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OMB Policy 3: Establish and Enforce Agency wide Linking Policies

Policy:

1. Agencies must now establish and enforce explicit agency-wide linking policies describing management controls for linking within and beyond the agency.
2. These policies must appropriately limit external linking to information or services necessary for the proper performance of an agency function.
3. Agency linking policies must also include reasonable management controls to assure external links remain active or otherwise continue to provide the level of quality (including objectivity, utility, and integrity) as intended by the agency and expected by users.
4. OMB's Information Quality guidelines exclude hyperlinks from the definition of information. This exclusion does not remove agency responsibility to exercise due diligence when determining whether to link externally. Therefore, when an agency determines external links are necessary for and material to the presentation of agency information or the delivery of services in the proper performance of an agency function, they must take reasonable steps to ensure the presentation is accurate, relevant, timely, and complete.
5. Agencies must reasonably assure suitable information and service quality, consistent with the level of importance of the information. Reasonable steps include: 1) clearly identifying the limitations inherent in the information dissemination product e.g., possibility of errors, degree of reliability, and validity) so users are fully aware of the quality and integrity of the information or service, 2) taking reasonable steps to remove the limitations inherent in the information, and 3) reconsidering linking to the information or services. Agency links to commercial organizations or interest groups present special challenges with respect to maintaining agency objectivity and thus must be used judiciously.
6. Agency linking policies must identify mandatory links and post (or link to) the following information on their principal website and any known major entry points to their sites:
   • The agency’s strategic plan and annual performance plans
   • Descriptions of agency organizational structure, mission and statutory authority
   • Information made available under the Freedom of Information Act
   • Specific website privacy policies
   • USA.gov (formerly FirstGov.gov)
   • Summary statistical data about equal employment opportunity complaints filed with the agency and written notification of "Whistleblower" rights and protections as required by the No Fear Act of 2002
   • The agency point of contact for small businesses as required by the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002
   • Other cross–government portals or links required by law or policy

From OMB Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites
(PDF, 55 KB, Dec 2004, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Implementation Guidance

• Manage links
• Link to required content

Supporting Documents

• E-Gov Act of 2002 (Section 7)
• No Fear Act of 2002
• Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002

 

Page Updated or Reviewed: June 17, 2008