Effective Date: June 18, 2010
CFC Websites Privacy Policy
This notice explains the practices of National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (“CFC”) in collecting and using online information and will acquaint you with the choices you can make about sharing your information, as a user of our websites. This policy applies only to information collected, maintained and used by CFC and does not apply to the collection and use practices of websites which users connect to through links on our sites, nor does it apply to information posted on our sites that is provided by third parties.
Collection and Use of Personal Information
Many parts of our websites can be used without providing personal information. Other areas of our websites can be used only after providing a limited amount of personal information and becoming an authorized user. If you provide personal information in order to register to receive materials, to participate in programs, to become an authorized user or for other purposes, we may use that information and share it internally in conjunction with responding to your inquiries or requests (for example, if you send us emails, we may use your return email address to answer the email) and we may use it to update our own customer contact information system. We may also use it to advise you of information, features, products and services, and as otherwise described elsewhere in this policy.
The types of personal information CFC collects from registrants includes, but is not limited to name, company name, physical address, email address, phone number and user created passwords. CFC may also collect resumes, cover letters and salary requirements for individuals applying for employment.
Your submission of personal information, including a resume, for employment purposes is completely voluntary, although the submission of such information is necessary to access those areas of the websites requiring registration. If you submit personal information or a resume for employment to CFC, the information will be used to communicate with you in writing or by telephone or online, to evaluate your application, to analyze CFC staffing needs and practices or to otherwise efficiently manage the CFC hiring process. Resumes are not used for any other purpose and are not shared with entities unrelated to CFC. Resumes for individuals applying for employment are generally retained for a period of two years from date of application.
Information Sharing
Generally, CFC will not provide your personal information to entities not affiliated with CFC. However, CFC may disclose personal information in order to: protect the legal rights of CFC, or its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, partners, agents or contractors; protect the safety and security of visitors to our websites; protect against fraud or for risk management purposes; perform services associated with our websites, including technical services and employment application services; and comply with the law or legal process. We may also disclose information in pursuing remedies against users who attempt to damage, misuse or interfere with the operations of our websites.
Cookies
Cookies are small bits of information that our Web server deposits on the hard drive of a user’s computer, primarily, to show us how our websites are being used. Among other things, cookies help our server identify your computer’s IP address and Internet browser, the domain from which our sites are accessed, the date, time and duration of access, pages visited, links visited and whether you have previously visited our websites. This information helps us guard against, detect and investigate unauthorized access and provides authorized users a personalized and more convenient visit to our sites. Cookies also enable us to manage and improve our websites by automatically collecting basic information, which we evaluate to determine usage trends. Because cookies also serve a security function, users of CFC’s websites that require the user to be an authorized user may not opt-out of the information collection that cookies accomplish; however, you may be able to set your browser to alert you when a cookie is being created and to offer you the opportunity to decline a cookie in some instances. Declining a cookie will significantly limit your use of our websites’ capabilities.
Links to Other Websites
Our websites may contain links to other useful sites. Please be aware that CFC is not responsible for the information sharing and privacy practices of other websites. We encourage users to read the privacy statements of every website that collects personally identifiable information since we have no control over information gathered by these third parties. This policy applies solely to information collected by our websites.
Data Security
Unfortunately, no one and no technology can promise absolute data security. We have put in place physical, electronic and managerial measures (including data and communications monitoring) to deter unauthorized access and data corruption and to facilitate the appropriate use of information in a manner that is consistent with this policy. Nonetheless, CFC cannot guarantee the security of the information we collect and cannot be responsible for data security breaches caused by illegal or unauthorized acts.
Corporate Change of Control or Sale of Assets
In the event of a corporate change in control resulting from, for example, a sale to, or merger with, another entity, or in the event of a sale of assets or a bankruptcy, CFC reserves the right to transfer your personal information to the new party in control or the party acquiring assets.
Changes to this Policy
From time to time CFC may revise this policy to reflect industry initiatives or changes in the law, in our practices regarding the collection and use of personal information, in the features of our websites or in technology. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you are up to date on our most current policies and practices. The last date this policy was revised is the effective date set forth above.
Questions
If you have any questions about this policy, please contact our Member Center, in writing, at membercenter@nrucfc.coop, or National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, 20701 Cooperative Way, Dulles, VA 20166; or call the Member Center at (800) 424-2955.
