What we collect, and what we don't
This policy explains what Know The Spore collects, why, how long we keep it, and the choices you have. Last updated July 2026.
The short version: we collect as little as we can. We do not sell your personal information. We use privacy-respecting analytics, and any ads are served by third parties such as Google that may use cookies. You can control or refuse those cookies at any time.
What we collect
We keep collection minimal and, where we can, non-identifying, with each item below showing why it exists and how long we keep it.
| What | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Page analytics | Understand what readers find useful | Aggregated, retained in summary |
| General location | Regional relevance, never a precise address | Not stored against you |
| Emails you send | To reply and track corrections | Until the matter is resolved |
| Advertising cookies | Set by ad partners to serve and measure ads | Controlled by the partner and your browser |
We do not ask you to create an account, and we do not run a newsletter that requires your identity. If that changes, this page changes first.
Cookies we use
A cookie is a small file a site stores in your browser, and we group ours into three kinds while treating only the first as strictly necessary.
- Essential. Basic cookies that let the site load and remember your cookie choices.
- Analytics. Aggregated measurement of which pages help readers, with identifiers minimised.
- Advertising. Set by third-party ad partners, described in the next section. These are optional.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings at any time. Blocking advertising cookies does not stop you reading anything here.
Advertising and Google AdSense
We may show ads through Google AdSense and other advertising partners that place and read their own cookies to help fund the site.
Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and others. Google's use of advertising cookies lets it and its partners show you ads based on those visits.
You are in control of this. You can opt out of personalised advertising and manage your choices here:
- Google Ads Settings at adssettings.google.com
- How Google uses ad cookies at policies.google.com/technologies/ads
- Third-party vendor opt-outs at aboutads.info/choices and youronlinechoices.eu
Where the law requires consent, we ask before setting non-essential cookies, and you can withdraw consent at any time through your browser or our cookie controls.
Analytics
We use privacy-respecting analytics to see which pages readers find useful. We look at trends in aggregate, such as which safety guides get read most, not at what any single person does.
Any analytics provider we use processes this data under its own privacy terms, and we configure it to minimise identifying information.
How we use what we collect
We use the little we gather to run and improve the site, nothing more. In practice that means:
- Reply to your emails and track safety corrections through to a fix
- Understand which content helps readers, so we can write more of it
- Keep the site secure and working, and meet our legal obligations
Your choices and rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights over your personal data under laws such as the GDPR in Europe or the CCPA in California.
These can include the right to access what we hold, to ask us to correct or delete it, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of on that front.
To make any request, email us and we will respond within a reasonable time. You can also control cookies and personalised ads directly through the tools linked above.
Data sharing
We never sell your personal information. We share data only with service providers that help us run the site, such as analytics and advertising partners operating under their own privacy policies.
Outbound links and embedded content are governed by the privacy policies of those third parties, not this one.
Children's privacy
This site is written for a general adult audience, is not directed at children under 13, and does not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has sent us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the site or the law changes. When we make a material change, we update the date at the top of this page.
Contact
Privacy questions go to [email protected]. For how we source and review content, see our editorial policy and methodology and sources.