Web Policies and Notices (original) (raw)
Bit.ly
NIH uses Bit.ly to shorten long URLs for use in email messages, Twitter feeds and on Facebook pages. Bit.ly collects and provides data on how often you as an email recipient or Facebook/Twitter user, click on the shortened URLs distributed by NIH staff. Bit.ly analytics show how many people clicked on the URLs posted by NIH, compared to the total number of clicks on the shortened URLs. Bit.ly analytics do not provide any PII about the visitors who open the shortened links. The Bit.ly Privacy Policy is available at https://bitly.com/pages/privacy.
NIH has one Facebook page: National Institutes of Health (NIH). Many other NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) sponsor their own Facebook pages. IC Facebook Privacy Policies are located on the individual IC web sites, which can found by clicking on the respective IC from the NIH homepage (https://www.nih.gov). NIH Facebook pages are managed by NIH staff members who post news and other items of interest to be consumed by the public. If you have a Facebook account, you can log in to your account to post comments, and 'like' NIH Facebook pages and individual entries. If once you click on an NIH Facebook page, you comment or click on the 'like' button, your PII will be visible to NIH staff and other Facebook site visitors. The amount of visible personal information displayed will depend on your own Facebook privacy settings. You can completely avoid displaying any PII by not creating a Facebook account, not posting comments, not clicking on the 'like' options, or interacting with NIH Facebook accounts in any way (i.e., private messaging, sharing NIH posts, etc.). NIH staff do not collect, use or disclose any information about visitors who comment or 'like' the NIH Facebook sites. However, as a practice, comment moderator policy requires the removal from NIH Facebook pages of any comments that contain spam or are improper, inflammatory, off-topic or offensive. Repeat offenders may be subject to banning. The information is then saved on a password-protected shared drive accessible to NIH Managers, System Owners, Communications Staff, Web Teams, and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties. The Facebook Privacy Policy is available at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php.
Flickr
NIH uses Flickr to upload and share photos and images related to the NIH mission and culture. NIH is responsible for the uploaded images on NIH-sponsored Flickr pages and must ensure that the images assigned for posting meet NIH quality standards and comply with all NIH, HHS, and federal policies. Images posted are produced by NIH and its Institutes and Centers (ICs), and may include medical illustrations and other scientific images. Photos posted may also include pre-approved photos of NIH employees at events or in labs for the purpose of promoting the NIH mission and culture. You do not need to register with Flickr to view the images onNIH Flickr sites, because all NIH images posted on Flickr are visible in the public domain. However, if you choose to register, you will not provide PII directly to NIH. NIH has disabled the commenting feature on its Flickr sites. Therefore, PII cannot be collected or unintentionally received by NIH employees via the Flickr site. The Flickr Privacy Policy is available at https://policies.yahoo.com/us/en/yahoo/privacy/products/flickr/index.htm.
NIH uses Google services such as Analytics and reCAPTCHA. Google Analytics information is used to measure the number of visitors to our site and its various sections and to distinguish between new and returning visitors to help make our site more useful to visitors. reCAPTCHA is used to protect our web forms from malicious activity. We do not collect your personally identifiable information (PII) through these services. The Google Privacy Policy is available at https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/.
NIH uses the “groups” feature on LinkedIn to engage with current and past employees and members of the public. In order to join a NIH group on LinkedIn, you must register for a LinkedIn account and provide your first and last name and e-mail address. Upon confirmation of your email address, you must provide LinkedIn with information regarding your employment, country, zip code, job title, etc. The amount of visible personal information will depend on your LinkedIn user privacy settings. You can completely avoid displaying any PII by not creating a LinkedIn account, not joining NIH LinkedIn groups, or not interacting with NIH LinkedIn groups in any way (i.e., private messaging, posting on group pages, etc.). Although NIH staff managing LinkedIn groups may view the information you provide when you submit a request to join NIH LinkedIn groups, NIH staff does not collect, use, or disclose any of this information. The LinkedIn Privacy Policy is available at https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.
