PRIVACY POLICY
All of us at MakerNurse are committed to respecting the privacy of users who access the MakerNurse website (the “Site,” which includes all pages within the http://www.makernurse.com host directory). This policy tells you (1) what information we collect when you visit the Site or send us an email, and (2) how that information is used.
WEB SERVER LOGS
When you visit the Site, our web server may record the following information in its server log:
your IP Address,
your username (if you have logged in as a registered user),
the URLs you have requested to access,
the dates and methods of requests,
the status code of your requests,
URLs of pages that referred you to the Site,
number of bytes transferred, and
your web browser and operating system platform.
We use server log information to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our website by identifying which parts of our site are most heavily used. We also use this information to tailor site content to user needs and to generate aggregate statistical reports.
SURVEY RESPONSES
You may choose to participate in the survey hosted on this Site. Participation in the survey is entirely optional. The information you submit to us in connection with the survey will be used for research purposes. Our researchers access and review internally data submitted via the survey.
At the end of the survey, we invite survey participants to disclose their email addresses. Disclosure of your email address is entirely optional. If you choose to disclose your email address in connection with the survey, we may use that address to contact you to discuss your story and other opportunities within the MakerNurse project.
USER REGISTRATION AND USER-GENERATED CONTENT
To obtain user registration, you must submit your email address to the Site, along with a user name and password that you create for user authentication purposes.
Posts made in the forums will be available for all registered users to view and will identify you as the poster by the user name you have selected. Please do not select a user name that identifies you. You should select a pseudonymous user name.
We will not disclose your email address anywhere on the Site (see below, “Email”).
GOOGLE ANALYTICS
MakerNurse uses Google Analytics software to perform Site usage analytics. Google Analytics collects anonymous information from users to help MakerNurse track Site usage and referrals from other websites. These data are used primarily to optimize the website experience for our visitors, but we may use the data as well to assist us in our marketing of the Site.
Information collected and processed by Google Analytics includes the user’s IP address, network location, and geographic location. Google Analytics acquires all its information directly from the user, by installing a cookie (see below) on JavaScript-enabled computers. The Site does not share any information it collects with Google, and Google does not collect any personal identifying information such as names, contact information, social security numbers or financial information.
WORDPRESS/AUTOMATTIC
We use WordPress to host the MakerNurse Site. WordPress is owned and operated by Automattic, Inc. Automattic’s Privacy Policy is here.
COOKIES
Cookies are unique bits of computer data that many major websites will transfer to your computer the first time that you visit. Cookies are stored on your hard drive and may be later accessed by the website to track prior usage. As noted above, Google Analytics will install a cookie on the hard drives of Site visitors. Automattic uses cookies to help Automattic identify and track visitors, their usage of Automattic website, and their website access preferences. Automattic visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using Automattic’s websites, with the drawback that certain features of Automattic’s websites may not function properly without the aid of cookies.
We will only record your email address if you send us a message or submit it to us in connection with our survey or as part of the user registration process. We will only use your email address for the purpose for which you have provided it — i.e., to respond to a message from you or to communicate with you regarding your user account.
When you submit your email address to the Site during registration, MakerNurse will ask you whether you want to receive periodic announcements from the Site by email. Accepting emailed announcements is entirely optional and not a condition of registration, and you may change your email settings at any time to subscribe or unsubscribe to these mailings.
We will not disclose or distribute your email address to any third party. Any feedback emailed to us using our “Contact Us” button will be used for site performance evaluation only.
DISCLOSURE TO THIRD PARTIES
We do not sell, lend, or disclose to third parties any information collected from visitors or registered users, except as disclosed in this Policy or in the event we are required by law to do so. We may disclose information to MIT employees, students, fellows, consultants, agents, and collaborating researchers at other institutions who have a legitimate need to know the information for the purposes of (1) conducting the research described above (“Survey Responses”), (2) fixing or improving the Site, or (3) monitoring and improving the security of our network. We may also disclose this information when special circumstances call for it, such as when disclosure is required by law or court order or when disclosure is, in our sole discretion, necessary to protect our legal rights, including intellectual property rights.
OTHER WEBSITES
This Site may contain links to other web resources, including websites of organizations other than the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The websites linked to the Site may also install cookies on your computer, log your access to their web pages, or collect user-identifying information directly from you, once you proceed to browse those sites. We are not responsible for the privacy policies of other sites or businesses to which the Site provides links. Please visit the relevant sites to review their privacy policies.
DATA SECURITY
We have in place physical, electronic and managerial procedures to protect the information we collect online. However, as effective as these measures are, no security system is impenetrable. We cannot completely guarantee the security of our database, nor can we guarantee that the information you supply will not be intercepted while being transmitted to us over the Internet.
NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY POLICY
We review our security measures and Privacy Policy on a periodic basis, and we may modify our policies as appropriate. We may also change or update our Privacy Policy if we add new services or features. If we make any changes to our privacy practices, we will amend this Privacy Policy accordingly and post the amended policy at the Site. We encourage you to review our Privacy Policy on a regular basis.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this Site, or your dealings with this Site, you may contact us at littledevices@mit.edu.
EFFECTIVE DATE
This Privacy Policy is in effect as of August 13, 2014.