About NDACAN
Website Privacy Policy
Thank you for visiting the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN) website and reviewing our website privacy policy. Our privacy policy explains how we handle the personally identifiable information (PII) that you provide to us when you visit us online to browse, obtain information, or conduct a transaction.
PII includes information that is personal in nature and which may be used to identify you. You may provide PII to us when you send us an e-mail message with a request for information, when you sign up for our mailing list, when you fill out a questionnaire or customer satisfaction survey, etc.. We do not require you to register or provide PII to visit our website. We do collect some technical information that does not include PII when you visit the website. The section below explains how we handle and collect information when you visit www.ndacan.acf.hhs.gov.
The PII you provide on the NDACAN website will be used only for the purpose for which you provided it. We will protect your information consistent with the principles of the Privacy Act of 1974, the E-Government Act of 2002, and the Federal Records Act.
NDACAN has completed a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) which provides details about the privacy protections and redress options available for the contact information we collect from the public. For further information, please reference the privacy compliance documentation below:
Privacy Policy Contact Information
We welcome feedback if you have any questions regarding our privacy policy or the use of your information. For additional information about our Privacy Policy, or for general privacy inquiries, please contact us at NDACAN@cornell.edu, telephone 607-255-7799, or mail:
Attn. Archiving Assistant
National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN)
B30 Caldwell Hall, Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14850
Personally Identifiable Information
NDACAN does not collect PII about you when you visit our website, unless you choose to provide such information to us. Submitting PII through our website is voluntary. By doing so, you are giving NDACAN your permission to use the information for a specific, stated purpose.
If you choose to provide us with PII via the NDACAN website through such methods as completing a web form, we will use that information to provide you the information or service you have requested.
We only share the PII you give us with another government agency if your inquiry relates to that agency, or as otherwise required by law. We never create individual profiles or give your PII to any private organizations except as needed to respond to requests within a ticketing system like Zendesk. NDACAN never collects information for commercial marketing.
If we store your PII in a record system designed to retrieve information about you by personal identifier (name, personal email address, home mailing address, personal or mobile phone number, etc.), so that we may contact you, we will safeguard the information you provide to us in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. § 552a). The Act requires all public-facing sites or forms that request PII to prominently and conspicuously display a privacy notice.
Email Communications
Our website allows you to send us email messages. We will use the information you provide to respond to your inquiry. We will only send you general information via email, not NDACAN data. You should be reminded that email may not necessarily be secure against interception. Therefore, we suggest that you do not send sensitive PII (such as your Social Security number) to us via email. If your intended email communication is sensitive, you should instead send it by U.S. mail or arrange an alternative way to submit the data through a secure program website, if available.
Electronic mail messages that meet the definition of records in the Federal Records Act 
(44 U.S.C. § 3101) are covered under the same disposition schedule as all other Federal records. This means that emails you send us will be preserved and maintained for varying periods of time if those emails meet the definition of Federal records. Electronic messages that are not records are deleted when no longer needed.
Information Collected and Stored Automatically
When you browse through any website, certain information about your visit can be collected. We automatically collect the following types of information about your visit:
- Domain from which you access the Internet;
- IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to a computer when surfing the Internet);
- Operating system and information about the device or browser used when visiting the site;
- Date and time of your visit;
- Content you visited or downloaded; and,
- website (such as google.com or bing.com) or referral source (email notice or social media site) that connected you to the website.
NDACAN gathers this information to improve our website and has chosen to not share the aggregate data with Google (i.e. we have disabled sharing with "Google Products & Services"). We may use the aggregated data to share with our partners and contractors to help improve visitor experiences.
NDACAN retains the data from Google Analytics only as long as required by law or needed to support the mission of the NDACAN website.
How NDACAN Uses Cookies
The Office of Management and Budget Memo M-10-22, Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies allows Federal agencies to use session and persistent cookies. When you visit any website, its server may generate a piece of text known as a "cookie" to place on your computer. Placing cookie text allows websites to "remember" visitors' preferences, surfing patterns and behavior while they are connected. The Google cookies from the NDACAN website only collect information about your browser's visit to the site; they do not collect any personal information about you.There are two types of cookies, single session (temporary), and multi-session (persistent). Session cookies last only as long as your Web browser is open. Once you close your browser, the cookie disappears. Persistent cookies are stored on your computer for longer periods.
Session Cookies: We use session cookies for technical purposes such as to enable better navigation through our site. These cookies let our server know that you are continuing a visit to our site. The OMB Memo 10-22 Guidance defines our use of session cookies as "Usage Tier 1-Single Session." The policy says, "This tier encompasses any use of single session Web measurement and customization technologies."
Persistent Cookies: We use persistent cookies to differentiate between new and returning visitors to our site. Persistent cookies remain on your computer between visits to https://www.ndacan.acf.hhs.gov for six months. We also use persistent cookies to block repeated invitations to take our customer satisfaction survey. The persistent cookies that block repeated survey invitations expire in 90 days. The OMB Memo 10-22 Guidance defines our use of persistent cookies as "Usage Tier 2-Multi-session without Personally Identifiable Information (PII)." The policy says, "This tier encompasses any use of multi-session Web measurement and customization technologies when no PII is collected."
If you do not wish to have session or persistent cookies stored on your machine, you can opt out or disable cookies in your browser
. You will still have access to all information and resources at the NDACAN website. Be aware that disabling cookies in your browser will affect cookie usage at all other websites you visit as well.
Third-Party Websites and Applications
NDACAN uses social media websites and other kinds of third-party websites. NDACAN uses social media websites to engage in dialogue, share information and media, and collaborate with the public. NDACAN may also use these websites to make information and services widely available, while promoting transparency and accountability, as a service for those seeking information about or services from NDACAN.
Site Security
NDACAN takes the security of all PII very seriously. We take precautions to maintain the security, confidentiality, and integrity of the information we collect at this site. Such measures include access controls designed to limit access to the information to the extent necessary to accomplish our mission. We also employ various security technologies to protect the information stored on our systems. We routinely test our security measures to ensure that they remain operational and effective.
- For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs commercial software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.
- Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no other attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits. Raw data logs are used for no other purposes and are scheduled for regular destruction in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration guidelines.
- Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this service are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.
Interaction with Children Online
NDACAN is committed to the protection of children's online privacy. The NDACAN website does not advertise to, solicit, or collect information from children under 13 years old. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) governs information gathered online from or about children under the age of 13. Verifiable consent from a child's parent or guardian is required before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from a child under age 13.
Visiting Other Websites
Our website may contain links to international agencies, private organizations, and some commercial entities. These websites are not within our control and may not follow the same privacy, security, or accessibility polices. Once you link to another site, you are subject to the policies of that site. All Federal websites, however, are subject to the same Federal policy, security, and accessibility mandates.
Last Updated: August 26, 2022
