Privacy Policy

Overview

This Privacy Policy explains how Atlas handles information when people browse public medical and biomedical content, use Atlas Studio, submit a contact request, make privacy choices, or interact with enabled analytics and advertising features.

Atlas should be configured so that only information needed to operate, secure, improve and lawfully support the service is collected. The exact third-party providers used in production may change over time; where a provider processes information on behalf of Atlas, the live configuration and applicable provider terms also apply.

Information you provide directly

Atlas may receive information that you choose to provide, such as your name, email address, contact-form message, correction request, privacy request, partnership enquiry, account information, or content entered through authorized Studio workflows.

Do not submit passwords, payment-card details, medical records, patient-identifying information, or other sensitive information through the general public contact form unless Atlas has explicitly provided an appropriate secure workflow for that purpose.

Account and authentication information

Authorized Atlas Studio users may have account identifiers, roles, login sessions and security-related records. Atlas uses session cookies and application security controls to authenticate users, maintain sessions, enforce permissions and protect administrative functions.

Technical and usage information

When Atlas is used, the application and hosting infrastructure may process technical information needed to deliver and protect the service. This can include request timestamps, URLs, browser or device information, IP-derived network information, error logs, security events and similar operational data.

Atlas also includes first-party content analytics features that can record events such as article page views, reading activity, internal-link interactions and advertising-placement impressions or viewability. Production configuration should avoid collecting more information than is necessary for legitimate product, security and reporting purposes.

Cookies, local storage and privacy choices

Atlas uses technologies such as cookies and browser storage for essential functions including authentication and saved privacy choices. The public advertising-consent interface stores the visitor’s selected choice in the browser so Atlas can respect that choice on later page views.

Where optional advertising or similar non-essential technologies require a visitor choice, Atlas can delay provider code until the configured consent requirement has been satisfied. A visitor can reopen the privacy-choice control from the public website footer.

Advertising

Atlas can display advertising from a configured third-party advertising provider and can also display first-party house promotions. Third-party advertising code may set or access cookies or similar technologies when it is enabled and permitted by the visitor’s applicable privacy choice.

Advertising is labelled separately from editorial content. If advertising consent is declined, unavailable, blocked or unfilled, Atlas may display a clearly labelled first-party promotion that does not require the external advertising provider.

The exact advertising provider, seller identifiers and authorized seller records should be documented in the live Atlas configuration and public ads.txt file where applicable.

Contact and correction requests

Messages submitted through the Atlas contact workflow are used to review and respond to the request. Categories can include general enquiries, corrections, privacy matters, partnerships and technical issues. Atlas may retain correspondence when reasonably needed to document a correction, resolve a request, protect the service or meet applicable obligations.

How information is used

Depending on the feature and production configuration, Atlas may use information to:

• deliver public pages and authenticated Studio functions;
• maintain account sessions and permissions;
• respond to contact, correction and privacy requests;
• measure content performance and improve navigation or discovery;
• operate, measure and troubleshoot configured advertising placements;
• detect abuse, investigate errors and protect the security of the service;
• maintain backups, logs and operational records; and
• comply with applicable legal obligations.

Sharing and service providers

Atlas may rely on infrastructure, email, analytics, security, storage, content-delivery or advertising service providers in production. Those providers may process limited information needed to perform their contracted service. Atlas should review production providers and configure access according to the principle of least privilege.

Atlas should not sell personal information merely because a visitor reads an article. Any production practice that changes how personal information is shared, sold, used for targeted advertising or transferred across jurisdictions should be reflected accurately in this policy and in the consent configuration.

Data retention

Retention periods depend on the type of record and why it is needed. Account and security records may be retained while an account is active and for an appropriate period afterward. Contact and correction records may be retained long enough to resolve and document the request. Operational logs and analytics should be retained only as long as reasonably needed for security, troubleshooting, reporting or other legitimate operational purposes.

Security

Atlas uses application and infrastructure controls intended to protect information, including authenticated Studio access, role-based permissions, encrypted Laravel application secrets, secure-session options, security headers, request validation and other server-side safeguards. No internet service can guarantee absolute security.

Your choices and requests

Visitors can use the Privacy Choices control in the public footer to revisit the configured advertising-consent choice. Depending on applicable law and the nature of the information Atlas holds, a person may also ask about access, correction or deletion of personal information by using the Atlas contact page and selecting the privacy category.

Children

Atlas is an informational platform and is not designed to knowingly collect personal information from children through public forms. If a concern involves a child’s personal information, contact Atlas so the issue can be reviewed.

International use

Atlas may be accessible internationally. Hosting and service providers can process information in countries different from the visitor’s location. Before production launch, Atlas should verify that its real provider contracts and transfer mechanisms are appropriate for the jurisdictions it serves.

Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated when Atlas functionality, production service providers or legal requirements change. Material changes should be reflected in the visible last-updated date and, where appropriate, in the consent workflow.

Contact Atlas

Questions about privacy, data handling or privacy rights can be submitted through the Atlas contact page. Select the privacy category so the request can be routed appropriately.