Privacy
Thank you for visiting the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) website at www.pclob.gov. Protecting the privacy and security of visitors’ personally identifiable information is very important to us:
We do not collect personally identifiable information (PII) about you unless you choose to provide that information to us. Any personally identifiable information you chose to provide is protected by security practices. Non-personally identifiable information related to your visit to our website may be automatically collected and temporarily stored. PCLOB does not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personally identifiable information about our visitors unless required by law or for law enforcement or safety purposes. This policy establishes how we will handle information we learn about you from your visit to our site. We collect no personally identifiable information about you when you visit our site unless you choose to provide that information to us. Submitting personally identifiable information (name, address, telephone number, email address, etc.) is voluntary and is not required to access information on our website. We collect the minimum information necessary. This Website Privacy Policy does not apply to information submitted to info@pclob.gov. Information sent to info@pclob.gov will be handled in the same manner as Privacy Act requests submitted to the Board as identified in the Board’s System of Records Notice and will be retained in accordance with the applicable records retention schedule. Some of our web pages contain links to websites outside PCLOB, including those of other federal agencies. Please be aware that if you follow a link to another site, you are then subject to the privacy policies of the new site.
Website Privacy Policy
What information is Collected
When you browse through our website, we may gather and temporarily store technical information about your visit. This information does not identify who you are. The information we may collect includes:
- The name of the domain you use to access the Internet
- The date and time of your visit
- The pages you visited
- The address of the website you came from when you came to visit.
We use this information to improve our website and provide a better user experience for our visitors. It is retained only for as long as needed for proper analysis.
Cookies
This site may use cookies to store information on your computer. Cookies are small files that Web servers place on a user’s hard drive. Cookies can be used to help us improve the user experience. By using this site, you consent to the placement of these cookies. Our cookies do not contain any personally-identifiable information. We use web measurement applications to compare the behavior of new and returning visitors in the aggregate to help us identify work flows and trends and also resolve common problems on our site. 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. You can remove or block the use of web measurement and customization technologies by changing the setting of your browser to block cookies.
How the Information is Used and Disclosed
We intend to use the information that we collect to measure the number of visitors to the different areas of our sites and to help us make our sites more useful to visitors. This could include analyzing these logs periodically to determine the traffic through our servers, the number of pages served, and the level of demand for pages and topics of interest. We do not give, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party unless required by law or for law enforcement or safety purposes. We may post public comments and transcripts, including names, state of residence, and other non-confidential information, on the PCLOB website in a rulemaking, workshop, blog, or other public PCLOB proceeding. In addition, information may be subject to disclosure in certain cases (for example, if required by a Freedom of Information Act request, court order, or Congressional access request, or if authorized by a Privacy Act System of Records Notice).
How Long Information is Retained
We retain personally identifiable information only for as long as necessary to respond to your question or request, in most cases no longer than two years. Information submitted electronically is maintained and destroyed as required by the Federal Records Act and records schedules of the National Archives and Records Administration. Website visitor logs may be preserved indefinitely and used at any time and in any way necessary to prevent security breaches and to ensure the integrity of the data on our servers.
Interaction with Children
This site is not directed to children under 13 years old and does not collect personally identifiable information from visitors that would identify them as being children under 13.
Information on Third-Party Websites
In the event we maintain accounts on third-party websites, such as social media sites, as tools to better interact with the public, the security and privacy policies of those third-party websites apply to your activity on those sites. In addition, users of third-party websites often share information with the general public, user community, and/or the third-party operating the website. You should review the privacy policies of all websites before using them and ensure that you understand how your information may be used. You should also adjust privacy settings on your account on any third-party website to match your preferences. If you have an account with a third-party website, and choose to follow, like, friend, or comment on a page managed by PCLOB, certain personal information associated with your account may be made available to us based on the privacy policies of the third-party website and your privacy settings within that website. We do not share personally identifiable information made available through these websites unless required by law or for law enforcement or safety purposes.
Security
This site is maintained by the U.S. Government. It is protected by federal laws. You can be arrested and prosecuted for violating these laws. For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, we may use software programs to monitor traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise cause damage. In the event of law enforcement investigations and as part of any required legal process, information from these sources may be used to help identify an individual.
Amendments
As our agency develops, this Website Privacy Policy is expected to change as well. We reserve the right to amend it, for any reason, without notice to you, other than the posting of the amended Website Privacy Policy at this site.
Questions Regarding the Website Privacy Policy
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, or any concern about privacy at the PCLOB or the use of this site in general, please contact us by e-mail at info@pclob.gov. Effective date: July 1, 2014.
Agency Rule on the Privacy Act of 1974
Finalized agency rule implementing the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act of 1974, and the Government in the Sunshine Act. This rule describes the procedures for members of the public to request access to PCLOB records. In addition, this rule also includes procedures for the Board’s responses to these requests, including the timeframe for response and applicable fees.
Regulations on Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, and Sunshine Act
Privacy Act System of Records Notice
In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board created a system of records titled "PCLOB–1, Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Request Files."
Privacy Impact Assessments
Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) help the public understand what personal information the agency is collecting, why it is being collected, and how it will be accessed, used, shared, and secured.
PCLOB Interim Privacy Impact Assessment for Third-Party Social Media Websites and Applications