Website notices & policies
Provided below are notices and policies that FCA is required to post on its website.
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FCA does not collect personally identifiable information (PII) that identifies you when you visit FCA.gov unless you give us that information directly. However, for security and analytics purposes, we do collect information about your internet connection and usage of our website. When you use the FCA website, you are giving consent to the government to monitor and audit your use of this system if the government deems this necessary.
Website cookies
We use cookies and other web measurement and customization technologies to improve your experience when using FCA.gov. Cookies help us analyze usage and find areas for improvement.
Cookies are small text files that many websites place on your web browser when you visit them. Cookies are primarily used to identify you to a website and remember your browser when you later return to that site.
Most internet browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can reject them if you prefer. Please note that you will still be able to access the content on our website if you block FCA.gov cookies, but our website may not function as well.
There are two basic ways to block cookies from any website:
- Change your browser's settings to prompt you to accept or reject cookies from each website you visit.
- Set your browser to automatically block cookies from all websites you visit.
Provided below are links to instructions for blocking cookies in popular browsers:
- Google Chrome (under "Change Your Cookie Settings")
- Microsoft Edge
- Safari iPhone
- Safari Mac
- Mozilla Firefox
- Samsung Internet
- Opera
What we collect and store automatically
We collect and automatically store the following information about you when you visit our website. This information does not identify you personally.
- The name of the internet domain you used to access the internet (for example, “xcompany.com,” if you use a private internet access account, or “yourschool.edu,” if you connect from a university’s domain).
- Your IP address, which is a number that identifies your computer or your firewall. For analytics purposes, IP addresses are anonymized at the earliest available point, and the original IP address is not stored at any point.
- The date and time you access our site.
- The pages you visit.
How we use PII that you send to us
When you contact us and provide us with PII (such as your name or contact information), we use this information in the following ways:
- If you make an inquiry or ask us to add your name to an FCA mailing list, we add your personal information to an electronic database for correspondence tracking or mailing lists. We keep your personal information in secure computer systems, and only employees with a business reason may see it. You can read more about the collection and use of this information in our Privacy impact assessment for the use of GovDelivery Communications Cloud (PDF).
- If you make an inquiry or a request, or file a complaint that needs supervisory or other attention, we may give personal information to our attorneys, examiners, or other appropriate staff or to other federal, state, or local agencies in order to respond to your correspondence.
- If you file a complaint about a Farm Credit System institution, we may give personal information, as well as other information related to the complaint, to the institution so it can respond to our inquiry. If you do not want us to disclose personal information, please tell us in writing when you send in your complaint.
- If you comment on a proposed rule, policy statement, or regulatory action, we place your comment letter and your personal information in the public rulemaking file, which is available to the public.
- We may disclose personal information to further our mission of maintaining stability and public confidence in the Farm Credit System.
- We may disclose personal information as required by law or for a criminal investigation. Please remember that email is not secure from interception, so you may want to send your information by postal mail instead to the following address:
1501 Farm Credit Drive
McLean, VA 22102-5090
Cybersecurity
Your electronic communications with FCA may be scanned to look for known or suspected malicious cyber activity, including malicious content or communications. Your electronic communications will be collected or retained only if they are associated with known or suspected cyber threats. The collected information will be used to analyze known or suspected cyber threats and help FCA and other agencies respond and better protect their computers and networks.
FCA information systems are protected by the National Cybersecurity Protection System (NCPS) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The NCPS provides intrusion detection, advanced analytics, and information sharing capabilities that combat and mitigate cyber threats to the federal government’s information and networks. One of the key technologies is EINSTEIN, which is an early warning system to improve awareness, identification, and detection of threats.
For additional information, please see the EINSTEIN program-related privacy impact assessments available on the DHS cybersecurity privacy website (http://www.dhs.gov/files/publications/editorial_0514.shtm#4), along with other information on the federal government’s cybersecurity activities.
External links
FCA.gov may link to websites created and maintained by other public or private organizations. If you click on a link to an outside website, you will leave the FCA.gov site and will be subject to the privacy and security policies of the owner or sponsor of the outside website.
Social media sites
FCA.gov has accounts on social media sites, including Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube. We use these accounts to share information about our activities and engage with the public. We do not collect any PII through those sites, and we do not use personal information made available by these third-party sites. You can read more about our use of these sites in our Privacy impact assessment for use of third-party social media for official FCA communications (PDF).
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FCA uses software programs to monitor this website for security purposes to ensure it remains available to all users and to protect information in the system. By accessing this website, you are expressly consenting to these monitoring activities.
Unauthorized attempts to defeat or circumvent security features; to use the system for other than intended purposes; to deny service to authorized users; to access, obtain, alter, damage, or destroy information; or otherwise to interfere with the system or its operation are prohibited.
Evidence of such acts may be disclosed to law enforcement authorities and may result in criminal prosecution under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996, codified at section 1030 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, or other applicable criminal laws.
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You may copy FCA information without permission unless the material indicates otherwise. You must get permission to reproduce copyrighted materials (including photographs and graphics) from the original source.
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The Federal Activities Inventory Reform (FAIR) Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–270) directs federal agencies to submit an annual inventory of commercial activities that are not inherently governmental but are being performed by federal employees.
FCA prepares its annual inventory of commercial activities in accordance with the provisions of the FAIR Act and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76, Performance of Commercial Activities. It contains a list of all FCA positions, grouped by office and identified as either commercial or inherently governmental. This document also contains contact information for the agency's FAIR Act points of contact.
FCA's Fiscal Year 2017 FAIR Act Inventory (PDF)
FCA's Fiscal Year 2016 FAIR Act Inventory (PDF)
FCA's Fiscal Year 2015 FAIR Act Inventory (PDF)
FCA's Fiscal Year 2014 FAIR Act Inventory (PDF)
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FCA strives to ensure the quality of the information we disseminate to the public. See FCA’s information quality guidelines (PDF), which describe our information quality policy.
This document also describes how corrected information can be obtained if incorrect information were disseminated. As of this time, FCA has received no correction requests. We will update this page if we receive any requests.
Influential scientific disseminationsBased on the review it has conducted, FCA believes that it does not currently produce or sponsor the distribution of influential scientific information (including highly influential scientific assessments) within the definitions promulgated by the Office of Management and Budget. As a result, at this time FCA has no agenda of forthcoming influential scientific disseminations to post on its website in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget's Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review.
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On August 27, 2004, President Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12, which required the development of a standard that all Federal agencies must use to identify its employees and contractors. The purpose in establishing this standard is to protect federal facilities from threats of terrorism.
FCA has fully met the requirement of completing background checks on all current employees and contractors, and it has issued personal identity verification (PIV) credentials to all necessary personnel. See FCA’s quarterly report (PDF) on the number of PIV credentials issued by the agency.
