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Privacy Policy

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) respects the privacy of users of its Web sites. This is why we have taken the time to disclose our privacy policy and information collection practices. NCI does not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about visitors unless required to do so by law. NCI automatically collects a limited amount of information about the use of Web sites for statistical purposes, that is, to measure the numbers of visitors. This information may be helpful when considering changes that improve our web sites for future visitors. NCI Web sites have links to many other Web sites. NCI cannot guarantee the privacy or security of information users provide to linked external Web sites. Please take the time to review this document.

We collect information for the following purpose(s):

  • Completing or supporting a program activity
  • Web site and system administration
  • Research, analysis, and reporting

Who has access to the information we collect?

  • Information collected by our Web site is used by our organization only.

Types of Information Collected:

Internet Information:

  • Federal government Web sites are generally prohibited from using persistent cookies and this site does not employ them.
  • The Internet domain from which a user has accessed the Internet.
  • The Internet protocol (IP) address of the computer that was used to access the Internet.
  • The name and version of the user's computer operating system and Internet browser.
  • If a user comes from another Web site, the Internet address of the "referring" Web site.
  • The date, time, and duration of the user's visit to women.smokefree.gov, and the pages visited.

Information Requests:

  • When inquiries are received by e-mail, the questions and the e-mail address of the sender are stored electronically to allow time for a response to be researched, written, and sent. Unless otherwise required by law, NCI will not identify anyone who sends questions or comments to its Web site. NCI does not collect information that will allow users to be identified personally unless they choose to provide such information.
  • If children send questions or comments to NCI web sites and include their name and/or home mailing address as part of their message, the information will be used only to respond to them personally. Providing this type of information is optional, and NCI suggests that children obtain their parents' permission before providing any information online, to NCI Web sites or any other Web sites.

Your Visit to NCI on Third-Party Websites

Third-party websites and applications are web-based technologies that are not exclusively operated or controlled by NCI. These include applications hosted on other non-government sites and those embedded on an NCI web page.

As part of the Open Government Directive, NCI uses a variety of new technologies and social media tools to communicate and interact with our audiences. Use of some of these applications could result in personally identifiable information (PII) becoming available or accessible to NCI, regardless of whether NCI solicits or collects it. The table below lists the websites and applications we use. If any of these sites or applications collects PII, we describe what is collected and how NCI protects the information.

Types of Third-Party Websites and Applications

Third-Party Website and Application How It Works
AddThis AddThis allows you to bookmark and share our content on a variety of social media sites. You do not need to register or provide any personal information. The AddThis service providers collect non-personal data, including aggregate and summary statistics on browsers and usage patterns.

AddThis also uses non-personal data to manage the service efficiently and diagnose server problems. Although AddThis offers some analytics and usage data to NCI, these reports do not include any personally identifiable information. The reports are password protected and only available to NCI managers, members of the NCI communications and web teams, and other designated staff requiring this information to perform their duties (see AddThis Privacy Policy External link disclaimer).
Facebook Women.smokefree.gov has a Facebook page—Smokefree Women External link disclaimer. The privacy policy for the Facebook page is located on this site.

On the Smokefree Women Facebook page, NCI staff posts news and other items of interest to users. If you have a Facebook account or "Like" the Smokefree Women Facebook page, you can post comments or click on the "like" option for individual entries. If you comment or click on the "like" button, personally identifying information will be visible to NCI staff and other Facebook site visitors. The amount of visible personal information will depend on your own Facebook privacy settings. You can avoid displaying any personally identifiable information by not creating an account, not posting comments, and not clicking on the "like" options in Facebook.

NCI staff does not collect, use, or disclose any information about visitors who comment or "like" the NCI Facebook sites. Facebook collects and reports on non-personally identifiable information about activities on Facebook pages. This information is password-protected and only available to NCI managers, members of the NCI communications and web teams, and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties (see Facebook Privacy Policy External link disclaimer).
Twitter Women.smokefree.gov has a Twitter feed—@SmokefreeWomen External link disclaimer. The privacy policy for the Twitter feed is located on this site.

NCI uses Twitter to send short messages (up to 140 characters) or "Tweets" to share information about women.smokefree.gov with our audiences and respond to comments and inquiries sent via Twitter. Although users may read the @SmokefreeWomen Twitter feed without subscribing to them, users who want to subscribe to (or follow) the @SmokefreeWomen twitter feed must create a Twitter account at www.twitter.com.

To create an account, you must provide some personal information, such as 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 a Twitter account is available to the public, but you can modify how much of your information is visible by changing your privacy settings at the Twitter.com website.

NCI staff members monitor the number of subscribers and respond to comments and queries via Twitter, but the staff never uses the personal information of their Twitter followers. NCI does not collect, maintain, disclose, or share any information about people who follow @SmokefreeWomen on Twitter (see Twitter Privacy Policy External link disclaimer).
YouTube Women.smokefree.gov has a YouTube Channel—Smokefree Women External link disclaimer. The privacy policy for the YouTube Channel is located on this site.

Videos on the Smokefree Women YouTube Channel introduce you to many different aspects of the Smokefree Women campaign and research that NCI supports and connects you to our research-based information resources (see YouTube.com Privacy Policy External link disclaimer).

To be notified when Smokefree Women adds new videos, users with YouTube accounts can subscribe to the Smokefree Women channel. NCI staff members monitor the number of subscribers and may respond to comments and queries on YouTube, but NCI does not collect, maintain, disclose, or share any information about people who follow NCI on YouTube.
Pinterest Women.smokefree.gov has a Pinterest page—SmokefreeWomenExternal link disclaimer. The privacy policy for the Smokefree Women Pinterest page is located on this site.

On the Smokefree Women (SFW) Pinterest page, NCI staff create and maintain pinboards related to smoking cessation, health promotion, and other items of interest to users. If you have a Pinterest account or "follow" the Smokefree Women Pinterest page, you can “repin,” “like,” or comment on our pins. If you “repin,” “like,” or comment on one of our pins, personally identifying information will be visible to NCI staff and other Pinterest users. Most information you provide for a Pinterest account is available to the public, but you can modify how much of your information is visible by changing your privacy settings at the Pinterest.com website. You can avoid displaying any personally identifiable information by not creating an account, not “following” the SFW Pinterest page, not “repining” a SFW pin, not clicking on the “like” option associated with a SFW pin, and not commenting on a SFW pin.

NCI staff does not collect, use or disclose any information about users who “follow,” “repin,” “like,” or comment on the SFW Pinterest page. Pinterest collects and reports on non-personally identifiable information about activities on individual accounts (e.g., number of followers, pins, etc.). This information is password-protected and only available to NCI managers, members of the NCI communications and web teams, and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties (see Pinterest Privacy Policy).

Dispute Resolution Mechanism:

If you believe that our Web site has collected incorrect information or if you would like to dispute any information, please contact us:

Tobacco Control Research Branch
National Cancer Institute
6130 Executive Boulevard
MSC 7337
Executive Plaza North
Rockville, Maryland 20852
E-mail: NCISmokeFreeTeam@mail.nih.gov