This Privacy Policy explains how www.the-literature.com (“The Literature”, “we”, “us”, “our”) handles personal data when you use our website, tools, or machine-generated outputs (the “Services”). We operate from New South Wales, Australia as a sole trader under a valid ABN. The Services are intentionally designed to avoid collecting or storing personal data; any processing that occurs is transient and limited to the technical delivery of your request.
The Literature is the data controller for the Services. This policy covers all interactions with our public website, PubMed search workflow, iterative chat interface, and static information pages. By using the Services, you agree to the practices described here and in our Terms of Use.
We do not maintain user accounts, store prompts, outputs, chat transcripts, or personal identifiers. Inputs you provide in search boxes or chat fields are processed in-memory to generate the requested output and then discarded. We do not keep server request logs beyond standard, non-identifying performance diagnostics provided by our hosting infrastructure (for example, uptime or error rate telemetry without user-level detail).
We use Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager) for aggregate traffic metrics such as page views and referrer counts. Google Analytics may set cookies or use similar technologies to differentiate visits and derive high-level browsing patterns. We rely on Google’s default retention period (currently 14 months) and do not access, combine, or attempt to re-identify individual visitors. No other analytics, remarketing, or tracking cookies are deployed.
To generate literature reviews we send your query and relevant PubMed abstracts to OpenAI’s API. OpenAI processes the data transiently to return a model-generated response under its own privacy framework and may route traffic through data centres outside Australia. PubMed data is fetched from the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NCBI); requests are made directly over HTTPS and no personal data is included. We do not store or reuse these transmissions after your session completes.
The website is hosted on secure infrastructure that may generate aggregate uptime or error notifications. These platform-level diagnostics are not tied to identifiable users and are retained only as part of routine service monitoring. No other third-party services store or process your data on our behalf.
We do not retain prompts, responses, chat history, or user metadata. The only persistent data available to us is the anonymised analytics information provided by Google Analytics under its default retention settings. If you contact us by email, we will retain that correspondence as required to respond and to meet legal obligations.
We operate under Australian privacy law, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles. Because we process minimal personal data, our practices align with the core principles of the EU GDPR and UK GDPR, such as data minimisation, purpose limitation, and storage limitation. Where we rely on third-party processors, their privacy terms apply in addition to this policy.
Use of OpenAI and Google Analytics may involve processing on servers located outside Australia, including in the United States and other jurisdictions. By using the Services, you consent to these cross-border transfers, recognising that we do not control the geographic location of the third-party infrastructure.
All interactions with The Literature occur over encrypted HTTPS connections. Access to API keys and administrative consoles is limited to the operator and protected by industry-standard authentication. Because we do not store user submissions, risk exposure is markedly reduced; however, no internet transmission is entirely risk-free.
Even though we do not maintain personal datasets, you may contact us to request confirmation that no personal data is held about you, to ask questions, or to raise privacy concerns. We will respond in line with applicable law. Reach us at privacy@the-literature.com or admin@the-literature.com.
The Services are not directed to children under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect information from minors. If you believe a minor has provided data, contact us so we can address the issue consistent with OpenAI’s and our own Terms of Use.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Posting the revised policy with a new “last updated” date constitutes notice. Because we do not maintain user accounts, we cannot provide individual notifications. Continued use of the Services after an update signifies acceptance of the revised policy.
For privacy questions, complaints, or requests, email privacy@the-literature.com. For general enquiries, use info@the-literature.com. We aim to respond promptly and in accordance with the laws of New South Wales, Australia.