Privacy policy

Summary

We collect the minimum data needed to run this website. We do not sell your data. We do not build profiles of you. This policy explains exactly what we do collect and why.

What we collect

Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use the site. This collects:

• The pages you visit and how long you spend on them
• The country and approximate city you are browsing from (via your IP, which is anonymized before storage)
• The device type and browser you use
• The website that referred you to us (if any)

This data is aggregated. We do not know that it is you specifically, we know that someone from the US visited the "what is a VPN" article.

Cookies

We use cookies to:

• Track aggregated analytics (as above)
• Remember your cookie consent preferences
• Track affiliate clicks (to attribute commissions correctly to us)

You can disable cookies in your browser settings. Some site features may not work as expected if you do.

Email (if you subscribe)

If you sign up for our email newsletter (we do not currently offer one), we collect your email address and store it with our email provider. We do not share it with anyone. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in every email.

Contact form

If you email us through the contact form, we store the email address you provided and the content of your message long enough to respond. We do not use it for marketing.

What we don't collect

Third parties we share data with

• Google Analytics for the analytics described above
• Our affiliate networks (Impact, CJ Affiliate, ShareASale, direct programs), when you click an affiliate link, we and the network track that click to attribute a potential commission. The network may also set its own cookies.
• Our email provider (if newsletter is active)
• Our hosting provider (DreamHost), standard server logs, required for the site to function

We do not sell your data to anyone. We do not share it for advertising purposes beyond the affiliate tracking described above.

Your rights (GDPR, EU/EEA/UK)

If you are located in the European Union, European Economic Area, or the United Kingdom, you have the right to:

• Know what personal data we hold about you
• Request a copy of that data
• Request correction or deletion of that data
• Object to our processing of that data
• File a complaint with your country's data protection authority

To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected].

Your rights (CCPA, California)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we have collected about you
• Delete that personal information
• Opt out of the sale of personal information (note: we do not sell personal information, so this is already in effect)
• Non-discrimination for exercising any of the above

To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected].

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect the data we collect. The site runs on HTTPS (forced). The server is hosted by DreamHost, which applies its own security measures. No system is 100% secure, but we do not store anything particularly valuable about you that would be a target.

Children

This site is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn we have collected such information, we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

If we update this policy, we will change the "Last updated" date at the top. For material changes, we will add a notice on the home page for at least 30 days.

Contact

Questions about privacy, email us at [email protected].