Privacy Policy

Who we are

Medtown is a medical research and data analysis blog operated by Isadora Mamede Mendes da Silva, MD, based in Brazil. Our website address is medtown.com.br. You can contact us at isamamede@medtown.com.br.

What data we collect and why

Email address

When you subscribe to our newsletter or request the free ebook, we collect your email address. We use this solely to send you the ebook and our newsletter. We do not sell your email address. We do not share it with third parties except as described in this policy.

Name (optional)

If you choose to provide your first name when subscribing, we use it only to personalise the emails we send you.

Usage data

Like most websites, we collect anonymised data about how visitors use this site, including pages visited, time on site, referring URL, and browser type. This data is collected via Google Analytics and is used to understand which content is most useful. It is not linked to personally identifiable information.

Comments

If you leave a comment on a blog post, we collect the name, email address, and website you provide, along with your IP address and browser user agent string, to help spam detection. An anonymised hash of your email address may be provided to Gravatar to check for a profile picture.

How we use your data

We use the data we collect for the following purposes:

• To deliver the free ebook you requested
• To send our newsletter when you have opted in
• To improve the content and structure of this website
• To prevent spam and abuse

We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose beyond what is described here.

Legal basis for processing (GDPR and LGPD)

For visitors from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Brazil, we process personal data under the following legal bases:

• Consent: You have given explicit consent by completing a subscription form. You may withdraw this consent at any time by unsubscribing.
• Legitimate interests: Anonymised analytics data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in understanding how our content performs, in a way that does not override your rights.

This policy complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD, Law No. 13.709/2018), and applicable Brazilian data protection law.

Third-party services

MailerLite

We use MailerLite to manage our email subscriber list and send newsletters. When you subscribe, your email address and any optional fields you complete are transmitted to and stored by MailerLite, Inc. MailerLite acts as a data processor on our behalf. Their privacy policy is available at mailerlite.com/legal/privacy-policy.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymised usage statistics. Google Analytics sets cookies to measure user behaviour. The data is processed by Google LLC. We have enabled IP anonymisation. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

HostGator / Hosting provider

Our website is hosted by HostGator. Server logs, including IP addresses and access times, may be stored by HostGator for security and operational purposes.

Cookies

This website uses the following cookies:

• Theme preference: A cookie stores your dark/light mode preference locally in your browser. It contains no personal information and is not transmitted to our server.
• Google Analytics: Cookies named _ga, _gid, and related variants are set by Google Analytics to distinguish users and sessions. These are anonymised.
• WordPress: If you log in or leave a comment, WordPress sets cookies to remember your session and preferences.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings. Disabling cookies will not prevent you from reading the blog but may affect some functionality.

Data retention

We retain your email address for as long as you remain subscribed to our newsletter. When you unsubscribe, your email is removed from our active list within 30 days. Comment data is retained indefinitely unless you request deletion. Anonymised analytics data is retained for 26 months by Google Analytics.

Your rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: You can ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Deletion: You can ask us to delete your personal data.
• Restriction: You can ask us to restrict how we process your data.
• Portability: You can request your data in a portable format.
• Objection: You can object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Withdrawal of consent: You can withdraw consent at any time by clicking Unsubscribe in any email we send you.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at isamamede@medtown.com.br. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are located in Brazil and believe we have not complied with the LGPD, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados (ANPD) at gov.br/anpd. If you are located in the EU/EEA, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority.

Data security

We take reasonable technical measures to protect your personal data, including SSL encryption for all data transmitted to and from this website. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children's privacy

This website is not directed at children under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with their data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of the website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

For any privacy-related questions or requests, please contact:

Isadora Mamede Mendes da Silva, MD
Medtown
Brazil
isamamede@medtown.com.br