Privacy Policy

The American Society of Hirudotherapy (“ASH,” “we,” “our”) operates the website hirudotherapysociety.org. We aim to minimize data collection. This site is primarily an informational resource. We do not request medical details and you should not submit protected health information (PHI) via email or web forms.

Server logs: Our hosting provider (Vercel, Inc.) automatically collects standard server logs including IP addresses, browser type, referring pages, and timestamps. These logs are used for security, performance monitoring, and abuse prevention. Vercel’s privacy policy is available at vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy.

Analytics: We use two analytics services:

• Google Analytics 4 (via Google Tag Manager): We use Google Tag Manager (GTM-53BNDSL5) to load Google Analytics 4 (GA4), which collects usage data including pages viewed, session duration, approximate geographic location (city/region level), device type, browser, and referral source. Google Analytics uses first-party cookies (e.g., _ga, _ga_*) to distinguish unique visitors across sessions. Google’s privacy policy is available at policies.google.com/privacy. You may opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
• Vercel Analytics: We also use Vercel Analytics, which collects aggregated, anonymized usage data (page views, visitor counts) without cookies and without identifying individual visitors.
• Vercel Speed Insights: We use Vercel Speed Insights to monitor page load performance (Core Web Vitals). This service collects performance metrics without identifying individual users.

Voluntary information: If you contact us via email, we receive your email address and any information you choose to include. We do not use contact forms on this website.

We do not use advertising cookies or behavioral targeting technologies. We do not sell or share data for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Cookies we use: Google Analytics sets first-party cookies (e.g., _ga, _ga_*) to distinguish unique visitors and track session activity. These are analytics cookies, not advertising cookies. You can control cookies through your browser settings or install the Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on.

Vercel Analytics and Vercel Speed Insights operate without cookies.

If you are a California resident, you have specific privacy rights under the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), formerly the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). This section supplements the information above.

Categories of personal information collected

• Identifiers: IP address (via server logs), email address (only if you contact us voluntarily)
• Internet activity: Browsing history on our site, pages viewed, referring URL, session duration, approximate geographic location (via server logs and Google Analytics)
• Device information: Browser type, operating system, device category, screen resolution (via Google Analytics)
• Unique identifiers: Google Analytics client ID (stored in first-party cookies) used to distinguish unique visitors. This is not linked to your name or account

How we use this information

We use the information collected for: website security and abuse prevention, aggregated analytics to improve our content, and responding to your inquiries if you contact us.

Sensitive health information notice

While this website contains medical educational content, browsing this site does not constitute a healthcare interaction. We do not collect, process, or store protected health information (PHI) or sensitive health data as defined under CPRA. Page view data collected by Google Analytics may indicate interest in specific health topics but is not linked to your identity or health records.

Your California privacy rights

• Right to know: You may request what personal information we have collected about you.
• Right to delete: You may request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to opt out of sale/sharing: We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
• Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise these rights, contact us at adokukin@leechmedicine.com. We will verify your identity before processing your request and respond within 45 days.

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and equivalent local laws. This section supplements the information above.

Legal basis for processing

• Legitimate interests: We process server log data (IP addresses, browser type, timestamps) to maintain website security, prevent abuse, and monitor performance (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).
• Consent: Where required by applicable law, we rely on your consent for analytics data collection. Google Analytics uses first-party cookies; Vercel Analytics operates without cookies and collects only anonymized data.
• Contract/request: If you contact us by email, we process your information to respond to your inquiry (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR).

Your rights under GDPR

• Right of access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: You may request correction of inaccurate personal data.
• Right to erasure: You may request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Right to restriction: You may request that we limit processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: You may request your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Right to object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to lodge a complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

International data transfers

Our website is hosted in the United States by Vercel, Inc. If you access our site from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. We rely on Vercel’s data processing practices, which include standard contractual clauses and other safeguards for international transfers. For details, see Vercel’s privacy policy.

To exercise these rights, contact us at adokukin@leechmedicine.com. We will respond within 30 days as required by GDPR.

The American Society of Hirudotherapy is a professional education and advocacy organization. We are not a covered entity or business associate under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). We do not provide medical treatment, process health insurance claims, or maintain patient medical records. We do not operate a healthcare clearinghouse.

While we are not subject to HIPAA requirements, we are committed to protecting your privacy and strongly advise against submitting any protected health information (PHI) through email or any communication channel. If you inadvertently send PHI, we will delete it promptly upon discovery.

Our website is intended for healthcare professionals, researchers, and adults seeking medical education resources. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately at adokukin@leechmedicine.com and we will promptly delete such information.

Server logs are retained by our hosting provider according to their data retention policies (typically 30 days). Email correspondence is retained as long as necessary to address your inquiry or as required by law. Anonymized analytics data is retained indefinitely as it cannot be linked to individual users.

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the bottom of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

For privacy-related questions, data access requests, or deletion requests, contact: adokukin@leechmedicine.com

American Society of Hirudotherapy
24001 Calle De La Magdalena, #2246
Laguna Hills, CA 92654