CDC Cookie Policy
When you visit a page on CDC.gov, the Internet browser on your computer or mobile device may store a small piece of data that is exchanged with CDC.gov web servers (commonly called “cookies”). Cookies allow your browser to “remember” specific information about your visit while you are using the site and are sent by the browser to CDC.gov servers in all web requests to CDC. Cookies make it easier for you to use the dynamic features of web pages since they can save certain settings and preferences. Cookies from CDC web pages only collect information about your visit and interaction with our site; they do not collect personal information about you. To learn how to manage or refuse cookies from CDC.gov or any other site see the section below – “How can I control cookies?” – or visit USA.gov.
CDC.gov uses the following cookies (defined and organized per the Office of Management and Budget’s “Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies” (OMB M-10-22 [102 KB, 9 pages]) :
Single-session cookies are used for technical purposes, such as enabling better navigation through the site, facilitating the use of user accounts, and generating aggregated statistics about how the website is used. Single-session cookies may use a unique identifier, but do not publicly expose personal information.
Under the framework of OMB M-10-22, this qualifies as a Tier 1 use. [102 KB, 9 pages]
Multi-session or persistent cookies are used to recognize a browser session that was used in a previous visit to a CDC.gov web site, which can improve a user’s experience, for example, by continuing preference settings from previous visits. These persistent cookies also provide the ability for CDC to gather information on unique visitors to CDC.gov web sites.
Under the framework of OMB M-10-22, this qualifies as a Tier 2 use. [102 KB, 9 pages]
The CDC uses a third-party analytics provider (for current provider please see current third-party tools/pages list) to analyze the collected data. The third-party analytics provider does not receive personally identifiable information through these cookies.
Some pages on CDC.gov may include web content or functionality from third parties. These third parties may use web measurement and customization technologies (such as cookies). Consult the privacy policies of these third parties for further information.
How can I control cookies?
CDC uses a privacy manager that provides you with a choice to accept or reject different categories of cookies used by CDC.gov. The Privacy Manager prevents cookies, web beacons, and Local Storage Objects from being placed on your device. The Privacy Manager also prevents third-party tools from loading regardless of your cookie settings, which provides you with an additional layer of privacy that prevents the tool from loading at all. Because the Privacy Manager creates a cookie in your browser, the opt-in and opt-out choices you make through the Privacy Manager will only be effective on the device and browser you used to make your choices, and your choices will expire when the cookie expires. Once the cookie is created, the Privacy Manager will retain your settings for 3 years from the date of your most recent visit. You may revisit the Privacy Manager to change or renew your choices at any time.
Types of Third-Party Cookies Served through CDC.gov
Category
Category
Description
Description
Strictly Necessary
Strictly Necessary
Cookies that help us understand how visitors use our websites, such as which pages visitors go to most often. These cookies do not collect information that identifies the visitor and appear as https://cdc.demdex.net (Adobe Analytics) when reviewing 3rd party cookies.
Cookies that help us understand how visitors use our websites, such as which pages visitors go to most often. These cookies do not collect information that identifies the visitor and appear as https://cdc.demdex.net (Adobe Analytics) when reviewing 3rd party cookies.
Social Media
Social Media
Cookies are used if you share our content on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media accounts. We may track what CDC.gov content you share which helps us improve our social media outreach.
Cookies are used if you share our content on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media accounts. We may track what CDC.gov content you share which helps us improve our social media outreach.
Campaign
Campaign
Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data.
Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data.
Functional
Functional
Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests.
Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests.
In addition to 3rd party cookies, we may use other, similar technologies on a case-by-case basis, like web beacons (sometimes called “tracking pixels” or “clear gifs”). These are tiny graphics files that contain a unique identifier that enable us to monitor the traffic patterns from one page within a website to another, to deliver or communicate with cookies, to understand traffic from an online health campaign displayed on a third-party website, to improve site performance, and to measure the success of e-mail health marketing campaigns.
Your activity on third-party sites (a current list is here) is governed by the third-party website’s security and privacy policies. If you become aware of a third-party tool on CDC.gov that places a multi-session cookie prior to any user interaction, please contact Privacy Office (see Contact information here).
In order to improve email subscribers’ experience and the overall quality of email subscription services, 3rd party email subscription service provider may use cookies to measure the effectiveness of our email communications and to better tailor email content. Please refer to the third-party tools list and their privacy policy for more information.
Because this links cookie data with an individual user, this would qualify as a Tier 3 use under the framework of OMB M-10-22 [102 KB, 9 pages]. We would therefore only connect cookie data to individual users who have consented and opted in to receiving emails.
For data captured in this manner, we would restrict access to individual-level information to employees, contractors, and vendors subject to non-disclosure requirements who require access to this information in order to perform their official duties and exercise controls to limit what data they can view based on the specific needs of their position.