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American Genes understands how important the privacy of personal information is to our users. This Privacy Policy will tell you what information we collect about you and about your use of American Genes and its services. It will explain the choices you have about how your personal information is used and how we protect that information. We urge you to read this Privacy Policy carefully.
The American Genes Web site contains links to other sites. Once you enter another Web site (whether through an advertisement, service, or content link), be aware that American Genes is not responsible for the privacy practices of these other sites. We encourage you to look for and review the privacy statements of each and every Web site that you visit through a link or advertisement on American Genes.
We hope that reading our Privacy Policy helps you understand how we manage information about you. Throughout our Privacy Policy, we have underlined various terms and hot-linked them to our Glossary or to the corresponding Section within the Privacy Policy to help you better understand their meaning.
While you may use some of the functionality of American Genes without registration, many of the specific tools and services on our website require registration. If you use our Web site without registering, the only information we collect will be Non-Personal Information through the use of Cookies or Web Beacons. If you choose to register with our Web site for certain Interactive Tools or other services, we require you to submit Personally Identifiable Information. Depending on the tool or service you have selected, we may also collect Personal Health Information. You are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the Personally Identifiable Information and Personal Health Information you submit to American Genes. Inaccurate information will affect the information you receive when using our site and tools and our ability to contact you as described in this Privacy Policy. For example, your email address should be kept current because that it is how we communicate with you.
Non-Personal Information We Collect About You
Even if you do not register with American Genes, we collect Non-Personal Information about your use of our Web site, special promotions and newsletters.
Cookies
We collect Non-Personal Information about your use of our Web site and your use of the Web sites of selected sponsors and advertisers through the use of Cookies. Every computer that accesses a American Genes Web site is assigned a different Cookie by American Genes. The information collected by Cookies (i) helps us dynamically generate advertising and content on Web pages or in newsletters, (ii) allows us to statistically monitor how many people are using our Web site and selected sponsors' and advertisers' sites, (iii) how many people open our emails, and (iv) for what purposes these actions are being taken. We may use Cookie information to target certain advertisements to your browser or to determine the popularity of certain content or advertisements. Cookies are also used to facilitate a user's log-in, as navigation aids and as session timers. Cookies used by American Genes are also used to restrict underage use of the tools.
Most browser software can be set to reject all Cookies. Most browsers offer instructions on how to reset the browser to reject Cookies in the "Help" section of the toolbar. If you reject our Cookies, certain of the functions and conveniences of our Web site may not work properly but you do not have to accept our Cookies in order to productively use our site. Your personell health information is safe. We do not link Non-Personal Information from Cookies to Personally Identifiable Information without your permission and do not use Cookies to collect or store Personal Health Information about you.
Web Beacons
We also may use Web Beacons to collect Non-Personal Information about your use of our Web site and the Web sites of selected sponsors and advertisers, and your use of special promotions or newsletters. The information collected by Web Beacons (i) allows us to statistically monitor how many people are using our website and selected sponsors' and advertisers' sites, (ii) how many people open our emails, and (iii) for what purposes these actions are being taken. Our Web Beacons are not used to track your activity outside of our Web sites or those of our sponsors'. We do not link Non-Personal Information from Web Beacons to Personally Identifiable Information without your permission and do not use Web Beacons to collect or store Personal Health Information about you.
Third Parties Collecting Non-Personal Information on American Genes's Behalf
Third parties under contract with American Genes may use Cookies or Web Beacons to collect Non-Personal Information about your usage of American Genes's sites, and this information may used by American Genes to tailor the advertising you may see on sites within the networks of these third parties. This Non-Personal Information is anonymous and does not contain any personal information about you. These third parties may collect this information, on our behalf, to help American Genes target our advertising on these third party sites. These third parties have agreed not to use this non-personal cookie or web beacon information except to help us target our advertising on these sites and have agreed to not link any non-personal cookie or web beacon information collected by them on our sites to Personally Identifiable Information they or others collect from other sites. If your browser is set to reject cookies, this Non-Personal Information will not be sent to these third parties. Please read Part 3.A for more information on rejecting cookies.
Personally Identifiable Information We Collect About You
We collect Personally Identifiable Information, like your name, email address, date of birth, and zip code, you provide to us when you register as a member of American Genes and/or when you update your member profile. We use the Personally Identifiable Information that you provide to respond to your questions, provide you the specific services you select, send you emails about Web site maintenance and updates, and inform you of significant changes to this Privacy Policy.
