American Cancer Society Health Privacy Statement

Last Modified: October 1, 2024

The American Cancer Society, Inc. (“ACS”) values your trust, and we understand the importance of protecting your privacy. We want to make sure that you understand how your health information is collected and used by ACS. This privacy statement is limited to health information (“Health Privacy Statement”) and describes what health information we collect about you, including when and how we collect it; how we use it; with whom we may share it; and what choices you have regarding our use of your information. For information on all personal information collected and used by the American Cancer Society, please see our general Privacy Statement.

This Health Privacy Statement applies to all health information collected through your communications with ACS, whether electronic, written, or oral; information collected through ACS mobile applications (“Apps”) or ACS websites (“Sites”), including any features such as artificial intelligence technologies on ACS Apps and Sites, that include a link to this Health Privacy Statement; as well as any other information about you that we may collect offline or receive from third parties (collectively, Apps, Sites, and offline or third-party information are referred to as the “Services”). By accessing our Services or providing your information to us, you accept and agree to the practices described in this Health Privacy Statement.

This Health Privacy Statement describes our privacy practices. The links below go straight to more detailed information on that topic.

• WHAT TYPES OF HEALTH INFORMATION WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU
• HOW WE COLLECT HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
• HOW WE MAY USE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
• WITH WHOM WE MAY SHARE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
• INTERNET ACTIVITY INFORMATION
• OUR DATA SECURITY PROTECTIONS
• YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS AND CHOICES
• NOTICES AND DISCLOSURES
• HOW TO CONTACT US/HOW TO EXERCISE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS
• UPDATES TO THIS HEALTH PRIVACY STATEMENT

What Types of Health Information We Collect About You

When you engage with ACS or visit or use our Services, we collect a variety of health information. The type and amount of health information we collect on you will depend on how you choose to interact with ACS. For instance, if you are a patient or caregiver contacting us for assistance, we will need different health information to assist you than if you are using our website to gather or search for information on cancer-related topics, donate to ACS, or register to participate in an event. Relatedly, you may provide certain health information depending on which features you use that are available on the Services, including those powered by artificial intelligence technology.

ACS collects health information that identifies you as an individual or information which is linked or linkable to you as an individual, collectively referred to throughout this Health Privacy Statement as “Health Information.”

Cancer and Symptom Information. We may request Health Information such as your type of cancer, date of diagnosis, stage, or current treatment, if applicable, such as when you contact ACS seeking cancer information or requesting support from ACS. If you register to participate in an ACS event, we may ask you about your relationship to cancer so that we can let you know about special activities for caregivers and survivors. We may make available features that provide information about cancer, depending on the Health Information you submit to the feature. For example, you may use features powered by artificial intelligence technology that generate tailored information about cancer or that assess potential symptoms.  If you participate in peer-to-peer volunteer programs or contribute to the Cancer Survivor’s Network, we may have access to more detailed Health Information. This Health Information may be transmitted electronically for the uses and/or disclosures described in this Health Privacy Statement. We may request more detailed information if you enroll in a research cohort.

Social Media Information. We may collect Health Information that you voluntarily choose to provide on our social media pages.

Internet Activity. We may collect web server traffic activity and browsing history on our cancer information pages which may be tied to your Internet Protocol address or device type. We use this information to measure engagement on the Sites, the effectiveness of our campaigns and to determine areas of interest of our constituency. It is possible that your health status could be inferred from this information, but ACS does not tie other identifiable information to your search. You can read more about the Internet Activity data we collect below in the Internet Activity section below.

How We Collect Health Information About You

ACS and its service providers may collect Health Information in a variety of instances. For example, we may collect information about you in the following circumstances:

Requests for Information and Resources. ACS’s National Cancer Information Center (“NCIC”) is available to answer your questions 24/7, 365 days a year. When you contact NCIC or your local ACS office for information and resources, we will collect the Health Information you provide to assist you and may record your call or maintain a transcript of the chat for training and quality assurance purposes. The Health Information collected will depend on what you voluntarily provide to ACS.

