Privacy and Security

Accessibility Policy

Linking Policy

Copyright and Registered Trademarks

Freedom of Information Act

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 Web site, www.cancer.gov, cannot be construed as an endorsement or recommendation.

The NCI Web site provides links to other Internet sites for informational purposes and the convenience of its users. When users select a link to an external Web site, they are leaving the NCI Web site 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 Web sites. 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 Web sites.

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

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

NCI does not guarantee that linked, external Web sites 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 Web site 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 Web site, 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.

Back to Top Privacy and Security

General Information

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) respects the privacy of users of its Web site, www.cancer.gov. NCI does not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about visitors to www.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 with 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 Web site, 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 www.cancer.gov, to make the site more useful to visitors.

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

The following information about users of the NCI Web site 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 www.cancer.gov from another Web site, the Internet address of the "referring" Web site.
• The date, time, and duration of the user's visit to www.cancer.gov, and the pages visited.

Cookies

When a user visits a Web site, the Web site'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 Web site 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. Nonpersistent cookies, or "session cookies," are erased by a user's computer after a period of inactivity or when the user closes his/her Internet browser. Session cookies do not collect any personal information about a user. They serve technical purposes, such as allowing seamless navigation through a Web site. Session cookies are stored in memory and are only available during an active browser session.

Federal government Web sites are generally prohibited from using persistent cookies. The only exception to this policy is in the case of customer satisfaction surveys conducted to improve Web site quality. The NCI Web site is currently running the American Customer Satisfaction Index survey, which employs persistent cookies. These cookies will reside on a user's computer for 30 days to block the appearance of the survey to individuals who responded to it previously. Participation in the American Customer Satisfaction Index survey is completely voluntary, and failure to respond will not affect a visitor's ability to access information on www.cancer.gov.

More Information About Persistent Cookies and the American Customer Satisfaction Index Survey.

E-mail Messages Sent to the NCI Web Site

When inquiries are sent to the NCI Web site by e-mail, the question(s) and the e-mail 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 Web site. 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 Web site 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 Web site or any other Web site.

Links to Other Web Sites from the NCI Web Site

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

Back to Top Accessibility Policy

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is committed to providing access to all individuals--disabled or not--who are seeking information on its Web site. To provide this information, the NCI Web site has been designed to comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (as amended).

Section 508 requires that all individuals with disabilities (whether they are federal government employees or members of the general public) have access to and use of information and data comparable to that provided to individuals without disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed.

Any individual using assistive technology (such as a screen reader, Braille reader, etc.) who experiences difficulty in accessing information on www.cancer.gov, should send an e-mail to Contact Us (cancergovstaff@mail.nih.gov) or call NCI's Office of Communications at 301-496-9096 for assistance. The nature of the accessibility problem and contact information should be included in any e-mail or telephone message. If the accessibility problem involves a particular Web page, including the URL (Web address) of the page would be helpful. A member of the NCI Web site staff will contact individuals with accessibility problems as soon as possible to assist them and to provide them the information sought.

Back to Top Linking Policy

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) encourages links to its public Web resources.

Individuals or organizations wishing to link to the NCI Web site should direct their link to http://www.cancer.gov. If a description is to be provided with the link, NCI would prefer the following wording:

The National Cancer Institute's Web site (http://www.cancer.gov) provides accurate, up-to-date information about many types of cancer, information about clinical trials, resources for people dealing with cancer, and information for researchers and health professionals.

The abbreviated description "The Web site of the National Cancer Institute (http://www.cancer.gov)" is also acceptable.

Links to individual pages within the NCI Web site are also permissible, provided attribution is made to NCI and any descriptive notes accurately reflect the content of the linked page(s).

Some pages on the NCI Web site may contain links to external Web sites. These links are provided for convenience and informational purposes. In general, it is the policy of the NCI Web site to link only to federal government Web sites and to the Web sites of NCI partners whose content meets acceptable standards of quality and also supplements or enhances existing content on www.cancer.gov. An NCI partner is defined as any entity (e.g., cancer center, clinical trial cooperative group) with which NCI has a standing relationship (e.g., grant, memorandum of understanding, license, cooperative research and development agreement).

Back to Top Copyright and Registered Trademarks

Most of the information on the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Web site has been written by federal government employees. This material is in the public domain and is not subject to copyright restrictions. Therefore, no special permission is required to use it or reproduce it. However, any reproduced material should contain proper acknowledgement of NCI as the originator and the NCI Web site, www.cancer.gov, as the source.

Information in NCI's Physician Data Query (PDQ®) cancer information database, which is made available through the NCI Web site, is also in the public domain. However, the name PDQ is a registered trademark. Reproduced PDQ material cannot be labeled as PDQ without a licensing agreement with NCI. Information about licensing PDQ is available from NCI's Office of Cancer Content Management at the following URL: http://cancer.gov/licensing.

Artwork, graphics, and text developed for NCI by private-sector designers, photographers, and writers under contract to the federal government may be owned by the originators. Permissions requests, including credit line and/or fees for use of privately owned material, must be negotiated directly with the private-sector contractor, independent of the government. To inquire about the ownership of NCI materials or to obtain contractor contact information, write to:

NCI's logo is also trademarked. This logo cannot be used or reproduced without NCI's consent. Questions regarding use of the NCI logo should be directed to the Office of Communications Services, using the contact information above.

Alternatively, you may call 301-496-4394 or send an e-mail to dbonner@mail.nih.gov.

Back to Top Freedom of Information Act

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552 provides individuals with a right to access information in the possession of the U.S. federal government. The government, however, may withhold information covered by 9 exemptions and 3 exclusions contained in the Act.

Before submitting a request under FOIA, individuals should try to determine whether the information sought is already in the public domain and whether it is or may be held by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). NCI has a wealth of information available in both published and electronic formats. A search of NCI's Web Site, www.cancer.gov, can be helpful in locating information and lists of available publications.

If data produced under an NCI grant are sought, the data will be released under FOIA only if specific requirements are met.

It is important to note that FOIA allows agencies to recover part of the costs associated with responding to requests. Department of Health and Human Services regulations describe specific rules for fees, requesting a fee waiver, and reducing fees.

Questions about FOIA and requests for information held by NCI can be directed either to the NCI FOIA Office or to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) FOIA Office.

The NCI FOIA Office is located at:

The NIH FOIA Office is located at:

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