Emails You Send to American Genes
This Privacy Policy does not apply to content, business information, ideas, concepts or inventions that you send to American Genes by email. If you want to keep content or business information, ideas, concepts or inventions private or proprietary, do not send them in an email to American Genes. We try to answer every email within 48 business hours, but are not always able to do so.
Message Boards and other Public Forums
As a service to our users, American Genes features message boards, chat rooms and other public forums where users with similar interests or medical conditions can share information and support one another or where users can post questions for experts to answer. We also offer online discussions moderated by medical or healthcare experts. Any information shared (including Personally Identifiable and Personal Health Information) that you reveal in a chat room, message board, Ask Our Expert posting or online discussion is by design open to the public and is not a private, secure service. You should think carefully before disclosing any Personally Identifiable or Personal Health Information in any public forum. What you have written may be seen, disclosed to or collected by third parties and may be used by others in ways we are unable to control or predict, including to contact you for unauthorized purposes. As with any public forum on any site, this information may also appear in third-party search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN etc.
We use other third parties [like Blogger from Google] to manage the American Genes blog(s) on our site. When you create a Google Account for Blogger, Google will share the information you have posted as necessary for us and the third party to provide continued service and to allow you to post your blogs on both the Google blog site and the American Genes site. Google will share ownership of your information as necessary to continue to implement the blogs on our site and as described in their privacy policy. American Genes will use your information as described in this privacy policy.
Website Registration and Interactive Tools on American Genes
After you have registered as a member of American Genes, you may choose to use certain American Genes interactive content, tools and services that may ask you to voluntarily provide other types of information about yourself including Personal Health Information. Some of your Personal Health Information wii be stored in accordance with the authorization you provide at the time you use the tool.
Children
We are committed to protecting the privacy of children. Neither American Genes nor any of its services are designed or intended to attract children under the age of 13. We do not collect Personally Identifiable Information from any person we actually know is under the age of 13. A parent or guardian, however, may use American Genes Health Manager to establish a personal health record and a American Genes Health Manager home page for a minor. The parent or guardian is solely responsible for providing supervision of the minor's use of American Genes Health Manager. The parent or guardian assumes full responsibility for ensuring that the registration information is kept secure and that the information submitted is accurate. The parent or guardian also assumes full responsibility for the interpretation and use of any information or suggestions provided through American Genes Health Manager for the minor.
Market Research
From time to time the American Genes market research department, or its operations contractors acting on its behalf, conducts online research surveys in order to gather feedback about our site, our sponsors and opinions on important healthcare issues, through email invitations, pop-up surveys and online focus groups. When participating in a survey, we may ask you to submit Personally Identifiable Information. This Personally Identifiable Information is used for research purposes, and is not used for sales solicitations. When a survey is sponsored by a third party, Aggregate Information of the survey results is reported to the sponsor. Personally Identifiable Information collected through market research will be used only by American Genes and its service providers and contractors and will not be given or sold to a third party without your consent or as otherwise permitted by this Privacy Policy. For market research surveys we will not knowingly accept survey responses from or conduct interviews with any person under the age of 18. Some surveys may provide remuneration to participants such as a small cash fee for your time or an entry into a sweepstakes for a larger prize. Each survey will disclose whether or not it is a paid survey. In addition to collecting survey responses from our members, Cookies may be used to authenticate respondents or to help you pick up where you left off in a survey. If you have Cookies disabled you may not be able to participate in some studies. Cookies may be used to connect survey data with American Genes site usage characteristics. You will be notified when we would like to use Cookies in this way and your consent will be requested for these Cookies.
American Genes Health Manager - Registration, Use and Tools
American Genes Health Manager complies with the EU Safe Harbor framework as set forth by the Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union. American Genes Health Manager allows you a secure place to store your Personal Health Information and provides tools and services in order to better manage your health and the health of your family. American Genes Health Manager requires additional registration whether you access it through (i) American Genes, (ii) your employer's Web site or (iii) your healthcare sponsor's website. Regardless of how you access the American Genes Health Manager the following apply:
American Genes Health Manager Home Page
Personal Health Information that you enter into one of the American Genes Health Manager tools is used to provide you personalized and clinically relevant information on your personalized Health Manager home page and throughout the Health Manager product. American Genes Health Manager creates a personal home page specifically for you. You control and authorize who can gain access to this page.
Concept Unique Identifiers
American Genes Health Manager tailors the information you receive on your personal Health Manager home page to reflect your interests, concerns and personal health characteristics. We attach a concept unique identifier (CUI) to every piece of information that you provide us. For example, if you indicate that you have pancreatic cancer, that single piece of information is tagged with a CUI that is specific to panncreatic cancer. Every user that indicates he or she has pancreatic cancer receives this CUI tag. Each time you view your personalized Health Manager pages, this CUI tag is matched to content from American Genes about pancratic cancer, and if our automated algorithms determine that this is likely to be an important topic to you, it will appear on your personalized pages.
