<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Culture USA . com - Privacy Policy and Site Usage Information</TITLE> <META NAME="description CONTENT="Learn about Culture USA's commitment to your privacy and how we handle your information. This page also contains information about using content from CultureUSA.com as well as technical information about our site."> <META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="privacy policy, privacy, policy, information, collection, collecting, gathering, copyright, usage, copy, distribute, use, cookies, sources, links, security, link, sites, site"> </HEAD> <BODY background="graphics/bgrnd.gif" link="#0000EE" vlink="#0000EE" marginheight=0 topmargin=0 marginwidth=0 leftmargin=0 style="margin:0px"> <!-- HEADER --> <TABLE BORDER="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" WIDTH="785"> <TR><TD width="785" height="85" colspan="2" background="graphics/bgrndblue.gif" valign="bottom"> <A HREF="index.html" target="_top"><IMG SRC="graphics/flaglogo.jpg" BORDER="0" HEIGHT="71" WIDTH="73" ALIGN="left"></A> <IMG SRC="cgi-bin/images/header.pl" BORDER="0" HEIGHT="71" WIDTH="210" ALIGN="right"> <A HREF="index.html" target="_top"><IMG SRC="graphics/title.gif" BORDER="0" HEIGHT="41" WIDTH="453" ALT="Culture USA . com"></A><br> <A HREF="index.html" target="_top"><IMG SRC="graphics/mission.gif" BORDER="0" HEIGHT="30" width="453"></A> </TD> </TR> <TR><TD width="170" background="graphics/bgrndblue.gif" valign="bottom"><FONT face="arial" size="-4"> <br> <IMG SRC="graphics/menu/siteareas.gif" HEIGHT="20" WIDTH="170" ALT="Site Areas"></FONT><br> </TD> <TD width="615" background="graphics/bgrndbody.gif" valign="top"> <TABLE border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><TR> <TD background="graphics/bgrndbody.gif" width="75 height="75"><IMG SRC="graphics/curvetop.gif" HEIGHT="75" WIDTH="75"></TD> <TD background="graphics/bgrndnav.gif" width="550" height="75" valign="center"> <FONT face="arial" size="-1"><B> You Are Here: <A HREF="index.html" target="_top">Home</A> >>> <A HREF="site.html" target="_top">Site Information & Privacy Policy</A> </FONT></B> </TD> </TR></TABLE> </TR> <!-- NAV MENU --> <TR> <TD width="170" background="graphics/bgrndblue.gif" valign="top"><center> <P> <br> <A HREF="culture/index.html" target="_top"><IMG SRC="graphics/menu/culture.gif" BORDER="0" HEIGHT="30" WIDTH="160" ALT="Click here to learn about Culture in the USA"></A></P> <P><A HREF="english/index.html" target="_top"><IMG SRC="graphics/menu/english.gif" BORDER="0" HEIGHT="30" WIDTH="160" ALT="Click here to learn about Speaking English"></A></P> <P><A HREF="friends/index.html" target="_top"><IMG SRC="graphics/menu/americans.gif" BORDER="0" HEIGHT="30" WIDTH="160" ALT="Click here to learn about Meeting Americans"></A></P> <P><A HREF="study/index.html" target="_top"><IMG SRC="graphics/menu/studying.gif" BORDER="0" HEIGHT="30" WIDTH="160" ALT="Click here to learn about Studying in the USA"></A></P> <P><A HREF="visit/index.html" target="_top"><IMG SRC="graphics/menu/visiting.gif" BORDER="0" HEIGHT="30" WIDTH="160" ALT="Click here to learn about Visiting the USA"></A></P> <P><A HREF="contact/index.html" target="_top"><IMG SRC="graphics/menu/contact.gif" BORDER="0" HEIGHT="30" WIDTH="160" ALT="Click here to Contact CultureUSA"></A></P> </TD> <!-- BODY --> <TD width="615" background="graphics/bgrndbody.gif"> <TABLE border="0" width="600" align="right"><TR><TD> <!-- BEGIN SITE INFORMATION --> <P><A NAME="menu"></A><FONT face="arial" size="-1">Welcome to the website of Culture USA - Your one site for information on the United States! The following information is designed to allow you to understand our information gathering practices and to assure you of our commitment to your privacy. If you have any questions that are not answered on this page, please <A HREF="contact/index.html" target="_top">contact us</A>. This page will address the following information: <UL> <LI><A HREF="#information">Sharing of Information</A></LI> <LI><A HREF="#personal">Collection and Use of Personal Information</A></LI> <LI><A HREF="#technical">Collection and Use of Technical Information</A></LI> <LI><A HREF="#cookies">Use of Cookies</A></LI> <LI><A HREF="#links">Disclaimer about Links to Other Web Sites</A></LI> <LI><A HREF="#security">Site and Information Security</A></LI> <LI><A HREF="#providers">Technical Providers</A></LI> <LI><A HREF="#copyright">Copyright and Use of Material</A></LI> <LI><A HREF="#contact">Contact CultureUSA</A></LI> </UL></FONT></P> <P> <hr></P> <P><A NAME="information"></A><B><FONT face="arial" size="+1">SHARING OF INFORMATION</B></FONT><br> <br> <FONT face="arial" size="-1">Before describing in detail our use of information, we make this commitment to you: The information you provide or that is collected by CultureUSA.com will never be shared with any third party organization or individual without your knowledge.