Cookie policy

Last updated: April 20, 2026. Counsel-review draft. Intended for review by qualified legal counsel and confirmation against actual cookies set in production before being relied upon publicly.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that websites place on your device to remember things between visits — like whether you're signed in, what's in your shopping cart, or what your preferences are. "Similar technologies" include local storage, session storage, pixels, and tags that achieve similar things.

What cookies and similar technologies we use

Acupuncturing uses a deliberately small number of cookies and similar technologies, organized in three categories:

1. Strictly necessary

These are required for the Service to function. They cannot be disabled while using the Service.

• Session and authentication cookies. If you sign in as a practitioner, we use a session cookie to keep you signed in across pages. Removed when you sign out or when the session expires (typically 30 days).
• Form anti-spam cookies. Used by our form submission infrastructure (Netlify Forms) to prevent automated abuse.
• Security cookies. Used to protect against cross-site request forgery and other security threats.

2. Analytics

We use analytics to understand how the Service is used in aggregate, so we can improve it. Our analytics provider (currently Plausible Analytics) is privacy-respecting:

• Does not use cookies for visitor tracking
• Does not collect or store any personal information
• Does not track visitors across sites or devices
• Is GDPR, CCPA, and PECR compliant by design

Plausible reports aggregate metrics like page views, traffic sources, device types, and country-level location. It does not produce individual visitor profiles.

3. Functional

If we add features that depend on remembering your preferences (for example, recently-viewed practitioners or saved searches), we may set additional functional cookies in the future. We will update this policy and provide opt-out controls before deploying any such cookies.

What we do not use

For clarity, we do not use:

• Advertising or tracking cookies. We do not run third-party ad networks or audience-targeting trackers on the Service.
• Social media tracking pixels. We do not embed Facebook Pixel, Twitter Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, or similar.
• Cross-site tracking. We do not share data with third parties for the purpose of tracking you across the web.
• Fingerprinting. We do not use browser fingerprinting techniques.

If our practices change in the future — for example, if we begin running paid advertising and need to deploy a conversion pixel — we will update this policy and provide appropriate consent mechanisms before doing so.

Cookies set by practitioners' websites

Practitioner profile pages may link out to a practitioner's own website. Once you click such a link, you've left Acupuncturing. The practitioner's website has its own cookies and tracking — those are governed by that website's privacy and cookie policies, not ours.

How to control cookies

Through your browser

Most browsers let you view, manage, and delete cookies. You can typically:

• Block all cookies (the Service may not function correctly)
• Block third-party cookies only
• Delete existing cookies
• Set up notifications when cookies are being placed

Look for "Privacy" or "Cookies" in your browser's settings. Specific instructions for major browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Safari
• Firefox
• Microsoft Edge

Do Not Track

We honor the Do Not Track (DNT) browser signal where it is set. Because our analytics provider does not track individuals, this does not change much in practice — but it means we will not retroactively change to a tracking analytics provider in the future without ongoing DNT support.

Global Privacy Control

For users in jurisdictions where the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal carries legal weight (notably California under CPRA), we honor GPC as a valid opt-out request. You can enable GPC through several browsers or browser extensions; see globalprivacycontrol.org.

Changes to this policy

We will update this policy if our use of cookies changes meaningfully. The "last updated" date at the top will reflect any change. Material changes will be announced on the Service.

Related policies

• Privacy policy — full picture of what we collect, how we use it, and your rights
• Terms of service — the legal agreement for using the Service
• Medical disclaimer — important context for health information on the Service

Contact

Questions about cookies on Acupuncturing: privacy@acupuncturing.com