Privacy Policy

This policy explains what information Health Digest collects when you visit healthdigest.life, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and what you can ask us to do with it. It is written to be read, not to be survived.

1. Who we are

Health Digest is an independent health publication that publishes educational articles at healthdigest.life. In this policy, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Health Digest. For any question about this policy, or to exercise a right described below, write to [email protected].

We are the controller of the personal information described here. We do not have a physical clinic, we do not provide medical services, and we do not create clinician-patient relationships through this website.

2. What this policy covers

This policy applies to healthdigest.life and to any newsletter we send. It does not apply to third-party websites we link to, including the journals and institutions cited in our articles. Those sites have their own policies, and we encourage you to read them.

3. Information you give us

• Newsletter subscriptions. If you subscribe to The Digest, we collect your email address, the date of consent, and basic engagement data such as whether you opened an issue.
• Messages. If you use the contact form or email us, we receive your name, email address, the content of your message and any attachments.
• Pitches and corrections. If you write to us as a writer or to report an error, we keep the correspondence so that we can follow up and, where relevant, document a correction.
• Payments. If you take a paid membership, our payment processor collects your payment details. We receive confirmation of payment and a billing identifier, never your full card number.

We do not ask for, and ask that you do not send, medical records, test results or other special category health data. If you send such information voluntarily, we will delete it once your message has been answered.

4. Information collected automatically

Like most websites, our servers record standard technical information when a page is requested: the IP address, browser type, operating system, referring page, the page requested and the time of the request. We use this to keep the site available, to detect abuse and to understand aggregate traffic patterns.

We use privacy-respecting analytics that report aggregate page views and referrers without building individual profiles or tracking you across other websites. We do not use advertising cookies, and we do not sell behavioural data.

5. Cookies and similar technologies

We use a small number of cookies and local storage entries:

• Essential. Required for the site to function and to remember your cookie choice. These cannot be switched off.
• Analytics. Aggregate measurement of which articles are read. Set only with your consent where consent is required by law.
• Email. Our newsletter provider may set a cookie when you arrive from an email, so that we can tell which issues are useful.

You can clear or block cookies in your browser settings. Blocking essential cookies may prevent parts of the site from working.

6. How we use your information

• To send the newsletter you asked for, and to manage your subscription.
• To answer your messages, corrections and pitches.
• To operate, secure and improve the website.
• To meet legal, accounting and tax obligations.
• To enforce our Terms and Conditions and prevent misuse.

We do not use your information for automated decision-making, and we do not send marketing on behalf of third parties.

7. Legal bases for readers in the UK and EEA

Where the General Data Protection Regulation applies, we rely on the following legal bases: your consent for the newsletter and non-essential analytics; our legitimate interests in operating a secure website and answering correspondence; and legal obligation for records we must keep. You may withdraw consent at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email or by writing to us.

8. Who we share information with

We share information only with service providers who process it on our instructions: our hosting provider, our email delivery platform, our analytics provider and our payment processor. Each is bound by a data processing agreement and may not use your information for its own purposes.

We may also disclose information where required by law, in response to a valid legal request, or to protect the rights and safety of our readers or staff. We do not sell personal information, and we have not sold personal information in the past twelve months.

9. International transfers

Our providers may store data in countries other than yours, including the United States. Where information leaves the UK or EEA, we rely on adequacy decisions or standard contractual clauses and take reasonable steps to ensure an equivalent level of protection.

10. How long we keep information

Newsletter records are kept until you unsubscribe, plus a short suppression record so that we do not email you again by mistake. Correspondence is kept for up to three years. Server logs are kept for 30 days. Payment and tax records are kept for the period required by law, typically six to seven years.

11. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• access the personal information we hold about you, and receive a copy;
• correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
• delete information we no longer have a lawful reason to keep;
• restrict or object to certain processing, including direct marketing;
• receive your information in a portable, machine-readable format;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
• lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, write to [email protected]. We respond within 30 days and will not charge a fee unless a request is manifestly unfounded or repetitive. We may ask you to verify your identity before acting.

If you are a California resident, you may also request disclosure of the categories of information we collect and the purposes for which we use it. We do not discriminate against readers who exercise their privacy rights.

12. Children

Health Digest is written for adults and is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with information, contact us and we will delete it.

13. Security

We use encryption in transit, access controls and least-privilege permissions for staff. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we will notify affected readers and relevant authorities without undue delay if a breach is likely to result in a risk to their rights.

14. Third-party links

Our articles link to journals, guidelines and public health bodies. Once you follow a link, the destination site's privacy policy governs what happens next. We are not responsible for the practices of those sites.

15. Changes to this policy

We review this policy annually and whenever our practices change. The date at the top of this page always reflects the current version. If a change materially affects your rights, we will describe it in the newsletter as well.

16. Contact

Privacy questions and requests: [email protected]. General editorial questions: [email protected]. You can also use our contact form.