Website Privacy Policy
Thank you for visiting the Office of the Clerk website, a public service of the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. This privacy policy applies to the central website of the Office of the Clerk. Websites of other offices of the House of Representatives may have their own privacy policies.
We respect the privacy of our visitors. We collect only such personal information as is needed to provide the information, service, or assistance that you request.
Information We Collect Automatically
If you visit our website to browse, read, or download information:
- Your web browser automatically sends us (and we may retain) information such as the:
- Internet domain through which you access the Internet (e.g., yourServiceProvider.com if you use a commercial Internet service provider, or yourSchool.edu if you use an Internet account from your school);
- Internet Protocol address of the computer you are using;
- Type of browser software and operating system you are using;
- Date, time, and length of time you access our site;
- The pages you visit on the site; and
- The Internet address of the site from which you linked directly to our site.
- We will use this information as aggregate data to help us maintain this site, e.g., to determine the number of visitors to different sections of our site, to identify which information is of interest, to determine technical design specifications, to ensure the site is working properly, to ensure the site’s security, and to help us make our site more accessible and useful.
- We will not use this information to identify individuals, except for site security or law enforcement purposes.
- We will not obtain personally-identifying information about you when you visit our site, unless you choose to provide such information.
Other Information We Collect
If you choose to identify yourself (or otherwise provide us with personal information) when you use our online forms:
- We will collect (and may retain) any personally identifying information, such as your name, street address, email address, and phone number, and any other information you provide. We will use this information to try to fulfill your request and may use it to provide you with additional information at a later time. We will not disclose such information to third parties, except as specified in this privacy policy.
- If you request information, services, or assistance, we may disclose your personal information to those third parties that (in our judgment) are appropriate in order to fulfill your request. If, when you provide us with such information, you specify that you do not want us to disclose the information to third parties: we will honor your request. Note, however, that if you do not provide such information, it may be impossible for us to refer, respond to or fulfill your request.
- If your communication relates to a law enforcement matter, we may disclose the information to law enforcement agencies that we deem appropriate.
- Email addresses provided for the Office of the House Historian’s monthly e-newsletter will be used solely for that purpose.
How Long We Keep Information
We may keep information that will collect for an unlimited period of time.
Security
Please note that electronic communication, particularly email, is not necessarily secure against interception. Please do not send sensitive data (e.g., Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers) by email or web form.
Cookies
We may use cookies in order to customize this site for return visitors. Cookies are secure text files placed in your computer’s browser to store your browsing preferences. These cookies are not required for site functionality. You are not required to accept any cookies to use this site. Cookies used on the site do not store any personally identifiable information.
Site Monitoring
For site security purposes this government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic. Anyone using this system consents to the monitoring of their use by system or security personnel.
Unauthorized use, tampering with or modification of this system—or its supporting hardware or software—may violate federal or other statutes and may subject the violator to criminal and civil penalties. In the event of unauthorized intrusion, all relevant information regarding possible violation of law may be provided to law enforcement officials.
Rights & Reproductions
Information on the Office of the Clerk website is in the public domain. You are welcome to distribute paper copies of or links to pages on the site unless otherwise specified, using citation information provided. View further information on rights and reproductions.
Linking
The Office of the Clerk website links to other websites. The Office is only responsible for the accuracy and presentation of information on sites under its management. The Office of the Clerk and the U.S. House of Representatives are not responsible for the content of linked sites. Once visitors use a link on this site to access another site, they are subject to the privacy and security policies of that site.
Contact Us
If you have questions or comments about this notice, please contact the Office of the Clerk at info.clerkweb@mail.house.gov.