Linking Policy

 

Evaluation Criteria

The CitizenServices.gov staff evaluates all suggested links using the following criteria:

• Is the recommended website an official government-owned or supported website?
• Does the recommended website provide official government information or services?
• Does the recommended website complement existing information, products and services on CitizenServices.gov?
• Is the recommended website accessible and applicable to a wide audience?
• Is the recommended website's content relevant, useful and authoritative for government agency officials?
• Does the recommended website's information appear to be accurate and current?
• Is the recommended website's approach to the privacy of personal information consistent with the government's privacy and security policies?
• Is the recommended website "user-friendly?"

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Links to Government Websites

CitizenServices.gov can add a link to any government website that is publicly available unless directed not to by the agency that owns the site. Acceptable federal government-owned or government-sponsored website domains include .gov, .mil and .fed.us. CitizenServices.gov also links to: quasi-government agencies and websites created by public sector/private sector partnerships; state and local government sites (e.g., www.maryland.gov); and some government-sponsored websites that end in .com, .org, or .net (e.g., www.usps.com for the U.S. Postal Service).

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Links to Non-Government Websites

In some instances, CitizenServices.gov links to websites that are not government-owned or government-sponsored if these websites provide government information and/or services in a way that is not available on an official government website. CitizenServices.gov provides these non-government websites as a public service only. The U.S. government, including the U.S. General Services Administration (the primary sponsoring federal agency of CitizenServices.gov), neither endorses nor guarantees in any way the external organizations, services, advice, or products included in these website links. Furthermore, the U.S. government neither controls nor guarantees the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of the information contained in non-government website links. (See Disclaimer of Endorsement for more information on this topic.)

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Reciprocal Links

We link to government information according to our linking policy, whether or not the other website links to us or not. We don't engage in reciprocal linking. We invite any website to link to CitizenServices.gov.  CitizenServices.gov is an official U.S. Government website, which means you may link to us at no cost and without special permission.

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Featured Links

CitizenServices.gov may highlight links of special interest to wide audiences by temporarily posting them in a position of prominence on the website. Featured links may include: reports, research, best practices, events, news, or other items of interest to our government customers.

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Prohibitions

CitizenServices.gov will not link to any website that exhibits hate, bias, or discrimination. Furthermore, citizenServices.gov reserves the right to deny or remove any link that contains misleading information or unsubstantiated claims, or is determined to be in conflict with CitizenServices.gov's mission or policies.

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Disclaimer of Endorsement

The information posted on the CitizenServices.gov website includes hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and/or private organizations.CitizenServices.gov provides these links and pointers solely for our users' information and convenience. When users select a link to an outside website, they are leaving the CitizenServices.gov site and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the outside website.

• The General Services Administration (GSA) and CitizenServices.gov do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of information contained on a linked website.
• The GSA and CitizenServices.gov do not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites, and we do not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.
• The GSA and CitizenServices.gov cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked websites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked website.
• The GSA and CitizenServices.gov are not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites.
• The GSA and CitizenServices.gov do not guarantee that outside websites comply with Section 508 (Accessibility Requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.

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Privacy and Security

Check the CitizenServices.gov Privacy and Security Notice for more information about CitizenServices.gov Privacy and Security policies.

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