Privacy Policy

Our Commitment

ElfSurgery is built with privacy as a core principle. We understand that researching gender-affirming surgery is sensitive, and we take your privacy seriously.

Data We Collect

We collect minimal data necessary to operate the service:

• Reviews: Content you submit, optional email for notifications
• Verification documents: Temporarily stored, deleted after verification
• Basic analytics: Page views (aggregated, no user tracking)
• IP address hash: A one-way hash of your IP for rate limiting and fraud prevention (cannot be reversed to identify you)

Review Processing

To protect both reviewers and the people mentioned in reviews, all submissions pass through automated filtering before synthesis and moderation:

• PII Removal: Names, email addresses, phone numbers, specific dates, and other identifying details are stripped before any human can see them
• Content Moderation: Reviews are checked for spam, harassment, and policy violations
• Human Oversight: Flagged reviews are manually reviewed before any action is taken

Only the censored version of your review is ever displayed publicly. Original submissions are encrypted and stored solely for legal compliance; they are never accessed unless required by law, and all access attempts are logged.

Data We Don't Collect

• Real names (unless you choose to share)
• Raw IP addresses (only stored as irreversible hashes)
• Browsing history across sites
• Third-party tracking cookies

Verification Documents

If you upload a document to verify your review, we process it to confirm your surgery occurred with the stated surgeon. Documents are encrypted during transit and storage, and are permanently deleted within 48 hours of verification, regardless of outcome.

Encryption & Security

• In Transit: All data is encrypted using TLS (HTTPS)
• At Rest: Original review submissions are encrypted using AES-256-GCM
• Access Logging: All decryption attempts are logged for audit purposes
• Minimal Access: Moderators only see the censored version of reviews

Rate Limiting

To prevent spam and abuse, we limit the number of reviews that can be submitted from the same network within a 30-day period. If you exceed this limit, you'll see an error message. This helps maintain the quality and authenticity of our review database.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Delete your reviews at any time
• Request a copy of your data
• Request deletion of all your data
• Opt out of any communications

Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing. We use essential service providers (hosting, email, AI processing) who are bound by data protection agreements.

Contact

Privacy questions? Contact us at hello@elfsurgery.com