Privacy Policy
How ClearHowGuide handles privacy and personal information.
This Privacy Policy explains what information ClearHowGuide may collect, how we may use it, which services may process data for the site, and what choices and rights you may have.
Last updated:
Minimal data by design
ClearHowGuide aims to collect only what is useful to operate, secure, improve, and maintain the website.
Privacy-friendly analytics
We use lightweight analytics to understand site usage without building invasive user profiles.
Clear contact options
If you contact us, we use the information you send only to read, manage, and reply to your message.
1. Who we are
ClearHowGuide is an independent website that publishes practical guides, explainers, troubleshooting articles, and educational content about technology, apps, devices, files, AI tools, security, learning, and finance basics.
Website: https://clearhowguide.com/
Contact: contact@clearhowguide.com
2. What this policy covers
This Privacy Policy applies to the public ClearHowGuide website and its public pages, including articles, category pages, trust pages, and other informational content.
This policy does not control the privacy practices of third-party websites, apps, products, services, advertisers, affiliate partners, or external links that may be mentioned on ClearHowGuide.
3. Information we may collect
Depending on how you use the site, we may process the following types of information.
| Category | Examples | When it may be collected |
|---|---|---|
| Technical information | IP address, browser type, device type, approximate region, requested URL, timestamps, referrer, basic log data | When you visit the website or request a page |
| Analytics information | Page views, visit counts, referrers, device/browser category, general usage trends | When analytics is enabled on public pages |
| Contact information | Email address, name if provided, message content, subject line, attachments if any | When you email us or contact us voluntarily |
| Affiliate or advertising interaction data | Clicks on affiliate links, referral identifiers, campaign parameters | If you click affiliate, sponsor, or advertising links |
| Security information | Firewall events, bot detection signals, abuse prevention logs, error logs | When the site or infrastructure protects itself from abuse or attacks |
Under data protection law, personal data can include information that directly or indirectly relates to an identified or identifiable person, including online identifiers. Therefore, some technical data such as IP addresses may be treated as personal data in certain contexts.
4. How we use information
We may use information for the following purposes:
- to operate and deliver the website;
- to secure the website and prevent abuse, spam, attacks, or fraud;
- to understand which pages are useful and improve the site;
- to respond to contact messages, correction requests, or business inquiries;
- to maintain, debug, and improve website performance;
- to measure general traffic trends and article performance;
- to manage affiliate links, advertising, or sponsorships if used;
- to comply with legal obligations when required.
5. Legal bases for processing
If European data protection law applies, we may rely on different legal bases depending on the situation.
| Purpose | Possible legal basis |
|---|---|
| Operating, securing, and maintaining the website | Legitimate interests |
| Responding to contact messages | Legitimate interests or steps requested by you |
| Basic privacy-friendly analytics | Legitimate interests, where allowed, or consent if required |
| Affiliate, advertising, or tracking technologies | Consent where required, or legitimate interests where applicable |
| Legal compliance | Legal obligation |
The exact legal basis may depend on your location, the feature used, and the type of data involved.
6. Analytics
ClearHowGuide uses Umami Analytics to understand general website usage, such as which pages are visited, how visitors arrive at the site, and which devices or browsers are commonly used.
Umami is designed as a privacy-focused analytics tool and is described by its provider as cookie-free. We use analytics to understand aggregate site performance, not to identify individual visitors or build invasive advertising profiles.
Analytics settings may change over time as the site evolves. If we add analytics features that require consent, cookies, or additional tracking disclosures, we will update this Privacy Policy and, where needed, our Cookie Policy.
7. Cookies and similar technologies
ClearHowGuide aims to keep cookies and tracking technologies minimal. Our analytics setup is intended to be lightweight and privacy-friendly.
Some technical services, such as security, hosting, CDN, or anti-abuse providers, may use cookies or similar technologies when necessary to operate, protect, or deliver the website.
You can read our dedicated Cookie Policy for more detail about cookies, similar technologies, and future consent choices.
8. Hosting, CDN, security, and infrastructure providers
ClearHowGuide uses infrastructure providers to deliver the site, protect it, store assets, and operate backend or administrative systems.
- Cloudflare: DNS, CDN, security, performance, Pages, R2 assets, and email routing.
- Umami: privacy-focused website analytics.
- PocketBase: backend/editorial administration used by the site owner and editorial workflow.
- Proton Mail: destination mailbox for contact email messages, if email routing is configured.
- IONOS VPS: server infrastructure used for backend or administrative services.
These providers may process technical information needed to provide their services, secure the website, route email, store logs, or deliver content.
9. Contact messages
If you contact ClearHowGuide by email, we may receive your email address, name if provided, message content, subject line, attachments, and any other information you choose to include.
We use this information to read, manage, and respond to your message. If your message concerns a correction, we may use it to update or improve a guide.
Please do not send passwords, authentication codes, private keys, bank details, government ID numbers, medical records, or other sensitive personal information.
10. Affiliate links, advertising, and external websites
ClearHowGuide may use affiliate links, advertising, sponsorships, or commercial partnerships. If you click an external link, the third-party website may collect information according to its own privacy policy.
We do not control third-party websites, affiliate networks, merchants, advertisers, checkout pages, or external services.
You can read more in our Affiliate Disclosure.
11. Email routing
ClearHowGuide may use email routing to forward messages sent to a domain-based address such as contact@clearhowguide.com to a destination mailbox.
Email routing providers and mailbox providers may process technical email data such as sender, recipient, timestamp, subject line, routing data, and message content in order to deliver the message.
12. Data retention
We keep information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
- Technical and security logs may be kept for a limited period for security and debugging.
- Analytics data may be kept for trend analysis and site improvement.
- Contact messages may be kept as long as needed to respond, manage the request, or maintain records.
- Legal, abuse, or security-related records may be kept longer if necessary.
Exact retention periods may vary depending on the service provider, technical need, legal requirement, or nature of the request.
13. International transfers
ClearHowGuide is an international website and may use providers located in different countries. Information may be processed in countries other than your own, depending on provider infrastructure, routing, hosting, security, email, or analytics systems.
Where required, we aim to rely on appropriate safeguards or providers that offer data protection commitments for international processing.
14. Your privacy rights
Depending on your location, you may have privacy rights such as the right to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or objection to certain processing.
If consent is the legal basis for a specific type of processing, you may also have the right to withdraw consent.
To make a privacy request, contact us at: contact@clearhowguide.com
We may need to verify your request before taking action, especially if the request concerns personal information.
15. Children’s privacy
ClearHowGuide is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us so we can review the issue.
16. Security
We use technical and organizational measures intended to protect the website and reduce unauthorized access, abuse, or misuse. However, no internet service, email system, or website can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
If you believe you found a security issue affecting ClearHowGuide, please contact us and include enough detail to help us understand the issue.
17. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy when the website, tools, services, legal requirements, or data practices change. The updated date at the top of this page shows when the policy was last revised.
18. Contact us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, privacy rights, data handling, corrections, or website practices, contact us at:
contact@clearhowguide.comRelated policy
Read how we create and disclose content.
Our editorial policy and affiliate disclosure explain how we create guides, handle corrections, and disclose commercial relationships.