Offsite Notification Policy

Policy:

Any link from a Department of Commerce Web site that directs a visitor to a site not under the control of a Federal Government agency or organization shall be accompanied by a clear notification that the visitor is leaving the site for a non U.S. government site.

Scope:

All Department of Commerce Web sites, except intranet sites not available to the public.

Purpose:

To ensure that visitors are aware when they are leaving a Department of Commerce Web site for destinations outside the Federal Government.

Since privacy, non-endorsement, and other Web site policies may change when leaving a site, it is appropriate to inform users when they are going off site.

Exceptions:

Web pages that are not available to the public, such as pages on an Intranet, are exempt.

Initially, legacy documents that are not subsequently modified are also exempted. However, legacy documents will need to be brought into compliance in time for the annual Web site certification in CY 2004.

Deadline for Implementation:

February 18, 2003

Resources:

Although this policy does not mandate any particular method of implementing offsite notifications a resource has been provided to assist Web designers.

 

Revision History:
April 3, 2008:Corrected formatting.
February 18, 2003: Approved.

Department of Commerce Web Advisory Council (WAC)
U.S. Department of Commerce

Send questions and comments about this page to WAC@doc.gov
Page last updated October 28, 2010