Privacy Policy
This page serves as the official privacy policy for WebHostingBuddy.com. This is an online-only privacy policy and applies solely to information collected online through WebHostingBuddy.com.
This policy will cover what type of information is collected, for what purposes, and other aspects of privacy and tracking with respect to this site. If you have any privacy questions about WebHostingBuddy.com that aren’t addressed in this policy, you may send an email to contact[at]webhostingbuddy.com or visit our contact page.
What types of information does WebHostingBuddy.com collect?
WebHostingBuddy.com does not collect personally identifiable information (PII) and only collects non-personally identifiable information (NPII). Non-personally identifiable information can be things like your browser version, your operating system type, whether or not you’re using a mobile device, and other similar information.
Other examples of non-personally identifiable information can be your activity on this site. Analytics software is used to track visitor activity on WebHostingBuddy.com to help improve the site and the user experience, and for other similar reasons.
The only exception to this is if you fill out a contact form on the site (such as an advertising inquiry or contact us form). In this case, this information will only be used to contact you and follow up on your request. It will never sold or used for any advertising purposes.
What is this information used for?
As mentioned above, there are a variety of uses for the non-personally identifiable information that’s collected by WebHostingBuddy.com. These uses may include but are not limited to:
- Improving the website
- Personalizing the experience that visitors have on the site
- Improving service and support
- Conducting a contest, promotion, or other event
Is this information shared without outside parties?
Non-personally identifiable information collected on WebHostingBuddy.com is not sold, shared, or transferred to outside parties. This does not include trusted third parties that assist us in running the website or conducting business.
Does WebHostingBuddy.com collect email addresses?
WebHostingBuddy.com does not currently collect email addresses and does not have an email list. The only way we’d have your email address is if you reach out via email to contact us or submit a contact form request (for an advertising inquiry or other feedback). In that case, the email address would only be used to reply to you and not for any sales or marketing purposes.
Logs & Analytics
Like many other sites on the web, WebHostingBuddy.com uses third-party analytics software to track visitor movement on this site. Again, this is non-personally identifiable information and cannot be used to reveal your identity.
WebHostingBuddy.com also keeps and maintains visitor logs for tracking, statistical, and other purposes.
Third-Party Links
You may see links to third-party sites throughout WebHostingBuddy.com. Sometimes, these may be affiliate links (addressed in the following section). Other times, they may be links that are not affiliate links but help enhance the content of the article by providing informational references.
Third-party links lead to third-party sites which are governed by separate and independent privacy policies and terms of service. We cannot and do not take responsibility for the content of any third-party sites or the privacy practices of these sites. If you do not want to visit third-party sites, do not click third-party links.
Affiliate Links
Affiliate links are third-party links that may go through an internal or external redirect process before reaching the third-party destination.
You can learn more about the affiliate links on the affiliate disclosure page. When landing on the destination of an affiliate link, you may be cookied by a third-party website. The use of cookies on any third-party site would again be governed by their privacy policies and terms of service.
Information for California Residents Regarding “Do Not Track” Requests
WebHostingBuddy.com does not track visitor activity off of this site, so there is no way for this site to respond to “Do Not Track” requests. Because there’s no way to respond to “Do Not Track” requests, if you need to be sure you aren’t tracked do not visit this site.
Information for California Residents Regarding “Shine the Light” Requests
Per California Civil Code Section 1798.83, website visitors/users who are California residents can, once a year and free of charge, obtain information about the various categories of personal information (if any exists) that we disclose to third-parties for direct marketing purposes as well as the names and addresses of all third-parties that we shared personal information with in the preceding calendar year.
As outlined in this privacy policy and website disclaimer, we don’t typically collect most types of what would be considered personal information and any use of personal information in terms of sharing is typically limited to security, compliance, and website operations (and website operations are including following up on contact requests).
However, as noted, there may be various exceptions to this, and because of our desire to be completely transparent with visitors and overly compliant with any existing regulations, visitors are welcome to contact us by sending an email to contact[at]webhostingbuddy[dot]com in order to request this information under the Shine the Light code.
Information for California Residents Regarding the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
If you are a resident of California, you may be aware of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) effective January 1, 2020.
As part of this law, there are a variety of provisions, rules, and tests that are used to determine whether a business is held to the rules of the CCPA.
After a careful review of various statistics including website traffic, specifically from California, we have determined that WebHostingBuddy.com as well as it’s parent company, owner(s), member(s), individual(s), etc. do not fall under the purview of the CCPA.
Because of this, we have not created a formal channel for requesting or limiting data under the CCPA.
With that said, we work hard to be as transparent as possible with our visitors, and as compliant with rules and regulations as humanly possible.
So, while we don’t qualify to have a formal channel for requesting or limiting CCPA information, we are always available to listen to and respond to website visitor feedback. If you have a privacy concern or request, please reach out to us via email at contact[at]webhostingbuddy[dot]com and we will do our absolute best to help you out.
Information for EU Residents Regarding the GDPR
The servers that run WebHostingBuddy.com and some of the software associated with the site itself (such as Clicky Analytics) keeps IP address logs which are necessary to maintain the security of the website, web server, and to detect and prevent malicious activity.
Recital 49 of the GDPR states that “the processing of personal data to the extent strictly necessary and proportionate for the purposes of ensuring network and information security, i.e. the ability of a network or an information system to resist, at a given level of confidence, accidental or unlawful or malicious actions…” is permissible.
In plain English, we need to log IP addresses to protect the site and web servers against all sorts of bad people who like to do bad things on the Internet. On a daily basis, bots try to compromise this site and do all sorts of nefarious things. We (and all other sites on the internet) have to log IP addresses to detect and prevent this type of malicious activity. We do not sell, trade, or give this info to any third-parties except those trusted third parties (such as our web host) necessary to help us accomplish this level of safety and security. This information is stored on password protected servers that are SSL-encrypted.
We also have to keep this information about IP addresses and visitor activity in case it’s ever necessary to disclose it to law enforcement officials. For example, if this site was hijacked for some type of malicious purpose, we would need to have the IP addresses and visitor logs of the perpetrators available to give to law enforcement officials and comply with their requests for information.
We want to be good stewards of the Internet and caretakers of visitor’s privacy and we’re not trying to collect data for the sake of collecting data; just to keep the site safe and keep the bad people away. With that said, if for some reason you decide that you would like your IP address and visitor activity removed from our logs, please send an email to contact[at]webhostingbuddy[dot]com, and we will remove that information for you.
DoubleClick DART Cookies
This site may display Google advertisements which may use DoubleClick DART cookies. When you view these ads, a tracking cookie may be placed on your computer or device. This type of cookie is used to serve ads that are specific to your interests, known as interest-based advertising.
These cookies do not track personal information. However, you may opt out of ad serving at youradchoices.com. You can also learn more about opting out of at serving at aboutads.info/pmc.
Other Third-Party Cookies
There may be other types of ads present on this site from time-to-time that utilize other types of cookies or cookie technology. The use of these cookies would be governed by the privacy policies of the advertisers. If you want to be sure that you aren’t cookied, you can disable cookies in your browser or device.
Your Consent
By using WebHostingBuddy.com, you consent to this privacy policy in its entirety.
Future Changes to This Policy
Any changes to this policy in the future will be posted here without advanced notice.
Usage Restrictions
You must be 18 years of age or older to use this site. If you are not, you must leave immediately.
Contact Information
If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please send an email to contact[at]webhostingbuddy.com, or visit our contact page.
