Legal Information
This is the web site of the Federal Reserve Bank of
Boston. We respect your privacy. The web site and firewall
are subject to monitoring by Federal Reserve System
personnel. Any and all users expressly consent to such
monitoring and are advised that any evidence of criminal
activity may be provided to law enforcement officials.
Personal Information
You may access and browse our site without disclosing
your personal data. The personal information you choose
to provide us is voluntary. We do not require you to
provide any information about yourself that you do not
wish to share.
You may choose to provide us with personal information if, for example, you subscribe to our publications or mail lists, send us questions through e-mail, answer our user surveys, register for an event, apply for a job, or participate in our online activities.
If you participate in a user survey, your answers and personal information will only be analyzed in aggregate. The information will be used to help us tailor our web site, publications, and services to our users' needs and to help us understand and better serve our audience.
If you provide us with your postal or e-mail address or telephone number, this information will only be used for the purpose for which you provided it, such as to:
Provide you with the publications or information requested;
Clarify your order or request;
Register you for a conference or other event;
Respond to you regarding your job application;
Provide you with related information; or
Send you a token of appreciation through postal mail if you participate in selected online activities.
When you fill out our online forms, they are returned to us via electronic mail. Your responses are not encrypted. We cannot guarantee the security of information sent via electronic mail.
Cookies
A cookie is a text file that a web site can send to
your browser and which may then be placed on your computer.
We do not use cookies; sometimes a third-party vendor
will use cookies on one of the sites they create and
manage for us. For example, our Employment Opportunities
site contains an on-line job application process and
uses session cookies, which are deleted when a candidate
exits the browser or completes the application process.
You can set your browser to notify you before you receive
a cookie, giving you the opportunity to decide whether
to accept it or not. You can also set your browser to
not accept cookies at all. If you do so, however, some
areas of some sites (including ours) may not operate
properly.
Information Collected Automatically
We collect statistical information about our users in
aggregate. We perform analyses on our web server's log
files to identify, among other things:
Our site's most popular pages;
The browsers and operating systems most often used by our visitors;
The sites and search engines that have referred visitors to our site; and
The domains from which our users visit us.
This analysis does not involve personally identifiable information. It is used only for the purpose of helping us understand and better meet our audience's needs.
We also subscribe to the WebTrends Live tracking service, which provides us with generic statistics regarding the manner in which our web site is visited.
Disclosure of Information
Any information collected on this web site, whether
individual or aggregate, is for Federal Reserve use
only. We do not rent, sell or share personal information
about you with other people or nonaffiliated companies
except to provide information you've requested, when
we have your permission, or under the following circumstances:
We retain the services of outside contractors to provide services, including mailing list administration and our Employment Opportunities pages. We require that these contractors keep information obtained through our web site secure and confidential. We also require that these contractors use personal information obtained through our web site only on behalf of the Federal Reserve.
We may be required to disclose your personal information to government officials or otherwise as required by subpoenas, court orders, legal process or other legal obligations and to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims. We will share information in order to investigate, prevent or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud or as otherwise required by law.
Children
Our site is not directed toward children under 13, although
the site includes an online learning opportunity which
can be played by children of middle school age and above.
This game uses sports to illustrate a connection between
economics and everyday life but does not collect any
personal information about the user except the player
must enter a name (either a first name or made-up name)
in order to begin play. We are committed to comply with
applicable laws and requirements, such as the Children's
Online Privacy Protection Act. We do not knowingly collect
personal data from children under 13. Minor children
should always obtain parental consent before releasing
personal information to any web site.
Information Security and Quality
We have implemented security measures consistent with
our internal information security practices to help
us keep your information secure. These measures include
technical and procedural steps to protect your data
from misuse, access or disclosure, loss, alteration
or destruction. If you have voluntarily submitted personal
information to us and wish to review, update, correct
or delete it, please e-mail your request to Bos.Webmaster@bos.frb.org
Links
Our site contains links to other web sites. The Federal
Reserve Bank of Boston is not responsible for the privacy
practices or the content of such web sites.
Other Considerations
We may, from time to time, provide a discussion group
or forum. Please remember that information you submit
in connection with such a feature will be publicly viewable
and not confidential. There is a risk in such communication
venues that information will be collected and used by
others.
Policy Changes
We reserve the right to change this policy at any time
without notice. If any change to our policy affects
the way we use your personal information, we will provide
an avenue for you to opt out of such use.
Contact Information
Questions or comments about the Federal Reserve
Bank of Boston’s privacy policy may be directed to our
web site administrators at Bos.Webmaster@bos.frb.org or by writing to:
Public Information Office
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
600 Atlantic Avenue
Boston, MA 02210