WEB SITE USER PRIVACY RIGHTS
Children’s Hospital Boston is strongly committed to protecting the privacy of its online users: patients, families, donors, the media, and others. We do not collect personally identifiable information about individuals, except when it is knowingly provided by such individuals. We do not share voluntarily provided, personally identifiable information for any purpose other than its intended use.
Children’s Hospital Boston believes that privacy on the Web is important, and we encourage you to read our privacy policy carefully, so that you will clearly understand our commitment and our method of collecting and using information. A link to our privacy policy can be found at the bottom of each page of our web site.
While we have many security measures to protect electronically transmitted information and frequently review and try to improve the security of our site, we can’t guarantee that a third party won’t gain access to information provided to this Web site.
This privacy statement, updated March 2007, describes the information we collect and how we use it.
INFORMATION COLLECTION AND USE
Web log file data
We collect some basic Web log file data about site visitors. This information includes domain names, Web site traffic patterns and server usage statistics. This information is used for site management and administration and to improve the content and overall performance of our site.
“Cookies” and how we use them
Cookies are packets of information that a web site transfers to a user’s computer for record-keeping purposes. They are a means of keeping track of users’ preferences for content and alerting them to new content areas. Most browsers allow you to turn off cookies if you do not want them tracking your preferences. The Children’s Hospital Boston web site (www.childrenshospital.org) does not set or access cookies on your computer. The Children’s Hospital Trust (giving.childrenshospital.org) and Healthy Family Fun website (www.healthyfamilyfun.org) do set and access cookies; however, no cookies are used to track an identifiable user’s movement through this web site. They are used only to enhance the usability of the site. You can still use this site if you turn the cookies off.
Links to other sites
This site has links to other sites we think may be of interest to our visitors. Their purpose is to provide visitors with convenient access to other sites that might interest them. A link to another site does not imply an endorsement of the site’s content or services.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of sites not owned by Children’s Hospital Boston and Children’s Hospital Trust. We encourage you to be aware of that when you leave our site and to read privacy statements at any sites that collect personally identifiable data.
E-mail communication
Children’s Hospital Boston does not collect your email address unless you voluntarily submit it to us or choose to communicate with us via email. We do not sell or rent any email addresses. We try to respond to email messages requiring a response within five business days. If you email the hospital, your message and email address will be forwarded to the appropriate department or program within the hospital. Please do not email patient health information, as that information is confidential and should only be discussed with your physician.
POLICY CHANGES
Children’s Hospital necessarily reserves the right to change this policy from time to time, without advance notice. We will promptly post any changes to our privacy policy on all sites owned by Children’s Hospital Boston and Children’s Hospital Trust.
DELETION AND REMOVAL OF INFORMATION
Non-identifiable information in our aggregate database will not be deleted. Like all responsible website site publishers, we maintain backup files as a protection against natural disasters, equipment failures, or other disruptions. Backup files protect you and us because they lower the risk of losing valuable data. Removing a record from our main files does not remove that record from any backup systems. It may take up to six months before all information in a backup record is completely erased through the normal recycling of backup files. In the meantime, as long as backup records exist, they receive the same privacy and security protections as our other records.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
Questions about Children’s Hospital Boston, or our privacy policy, may be directed to:
Children’s Hospital Boston
300 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617-355-6000
Updated: March 15, 2007
DISCLAIMER
We review comments before they’re posted, and we ask that you stay on topic, be courteous, and avoid comments that are offensive. Please remember that information posted on healthyfamilyfun.org shouldn’t replace a consultation with a health care professional.
That’s the plain English version. Here it is in legal language:
All comments on healthyfamilyfun.org are evaluated before they are posted for viewing. Children’s reserves the ultimate right to edit or delete any comments deemed inappropriate for healthyfamilyfun.org and its readers. The following types of comments will be deleted or edited by moderators prior to posting:
- Abusive or hurtful comments
- Off-topic and redundant comments
- Foul language, hate speech, personal attacks or defamatory comments
Information on healthyfamilyfun.org or posted by a third party (e.g. commenter) should not be considered medical advice, nor is it intended to replace consultation with a qualified physician. Website authors and commentators may discuss their medical experiences but healthyfamilyfun.org is not a forum for commercial endorsements or commercially-oriented activity. All links to other web sites found linked from healthyfamilyfun.org, as well as local resources, are provided as a service to readers, but such linkage or inclusion does not constitute endorsement of those sites or resources by Children’s, which is not responsible for the content of external web sites or local resources.
Local resources and links to external websites do not constitute endorsement by Children’s Hospital Boston, which is not responsible for the content of external websites or local resources.
Please also see Children’s Hospital Boston’s Social Media Disclaimer for current and up-to-date information.