Protecting your privacy is very important to us. The ODS public website is one of many sites
at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and as such the policies
that govern the NIH.gov website
and other Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
websites also apply to this site.
The ODS
public website links to other NIH sites, federal agency sites, and,
occasionally, to private organizations. Once you leave the ODS public website,
you are subject to the privacy policy for the site(s) you are visiting. We do
not collect any personally identifiable information (PII) about you during your
visit to the ODS public website unless you choose to provide it to us. We do,
however, collect some data about your visit to our website to help us better
understand how the public uses the site and how to make it more helpful. We
collect information from visitors who read, browse, and/or download information
from our website. ODS never collects information for commercial marketing or
any purpose unrelated to its mission and goals.
When
visitors send email messages containing personal information to the general
email box ods@nih.gov or via the Contact Us page, ODS staff
responds to the letters and files them. Only designated staff members requiring
access to the emails to respond may view or answer them.
Types of Information Collected
When you
browse through any website, certain information about your visit can be
collected. We automatically collect and temporarily store the following type of
information about your visit:
- Domain from which you access the Internet;
- IP address;
- Operating system and information about the browser used when visiting the site;
- Date and time of your visit;
- Pages you visited;
- Address of the website that connected you to an NIH website (such as google.com or bing.com); and,
- Demographic and interest data.
We use
this information to measure the number of visitors to our site and its various
sections and to help make our site more useful to visitors. This information
cannot be used to identify you as an individual.
How ODS Collects Information
The ODS
public website uses Google Analytics to collect the information in the bulleted
list in the Types of Information Collected section above.
Google Analytics gathers information automatically and continuously. No
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is collected. ODS staff conducts
analyses and reports on the aggregated data from Google Analytics and those
reports are only available to the ODS staff who require this information to
perform their duties.
Additionally,
the ODS public website participates in the Digital Analytics Program (DAP), in
which Google Analytics data is collected from websites across the Federal
Government. For more information on DAP, please visit the DigitalGov website
.
ODS
retains the data from Google Analytics, and ACSI survey results as long as
needed to support the mission of the ODS public website.
How ODS Uses Cookies
The Office of Management and Budget Memo M-10-22, Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and
Customization Technologies
allows
Federal agencies to use session and persistent cookies.
When you visit any website, its server may generate a piece of
text known as a "cookie" to place on your computer. The cookie allows
the server to "remember" specific information about your visit while
you are connected.
The cookie makes it easier for you to use the dynamic features
of web pages. Cookies from ODS web pages only collect information about your
browser's visit to the site; they do not collect personal information about
you.
There are two types of cookies, single session (temporary), and
multi-session (persistent). Session cookies last only as long as your Web
browser is open. Once you close your browser, the cookie disappears. Persistent
cookies are stored on your computer for longer periods.
Session Cookies
We use session cookies for technical purposes such as to enable
better navigation through our site. These cookies let our server know that you
are continuing a visit to our site. The OMB Memo 10-22 Guidance defines our use
of session cookies as "Usage Tier 1 — Single Session." The policy says,
"This tier encompasses any use of single session web measurement and
customization technologies."
Persistent Cookies
We use persistent cookies to enable Webtrends and Google
Analytics to differentiate between new and returning ODS public website
visitors. Persistent cookies remain on your computer between visits the ODS
public website until they expire. The OMB Memo 10-22 Guidance defines our use
of persistent cookies as "Usage Tier 2 — Multi-session without Personally
Identifiable Information (PII)." The policy says, "This tier encompasses
any use of multi-session Web measurement and customization technologies when no
PII is collected."
How to Opt Out or Disable Cookies
If you do not wish to have session or persistent cookies
placed on your computer, you can disable them using your web browser. If you
opt out of cookies, you will still have access to all information and resources
on the ODS public website. Instructions for disabling or opting out of cookies
in the most popular browsers are located at https://www.usa.gov/optout-instructions
.
Please note that by following the instructions to opt-out of cookies, you will
disable cookies from all sources, not just those from the ODS public website.
How Personal Information Is Protected
You do
not have to give us personal information to visit our site. However, if you
choose to receive alerts or e-newsletters, we collect your name and email
address to complete the subscription process.
If you
choose to provide us with personally identifiable information, that is,
information that is personal in nature and which may be used to identify you,
through an e-mail message, request for information, paper or electronic form,
questionnaire, customer satisfaction survey, etc., we will maintain the
information you provide only as long as needed to respond to your question or
to fulfill the stated purpose of the communication. If we store your personal
information in a record system designed to retrieve information about you by
personal identifier (name, personal email address, home mailing address,
personal or mobile phone number, etc.), so that we may contact you, we will
safeguard the information you provide to us in accordance with the Privacy Act
of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. Section 552a).
If ODS
operates a record system designed to retrieve information about you in order to
accomplish its mission, a Privacy Act Notification Statement should be
prominently and conspicuously displayed on the public-facing website or form
which asks you to provide personally identifiable information. The notice must
address the following five criteria:
- The legal authorization to collect information about you
- Purpose of the information collection
- Routine uses for disclosure of information outside of NIH
- Whether the request made of you is voluntary or mandatory under law
- Effects of non-disclosure if you choose to not provide the requested information
To request further information about the ODS privacy policy, please contact ODS at ODS@nih.gov.
