Privacy Policy
The U.S. State Department, the developer of International Exchange Alumni, is strongly committed to protecting the privacy of our alumni and to developing technology that gives you a powerful and safe online experience. We are committed to earning your trust through open and honest communication. We promise not to sell or rent your email address or other personal information for unsolicited marketing. The following notice explains our online information practices. Answers to specific questions on privacy follows the general notice.

What Information We Collect and Store Automatically
Name of the domain from which users access the Internet (for example, aol.com, if the user connects via an America Online account, or princeton.edu if a user connects from Princeton University's domain); Date and time a user accesses the site; and Internet address of the Web site from which the user linked directly to our site. We use the information we collect to count the number and type of visitors to the different pages on our site, and to help us make our site more useful to visitors like you.

If You Send Us Email
We use the information you send in an email to improve our service to you or to respond to your request. Sometimes we forward you email to other government employees who may be better able to help you. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, we do not share the emails we receive with any other outside organizations.

Links to Other Sites
Our Web site has many links to other federal agencies, embassies, multilateral organizations, and private organizations. When you link to another site, you are no longer on our site and are subject to the privacy policy of the new site.

What personal information does International Exchange Alumni collect from me?
The International Exchange Alumni website requires certain information for participation. This information may include: your email address, a username and password, where you’re from, date of birth, first and last names, gender, where you traveled to on your exchange, name of the participant you hosted, program name, program start date, program end date, and your field of study. All other information is provided on a voluntary basis, though we encourage you to fill out the form in its entirety in order to make your experience on International Exchange Alumni as rich as possible. Participants in the site also have the option of restricting access to their information by clicking Protect my profile when registering or in Update Your Profile. We also collect certain non-personally identifiable information when you visit the International Exchange Alumni website, such as type of browser (Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer), operating system (Windows XP, Vista, Mac OS X), the name of your Internet service provider (America Online, Erols), and the IP address used to access the International Exchange Alumni website.

Why does International Exchange Alumni collect data?
International Exchange Alumni collects data in order to keep track of the participants of its international exchange programs. The U.S. Department of State must justify to the U.S. Congress the importance of its exchange programs and tracking its participants' activities is one way to do just that. We also use collected data to fine-tune the design and functionality of the International Exchange Alumni site. The U.S. Department of State may use also data to perform statistical analyses of the collective characteristics, interests, and behaviors of our registered users.

How is my collected information used?
The collected information may be used on a statistical basis to present information on activities of the U.S. State Department's international program participants to the U.S. Congress. The information is also used to connect alumni with other program participants.

Will you sell my personal information to anyone?
The Department of State will not sell or rent user email address or other personal information for unsolicited marketing. The Department of State does not release information to any outside companies, organizations, or governments, nor to any third parties not directly involved with exchange programs funded by the U.S. Government. International Exchange Alumni is owned by the U.S. government and we may disclose personal information if so required by a subpoena, judicial or administrative order, or as otherwise required by law to assist government enforcement agencies.

May I choose what information I disclose?
We clearly mark each request for data as "required" or "optional." "Required" data are necessary to process your request for participation in the International Exchage Alumni site. "Optional" data let us know more about you (interests and current location for example) so we can better connect you with fellow alumni, but whether you provide that information is totally at your discretion. Participants in the site also may choose which other alumni of U.S. government exchange programs they wish for information to be shared—alumni of all programs or exclusively with alumni of the same exchange programs. Our policy is to authenticate entries to the site to the best extent possible. This information will be screened by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Does the International Exchange Alumni site use cookies?
The International Exchange Alumni website uses embeded third-party social media that may set a cookie. Click here for more information.

Can I view my personal information?
We encourage participants in the International Exchange Alumni website to update and edit their personal information to keep it current. You can easily perform this task by logging into the site and clicking Update Your Profile. You may also request that your International Exchange Alumni account be deactivated by sending an email to exchangealumni@state.gov.

What kind of security does the International Exchange Alumni site use to protect my privacy?
We know how important security is to Internet users. International Exchange Alumni stores all user information in a secure database protected by a variety of access controls. This information is accessed only for the purposes specified in this privacy statement.

International Exchange Alumni privacy policy changes
We may change our privacy policy from time to time. Any change will be posted here so that you will always know what information we gather, how we might use it, and whether we will disclose it to anyone. If at any time we decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will notify you first by email. You will have a choice as to whether we use your information in that manner.

Who do I contact if I have questions about this privacy policy or its implementation?
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at exchangealumni@state.gov.