</FONT></P> <P><DIV ALIGN="right"><FONT face="arial" size="-2"><A HREF="#menu">Return to Top</A></FONT></DIV> <hr> </P> <P><A NAME="personal"></A><B><FONT face="arial" size="+1">COLLECTION AND USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION</B></FONT><br> <br> <FONT face="arial" size="-1">While visiting our site, CultureUSA.com will not collect any personal information without your knowledge. There are parts of this web site that require personal information, such as the "Contact" sections or surveys. The only information collected on these pages is the information that you choose to provide. Your participation in providing this information is completely optional. Apart from these pages, no personal information is collected about you.<br> <br> The personal information collected is only the information that you specifically provide. This personal information is in no way matched with details about your visits to CultureUSA.com. While we do track technical details and visits to our pages (see <A HREF="#technical">Use of Technical Information</A>), we do not associate this data with any of your personal information. For example, we do not know which specific pages <I>you</I> visited or what web site <I>you</I> came from when visiting our site.<br> <br> When you provide personal information, we will use it to fulfill the expectation presented on the page in which you provided it. For example, personal information provided in our contact sections will be used to respond to your request or comments.<br> <br> One aspect of CultureUSA.com is networking individuals around the world with US Citizens. This networking is only done by your request. However, if you request to meet with American expatriates in your home country, request to join a discussion group on culture, or request to be networked with US Citizens when you arrive in the United States, your personal information will be shared with our partner organizations and individuals who faciltiate these meetings. Again, the sharing of personal information to facilitate such meetings is only done after you have submitted a requested to our staff.</FONT></P> <P><DIV ALIGN="right"><FONT face="arial" size="-2"><A HREF="#menu">Return to Top</A></FONT></DIV> <hr> </P> <P><A NAME="technical"></A><FONT face="arial" size="+1"><B>COLLECTION AND USE OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION</B></FONT><br> <br> <FONT face="arial" size="-1">Some technical information is collected by our servers when you visit our site. The technical information collected is never associated with your identity or with any personal information that you chose to provide. Examples of technical information that may be collected include your IP address, where you came from when visiting our site, how long you stayed at CultureUSA.com, what pages you viewed while you were here, and what browser you were using. Again, this information is only seen in generic log files and is never associated with any personal information you provide. It is used to help us diagnose problems on our site, see what areas are most frequently visited, and to find ways to enhance your experience with our site.</FONT></P> <P><DIV ALIGN="right"><FONT face="arial" size="-2"><A HREF="#menu">Return to Top</A></FONT></DIV> <hr> </P> <P><A NAME="cookies"></A><FONT face="arial" size="+1"><B>USE OF COOKIES</B></FONT><br> <br> <FONT face="arial" size="-1">Cookies are small, plain-text files that are written to your computer’s hard drive. They are often used to personalize or enhance your browsing experience or to identify you to a web site (such as through remembering your username or password). Because of our concern for your privacy, we do not utilize cookies. </FONT></P> <P><DIV ALIGN="right"><FONT face="arial" size="-2"><A HREF="#menu">Return to Top</A></FONT></DIV> <hr> </P> <P><A NAME="links"></A><FONT face="arial" size="+1"><B>DISCLAIMER ABOUT LINKS TO OTHER SITES</B></FONT><br> <br> <FONT face="arial" size="-1"> The CultureUSA.com web site contains many links to other web sites. These links are provided as a service to you to minimize the amount of time you have to spend searching for information about the USA. However, links to these sites do not represent an endorsement by CultureUSA.com or its staff, nor our approval of the content, message, or the organization or people responsible for the site.