Comment Policy and Privacy Policy
Comment Policy
This blog was created to foster an ongoing dialogue regarding the immigration and naturalization process in the United States. We encourage readers to engage us with comments, ideas, concerns and constructive criticism. In so doing, we ask that guests respect the following ground rules:
- We expect that participants treat each other, as well as our agency and its employees, with respect.
- We will not post comments that contain vulgar, offensive or abusive language.
- We will not post comments that are harassing or contain unsupported accusations or false claims.
- We reserve the right to delete comments that are repetitive or off topic.
- Comments with status inquiries or questions about a specific case will NOT be posted. Please contact USCIS through the appropriate channels for that information.
- To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information such as name, Social Security number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the Blog. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. You have the option of posting comments anonymously, but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.
- This blog is not the proper venue to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact the appropriate authorities directly.
- This blog is not a substitute channel for DHS services or general questions. See "Contact Us" on www.dhs.gov, to get help from the Department and components.
- Unsolicited business proposals, advertising and SPAM will be deleted. This site is not a venue for the promotion of contracting or commercial business.
- This blog may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.
Any posted references to commercial entities, products, services, or other nongovernmental organizations or individuals are provided solely for the information of individuals using this blog. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of USCIS, DHS, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying USCIS endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.
USCIS does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this blog is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. USCIS may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. USCIS does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those Web sites that may be reached through links on our Web site.
Members of the media are asked to send questions to the USCIS Office of Communications through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted.
We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.
The views expressed on the site by commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of USCIS or the Federal Government.
Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.
Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary. USCIS reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.
Privacy Policy
Here is how we handle information about your visit to our Website:
Information Collected and Stored Automatically
If you visit our site to read or download information, we collect and store the following information about your visit:
If You Send Us Personal Information
If you choose to provide us with personal information, such as by sending an e-mail or by filling out a form and submitting it through our Website, we will use that information to respond to your message or to fulfill the stated purpose of the communication. Remember that e-mail is not necessarily secure against interception. If you communication is sensitive or includes personal information you may prefer to send it by postal mail instead.
We may share the information you give us with another government agency if your inquiry relates to that agency. In other limited circumstances, such as responses to requests from Congress and private individuals, we may be required by law to disclose information you submit. Before you submit personal information, such as on an online form, you may be given more specific guidance as to how your personal information may be used.
Electronically submitted information is maintained and destroyed according to the principles of the Federal Records Act and the regulations and records schedules of the National Archives and Records Administration, and in some cases may be covered by the Privacy Act and subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
Cookies
"Cookies" are small bits of text that are either used for the duration of a session ("session cookies"), or saved on a user's hard drive in order to identify that user, or information about that user, the next time the user logs on to a Website ("persistent cookies"). This Website does not use persistent cookies, but does use session cookies to provide streamlined navigation throughout the site. These session cookies are deleted from the server soon after your session ends and are not collected or saved.
Security
For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this Government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and is advised that if such monitoring reveals evidence of possible abuse or criminal activity, such evidence may be provided to appropriate law enforcement officials. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information on this server are strictly prohibited and may be punishable by law, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996.
Terms of Use and Other Policies
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS or Department)/U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will use the Beacon Blog for external relations (communications/outreach/public dialogue), to make information and services widely available to the general public, and promote transparency and accountability. The DHS/USCIS Office of Communications (OCOMM) serves as the executive agent for the Beacon Blog and controls who at DHS/USCIS has access to make changes to the page.
The DHS privacy policy and Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) govern DHS/USCIS use of this blog from a privacy perspective. The DHS privacy policy can be found on the DHS website. The DHS PIA “Use of Social Networking Interactions and Applications,” September 16, 2010, can be found at www.dhs.gov/privacy.
The information posted on the Beacon Blog is available to the individual posting and to any and all users of the Beacon Blog who are able to access the public-facing side of the account. To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, do not include your full name, phone numbers, email addresses, social security number, case numbers or any other sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in your comments or responses.
