Cookie Policy
Last Updated: August 2026
1. Introduction
Clinic Directory uses cookies and similar technologies (including localStorage identifiers) to run the site and — only with your consent — to measure how it is used. We do not run advertising pixels.
This policy lists exactly which technologies we use, what runs before and after you make a choice in our cookie banner, and how to change or withdraw that choice at any time.
2. What are Cookies?
Cookies are small data files placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. We use the word broadly in this policy to also cover similar technologies, in particular identifiers stored in your browser's localStorage.
3. The Technologies We Use
Essential (Strictly Necessary)
Required for the site to function; these run regardless of your banner choice. They include: sign-in session cookies (for clinic and patient accounts), payment cookies set by our payment processor Stripe when a clinic subscribes, and the stored record of your own cookie choice (cd_cookie_consent). They do not profile you.
Analytics & Performance (only after you Accept)
Google Analytics 4. Before you make a choice, and if you decline, GA4 runs in "consent mode" with all storage denied: it sends cookieless, aggregate measurement pings and sets no analytics cookies. Only after you Accept does it set cookies and measure your visits in full. On pages about specific health topics, the topic is redacted from what is sent regardless of your choice.
First-party visitor ID (cd_sid). If you Accept, we store a random identifier in your browser for up to 30 days since your last visit and use it to understand how visits unfold on our own site (pages viewed, searches made, clinic profiles viewed). It is created by us, never shared with advertisers, and is not "anonymous" — it is a persistent identifier, which is why it only exists if you consent. If you Decline (or make no choice), it is not created, any existing one is deleted, and this first-party measurement does not run.
Advertising (none)
No third-party ad networks. We removed Google AdSense in August 2026 and run no third-party advertising network on this site. Any sponsored placement you see is our own listing, sold by us, labelled "Sponsored", and selected only from the page you are on (city and service) — never from a profile of your browsing.
No advertising pixels. We removed the Meta (Facebook) Pixel in August 2026, and the LinkedIn Insight Tag was removed at the same time without ever having been switched on. We run no advertising or social-media tracker of any kind on this site. Where we advertise on Meta or Google, those campaigns are brand and awareness only: the ad platform counts who saw the ad on its own side, and nothing on this site reports your visit, your searches, or any action you take back to it.
If we ever add an advertising tracker, we will describe it here before it is enabled.
4. Managing and Withdrawing Your Consent
Non-essential cookies and identifiers are off by default: nothing above stores a cookie or an identifier on your device until you choose Accept in our banner. Advertising technology is not gated on your choice at all — we simply do not load any, in either state. The one thing that does run beforehand is Google Analytics in the cookieless consent mode described above — it counts the visit without storing anything on your device or identifying you. Declining does not restrict your use of the directory.
You can change or withdraw your choice at any time using the link, which is also in the footer of every page. Choosing Decline stops Google Analytics cookies and deletes our first-party visitor ID. You can additionally clear or block cookies in your browser settings, but the in-page control above is the authoritative way to change your consent on this site.
5. Updates to this Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect operational, legal, or regulatory changes. If we add a new tracking technology, we will describe it here before it is enabled.
6. More Information
If you have questions about our use of cookies, or about how we handle your data more generally, please review our full Privacy Policy or contact our Privacy Officer at privacy@clinicdirectory.ca.