Smithsonian
Privacy Policy
Thank you for visiting the Smithsonian Institution network
of Websites and reviewing our privacy policy. The Smithsonian
Institution does not collect personal information about visitors to our
Website unless you choose to provide that information to us. The
Smithsonian does not sell, exchange or release your personal information
to parties outside the Smithsonian without your consent. Once we
obtain your consent, we consider it valid until revoked by you.
Information
Collected and Stored Automatically
If you visit our Website, we automatically gather
and store the following information about your visit so that we can track
the use of our Website in order to make improvements. This
information is stored and used in the aggregate only, and is not used to
contact you personally:
· The IP address from which you access our
Website;
· The name of the domain from which you access the
Internet
(for example, aol.com, if you
are connecting from an America Online account);
· The type of browser and operating system used to
access our Website;
· The date and time you access our site;
· The pages, files, documents and links that you
visit; and
· The Internet address of the website from which
you linked to this Website.
Cookies
In addition to information collected automatically,
we may also collect cookies, which are small pieces of information sent to
your browser by a website that you visit. Cookies are used to track
usage patterns, traffic trends and customer behavior, as well as to record
other information from the Website. When you register on the
Website, cookies also allow us to save information so that you will not
have to re-enter it the next time you visit. Many content
adjustments and customer service improvements are made based on the data
derived from cookies. Information that we collect from cookies will
not be used to create profiles of users and only will be used in aggregate
form.
You may set your browser to refuse cookies from any
website that you visit. If you so choose, you may still gain access
to most of the Smithsonian’s Website, but you may not be able to conduct
certain types of transactions (such as shopping) or take advantage of some
of the interactive elements offered.
If
You Send Us Personal Information
The Smithsonian’s Website will only collect
personal information which you knowingly and voluntarily provide by, for
example, sending e-mails, completing membership forms, registering for
classes, events, or other programs, responding to surveys or ordering
merchandise. If you provide us with personal information, we will normally
respond to your inquiry, request or order. We may also contact you
to provide information about Smithsonian activities, programs, membership
and development opportunities, products and special events that may
interest you. We will never share your name or information
outside the Smithsonian unless you affirmatively authorize us to do so by
opting-in.
When we send you such information by e-mail, you
will always have an immediate opportunity to decline further
communication. Please use the contact specified in the e-mail so that we
can remove you from the list that contains your name. If you are uncertain
about whom to contact, you may contact our webmaster at webmaster@si.edu.
There may be sites within the Smithsonian’s
network of Websites where you can opt-in to receive information from
non-Smithsonian entities. If you opt-in, you may receive
correspondence from these organizations on programs, products or services
that might interest you. If you decide to opt-out of receiving any
further correspondence from a non-Smithsonian entity, please correspond
directly with that business or organization to be removed from their
mailing list.
Children
and Privacy
The Smithsonian is concerned about protecting
children's privacy. We do not collect personally identifiable information
from children. There are some sites within the Smithsonian’s
network of Websites where children may post messages or provide feedback,
but children are discouraged from providing personal information. If
a visitor known to be a child (under the age of 13) sends an e-mail to the
Smithsonian, we will only use it to respond to the writer and not to
create profiles or otherwise retain the information.
Security
We take reasonable precautions to ensure that all
credit card transactions that occur on the web site are
secure. When you submit your credit card for any purchase at
the Smithsonian’s network of Web sites, that transaction is encrypted
using “Secure Socket Layer” (SSL) encryption to prevent your credit
card information from being seen as it travels over the Internet to our
servers. We monitor network traffic to ensure that our site remains
available to all users and to identify unauthorized attempts to access,
upload or change information or otherwise cause damage.
Unauthorized access is prohibited and punishable
under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National
Information Infrastructure Protection Act.
Linking
Within the Smithsonian’s
Website there are links to non-Smithsonian websites. When you link to
third party websites, you leave our Website and no longer will be subject
to our privacy policy. The Smithsonian is not responsible for the
privacy practices nor the content of non-Smithsonian websites, and such
link is not intended to be an endorsement of the non-Smithsonian website
or its content.
Comments
The Smithsonian is a large organization with many
people sharing responsibility for the content of our Website. Please
help us respond to your comments and inquiries by sending them to the
appropriate Smithsonian office. Consult our special Web page to help
you determine where to send your inquiry at http://www.si.edu/info/email.htm.
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us via
e-mail at privacy@ogc.si.edu.
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