We respect the privacy of our visitors and all those who come in contact with our office—be it in-person, through our website, or by mail, phone, or email. We therefore try to collect only such personal information as is needed to provide the information, service, or assistance that you request.

Information We Collect Automatically

If you visit our websites to browse, read, or download information:

  • Your Web browser automatically sends us (and we may retain) information such as the:
    • Internet domain through which you access the Internet (e.g., yourServiceProvider.com if you use a commercial Internet service provider, or yourSchool.edu if you use an Internet account from your school);
    • Internet Protocol address of the computer you are using;
    • type of browser software and operating system you are using;
    • date and time you access our site; and
    • the Internet address of the site from which you linked directly to our site.
  • We will use this information as aggregate data to help us maintain this site, e.g., to determine the number of visitors to different sections of our site, to ensure the site is working properly, and to help us make our site more accessible and useful.
  • We will not use this information to identify individuals, except for site security or law enforcement purposes.
  • The office that maintains the Web server that our website resides on also has access to this information and is governed by its own privacy policy.

Other Information We Collect

If you choose to identify yourself (or otherwise provide us with personal information) when you call us, write to us, send us email, or use our online forms:

  • We will collect (and may retain) any personally identifying information, such as your name, street address, email address, and phone number, and any other information you provide to us. We will use this information to try to fulfill your request and may use it provide you with additional information at a later time. We will not disclose such information to third parties, except as specified in this privacy policy.
  • If you request information, services, or assistance, we may disclose your personal information to those third parties that (in our judgment) are appropriate in order to fulfill your request. If, when you provide us with such information, you specify that you do not want us to disclose the information to third parties, we will honor your request. Note, however, that If you do not provide such information, it may be impossible for us to refer, respond to or fulfill your request.
  • If your communication relates to a law enforcement matter, we may disclose the information to law enforcement agencies that we deem appropriate.

How Long We Keep Information

We may keep information that will collect for an unlimited period of time.

Security

Please note that electronic communication, particularly email, is not necessarily secure against interception. Please do not send sensitive data (e.g., Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers) by email or Web form.

Cookies

We may use cookies in order to customize this site for return visitors.  These cookies are not required for site functionality.  Additionally, third-party widgets such as Youtube or Flickr may install cookies depending on their configuration.  You are not required to accept any cookies to use this site.

Contacting Us

If you would like to contact us concerning our privacy policy or our use of information collected through this Web site, please contact us at:

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs
2170 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5021
Fax: (202) 225-5394