We collect almost nothing. Here's exactly what.

The short version

We collect aggregate web analytics via Google Analytics 4 (page views, geographic region at country/region level, device type, referrer URL). We do not collect names, email addresses, payment information, or personal data. We have no user accounts. We don't sell any data to anyone because we don't have any data worth selling.

This page documents the details for completeness, regulatory compliance (GDPR/CCPA), and reader transparency.

What we collect

Web analytics (Google Analytics 4)

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to collect aggregate, anonymized usage statistics. This includes:

• Page URLs visited and time on page
• Referrer URL (the page you came from, if any)
• Geographic region (country and region level — not precise location)
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet) and browser type
• Session duration and page sequence

GA4 uses cookies to track sessions. IP addresses are anonymized by Google before being processed. We have IP anonymization enabled.

We use this data only to understand which content is useful to readers and which articles need work. We don't use it to identify individual users.

Affiliate link click tracking

When you click an affiliate link on our site, the affiliate network (CJ Affiliate, Awin, Amazon Associates, etc.) may set a cookie to track whether you make a purchase. This is how the affiliate model works. Each affiliate network has its own privacy policy:

• CJ Affiliate privacy policy
• Awin privacy policy
• Amazon privacy notice

If you don't want affiliate tracking, you can choose not to click affiliate links. We disclose our affiliate relationships on the affiliates page.

What we don't collect

We do not collect, store, or process:

• Email addresses. We don't have a newsletter, mailing list, or "sign up for updates" form.
• Names, addresses, phone numbers. We have no contact form database.
• Payment information. We don't sell anything, so we don't collect any payment data.
• User-generated content. We don't have user accounts, comments, reviews, or any other user input.
• Precise location. GA4 collects country/region; we don't use precise location data.
• Behavioral profiles for advertising. We don't run ad networks; we don't profile users.

Third-party services we use

The following third-party services are loaded on every page:

• Cloudflare (CDN and hosting) — sees IP addresses and request headers in order to serve the site. Privacy policy.
• Google Fonts — loads the typeface files (Newsreader, Inter, JetBrains Mono). May see IP address. Privacy policy.
• Google Analytics 4 — aggregate analytics as described above. Privacy policy.

If you'd like to block these, browser extensions like uBlock Origin or Privacy Badger will do so without affecting site functionality (other than potentially loading default fonts instead of our typeface choices).

Cookies

We use the following cookies:

• Google Analytics cookies (_ga, _ga_*) — set by GA4 to track sessions. Lifetime: up to 2 years. Details.
• Affiliate tracking cookies — set when you click affiliate links, by the affiliate network. Lifetime varies by network (typically 24 hours to 30 days).
• Cloudflare cookies may be set for performance and security purposes. Details.

We do not use cookies for advertising, retargeting, or behavioral profiling.

Your rights (GDPR / CCPA)

Because we don't collect personally identifiable information, most data-subject rights under GDPR and CCPA don't have practical content to apply to. You have no account with us; there is no profile to delete.

If you have specific privacy concerns or questions, contact hello@freshiecheese.com and we'll respond promptly.

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on or by using browser privacy tools.

Data retention

Google Analytics data is retained per Google's standard retention policies (we use the default 14-month retention setting). We don't have other data to retain.

Children

Freshie Cheese is intended for adult cheese eaters. We don't knowingly collect data from children under 13 (under 16 in EU jurisdictions). If you believe a child has interacted with the site, contact us at hello@freshiecheese.com.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site evolves. Material changes will be noted at the top of this page. The "last updated" date below reflects the most recent revision.