We collect no information about you when you visit our website, other than information automatically collected and stored (see below), unless you choose to provide that information to us.

LISTSERV is proprietary software designed to manage email distribution lists. As such, LISTSERV technology is primarily email-based. However, in recent years, LISTSERV has been enhanced to provide a Web "front end," or interface, to facilitate use and management of LISTSERV lists.

Information Automatically Collected and Stored

When you browse through any website, certain personal information about you can be collected. The following information about your visit is automatically collected and temporarily stored in our web server logs:

• the name of the domain you use to access the Internet (for example, aol.com, if you are using an America Online account, or stanford.edu, if you are connecting from Stanford University's domain);
• your IP address;
• the date and time of your visit;
• the pages you visited; and
• the address of the website you came from when you came to visit.

We use this information for statistical purposes and to help us make our site more useful to visitors. Unless specifically stated otherwise, no additional information is collected about you. You do not have to provide personal information to visit our website.

Personally Provided Information

LISTSERV does not collect and store any personal information other than the name and email address (and, optionally, a password-- see next paragraph) of any individual who asks to subscribe to a list. Name and email address information is stored on the LISTSERV machine in the form of subscriber lists, one for each list on the site. Access to subscriber list(s) is controlled by the list owner.

LISTSERV utilizes an optional password system for security purposes. Passwords are required for most list owner functions and some user functions. Password information is stored on the LISTERV machine, but is only readable by the LISTSERV machine itself, and is used solely for verifying access privileges within LISTSERV.

List owners may, at their discretion, request further information from potential subscribers. Provision of such additional information is purely voluntary, and the information is not stored on the LISTSERV machine.

LISTSERV allows the owner of a list to keep copies of all list postings, called list archives. List archives are stored on the LISTSERV machine. List owners may stipulate whether or not archives should be kept; how long they should be kept; and who should have access to them. All communications addressed to the NIH LISTSERV Administrators are archived on a monthly basis, to assist in serving users and in responding to future inquiries.

Some individuals may choose to divulge personal information in an email message, which may be stored in the list archives or forwarded beyond the bounds of the NIH LISTSERV Facility. Users are advised that LISTSERV mail, like all email, is inherently insecure and non-private. E-mail sent to a list may be seen by a number of people who are also signed up to the list or are responsible for coordinating the list. You should be aware that e-mail is not necessarily secure against interception. If your communication contains sensitive or personal information, you may want to send it by postal mail.

The NIH LISTSERV Administrators can view list settings, subscriber lists, and list archives for all lists on the NIH LISTSERV Facility, but do so only when necessary for administrative purposes. We do not "monitor" LISTSERV correspondence.

Cookies

LISTSERV users may opt to set a browser cookie when logging into the LISTSERV website by pressing the button labeled, "Login and save as a cookie." The cookie is stored on the user's machine and allows the user's web browser to "remember" the LISTSERV password. Use of the login cookie is optional and is not required to access the website.

LISTSERV also utilizes code numbers that are called "cookies" to track confirmation of specific commands. However, these are not cookies in the usual sense of the word; rather, they are job numbers that are automatically destroyed when the command is carried out.

Intrusion Detection

This site is maintained by the U.S. Government. It is protected by various provisions of Title 18, U.S. Code. Violations of Title 18 are subject to criminal prosecution in federal court.

For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, we employ software programs to monitor traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. In the event of authorized law enforcement investigations, and pursuant to any required legal process, information from these sources may be used to help identify an individual.

For Further Information

Contact the appropriate member of the HHS Data Council's HHS Privacy Committee at http://aspe.hhs.gov/datacncl/pcmembrs.htm.