Effective Date: 26/5/2025
Last Updated: December 29, 2025
Look, we get it nobody loves reading privacy policies. But this one’s important because we take your privacy seriously. We’re going to explain exactly what information we collect, why we collect it, and what we do with it in plain English. No legal jargon meant to confuse you.
Who We Are
We’re Vegan Recipes Guide, a plant-based recipe and nutrition blog operated by our team of five passionate humans: Emma Green (Editor in Chief), Olivia Parker (Health Reviewer), Chris Turner (Video Creator), Sophia Miller (Food Stylist & Photographer), and Daniel Brooks (Nutrition Writer).
Our website is: veganrecipesguide.com
Our contact email for privacy questions: [email protected]
Our mailing address: Vegan Recipes Guide, Portland, Oregon (full address available upon request for legal purposes)
The Short Version (TL;DR)
- We collect your email when you subscribe to our newsletter or create an account
- We use cookies to remember your preferences and see which recipes are popular
- We use analytics to understand how people use our site so we can make it better
- We NEVER sell your personal information to anyone
- We use some third party services (like email providers) who have access to limited data
- You can request to see, update, or delete your data anytime
- We comply with GDPR (for our EU readers) and CCPA (for our California friends)
Information We Collect
Information You Give Us Directly
Email Subscriptions: When you sign up for our weekly newsletter, we collect your email address and optionally your first name so we can send you recipes and personalize our emails. We use ConvertKit as our email service provider.
Account Creation: If you create an account on our site to save favorite recipes, we collect your email address, username, and password (which is encrypted we literally can’t see it even if we wanted to).
Comments: When you leave a comment on a recipe or article, we collect your name (or nickname), email address, and the comment content. We use this to display your comment and respond to you if needed.
Contact Forms: When you email us through our contact forms, we collect whatever information you choose to share usually your name, email, and your message.
Recipe Submissions: If you submit a recipe or photo to us, we collect that content along with your name and email so we can credit you properly and ask questions if needed.
Information Collected Automatically
Cookies: We use cookies (small text files stored on your device) to remember your preferences and make your experience better. For example, we use cookies to remember if you like spicy recipes so we can show you more of them, keep you logged into your account, remember items you’ve saved, and understand which recipes are most popular.
You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but some features of our site might not work as well.
Analytics Data: We use Google Analytics to understand how people use our site. This includes information like which pages you visit, how long you stay, what device you’re using (phone, tablet, computer), general location (city/state level, not your exact address), and how you found us (Google search, social media, etc.).
This data is anonymized we can’t identify you personally from it. We use it to see which recipes are most popular, understand where we should focus our content efforts, fix technical issues, and improve user experience.
Log Files: Like most websites, our server automatically collects some technical information when you visit, including your IP address, browser type, referring pages, and timestamps. We use this primarily for security purposes and technical troubleshooting.
Information From Third Parties
Social Media: If you interact with us on social media (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook), those platforms may share limited information with us based on your privacy settings on those platforms. We don’t control what they share that’s between you and them.
Advertising Partners: We work with advertising networks (like Google AdSense and Mediavine) that may collect information about your browsing habits across multiple websites to show you relevant ads. We’ll talk more about this in the Third Party Services section.
How We Use Your Information
We use your information to:
Provide Our Services: Send you the newsletter you signed up for, let you save and organize your favorite recipes, respond to your questions and comments, display your comments on our site, and send you recipe updates if you’ve requested them.
Improve Our Content: Understand which recipes and articles are most popular, identify gaps in our content (like if lots of people search for “vegan mac and cheese” but we don’t have that recipe yet), test new features and layouts, and fix technical problems.
Communicate With You: Respond to your questions or support requests, send you important updates about our site or policies, notify you about new content we think you’ll like (if you opted in), and occasionally ask for feedback to help us improve.
Legal Compliance: Prevent spam and abuse, protect our website from security threats, comply with legal requirements, and enforce our Terms & Conditions if necessary.
