Privacy Policy

1. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to HairLossReporter.com (the “Site”) and describes how FT Media LLC (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects information in connection with your use of the Site. It is intended to comply with applicable U.S. federal and state privacy laws, including state consumer privacy statutes (such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act) and, where relevant to the information involved, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following limited categories of information when you visit HairLossReporter.com:

• Newsletter sign-up information: If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect the email address you provide. We use Google reCAPTCHA to verify sign-ups are made by a human, and we store a one-way cryptographic hash of your IP address (not the IP address itself) for abuse-prevention purposes.
• Contact enquiries: Our Contact page provides a direct email address for reaching us. Information you choose to send us by email (such as your name, email address, and the contents of your message) is received in our support inbox.
• Usage data: Pages visited, time on site, referring/exit pages, device and browser type, and IP address, collected automatically via cookies and analytics tools (Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager).
• Affiliate click data:When you click through to a partner offer, we may store a click or campaign identifier (for example, a Google Click Identifier) in your browser’s session storage so that the referring partner can attribute the click. This identifier does not include health information.

We do not require or knowingly collect health, medical, symptom, or treatment information through any form, field, or feature on this Site.

3. Health Information and Protected Health Information (PHI)

Because HairLossReporter.com is an editorial and comparison site rather than a healthcare provider, pharmacy, or telehealth service, we are not a HIPAA “covered entity” or “business associate,” and the limited information described above is not collected, used, or maintained as part of any HIPAA-regulated healthcare operation. That said, because our content relates to a health condition, we maintain the following protocols to protect any health-related information a visitor might share with us:

• No PHI by design: Our newsletter sign-up and other on-site forms are designed to collect only the minimum information necessary (such as an email address) and never prompt for symptoms, diagnoses, medications, treatment history, or other health details.
• Unsolicited health information: If you voluntarily include health-related details in an email or message to us, that information is used solely to respond to your enquiry, is not added to marketing lists or analytics systems, is not sold or shared with third parties for advertising purposes, and is deleted once your enquiry has been resolved and any legal retention requirement has passed.
• Access controls: Any information received by email or stored in our subscriber database is accessible only to authorized personnel who need it to operate the Site or respond to enquiries.
• Third-party telehealth partners:Where this Site links or refers you to a telehealth provider, pharmacy, or treatment quiz operated by a third party (for example, through an outbound consultation or intake flow), any health information you provide is collected and processed directly by that third party under its own privacy policy and, where applicable, in accordance with HIPAA. We do not receive, view, or store the substance of that information. We encourage you to review each partner’s privacy policy before providing any health information to them.

4. Data Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to protect information collected through the Site, including:

• All information transmitted to and from the Site, including newsletter sign-ups and contact communications, is encrypted in transit using Transport Layer Security / Secure Socket Layer (TLS/SSL) technology.
• Our subscriber database is hosted with a managed cloud database provider that encrypts data at rest and enforces credential-based access controls.
• IP addresses collected for abuse-prevention purposes are stored only as a one-way SHA-256 hash and cannot be reversed to reveal the original address.
• Newsletter sign-ups are protected against automated abuse using Google reCAPTCHA.

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a security incident affecting your personal information, we will notify affected individuals and any required regulators in accordance with applicable law.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Deliver the newsletter content you have signed up to receive.
• Respond to enquiries submitted through our Contact page.
• Understand how the Site is used, measure traffic, and improve content and site performance.
• Attribute affiliate referrals to the appropriate partner and prevent fraud or abuse.
• Comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal requests.

6. Cookies and Analytics

We use Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, which place cookies and similar technologies on your device to help us understand aggregate site usage. These tools may collect information such as your approximate location, browser type, and pages viewed. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, or disable cookies generally through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect certain site functionality.

7. Sharing of Information

We do not sell your personal information, and we never sell or share health-related information. We may share limited information with:

• Service providers: Technology vendors that host the Site, store our newsletter database, verify reCAPTCHA submissions, or provide analytics (e.g., our hosting provider, database provider, and Google), each of whom is only permitted to use the information to provide services to us.
• Affiliate partners: Click or campaign identifiers used solely to attribute a referral, which do not include health information.
• Legal requirements: When required by law, subpoena, or court order, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of HairLossReporter.com, our users, or others.
• Business transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to the same protections described in this policy.

8. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of the personal information we hold about you, to opt out of certain data processing, or to withdraw consent (such as unsubscribing from our newsletter). To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.

9. Data Retention

We retain newsletter subscriber information for as long as you remain subscribed. You may unsubscribe at any time using the link included in our emails or by contacting us directly, after which your email address will be deleted from our subscriber database within a reasonable period. Contact enquiries are retained only as long as necessary to resolve the enquiry and meet any applicable legal or record-keeping requirements.

10. Children’s Privacy

This Site is intended for adults and is not directed to children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.

11. Third-Party Links

This website contains links to third-party websites, including telehealth providers, treatment quizzes, and product pages. HairLossReporter.com is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those external sites, and information you provide directly to a third party — including any health information — is governed by that third party’s own privacy policy, not this one. We encourage you to review their privacy policies, including any HIPAA notice of privacy practices where applicable, before submitting any personal or health information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. Material changes will be noted with an updated date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Site constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy, or requests regarding your personal information? Contact us here.