Patient Support Services. ACS offers many free or reduced-cost programs and services to help cancer patients and their caregivers manage cancer treatment and recovery and find the emotional support they need. For example, ACS provides transportation and lodging assistance to help cancer patients overcome barriers to treatment. If you contact ACS to utilize these support services, we may ask you for information about your referring physician or treatment facility, limited Health Information such as cancer type and diagnosis date. The specific Health Information requested (or degree of specificity required) may vary depending on the type of program/service you are seeking.

Site and App Use. We may collect Health Information through your use of the Sites and Apps, including ACS’s online public forums, discussion boards, or chat rooms. Please note that any information you post within our public forums will become public and may be read, collected, and used by anyone. Please exercise caution when deciding whether to disclose your Health Information in public forums.

If you use the ACS CARES App, we will collect the Health Information you share to provide information and services tailored to your needs or interests. You are not required to provide sensitive information to use the ACS CARES App.

Volunteer Participation. If you volunteer for ACS to provide peer-to-peer support, we will collect Health Information related to your specific cancer experience (cancer type, treatment type, etc.) This data is used to help cancer patients select peer support which is most similar to their own cancer experience.

Research Participation. If you enroll in an ACS research study, we may collect information from you related to the study or studies, which may include detailed health information and blood, buccal, oral, gut, and/or tumor samples. Research participant data is maintained in a secure, restricted environment and is accessed only for research purposes. If you are a participant in an American Cancer Society study, please contact cps3@cancer.org or thevoices@cancer.org for any inquiries regarding your study-related data.”

Event Registration. If you register to participate in an ACS event, such as Relay For Life® or Making Strides Against Breast Cancer®, we may also ask about your relationship to cancer, but you are not required to provide this information to participate. This information, however, is useful for event purposes and helps us let you know about special activities for caregivers and survivors.

Health Provider, Health Plan or Other Referral. Your healthcare provider, health plan, or other third-party organization may put you in touch with ACS or, with your consent, provide ACS with information to contact you, if they believe we have information or resources that can assist you with your care. These referrals may occur by phone, fax, or another referral method. If you are referred to ACS by a third party, we may receive limited Health Information to provide relevant resources to you.

Artificial Intelligence Features. You may provide Health Information to features available through the Services that are powered by artificial intelligence technologies, including technologies provided by our vendors. These features vary in how they use your submitted Health Information, such as to generate tailored information about cancer or to assess potential symptoms.  

Other Sources. We may receive your Health Information from other sources, including ACS affiliates that you engage with such as the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Inc. (“ACS CAN,” our nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate); third-party organizations we collaborate with to provide support services and information to cancer patients and their caregivers.

How We May Use Your Health Information

We and our service providers may use Health Information for the following purposes:

Mission Delivery and Support Operations. The collection, use and disclosure of your Health Information will be consistent with our mission to eliminate cancer as a major public health problem. These activities include: the direct provision of cancer-related information, patient support programs and services, mission support operations such as data analysis, program improvement, fundraising events, and activities, as well as providing, training, or otherwise supporting artificial intelligence technologies that power features that you directly interact with or request.

If you are referred to ACS through your healthcare provider, health plan, or other third-party, we will use and disclose your Health Information as necessary, including electronically, to provide you with the assistance, programs, or services you have requested, as well as program follow up and evaluation. For example, if you need lodging assistance related to your treatment, your healthcare provider may provide your information to ACS so that we can evaluate eligibility and availability for placement in one of ACS’s Hope Lodge facilities.

Data Analytics. We use data to evaluate engagement levels with our Services. We also perform data analysis and research activities to gain a greater general understanding of cancer, cancer treatment, and the related needs of patients and their caregivers. This analysis can help us improve patient experiences, mission delivery, and support. We do not use automated decision-making without human intervention, including profiling, in a way that produces legal effects concerning you or otherwise significantly affects you. When we perform data analytics, we may also use information that has been anonymized or aggregated in a manner that no longer reveals your specific identity.

Event Participation. We may use certain information such as cancer type to contact you for the purpose of participating in events that relate directly to your cancer type or status. Any such communication will provide you with the opportunity to opt-out of receiving such future communications.

Other Business Purposes. We may use Health Information for other business purposes, such as conducting audits, data analysis, recordkeeping, developing new services, enhancing, improving, or modifying our programs and our Services, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of campaigns and mission activities, and updating and expanding our business activities.

