Know the Science: Finding Health Information Online

How Does the Site Collect and Handle Personal Information? Is the Site Secure?

• Many websites track what pages you’re looking at. They may also ask you to “subscribe” or “become a member.” Any credible site collecting this kind of information should tell you exactly what it will and won’t do with it.

• Many commercial sites sell “aggregate” (collected) data about their users to other companies—information such as what percentage of their users are women over 40. In some cases, they may collect and reuse information that’s “personally identifiable,” such as your ZIP Code, gender, and birth date.

• Read any privacy policy or similar language on the site, and don’t sign up for anything you don’t fully understand. You can find NCCIH’s privacy policy on the NCCIH website.

• See if the website address (URL) starts with “https://” instead of “http://.” Sites that use HTTPS (Secure Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) are encrypted, less likely to be hacked, and more likely to protect your privacy.