Our privacy policy is plain and simple. We collect ONLY personal information required to issue a login ID to people who have a government issued e-mail account ending in .gov, .mil, .si.edu, .fed.us, or .state.xx.us.
We do collect some technical information when you visit to make your visit seamless. The section below explains how we handle and collect technical information when you visit our website.
Information Collected and Stored Automatically
When you click a Go.USA.gov link, we automatically gather and store certain technical information about your click through. This information never identifies who you are. The information we collect and store about your click through is listed below:
This information is only used to help us make Go.USA.gov more useful for government web managers and government social media experts. We never track or record information about individuals.
When registered users shorten a URL, we automatically store your Go.USA.gov user name, the long URL, short URL, and the date and time it was shortened. This information is only visible to registered users.
Cookies
When you visit some websites, their web servers generate pieces of information known as cookies. Some cookies collect personal information to recognize your computer in the future.
Go.USA.gov uses per-session cookies in order to keep an authorized user signed in to the URL shortener.
You may adjust the settings on your web browser to refuse cookies, or you may delete the cookie whenever you wish. Refusing or removing the cookie will not impact your visit to Go.USA.gov.
If You Send Us Personal Information
We do not collect personal information for any purpose other than to issue and maintain your login ID and to respond to you if you contact us with questions or problems. If you choose to provide us with personal information—like your e-mail address and name—we use that information to respond to your message, and to help get you the information you’ve requested. We only share the information you give us as required by law.
Go.USA.gov never collects information or creates individual profiles for commercial marketing.
While you must provide an e-mail address and name for Go.USA.gov to respond to your question, we recommend that you NOT include any other personal information, especially Social Security numbers. The Social Security Administration offers additional guidance on sharing your Social Security number.
Site Security
For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system uses commercial software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.
Go.USA.gov Linking Policy
Go.USA.gov creates short URLs out of any .gov, .mil, .fed.us, .si.edu, or .state.xx.us URL that a government user has shortened. Go.USA.gov provides these links as a service to our users. Some shortened URLs may become obsolete in the future. Go.USA.gov will maintain a database of the original URL and its shortened key but cannot verify the availability of the shortened URL when the original URL has been removed, changed, or altered by the URL owner.
Prohibitions
Go.USA.gov reserves the right to remove any shortened link that contains misleading information or unsubstantiated claims, or is determined to be in conflict with USA.gov’s (Go.USA.gov’s sponsoring organization) mission or policies.
Disclaimer of Endorsement
The shortened URL in the Go.USA.gov database website includes hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public organizations. USA.gov provides these links and pointers solely for our citizen information and convenience. When clicking on a shortened URL, users are selecting a link to a non USA.gov website; they are leaving the USA.gov site and are subject to the privacy and security policies of that government website.