DHS may share information posted on the Beacon Blog if there is a demonstrated need to know, and will only post information after it has been appropriately approved and vetted by DHS/USCIS OCOMM.
Here is how we handle information about your visit to our Website:
Information Collected and Stored Automatically
If you visit our site to read or download information, we collect and store the following information about your visit:
- The name of the Internet domain (for example, "xcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you are connecting from a university's domain) and the IP address (a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when you are using the Internet) from which you access our site;
- The type of browser and operating system used to access our site;
- The date and time you access our site;
- The Internet address of the Website from which you linked directly to our site; and
- The pages you visit and the information you request.
If You Send Us Personal Information
If you choose to provide us with personal information, such as by sending an e-mail or by filling out a form and submitting it through our Website, we will use that information to respond to your message or to fulfill the stated purpose of the communication. Remember that e-mail is not necessarily secure against interception. If you communication is sensitive or includes personal information you may prefer to send it by postal mail instead.
We may share the information you give us with another government agency if your inquiry relates to that agency. In other limited circumstances, such as responses to requests from Congress and private individuals, we may be required by law to disclose information you submit. Before you submit personal information, such as on an online form, you may be given more specific guidance as to how your personal information may be used.
Electronically submitted information is maintained and destroyed according to the principles of the Federal Records Act and the regulations and records schedules of the National Archives and Records Administration, and in some cases may be covered by the Privacy Act and subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
Cookies
"Cookies" are small bits of text that are either used for the duration of a session ("session cookies"), or saved on a user's hard drive in order to identify that user, or information about that user, the next time the user logs on to a Website ("persistent cookies"). This Website does not use persistent cookies, but does use session cookies to provide streamlined navigation throughout the site. These session cookies are deleted from the server soon after your session ends and are not collected or saved.
Security
For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this Government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and is advised that if such monitoring reveals evidence of possible abuse or criminal activity, such evidence may be provided to appropriate law enforcement officials. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information on this server are strictly prohibited and may be punishable by law, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996.
Terms of Use and Other Policies
- This World Wide Web (WWW) site is provided as a public service. Every effort is made to provide complete and accurate information. However, with the volume of documents available, often uploaded with short deadlines, we cannot guarantee there will be no errors. We will do our best to correct errors brought to our attention. With respect to documents and information on this Website, neither the U.S. Government, the Department of Homeland Security, nor their employees and contractors make any warranty, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, or warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, and freedom from computer virus.
- Information presented on this WWW site is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credit is requested. Some of the images on USCIS.gov have been licensed for use by USCIS on a non-exclusive and non-transferable basis. All other rights to these images, including without limitation and copyright, are retained by the owner of the images. They are not in the public domain and should not be used except as they appear as part of this website. If you are interested in using one of these images, please contact the USCIS Web Unit.
- External Websites listed on our pages are not under the control of DHS. Therefore, we make no representation concerning the content of these sites, nor can the fact that we provided this listing serve as an endorsement by DHS of any of these sites. We provide these links as a convenience only.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS or Department)/U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will use the Beacon Blog for external relations (communications/outreach/public dialogue), to make information and services widely available to the general public, and promote transparency and accountability. The DHS/USCIS Office of Communications (OCOMM) serves as the executive agent for the Beacon Blog and controls who at DHS/USCIS has access to make changes to the page.
The DHS privacy policy and Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) govern DHS/USCIS use of this blog from a privacy perspective. The DHS privacy policy can be found on the DHS website. The DHS PIA “Use of Social Networking Interactions and Applications,” September 16, 2010, can be found at www.dhs.gov/privacy.
The information posted on the Beacon Blog is available to the individual posting and to any and all users of the Beacon Blog who are able to access the public-facing side of the account. To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, do not include your full name, phone numbers, email addresses, social security number, case numbers or any other sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in your comments or responses.
DHS may share information posted on the Beacon Blog if there is a demonstrated need to know, and will only post information after it has been appropriately approved and vetted by DHS/USCIS OCOMM.
posted by USCIS Blog Team @ 7:28 AM
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