Updated:  4/24/17

Your Visit to the USITC Website

Your visit to the USITC website is private and secure. When you visit the USITC website, we do not collect any personally identifiable information (PII) about you, unless you choose to explicitly provide it to us. We do, however, collect some data about your visit to our website to help us better understand public use of the site and to make it more useful to visitors. This page describes the information that is automatically collected and stored.

How USITC Collects Information

When you browse through any website, certain information about your visit can be collected. USITC uses Google Analytics to collect information automatically and continuously. We use this information to measure the number of visitors to our site and its various sections and to distinguish between new and returning visitors to help make our site more useful to visitors. However, no personally identifiable information (PII) is collected.

The USITC staff conducts analyses and reports on the aggregated data from the analytics. The reports are only available to USITC website managers, and members of their web teams, and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties.

USITC also uses online surveys to collect opinions and feedback from a random sample of visitors. USITC uses the Foresee Results American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) online survey to obtain feedback and data on visitors’ satisfaction with the USITC website. This survey does not collect PII. Participation in the survey is voluntary. If you decline the survey, you will still have access to the identical information and resources on the USITC website as those who take the survey. Answers to the survey help USITC improve its website to make it easier to use and more responsive to the needs of our visitors.

USITC retains the data from Google Analytics, and ACSI survey results only as long as required by law or needed to support the mission of the USITC website.

How USITC Uses Cookies

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-10-22, Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies allows Federal agencies to use session and persistent cookies.

When you visit any website, its server may generate a piece of text known as a "cookie" to place on your computer. The cookie allows the server to "remember" specific information about your visit while you are connected. The cookie makes it easier for you to use the dynamic features of webpages. Requests to send cookies from USITC's webpages are designed to collect information about your browser session only; they do not collect personal information about you.

There are two types of cookies, single session (temporary) and multi-session (persistent). Session cookies last only as long as your Web browser is open. Once you close your browser, the cookie disappears. Persistent cookies are stored on your computer for longer periods (i.e., they are not tied to a single visit to a website).

How Are Temporary "Session” Cookies Used?

We use session cookies for technical purposes such as improving navigation through our website. These cookies let our server know that you are continuing a visit to our website. The "session" cookie is not permanently stored on your computer. The cookie and the information about your visit are automatically destroyed shortly after you close your browser to end the session.

OMB M-10-22 defines our use of session cookies as "Usage Tier 1—Single Session." The OMB policy says, "This tier encompasses any use of single session web measurement and customization technologies."

How Are "Persistent Cookies" Used?

OMB M-10-22 allows Federal agencies to use persistent cookies in addition to temporary session cookies.

We use persistent cookies to help us recognize new and returning visitors to the USITC website. Persistent cookies remain on your computer between visits to the USITC website until they expire. We do not use this technology to identify you or any other individual website visitor.

USITC is running the American Customer Satisfaction Survey (ACSI) on the website, which uses "persistent" cookies to block repeated invitations to take the ACSI survey.

OMB M-10-22 defines our use of persistent cookies as “Usage Tier 2 – Multi-session without Personally Identifiable Information (PII).” The policy says, “This tier encompasses any use of multi-session web measurement and customization technologies when no PII is collected.”

How to Opt Out or Disable Cookies

If you do not wish to have session or persistent cookies placed on your computer, you can disable them using your Web browser. If you opt out of cookies, you will still have access to all information and resources the USITC website provides.

Instructions for disabling or opting out of cookies in the most popular browsers are located at http://www.usa.gov/optout_instructions.shtml. Please note that by following the instructions to opt out of cookies, you will disable cookies from all sources, not just those from USITC's website.

If you visit certain pages of our sites, you will be asked to supply additional information such as your name, telephone number, facsimile number and e-mail address, employer type, agency or firm name, address, and account number. Disclosure of such information is voluntary, but failure to provide the information may result in denial of access to certain pages. Disclosure of such information will be deemed consent for the agency to use the information as discussed below.

  1. This is a United States Government computer system, maintained pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 1331 et al. The U.S. government, acting directly or through its contractors, routinely monitors communications occurring on this information system for traffic indicating known or suspected malicious cyber activity. Use of this information system constitutes consent to monitoring for such cybersecurity purposes only. For the sole purpose of detecting, preventing, analyzing, investigating, responding to, and reporting on known or suspected malicious cyber activity, at any time, the U.S. government – acting directly or through its contractors –– may monitor, intercept, record, audit, search, seize, use, and disclose to other U.S. government entities any communication or information stored on, transmitted or traveling to or from, or transiting this information system.

 

  1. We do not collect information identifying you as an individual unless you choose to provide such information. We learn certain information automatically from your visit to our websites:
    • The Internet Protocol address of your computer or firewall, and the name of the domain (e.g., your_company.com or aol.com) and server from which you access the Internet;
    • Your browser type, operating system, and HTTP request method;
    • The date and time you access our sites and how long your transaction lasted;
    • The pages and sizes of our sites you access;
    • The status of your request; and
    • The website from which you linked directly to our sites.

 

  1. We primarily use the information to help you in obtaining the assistance you seek from our sites. We also use the information for statistical purposes, such as assessing numbers of visitors, system performance and cost, and identifying problem areas. Finally, we monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage, knowingly or inadvertently. Information may be shared with staff of our agency and contractors assisting our staff who have a need for the information. When required by law or in very unusual circumstances such as misuse of our system, we may share individual information with Congress, the public, union personnel, other agencies, or in litigation. We handle information in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, and the Commission’s rules, 19 C.F.R. § 201.22-.32, which accord individuals certain rights with respect to information; in particular, we recognize the importance of safeguarding personal privacy, and do not normally publish information about individuals except as required by law. We maintain access controls and data storage controls on the system to ensure that unauthorized persons do not see sensitive information.

USITC information systems may be protected by EINSTEIN cybersecurity capabilities, under the operational control of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT). Electronic communications with USITC may be scanned by government-owned or contractor equipment to look for network traffic indicating known or suspected malicious cyber activity, including malicious content or communications. Electronic communications within USITC will be collected or retained by US-CERT only if they are associated with known or suspected cyber threats. US-CERT will use the information collected through EINSTEIN to analyze the known or suspected cyber threat and help USITC and other agencies respond and better protect their computers and networks. For additional information about EINSTEIN capabilities, please see the EINSTEIN program-related Privacy Impact Assessments available on the DHS cybersecurity privacy website ( http://www.dhs.gov/files/publications/editorial_0514.shtm#4) along with other information about the federal government's cybersecurity activities.

  1. Certain pages on our site use "session cookies." A session cookie is a small piece of information containing a random number and an expiration time that is placed on your computer when you access a page. You are not obligated to accept cookies from us, but if you do not, some of the functions on our site may not be available to you. Once your session is completed, our cookie expires. Our cookies do not contain individually identifiable information, and we do not share cookie information outside the agency.