Privacy Policy

Thank you for visiting the website maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), including its National World War II Memorial Project. This page provides information on ABMC’s website privacy policy along with information on the agency's System of Records Notice.

Personally Identifiable Information:

ABMC does not collect Personally Identifiable Information (PII) about you when you visit our website, unless you choose to provide such information to us. Submitting PII through our website is voluntary. By doing so, you are giving ABMC your permission to use the information for the stated purpose. Generally, the information requested by ABMC will be used to respond to your inquiry or to provide you with the service you request. We may share information you give us with contractors acting on our behalf or with another government agency if your inquiry relates to that agency, or if otherwise required by law. We do not furnish personal information to private or commercial organizations.

If you choose to provide us with PII via ABMC.gov, through such methods as completing a web form or sending us an email, we will use that information to help us provide you the information or service you have requested or to respond to your message. The information we may receive from you varies based on your site activity.

Information Automatically Collected and Stored:

When you visit www.abmc.gov, we may collect and store some or all of the following information about your visit:

  • The Internet domain from which you access our website (for example, “xcompany.com” if you use a private Internet access account, or “yourschool.edu” if you connect from an educational domain);
  • The Internet Protocol (IP) address (a unique number for each computer connected to the Internet) from which you access our website;
  • The type of browser (e.g., Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome) used to access our site;
  • The operating system (e.g., Windows, Mac OS, Unix) used to access our site;
  • The date and time you access our site;
  • The Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), or addresses, of the pages you visit;
  • If you visited our website from another website, the URL of the referring site.

We collect and analyze this information because it helps us to enhance our website and support your needs. This information is used to measure the number of visitors to the various sections of our site and identify system performance or problem areas. We also use this information to analyze patterns of usage and to make the site more useful. This information is not used for associating search terms or patterns of site navigation with individual users.

ABMC.gov uses Google Analytics measurement software to collect the information in the list above. Google Analytics collects information automatically and continuously. No personally identifiable information is collected. ABMC staff conducts analyses and reports on the aggregated data from Google Analytics. The reports are only available to designated staff who require this information to perform their duties. ABMC retains the data from Google Analytics as long as needed to support the mission of the ABMC.gov website.

Information Collected for Tracking and Customization (Cookies):

Cookies are small pieces of temporary data that are exchanged between a website and a user's computer which enable a "dialog" to be established between the two machines. ABMC does not use cookies to collect any PII from users. The cookie allows the server to "remember" specific information about your visit while you are connected. Cookies from ABMC web pages only collect information about your browser’s visit to the site; they do not collect personal information about you.

There are two types of cookies, temporary (single session) and persistent (multi-session). Session cookies last only as long as your Web browser is open. Once you close your browser, the cookie disappears. Persistent cookies are stored on your computer for longer periods, potentially indefinitely.

Temporary Cookies: We use temporary cookies for technical purposes, such as to enable better navigation through our site. These cookies let our server know that you are continuing a visit to our site. For compliance purposes, OMB Memo 10-22 Guidance defines our use of session cookies as "Usage Tier 1—Single Session." The policy states, "This tier encompasses any use of single session web measurement and customization technologies."

Persistent Cookies: We use persistent cookies to enable Google Analytics to differentiate between new and returning ABMC.gov visitors. Persistent cookies remain on your computer between visits to ABMC.gov until they expire. These cookies may take up to one year to expire. We may also use persistent cookies to block repeated invitations to take customer satisfaction surveys. (See section below on Third Party Websites). The persistent cookies that block repeated survey invitations expire in 90 days. For compliance purposes, OMB Memo 10-22 Guidance defines our use of persistent cookies as "Usage Tier 2—Multi-session without Personally Identifiable Information (PII)." The policy says, "This tier encompasses any use of multi-session Web measurement and customization technologies when no PII is collected."

Most Internet browsers automatically accept persistent cookies. Although we think using persistent cookies creates a much better experience for you, this site will also work without them. If you don't want to accept cookies, you can edit your browser's options to stop accepting persistent cookies or to prompt you before accepting a cookie from the websites you visit; here's how to disable cookies. You will still have access to all information and resources on ABMC’s website. However, turning off cookies may affect functionality of some ABMC web pages. Be aware that disabling cookies in your browser will likely affect cookie usage at all other websites you visit as well.

