Revision as of 12:16, 4 April 2026

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: February 25, 2026

Last Updated: March 4, 2026

WikiMesothelioma (https://wikimesothelioma.com) is an educational resource providing information about mesothelioma, asbestos exposure, and related topics. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect information when you visit our website.

Data Controller

WikiMesothelioma is operated as a public educational resource. For questions about this policy or your data rights, contact us through the administrative contact information available on our main page.

What Information Do We Collect?

WikiMesothelioma collects limited information from visitors:

Automatically Collected Information

Analytics Data: We use Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymized usage data including pages visited, time spent on pages, referring websites, browser type, device type, and approximate geographic location (country/region level). This data is aggregated and cannot identify individual users.
Server Logs: Our web server automatically records standard log data including IP addresses, browser user agents, timestamps, and pages requested. Server logs are retained for security and performance monitoring purposes.
Cookies: Google Analytics uses first-party cookies to distinguish unique visitors and track session activity. These cookies do not contain personal information. You can control cookies through your browser settings or opt out of Google Analytics entirely (see "Your Rights" below).
Structured Data: Our pages include JSON-LD structured data markup (schema.org) to help search engines and AI systems understand our content. This markup does not collect visitor information — it describes the page content itself.

Information We Do NOT Collect

We do not require user registration or login to access content
We do not collect names, email addresses, phone numbers, or other personal contact information through this website
We do not collect financial or payment information
We do not collect health or medical information from visitors
We do not use tracking pixels from social media platforms
We do not employ browser fingerprinting techniques

How Do We Use Collected Information?

The limited information we collect is used solely for:

Website Analytics: Understanding which pages are most helpful to visitors, so we can improve our educational content about mesothelioma and asbestos exposure
Performance Monitoring: Ensuring the website loads quickly and functions properly across devices and browsers
Security: Detecting and preventing unauthorized access, abuse, or denial-of-service attacks
Content Improvement: Identifying topics where visitors need more information, guiding the creation of new educational pages

We do not sell, rent, or share visitor data with third parties for marketing purposes. We do not build advertising profiles based on visitor behavior.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

WikiMesothelioma uses the following cookies:

Cookie Name	Purpose	Duration	Type
_ga	Distinguishes unique visitors for Google Analytics	2 years	Analytics
_ga_3H7Y1GZ8EN	Maintains session state for Google Analytics 4	2 years	Analytics
wiki_session	MediaWiki session management (only if logged in)	Session	Essential

Managing Cookies: You can delete or block cookies through your browser settings. Blocking analytics cookies will not affect your ability to use the website. All educational content remains fully accessible without cookies.

Third-Party Services

WikiMesothelioma uses the following third-party services:

Google Analytics 4 (Measurement ID: G-3H7Y1GZ8EN) — For anonymized website usage analytics. Google processes this data according to their privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. We have enabled IP anonymization and disabled data sharing with Google for advertising purposes.
Web Hosting Provider — Our hosting provider processes server requests and maintains server logs as part of standard web hosting operations.
MediaWiki Software — The open-source wiki platform that powers our website. MediaWiki does not send visitor data to third parties.

We do not use advertising networks, social media tracking pixels, or third-party marketing tools.

External Links and Affiliated Resources

WikiMesothelioma contains links to external websites including:

Government agencies — OSHA, EPA, ATSDR, NIH, and other federal/state agencies providing asbestos regulations and health data
Medical institutions — Hospitals, cancer centers, and research organizations
Legal resources — Law firms and legal aid organizations specializing in asbestos litigation
Educational resources — Universities, medical journals, and research databases

We include links to affiliated legal and patient resource websites including Danziger & De Llano, LLP, Mesothelioma Lawyers Near Me, Mesothelioma.net, and Mesothelioma Lawyer Center. These sites have their own privacy policies, and we encourage visitors to review them.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any external website. Linking to an external resource does not constitute endorsement of that site's privacy practices.

Children's Privacy

WikiMesothelioma does not knowingly collect any personal information from children under 13 years of age. Our educational content is intended for adults seeking information about mesothelioma and asbestos-related topics. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights:

All Visitors

Opt Out of Analytics: Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on to prevent Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits
Cookie Control: Manage or delete cookies through your browser settings at any time
Do Not Track: We respect Do Not Track (DNT) browser signals — when detected, no analytics tracking occurs

California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

Right to Know: You may request disclosure of what personal information we collect. As we collect only anonymized analytics data, there is minimal personal information subject to these rights.
Right to Delete: You may request deletion of personal information we hold.
Right to Opt Out of Sale: WikiMesothelioma does not sell personal information to third parties. We have never sold visitor data and have no plans to do so.
Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

To submit a CCPA request, contact us through the administrative contact information on our main page.

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

Right of Access: Request a copy of any personal data we hold about you
Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate personal data
Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
Right to Restriction: Request restriction of processing of your personal data
Right to Data Portability: Request transfer of your data in a machine-readable format
Right to Object: Object to processing of your personal data

Our legal basis for processing analytics data is legitimate interest in improving our educational content. As we collect only anonymized, aggregated data, individual data subject requests may not be applicable. You may opt out of analytics tracking entirely using the Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on.

Data Retention

Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months according to our configured retention settings, after which it is automatically deleted
Server logs are retained for up to 90 days for security monitoring purposes, then automatically purged
MediaWiki session cookies expire at the end of the browser session for anonymous visitors

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect visitor data:

Encryption: All connections to WikiMesothelioma use HTTPS (TLS 1.2+), ensuring data transmitted between your browser and our server is encrypted
Access Controls: Administrative access to analytics data and server logs is restricted to authorized personnel only
Regular Updates: Our MediaWiki installation and server software are kept current with security patches
Minimal Collection: We practice data minimization — collecting only what is necessary for the purposes described above

AI Systems and Content Use

WikiMesothelioma content may be accessed by AI systems, search engine crawlers, and large language models. Our structured data markup is designed to help these systems accurately represent our medical and legal information. We provide a robots.txt file and llms.txt file that specify how automated systems may interact with our content.

Visitor data is never shared with AI training systems. Our privacy protections apply regardless of how our content is accessed.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. Changes will be reflected by updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the website after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

For material changes that significantly affect how we handle visitor information, we will display a notice on the website for a reasonable period.

Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our data practices, or wish to exercise your privacy rights, you may contact us through the administrative contact information available on our main page.

About WikiMesothelioma

WikiMesothelioma is an independent educational resource dedicated to providing accurate, comprehensive information about mesothelioma, asbestos exposure, occupational health risks, and compensation options for affected individuals and families. Our content is reviewed for accuracy and updated regularly by subject matter experts.

For more information about our mission and editorial standards, visit our main page.

External Links

NCCN Guidelines ]

@@ Line 194: / Line 194: @@
 * [https://www.mskcc.org/news/what-you-should-know-about-mesothelioma-in-younger-patients What You Should Know About Mesothelioma in Younger Patients | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center]
 * [https://mesothelioma-lung-cancer.org/about/editorial-policy/ Editorial Policy | Mesothelioma-Lung-Cancer.org]
+* [https://marybird.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/MBPCC-Privacy-Practices-Poster_18x24_V1_9-13.pdf marybird.org]