Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how HomeTechAdviser ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses and shares information when you visithttps://hometechadviser.com (the "Site"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with applicable data protection laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the CPRA (CCPA) and India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

1. Information we collect

Information you provide

When you use our contact form or subscribe to our newsletter, we collect the information you submit, such as your name, email address and message.

Information collected automatically

Like most websites, our hosting provider and third-party services automatically receive technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device type, referring page, pages visited and the date and time of your visit. Some of this is collected through cookies and similar technologies (see section 3).

2. How we use information

• To operate, maintain and improve the Site;
• To respond to your messages and send newsletters you have requested;
• To display advertising and to earn affiliate commissions;
• To understand how visitors use the Site (aggregated statistics);
• To protect the Site against spam, fraud and abuse, and to comply with legal obligations.

Legal bases (GDPR/UK GDPR): your consent (for non-essential cookies and newsletters), our legitimate interests (operating and securing the Site, responding to enquiries) and compliance with legal obligations.

3. Cookies and advertising

Google AdSense

We use Google AdSense to display ads. In connection with this:

• Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this Site or other websites.
• Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this Site and/or other sites on the Internet.
• You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. Alternatively, you can opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalised advertising by visitingwww.aboutads.info (US) orwww.youronlinechoices.eu (EU/UK).
• Learn more about how Google uses data atHow Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.

Visitors from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are shown a consent message (provided by a Google-certified consent management platform) before personalised ads or non-essential cookies are used. You can change your choices at any time using the privacy settings link displayed by that message.

Affiliate links (Amazon Associates and others)

When you click an affiliate link, the retailer (for example Amazon) may set a cookie on your device so that it can attribute a purchase to us. We do not receive any personal information about you or your purchase – only aggregated reports of sales and commissions. The retailer's own privacy policy applies to your use of its website.

Essential storage

We store your light/dark theme preference in your browser's local storage. This is not shared with anyone.

4. Service providers

We share information with service providers that help us run the Site, who process it on our behalf:

• Cloudflare – website hosting, content delivery, security and privacy-friendly, cookieless visitor statistics (Cloudflare Web Analytics);
• Google – advertising (AdSense) and, if enabled, analytics;
• Form / newsletter provider (e.g. Formspree) – processing contact form submissions and newsletter subscriptions;
• Affiliate partners such as Amazon – tracking referrals.

We do not sell your personal information for money.

5. International transfers

We operate from India and our service providers may process data in the United States, the EU and other countries. Where required, transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.

6. Data retention

Contact messages are kept for as long as needed to handle your enquiry and for up to 24 months afterwards. Newsletter data is kept until you unsubscribe. Advertising cookie lifetimes are controlled by the respective providers.

7. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• access, correct or delete the personal data we hold about you;
• object to or restrict processing, and withdraw consent at any time;
• receive your data in a portable format;
• California residents: know what personal information is collected, request deletion, opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising, and not be discriminated against for exercising these rights;
• lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

To exercise these rights, email us at hello@hometechadviser.com.

8. Children's privacy

The Site is not directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

9. Security

The Site is served exclusively over HTTPS. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it was last revised.

11. Contact

Questions about this policy? Email hello@hometechadviser.com or use our contact form.