Website Privacy Policy
Last Revised: November 14, 2023
At Mass General Brigham, we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of visitors to our Rally with Mass General Brigham website (the "Website"). This Website privacy policy ("Privacy Policy") will tell you what information we collect, how it is used and your options as you interact with our Website. By using this Website, you agree to this policy. Please read the following carefully before using the Website. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the controlling language for this Agreement and the Website Privacy Policy is English. Any translation has been provided for your convenience, and you may view the English language version here.
"Protected health information" as defined under the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act and related regulations (collectively referred to as "HIPAA"), including but not limited to information you provide to us when you respond or submit information through our Website to a study posted on this Website or communicate with the researchers or study staff using our Secure Messaging feature, is also subject to our Notice of Privacy Practices.
Your Consent
By using our Website, you consent to the collection, use and sharing of information as described in this Privacy Policy. By providing us with an email address, you agree that we may use your email address to communicate with you about research studies and opportunities that we offer and that which might be of interest to you, important developments and advances from the Mass General Brigham research community, our services and select messages from our partners or affiliates.
(NOTE: Opt-out options are discussed in the section entitled "Cookies, Tracking and Internet-based Advertising".)
Information that We Collect
You may browse our Website and view certain Website content without providing any personal information. However, we do collect certain information from website users through their use of the site. Examples of information we and our Service Providers collect include how often someone visits this Website and what they do while on the Website. We and our Service Providers use this information in the aggregate to understand how our visitors as a group use different resources and to help us improve our Website. Additional detail on this process is contained in the Cookies, Tracking and Internet Based Advertising section of this Privacy Policy below.
You may browse our website, view certain content on our Website and submit your individual contact information through forms and other features on the Website without creating an individual account. Our Website provides an added option for Website users to create an individual password protected user account with us to access additional Website content and features through a secure portal, such as personalized study notifications and secure messaging. We may collect additional personal information from you, such as contact information (including email address), demographic information, health interest areas, and other research preferences to create that account, when you make use of certain Website features, request additional information from us or complete an online form. Website users are not required to create an account if they do not want to access features and content that are only available to account holders.
Information provided to and collected by the individual study teams will be governed by and managed in accordance with the applicable privacy policies, informed consent forms, authorizations, and Institutional Research Board ("IRB") protocol(s) governing the conduct of such study. The Website Privacy Policy and Terms of Use are separate from and not part of the research informed consent process.
If you submit to Mass General Brigham any personal information relating to other people, you represent that you have the authority to do so and permit us to use the information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. By submitting personal information, you grant Mass General Brigham the right to transmit, monitor, retrieve, store and use your information in connection with the operation of the Website.
No Use by Children Under the Age of 13
Use of the Website by anyone under 13 years of age is prohibited. If you are under the age of 13, please do not attempt to register with us at this Site or provide any personal information about yourself to us. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under the age of 13, we will promptly delete that information. If you believe we have collected personal information from a child under the age of 13, please contact us at CISPO @ partners.org.
You represent that you are at least the age of majority in the jurisdiction where you live or, if you are not, your parent or legal guardian must consent to the Website Terms of Service and affirm that they accept those terms on your behalf and bear responsibility for your use. If you are accepting the Website Terms of Service and Privacy Policy on behalf of someone else or an entity, you confirm that you have the legal authority to bind that person or entity to this Agreement.
How We Use this Information
Mass General Brigham uses the information you provide to connect you with investigators and study staff conducting or recruiting for current or future research studies, to fulfill online requests for additional information and respond to customer service inquiries, as described in this Privacy Policy, or in other ways as permitted or required by law.
We may use and share your information to, without limitation,:
- Provide methods for you to communicate with members of research study teams working on current or proposed research studies that might be of interest to you or in which you have expressed an interest;
- Personalize your experience and inform you about the research study opportunities in which you may have an interest;
- Improve your Website experience and send you important updates;
- Respond to your questions and requests and improve the research services we offer;
- Administer surveys from time to time to better understand your experience using the Website, working with our partner research teams, and participating in research;
- Communicate changes to our Privacy Policy or Terms of Use;
- Allow compliance, regulatory, quality and other groups to conduct audits, monitoring, and other oversight or review functions.
Connecting volunteers and researchers
When you express an interest in and share the requested information with a specific research study listed on our Website, we will provide your information to the study team for that particular research study. The study team may use this information to contact you about participation in that study or to evaluate your eligibility for such study. By expressing interest in any study on our Website, you hereby consent to the delivery of such information to the relevant study team. Any necessary research informed consent forms, HIPAA authorizations, and other relevant information about the specific research opportunity, including the access to and use of data for such a study, will be handled directly by the relevant study staff and not this Website or the team supporting this Website.
Conducting research about research
The Website is used as a platform to provide information about various research opportunities that might be of interest to you. In addition, the Website itself and the Website team may from time to time conduct research related to use of the Website itself and about your experience in research. We can collect, use and share information about you and your use of the Website for research (which may include requests to complete surveys about your use of the Website, about your experience working with our partner research teams, and about your experience participating in research more generally). This research will adhere to all applicable rules and regulations, including, where applicable approved by a Mass General Brigham Institutional Review Board or its designee when written permission is not required by federal or state law. You may choose not to participate in these surveys by not responding.
Informing the Mass General Brigham Community
Research is a key pillar of the Mass General Brigham mission and is essential to providing our patients and research subjects with innovative treatments and the best, most compassionate care available. You will from time to time receive communications through the Website alerting you to general research opportunities that may be of interest to you as part of the Mass General Brigham community. In some cases, third parties contracted by Mass General Brigham may have access to your information to perform a specific task, for example, to send you an e-newsletter or information about specific research opportunities. Research-related communications are thoroughly vetted and approved by the relevant hospital committee that reviews all human subject research, including how individuals will be contacted and who may contact those individuals.
