), you will be going to sites that are beyond our control. We try to ensure that links that leave our site are clearly labeled, usually with a disclaimer and a "Goodbye Message". These other sites may send their own cookies to users, collect data, or solicit personal information. The privacy policies and procedures described here for SBA do not apply to any external links. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any site you link to from ours, especially if you share any personal information. Be informed. You are the person best qualified to protect your own privacy.
If you subscribe to any of SBA's publications, we collect your email address and name. We use this information for distributing the requested material ONLY - and not for any other purpose.
If you have any questions or comments about the information presented here, please forward them to Web Comments.
Last Modified: 08-04-04
the date and time
the originating Internet Protocol (IP) address
the object requested
the address of the web site from which you linked to our site
the type of browser you use to access our web site, and
the completion status of the request.
assessing what information is of most and least interest,
determining technical design specifications, and
identifying system performance or problem areas.
a. If you visit our site to read or download information, such as consumer
brochures or press releases:
We collect and store only the following information about you: the name
of the domain from which you access the Internet (for example, aol.com, if
you are connecting from an America Online account, or psu.edu if you are
connecting from Pennsylvania State University's domain); the date and time
you access our site; and the Internet address of the website from which you
linked directly to our site.
b. If you identify yourself by sending an E-mail:
We use the information we collect to measure the number of visitors to
the different sections of our site, and to help us make our site more useful
to visitors.
You also may decide to send us personally identifying information, for
example, in an electronic mail message containing a complaint or compliment.
We use personally identifying information from viewers in various ways
to further the usefulness and accuracy of the information contained on our
Web site or to add new sections and services. If you include personally-identifying information in your e-mail because you want us to address issues specific to your situation, we may use that information in responding to your request. In other limited circumstances, including requests from Congress or limited other parties, we may be required by law to disclose information that you submit.
Be aware that despite anything we do to protect electronic information,
e-mail is not necessarily secure against interception. If your communication
is very sensitive, or includes personal information, you might prefer to
send it by regular mail instead. On some of our Web pages we may offer interactive forms that let you voluntarily submit personal information (such as your e-mail address, name, or organization). This occurs when you are registering for various conferences, workshops, or training sessions offered by SBA, ordering publications for SBA Pubs, or submitting comments to various web discussion forums. In those cases, all submitted information is used only for the express purposes for which it is intended and is not made available to any third party. However, when you submit a comment to an SBA web discussion forum, if you supply your name, e-mail address, or other personal information, that information is posted along with your comment.
NOTE: We will not obtain personally identifying information about
you when you visit our site, unless you choose to provide such information
to us.
| Web Comments |