Cookie Policy
Last Updated: December 8, 2025
Important Update! Med City AI uses Local Storage (not cookies) to store your preferences locally on your device. This data never leaves your device and provides you with a personalized experience including specialty preferences and article likes.
1. Current Storage Usage
Med City AI does NOT use cookies, but we do use Local Storage to enhance your experience. Here's what we store and why:
1.1 Local Storage (Used)
We use Local Storage to store the following information on your device:
- Specialty Preferences: Your selected medical specialties for filtering relevant publications
- Article Likes: Publications you've marked as favorites for easy access
- User Preferences: Display settings and interface customizations
- Session State: Temporary data to maintain your browsing experience
Key Differences from Cookies:
- ✓ Data stays on your device—never sent to our servers
- ✓ No expiration date—persists until you clear it
- ✓ Not used for tracking or advertising
- ✓ Only accessible by our website
- ✓ Larger storage capacity than cookies
1.2 Cookies (Not Used)
We do NOT use:
- ✓ No traditional HTTP cookies
- ✓ No third-party advertising or analytics cookies
- ✓ No tracking cookies for behavioral profiling
- ✓ No session cookies for authentication (we have no user accounts)
2. What Are Cookies vs. Local Storage?
2.1 Cookies
Cookies are small text files that websites place on your device. They are sent to the server with every request and commonly used for:
- User authentication and session management
- Tracking user behavior across websites
- Advertising and personalization
- Analytics and performance monitoring
2.2 Local Storage (What We Use)
Local Storage is a modern browser feature that stores data directly on your device. Unlike cookies:
- Never Transmitted: Data stays on your device and is not sent to servers
- Larger Capacity: Can store much more data than cookies (typically 5-10MB vs. 4KB)
- No Expiration: Persists indefinitely until you clear it
- Domain Isolated: Only accessible by the website that created it
- No Automatic Transmission: Reduces bandwidth and improves privacy
3. Why We Use Local Storage Instead of Cookies
We believe in privacy by design and user empowerment. Local Storage allows us to:
- Enhanced Privacy: Your preferences never leave your device or get transmitted to our servers
- User Control: You can clear your preferences anytime through browser settings
- Personalization: Save your specialty interests and favorite articles
- Transparency: Clear disclosure of what data we store and why
- Simplicity: No cookie consent banners or complex opt-out procedures
- Compliance: Fewer regulatory concerns as data never leaves your device
- Performance: Faster page loads without server-side cookie processing
4. How to Manage Local Storage
4.1 Viewing Local Storage
You can view what we store at any time through your browser's developer tools:
- Chrome/Edge: F12 → Application tab → Local Storage → Select our domain
- Firefox: F12 → Storage tab → Local Storage → Select our domain
- Safari: Option+Cmd+C → Storage tab → Local Storage → Select our domain
4.2 Clearing Local Storage
You have complete control to clear stored data at any time:
- Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Clear browsing data → Site data
- Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data → Clear Data
- Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data → Remove
- Edge: Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data → Site data
Note: Clearing Local Storage will reset your specialty preferences and article likes, but you can reconfigure them at any time.
5. Data We Collect (Server Logs)
While we don't use cookies, our web server automatically logs basic technical information when you visit the site. This is standard for all websites and is necessary for basic operation:
- IP Address: Your device's internet address (automatically anonymized after a short period)
- Browser Type: What browser you're using (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari)
- Device Type: Desktop, mobile, or tablet
- Access Time: When you visited the site
- Referrer: What website sent you to us (if any)
- Pages Viewed: Which pages you accessed during your visit
Important: This logging happens at the server level (not in your browser) and is temporary. These logs are used only for security, troubleshooting, and basic analytics.
6. Third-Party Services
Med City AI does not integrate any third-party tracking or analytics services. However, when you click links to external sites (such as PubMed or publisher websites), those external sites may use their own cookies and storage according to their privacy policies.
External sites we link to:
- PubMed (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov): May use cookies according to NIH privacy policy
- Publisher Websites: May use cookies for functionality and analytics
- Social Media Platforms: May use cookies when you share content
We have no control over and are not responsible for cookies or storage set by third-party websites. Please review their privacy policies for information about their practices.
7. Future Updates
We are committed to maintaining our privacy-first approach. If we ever add new features that require additional storage or data collection, we will:
- Update this Cookie Policy with detailed information
- Notify users of significant changes
- Continue to prioritize Local Storage over cookies where possible
- Provide clear controls to manage or opt-out of any new data collection
- Comply with all applicable privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA, etc.)
8. Your Privacy Controls
You have full control over Local Storage data stored by Med City AI:
8.1 Managing Our Local Storage
Clear your specialty preferences and article likes at any time through browser settings (see Section 4.2 above).
8.2 Browser Settings
All modern browsers allow you to control cookie and storage settings:
- Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
- Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
- Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Cookies and website data
- Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Cookies and site data
8.3 Browser Extensions
Consider using privacy-focused browser extensions:
- Privacy Badger (blocks tracking cookies)
- uBlock Origin (blocks ads and trackers)
- Cookie AutoDelete (automatically deletes cookies)
8.4 Private Browsing
Use your browser's private/incognito mode to browse without storing Local Storage or cookies:
- Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+N (Mac)
- Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac)
- Safari: Cmd+Shift+N (Mac)
- Edge: Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+N (Mac)
9. Legal Compliance
9.1 GDPR (European Union)
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires websites to obtain consent before using non-essential cookies. Since Med City AI uses Local Storage (which stays on your device) rather than cookies, and this data never leaves your device, GDPR cookie consent requirements are minimal. Our Local Storage use is for legitimate interest in providing personalized features.
9.2 CCPA (California)
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) gives users rights regarding their personal information. Since we don't use cookies to track users, most CCPA concerns related to tracking don't apply to our site.
9.3 ePrivacy Directive
The EU's ePrivacy Directive (Cookie Law) requires websites to inform users about cookies and obtain consent. Since we don't use cookies, this directive doesn't apply to Med City AI.
10. How to Verify We Don't Use Cookies
You can verify our no-cookie policy yourself using browser developer tools:
- Open your browser's developer tools (usually F12 key)
- Navigate to the "Application" tab (Chrome/Edge) or "Storage" tab (Firefox)
- Check the "Cookies" section—it should be empty for medcityai.com
- Check "Local Storage" and "Session Storage"—also empty
11. Questions About Cookies
If you have questions about our Cookie Policy or want to report a concern, please contact us through the Contact page.
12. Changes to This Policy
We will update this Cookie Policy if our practices change. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page shows when the policy was last revised. If we begin using cookies, we will update this policy in advance and implement appropriate consent mechanisms.
We're committed to a cookie-free experience. Browse freely!