Updated October 2022
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This page describes our commitment to internet privacy and how we protect the privacy of visitors to our websites.
Michigan Medicine recognizes and values your privacy.
In principle, we strive to:
- Collect, store, and use the minimum amount of personal information that is necessary for our legitimate business purposes, and to comply with legal obligations.
- Take reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we manage is accurate and up-to-date.
- Limit who has access to the personal information in our possession to only those who need it for a legitimate, specific purpose.
- Protect personal information through appropriate physical and technical security measures tailored to the sensitivity of the personal data we hold.
- Communicate about how we use personal information in our day-to-day operations.
- Integrate privacy in the design of our activities when that involves the use of personal data.
How We Collect Information
Michigan Medicine collects personal information about visitors to our websites in the following circumstances:
- Direct Collection: When you directly provide it to us, such as when you sign up for a newsletter on one of our websites.
- Automated Processes: This includes information you provide us through technology, such as through a cookie placed on your computer when you visit our websites.
- From Others: We receive information from other organizations for legitimate, specific purposes (for example, transcripts for medical school admissions purposes, medical specialty certification for emails to referring physicians, etc.).
Our goal is to limit the information we collect to the information needed to support our business.
What Type of Information Do We Collect
The information we receive about you depends on what you do when you visit our websites.
We automatically collect and store certain information about visitors to our websites. Information collected includes:
- The Internet domain from which a visitor accesses the website
- The IP address assigned to the visitor’s computer
- The type of browser the visitor is using
- The date and time of visit
- The address of the website from which the visitor has linked to our website
In addition, we collect information from users that visit our websites through University of Michigan contracted-for third-party advertising and marketing providers (ex: Google Analytics, and Google Adwords). Information collected may include:
- Content viewed during the visit
- Date and time of visit
- Amount of time spent on the website
- Visitor location based on IP address
- Demographic information
- Search terms entered on the website
Our websites and any form submission advertisements, such as newsletter sign ups, also may provide opportunities for site visitors to voluntarily provide personally identifiable information, such as their email address, name, telephone number or street address.
How This Information Is Used
Michigan Medicine collects and uses information about user visits to allow us to monitor website performance, make improvements to site navigation and content, and better communicate with patients, prospective students and other audiences.
We may also collect and use personal information provided by site visitors for informational purposes (e.g. sharing information about programs and services), administrative purposes (e.g., related to employment), or engagement (e.g., attending a university sponsored event).
We may occasionally process other personal information for other legitimate and specific purposes. When these situations occur, we will endeavor to inform you of such occasional processing activities, since transparency is one of our core principles for using personal information for the purposes for which it was collected.
With Whom This Information Will Be Shared
Michigan Medicine does not sell or rent your personal information. We may, however, share your personal information in limited circumstances, such as with service providers that support business activities. We require our service providers to keep your personal information secure. We do not allow our service providers to use or share your personal information for any purpose other than providing services on our behalf.
We may also share your personal information when required by law, or when we believe sharing will help to protect the safety, property, or rights of the university, members of the university community, and university guests.
What Choices You Can Make About Your Information
To enhance your experience, we may place “cookies” on your computer or device. Cookies are files that store your preferences. When you access our websites, the following cookies may be placed on your device, depending on your web browser settings.
DoubleClick Cookies
DoubleClick, which is run by Google, uses cookies to improve advertising. The cookies collect information specific to your browsing activity and keep it linked to your unique cookie ID. View DoubleClick's cookie policy (link is external)and learn how you can opt-out of Google’s ad personalization features.
Google Analytics, SiteImprove and Crazy Egg Cookies
Google Analytics and Crazy Egg cookies count visits and traffic sources, as well as monitor trends of what information people are engaging with on our website, in order to measure and improve the performance of our website. View Google Analytics' privacy policy and learn how you can opt-out. View Crazy Egg’s privacy policy and opt-out features. View the SiteImprove Privacy Policy and the Cookie Policy.
3rd Party Pixels, Conversion Tracking and Remarketing
Certain 3rd party platforms, such as Google Ads, YouTube, Microsoft Ads, Meta/Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Linkedin, give us insights into how people who visit our site after having clicked on an ad are using our site, and what information audiences were most interested in. This also enables us to follow up with certain audiences with additional messaging that might be of interest to them. For specific privacy controls on how these buttons track how users access our website, see the cookies policies of Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and Microsoft Ads.
Social Media Plugins
Some of the pages on our website have embedded social media sharing buttons. Social media platforms use cookies or other tracking technologies when a button is embedded on our website. We do not have access to, or control of, any information collected through these buttons. The social media platforms are responsible for how they use your information. For specific privacy controls on how these buttons track how users access our website, see the cookies policies of Twitter , Facebook , Pinterest , LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
You can update your settings on your internet browser, such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, to choose what types of cookies you want to allow on your computer. On most browsers, you’ll find these settings under “Internet Options” and “Privacy Settings.”
How Information Is Secured
Michigan Medicine recognizes the importance of maintaining the security of the information it collects and maintains, and we endeavor to protect information from unauthorized access and damage. We strive to ensure reasonable security measures are in place, including physical, administrative, and technical safeguards to protect your personal information.
Privacy Notice Changes
This privacy notice may be updated from time to time. We will post the date our notice was last updated at the top of this privacy notice.
Who to Contact with Questions or Concerns
If you want to get medical information about you that may be in our records, go to How to Obtain Copies of Your Medical Record.
If you have any concerns or questions about how your personal data is used, please contact our Privacy Office at [email protected]. You can also contact us at 500 S State St, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109.
We strive to promptly respond to your request, and will do our best to address your concern. However, if you believe we have not been able to deal with your concern appropriately, you have a right to complain to your local data protection authority. You also have the right to submit a complaint in the Member State of your residence or place of work of an alleged infringement of the GDPR.
Please click here for notice specific to persons within the European Union
