Privacy & Security Policy

Our privacy policy is intended to keep you informed on the types of information we may collect during your visit, and the confidentiality of that information.

We automatically collect non-personal technical information about your visit. In addition, we may collect some personal information, but not without your knowledge.

Scope

This policy is in effect for all websites operated by the National Scenic Byways Program ("NSB websites",) including byways.org and the National Scenic Byways Community website (www.bywaysonline.org)

Technical Information

When you browse, read pages, or download information on NSB websites, we automatically gather and store certain technical information about your visit. This information never identifies who you are. The information we collect and store about your visit includes:

  • The Internet domain (e.g. "example.com") and IP address (number assigned to your computer while you are online) from which you access our website
  • The type of browser (e.g., Netscape, Internet Explorer) and operating system (Windows, MacOS, etc.) used to access our site
  • The date and time you access our site
  • The pages you visit
  • If you came to this website from another website, the address of that website.

This information is used to detect trends in technology and the methods people use to access our site. We may only analyze this data in a summary form, and cannot use this information to track your Internet usage or habits.

Cookies

Some websites generate pieces of text known as cookies, which are stored on your computer and accessed during subsequent visits. Some cookies collect personal information to recognize your computer in the future. The America's Byways Community website is a government website, and cannot perform such tracking - we only use non-persistent cookies or "session cookies." These cookies are stored only in your computer's memory and will be erased when you close your browser.

We use session cookies for technical purposes such as:

  • Determining if you are signed in using your NSB website account.
  • Temporary storage of your responses to fill-in forms.
  • Providing better navigation between pages on our site.

Accounts and Personal Information

Certain interactive features on our website require that visitors register for an NSB website account, which involves the submission of personal information.

Personal information gathered during account registration is not shared with any outside agency. Under normal circumstances, your personal information will not be viewable to the public on the website, except when:

  • You are affiliated with a byway or other entity and are a source of information to the traveling public or other byway professionals.
  • You hold the copyright to a photo, document, or other piece of information displayed on the website. In this case, your name may be displayed to provide proper credit.
  • You provide comments or other information for the purpose of sharing with others. In this case, your account "alias" will be used as identification. The U.S. state or country from your address may be displayed as well. Your name and e-mail address will not be displayed to the public.

Submission of Non-personal Information

In some instances, this website collects information from others such as travel information, photos, comments, traveler experiences, survey questions, discussion topics, etc. Again, we will not publish your name or e-mail address when displaying this information, except in cases where information is copyrighted and requires attribution. We also reserve the right to reject submissions if they are deemed inappropriate or of little value.

Linking Policy

NSB websites link to many websites created and maintained by other public and/or private organizations. We provide these links as a service to our users. When users link to an outside website, they are leaving the NSB website and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the outside website(s).

NSB websites will not knowingly provide links to any website that exhibits hate, bias or discrimination. Furthermore, the National Scenic Byways Program reserves the right to deny or remove any link that contains misleading information, unsubstantiated claims, objectionable or offensive material, or is determined to be in conflict with our mission or policies.