Providing such information is strictly voluntary. This policy is your guide to how the Peace Corps will handle information we learn about you from your visit to our website.

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

Certain information about your visit can be collected when you browse websites. When you browse peacecorps.gov, we, and in some cases our third-party service providers, can collect the following types of information about your visit, including the following:

• Domain from which you accessed the internet
• IP address
• Operating system for the device that you are using and information about the browser you used when visiting the site
• Date and time of your visit
• Pages you visited
• Address of the website that connected you to peacecorps.gov (such as google.com)
• Device type (desktop computer, tablet, or type of mobile device)
• Screen resolution
• Browser language
• Geographic location
• Time spent on page
• Scroll depth (how much of a webpage was viewed)
• User events (e.g., clicking a button)

Information Collected for Website Improvement and Customization (i.e., “cookies")

The Office of Management and Budget Memorandum 10-22, Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies [PDF], allows federal agencies to use session and persistent cookies to improve the delivery of services.

The Peace Corps uses cookies to collect information about users’ visits to our site. Use of these technologies makes our website function better for you and allows us to better understand how the public is using the website. "Cookies" are files placed on your hard drive by a website that store information regarding your use of that site, usually without your knowledge.

The Peace Corps uses "session cookies,” also known as “Tier 1 web measurement and customization technologies,” and “persistent cookies,” also known as “Tier 2 web measurement and customization technologies.” These cookies do not collect personal information on users. Session cookies are stored in memory during an active browser session, and they are erased as soon as you close your browser after visiting our website. Persistent cookies can stay on your computer for longer periods of time unless you delete them.

The Peace Corps uses third-party analytics tools (currently Google Analytics and iPerceptions) to collect and analyze anonymous statistical data. This data helps the Peace Corps meet user needs, understand web traffic patterns, and identify opportunities to improve the quality of the site. The Peace Corps uses anonymous, aggregated data for internal purposes and discloses it to Peace Corps employees and contractors who need to know the information in the performance of their official duties.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics uses a persistent cookie to store a unique, randomly assigned identifier for each user. The persistent cookie remains on users’ computers for two years or until it is deleted. Additionally, Google Analytics uses session cookies to facilitate sending data to Google Analytics. Google Analytics does not receive personally identifiable information through these cookies and does not combine, match, or cross-reference peacecorps.gov information with any other information. The data is automatically sent from your machine or device to the provider’s system, which immediately aggregates that data.

Google Analytics also gathers anonymous summary demographic information about our visitors such as gender, age range, and areas of interest for adults aged 18 or over. This information is collected by using Google Demographic and Interests reports. When you visit a website that has partnered with the Google Display Network, Google stores a number in your browser using a persistent cookie to remember your visits. This number uniquely identifies a web browser, not a specific person. Browsers may be associated with a demographic category, such as gender or age range, based on the sites that were visited. This demographic information is used to help us better understand our visitors' interests and needs to more effectively develop content to serve you.

ClickDimensions

The Peace Corps uses ClickDimensions to send emails, e-newsletters, alerts, calls-to-action and other messages to visitors who subscribe to them. To subscribe to a Peace Corps product, you must provide an email address and indicate your subscription preferences, including the items you want to receive. The email subscriber lists and all related information are kept in a secure on premise environment at Peace Corps that is both compliant with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) and the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). Information about FISMA can be found here, dhs.gov/fisma, and information about FedRAMP can be found here gsa.gov/portal/category/102371. Only the Peace Corps employees who send emails, e-newsletters, alerts, calls-to-action and other messages via ClickDimensions and staff members who monitor the results of ClickDimensions email initiatives have access to the subscriber lists. No one outside of Peace Corps personnel is allowed access to the subscriber lists and any related information. If you opt-in to any of our marketing emails, clicking on a link in any of these emails may cause you to be personally identified on Peace Corps’ site and may cause some part of your past browsing history on our site to be available to our personnel to determine your interests.  If you do not wish for this tracking to occur, you can unsubscribe from our mailings or use private browsing mode to avoid tracking.

