1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide:

• Account Details: Name, email, phone number, password, location/city
• Health Preferences: Symptoms, health goals, preferred care styles, general health interests
• Profile Information: Username, bio, interests you choose to share
• Community Content: Forum posts, comments, practitioner reviews, messages
• Communications: Customer service inquiries, survey responses, feedback

Information We Collect Automatically:

• Usage Data: Pages viewed, features used, time spent, search queries
• Device Information: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system
• Cookies and Analytics: Website behavior and preferences (see Section 8)

2. How We Use Your Information

Core Platform Services:

• Suggest practitioners and services based on your preferences and symptoms
• Provide personalized practitioner suggestions based on our curation and available profiles
• Enable community forum participation and discussions
• Process account creation and management
• Provide customer support

Platform Improvement:

• Analyze usage to improve our suggestion algorithms
• Develop new features based on user feedback
• Ensure platform security and prevent misuse
• Create aggregated, anonymous insights about platform usage

Communications (with your permission):

• Send updates about new practitioners or platform features
• Share relevant wellness content and community highlights
• Conduct occasional surveys for feedback

3. How We Share Your Information

We Share Information:

With Your Consent:

• When you choose to share profile information publicly
• If you request help connecting with specific practitioners

For Platform Operations:

• With service providers who help us operate (hosting, analytics, customer support)
• All vendors must agree to protect your information and use it only for our services

Community Features:

• Forum posts, comments, and reviews are visible to other users
• Profile information you choose to make public

Legal Requirements:

• When required by law or to protect safety and legal rights
• To investigate violations of our Terms of Use

Business Changes:

If Ellie Health is sold or merged, your information may be part of that transfer

We Do NOT:

• Sell your personal information to third parties
• Share your information with insurance companies or employers
• Use your data for medical research without explicit consent

4. Community Content Warning

Public Visibility: Content you share in forums and comments is visible to other users and may be copied or shared beyond our control.

Safety Tips:

• Avoid sharing specific medical details in public posts
• Use general terms when discussing health topics
• Don't include personal contact information in posts

5. Your Privacy Choices

Account Control:

• Update Information: Change your profile and preferences anytime
• Delete Account: Contact hello@elliehealth.co to request deletion
• Privacy Settings: Control what profile information is visible to others

Communication Preferences:

• Marketing Emails: Unsubscribe via email links or account settings
• Essential Emails: Service-related messages will continue (security alerts, policy updates)

Advertising and Tracking:

• Cookie Settings: Manage through your browser settings
• Ad Preferences: Adjust settings on Google, Facebook, and other platforms
• Opt-Out Tools: Use industry tools like optout.aboutads.info

6. Data Security

We protect your information using:

• Secure, encrypted data storage and transmission
• Limited employee access on a need-to-know basis
• Regular security updates and monitoring
• Industry-standard security practices

Your Part: Keep your login credentials secure and report any suspicious activity.

Important: While we use strong security measures, no online service can guarantee 100% security.

7. Data Retention

We keep your information:

• Account Data: Until you delete your account
• Community Posts: May remain after account deletion for forum continuity
• Legal Records: As required by law (typically 3-7 years)
• Anonymous Analytics: Indefinitely after removing identifying information

8. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies to:

• Keep you logged in and remember your preferences
• Understand how you use our platform to make improvements
• Provide relevant content and practitioner suggestions
• Measure the effectiveness of our services

Managing Cookies: You can control cookies through your browser settings, though this may affect some platform features.

9. Children's Privacy

Ellie Health is for users 18 and older. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we discover a child has created an account, we'll delete it promptly.

10. International Users

Ellie Health operates from the United States. If you're accessing from outside the U.S., your information will be processed here under U.S. privacy laws.

11. Third-Party Services

Our platform may link to practitioner websites, social media, or other external services. This Privacy Policy doesn't apply to those third-party sites - please review their own privacy policies.

12. Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally. For significant changes, we'll notify you via email or a prominent platform notice. Continued use of the platform means you accept any updates.

13. Contact Us

Questions about this Privacy Policy?

Email: hello@elliehealth.co

We'll respond to privacy inquiries within 30 days.