Who is BT Federal?

BT Federal is a US company that provides consulting and systems integration business services to the US Government. BT Consulting and Systems Integration, BT Federal's sister company in the US, provides consulting and systems integration business services to the non-government sector in the United States and is part of BT Group. Other businesses within BT have their own privacy policies.

When we refer in this Privacy Policy to “our website” we are referring to the website at http://www.btfederal.com/.

Why does BT Federal have a Privacy Policy?

We have developed this policy because we want you to feel confident about the privacy and security of your personal information. BT Federal takes all reasonable care to prevent any unauthorized access to your personal information. When we refer to “personal information” in this Privacy Policy, we mean information that identifies you as an individual, or is capable of doing so.

You do not have to register to access most of the BT Federal website. However, if you provide information via the “contact us” or other interactive features, you indicate your consent to our use of your personal data in the manner described in this Policy.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you are visiting our website or using our services, by continuing to use our website you indicate your agreement to our use of your personal information as set out in this Privacy Policy.

What does this Privacy Policy cover?

This Privacy Policy only applies to BT Federal’s website and services. It does not apply to any other BT or third party services, or to any other BT or third party sites, even if we host them or they are accessed from our website. If you disclose your personal information directly to other companies, and we process it for them, your personal information will be dealt with according to their privacy practices.

What personal information does BT Federal obtain about me, and when?

If you participate in the “contact us” or other interactive features of our website, we may ask you for information such as your name, business address, contact telephone numbers and email address. We may also ask you for other information; this will be clear at the time.

If you only browse our website, we may keep a record of your use to help make your visit to our website more satisfying. (Please see “When does BT Federal use cookies” below for more information on how we do this).

We may receive personal information about you from third parties. Except in the cases where we are merely processing such information for them, we rely on third parties to obtain your consent for us to use this information.

For what purposes does BT Federal use personal information about me?

BT Federal may use your personal information to:

Communicate with you about your access to or use of our service.
Let you know (by post, telephone or e-mail) about any changes to our services or our website.
Contact you to ask whether you would like to join in one of our research groups to help us improve our service to you.
Improve our understanding of the type of customers we are attracting to our services and how they use our services.
Subject to your agreement, provide you information about BT Federal, BT and/or third party products and services.
Manage our network.
Carry out research and analysis.
Prevent and detect criminal activity, fraud and misuse of, or damage to, our network, and prosecute or sue those responsible.
If you enter one of our competitions or promotions, we use the personal information you provide to manage the competition or promotion you have entered.

Does BT Federal disclose information about me to anyone else?

We sometimes use other companies to provide some of our services or to provide services to us. To enable them to do this, we may need to let them process your personal information. When we do so, these companies are required to act in accordance with the instructions we give them, may only do things that BT Federal is entitled to do, and may only act on behalf of BT Federal.

We may provide information, in response to properly made requests, for the purpose of the prevention and detection of crime, and the apprehension or prosecution of offenders. We may also provide information for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

We also provide information when required to do so by law, for example under a Court Order, or in response to properly made demands under powers contained in legislation.

If there is a change (or prospective change) in the ownership of BT or any of its assets, we may disclose personal information to the new (or prospective) owner. If we do so, we will require them to keep it confidential.

For how long does BT Federal keep personal information?

The time period for which we retain information varies according to the use of that information. In some cases there are legal requirements to keep data for a minimum period. Unless specific legal requirements dictate otherwise, BT Federal will retain information no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the data was collected or for which they are further processed.

When does BT Federal use “cookies”?

We use “cookies” to collect anonymous information from visitors to our website. A 'cookie' is a piece of information, like a tag, which some websites create against your PC (or personal computer). Our cookie stores some basic information which helps us to identify if you have visited the site before and if you receive some personalized content, or by welcoming you by name if you have supplied this in a previous visit (if using the “Remember Me” function). We may also use it to help us improve our website and the services we make available. However, as the cookie is based on your PC, we will not find it if you visit btfederal.com from a different PC to the one you registered on.

BT Federal uses cookies subject to the following assurances:

No information regarding your telephone number, account or payment details is included in the cookie or can be accessed using it.
They do not collect any information regarding the use of your PC or Internet browsing in any way.
If you do not want a cookie to be created on your PC, web browsers such as Netscape and Internet Explorer provide the option to disable them. Please bear in mind that some personalised services on btfederal.com may not be available if you choose to disable cookies.

How can I find out what personal information BT Federal holds about me and change it if inaccurate?

If you are a BT Federal customer and you want to know what personal information BT Federal holds about you, you can obtain it by making your specific request in writing to the following address, enclosing a check for the administration fee of $10 made payable to BT:

BT Data Subject Access Manager, BT Americas, 11911 Freedom Drive, Suite 1100, Reston VA 20190.

If the information we hold about you is inaccurate, please let us know and we will make the necessary amendments and confirm that these have been made.

How does BT Federal protect personal information about me?

We at BT Federal are serious about guarding the security of your personal data and the details of any transactions you make. We take appropriate organizational and technical security measures to protect your data against unauthorized disclosure or processing. We use a secure server to store the information you give us when you register or make an order. Any information you send us on-line is securely encrypted.

Over and above what BT Federal does to safeguard your privacy and security, there are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from Internet fraud on-line:

Choose a password (letter and digits) you can remember but others will not guess, change it regularly and, if you do write it down, keep it somewhere safe and secure.
When you have finished your session on our website, make sure you prevent your details being seen by anyone that you do not wish to see them. If you have registered and logged in, remember to log off. Clear any cache so there is no record of any transactions left on screen – both Netscape and Internet Explorer let you do this. We also recommend you then close your browser so any history of the session is cleared.
Are third party sites covered by this policy?

Third party Internet sites that you can link to from this website are not covered by our Privacy Policy, so we urge you to be careful when you enter any personal information online. BT Federal accepts no responsibility or liability for these sites.

How do I find out about changes to BT Federal’s Privacy Policy?

We may change our privacy policy from time to time. New policies will be published on our website.