Third-Party Websites and Applications:

ABMC uses social media websites and other kinds of third-party websites. Social media websites are used to publicize events and news, and engage with members of the public. ABMC also uses web measurement and customization technologies to measure the number of visitors to our websites, the sections and pages visited, and to help make our website more useful to visitors.

ABMC may use online surveys to obtain feedback and data on visitors’ satisfaction with ABMC.gov. Surveys do not collect PII. If a survey is being employed on ABMC.gov, the survey invitation will pop up for a random sample of visitors. It is optional. If you decline the survey, you will still have access to the identical information and resources at ABMC.gov as those who do take the survey. The survey reports will only be available to designated staff who require this information to perform their duties. ABMC retains the data from survey results as long as needed to support the mission of ABMC.gov.

Donations:

If you send us personal information for the purposes of making a donation to a program administered by ABMC, we will use that information to properly and securely process your donation. The personal information you provide, with the exception of credit card information, will be retained in our database. The information will be used by us to provide information to you about the progress of the project to which you donated. We do not retain credit card information beyond the time required to process your donation through the U.S. Treasury, nor do we share credit card information with any other organization.

World War II Registry of Remembrances:

If you send us personal information for the purposes of enrolling yourself or someone else in the World War II Registry of Remembrances, we will use that information to properly process your enrollment and to provide you, if requested, with a certificate of enrollment. The personal information you provide will be retained in the Registry of Remembrances database and will be accessible by members of the public who visit the World War II Registry at the memorial site or through this website. The information gathered from you for the Registry of Remembrances and accessible to the public is limited to the honoree's name, hometown, military service branch (if appropriate), and a brief description of wartime activity; and the submitter's name and relationship to the honoree.

Visiting Other Websites:

The information posted on the ABMC website (www.abmc.gov) includes links to international agencies, public and private organizations, and some commercial entities. ABMC provides these links solely for our users’ information and convenience. When users select a link to an outside website, they are leaving the ABMC website. These websites are not within our control and may not follow the same privacy, security, or accessibility polices. Once you link to another site, you are subject to the policies of that site

  • ABMC does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information on a linked website.
  • ABMC does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites and we do not endorse the views they express or the products or services they offer.
  • ABMC cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked websites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked website.
  • ABMC is not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites.
  • ABMC does not guarantee that outside websites comply with Section 508 (accessibility requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.

Email:

Our website allows you to send us an email. We will use the information you provide to respond to your inquiry. We will only send you general information via email. You should be reminded that email may not necessarily be secure against interception. Therefore, we suggest that you do not send sensitive personal data (such as your Social Security number) to us via email. If your intended email communication is very sensitive, or includes information such as your bank account, charge card, or Social Security number, you should instead send it by U.S. mail.

Electronic mail messages that meet the definition of records in the Federal Records Act (44 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.) are covered under the same disposition schedule as all other Federal records. This means that emails you send us will be preserved and maintained for varying periods of time if those emails meet the definition of Federal records. Electronic messages that are not records are deleted when no longer needed.

Security:

ABMC takes the security of all PII very seriously. We take precautions to maintain the security, confidentiality, and integrity of the information we collect at this site. Such measures include access controls designed to limit access to the information to the extent necessary to accomplish our mission. We also employ various security technologies to mitigate risk and protect the information stored on our systems. We routinely test our security measures to ensure they remain operational and effective.

Privacy Act of 1974, System of Records:

The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, embodies fair information practice principles in a statutory framework governing the means by which Federal agencies collect, maintain, use, and disseminate individuals’ records. The Privacy Act applies to records about individuals that are maintained in a “system of records.” A “system of records” is a group of any records under the control of an agency from which information is retrieved by the name of an individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual. The Privacy Act requires each agency to publish in the Federal Register a description denoting the existence and character of each system of records that the agency maintains and the routine uses of each system.

ABMC-6, Personnel and Payroll System