<br> <br> While we strive to only link to helpful and authoritative sites, we cannot guarantee that the content of these sites is factual and accurate. In addition, we are not responsible for the privacy practices of these sites. The information contained in this Privacy Policy may not be the same as that of the other sites to which we link. </FONT></P> <P><DIV ALIGN="right"><FONT face="arial" size="-2"><A HREF="#menu">Return to Top</A></FONT></DIV> <hr> </P> <P><A NAME="security"></A><FONT face="arial" size="+1"><B>SECURITY OF CORRESPONDENCE</B></FONT><br> <br> <FONT face="arial" size="-1"> Correspondence sent through the CultureUSA web pages (such as sending e-mails or comments to us through our on-line forms) is not secure. Because we are not selling products and never ask for credit card or financial information, we do not utilize secure servers found in online shopping sites. Please realize that any information you submit has the potential to be viewed by third parties while in transit. </FONT></P> <P><DIV ALIGN="right"><FONT face="arial" size="-2"><A HREF="#menu">Return to Top</A></FONT></DIV> <hr> </P> <P><A NAME="providers"></A><FONT face="arial" size="+1"><B>TECHNICAL PROVIDERS</B></FONT><br> <br> <FONT face="arial" size="-1"> CultureUSA.com is hosted with a large, respected Internet hosting company. In addition to their services, CultureUSA.com makes use of other services to enhance our site. This includes, but is not limited to, the services or scripting of the following: <UL> <LI><A HREF="http://www.master.com" target="new">Master.Com</A></LI> <LI><A HREF="http://www.web-scribble.com" target="new">Web Scribble</A></LI> </UL> </FONT></P> <P><DIV ALIGN="right"><FONT face="arial" size="-2"><A HREF="#menu">Return to Top</A></FONT></DIV> <hr> </P> <P><A NAME="copyright"></A><FONT face="arial" size="+1"><B>COPYRIGHT AND MATERIAL USAGE</B></FONT><br> <br> <FONT face="arial" size="-1"> All information and materials found throughout this site are protected under copyright laws. As with printed information, none of the information on this site may be copied or reproduced in any way without the expressed, written permission of CultureUSA.com.<br> <br> Any copyrighted information from other sources that is hosted on our server has been used by permission. <br> <br> Information that is linked to from CultureUSA.com or that loads from other sites (such information is clearly noted) is protected by the Copyright restrictions of its own web site and may not be reproduced without that site's permission.<br> <br> For questions concerning copyright and our web site or to report a potential copyright infringement of our material, please <A HREF="contact/index.html" target="_top">contact us</A>. </FONT></P> <P><DIV ALIGN="right"><FONT face="arial" size="-2"><A HREF="#menu">Return to Top</A></FONT></DIV> <hr> </P> <P><A NAME="contact"></A><FONT face="arial" size="+1"><B>CONTACTING CULTUREUSA</B></FONT><br> <br> <FONT face="arial" size="-1"> Thank you for visiting the web site of CultureUSA.com! We work hard to provide helpful resources for you on-line along with a pleasant browsing experience.<br> <br> If you have questions about our site or if you have ideas on how we can better serve you through this site, please let us know. The easiest way to provide your comments, questions, or other feedback about the site is to send it through our <A HREF="contact/index.html" target="_top">contact section</A>. That section will provide you with forms that deliver your message to the appropriate person on our team. It also provides you with our main e-mail address. </FONT></P> <P><DIV ALIGN="right"><FONT face="arial" size="-2"><A HREF="#menu">Return to Top</A></FONT></DIV> </P> <P> </P> </TD></TR> <TR width="600"><TD> <!-- FOOTER / SITE INFORMATION --> <FONT face="arial" size="-1" color="#999999"><IMG SRC="graphics/copyright.gif" HEIGHT="9" WIDTH="41" ALT="Copyright 2004"> - CultureUSA.com --- All rights reserved. * <A HREF="site.html" target="_top"><FONT face="arial" size="-1" color="#999999">Usage & Privacy Policy</FONT></A> * <A HREF="contact/index.html" target="_top"><FONT face="arial" size="-1" color="#999999">Contact Information</FONT></A> </FONT> </TD></TR> </TABLE> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </BODY>