Aggregate Data
American Genes Health Manager may combine, in a non-identifiable format, the Personal Health Information you provide with information from other users to create Aggregate Data that may be disclosed to third parties. Aggregate data does not contain any information that could be used to contact or identify you. For example, American Genes Health Manager may use information gathered to create a composite profile of all the users of a particular third party site. These third party Web sites may use this information to understand community needs and to design appropriate programs and activities on their site. American Genes Health Manager will not disclose your Personal Health Information to any third party without your prior permission, except as otherwise permitted by this Privacy Policy.
Secure Message Center
American Genes has the ability to use Personally Identifiable Information that you provide to send you personalized emails or secure electronic messages. During registration for the American Genes Health Manager, you have the option of choosing whether or not you wish to receive emails pertaining to your health interests, including news, announcements, reminders and opportunities. The American Genes email service requires an "Opt-in" authorization from you.
Information that American Genes deems related to your Personal Health Information will be delivered to you through the Secure Message Center on your personal health home page.
If you decide that you would prefer not to receive personalized email or secure electronic messages from the American Genes , you may "Opt-out" of the service by clicking on the settings tab on your Health Manager home page and changing your email preference. If your employer has implemented the American Genes on your behalf, you will receive email at your work-related email address that has been authorized by your employer but to which you have not specifically Opted-in. These emails will be sent in accordance with instructions from your employer and you will not be able to Opt-out of receiving such emails.
Interactive Tools on American Genes
Interactive tools within the American Genes , gather self-reported Personal Health Information. In addition, certain of these tools can store Personal Health Information coming from third party data interchange agreements between your employer, health plan, pharmacy benefits manager and other third parties that provide data interchange services. We maintain and limit the use of that information to the Opt-in permission you have provided at the time you use the tool.
American Genes does not knowingly engage in business with a company that uses Spyware. We do not provide Users with downloadable software that collects or uses any PII or PHI without full disclosure and Opt-in consent.
Data Warehouse Analysis
Upon authorization by your health plan, healthcare provider or employer, American Genes may send your Personal Health Information in a form that cannot be used to personally identify or contact you to a data warehouse for analysis of health trends and effectiveness of health programs. We require these data warehouses to agree that they will not attempt to make this information personally identifiable, such as by combining it with other databases.
Information Collected by Third Parties Not Acting on American Genes's Behalf
Sponsors or advertisers on American Genes may use their own Cookies, Web Beacons or other online tracking technologies in the banner advertisements served on American Genes and in emails, special promotions or newsletters we send you. Some advertisers use companies other than American Genes to serve their ads and to monitor users' responses to ads, and these companies ("Ad Servers") may also collect Non-Personal Information through the use of Cookies or Web Beacons on our Web site. In certain situations, information collection may be facilitated by momentarily directing your browser to the Web site of an Ad Server or other third party acting on behalf of the sponsor, partner, or advertiser before re-directing your browser to its selected destination (e.g., back to American Genes to show the ad, or to the advertiser's website); this re-direction process will not be apparent to you.
We do not control these third parties' use of cookies or Web Beacons, or how they manage the non-personal information they gather through them. However, we do require sponsors, advertisers and Ad Servers who collect cookie or web beacon information through our Web site to agree that they will not collect any Personally Identifiable Information from our site without your consent. They have promised us they will not link any non-personal cookie or web beacon information collected by them on our site to Personally Identifiable Information they or others collect in other ways or from other sites except as may be described in connection with a particular program. For example, in connection with "Ad links" furnished by Yahoo, non-personal information sent by your browser to Yahoo when you click on a sponsored link or submit a query may be used by Yahoo as described in its privacy policy. In addition, American Genes's Advertising Policy is posted on our Web site and will provide additional detail about our relationship with advertisers and the companies that serve ads. You should review the privacy policy of other sites you visit or link to from our site to understand how these other sites use cookies and how they use the information they collect through the use of cookies or web beacons on their own sites. Certain Ad Servers allow you to prevent them from collecting data through the use of cookies. In order to do so, you must Opt-out of such data collection with each individual site. Currently, you can Opt-out of Cookies for several Ad Servers by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative gateway Opt-out site. This website will also allow you to review the Ad Server's privacy policies.
You can also find additional information and resources about how to opt out of advertising and related cookies by visiting the World Privacy Forum's Site.
