Defense Department Web Policies
As a component of the Department of Defense, DFAS follows DoD web policies.Privacy and Security
Your privacy and security are very important to us. We adhere to the following DoD directive and instruction:• DOD Directive 5230.9, Clearance of DoD Information for Public Release
• DOD Instruction 5230.29, Security and Policy Review of DoD Information for Public Release
For more information, view our web page about the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act.
DFAS.mil doesn't collect personal information when you visit our website unless you choose to provide that information. If you do choose to provide information to us, it is only used to fulfill your request for information. We do collect some technical information on DFAS.mil. We explain below how we collect and handle this technical information.
Your Personal Information
We do not collect personal information for any purpose other than to respond to you (for example, to respond to your questions or provide subscriptions you have chosen). If you choose to provide us with personal information—such as contacting us via email—we only use that information to respond to your message, and to help get you the information you requested. We only share the information you give us with another government agency if your question relates to that agency, or as otherwise required by law. DFAS.mil never collects information or creates individual profiles for marketing purposes. While you must provide an email address for a response to any incoming questions or comments to DFAS.mil, we recommend that you NOT include any other personal information, especially Social Security numbers.Technical Information Collected and Stored Automatically
When you visit DFAS.mil, we may store some or all of the following: the Internet address from which you accessed DFAS.mil, the date and time, the Internet address of the web site from which you linked to DFAS.mil, the name of the file or words you searched for, items clicked on a page, and the browser and operating system used.This information is used to measure the number of visitors to the various sections of DFAS.mil and identify system performance or problem areas. We also use this information to help us develop the site, analyze patterns of usage, and to make the site more useful. This information is not used for associating search terms or patterns of site navigation with individual users. DFAS.mil periodically deletes its web logs. On occasion, DFAS.mil may provide this information to third party entities it contracts with for the purposes of analyzing website traffic.
Cookies
When you visit some websites, their web servers generate pieces of information known as cookies. Cookies are commonly used to recognize your computer in the future. DFAS.mil uses single-session cookies to serve technical purposes, like providing seamless navigation through DFAS.mil. These cookies do not permanently record data, and they are not stored on your computer's hard drive. DFAS.mil's session cookies are only available during an active browser session. When you close your browser, the session cookie disappears.Cookies—Tier 1 (single session) —are used on DFAS.mil in compliance with OMB Memorandum 10-22, Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies. DFAS.mil does not use Tier 3 (multi-session with PII) cookies.
You can remove or block the use of web measurement and customization technologies by changing the setting of your browser to block cookies as described on USA.gov’s Web Measurement and Customization Opt-out page.
Site Security
For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs commercial software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no other attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits. Raw data logs are used for no other purposes and are scheduled for regular destruction in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration guidelines.
Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this service are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.
Site Security
The information posted on DFAS.mil includes hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and/or private organizations. This site provides these links and pointers solely for our users' information and convenience. When users select a link to an outside website, they are leaving DFAS.mil and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the outside website. The managers of this site:- Do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information contained on a linked website;
- Do not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites, and we do not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer;
- Cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked websites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked website;
- Are not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites;
- Do not guarantee that outside websites comply with Section 508 (Accessibility Requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.
Linking
DFAS.mil links to other websites that provide additional information and practical tools to help government agencies serve customers. We primarily link to other government sites, but will also link to non-government sites for information not available elsewhere within government. We'll choose links that go directly to useful pages, not necessarily to organizational home pages. DFAS Corporate Communications organization, which manage the site, evaluate links using the following criteria:- Does the suggested link point to an official government-owned or supported website, or a reliable and trustworthy non-government site?
- Is the recommended website's content relevant, useful, and authoritative?
- Does it complement existing information, products, and services on DFAS.mil?
- Does the information appear to be current and accurate?
- Does the recommended website’s approach to the privacy of personal information appear to be consistent with the government’s privacy and security policies?
- Is the recommended website user-friendly, accessible, and applicable to the DFAS.mil audience?
If you click a link to an outside website, such as Facebook or YouTube, you will leave the DFAS.mil site and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the outside website. If you have concerns about how these other websites handle privacy and security issues, we strongly recommend that you review the policies of any external sites you visit.
Accessibility
DFAS.mil is committed to providing access to all individuals—disabled or not—seeking information on DFAS.mil. To provide this information, DFAS.mil has been built to comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (as amended). Section 508 requires that all individuals with disabilities (whether federal employees or members of the general public) have access to and use of information and data, comparable to that provided to individuals without disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on us.If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader, Braille reader, etc.) and have trouble accessing information on DFAS.mil, please contact us with the nature of the problem, the URL (web address) of the information you tried to access, and your contact information. We will contact you as soon as possible, and do what we can to provide you with the information you need.
Prohibitions
DFAS.mil will not link to any website that exhibits hate, bias, or discrimination. DFAS.mil reserves the right to deny or remove any link that contains misleading information or unsubstantiated claims, or is determined to be in conflict with DFAS.mil's mission or policies.Contact Us
If you have questions regarding these policies, please contact us at dfaspublicwebsite@dfas.mil.
Page Update: April 13, 2011