Privacy Policy

Thank you for visiting the Amtrak Office of Inspector General (OIG) website and reviewing our Privacy Policy. Amtrak OIG is committed to protecting the privacy and security of visitors to our website. This Privacy Policy describes what information is made available to Amtrak OIG when you visit our website, and describes how that information is used and stored.

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

If you access information on our website, the following basic information is automatically collected and stored on Amtrak OIG’s servers:

  • The name of the internet domain (for example, “xcompany.com” if you use a private internet-access account, or “yourschool.edu” if you are connecting from a university’s domain);
  • The Internet Protocol (IP) address (a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when you are using the internet) form which you access our site;
  • The type of browser and operating system used to access our site;
  • The date and time you access our site;
  • The country and state from which you access our site;
  • The internet address of the website from which you linked directly to our site;
  • The pages you visit and the information you request; and
  • Search terms used to get to our website from an external search engine and terms used on our site’s search engine.

Amtrak OIG does not use this information to track the browsing of individuals who access this site. This information is primarily collected for statistical analysis and technical improvements to the site.

Although the web server automatically recognizes your browser’s domain name and IP address, it does not automatically recognize your email address. The information gathered electronically does not identify you personally, unless you choose to send personal identifying information through the “Tip Hotline” or “Contact Us” features.

Cookies

Website measurement and customization technologies (commonly called “cookies”) are small bits of text that are downloaded to your internet browser when you visit a website. Amtrak OIG does not collect or store information about individual users or their usage habits in “cookie” format.

Personal Information That You Voluntarily Provide

You do not have to provide any personal information to access the information on our website. If you choose to provide us with personal information, such as by sending a message through our “Contact Us” feature, we will use that information to respond to your message or to fulfill the stated purpose of the communication. If you submit your resume to us electronically, we will use your personal information to consider your application for employment. Amtrak OIG does not collect or use information for commercial marketing.

Email Subscription and Updates

Amtrak OIG maintains a list of subscribers who have asked to receive periodic email updates. Any recipient of an Amtrak OIG email may unsubscribe from future messages via a link at the bottom of each email message. We do not sell, rent, exchange, or otherwise disclose our list of subscribers to persons or organizations outside of Amtrak OIG.

Privacy of the Tip Hotline

The Tip Hotline feature provided on this website may be used by Amtrak employees, contractors, or members of the public to contact Amtrak OIG regarding suspected or potential fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement in Amtrak’s programs and operations.

As described on this website, you may contact the Tip Hotline by email, regular mail, or telephone. If you contact the Tip Hotline by email using an Amtrak company computer, be advised that this method of communication may not be anonymous.

Children’s Privacy

Amtrak OIG cares about the safety and privacy of children online. As such, we comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA). COPPA and its accompanying FTC regulation establish United States federal law that protects the privacy of children using the internet. We do not knowingly contact or collect personal information from children under 13. Our site is not intended to solicit information of any kind from children under 13.

External Links

Amtrak OIG’s website provides links to websites created and maintained by other public and/or private organizations. We provide these links as a service to visitors of our site. When you follow a link to an external site, you are leaving Amtrak OIG and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the external site. Amtrak OIG is not responsible for the legality or accuracy of information on externally linked sites, or for any costs incurred while using externally linked sites.

Security

For data-security purposes, Amtrak OIG employs software programs that analyze and monitor network traffic to identify and prevent unauthorized attempts to access or cause harm to any information you provide or the system we use to store and maintain information. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and is advised that if such monitoring reveals evidence of possible abuse or criminal activity, such evidence may be provided to appropriate law enforcement officials. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information on this server are strictly prohibited and may be punishable by law, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986, and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996.