ClickDimensions uses a first party cookie to track visitor activity on Peace Corps’ websites. This may include information that identifies you as an individual or relates to an identifiable individual, including: name, interests, postal address, telephone number, or email address. If you fill out a web form on this site, your information will be stored in Peace Corps secured, on premise FISMA and FedRAMP compliant CRM system and some amount of your past browsing on this site may be available as part of your profile. However, if you use private browsing, you may provide Peace Corps your information without making your past browsing activity available to us. If you do not wish for Peace Corps to have your personal information, please do not fill out any of the web forms on this site. The ClickDimensions privacy policy is available at clickdimensions.com/about/privacy-policy.

Online Application - Privacy Act Statement

The Peace Corps, an agency of the federal government, is required by the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) to advise you of the following information regarding this application. The Privacy Act addresses the federal government’s use of certain personal information in agency files. 

A. This application is authorized by the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.) as amended, and Executive Order 9397, as amended (SSN use) . 

B. The information you provide will be used is to evaluate your suitability and qualifications to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer. 

C. This information may be used for the routine uses described in the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a, and the Peace Corps' published Routine Uses, summarized in Peace Corps' System of Records PC-17 and PC-21. 

D. The completion of this application is voluntary. However, failure to complete the application will result in the Peace Corps being unable to assess your qualifications and may preclude your consideration for the Peace Corps. 

E. The Peace Corps asks for your Social Security number because the Peace Corps Act, 22 U.S.C. 2519, requires us to do a background check on all Volunteers. The Peace Corps will also use it to ensure our records are accurate for tax and other financial accounting purposes 

Paperwork Reduction Act Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for the standard application information collection is estimated to average 1 hour. The burden for the expedited application information collection is 15 minutes. This includes the time for reviewing instructions and completing the information. This is voluntary information collection. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and persons are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: the FOIA Officer, Peace Corps, 1275 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20526. 

PLEASE NOTE: The Peace Corps does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (over 40), disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, parental status, political affiliation, union membership, genetic information, or history of participation in the EEO process, any grievance procedure or any authorized complaint procedure. Anyone who feels he or she has been discriminated against should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity, 202.692.2139, [email protected], 1275 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20526.

To request an application to the Peace Corps, you may fill out our preliminary data page and share your personally identifiable information. This information will be used only to determine your interest in Peace Corps programs and related Volunteer programs.

We may use your contact information to send further information about the Peace Corps or to contact you when necessary. You may opt out of receiving future mailings; see the "Opt Out" section below.

• Interview: Privacy Act Statement [PDF]
  

Sending Us an Email

You also may decide to send us personally identifying information, for example, in an electronic mail message containing a question or comment, or by filling out a web form that provides us this information. We use personally identifiable information from email primarily to respond to your requests. We may forward your email to other Peace Corps employees who are better able to answer your questions. We may also use your email to contact you in the future about Peace Corps programs that may be of interest.

We want to be very clear: We will not obtain personally identifiable information about you when you visit our site unless you choose to provide such information to us. Providing such information is strictly voluntary. Except as might be required by law, we do not share any information we receive with any outside parties.

If you sign up for one of our email lists, we'll only send you the kinds of information you've requested. We will not share your name or email address with any outside parties.

Kids and Privacy

For children who visit our site, special rules apply. We do not request personal information from about children, such as first and last name or street address and city. When kids send email to us, their online contact information (email address) is not used to re-contact them and is not maintained in retrievable form.

Opt Out or Change Your Contact Information

Our site provides users the opportunity to opt out of receiving communications from us and to be removed from our database. This option may also be used to change or modify information previously provided to us. If you want to opt out of receiving communications from us or to change your information, please email the Peace Corps webmaster at [email protected], or contact us using the information below.

Questions About Our Policies

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this website, contact us:

Peace Corps
1275 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20526
855.855.1961
[email protected]