ACT I | Privacy Policy | Privacy Policy | Asymptomatic Carotid Trial

This Policy applies to residents of the United States.

This Privacy Policy explains how we handle the personal information that you provide to us. Unless otherwise specifically noted this Privacy Policy does not apply to personal information collected from you offline, to web sites that do not link to this Privacy Policy, to residents of countries other than the United States, or to third-party web sites to which this web site may link. Your use this website is subject to this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use.

Please read this Privacy Policy before using this web site or submitting personal information to us.

How does this Privacy Policy define "personal information"?

"Personal information" means information that identifies you or could reasonably be used to identify you and which is submitted to and/or collected by this web site and maintained in an accessible form. Examples of personal information include your name, your postal address and your telephone number. We may collect this information in two ways:

Personal Information You Submit:
We collect personal information that you enter into data fields on this web site. For example, you may submit your name, postal address, e-mail address, and/or other information in order to receive information about various subjects, register for programs, contact us, or respond to surveys. To protect your privacy, you should not provide any information that is not specifically requested, such as your medical history.
Passive Collection of Unidentifiable Information:
We may collect information about your visits to this web site without you actively submitting such information. Unidentifiable information may be collected using various technologies, such as cookies, Internet tags, and web beacons. Your Internet browser automatically transmits to our web site some of this unidentifiable information, such as the URL of the web site you just visited and the browser version your computer is operating. Passive information collection technologies can make your use of our web site easier by allowing us to provide better service, customize sites based on consumer preferences, compile statistics, analyze trends, and otherwise administer and improve our web sites. Certain features of our web sites may not work without use of passive information collection technologies. Information collected by these technologies cannot be used to identity you without additional identifiable information.

In what circumstances might we collect and use personal information?

We will use the personal information you provide through our web sites to respond to your questions and to provide you with efficient customer service. After you have entered personal information into a form or data field on our web site, we may use certain identifying technologies to allow that web site to "remember" your personal preferences, such as sections of that web site that you visit frequently and, if you choose, your user ID.

What choices do I have about how you collect and use personal information about me?

You may always limit the amount and type of personal information that we receive about you by choosing not to enter any personal information into forms or data fields on our web sites. Some of our online services can only be provided to you if you provide us with appropriate personal information. Other parts of our web sites may ask whether you wish to opt out or opt into our contact lists for additional communications or services that may be of interest to you.

You may also be provided with preference questions or preference boxes allowing you to indicate that you do not want our web sites to use tracking technologies, such as cookies, to "remember" your personal information, such as user IDs or mailing addresses, on return visits. However, our web sites that use tracking technologies to collect unidentifiable information do not generally provide you with the ability to opt out of the tracking technologies. Some Internet browsers allow you to limit or disable the use of tracking technologies that collect unidentifiable information.

Who will have access to personal information about me?

Personal information can be accessed by a restricted number of our employees and by individuals and entities with whom we contract to carry out business activities. We train our employees about the importance of privacy and how to handle and manage personal data appropriately and securely. Also, it is our practice to notify you if you are registering for a program which is conducted in conjunction with another company that may require access to your personal information. In addition, our practice is to require our contractors to keep your personal information confidential and to use personal information only to perform functions for us.

Do you share personal information with third parties?

As a general rule, we do not share your personal information with third parties, unless it is necessary to conduct a joint program or to carry out a program or activity through a contractor. Where required by law, we will not disclose your personal information to third parties, unless you have been provided with an opportunity to opt into or opt out of this disclosure.

If we provide your personal information to individuals and entities which assist us, it is our practice to require those individuals and entities to keep your personal information confidential and to use your personal information only to perform functions for us. We reserve the right to disclose your personal information to respond to authorized information requests from government authorities, to address national security situations, or when otherwise required by law.

How do you secure personal information?

It is our practice to secure each web page that collects personal information; however, the confidentiality of personal information transmitted over the Internet cannot be guaranteed. We urge you to exercise caution when transmitting personal information over the Internet, especially personal information related to your health. We cannot guarantee that unauthorized third parties will not gain access to your personal information; therefore, when submitting personal information to our web sites, you must weigh both the benefits and the risks. In addition, web sites covered by this Privacy Policy will display a warning whenever you link to a web site that is not controlled by us; you should check the privacy policies of such third-party web sites before submitting personal information.

How do you protect the privacy of children?

We do not knowingly collect or use any personal information from children (we define "children" as minors younger than 13) on our web sites. We do not knowingly allow children to communicate with us or use any of our online services. If you are a parent and become aware that your child has provided us with information, please contact us using one of the methods specified below, and we will work with you to address this issue.

How may I correct personal information or delete it from current customer records?

You may request to remove your personal information from our current customer records or to amend your personal information. Please notify us of your wishes by contacting us in one of the ways specified below. For our record keeping purposes, we will retain certain personal information you submit in conjunction with commercial transactions.

How can I contact you?

If you have questions about the use, amendment, or deletion of personal information that you have provided to us, or if you would like to opt out of future communications from an a particular program, please contact us by clicking on the "Contact Us" link on the web site you are visiting or by e-mailing us at webmaster@abbott.com.

In all communications, please include the e-mail address used for registration (if applicable), the web site address on which you provided any personal information about which you have questions or concerns, and a detailed explanation of your request. If you would like to delete or amend your personal information and are contacting us by e-mail, please put "Deletion Request" or "Amendment Request", as applicable, in the subject line of the e-mail. We will do our best to respond to all reasonable requests in a timely manner.

How will I know whether you have updated this policy?

We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Policy without prior notice to reflect technological advancements, legal and regulatory changes and good business practices. If we change our privacy practices, a new Privacy Policy will reflect those changes and the effective date of the revised Privacy Policy will be set forth in this paragraph. This Privacy Policy was last updated on February 26, 2007 and is effective as of that date.