Metro Privacy and Data Use Policy

Outlined below is Metro's privacy policy governing personal data collected on this website. Metro also has a broader corporate privacy policy protecting the privacy of individuals who are the subjects of records maintained in Metro systems of records. Metro interprets and applies this privacy policy consistent with the federal Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, and federal practice.

Summary

Metro respects your privacy. We collect personal data online only if you buy from us online, subscribe to our email subscription service or apply for a job online. If so, we use this information only for fulfilling your requests. We do not lease, sell or otherwise release your personal information to outside companies for marketing purposes. Metro contractors may collect personal data in order to provide contracted services. These contractors are bound by Metro's privacy policy.

If you do not supply personal information for one of the purposes listed above, we make no attempt to identify you individually. Rather, we track only aggregate usage data to help us improve site content and organization. The policy details section below specifies what information we collect and how we use it.

Policy Details

• Information Collected and Stored Automatically
• Cookies
• Personal information Collected
• Links to Other Sites
• Copyright

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

We do not collect personal information when you visit our website unless you choose to provide that information to us. Every time you visit the Metro site and view pages, we collect the following usage information:

• the Internet domain, for example, "hostcompany.com" (if you use a private Internet access account) or "theschool.edu" (if you connect from a university's domain) and the IP address (a number automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web) from which you access our website
• the type of browser and operating system used to access our site
• the date and time of your visit
• the pages you visit
• if you followed a link to the Metro site, the address of the page from which you came

The information collected allows us to see trends in usage: the most commonly viewed pages, what sites link to the Metro site, and information on the browsers used to view the site.

Cookies

Cookies are small files that can be placed on your computer by Web servers when you visit a site. These files may contain information such as ID's and passwords, personal information or preferences. During your visit, the server can access these files to help personalize pages or allow you to effect e-commerce more easily.

Metro does not set cookies from any page in the wmata.com domain that store personally identifiable information. The Trip Planner can store your travel to and travel from locations if you desire (and this only occurs if you elect to set cookies by checking the "Remember" checkbox). In this scenario, the only cookies saved will be your "Travel From" and "Travel To" locations, so that next time they will already be filled in for your convenience. Our e-commerce and vendor registration sites set cookies with login information, but only for the convenience of customers who use these areas repeatedly. If you are concerned about privacy, you may set up your browser not to accept cookies or you can delete them from your hard drive once you leave the section.

Personal Information Collected

There are places on the website where we ask you to provide us with personal information. We collect this information in order to provide you with the specified goods or services you requested. The information collected is owned by Metro and will not be sold or given to any entity outside of Metro except contractors hired by Metro to provide Metro-approved services. These contractors are bound by this policy and are prohibited from using the information except to fulfill the services for which Metro has contracted.

Metro may use the personal information to provide you with Metro-related information, for example, email about upcoming events and promotions. You have the right to opt out of any service or information you receive via a single Web or email command. (Instructions for doing this are included in all Metro email communications.)

Personal information is information that can identify an individual, such as:

• a first and last name
• an address, such as work or home, including city and state
• a telephone number
• a Social Security number
• a credit card number
• an email address

We are required to release personal information if it is subpoenaed by a court or grand jury. We may also provide statistics based on the information automatically collected from your visit to federal, state, and city officials.

Employment Application Information

If you fill out an application for employment, the information collected will be used by our human resources personnel to determine whether you qualify for the job. The information will also be shared with the manager of the hiring department. This information will not be given to anyone outside Metro.

Links to Other Sites

Metro's website links to external sites for services provided by Metro contractors, such as e-commerce. These sites are subject to Metro's privacy policy.

We also provide links to selected sites unconnected to Metro, such as other area transit providers and visitor centers, which we feel would be of benefit to you as transit riders. If you follow these links, you are leaving the Metro site and are subject to the privacy policies of those sites.

Note that the links we provide to outside sites are offered for your convenience. Metro takes no responsibility for outside sites' content or policies.

Copyright

All images and text on the Metro website are copyrighted by Metro and are protected by applicable laws. Anyone wishing to use Metro graphics such as our logo or banners should contact Metro to obtain a license or permit.

Metro diligently protects its intellectual property and will take all steps to prevent unpermitted use, up to and including, litigation.

If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy policy, please contact customer service.