THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT AND HOW WE USE IT
You should feel secure in knowing that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts does not sell or share personal information outside of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts except as permitted by law or as specifically authorized by you.
Collecting Information About You
When you visit our website, we collect information such as IP address, geographic location, Internet Service Provider and pages visited. This information is not personally identifiable and is used only to help us improve the design of and access to the website. It is not used to solicit business or to provide addresses for direct marketing material.
We use "cookie" technology to collect site statistical information and improve your customer experience. Cookies set by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts do not capture any personally identifiable information, such as your individual e-mail address.
We automatically collect some statistical data as you browse our websites. For example, we automatically collect your "IP address" used to connect your computer to the Internet, browser type and version, operating system and platform, average time spent on our site, pages viewed, information searched for, access times, "click stream data," and other relevant information about your online experience.
You may browse our Website anonymously by choosing not to provide us with any "personally identifiable information (PII)," such as your name or e-mail address, or choosing not to register during your visits to our sites. When you browse this way, we will not link your online activity with the accounts you may have with us.
Using Your Personal Information
If you choose to provide us with personal information over the Internet, such as by registering for a personalized account or online program or signing up for emails from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, we collect the information that you provide to us. We use this information when you register with us over the Internet to maintain, improve and administer our website, operate our business, provide products and services you request, administer your account, inform you about products and services that might be of interest to you , and personalize your online experience.
In order to carry out certain business functions, we sometimes hire other companies to perform services on our behalf. We may disclose this personal information, such as the e-mail address you have supplied when registering, to these companies to enable them to perform these services, but they are required to safeguard this data and are not authorized to use it for any other purpose than completing their contractual requirements to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
We do not share, sell or otherwise distribute your information with entities outside of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts who may want to market to you their own products and services. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts uses your information to process applications, complete transactions, respond to your requests, deliver the products and services in which you enroll or for which you apply, and also to notify you of information, updates, or special offers, that we think may interest you. We also use your information to provide you with a more effective experience while on our website. In order to do this, we may process your information or combine it with other information that is publicly available. This enables us to customize your Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts experience.
A copy of Our Commitment to Confidentiality is available for your review. This Commitment to Confidentiality details the privacy policies of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts with respect to its members. We recognize that some users of our websites may not be Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts members. Personal health information that we receive about our members is always treated in the manner described in this document.
Una copia de Nuestro Compromiso a la Confidencialidad está disponible para su revisión.
Using Your E-mail Address
When you supply us with your e-mail address, we may use it for the following purposes:
- Occasional Updates and Valuable Offers. We may send you e-mail updates about our products and services.
- Regularly Scheduled E-mail Newsletters related to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts products or services in which you are enrolled.
You may also be able to elect to receive other types of e-mail messages from us, including newsletters, alerts, or notifications. Before using e-mail to communicate with you for other reasons, or for purposes that are different from what you have already consented, we will send you an e-mail asking your permission to do so.
COMMUNICATION CHOICES
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts respects the choices that you make regarding your privacy. You may request that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts no longer communicate with you through e-mails.
How To Opt-Out of E-mail Communications from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
To opt-out of our email communications, please send an email to emailmarketing@bcbsma.com requesting to be removed from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts email list.
If you have opted-in to receive certain e-mails from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, but decide that you no longer wish to subscribe, please follow the instructions that are located at the bottom of those e-mail messages in order to opt-out.
Website Security, Confidentiality, and Registration
We have combined state-of-the-art technology with industry best practices in order to provide security for transactions on bluecrossma.com. You can use your User Name and Password to access several online features. To further protect your privacy, some features require a one-time activation of a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that we assign and mail to you when you register for our website. This makes it more difficult for anyone to access your account without authorization. You'll receive the PIN in the mail three to five business days after you register.
When you register with us, your information is stored in a secure server environment and is protected behind a firewall. The information that is transmitted back and forth is scrambled with the aid of encryption technology. Because of this, we require that your browser be capable of supporting 128-bit encryption. When you are accessing pages on bluecrossma.com, you can tell if you are in a secure area by looking for the "padlock" symbol at the bottom of your browser window.
As Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts continues to introduce new functionality to this website, including email capabilities, additional features and other safeguards will be introduced to further enhance privacy and security.
Additional Information About Privacy and Security on this Website
Please click on a topic below to get more information about the privacy and security practices of this website.
Cookies and Clear Gifs
Browsers and Internet Security
Security Risk of Using Non-Approved Automated Software Applications
"Cookies" are small files that are stored by your web browser to help a particular system recognize you and the pages you visited in a website. This website may use cookies to make your online experience more convenient. Additionally, this website may use data from cookies for a variety of internal purposes, such as studying how users navigate this website. We do not collect any personal information from cookies. Further, no other information collected from cookies can be linked back to your personal information. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but if you prefer, you can set yours to refuse cookies. Even without a cookie, you can still use most of the features on this website.
"Clear gifs" are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, that are used to track the online movements of website users. The main difference between the two is that clear gifs are invisible on the page and are much smaller than cookies. This website does not collect any personal information from clear gifs. Further, no information collected from clear gifs can be linked back to your personal information.
This website may use third party web analytics services to track and analyze anonymous usage and volume statistical information from visitors to help the administration of this website, improve this website's performance and to report website traffic. These web analytics services use cookies, clear gifs and other web monitoring technologies to help track visitor behavior on behalf of this website. These services do not use these technologies to collect any personally identifiable information from this website's visitors.
Browsers and Internet Security
Any time you enter or provide personal information in this website, it is encrypted using Secure Socket Layer ("SSL") technology. SSL protects information as it crosses the Internet. To support this technology, you need an SSL-capable browser. It is recommended that you use a strong encryption, 128-bit browser such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.01 or higher or Netscape Navigator 4.06 or higher. These browsers will activate SSL automatically whenever you begin shopping for a plan on this website and when you return to this website to complete an application.
You can tell if you are visiting a secure area within a website by looking at the symbol on the bottom of your browser screen. If you are using Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, you will see either a lock or a key. When the padlock is in the locked position, your session connection is taking place via a secure server.
If you need a strong encryption browser, you can go to the Microsoft website or the Netscape website to download the latest Internet Explorer or Navigator browser. The use of beta browser versions is not recommended.
Security Risk of Using Non-Approved Automated Software Applications
For security reasons to guard the safety of your data, access to this website is limited to SSL-capable browsers such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.01 or higher or Netscape Navigator 4.06 or higher. Under no circumstance should you use any software, program, application or any other device to access or log-in to this website, or to automate the process of obtaining, downloading, transferring or transmitting any content to or from our computer systems, website or proprietary software.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
® Registered Marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. © 2010 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Inc., and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts HMO Blue, Inc.
Landmark Center, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215-3326 | 800-262-BLUE (2583) | TTY# 800-522-1254