Polldaddy
NIH uses Polldaddy in conjunction with some NIH WordPress blogs to collect your click-opinions or rankings of drop-down menu preferences as a blog participant. Polldaddy is the only survey tool that is compatible with WordPress and most Polldaddy surveys are embedded within blog entries on NIH WordPress blogs. However, there are links to the Polldaddy site at the bottom of the survey form. You can vote on a topic using the Polldaddy form embedded on a NIH blog. However, to submit a comment, you must navigate directly to the Polldaddy site, provide your name, and e-mail address. Polldaddy automatically scans your comments prior to posting them to determine whether they are spam and, if so, deletes them. If the submission is not recognized as spam by the Polldaddy filtering program, the comment is immediately posted to the poll results published on the Polldaddy site. Considering the comments provided could potentially contain PII, any such unsolicited PII will not be posted on NIH blogs. Any information collected by NIH is de-identified and will be used solely for the purpose of engaging participants and gaining insight into public opinions. Comments will be viewable on the Polldaddy site. The Polldaddy Privacy Policy is available at https://polldaddy.com/privacy/.
X (formerly Twitter)
NIH uses X to send short messages to share information about NIH with you and respond to your comments and inquiries sent via X to NIH. While you may read the NIH X feeds without subscribing to them, if you want to subscribe to (or follow) NIH X feeds, you must create a X account at www.twitter.com. To create an account, you must provide some personal information, such as your name, user name, password and email address. You have the option to provide additional personal information including a short biography, location or a picture. Most information you provide for an X account is available to the public, but you can modify how much of your information is visible by changing your privacy settings at the X.com website. NIH staff members monitor the number of subscribers and respond to comments and queries via X, but the staff never takes possession of the personal information belonging to you as an X follower. However, as a practice, comment moderator policy requires the removal from the NIH X pages of any comments that contain spam or are improper, inflammatory, or offensive. The information is then saved on a password-protected shared drive accessible to NIH Managers, System Owners, Communications Staff, Web Teams, and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties. The X Privacy Policy is available at https://x.com/en/privacy.
Widgets
NIH offers a variety of widgets that deliver small versions of selected NIH site content to other online locations outside of the site where the content originated. Widgets are portable pieces of code. They deliver information and links to any site or application where the widget is installed. You can install a widget on any PC or Mac Web page without requiring additional coding or configuration. If you choose to install NIH.gov widgets, they will not collect any type of PII from you. The Feedgrabbr Privacy Policy is available at https://feedgrabbr.com/privacy Note: This is the privacy policy for the widget creator program, not the widgets themselves.
WordPress
NIH uses the WordPress.com blog platform to support its NIH Director’s Blog initiative along with others, enabling visitors to interact with staff regarding news and initiatives posted by NIH leaders. As a visitor to an NIH Wordpress instance, you can access the NIH.gov home page and post comments. You do not need to register, provide your name, or supply any personal information. The comments are not collected, processed, or reported in any way. However, if you provide your name or other personally identifiable information (PII), the information you provide will appear along with your feedback. Although WordPress offers some analytics and usage data to NIH, these reports do not include any PII. The reports are password- protected and only available to NIH Managers, System Owners, Communications Staff, Web Teams, and other designated staff that require this information to perform their duties. The WordPress.com Privacy Policy is available at https://automattic.com/privacy/.
YouTube
NIH posts videos on YouTube to make them available to the public. You do not need to register with either YouTube or Google (YouTube Owner) to watch NIH YouTube videos. When you watch videos, YouTube may record non-personally identifiable information about their site usage, such as channels used, videos watched, and data transfer details to improve its services. If you log on to the YouTube site before watching NIH videos, YouTube may associate information about your site usage with your YouTube account. If you log onto YouTube and comment on an NIH video, any personal information you included on your YouTube profile page will be visible to visitors who click on the comment field. If you do not log in before watching NIH videos posted on YouTube, you cannot comment on NIH videos and your site usage will not be associated with you or a YouTube account. The YouTube Privacy Policy is available at https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/.