Terms of Use and Linking Policy

General policy

Maryland.gov is the official web portal for Maryland State government and is maintained by the Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT). Individual state agency websites are separately maintained by the respective agency.

Links to government web sites

Maryland.gov links to publicly available websites that are government-owned or government sponsored websites in domains such as .gov, .us, .mil and .fed. Maryland.gov may link to: quasi-government agencies and websites created by public sector/private sector partnerships and some government-sponsored websites that end in .com, .org, or .net.

Links to non-government web sites

DoIT may, at its discretion, provide links to websites of nonprofit organizations and private or commercial entities if they offer information or services related to topics covered on the Maryland.gov website and are consistent with the purpose of the Maryland.gov website. All requests for links to non-governmental sites will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. DoIT neither endorses nor guarantees in any way the external organizations, services, advice, or products included in these website links. Furthermore, DoIT neither controls nor guarantees the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of the information contained in non-government website links.

Link evaluation criteria

DoIT evaluates all links using the following criteria:

  • Is the website an official government-owned or supported website?
  • Does the website provide government information and/or services in a way that is not available on an official government website?
  • Does the website complement existing information, products and services on Maryland.gov?
  • Is the website accessible and applicable to a wide audience?
  • Is the website's content relevant, useful and authoritative for citizens, businesses and/or government officials?
  • Does the website's information appear to be accurate and current?
  • Is the website's approach to the privacy of personal information consistent with Maryland.gov’s privacy and security policies?
  • Is the primary intent of the website to educate and inform, rather than persuade, convert, or sell? The site may include advertising but must be free from heavy marketing or promotion of products.
  • Does the website provide information free of charge?

Linking to maryland.gov

Linking to the Maryland.gov web portal or Maryland state agency websites is permitted with the following limitations:

  • You may not capture Maryland.gov pages within frames or present Maryland.gov content as your own.
  • You may not state or imply that the State of Maryland, DoIT, or Maryland.gov is endorsing your product, site, or services.

Maryland.gov does not engage in reciprocal linking.

Prohibitions

Maryland.gov will not link to any website that contains the following types of content:

  • Sites that exhibit hate, bias, discrimination, pornography, libelous or otherwise defamatory content;
  • Affiliation or advocacy of a political party, organization, or candidate running for office;
  • Content not suitable for readers or viewers of all ages;
  • Content that infringes on any trademark, copyright, or patent rights of another;
  • Content that a reasonable citizen may not consider to maintain the dignity and decorum appropriate for government.

Maryland.gov reserves the right to deny or remove any link that contains misleading information or unsubstantiated claims, or is determined to be in conflict with Maryland.gov’s mission or policies. ​