Privacy policy.

We use Google Analytics 4 (property G-HKH6ZT8V21) to understand which pages people find useful — for example, whether the page on late diagnosis is being read at all. Alongside it we use Vercel’s built-in Web Analytics and Speed Insights, described below.

We implement Google Consent Mode v2. On every page, consent defaults to denied for analytics storage, ad storage, ad user data and ad personalisation. That default is set in the page head before Analytics loads, so nothing is stored until you actively choose otherwise.

• If you press Accept: analytics storage is granted. GA4 sets its own cookies and can measure your visit across pages and sessions.
• If you press Decline: your choice is remembered and the banner does not reappear. Analytics storage stays denied.
• If you ignore the banner: analytics storage stays denied.

Data GA4 may process when you accept includes pages viewed, approximate location derived from IP address (typically city or region level), device and browser type, referring site, and general interaction events. Google acts as our processor for this data; its own handling is governed by Google’s Privacy Policy ↗. Google may transfer and store this information on servers outside your country, including in the United States.

We retain GA4 data according to Google’s standard retention settings and we do not export it, combine it with other datasets, or attempt to identify individual visitors. We never knowingly collect health information — we have no forms, quizzes or symptom checkers that would capture it.

This site is hosted on Vercel, and we use two measurement features built into that hosting: Web Analytics (which pages are visited, roughly where from, which referrer) and Speed Insights (how fast pages actually load for real visitors).

These differ from Google Analytics in ways that matter:

• They set no cookies and store nothing on your device.
• They are first-party. The scripts and the data they send are served from this domain, not from an external tracker, so no request leaves for a third-party analytics host.
• No cross-site tracking and no advertising use. Vercel does not build advertising profiles from this data, and it is not shared with advertisers.
• Visitors are counted using a value derived from request data that is not stored as a persistent identifier, so we cannot follow an individual across days.

Because nothing is stored on or read from your device, these features are not covered by cookie-consent rules in the way Google Analytics is, and they run without the banner. Our lawful basis is legitimate interest in understanding whether the site works and loads properly. We think that is the right call for cookieless, non-identifying measurement — but we would rather state it plainly here than leave it unmentioned.

If you would prefer not to be counted at all, a content blocker or a browser that blocks scripts will stop both features, and the site will work exactly the same without them.

Some features remember things in your own browser. These never leave your device and are not sent to us:

• adhd_consent_v1 — stores whether you accepted or declined analytics, so we don’t ask again.
• am-guide and am-seen — remember which stops of the guided path you have visited, so the “Resume” button works.

Clearing your browser’s site data removes all of these, and the consent banner will appear again on your next visit.

If you accept analytics, GA4 additionally sets its own cookies (typically _ga and related identifiers) under Google’s terms.

Depending on where you live, data protection law may give you rights over personal data we process — including the right to access it, correct it, request deletion, object to processing, or withdraw consent. Readers in the UK and EU have these rights under the UK GDPR and EU GDPR; readers in the Philippines have comparable rights under the Data Privacy Act of 2012; readers in California have rights under the CCPA/CPRA.

Withdrawing consent is immediate and needs no request: clear this site’s data in your browser settings, then choose Decline when the banner reappears.

Because we hold no accounts and no directly identifying information, we usually cannot locate an individual visitor’s records — there is nothing tied to your name or email. If you want to exercise a right or ask a question, email proteuspeace@proton.me and we will respond as promptly as we reasonably can.

Our lawful basis for analytics is your consent. Our basis for serving the site itself is our legitimate interest in operating a functioning website.

Questions about privacy: proteuspeace@proton.me · See also our Terms of use and editorial approach.