Web Policies

PURPOSE

The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) website has been designed to provide a single, integrated point of entry for information from which visitors can learn about our Institute and its associated research, outreach, and technical assistance projects, products, and services. FPG will endeavor to ensure that the content of this, and all other associated project websites, is accurate and up-to-date. All content is subject to change without notice.

The following policies have been adapted from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) and UNC-CH IT Services (UNC-CH ITS) policies for the World Wide Web, and additionally reflect the efforts and experience of the FPG IT Web Services Core (FPG ITS).

"ACCESSIBILITY"

FPG is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website and related tools for our professional and community users. We embrace this value by:

Following principles of accessible web design
Incorporating accessibility into all phases of the design and implementation process
Ensuring usability through ongoing quality assurance mechanisms like expert reviews of the programming and design, user testing, and feedback
Staying current with new technology and trends
Developing interfaces in other languages
Providing translation assistance

We will, when possible, exceed federal and industry accessibility standards to assure that tools are truly usable regardless of hearing, visual, motor, or communication ability. Standards for accessibility are defined by Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act and also by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines at Conformance Level "Double-A" as outlined by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative.

Our true measure of accessibility is determined by the end user. We strive to incorporate relevant user feedback into our ongoing updates and welcome suggestions on how we can make improvements for our users. If you experience problems accessing content on any FPG website, please contact the FPG Webmaster.

"COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS"

All text, images, logos, and information contained on any official FPG website, as well as the design, are the intellectual property of FPG and protected under U.S. copyright statutes. Reproduction or redistribution is prohibited without the express written consent of FPG. Photographs and illustrations should not be used without permission. However, under the doctrine of “fair use” limited copying of text is permitted without prior approval for teaching and research purposes. In those cases, FPG requests the courtesy of citation. Please contact the FPG Director of Outreach to obtain permissions.

Downloading: Permission is granted to download information from this website so long as such information is not used for commercial purposes.

Note: There are known problems with viewing PDF files if you attempt to open them inside of an Internet Explorer window using Adobe Acrobat Reader. The remedy for this is to turn off the “Display PDF in browser” setting in Adobe or to right click on the PDF link and download it, and then open it in Acrobat Reader.

"DISCLAIMERS"

Disclaimer for Content: FPG strongly supports academic freedom and a researcher's right to publish. Consequently, any findings and conclusions, opinions, or recommendations expressed on any associated project website, as well as any connecting links, are those of the project's investigator(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of FPG.

FPG is not responsible for any errors in the material provided on the Web and shall not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of any material found on an official FPG website or on any other sites with FPG domain addresses.

Links to external websites are provided as a service to our users, namely, when they contain information that may be of either general or specific interest to persons visiting FPG. However, we are not responsible for the content, views, or accuracy of information on these external websites.

Disclaimer of Endorsement: Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by FPG. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of FPG and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

"PRIVACY"

UNC-CH ITS and FPG ITS are committed to protecting your privacy and developing technology that gives you the most powerful and safe online experience. This privacy statement applies to all FPG websites and governs data collection and usage. By using any FPG website, you consent to the data practices described in this statement.

Collection of Personal Information

Should you provide FPG with personal information, such as an e-mail address or phone number, the information will only be used to respond to you and to assist in providing you with the information or service requested. All personal information collected through forms on this Web site will be used only for the purpose expressed, such as, to answer an inquiry or to accept a meeting registration. Personal information will not be retained for longer than is necessary to fulfill the request made.

FPG ITS keeps track of the websites and pages individuals visit within FPG in order to determine what information and services are the most sought after and useful. This data is used to deliver customized content and information within FPG to customers whose behavior indicates that they are interested in a particular subject area. It also is used by FPG ITS for the operation of Web services, to maintain the quality of these services, and to provide general statistics regarding use of FPG websites.

When you visit a page on this site, the following information is automatically collected and stored:

The Internet domain and IP address from which you accessed the FPG website;
The type of browser and operating system you used;
The date, time, and duration of your visit;
The page(s) you visited; and
If you linked to the FPG website from another website, the address of that website.

Please keep in mind that if you directly disclose personally identifiable information or personally sensitive data through FPG public message boards, this information may be collected and used by others.

Note: FPG ITS does not, and will not, read any of your private online communications.

Use of Your Personal Information

FPG does not sell, rent, or lease its customer lists to third parties. Someone from FPG may, from time to time, contact you on behalf of external business matters. In those cases, your unique personally identifiable information (e.g., e-mail address, name, mailing address, telephone number) is not transferred to the third party. All such third parties are prohibited from using your personal information except to provide these services to FPG and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information.

FPG does not use or disclose sensitive personal information such as race, religion, or political affiliations, without your explicit consent.

FPG ITS will disclose your personal information, without notice, only if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on FPG or the website; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of FPG; and (c) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of FPG services or the public.

Security of Your Personal Information

FPG ITS secures your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. FPG ITS secures the personally identifiable information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment protected from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. When personal information (e.g., a credit card number) is transmitted to other websites, it is protected through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.

Cookies

Some FPG websites may use "cookies" to enhance or personalize your online experience. Cookies are small text files stored temporarily in your computer's memory or on your computer’s hard drive while you are browsing a Web site. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. They are uniquely assigned to your computer and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. No personal information that would enable us to identify individuals is either obtained or stored, and the cookies are deleted automatically when you close your browser.

Note: You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers are set to automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the FPG websites you visit.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update and amend our Privacy Policy as needed. A current version of the Privacy Policy will be posted on this website.

CONTACT INFORMATION

FPG ITS welcomes your comments regarding these Web Policies. If you believe that we have not adhered to these policies, please contact FPG ITS at FPGwebmaster@unc.edu. We will make our best effort to promptly determine and remedy the problem.