Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and what rights you have as a visitor to surveillanceguides.com.
We collect minimal data. We use standard analytics tools, Google AdSense advertising, and Amazon Associates affiliate links. We do not sell your personal information. We do not require account registration. Cookies are used by third-party services (Google, Amazon) to serve relevant ads and track affiliate purchases. You have the right to opt out. Keep reading for the full details.
Who We Are
This Privacy Policy applies to surveillanceguides.com (the “Site”), operated by Surveillance Guides (“we”, “us”, or “our”). The Site is an independent informational website publishing security camera reviews, buying guides, how-to tutorials, and surveillance-related content.
We are not a data broker, marketplace, or subscription service. We do not require visitor registration, account creation, or the submission of personal information to access our content.
Surveillance Guides
Website: surveillanceguides.com
Email:
privacy@surveillanceguides.com
Information We Collect
We collect two types of information: information you provide to us voluntarily, and information collected automatically when you visit the Site.
A. Information You Provide Voluntarily
- Contact Form Submissions — If you use our Contact Us page, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message. This is used solely to respond to your inquiry.
- Email Newsletter Sign-Up — If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address. You may unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send.
- Comments — If commenting is enabled on the Site and you leave a comment, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your comment. Email addresses from comments are never displayed publicly.
B. Information Collected Automatically
- Log Data — Our web hosting server automatically records standard log data including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, and time/date of visit.
- Cookies & Tracking Technologies — We and our third-party partners (Google, Amazon) use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies. See Section 5 for full details.
- Analytics Data — We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our Site. This data is aggregated and anonymized. See Section 6 for details.
- Device Information — We may collect information about the device you use to access the Site, including device type, screen resolution, and browser settings.
We do not collect Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, credit card information, government ID numbers, health or medical data, or precise geolocation data. We also do not collect data from children under 13.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Information Used |
|---|---|
| Respond to contact form inquiries | Name, email address, message content |
| Send newsletter emails (if subscribed) | Email address only |
| Display personalized advertisements (AdSense) | Cookies, browsing behavior (managed by Google) |
| Track affiliate purchase attribution (Amazon) | Cookies, click data (managed by Amazon) |
| Analyze site traffic and improve content | Anonymized analytics data (Google Analytics) |
| Maintain site security and prevent fraud | IP address, log data |
| Comply with legal obligations | As required by applicable law |
We do not use your information for automated decision-making, profiling, or to make legal decisions about you. We do not sell your personal information to any third party under any circumstances.
Cookies & Tracking Technologies
Our Site uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — and similar tracking technologies. The following types of cookies are present on this Site:
| Cookie Type | Purpose & Source |
|---|---|
| Essential / Functional | Required for basic site functionality. Set by WordPress (session cookies, security tokens). Cannot be disabled without breaking the Site. |
| Analytics | Google Analytics (_ga, _gid, _gat) — track page views, session duration, and traffic sources. Data is anonymized before storage. |
| Advertising | Google AdSense — serves contextual and interest-based ads. May use browsing history across sites to display relevant ads. |
| Affiliate Tracking | Amazon Associates — sets a cookie when you click an affiliate link to track purchases for commission purposes. Active for 24 hours (90 days if added to cart). |
| Social Media | If social share buttons or embeds are present, platforms (YouTube, Facebook, etc.) may set their own cookies when you interact with them. |
How to Control Cookies
- Browser Settings — Most browsers allow you to view, delete, and block cookies. Visit your browser’s help documentation for instructions. Note: blocking all cookies may affect Site functionality.
- Google Analytics Opt-Out — Install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On to prevent your data from being collected by Google Analytics.
- Google Ad Personalization — Manage or opt out of personalized Google ads at google.com/settings/ads .
- Industry Opt-Out Tool — Opt out of interest-based advertising from multiple ad networks at aboutads.info/choices or networkadvertising.org/choices .
Google AdSense & Google Analytics
Google AdSense
This Site uses Google AdSense, a program by Google LLC, to display advertisements. Google AdSense uses cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and other sites on the internet.
Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to visitors based on visits to this site and other sites on the internet. You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting google.com/settings/ads.
Google’s collection and use of information from sites that use Google AdSense is governed by Google’s Privacy Policy . We have no control over the data Google collects through AdSense.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to analyze how visitors use our Site. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit the Site, what pages they visit, and what other sites they used prior to visiting. We use this information to improve our content and understand our audience.
We have enabled IP anonymization in Google Analytics, which means Google truncates your IP address before storing it. Google Analytics does not collect personally identifiable information.
To opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites, install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On .
Amazon Associates & Affiliate Tracking
surveillanceguides.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you click an affiliate link on our Site to Amazon.com and complete a purchase, Amazon tracks this via a session cookie stored on your device.
Amazon’s cookie typically expires after 24 hours, or after 90 days if you add a product to your Amazon cart during the session. This tracking is entirely managed by Amazon.com, Inc. and is subject to Amazon’s Privacy Notice .
Surveillance Guides does not receive or store any personally identifiable information about you as a result of your Amazon purchases. We receive only an anonymized commission report from Amazon confirming that a qualifying purchase was made. We have no visibility into who made the purchase.
Third-Party Links & Websites
Our Site contains links to external websites, including Amazon.com, manufacturer sites, and other third-party resources. These links are provided for your convenience and informational purposes.
We have no control over the content, privacy practices, or data collection methods of these third-party websites. We strongly encourage you to review the privacy policy of every external site you visit before providing any personal information.
The inclusion of any external link on this Site does not imply endorsement of the linked site’s privacy practices by Surveillance Guides.
Children’s Privacy
This Site is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take immediate steps to delete that information. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at the email address listed in Section 15.
This Site complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). We do not knowingly collect, use, or disclose personal information from children under 13 years of age.
Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 15. We will respond to verified requests within 30 days.
California Privacy Rights (CCPA / CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):
- Right to Know — You may request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources from which it was collected, and the purposes for which it is used.
- Right to Delete — You may request deletion of personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions permitted by law.
- Right to Opt Out of Sale — We do not sell your personal information. You do not need to opt out of a sale because no such sale occurs.
- Right to Non-Discrimination — We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights. We will not deny services, charge different prices, or provide a different quality of service based on your privacy choices.
- Right to Correct — You may request correction of inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
Based on the past 12 months, we have collected the following CCPA categories: Identifiers (IP address, email address if voluntarily provided); Internet Activity (pages visited, time on site — via Google Analytics); and Inferences drawn by Google for ad targeting purposes. We have not collected Sensitive Personal Information as defined under the CPRA.
To submit a CCPA request, contact us via email listed in Section 15 with the subject line: “CCPA Privacy Request”. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
GDPR Rights for EU / EEA Visitors
If you are located in the European Union or European Economic Area, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our Site is primarily intended for US audiences, but we respect the rights of all visitors.
Our legal basis for processing your data includes:
- Legitimate Interests — Site analytics (Google Analytics) and security logs, where our interest in improving the Site does not override your rights.
- Consent — For advertising cookies (Google AdSense), where applicable under your jurisdiction.
- Contractual Necessity — Processing your contact form submission to respond to your inquiry.
EU/EEA visitors have the full rights listed in Section 10, plus the right to withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent) and the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority (DPA). For cross-border transfers, data processed by Google and Amazon may be transferred outside the EU under Standard Contractual Clauses or other approved mechanisms.
Data Security & Retention
Security Measures
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the personal information you provide against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or disclosure. These measures include:
- SSL/TLS Encryption — All data transmitted between your browser and our Site is encrypted via HTTPS.
- Limited Data Access — Only authorized team members have access to submitted contact data.
- Regular Security Updates — Our WordPress installation, plugins, and hosting environment are kept updated.
- No Storage of Payment Data — We do not process or store any payment information on our servers.
Data Retention
- Contact Form Submissions — Retained for up to 12 months to allow us to follow up, then deleted.
- Newsletter Subscribers — Retained until you unsubscribe. You can unsubscribe at any time.
- Server Logs — Typically retained for 30–90 days by our hosting provider, then automatically purged.
- Analytics Data — Google Analytics data is retained for 26 months per our Google Analytics settings, then automatically deleted.
No method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information using commercially acceptable means, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. If you believe your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. For material changes — such as new data collection practices, new third-party partners, or significant changes to how we use your data — we will post a visible notice on our homepage for a minimum of 14 days.
Your continued use of the Site after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
If you would like to be notified of future changes to this Privacy Policy, subscribe to our newsletter. Policy updates will be included in our communications to subscribers.
Contact Us About Privacy
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information — including requests to access, correct, delete, or port your data — please contact us:
Surveillance Guides — Privacy Team
Email:
privacy@surveillanceguides.com
General inquiries: info@surveillanceguides.com
Contact form: surveillanceguides.com/contact-us/
Subject line to use: “Privacy Request — [Your Request Type]”
We aim to respond to all privacy-related requests within 30 days of receipt.