With your consent. In addition to the other uses described in this section, we may also use your Health Information as you expressly authorize us to do so.

With Whom We May Share Your Health Information

ACS does not sell identifiable Health Information of its constituents. ACS does share Health Information with its service providers, program volunteers and other third parties that assist ACS in furtherance of its mission; Health Information is only shared with these third-parties pursuant to confidentiality requirements. In furtherance of our mission, your Health Information may be shared with the following categories of third parties: service providers, ACS affiliates, mission collaborators, referring organizations, volunteers, and others with your consent or as required by law.

Research Cohorts

We obtain consent from the participants and may share deidentified data using a data sharing agreement which restricts use to research purposes and includes both confidentiality and data protection requirements. We do not share health data for marketing purposes. In the instances that identifiable data are shared (e.g., tumor tissue), we also get IRB approval for those projects.

Third-Party Service Providers. We may need to share Health Information with third parties that provide operational services on our behalf (such as our data storage infrastructure, data analytics, order fulfillment, auditing, or other services) or that assist ACS in providing you with support and resources.

ACS Affiliates. We may provide your information to affiliated organizations that share a common mission with ACS, such as ACS CAN (our nonpartisan advocacy organization). Use of your information by ACS CAN is governed by ACS CAN’s Health Privacy Statement available at www.fightcancer.org.

Referring Parties. If you were referred to ACS by your health care provider or other organization, we may also report back to your referring organization regarding your usage of ACS programs and services or to coordinate treatment-related services.

Mission Collaborators. We may also collaborate with organizations to provide or improve ACS’s services and operations. For example, if you request transportation or lodging assistance, to fulfill your request, we may share your Health Information with organizations that are working with ACS to provide free or discounted transportation or lodging services to our constituents.

Volunteers. We may share limited Health Information with peer-to-peer volunteers who are assisting ACS and who require the information as part of their duties. Volunteers who are entrusted with Health Information execute confidentiality agreements with ACS prior to receiving any such information.

Social Media. If you engage with ACS on a public, social media platform, you may be sharing your Health Information with your friends associated with your social media account, to other website users and to your social media account provider, in connection with your social sharing activity. Please note that any information you post within these public forums or social media pages may become public and may be read, collected, and used by anyone. Please exercise caution when deciding whether to disclose your Health Information in these forums.

Artificial Intelligence Features. If you provide Health Information to features available through the Services that are powered by artificial intelligence technologies provided by our vendors, we may disclose your Health Information to such vendors. If required by applicable law, we will ask for your affirmative consent to disclose your Health Information to the artificial intelligence technology vendor.

Other Uses or Disclosures of Health Information. We may also use and disclose your Health Information as we believe to be necessary or appropriate: (a) to comply with applicable law, which may include laws outside your country of residence, to respond to requests from public and government authorities, which may include authorities outside your country of residence, to cooperate with law enforcement, or for other legal reasons; (b) to enforce our Terms of Use; (c) to protect our rights, privacy, safety or property, and/or that of our affiliates, you or others; and (d) under circumstances we believe appropriate to coordinate treatment related services with your provider or health plan, or for permissible public health purposes such as cancer surveillance. In addition, ACS may use, disclose, or transfer your information to a third-party in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer or other disposition of all or any portion of our organization (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings).

Your Consent. In addition to the other disclosures described in this section, we may also disclose your Health Information as you expressly authorize us to do so.

Internet Activity Information

ACS may also collect information that does not reveal your specific identity, or which may not directly identify an individual, referred to throughout this Health Privacy Statement as “Internet Activity Information,” including information collected through cookies, pixels, and other technologies.

Web Server Traffic Pattern Information and Browsing History. We collect standard web server traffic pattern information and your browsing history. General traffic, Site usage, browser information, and length of stay information are collected and stored in log files. To the extent that this information relates to cancer information pages, it could associate you with the health information provided, but ACS does not maintain this information in a manner which identifies you individually.

