Microsoft HealthVault Information Site Privacy Statement
Last updated: October 2009
Microsoft is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Statement applies to the data collected by Microsoft through the HealthVault information site at www.HealthVault.com (the "Site").
It does not apply to data collected through the Microsoft HealthVault Account, other programs that work with the HealthVault Account, or other online or offline Microsoft sites, products or services. This is a preliminary disclosure and may not be exhaustive.
Collection of your information
We will ask you when and if we need information that personally identifies you or allows us to contact you.
We may collect information about your interaction with the Site. For example, we may use web site analytics tools on the Site to retrieve information from your browser, including the site you came from, the search engine(s) and the keywords you used to find the Site, the pages you view within the Site, and your browser's width and height. We also may use technologies, such as cookies and web beacons (described below), to collect information about the pages you view, the links you click and other actions you take on the Site. Additionally, we collect certain standard information that your browser sends to every web site you visit, such as your IP address, browser type and language, access times and referring web site addresses.
Use of your information
Microsoft collects and uses your information to operate and improve its sites and deliver the services or carry out the transactions you have requested. These uses may include providing you with more effective customer service; making the sites or services easier to use by eliminating the need for you to repeatedly enter the same information; performing research and analysis aimed at improving our products, services and technologies; and displaying content and advertising that are customized to your interests and preferences.
Microsoft occasionally hires other companies to provide limited services on our behalf, such as web site hosting; packaging, mailing and delivering prizes; answering customer questions about products and services; and sending information about our products, special offers, and other new services. If we provide personal information to such companies, we only provide the personal information they need to deliver the service. They are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information and are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose.
Microsoft may disclose personal information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:
- conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Microsoft or the Site;
- protect and defend the rights or property of Microsoft and our family of web sites;
- act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of Microsoft products or members of the public.
To learn more about how Microsoft uses your information, please read the Microsoft Online Privacy Statement.
Information collected on the Site may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries or agents maintain facilities. By using the Site, you consent to any such transfer of information outside of your country. Microsoft abides by the safe harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union.
Control of your information
Except as otherwise described in this statement, personal information you provide on the Site will not be shared outside of Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates without your permission.
Please be aware that this Privacy Statement and any choices you make on the Site will not necessarily apply to personal information you may have provided to Microsoft in the context of other, separately operated, Microsoft products or services.
Security of your information
Microsoft is committed to protecting the security of your personal information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For example, we store the personal information you provide on computer servers with limited access that are located in controlled facilities. Additionally, when we transmit sensitive personal information (such as a credit card number) over the Internet, we protect it through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol.
Use of cookies
We use cookies on this Site to ensure the integrity of the registration process and to personalize the Site. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.
One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. For example, if you personalize a web page, or navigate within a site, a cookie helps the site to recall your specific information on subsequent visits. This simplifies the process of delivering relevant content, eases site navigation, and so on. When you return to the web site, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use the site's features that you customized.
You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to use interactive features of this or other web sites that depend on cookies.
Use of web beacons
Microsoft web pages may contain electronic images known as web beacons--sometimes called single-pixel GIFs--that may be used to assist in delivering cookies on our sites and allow us to count users who have visited those pages and to deliver co-branded services. We may include web beacons in promotional e-mail messages or our newsletters in order to determine whether messages have been opened and acted upon.
Microsoft may also employ web beacons from third parties in order to help us compile aggregated statistics and determine the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns. We prohibit web beacons on our sites from being used by third parties to collect or access your personal information.
TRUSTe certification
Microsoft is a member of the TRUSTe Privacy Program. TRUSTe is an independent organization whose mission is to build trust and confidence in the Internet by promoting the use of fair information practices. Because we want to demonstrate our commitment to your privacy, we have agreed to disclose our information practices and have our privacy practices reviewed for compliance by TRUSTe. The TRUSTe program covers only information that is collected through Microsoft's web sites, and does not cover information that may be collected through software downloaded from such sites.
Enforcement of this Privacy Statement
If you have questions regarding this statement, you should first contact us by using our web form. If you do not receive acknowledgement of your inquiry or your inquiry has not been satisfactorily addressed, you should then contact TRUSTe. TRUSTe will serve as a liaison with Microsoft to resolve your concerns.. If you do not receive acknowledgement of your inquiry or your inquiry has not been satisfactorily addressed, you should then contact TRUSTe. TRUSTe will serve as a liaison with Microsoft to resolve your concerns.
Changes to this Privacy Statement
We may occasionally update this privacy statement. When we do, we will also revise the "last updated" date at the top of the privacy statement. For material changes to this privacy statement, we will notify you either by placing a prominent notice on the Site. We encourage you to review this privacy statement periodically to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. Your continued use of the service constitutes your agreement to this privacy statement and any updates. Please be aware that this privacy statement and any choices you make on the Service do not necessarily apply to personal information you may have provided to Microsoft in the context of other, separately operated, Microsoft products or services.
Contact information
Microsoft welcomes your comments regarding this privacy statement. If you have questions about this statement or believe that we have not adhered to it, please contact us by using our web form. If you have a technical or general support question, please visit http://support.microsoft.com to learn more about Microsoft Support offerings.
Microsoft Privacy, Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington 98052 USA 425-882-8080.
Changes from October 2009
- Modified TRUSTe description