Effective Date: February 20, 2025

Speaking of Blood Clots (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of our website visitors and users (“you”). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and share personal information when you visit and interact with our website and related services.

1. Cookie Consent

When you first visit this site, you will be presented with a cookie consent notice before any non-essential cookies are loaded. You may choose to accept or decline. If you decline, non-essential cookies will not be set and you will see a confirmation of that choice. You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clearing your browser cookies and revisiting the site.

We use cookies for the following purposes:

• Essential cookies: Required for the site to function. These are set regardless of consent.
• Analytics cookies: We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our site. These are only set with your active consent.

2. Information We Collect

We collect several types of information from and about users of our site, which may include personal information that can be used to identify you, such as your name and email address, as well as non-personal information such as your browser type, operating system, and the pages you visit.

(a) Information You Provide to Us:

• Contact Information: When you contact us through our contact form or subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your name and email address.
• Registration: If you register on this site, we collect your name and email address. Active consent is required before registration is processed.
• Opt-in Communications: If you subscribe to our email list, active consent is required before your data is stored. You may withdraw consent at any time by unsubscribing.

(b) Information We Collect Automatically:

• Log Files: We automatically collect certain information when you visit our site, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring and exit pages, and date and time stamps.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: With your active consent, we use cookies and similar tracking technologies. You may instruct your browser to refuse all cookies. If you do not accept cookies, some portions of our site may not function as intended.

(c) Information We Collect from Third Parties:

• Google Analytics: With your active consent, we use Google Analytics to collect information about how users interact with our site, including traffic sources, page views, and general demographics. You can learn more about Google’s privacy practices at their website, or opt out using the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To provide and improve our services: We use your information to operate our site, respond to your inquiries, and improve our content and resources.
• To communicate with you: With your active consent, we may use your email address to send newsletters, updates, and educational content. You may unsubscribe at any time using the link provided in every email.
• To analyze and track data: With your active consent, we use Google Analytics to understand how our site is being used so we can improve it.
• To protect our site and users: We may use your information to protect our site and users from unauthorized access or misuse.

4. Sharing Your Information

• Service Providers: We may share your information with third-party service providers who assist us in operating our site and delivering our services, such as email marketing providers and website hosting providers. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law or in good faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation or protect the safety of our users or the public.
• Business Transfers: If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email or prominent notice on our site of any such change.

5. Affiliate Links & Brand Relationships

This site may contain affiliate links to products or services we believe may be of genuine value to our community. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate compensation never influences the content, recommendations, or educational information on this platform. We only reference products or services that are relevant to the lifestyle and health topics we cover, and we will always disclose when a link is affiliate-based.

From time to time, Speaking of Blood Clots may also enter into brand partnership or sponsorship arrangements. Any such relationship will be clearly disclosed at the point of the content — in the video, post, or resource where it appears — in compliance with FTC guidelines. As with affiliate links, brand relationships do not influence the evidence-based educational content on this platform. Our community’s trust is not for sale.

6. Links to External Sites

Our site contains links to external websites not operated by us, including links to medical organizations, research publications, and clinical resources. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

7. Your Privacy Rights

(a) All Users:

You have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal information. To make a request, contact us. We will respond within 30 days.

(b) California Residents:

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to Know: You may request information about the personal information we have collected about you and how it is used.
• Right to Delete: You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell your personal information.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

(c) International Users:

If you are located in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to access, correct, delete, or restrict the processing of your personal information, and the right to data portability. Our cookie consent mechanism is designed to comply with GDPR requirements for active, informed consent before non-essential data collection. To exercise any of these rights, contact us.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or as required by law. Google Analytics data is retained for a maximum of 14 months. Email subscriber data is retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.

9. Data Security

We have implemented reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our site is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately and we will delete that information.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post any changes on this page with an updated effective date. If changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please use our contact form. We respond to all privacy-related requests within 30 days.

13. Acceptance of Terms

By using this website, you signify your acceptance of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our site. Your continued use of the site following the posting of changes to this policy will be deemed your acceptance of those changes.

This Privacy Policy is intended to provide general information about our data practices. It does not constitute legal advice. We recommend consulting with qualified legal counsel to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations specific to your circumstances.