Site Policies

Disclaimer of Endorsement and Liability

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) does not endorse or recommend any commercial products, processes, or services. Therefore, mention of commercial products, processes, or services on NCI's website, caintegrator.nci.nih.gov, cannot be construed as an endorsement or recommendation.

The NCI website provides links to other Internet sites for informational purposes and the convenience of its users. When users select a link to an external website, they are leaving the NCI website and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the external site.

NCI does not endorse organizations that sponsor linked, external websites. In addition, NCI does not endorse products or services that such organizations may offer. Furthermore, NCI does not control or guarantee the currency, accuracy, relevance, or completeness of information found on linked, external websites.

NCI cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials published on linked, external websites. Users must request authorization from the sponsors of those websites.

NCI is not responsible for transmissions users may receive from linked, external websites.

NCI does not guarantee that linked, external websites comply with Section 508 (Accessibility Requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.

Press releases or other materials meant for public use will not be posted on the NCI website unless developed by or for NCI or the National Institutes of Health.

In general, it is not NCI's intention to provide specific medical advice to users of its website, but rather to provide users with information to help them better understand their health, diagnosed conditions, and the current range of approaches related to cancer treatment, prevention, screening, and supportive care. NCI urges users to consult with a qualified physician for diagnosis and for answers to their personal medical questions.

Privacy and Security

General Information

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) respects the privacy of users of its website, cgems.cancer.gov. NCI does not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about visitors to cgems.cancer.gov unless required to do so by law.

NCI is especially concerned about protecting the privacy of children. NCI encourages parents and teachers to stay involved and in control of children's Internet explorations. It is particularly important for parents to offer guidance to their children about providing personal information online.

NCI automatically collects a limited amount of information about the use of its website, primarily for statistical purposes (that is, to measure the numbers of visitors to various sections of the site). This information may also be helpful when considering changes to cgems.cancer.gov, to make the site more useful to visitors.

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

The following information about users of the NCI website is collected and stored automatically:

• The Internet domain from which a user has accessed the Internet. For example, if a user connects to the Internet through America Online, the domain is aol.com.
• The Internet protocol (IP) address of the computer that was used to access the Internet. An IP address is a number that is assigned to a user's computer when he/she logs onto the Internet. When a Web page is requested, the user's IP address is included in the message, and the recipient of the request can respond to it by sending another message using that IP address.
• The name and version of the user's computer operating system and Internet browser. For example, Windows 2000 (operating system) and Internet Explorer 6.0 or Netscape Navigator 7.1 (Internet browsers).
• If a user comes to cgems.cancer.gov from another website, the Internet address of the "referring" website.
• The date, time, and duration of the user's visit to cgems.cancer.gov, and the pages visited.

Cookies

When a user visits a website, the website's server generates a piece of information known as a "cookie" and places it on the user's computer. Some cookies remain on a user's computer after the user has ended his/her website visit. These types of cookies are called "persistent" cookies. They collect personal information about a user and allow the user's computer to be recognized in the future.

The NCI website, however, generates only non-persistent cookies, or "session cookies." These cookies are erased by a user's Internet browser after a period of inactivity or when the user closes his/her browser. Session cookies do not collect any personal information about a user.

Session cookies serve technical purposes, such as allowing seamless navigation through a website. They are stored in memory and are only available during an active browser session.

Email Messages Sent to the NCI Website

When inquiries are sent to the NCI website by email, the question(s) and the email 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 website. 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 the NCI website 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 the NCI website or any other website.

Links to Other Websites from the NCI Website

The NCI website has links to many other websites. NCI cannot guarantee the privacy or security of information users provide to linked, external websites.

Source: The National Cancer Institute website