Privacy policy

Who runs this website?

Dr Walid Aly, Specialist Anaesthetist, publishes the Bone & Joint Anaesthesia Guide at orthopaedicanaesthetist.com.au. Altitude Creative manages the site on his behalf. When this policy says “we”, it means the people responsible for the site and for answering questions sent through it. It covers the website and phone calls to the number printed on it.

What do you collect if I use the contact form?

Only what the form asks for: your name, email address, a phone number if you choose to add one, which option describes you (for example a patient, a family member or a health professional), and the question you type.

Please do not put medical details in the form. Should a message contain them anyway, we handle them as sensitive health information under this policy and reply suggesting a more suitable way to talk.

Does the website record anything when I just read it?

The hosting server keeps ordinary access logs (for example an IP address, the browser, the time and the page requested). These help the site work and help us investigate abuse.

The contact page also fetches a signed token from the server that only records the time it was created; it helps block automated spam. To limit floods of messages, the server keeps a brief tally of recent submissions, filed under a one-way hash of the sender’s IP address rather than the address itself. The tally holds times only and clears itself within about an hour.

Do you use cookies, analytics or advertising trackers?

Analytics, yes; advertising trackers, no. The guide uses Google Analytics 4, through Google Tag Manager, to measure which pages are read, how readers reach them, the type of device and browser, an approximate location such as a city, and how many contact messages are sent.

Two cookies, _ga and _ga_…, hold a random identifier for up to two years so return visits can be counted. Google Analytics does not store IP addresses and gets nothing from the contact form, and the results reach us only as totals. There are no advertising pixels, remarketing tags or social media trackers, Google’s advertising features are off, and the site never asks for payment. Google may store the analytics data outside Australia, including in the United States.

Can I stop the analytics?

Yes. Turn on Global Privacy Control in your browser and the analytics code will not load at all. Blocking cookies in your browser settings, or installing Google’s opt-out add-on, also stops it.

Do you keep a copy of my message?

Not on the website. The form forwards your message by email and the web server stores nothing.

What do you do with my details?

We reply to your question, and we use server records to protect the site. That is all. Your details are not used for marketing unless you have clearly agreed, and they are never sold, rented or swapped.

Who could see what I send?

Dr Aly, and anyone helping him reply, who must keep it confidential. Messages also travel through the email, hosting and IT services the site relies on. The servers that host the site are located in North America, and some service providers may keep data overseas; we take reasonable steps to see that they look after it consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles. Otherwise we pass personal information on only if you agree or if the law requires or permits it.

Is this website part of my medical care?

No. It does not treat anyone. If you later become Dr Aly’s patient, your health information is collected as part of that care, with your consent, kept separately from website messages, and shared with others treating you only as the law allows.

How is my information protected?

The whole site uses an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, and messages arrive in a business email account rather than a personal one. Information is kept no longer than it is needed or than the law requires. If a data breach were likely to cause serious harm, we would notify the people affected and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

Can I see or correct what you hold about me?

Yes. Send a request through the contact page or phone 0411 965 272. We may first need to check who you are, and we aim to answer within 30 days.

What if I am unhappy with how my information was handled?

Tell us first, so we can try to put it right. If that does not resolve it, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner or to Victoria’s Health Complaints Commissioner.

Will this policy change?

It may. The date at the top of the page shows when the current version was written.