Cookies. We use “cookies,” small files that are sent to your web browser and stored on your computer's hard drive, to enhance your online experience. The cookies collect information about your use of our Services, such as the type of browser you use, your home domain or Internet service provider, your referrer URL (which is the URL for the website that you were viewing prior to visiting the website), how you were directed to the Services, which specific pages you accessed, how long you view each page, the time and date you access our Services and anonymous traffic data. If you do not want information collected using cookies, most browsers allow you to automatically decline cookies or be given the choice of declining or accepting a cookie (or cookies) from a website. You can also reject all but strictly necessary cookies by selecting the “Reject Cookies” option in the banner which appears when you enter the site, or you may choose specific cookies by selecting “Manage Cookies.”  You may also wish to refer to http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/index.html. If, however, you do not accept cookies, you may experience some inconvenience in your use of the Services.

Using pixel tags and other similar technologies. Pixel tags (also known as web beacons and clear GIFs) may be used to, among other things, track the online actions of users of the Services (including email recipients), measure the success of our campaigns and compile statistics about usage of the Services and response rates.

Targeted Outreach and Advertising. We may work with third-party service providers to target our advertisements and outreach to you based on your preferences or internet activity information, in certain cases combining data we collect from you through online cookies and other technologies with other de-identified data (such as a hashed, non-readable email or postal address). In addition, we may use third-party service providers to display content-specific advertisements to you after you have left our Sites when you go to other websites. These third-party service providers may use cookies, web beacons or similar technologies to tailor advertisements to interests shown by browsing our Sites or other by visiting other websites. We do not control the third-party service providers' tracking technologies or how they may be used. The collection of your information or use of technologies by third-party service providers are subject to those third parties’ privacy policies, not ACS’s. For more information on these practices or to learn how to opt-out of receiving targeted advertising from many service providers, please visit http://optout.aboutads.info/#!/ and http://optout.networkadvertising.org/.

Analytics. We use Google Analytics, which uses cookies and similar technologies to collect and analyze information about the use of the Services and report on activities and trends. This service may also collect information regarding the use of other websites, apps, and online resources. You can learn about Google’s practices by going to www.google.com/policies/privacy/‌partners/, and opt-out of them by downloading the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Our Data Security Protections

We seek to use reasonable organizational, technical, and administrative measures designed to secure the information to protect Health Information within our organization. We incorporate industry-standard security controls (like firewalls) and protocols (like SSL/TLS) to create a site that is resistant to standard internet-based threats. Unfortunately, no data transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure, please immediately notify us in accordance with the “How to Contact Us” section below.

Retention

ACS retains Health Information that we receive for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose(s) for which the information was collected, to provide our services and products, to pursue legitimate business purposes, to enforce our agreements, to conduct research, and to comply with all applicable laws.

Your Privacy Rights and Choices

In certain countries and certain states, such as Washington, you have specific rights regarding your Health Information. This section describes your rights and explains how to exercise those rights. Subject to certain limitations (such as our legal obligations), you have the right to access, to obtain a copy of, to correct, to opt-out of the sale or sharing, and to delete your Health Information. You also can limit the means or frequency of certain communications and to appeal responses to your requests

To exercise your privacy rights, please submit a Data Request Form. Please note that when you submit your request, you will receive an email asking you to confirm the submission. If the request is submitted on behalf of another person, please provide sufficient information that allows us to verify you are authorized to make the request.

If you are a participant in an American Cancer Society study, please contact cps3@cancer.org or thevoices@cancer.org for any inquiries regarding your study-related data.

To Access/Request a Copy of your Health Information. Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to obtain confirmation of the categories of Health Information ACS maintains about you and/or to request access to and receive a copy of information. To exercise your privacy rights, please submit a Data Request Form. In your request, please make clear what Health Information you would like to review. For your protection, we may need to verify your identity before implementing your request. If you are submitting a request on behalf of someone else, we may ask for additional verification, such as written documentation or other proof of authority. We will try to comply with your request as soon as reasonably practicable, consistent with applicable law.

To make such a request, please submit a Data Request Form.

To Request Deletion

You have the right to request that we delete any of your Health Information we collected from you and retained, subject to certain exceptions. Once we receive and confirm your verifiable consumer request, we will delete (and direct our service providers to delete) your Health Information from our records, unless an exception applies.

