Specific Technologies/Vendors:
Tier 1 cookies are used for technical purposes to improve a user experience and to allow users to more easily navigate the website.
Akamai speeds the delivery of content and applications for customers through using automatic, intermediate and temporary information storage to make the onward transmission of that information to other recipients more efficient. Temporary storage processes retain information only as long as is reasonably necessary to transmit the data. Intermediate storage processes retain information only so long as is reasonably necessary for continued transmission, to maintain the security of the network and the data, to monitor and improve website performance and for related administrative purposes. Akamai does not collect, use or disclose personally identifiable consumer information.
Foresee Results software measures user satisfaction and assesses website effectiveness through optional surveys presented to website visitors. The information gathered from these surveys is used to identify and prioritize improvements to functional website elements and content for visitors. Survey users provide ratings and feedback related to a series of questions about website performance, aesthetics, usability, user experience, and so forth; however, users are not required to provide any personal information. Tier 2 cookies are used to remember if the user has already been offered the survey and to ensure that users are prompted only once every 60 days.
Urchin software collects aggregate statistics of website visitor characteristics, traffic, and activity. This information is used to assess what content is of most and least interest, determine technical design specifications, and identify system performance or problem areas. The software records a variety of data, including IP addresses (the locations of computers or networks on the internet), unique visits, page views, hits, referring websites and what hyperlinks have been clicked. Tier 2 cookies are used to distinguish between summary statistics for users who have been to the site before and those that are visiting the site the for the first time. The Defense Department does not gather, request, record, require, collect or track any internet users' personally identifiable information through these processes.
Client side opt-out mechanisms allow the user to opt out of web measurement and customization technologies by changing the settings of a specific application or program on the user's local computer. For example, users may be able to disable persistent cookies by changing the settings on commonly used web browsers. For general instructions on how to opt out of some of the most commonly used web measurements and customization technologies, go to https://www.usa.gov/optout-instructions.