Look, we get it—privacy policies are usually boring and full of legal jargon. We're going to do our best to explain this in plain English. The short version: we only collect what we need to run the site, we don't sell your information to anyone, and we take protecting your data seriously.
What Information We Collect
When you visit Chef Circle, we collect a few different types of information. Here's what and why:
Information You Give Us Directly
If you sign up for our newsletter or contact us through the contact form, you're giving us information like your name and email address. We only ask for what we actually need—no lengthy forms asking for your life story.
Automatic Information
Like most websites, we automatically collect some technical information when you visit:
- Your IP address (basically where you're connecting from)
- What type of device and browser you're using
- Which pages you visit and how long you stay
- Where you came from before landing on our site
This helps us understand how people use the site and fix things that aren't working well. We use standard analytics tools for this, like Google Analytics.
Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use cookies (small files stored on your device) to remember your preferences and understand how you use the site. You can read more about this in our Cookie Policy.
How We Use Your Information
We're not doing anything sneaky with your data. Here's what we actually do with it:
- Send you recipes: If you signed up for our newsletter, we'll email you new recipes and cooking tips. You can unsubscribe anytime—there's a link at the bottom of every email.
- Respond to you: If you contact us with a question or comment, we'll use your email to reply.
- Improve the website: We look at how people use the site to make it better—like figuring out which recipes are most popular or if something's broken on mobile.
- Keep things secure: We monitor for suspicious activity to protect both you and us from spam and security issues.
What We Don't Do
Here's what we absolutely don't do:
- We don't sell your email address or any other information to third parties
- We don't send spam (only the recipes and updates you signed up for)
- We don't share your information with advertisers
- We don't track you across other websites
Third-Party Services
We use a few external services to run the site, and they might collect some data too:
- Google Analytics: Helps us understand how people use the site. Google has their own privacy policy that applies to this data.
- Email service provider: We use an email service to send newsletters. They have access to your email address but only to send the emails you requested.
- Web hosting: Our hosting provider stores the website data, including any information collected through forms.
We try to work with companies that take privacy seriously, but you should know that when you use our site, some information goes to these third parties.
Advertising
We may display advertisements on Chef Circle to help cover the costs of running the site. These ads may be served by third-party advertising networks that collect information about your visits to this and other websites to provide targeted advertisements. We don't control what information these ad networks collect.
Your Rights and Choices
You have some control over your information:
- Newsletter: You can unsubscribe from our emails anytime by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send.
- Cookies: Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Just know that some parts of the site might not work as well if you do.
- Your data: If you want to know what information we have about you, or want us to delete it, email us at support@Chef Circle.com. We'll respond within a reasonable timeframe.
How We Protect Your Information
We take reasonable precautions to protect your information from unauthorized access or disclosure. Our website uses HTTPS encryption, and we limit who on our team has access to personal data. That said, no website is 100% secure, and we can't guarantee absolute security.
Children's Privacy
Chef Circle isn't directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from kids. If you're a parent and think your child has given us information, please contact us and we'll delete it.
Changes to This Policy
We might update this privacy policy occasionally. If we make significant changes, we'll post a notice on the site. The "last updated" date at the top will always reflect when we last made changes.
International Users
Chef Circle is based in the United States. If you're visiting from outside the US, your information will be transferred to and stored in the US. By using our site, you're agreeing to this transfer.
Questions?
If you have questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please email us at support@Chef Circle.com. We'll do our best to answer clearly and quickly.
The bottom line: We collect what we need to run the site and send you recipes if you ask for them. We don't sell your data or do anything sketchy with it. If you have concerns, just ask.