Privacy policy
iSymptom has no accounts, no sign-up forms and no comment sections. We do not ask for your name or your health information. The main data collected comes from Google's advertising and analytics services, and this page explains what they collect and how to limit it.
Last updated: October 9, 2026
Summary
- You can read every page without creating an account or giving us any personal details.
- We do not ask for, store or sell information about your health. The pages you read are not linked to your name by us.
- Google AdSense shows ads on the site and may use cookies to personalize them. You can turn off personalized ads in Google's Ads Settings.
- Google Analytics tells us, in aggregate, which pages are read and how visitors find them.
- If you email us, we receive whatever you choose to send and use it only to reply.
- You can contact privacy@isymptom.com to ask about, access or delete personal data.
Who we are
iSymptom (isymptom.com) is an educational health information website. In this policy, "we" and "us" mean the operator of iSymptom. For any privacy question, email privacy@isymptom.com.
Information we collect
Information collected automatically
When you visit, some information is collected automatically by our hosting and by the Google services described below:
- Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen size and language settings
- Usage data: pages viewed, time spent, links clicked, the page or search engine that referred you, and the date and time of your visit
- Approximate location: country, region or city, estimated from your IP address
- Cookie and device identifiers: see Cookies below
Our hosting provider may keep standard server logs, including IP addresses, for security and troubleshooting.
Information you give us
The only way to send us personal information is by email. If you email us, we receive your email address, your name if you include it, and the content of your message. Please do not send health information. We use your message only to respond and to fix problems you report, and we delete it when it is no longer needed.
What we do not collect
- We have no user accounts, logins, forms, comments or payment pages.
- We do not ask for your name, date of birth, address or phone number.
- We do not ask for or record your symptoms, diagnoses or medical history.
- The site search runs in your browser using a list of page titles. Your search terms are not sent to us.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files stored by your browser. iSymptom itself does not set its own cookies for tracking. The cookies used on the site are set by Google's services:
| Type | Set by | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising | Google AdSense and its partners | Show ads, limit how often you see the same ad, measure ad performance, prevent fraud, and (if allowed) personalize ads based on your interests |
| Analytics | Google Analytics | Count visits and measure how pages are used, in aggregate |
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The site will still work if you do, although ads will be less relevant.
Advertising (Google AdSense)
iSymptom is free because it shows ads served by Google AdSense.
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to this website or other websites.
- Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and other sites on the internet.
- You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings. You will still see ads, but they will be less tailored.
- You can opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalized advertising at aboutads.info (US) or youronlinechoices.eu (Europe).
- Learn more in how Google uses cookies in advertising.
Google may show non-personalized ads, which use only general context such as the page you are reading and your approximate location. Health topics are a sensitive category, and Google's policies do not allow advertisers to target personalized ads based on health conditions.
Ads are chosen automatically by Google. Showing an ad is not an endorsement, and advertisers have no influence over our content.
Analytics (Google Analytics)
We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used: which pages are popular, how people arrive at them, and where pages fail to help. This tells us which guides need improving. We see reports in aggregate and cannot identify individual visitors from them.
- You can stop Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
- See how Google uses information from sites that use its services.
Consent in Europe and the UK
Where the law requires your consent before non-essential cookies are used, such as in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, consent is requested through a message from Google's consent management tools before personalized ads are shown. You can change your choice at any time using the privacy settings link in that message or by clearing your cookies.
How we use information
We use the limited information collected to:
- Keep the site running, secure and fast
- Understand which pages are useful and which need improvement
- Show ads that pay for the site
- Reply to emails and fix reported problems
- Comply with legal obligations
We do not sell personal information for money. Under some US state laws, allowing advertising cookies for personalized ads may count as "sharing" or "selling" personal information. You can opt out using the options under Advertising, or by enabling the Global Privacy Control signal in your browser where supported.
Legal bases (EEA and UK visitors)
If you are in the European Economic Area or the UK, we rely on:
- Consent for advertising and analytics cookies, where consent is required
- Legitimate interests for keeping the site secure and understanding basic usage
- Legitimate interests or your request for replying to emails you send
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
- Know what personal information we hold about you and get a copy
- Correct inaccurate information
- Delete your information
- Object to or restrict certain uses, including opting out of personalized advertising
- Withdraw consent at any time
- Receive your data in a portable format
- Not be treated differently for exercising your rights
- Complain to a data protection authority (in the EEA or UK)
GDPR (EEA and UK): the rights above apply to personal data we control. CCPA/CPRA (California) and similar US state laws: you have the right to know, delete and correct personal information, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for targeted advertising.
Most data on this site is held by Google rather than by us. To manage or delete data that Google holds, use your Google account settings and the opt-out tools above. To make a request about data we hold (mainly emails you have sent), email privacy@isymptom.com. We will respond within the time required by law, usually within 30 days (GDPR) or 45 days (CCPA). We may need to ask for information to confirm your identity.
How long we keep data
- Emails are kept only as long as needed to deal with your message, and then deleted.
- Google Analytics data is kept according to the retention period set in our Analytics account, after which Google deletes it.
- Advertising data is retained by Google under Google's privacy policy.
Children's privacy
iSymptom is a general-audience site, not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, email privacy@isymptom.com and we will delete it.
Security
The site is served over an encrypted connection (HTTPS). Because we do not run accounts or forms, we hold very little personal data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so please do not email sensitive information.
International transfers
Google and our hosting provider may process data in the United States and other countries whose data protection laws differ from yours. Google uses legal safeguards such as standard contractual clauses for transfers from the EEA and UK.
Links to other websites
Our pages link to other websites, such as public health agencies. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. Check their policies when you visit them.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when our practices or the law change. The date at the top shows the latest version. Significant changes will be noted on this page.
Contact
Email privacy@isymptom.com with any privacy question or request. For other topics, see the contact page.