Privacy
The PACER Service Center values your privacy. If you visit
our site to read or download information, we collect and store
only the following information:
The name of the domain from which you access the Internet.
The date and time you access our site.
To secure payment of delinquent fees, identifying
information may be transmitted to a collection agency.
If compelled by law.
If you direct us to do so.
In other legally limited circumstances
(for example, to protect your account from fraud).
You also may decide to send us personal identifying information--your mailing address, for example--in a request for information. Information collected in this manner is used solely for responding to requests for information. You should NEVER send your PACER password to us in an electronic mail message.
When making payment by check, your check will be converted from a paper transaction to an electronic funds transfer in most cases. The conversion will be made by our authorized financial institution, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Treasury, Financial Management Service (FMS). Check conversion information will be maintained by FMS in its Master Verification Database, which contains information on negative check information or failed Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit entry transactions for certain checks that have been presented electronically to Federal agencies. Federal agencies will have access to check verification databases to determine the validity and/or check writing history of the payor. FMS will not disclose information from the Master Verification for purposes of check verification. Information may be used for law enforcement purposes and for other routine uses, such as systems development (See 68 Fed Reg. 5691 (2003) for a complete list of possible uses). Making payment by check is voluntary but a decision not to do so will require you to make payment by some other method.
For site management, information is collected for statistical purposes, such as assessing the number of visitors to the different sections of our site, identifying what information is of most and least interest, determining technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or problem areas. This information will be kept confidential.
Any attempt to collect data from PACER in a manner which avoids billing is strictly prohibited and may result in criminal prosecution or civil action. PACER privileges will be terminated if, in the judgment of judiciary personnel, they are being misused. Misuse includes, but is not limited to, using an automated process to repeatedly access those portions of the PACER application that do not assess a fee (i.e. calendar events report or case header information) for purposes of collecting case information). PACER account usage will be monitored for inappropriate use.
Security
To identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change
information, or otherwise cause damage, this Official
United States Government System employs software programs
to monitor network traffic. Unauthorized attempts to upload
or change information stored on this system may result in
criminal prosecution.
To avoid unauthorized use of the PACER system, the PACER Service Center recommends that you do not leave your terminal unattended after logging into the PACER system. If you must leave your terminal unattended, close your open browsers. The PACER Service Center also recommends not bookmarking pages past the login screen of all Web PACER applications, and using a password protected screen saver.