Data Security
Mass General Brigham is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information you provide to us via this Website so that we can make sure it remains as secure as possible. Accordingly, we use reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized access. We use a secure firewall and a security infrastructure that protects the integrity and privacy of personal information submitted to us via this website. As an additional security measure, your personal information is also encrypted during transmission using appropriate technology including Transport Layer Security. This is an industry standard.
Although we work hard to protect your personal information, Mass General Brigham cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us through online applications, and you do so at your own risk. Depending on the nature of the inquiry, your communication could be discarded or archived. If you wish, you can contact us instead by telephone at the numbers provided throughout our Websites.
Cookies, Tracking and Internet-based Advertising
This website works with companies that offer third-party products or services ("Service Providers"). These include Piwik Pro, and other Service Providers who help us track and analyze visitor activity on the website, measure the effectiveness of our advertising efforts, and support the optimization of our digital marketing campaigns.
The website uses "cookies," tracking pixels and related technologies. These can be set by Mass General Brigham or by our Service Providers. Cookies are small data files that online services can store on, and retrieve from, a user's computer or mobile device through the user's web browser. The information is stored and retrievable either for the duration of a website visit (known as "session cookies"), or until some later point in time set by the website setting the cookie (known as "persistent cookies").
Examples of information we and our Service Providers collect include how often someone visits this Website and what they do while on the Website. We and our Service Providers use this information in the aggregate to understand how our visitors as a group use different resources and to help us improve our Website. We and our Service Providers also collect information about the activity of individual Website users.
Most internet browsers accept cookies by default, but you can modify your browser preferences to block or restrict cookies if you do not want your web browsing activity tracked. There are a variety of tools publicly available to manage cookies and similar technologies that collect information related to your use of the website. Learn more from (i) the FTC or (ii) the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page , which allows users to opt out from receiving interest-based advertising.
We are not responsible for the effectiveness or compliance of third party opt-out mechanisms or programs. Please note that if you delete your cookies or upgrade your browser after having opted out, you will need to opt out again. Further, if you use multiple browsers or devices you will need to opt out on each browser or device. You can access the information on this website without enabling cookies in your browser but disabling cookies may result in a diminished ability to take advantage of the services and related informational content on the Website.
We use Piwik PRO Analytics Suite as our website/app analytics software and consent management tool. We collect data about website visitors based on cookies. The collected information may include a visitor's IP address, operating system, browser ID, browsing activity and other information. See the scope of data collected by Piwik PRO.
We calculate metrics like bounce rate, page views, sessions and the like to understand how our website/app is used. We may also create visitors' profiles based on browsing history to analyze visitor behavior, show personalized content and run online campaigns.
Our Service Providers may acquire additional information about your activity on our Website, including pages you visit, access times, visit duration, how you arrived at our Website and your IP address. An IP address is a string of numbers that identifies a device connected to the Internet. For most devices, the IP address changes on at least a weekly basis. Our Service Providers may also acquire device identifiers and specific information about the browser you use. In some cases, this information may be unique to you.
Users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
EEA or Switzerland residents are entitled to the rights under Chapter III of the EU General Data Protection Regulation or Section 2 of the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection with respect to the processing of personal data, which includes the right to access, rectify and request erasure of personal data. Please contact us with your request. In order to verify your identity, we may require you to provide us with personal information prior to accessing any records containing information about you.
Third-Party Vendors/ Content Providers
Mass General Brigham shares information with third parties, including as required by law or in order to provide the services requested. Mass General Brigham engages reputable third-party vendors to help us manage this website, provide content and information, and interact better with our patients and visitors.
Transfer in the Event of Sale or Change of Control
If the ownership of our business changes or we need to transfer assets relating to this website to a third party, we may transfer your personal information to the new owner. Your information would remain subject to the promises made in the applicable website Privacy Policy unless you specify otherwise.
Online Surveys
Occasionally we may request feedback on this Website to better understand how we can improve what information we present and how we present it. These surveys do not ask questions that could personally identify you. We may ask for contact information to follow-up, but you can decline to provide that information. Information that you provide in a survey may be shared with employees or third parties to aggregate the data.
Email Information
Please do not provide personal information via email to us unless it is through a secure channel (these will be marked as secure online forms, for example). Remember that email messages, unless encrypted while in transit, can be viewed by other Internet users. If you have personal information to communicate, please use the appropriate secure online form or contact the necessary party using traditional means such as phone or mail.
If you receive an email that looks like it is from Mass General Brigham and asks for your personal information, do not respond. This may be a scam or "Phishing" email intended to steal your information. Mass General Brigham will never request your password, user name, credit card information or other personal information through email.
Links to External Websites
This online Privacy Policy applies only to this Website. This Website contains links to other websites, within and outside of Mass General Brigham. Please be aware that this Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites. We encourage you to read the Privacy Policy on any other websites before providing them with personal information.
Certain interactive applications may be linked to this Website as a convenience for you. If you choose to utilize a specific application, please be sure to read the privacy policy associated with that application. REDCap, a secure data collection and online survey platform commonly used to collect research data from participants, is an example of such an application.
Changes to This Policy
Mass General Brigham has the right to change or update this Website Privacy Policy from time to time without notice, so please review it periodically to keep informed of any changes. If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or concerns about how we collect, use or protect your personal information, please contact us as listed below.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or concerns about how we collect, use or protect your personal information, please contact us.