Privacy Statement
The University of Texas Medical Branch
This privacy statement is applicable to www.utmb.edu
and the public web sites directly created and maintained by the
University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas (UTMB). The
following statement applies to the public and addresses the types and
use of information gathered on the university’s web sites.
UTMB does not collect personally
identifiable information about individuals except when individuals
intentionally provide such information in a question, transaction, on a
web form or other web-based communication sent to the university.
Personally identifiable information sent to UTMB, such as an email
message requesting information on a health topic, may be seen and
addressed by staff for the purposes necessary to serve a message sender’s
needs. It will not be sold or otherwise transferred to unaffiliated
third parties without a visitor’s explicit consent or unless required
by law.
UTMB may collect non-personal information—items
such as date & time, a visitor’s web browser and version, the
pages visited and the referring site—to perform statistical analyses
of user trends and interests and to generate general reports based on
this information, ultimately to better serve the users of this resource.
This non-personal information is stored in server logs and again, will
not be sold or otherwise transferred unless required by law.
Users also should be aware that
non-personal information and data may be automatically collected through
the use of "cookies," small text files a site can use to
recognize repeat visitors and enhance a user's access to and use of a
site. Generally, cookies work by assigning visitors a unique number that
has no meaning outside a specific site. Cookies are not programs that go
onto a user’s system and damage files. Information that UTMB may
collect or store in cookies is used for internal purposes only and is
not sold or shared. Most web browsers also give users the ability to
decline any "cookies" they may be offered by UTMB or others;
browser "Help" files offer more information on this feature.
Additionally, users should be aware that
when they voluntarily disclose personally identifiable information
(e.g., user name, e-mail address) on social media associated with the university , public bulletin boards,
discussion groups or in the chat areas of UTMB sites, that information
and any electronic "conversation" can be collected and used by
non-UTMB parties.
Likewise, electronic mail and other
Internet communications are not always secure against interception. UTMB
has security measures and practices in place to help protect a visitor’s privacy and
prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of information sent to the
university.
It is possible that some web pages at
UTMB may collect information about visitors and use that information for
purposes other than those stated above. When this is the case, the
details of the data collection and use will be spelled out via a
distinct "privacy statement" link on the respective site.
Please address any questions about UTMB’s
privacy policy and practices, or use of this web site, to social@utmb.edu.
Or, write to the university via the postal
service at UTMB Marketing and Communications, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX,
77555-0144.
UTMB reserves the right to modify this policy by notifying users of the
existence of a new privacy statement. This statement and the policies
outlined are not intended to and do not create any contractual or other
legal rights in or on behalf of any party.
Employees of UTMB should refer to http://www.utmb.edu/infosec/, which outlines the university’s
internal policies and employees’ specific responsibilities related to
the use and protection of information resources.