We do not collect any personally identifiable information (PII) about you when you visit our website unless you choose to provide it to us. Providing personally identifiable information through our website is voluntary, but by submitting it, you give permission for the information to be used for the stated purpose. Failure to provide certain information may result in our inability to provide you with the service you want.
If you choose to provide us with PII on the Department of State website through methods such as filling out a web form or sending us an email, we will use that information to more effectively provide you with the information or service you requested or respond to your message. The information we may collect from you varies depending on what you do when you visit our site.
We automatically collect and store the name of the domain from which you access the Internet (.com, .edu, etc.); the date and time you visited our site; and the Internet address of the site (such as a search engine or linked page) from which you came to our site. We use the information we collect to count the number of visitors to various pages on our site and to help us make our site more useful to visitors like you.
In addition, we use Google Analytics, which provides us with demographic information that does not contain personally identifiable information. This information may include, among other things, information about gender, age and interests.
We use this information in many different ways. For example, we may use this information to better analyze user traffic on our site, to better understand our visitors and what they care about, and to improve our services. We only use this data in the aggregate form in which it comes directly from Google Analytics. We will retain this information for as long as we have this site in operation. We will not disclose this information to any third party.
If you do not want Google Analytics and related Google services to collect information when you visit any website, you can set up an opt-out tool by downloading it from this address.
If you send us an email
You may choose to provide us with personal information by sending us your comments or questions via email. We may use the information provided to improve our services or to respond to your request.
Sometimes we forward your emails to other U.S. government agencies who may be better able to help you. Except in the case of investigations by authorized law enforcement agencies, we do not share our email correspondence with any other third parties.
Third Party Websites and Applications
We provide links to social media and other third-party websites. We use social media to communicate with an international audience and to conduct public diplomacy around the world. Social media sites are used to announce embassy events and interact with members of the public.
We also use web analytics technology to count the number of visitors to our sites and to make our sites more useful to visitors. In some cases, a third-party application may ask for an email address, username, password, and geographic location to register for an account. We do not use third-party sites to request or collect PII of individuals. We do not collect or store any PII collected by any third-party website, and we do not disclose, sell or transfer PII to any other entity outside of the Department of State unless required for law enforcement purposes or by law.
Information collected for tracking and customization (cookies)
A cookie is a small text file that a Web site sends to your computer so that it can remember specific information about your session while you are connected. Your computer will only exchange the information contained in the cookie with the website that provided it, and no other website can request it. There are two types of cookies:
- Session cookies: Session cookies exist only while your web browser is open. Once you close your browser, the cookie is deleted. Websites may use session cookies for technical purposes, such as to improve navigation through the site, or to allow you to customize your preferences for interacting with the site.
- Persistent: Persistent cookies are stored on the user’s device to determine which users are new to the site and which are repeat users. In the case of repeat visitors, cookies are used to block repeated invitations to participate in ForeSee’s satisfaction survey.
- If you do not want session or persistent cookies stored on your computer, you can disable cookies in your browser. You will still be able to access all information and resources on our site. However, disabling cookies can affect the operation of many popular websites. Keep in mind that disabling cookies in your browser will affect the use of cookies on all other websites you visit as well.
Links to External Sites
Our website provides many links to other U.S. agencies, embassies, international and private organizations, both in the United States and in other countries. By linking to another site, you are leaving our site and are subject to the privacy policies of external sites.
We do our best to provide accurate and complete information. However, we cannot guarantee the complete absence of errors. With respect to the documents and information on this site, neither the Department of State nor its employees or contractors make any warranty, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to the documents available on this site. Further, the Department of State assumes no legal responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process set forth herein, and does not represent that use of such information, product, or process would not constitute an infringement of privately held rights.
For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, the Department of State uses software to monitor network traffic to detect unauthorized attempts to download or change information or otherwise cause damage. Unauthorized attempts to download or modify information on this service are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986.
Information may also be used for investigations by authorized law enforcement agencies. Except for the above purposes, no other attempts are made to identify individual users or their user habits. Unauthorized attempts to download information and/or modify information on these sites are strictly prohibited and subject to prosecution under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and Title 18 of the United States Code, Sections 1001 and 1030.