My Internet privacy policy is simple: my Web site collects no personal information about you when you visit the site--unless you choose to provide that information to me during your visit so that I can contact you about an issue you have raised or help you with a problem.  Specifically, the type of information that may be gathered when you visit my Web site and how that information is handled:

Information Collected and Stored Automatically
The U.S. House of Representatives collects aggregate data about visits to House Web sites, such as statistics that show which parts of each Web site were visited the most. The following information is also collected when you visit any U.S. House of Representatives Web site:

• The name of the domain from which you access the Internet (for example, aol.com, if you are connecting from an America Online account).
• The date and time you access the site.
• The Internet address of the web site from which you linked directly to the site or the Internet address of the computer used to link to the site.

This information is gathered only for the purpose of enabling us to improve the on-line service we provide to visitors to House Web sites.

No individual identifying or personal information (such as your name) is automatically gathered when you visit any House of Representatives Web site. My Web site does not use any sort of 'cookies' or other means to track your visit to my site in any way. To learn more about the House’s Internet security and privacy policy on-line, please go to this address: http://www.house.gov/house/privacy.htm.

If You Send Me Personal Information
My Web site is set up not to collect any personal information about you when you visit the site unless you choose to provide that information. My Web site has an on-line Web form that you can use to contact me by sending me an electronic message expressing your views or concerns or asking for assistance with a particular problem involving a federal agency. To send me an electronic message, the on-line Web form asks you for your name, address and e-mail address. I use this information provided by you to contact you regarding the matter about which you expressed your views and to provide any casework assistance I can regarding problems you may be experiencing in dealing with a government agency. This information will be available to members of my staff so they can help me in responding to your message or request.

If you are requesting help with a casework matter, it also may be necessary for my office to share the information you provide with the government agency from which you are requesting assistance, in order to respond to your request. Other than when needed to perform constituent casework at your request, or in the course of an authorized law enforcement investigation or emergency posing an imminent risk to public safety, my office will share no personal information communicated through my Web site with any outside organization or individual. Such information will not be used, sold or offered for any commercial purposes. If you are concerned about the security of transmitting information to my office over the Internet, please contact my office through the U.S. Mail at 333 F Street Suite A, Chula Vista CA 91910.

My office tabulates comments received through my Web site concerning legislation and government policy issues so that I will be fully informed about the views of constituents. From time to time, I come across a comment made by a constituent, or a situation described by a constituent, in an electronic message (as well as U.S. Mail, phone calls, and faxes) that I feel makes a point of such general interest that I would like to refer to it in a speech, or include it in the Congressional Record, or make some other use of it, either in connection with debate in the House or by sharing it with the relevant government agency. If you intend your message to be confidential, and would prefer that it not be used in such a way, please feel free to advise me of your preference in the message, so that I can be sure to respect your wishes and see that your views are held entirely within my office.

Links to Other Sites
My Web site has links to other useful sites on the Internet, including sites of other government agencies and sites relating to California. If you follow any link that takes you to a location that does not include ‘house.gov' in the address, you will have left the House Web server and you will need to refer to that site's own privacy policy.