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Posting Your Website Policies and Notices

What It Is

You should provide easy access to your website policies and links required by laws and regulations. Use common terminology and placement for displaying this information. This is a best practice for managing your agency’s website.

Why It's Important

The more federal public websites that follow the same practices for naming and placing important information, the easier it will be for citizens to find that information as they move from one website to another.

How to Implement

  • Federal public websites should have a page for site policies and notices. The recommended location for a link to this page is at the bottom of every page.
  • Federal public websites must include a link to an organization's privacy policies on every page. (See Privacy Requirements for more details about this requirement.) The recommended name for that link is "Privacy Policy." The recommended location for that link is at the bottom of every web page and on the page containing site policies and notices. PDF files are exempt from this linking requirement.
  • Federal public websites must provide the organization's policies for accessibility (see Access for People with Disabilities for more details about this requirement). The recommended location for this policy or a link to this policy is on the page for site policies and notices.
  • Federal public websites must have a link from the homepage to the Freedom of Information Act page (see Freedom of Information Act requirement and Department of Justice guidance for more details about this requirement). The recommended name for that link is being tested, and the recommended locations are at the bottom of the homepage and on the page containing site policies and notices.
  • Federal public websites should provide the organization's policy for linking to outside websites (see Linking Policies for more details about this requirement). The recommended location of this policy or a link to the policy is on the page containing site policies and notices.
  • Federal public websites must inform the public about the digital rights, copyrights, trademarks, and patents policy (see Digital Rights, Copyright, Trademark, and Patent Laws for more details about this requirement). The recommended location of this policy or a link to this policy is on the page containing site policies and notices.
  • Federal agencies must provide information required by the "No Fear Act" (see No Fear Act for more details about this requirement). Current interim rule requires this link on your homepage. However, the Federal Web Managers Council recommends agencies determine appropriate placement based on analysis of audience needs (for example “About Us” and/or “Jobs” page)
  • Federal agencies subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act must post their policies to implement the "Information Quality Guidelines" on their public websites (see Information Quality for more details about this requirement). The required location for links to that information is the page containing site policies and notices. The "Contact Us" page must also include contact information to report data problems, as required by the Information Quality guidelines.
  • Federal agencies must provide general information about their security protocols to protect information (see Security Protocols for more details). The recommended location of this policy or a link to this policy is on the page containing site policies and notices.
  • Federal agencies must post their schedule for publishing information on their websites required by Section 207(f)2. The recommended location of this schedule or a link to this schedule is on the page containing site policies and notices. (See Priorities and Schedules for Posting Content for more details about this requirement.)
  • The Federal Web Managers Council will conduct usability testing for the names and locations that do not already have supporting data, including a name for the page containing site policies and notices.
  • If additional policies and links are required, the recommended Web Content Advisory Council will review them and recommend common names and locations.

Examples:


Many federal public websites follow this best practice. This practice is part of the guidelines and best practices published by the Interagency Committee on Government Information to aid agencies' implementation of OMB Policies for Public Websites.

 

Page Updated or Reviewed: December 14, 2005

 

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