General Information Interactive Oil Spill Training Center Inc.respects the privacy of users of its website www.iostc.com. Interactive Oil Spill Training Center Inc.does not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about visitors to www.iostc.com unless required to do so by law. Interactive Oil Spill Training Center Inc.is especially concerned about protecting the privacy of children. Interactive Oil Spill Training Center Inc.encourages parents and teachers to stay involved with and in control of children's Internet explorations. It is particularly important for parents to offer guidance to their children about providing personal information online.
Interactive Oil Spill Training Center Inc.automatically collects a limited amount of information about the use of its Web site, primarily for statistical purposes (that is, to measure the numbers of visitors to various sections of the site). This information may also be helpful when considering changes to www.iostc.com, to make the site more useful to visitors.
The following information about users of the Interactive Oil Spill Training Center Inc.website are collected and stored automatically: The Internet domain from which a user has accessed the Internet. For example, if a user connects to the Internet through America Online, the domain is aol.com. The Internet protocol (IP) address of the computer that was used to access the Internet. An IP address is a number that is assigned to a user's computer when he/she logs onto the Internet. When a Web page is requested, the user's IP address is included in the message, and the recipient of the request can respond to it by sending another message using that IP address. The name and version of the user's computer operating system and Internet browser. For example, Windows 2000 (operating system) and Internet Explorer 6.0 or Netscape Navigator 7.1 (Internet browsers). If a user comes to www.iostc.com from another Web site, the Internet address of the "referring" Web site. The date, time, and duration of the user's visit to www.iostc.com, and the pages visited.
When a user visits a website, the website's server generates a piece of information known as a "cookie" and places it on the user's computer. Some cookies remain on a user's computer after the user has ended his/her Web site visit. These types of cookies are called "persistent" cookies. They collect personal information about a user and allow the user's computer to be recognized in the future. Nonpersistent cookies, or "session cookies," are erased by a user's computer after a period of inactivity or when the user closes his/her Internet browser. Session cookies do not collect any personal information about a user. They serve technical purposes, such as allowing seamless navigation through a Web site. Session cookies are stored in memory and are only available during an active browser session.
When inquiries are sent to the Interactive Oil Spill Training Center Inc.website by e-mail, the question(s) and the e-mail address of the sender are stored electronically to allow time for a response to be researched, written, and sent. Unless otherwise required by law, Interactive Oil Spill Training Center Inc.will not identify anyone who sends questions or comments to its website. Interactive Oil Spill Training Center Inc.does not collect information that will allow users to be identified personally, unless they choose to provide such information. If children send questions or comments to the Interactive Oil Spill Training Center Inc.website and include their name and/or home mailing address as part of their message, the information will be used only to respond to them personally. Providing this type of information is optional, and HNCL suggests that children obtain their parents' permission before providing any information online--to the HNCL Web site or any other Web site.
The Interactive Oil Spill Training Center Inc.website has links to many other Web sites. Interactive Oil Spill Training Center Inc.cannot guarantee the privacy or security of information users provide to linked, external Web sites.