Data Safeguarding and Privacy
ODS uses
web measurement and customization technologies to help our websites function
better for visitors and to better understand how the public uses the online
resources we provide. All uses of web-based technologies comply with existing
policies with respect to privacy and data safeguarding standards. Information
Technology (IT) systems owned and operated by NIH, including ODS's systems, are
assessed using Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) posted for public view on the
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) website (http://www.hhs.gov/pia/
). NIH conducts and
publishes a PIA for each use of a third-party website and application (TPWA) as
they may have a different functionality or practice. TPWA PIAs are posted for
public view on DHHS website http://www.hhs.gov/pia/#Third-Party
.
Data Retention and Access Limits
ODS will retain data collected using the following
technologies long enough to achieve the specified objective for which they were
collected. The data generated from these activities falls under the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA) General
Records Schedule (GRS) 3.2
, Item 030 'System Access Records,' and will be handled per the requirements of
that schedule.
How ODS uses Third-Party Websites and Applications
As part
of the OMB Memo M-10-06, Open
Government Directive
, the government authorizes the use of a variety of technologies
and social media options to communicate and interact with citizens. These sites
and applications include popular social networking and media sites, open source
software communities, and more. TPWAs are web-based technologies that are not
exclusively operated or controlled by ODS or NIH, such as applications not
hosted on a .gov domain or those that are embedded on ODS web pages. Users of
TPWAs often share information with the general public, user community, and/or
the third-party operating the website. These actors may use this information in
a variety of ways. TPWAs could cause PII to become available or accessible to
NIH and the public, regardless of whether the information is explicitly
solicited or collected by NIH.
The following list includes some of the TPWAs we use and their
purpose. NIH sometimes collects and uses PII made available through third-party
websites. However, we do not share PII made available through third-party websites.
Your activity on the third-party websites we use is governed by the security
and privacy policy of those sites, which we have linked below. You should
review the third-party privacy policies before using the sites and ensure that
you understand how your information may be used. If you have an account with a
third-party website, and choose to follow, like, friend, or comment, certain
PII associated with your account may be made available to NIH based on the
privacy policy of the third-party website and your privacy settings within that
third-party website. Therefore, you should also a
For any ODS TPWA that collects PII, the list below also includes details on the information
ODS collects and how we will protect your private information.
Third-Party Websites and Applications
NIH conducts and publishes a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for each use of a
third-party website as they may have a different functionality or practice. To
learn more, visit the published PIAs at http://www.hhs.gov/pia/#Third-Party
.
For more information on the uses of social and new media for which GSA has negotiated a
federally-friendly Terms of Service Agreement, visit DigitalGov
at https://www.digitalgov.gov/resources/negotiated-terms-of-service-agreements/
.
To request further information about the ODS privacy policy, please contact ODS at ODS@nih.gov.
Facebook
ODS has one main Facebook page — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
. The
ODS Facebook page is managed by ODS 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' the ODS Facebook page
and individual entries. If you comment on the ODS Facebook page or click on the
'like' button, your PII will be visible to ODS 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 ODS Facebook accounts in any way (i.e.,
private messaging, sharing ODS posts, etc.). ODS staff do not collect, use or
disclose any information about visitors who comment or 'like' the ODS Facebook page.
However, as a practice, comment moderator policy requires the removal from ODS
Facebook pages of any comments that contain spam or are improper, inflammatory,
off-topic or offensive. Repeat offenders may be subject to banning. The
Facebook Privacy Policy is available
at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php
.
Twitter
ODS uses Twitter to send short messages or 'tweets' to share
information about ODS with you and respond to your comments and inquiries sent
via Twitter to ODS. While you may read the ODS Twitter feed without subscribing
to it, if you want to subscribe to (or follow) ODS Twitter feed, you must
create a Twitter account at https://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 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. ODS staff members monitor the
number of subscribers and respond to comments and queries via Twitter, but the
staff never takes possession of the personal information belonging to you as a
Twitter follower. However, as a practice, comment moderator policy requires the
removal from the ODS Twitter pages of any comments that contain spam or are
improper, inflammatory, or offensive. The Twitter Privacy Policy is available
at https://twitter.com/privacy
.
YouTube
ODS posts videos on YouTube to make them available to the public
via the NIH Office of the
Director YouTube channel
. 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/policies/privacy/
.
Constant Contact
ODS uses Constant Contact® to send out newsletters and notices by email. If you wish to
receive these notices, you may register to do so and provide your name and
email address. If you do not wish to provide this information, you will not
receive emailed newsletters and notices and instead may view these on the ODS
public website. Constant Contact may provide ODS the information it collects
from the email distribution including information about the number of people
who have viewed a particular email, what people click on in the email, email
delivery status, geographic location, IP addresses, and browser types and
versions. ODS staff are responsible for the content of the emails that are
sent and will monitor the data collected from Constant Contact. ODS will not
record or use any PII collected in this way unless requested to resolve a
problem and to perform official duties. The information collected by Constant
Contact is subject to their policies available at https://www.constantcontact.com/legal/service-provider
.
Public Use Policy
Most of the information available from this site is within the public domain and unless stated otherwise, may be freely downloaded and reproduced, provided the content has not been changed or modified. When using information from this site, we do ask that you avoid creating the impression that the ODS is endorsing or promoting any particular product or service. At times the ODS site may contain documents or links to documents, such as full-text journal articles that may be copyright protected. Permission to reproduce copyrighted documents may be required.