Kaiser Permanente is committed to protecting the
privacy of the users of this Web site. We will use and disclose the information
you provide us as stated in our Web Site Privacy Statement (May 1, 2007).
We do not sell or rent personal information about
visitors to this site or customers who use the site.
This Web site has security measures in place to help protect against the loss,
misuse, or alteration of information under our control. These measures include
encryption of data using the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) system, and using a
secured messaging service when we send you personal information electronically.
Despite these measures, the confidentiality of any communication or material
transmitted to or from us via this site by Internet or e-mail cannot be
guaranteed. At your discretion, you may contact us at the mailing address or
telephone number listed in the "Questions, complaints, and contacts"
section at the end of this Privacy Statement.
Revisions to the Privacy Statement
We may revise this Privacy Statement from time to
time as we add new features or as laws change that may affect our services. If
we make material changes to our Privacy Statement, we will post notice of this
on our Web site. Any revised Privacy Statement will apply both to information
we already have about you at the time of the change, and any personal
information created or received after the change takes effect. We include a
version number on this Privacy Statement consisting of the date (year, month, and
day) it was last revised. We encourage you to periodically reread this Privacy
Statement, to see if there have been any changes to our policies that may
affect you.
Web site visitor data
Kaiser Permanente routinely gathers data on Web
site activity, such as how many people visit the site, the pages they visit,
where they come from, how long they stay on the site, etc. The data is
collected on an aggregate, anonymous basis, which means that no personally
identifiable information is associated with the data. This data helps us
improve site content and overall usage. The information is not shared with
other organizations for their independent use.
Collecting and using personal information
Except as disclosed in this Privacy Statement, we
do not collect any identifiable information about visitors to this site or our
customers who use this site. The policies, sources, and uses of information are
outlined in the following sections:
1. Web logs
We maintain standard Web logs that record data
about all visitors and customers who use this site and we store this
information for a while. These logs may contain the Internet domain from which
you access the site (such as aol.com, abc.org, etc.); the IP address which is
automatically assigned to your computer when you get on the Internet (a static
IP address may be identifiable as being connected to you, while a dynamic
address is usually not identifiable); the type of browser and operating system
you use; the date and time you visited the site; the pages you viewed on the
site; the address of the Web site you linked from, if any. If you sign on to
this Web site to use its secured features, our Web logs will also contain an
individual identifier and show the services you have accessed.
All Web logs are stored securely, and may only be accessed by Kaiser Permanente
employees or designees on a need-to-know basis for a specific purpose. Kaiser
Permanente uses Web log information to help us design our site, to identify
popular features, to resolve user, hardware, and software problems, and to make
the site more useful to visitors.
2. Internet cookies
We may place Internet "cookies" on the
computer hard drives of visitors to this Kaiser Permanente Web site.
Information we obtain from cookies helps us to tailor our site to be more
helpful and efficient for our visitors. The cookie consists of a unique
identifier that does not contain information about you or your health history.
We use two types of cookies, "session" cookies and
"persistent" cookies.
A session cookie is temporary, and expires after you end a session and close
your Web browser. We use session cookies to help customize your experience on
our site, maintain your signed-on status as you navigate through our features,
and to track your "click path" through our Web pages.
Persistent cookies remain on your hard drive after you've exited from our site,
and we use them for several reasons. For instance, when you give us permission
to "remember" a feature about you when asked by the Web site, such as
your Kaiser Permanente region, we place a persistent cookie on your hard drive
so that the next time you visit us, we won't have to ask you that information
again. If you've given us permission to e-mail you with information about your
Kaiser Permanente benefits, or for other reasons, we may place a persistent
cookie on your hard drive that will let us know when you come back to visit our
site. We sometimes use this type of persistent cookie with a "Web
beacon" (see below). Persistent cookies will not contain any personal information
about you such as a Kaiser Permanente Health/Medical Record number.
You may have software on your computer that will allow you to decline or
deactivate Internet cookies, but if you do so, some features of this site may
not work properly for you. For instructions on how to remove cookies from your
hard drive, go to your browser's Web site for detailed instructions. In
addition, further information regarding cookies may be available on other Web
sites or from your Internet service provider. Netscape and Internet Explorer
are two common browsers.
3. Web beacons
We may also occasionally use "Web
beacons" (also known as "clear gifs," "Web bugs,"
"1-pixel gifs," etc.) that allow us to collect non-personal
information about your response to our e-mail communications, and for other
purposes. Web beacons are tiny images, placed on a Web page or e-mail, that can
tell us if you've gone to a particular area on our Web site. For example, if
you've given us permission to send you e-mails, we may send you an e-mail
urging you to use a certain feature on our Web site. If you do respond to that
e-mail and use that feature, the Web beacon will tell us that our e-mail
communication with you has been successful. We do not collect any personal
health information with a Web beacon, and do not link Web beacons with any
other personal health information you've given us.
Since Web beacons are used in conjunction with persistent cookies (described
above), if you set your browser to decline or deactivate cookies, Web beacons cannot
function.
4. E-mails
Kaiser
Permanente uses a third-party vendor to help us manage some of our e-mail
communications with you. While we do supply this vendor with e-mail addresses
of those we wish them to contact, your e-mail address is never used for any
purpose other than to communicate with you on our behalf. When you click on a
link in an e-mail, you may temporarily be redirected through one of the
vendor's servers (although this process will be invisible to you) which will
register that you've clicked on that link, and have visited our Web site.
Kaiser Permanente never shares any information, other than your e-mail address,
with our third-party e-mail vendor, which does not share these e-mail addresses
with anyone else.
If you have any questions about this web site, please email or telephone the Volunteer Services Office: 408-851-1716.