What We DON’T Do With Your Information
Let’s be crystal clear about what we don’t do:
- We don’t sell your email address or any personal data to marketing companies, data brokers, or anyone else. Period.
- We don’t spam you. You’ll only get emails you specifically signed up for, and every email has an easy unsubscribe button.
- We don’t share your information with third parties for their marketing purposes unless you explicitly ask us to (like if you enter a giveaway with a partner brand and agree to their terms).
- We don’t track you around the internet ourselves (though some of our advertising partners do more on that below).
- We don’t use your data for anything weird or creepy. If we want to use data in a new way, we’ll update this policy and notify you.
Data Protection & Security
We take reasonable precautions to protect your information:
Technical Measures: We use SSL encryption (that’s the “https” in our URL) to protect data in transit, store passwords using industry standard encryption (bcrypt), regularly update our security software and plugins, use secure hosting with reputable providers, and regularly back up our data to prevent loss.
Access Controls: Only our core team members (Emma, Olivia, Chris, Sophia, Daniel) have access to user data, and only when necessary for their work. We use strong passwords and two factor authentication for all admin accounts. We review access permissions regularly.
Third Party Vetting: We only work with service providers who commit to protecting your data and comply with privacy regulations.
Limitations: Here’s the reality check: No security is 100% perfect. We do our best to protect your information, but we can’t guarantee absolute security. If you share your account password with someone, that’s on you. If there’s ever a data breach that affects your information, we’ll notify you promptly and tell you what happened and what to do.
Your Rights (GDPR & CCPA Compliant)
You have rights regarding your personal information. Here’s what you can do:
Access Your Data: Request a copy of all personal information we have about you. We’ll send it to you in a readable format (usually PDF or CSV).
Correct Your Data: Update your email address, name, or preferences anytime. You can do this through your account settings, or email us at [email protected].
Delete Your Data: Ask us to delete your account and personal information. We’ll do so within 30 days, though we may need to keep some information for legal or security purposes (like records of comments that were part of public discussions).
Opt Out of Marketing: Unsubscribe from our newsletter anytime using the link in every email, or email us to remove you manually.
Data Portability: Request your data in a format you can transfer to another service.
Restrict Processing: Ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Object to Processing: Tell us you don’t want us to use your data for certain purposes (like personalized ads).
Withdraw Consent: If we’re using your data based on your consent, you can withdraw that consent anytime.
To Exercise These Rights: Email Emma at [email protected] with your request. Please include your email address and account details so we can verify it’s really you. We’ll respond within 30 days (usually much sooner).
For our EU visitors: You have additional rights under GDPR. You can file a complaint with your local data protection authority if you think we’ve violated your rights.
For our California visitors: You have rights under CCPA. We don’t sell personal information, so there’s nothing to opt out of, but you still have all the access and deletion rights listed above.
Cookies & Tracking Technologies
We use several types of cookies and similar technologies:
Essential Cookies: Required for our website to function properly (like keeping you logged in, remembering your saved recipes). You can’t opt out of these without breaking the site.
Performance Cookies: Help us understand how you use our site through analytics (Google Analytics). You can opt out through your browser settings or by using Google’s opt-out tool.
Functionality Cookies: Remember your preferences (like dietary restrictions or spice preferences) to personalize your experience. You can disable these in settings, but your experience won’t be as personalized.
Advertising Cookies: Used by our advertising partners to show you relevant ads. You can opt out through the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out tool or by adjusting your cookie preferences.
Managing Cookies: Most browsers let you control cookies through their settings. You can usually find these under “Privacy” or “Security” settings. Be aware that disabling all cookies might break some website functionality.
