TWITTER

• SORN Number: Not Applicable
• If not published: Not applicable

• OMB Approval Number: Not applicable
• Expiration Date: Not applicable
• Explanation: Not applicable

CMS maintains an educational presence on Twitter in the form of a CMS website branded page. This page allows for a direct connection with end users to provide broad educational opportunities and limited opportunities to address consumer questions and concerns. 

Twitter is a popular platform where users can consume and interact (Favorite, ReTweet, Reply) with content related to their friends, and personal interests. CMS has created a branded page on Twitter for specific CMS websites to provide educational content in a space where many potential end users of products made available on CMS websites are already spending their time online. 

The primary purpose of having a branded page on Twitter is to promote information related to a CMS website  and to provide resources to consumers who may not be regular visitors to a CMS website; occasionally we will leverage the innate social sharing capacity of this platform by asking fans of our branded page to Retweet our content with their friends and followers on the platform for the purpose of disseminating a particular message as it relates to an initiative or information related to a CMS website.

https://www.cms.gov/privacy/ is the privacy policy for all CMS websites unless a separate one is noted below.  

https://www.healthcare.gov/privacy/ https://www.medicare.gov/privacy-policy/index.html  

CMS does not collect any PII through its use of Twitter. Individual users who register with Twitter are required to provide a first name, valid email address, password, and handle to create a personal Twitter profile. 

Once registered, users have the option to provide a wealth of additional information about themselves such as telephone number, interests, etc. which may be accessible on the individual user’s personal Twitter profile page based on who they follow or otherwise maintained or used by Twitter (review Twitter's data policy and how they may use the provided information).  

This information may be available to CMS page administrators in whole or part, based on a user’s privacy settings. CMS does not solicit, collect, or maintain any personally identifiable information from individuals who visit, favorite, retweet, reply, or otherwise engage with the CMS website Twitter page or tweets. The CMS website Twitter page administrator may however, read, review, or rely upon information that individuals make available on Twitter in the form of replies, use of hashtags, or "@ mentions" for the purposes of responding to a user's question. 

Even though this information may be accessible to the CMS website’s Twitter page administrators, CMS does not collect, disseminate, or maintain any of the information provided on a CMS website’s Twitter page. 

CMS does not keep separate records or accounting of Twitter users or their interaction with a CMS website’s Twitter page. CMS does not store or share this information. User information is retained by Twitter as long as a user maintains a Twitter account. 

See Twitter's privacy policy to see how long user information is retained after an account has been deleted. Twitter users can learn more about how their information is used and maintained by Twitter by visiting Twitter's data policy.  

Due to limitations on Twitter, the CMS website Privacy Notice is not posted on the CMS website Twitter page. However, a URL to CMS Website’s privacy policy is referenced in the bio section of the page, the only space available to include any privacy related information. 

Links to bio sections for CMS websites: 

• https://twitter.com/cmsgov  
• https://twitter.com/healthcaregov  

In addition to the link on Twitter consumers are provided notice on the CMS website. A link to our Linking Policy is in the footer of the CMS website. Our Linking Policy includes a privacy notice for social media sites and provides links to a CMS website’s presence on Third Party sites as well as the privacy policies of those social media sites. 

Additionally, when a consumer places their mouse cursor over a link to a social media site, hover text informs them that they will be "Leaving the CMS website" if they click. Twitter is a third-party service that uses persistent tracking technologies. In an effort to help consumers understand how their information is used by Twitter, the CMS website’s Twitter page includes a link to a privacy notice for the CMS website which addresses this topic.

https://www.cms.gov/privacy/ is the privacy policy for all CMS websites unless a separate one is noted below. https://www.healthcare.gov/privacy/ 

https://www.medicare.gov/privacy-policy/index.html  

As mentioned above, due to limitations on Twitter, the CMS website’s Privacy Notice is not posted on the CMS website’s Twitter page due to length limitations. However, a URL to the privacy notice for the CMS website is prominently displayed.  

The CMS website’s Privacy Notice Statement for the CMS website directs Twitter users to review Twitter's terms of service and privacy policies to understand how Twitter may collect information about users, including what pages the user may visit, and how Twitter may use or share such information for third-party advertising or other purposes.  

Twitter is created and maintained by Twitter. CMS has reviewed Twitter's privacy practices and has concluded that risks to consumer privacy are sufficiently mitigated through application of Twitter's privacy policies, notices from the CMS website and Twitter informing consumers of these policies, and the ability of consumers to opt-out of providing their information to the CMS website and Twitter. 

CMS will conduct a periodic review of Twitter's privacy practices to ensure Twitter's policies continue to align with agency objectives and privacy policies and do not present unreasonable or unknown risks to consumer privacy.