Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act

Our goal is to inform, inspire and involve children in the excitement of science and space exploration. While we develop and encourage interactivity in learning, we strive to ensure the online safety and privacy of our users. NASA Glenn Research Center's Educational Programs Office website is committed to complying fully with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA). Notice of our information practices are explained below as required by the Federal Trade Commission's Children's Online Privacy Protection Regulations, located at 16 CFR § 312.

(i) Contact Information

Carol Galica- Carol.Galica@grc.nasa.gov - Educational Programs Office' Educational Technology Specialist and Website Curator

Shanessa Jackson - Shanessa.L.Jackson@grc.nasa.gov - Website Developer

(ii) Information Collected

A. General Collection Information

As with all internet web sites, NASA Glenn Educational Programs Office website collects some information indirectly from all users visiting our web site. What is collected and how it is used is explained below.

System Logging.

Our web server and e-mail systems keep log files about network transactions. NASA policy is to destroy these logs after they are 30 days old. We do analyze our web log files to calculate statistics on which pages are visited and how long visitors stay on our site. We do not track individuals with this information. We are required to retain this information for the security of our website and online service, as well as to provide you the user with an experience that is usefull and enriching. E-mail addresses of messages sent from our system are logged as well. These logs are not viewed unless necessary for security reasons and are deleted after 30 days (16 CFR § 312.5(c)(5)(i)).

Internet Addresses.

NASA Glenn Research Center's Educational Programs Office website gathers Internet Protocol Addresses (IP Addresses) and pages viewed as part of the logging system within our web server. When calculating statistics on visits and pages viewed, IP addresses are used in broad calculations. IP addresses are never used to identify someone personally unless a security breach requires such an investigation (16 CFR § 312.5(c)(5)(i)).

Use of Cookies.

NASA Glenn Research Center's Educational Programs Office website may use session cookies for visitors to our site. A session cookie is a temporary file stored in a web browser that is deleted when it either expires or the browser is closed. No private or personal information is stored in a cookie from this web site. We may store a temporary number that helps us understand traffic patterns or helps us control access to restricted pages. Some features of NASA Glenn Research Center's Educational Programs Office website may not function properly without session cookies being enabled. The Office of Management and Budget currently does not permit government web sites to store any permanent cookies on your system without explicit permission to do so.

B. Student Mailing List Information Collected

The Student Mailing List is an e-mail subscription list that provides announcements of upcoming workshops and programs at NASA Glenn Research Center. Our goal is to inform students as quickly as possible when new educational events are announced. If your child subscribes to the mailing list, you will be notified and given opportunity to unsubscribe them. Unless otherwise indicated, this information is collected directly from a web page form.

The first name is collected for the purpose of personally addressing our e-mail messages to the child.

The e-mail address is collected for us to send messages about NASA education programs, opportunities, and news.

The age is collected to let us know that kids in the right age groups like our site. We also require age so that we may comply with the requirements of the Children's On-line Privacy Protection Act. The age is not associated with a name in this analysis.

The format of the message is collected indirectly through the first e-mail message. The format can either be plain text or, like a web page, in color.

The date added to the list is collected indirectly. If your child subsequently is removed from the list, we use this information to determine how long a child enjoys our e-mail messages.

The parent's e-mail address is collected to send notice to the parent that their child has subscribed to our mailing list. This information is not retained except for security logging (see our policy on system logging).

We do not disclose this information to third parties.

C. Request Information Page Information Collected

The first name and last name are collected for the purpose of personally addressing our e-mail response to the child, and also to address any applications or other educational materials that will be sent by regular mail.

The e-mail address is collected for us to respond to the request for information. This is done by providing the information, requesting clarification or details to assist in providing the information, or providing sources where the information can be found.

The Parent/Guardian's address, city, state, and zip code are collected for us to respond to the request for information. These are used when educational or other NASA materials are requested, so that the materials can be sent by regular mail to the parent of the child.

The parent's e-mail address is collected to send notice to the parent that their child has requested information from us. This information is not retained except for security logging (see our policy on system logging).

We do not disclose this information to third parties.

D. Feedback Page Information Collected

The first name and last name are collected for the purpose of personally addressing our e-mail response to the child

The e-mail address is collected for us to respond to the feedback or comments by request.

We do not disclose this information to third parties.

(iii) How information collected is used (16 CFR § 312.4)

For brevity, the use of the collected information is described in the above section on explaining what is collection.

iv) Third Party Disclosure (16 CFR § 312.4)

NASA Glenn Research Center's Educational Programs Office does not disclose information to third parties.

(v) Participation (16 CFR § 312.4)

NASA Glenn Research Center's Educational Programs Office does not prohibit the participation in any activity based on requiring more personal information than is necessary.

(vi) Review or Deletion of Privacy Data (16 CFR §312.4)

NASA Glenn Research Center's Educational Programs Office will make a child's information available for review by the child's parent. Any parent wishing to review or have deleted personally identifiable information about their child should email one of the provided contacts.

Links to External Sites

The NASA Glenn Research Center's Educational Programs Office website tries to provide a safe, fun, and private environment for kids to learn about space and science. We may link to other sites for the convenience of your children. We are not responsible for the content or collection practices of these sites and recommend you read their privacy policies before providing them information.