Policy:

Web sites of Department of Commerce organizations shall not be used for direct or indirect lobbying or link to Web pages that engage in such activities.

Purpose:

To ensure that Web sites of Department of Commerce organizations do not engage in prohibited lobbying practices.

Exceptions:

None.

Deadline for Implementation:

February 18, 2003

Discussion:

What is direct lobbying?

Lobbying is defined as encouraging members of the public to contact Congress to support or oppose any pending legislation.

What is indirect lobbying?

In the case of Web sites, indirect lobbying would be linking to any Web page that engages in lobbying or encourages such activity. Therefore, no Commerce Department organization may host a Web site for any group or organization, regardless of whether Commerce has any control over the content of the site, if that site engages in lobbying or links directly to any page that does.

Is there anything else we should know?

Because Web pages change, a link to an outside Web site may become inappropriate. To ensure that Department of Commerce organizations remain compliant with this policy they should periodically check such links. Inappropriate links must be deleted.

Resources:

You may also wish to review the policies on Content Management, Endorsement Disclaimers, and Offsite Notifications.