Hyperlink Policy

MBDA.GOV Website Link Policy

Links to MBDA.GOV

Advance permission to link to MBDA.GOV’s website(s) is not necessary. However, be aware that MBDA.GOV subpages may change at any time without notice. Entities and individuals linking to MBDA.GOV must continuously verify links to our subpages.

Entities and individuals linking to MBDA.GOV shall not capture MBDA.GOV pages within frames, present MBDA.GOV content as its own, or otherwise misrepresent MBDA.GOV content. Furthermore, they shall not misinform users about the origin or ownership of MBDA.GOV content. Certain information on MBDA.GOV may be trademarked, service-marked, or otherwise protected as intellectual property. Protected intellectual property must be used in accordance with state and federal laws and must reflect the proper ownership of the intellectual property.

Any link to the MBDA.GOV site should be a full forward link that passes the client browser to MBDA.GOV unencumbered. The "Back" button should return the visitor to original site if the visitor wishes to back out.

Links from MBDA.GOV

This section outlines the criteria and requirements that external websites must meet to have a link on the MBDA.GOV website. It also details how links are accepted and removed from the MBDA.GOV website.

MBDA.GOV reserves the right to link to external websites that it feels would provide a service or otherwise be of value to constituents.

Acceptance Criteria

MBDA.GOV links to federal, state, and local governments that provide information and services that benefit citizens, local government, and state agencies. At its discretion, MBDA.GOV will consider link requests to non-governmental websites that contain information and/or services that further the purpose of MBDA.GOV, including sites of MBDA.GOV-contracted vendors, relevant technology-related associations and timely and relevant information technology publications.

The MBDA.GOV website is not a forum for public communication and debate. The criteria outlined in this section have been established to ensure that the MBDA.GOV website remains a non-public forum.

Every link request must undergo review to determine its relevance and appropriateness to the purpose of MBDA.GOV. Links are approved for MBDA.GOV based on the following criteria:

1. The external website corresponds with the purpose of MBDA.GOV
2. The site's content is appropriate with respect to the purpose of MBDA.GOV and the site is not a:
   • Site that exhibits hate, bias, discrimination, pornography, libelous or otherwise defamatory content;
   • Site that advocates or promotes the use of alcohol or tobacco;
   • Site belonging to or supporting a political affiliation; or
   • Site that furthers the agenda of a political organization or candidate running for office.

MBDA.GOV reserves the right to deny links if it determines that a website contains misleading or unsubstantiated claims, conflicts with the purpose of MBDA.GOV, or does not meet one or more of the criteria set forth above in numbered sections or set out below in the section on Conditions for Link Maintenance on MBDA.GOV.

Review Process

1. Email link requests to support@mbda.gov, indicating “Link Request” in the subject line. Each link request should address how the site meets the two acceptance criteria outlined above.
2. The link request will be reviewed against the acceptance criteria set forth above. The decision of the MBDA.GOV General Counsel is final as to whether the requesting site may have a link from MBDA.GOV.
3. Approved sites must comply with the following conditions for link maintenance and may be required to enter into a written linking agreement with MBDA.GOV.

Conditions for Link Maintenance on MBDA.GOV

To give superior customer service to citizens and businesses accessing governmental information and services through MBDA.GOV, we require that external websites linked from MBDA.GOV meet the following conditions in order to maintain a link on MBDA.GOV:

1. The linked site must provide the user with access to an email address and/or a customer service telephone number so that users may contact the site if there are problems with format, accuracy, timeliness, or payment processing.
2. Linked sites should not excessively burden the MBDA.GOV customer support system. If the site excessively burdens the MBDA.GOV customer support system, MBDA.GOV has discretion to take linked site off of the MBDA.GOV website.
3. When the user clicks on the external website link, he/she must have easy access back to MBDA.GOV. One of two options can accomplish this:
   • A link to MBDA.GOV can be established on the external website's main page; or
   • The "Back" button returns the user to MBDA.GOV.
4. Linked sites must have a privacy and security policy accessible from their home page informing the user of what information is collected, how it is collected, and how it is used. MBDA.GOV encourages linked sites to comply with industry-accepted accessibility standards to ensure that persons with disabilities may access these sites.
5. Linked sites must notify MBDA.GOV at the email address provided below if the site to which MBDA.GOV links become inaccurate or inactive.

Removal Process

MBDA.GOV reserves the right to remove links if it determines that a website contains misleading or unsubstantiated claims, conflicts with the purpose of MBDA.GOV, or does not meet one or more of the criteria set forth above in the Acceptance Criteria section or set out above in the Conditions for Link Maintenance on MBDA.GOV section.

Links from MBDA.GOV will be reviewed regularly and may be removed for the following reasons:

• The link no longer points to the original information or resource to which it was intended to point;
• The website pointed to by the link contains inaccurate or misleading information or has changed such that it is no longer in compliance with the acceptance criteria;
• The website pointed to by the link violates the conditions for link maintenance;
• Access to the information has become difficult due to non-standard formatting, lengthy download times, or intrusive advertising;
• The link is permanently unreachable or remains unavailable for a lengthy period; and
• The external website fails to comply with the written linking agreement, if any.

The decision of the MBDA.GOV General Counsel is final as to whether a link is to be removed from MBDA.GOV.

Contact Information

For questions and concerns regarding the linking policy, email us at support@mbda.gov.