Please note that in cases of deletion, limited Information will remain to document the request. The right to access Health Information may be limited by local law. To exercise these rights, please submit a Data Request Form.

Right to Appeal. Although ACS makes good faith efforts to comply with privacy rights requests, there may be circumstances in which ACS is unable to provide access, including but not limited to, where the information would compromise others’ privacy or other legitimate rights, where the burden or expense of providing access would be disproportionate to the risks to the individual’s privacy in the case in question, or where the information is subject to legal privilege.

If you exercise one of your privacy rights and we are unable to process your request, we will endeavor to provide you with an explanation as to why the request was denied. The explanation will include information on how to appeal, including the relevant regulatory authorities, based on your state or country of residence. All requests for appeal will be reviewed by the privacy office (acs.dpo@cancer.org).

Notices and Disclosures

Children’s Privacy. ACS does not knowingly request or collect Health Information from any person under 13 years of age without parental consent. If you believe that your child has submitted Health Information to ACS without your consent and you would like this info restricted or removed, please contact us using one of the methods provided in “How to Contact Us” below.

Links to Third-Party Websites. Our Services may contain links to third-party websites, whose privacy practices may be different from ACS’s. This Health Privacy Statement does not address, and we are not responsible for, the privacy, information, or other practices of any third parties, including any third-party operating any website or service to which the Services link. Links to other sites do not imply ACS’s endorsement of the products or services or privacy or security practices of those websites. In addition, we are not responsible for the information collection, use, disclosure or security policies or practices of other organizations, such as Facebook, Apple, Google, Microsoft, or any other app developer, app provider, social media platform provider, operating system provider, wireless service provider or device manufacturer, including with respect to any Health Information you disclose to other organizations through or in connection with the Sites or our Social Media Pages.

Lawful Basis for Processing. The laws in certain countries and states require us to tell you about the lawful grounds we rely on to collect, use, disclose, and otherwise process your Health Information. To the extent those laws apply, we have several different lawful bases for processing your Health Information including: (a) as necessary to provide a service or information you request; (b) to comply with legal obligations; (c) based on your consent, and (d) in support of our legitimate interests, where those interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms. In certain cases, we process Health Information because it furthers our legitimate business and charitable interests. This includes:

-Customer service;
-Protecting users, our employees, our volunteers, and our property;
-Analyzing and improving our operations (e.g., optimizing the design and operation of our Site and our Services); and
-Managing legal issues.

Jurisdiction and Cross-Border Transfer. ACS is headquartered in the United States and has service providers in other countries, and your Health Information may be transferred to the United States or other locations outside of your state, province, country, or other location where privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your jurisdiction. In certain circumstances, courts, law enforcement agencies, regulatory agencies or security authorities may be entitled to access your Health Information. Where required, data transfers will be made subject to the terms of the applicable Standard Contractual Clauses or with your consent.

Information on Third Parties. If you disclose any Health Information relating to other people to us, you represent that you have the authority to do so and to permit us to use the information in accordance with this Health Privacy Statement.

How to Contact Us

Privacy Questions and Communication Preferences. If you have any questions about this Health Privacy Statement, or if you wish to update or correct your personal profile, change your communication preferences, or limit communications, please contact us at:

Telephone: 1-800-ACS-2345

Postal Mail: 
American Cancer Society, Inc.
ATTN: Security and Privacy Requests
270 Peachtree Street, Suite 1300
Atlanta, GA 30303

E-mail: acs.dpo@cancer.org

Privacy Rights. If you have questions regarding your privacy rights or would like to appeal a response to your privacy request, you may reach the Privacy Officer for ACS by sending an email to: acs.dpo@cancer.org

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to obtain confirmation regarding whether ACS processes Health Information about you, request access to your Health Information, delete your Health Information remove and/or receive information about the Health Information that we maintain. To make such a request, please submit a Data Request Form.

Updates to this Health Privacy Statement

ACS may modify this Health Privacy Statement at any time. When changes are made, we will update the “last modified” section at the top of our Health Privacy Statement. Your use of ACS’s Services following these changes means that you accept the revised Health Privacy Statement.