Here are the specific cookie providers we use:
- Google Analytics (performance tracking)
- Google AdSense (advertising)
- Mediavine (advertising)
- ConvertKit (email marketing)
- WordPress (essential site functionality)
Third Party Services
We work with several third party services that may have access to some of your data. Here’s who they are and what they do:
ConvertKit (Email Marketing): Stores your email address and name to send our newsletter. They have their own privacy policy and we chose them because they’re GDPR compliant. Privacy policy: convertkit.com/privacy
Google Analytics: Tracks anonymized usage data to help us understand our audience. Privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy
Google AdSense & Mediavine (Advertising): Display ads on our site and may track your browsing habits to show relevant ads. These are the companies that actually do interest based advertising tracking, not us directly. You can opt out of personalized advertising through: aboutads.info/choices or youronlinechoices.eu (for EU visitors).
WordPress.com (Hosting Platform): Hosts our website and stores all our content and user data. Privacy policy: automattic.com/privacy
Amazon Associates: We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you click an Amazon link on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Amazon may also track your activity through these links.
Social Media Platforms: We embed content from YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok. These platforms may track your interaction with embedded content according to their own privacy policies.
Comment System: We use WordPress’s built-in comment system, which stores your comments, name, email, and IP address to prevent spam.
Children’s Privacy
Vegan Recipes Guide is not intended for children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect information from children under 13. Our content is designed for adults and teenagers with parental supervision.
If you’re under 13, please don’t sign up for our newsletter or create an account. If you’re a parent and believe your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, contact us immediately at [email protected] and we’ll delete it promptly.
For our EU visitors: We don’t knowingly collect information from anyone under 16 without parental consent.
International Data Transfers
We’re based in the United States, and our servers are located in the U.S. If you’re visiting from outside the U.S., please be aware that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.
For our EU visitors: The U.S. may not have the same data protection laws as your country. We take steps to ensure your data is protected, including working with service providers that comply with international data protection frameworks.
Data Retention
We keep your information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations:
Newsletter Subscribers: Until you unsubscribe or we stop publishing (whichever comes first).
Account Data: Until you delete your account. After deletion, we keep some records for 30 days in backup systems, then permanently delete.
Comments: Indefinitely, as they’re part of our public content. You can request deletion, but we may keep them if they’re part of important discussions.
Analytics Data: Google Analytics automatically deletes data after 26 months. We may keep aggregated, anonymized reports indefinitely.
Legal Records: Some information must be kept for legal or tax purposes (like records of transactions). We keep this only as long as legally required.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this privacy policy occasionally to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or service offerings.
When we make significant changes, we’ll notify you by:
- Posting a notice on our homepage
- Sending an email to newsletter subscribers
- Updating the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy
For minor changes (like clarifying language or adding examples), we’ll just update the policy and note the date.
We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our site after changes means you accept the updated policy.
Contact Us About Privacy
Questions, concerns, or requests about your privacy or this policy? We’re here to help.
Primary Contact: Emma Green, Editor in Chief
Email: [email protected]
Response Time: We aim to respond within 48 hours, usually sooner.
For Specific Privacy Requests (access, deletion, correction):
Include “Privacy Request” in your email subject line and provide your account email address so we can verify your identity.
For EU Residents: If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can file a complaint with your local supervisory authority (your country’s data protection regulator).
For California Residents: If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can contact the California Attorney General’s office.
Summary: What Matters Most
We know that was a lot of information. Here’s what really matters:
- We respect your privacy. We collect the minimum information needed to run our blog and provide you with content you’ve asked for.
- We never sell your data. Your email address and personal information are yours. We don’t give them to marketers or data brokers.
- You have control. You can access, update, or delete your information anytime. Just ask.
- We’re transparent. If something changes or if we mess up, we’ll tell you.
- We’re here to help. Privacy questions? Concerns? Email us at [email protected]. Emma personally reviews every privacy-related email.
Thanks for trusting us with your information. We don’t take that lightly.
Last Updated: December 29, 2025
For questions about this privacy policy or to exercise your privacy rights, email [email protected]