Disclosure of Your Information
Except as described in this Privacy Policy or as specifically agreed to by you, American Genes will not disclose any Personally Identifiable or Personal Health Information it gathers from you on our website. We may only release Personally Identifiable or Personal Health Information to third parties: (1) to comply with valid legal requirements such as a law, regulation, search warrant, subpoena or court order; or (2) in special cases, such as in response to a physical threat to you or others, to protect property or defend or assert legal rights. In the event that we are legally compelled to disclose your Personally Identifiable or Personal Health Information to a third party, we will attempt to notify you unless doing so would violate the law or court order. In addition, we may disclose Personal Information as described below.
A. Disclosure to American Genes Operations and Maintenance Contractors
American Genes operations and maintenance contractors sometimes have limited access to your Personally Identifiable Information in the course of providing products or services to American Genes. These contractors include vendors and suppliers that provide us with technology, services, and/or content for the operation and maintenance of our Web site. Unless you have Opted-out of receiving emails and newsletters from American Genes, these contractors also may have access to your email address to send newsletters or special promotions to you on our behalf or to send emails to you for purposes such as conducting market research on our behalf. Access to your Personally Identifiable Information by these contractors is limited to the information reasonably necessary for the contractor to perform its limited function for American Genes. We also contractually require that our operations and maintenance contractors 1) protect the privacy of your Personally Identifiable Information consistent with this Privacy Policy, and 2) not use or disclose your Personally Identifiable Information for any purpose other than providing us with products and services as required by law.
Disclosure to Third Party Contractor Websites
Certain content and services offered to you through our website are served on Web sites hosted and operated by a company other than American Genes ("Third Party Contractor Web sites"). American Genes does not disclose your Personally Identifiable Information to these Third Party Contractor Web sites without your consent, but you should be aware that any information you disclose once you access these other Web sites is not subject to this Privacy Policy. American Genes does not endorse and is not responsible for the privacy practices of these Third Party Contractor Web sites. You should review the privacy policy posted on the other Web site to understand how that Third Party Contractor Website collects and uses your Personally Identifiable Information. American Genes makes an effort to make it obvious to you when you leave our website and enter a Third Party Contractor Web site, either by requiring you to click on a link or by notifying you on the site before you visit the third party site. In addition, if you see a phrase such as "Powered by" or "in association with" followed by the name of a company other than American Genes, then you are on a Web site hosted by a company other than American Genes.
American Genes also provides links to sites provided by Third Party Contractor Websites that have business arrangements with American Genes to pay commissions based on sales of products or services generated through American Genes. An example of this would be "Ad links" from Yahoo on our Search pages.
Disclosure to or by Co-branded Channel Partners
American Genes is a contractor and provides co-branded content and services to Channel Partner Web sites hosted and operated by companies other than American Genes Channel Partner Websites. You can only access these co-branded content and services only through the Channel Partner Web site, and usually from the health section of these other Web sites. The co-branded American Genes pages that you may access through a Channel Partner Web site may have different registration processes and opportunities for information collection, and Personally Identifiable Information that you provide on these pages may be shared with the Channel Partners. American Genes does not share Personal Health Information with Channel Partner Web sites without your consent. Each of these co-branded American Genes Web sites has its own privacy policy posted on that site, which explains what information is disclosed by American Genes to the Channel Partner and vice versa. If you visit one of these co-branded American Genes sites, please read the privacy policy that is posted on that site, as well as the individual privacy policy of the Channel Partner Web site.
Disclosure to Linked Sites
In addition to the Third Party Contractor Web sites that you may access as described above, for your convenience there are links to Third Party Web sites operated by companies that are not affiliated with the American Genes Web site and that do not have contracts to provide content or services through the American Genes Web site. These links may be found in advertisements, referenced within content, or placed beside the names or logos of sponsors. American Genes does not disclose your Personal Information to these Third Party Websites without obtaining your consent. American Genes does not endorse and is not responsible for the privacy practices of these sites. If you choose to link to one of these Third Party Web sites, you should review the privacy policy posted on this other website to understand how that Third Party Web site collects and uses your Personally Identifiable Information.
Disclosure of Aggregate Information
American Genes may provide Aggregate Information to third parties. For example, we might inform third parties regarding the number of users of our website and the activities they conduct while on our site. We might also inform a pharmaceutical company (that may or may not be an advertiser on our site) that "33% of our users aredibetics" or that "19% of our users have tried alternative medicine apporğaches." Depending on the circumstances, we may or may not charge third parties for this Aggregate Information. We require parties with whom we share Aggregate Information to agree that they will not attempt to make this information personally identifiable, such as by combining it with other databases.
