Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Cybersecurity Essential (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, and handles information when you visit cybersecurityessential.com (the “Site”).

By using the Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Who we are

Cybersecurity Essential is an independent online publication covering enterprise cybersecurity, compliance, AI security, cloud security, incident response, and related topics. We do not sell cybersecurity products or services. Our revenue comes from advertising (primarily Google AdSense), newsletter sponsorship, and — in limited circumstances — sponsored buyer’s guides clearly marked as such.

For questions about this policy, contact us at: [contact email to be inserted]

Information we collect

Information you provide directly

Newsletter subscriptions. When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address and, optionally, your name. We use this to deliver the newsletter and to send occasional related communications. We do not sell or share subscriber data with third parties.
Contact and correspondence. If you contact us by email or through a form on the Site, we receive the information you provide (name, email, message content). We use this only to respond to your enquiry.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the Site, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, server logs, and similar technologies:

Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, referring URL, and pages viewed.
Usage data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, navigation paths, and interaction events.
Cookie data: See our Cookie Policy for a detailed breakdown.

Information from third-party services

Google AdSense (advertising) — serves ads on our Site and collects data as described below.
Google Analytics (analytics) — measures and reports on Site usage.

How we use information

To operate and maintain the Site.
To understand how visitors use the Site, so we can improve content and navigation.
To deliver newsletters to subscribers and to respond to direct enquiries.
To serve advertising via Google AdSense.
To comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell personal information. We do not use visitor data to make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

This Site displays advertising served by Google AdSense. As an AdSense publisher:

Google and its partners use cookies to serve ads based on prior visits to this Site and other sites on the internet.
These cookies enable Google and its partners to serve ads to our users based on their visits to our sites and other sites on the Internet.
Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to our users based on their visits to this and other websites.
Users may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings. You may also opt out of third-party vendor use of cookies for personalised advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info.

For more information about how Google uses data when you use sites or apps that use Google services, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics (property ID G-6LHFTH82E7) to understand how visitors use the Site. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to collect information such as pages visited, time on site, and referral sources. This data is aggregated and used to improve the Site.

Google Analytics may also process IP address information. We have enabled IP anonymisation where available. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on.

Cookies

See our Cookie Policy for a full list of cookies used and how to manage them.

We share information only in the following limited circumstances:

Service providers. Third parties that provide services to us (email delivery, hosting, analytics, advertising) may process data on our behalf. These providers are contractually required to handle data appropriately.
Legal obligations. We may disclose information where required by law, court order, or to respond to lawful requests from public authorities.
Protection of rights. We may disclose information to enforce our terms, protect our rights or property, or investigate potential misconduct.

We do not sell personal information and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

Data retention

Newsletter data: Retained while you remain subscribed. Unsubscribe removes you from active lists; minimal records may be retained to honour opt-outs.
Analytics data: Google Analytics retains data according to the settings we configure (currently 14 months for user and event data).
Server logs: Typically retained for up to 90 days.
Correspondence: Retained as long as needed to respond to your enquiry and for a reasonable period thereafter.

Your rights

Depending on your location (in particular if you are in the United Kingdom, European Economic Area, or California), you may have rights including:

The right to access the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification of inaccurate data.
The right to erasure (the “right to be forgotten”) in certain circumstances.
The right to restrict or object to processing.
The right to data portability.
The right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (for UK/EEA residents, this is your national data protection authority; for UK residents this is the Information Commissioner’s Office, ico.org.uk).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the email address above.

International data transfers

Some of the services we use (including Google AdSense and Google Analytics) are based in or may transfer data to the United States and other jurisdictions. Where required, such transfers are made subject to appropriate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions.

Children’s privacy

This Site is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 16. If you believe we have collected such information, please contact us so we can delete it.

Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect information against loss, misuse, and unauthorised access. However, no internet transmission or electronic storage is completely secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security. As a cybersecurity publication, we take this seriously and keep our own posture under active review.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be indicated by updating the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

For questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us at: [contact email to be inserted]