Last updated:
1. Who We Are
Hosting Atlas ("we", "our", "us") operates the website hosting-atlas.com. We publish independent web hosting reviews, comparisons and guides. For questions about this policy, contact us at [email protected].
2. What Data We Collect
We collect the following categories of data:
- Usage data – pages visited, time on site, browser type and operating system, collected via our analytics provider (anonymised IP addresses).
- Newsletter subscriptions – if you sign up for our newsletter we store your email address to send you the requested communications.
- Contact form submissions – name and email address if you contact us through our contact form.
- Cookies – see Section 5 below.
We do not collect sensitive personal data (health information, payment card numbers, government IDs, etc.).
3. How We Use Your Data
We use collected data to:
- Operate and improve the website and its content.
- Send newsletters to subscribers who opted in.
- Respond to enquiries submitted through the contact form.
- Analyse aggregated traffic patterns to understand which content is useful.
- Comply with legal obligations.
We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties.
4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)
For visitors in the European Economic Area (EEA), our legal bases for processing are:
- Consent – for newsletter subscriptions and non-essential cookies.
- Legitimate interests – for anonymised analytics to improve our content.
- Contract – to respond to your enquiries.
5. Cookies
We use the following types of cookies:
- Essential cookies – required for the website to function correctly. No consent required.
- Analytics cookies – anonymised visitor statistics. We use a privacy-first analytics solution with IP anonymisation enabled. You can opt out via your browser settings.
- Affiliate cookies – when you click an affiliate link, the destination site may set a cookie to attribute any resulting purchase. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
6. Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services that may process data on their own terms:
- Google Fonts – fonts loaded from Google's CDN. Google Privacy Policy.
- Analytics – anonymised traffic data; no cross-site tracking.
- Affiliate networks – when you click provider links, the destination site may collect data per their own policies.
7. Data Retention
Newsletter email addresses are retained until you unsubscribe. Contact form submissions are kept for up to 12 months. Analytics data is stored in aggregated, anonymised form indefinitely.
8. Your Rights
Under GDPR and similar laws you have the right to: access your personal data, request correction or deletion, object to processing, withdraw consent at any time, and lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. To exercise these rights, email [email protected].
9. Security
We use HTTPS (TLS) on all pages. We do not store payment information. Newsletter email addresses are stored with our email service provider using industry-standard security.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact
For privacy-related enquiries: [email protected]