Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to cookingbiteshub (the “Site”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect the personal information you provide when you access or use our website at https://cookingbiteshub.com. By using the Site, you consent to the practices described herein. If you have any questions about this policy or our data‑handling practices, please contact us at contact@cookingbiteshub.com.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with applicable data‑protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users in the European Economic Area and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for California residents. This policy applies to all visitors, registered users, and anyone who interacts with the Site, regardless of the device or platform used.

2. Data Collection

We collect two categories of information: personal data that can identify you directly (e.g., name, email address) and non‑personal data that is aggregated or anonymized (e.g., browser type, IP address). The types of data we collect include:

• Account Information: When you create an account or subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your name, email address, and a password (which is stored in a hashed format).
• Contact Forms: If you submit a question, comment, or recipe suggestion through our contact form, we retain the email address and message content you provide.
• Technical Data: Your IP address, device type, operating system, browser version, and screen resolution are automatically logged when you visit the Site.
• Interaction Data: We track the pages you view, the recipes you click on, the time you spend on each page, and any searches you perform within the Site.
• Payment Information: If you purchase premium content or merchandise, we collect billing details through a secure third‑party payment processor. We never store full credit‑card numbers on our servers.

All data is collected for the purposes described in this policy and is retained only as long as necessary to fulfill those purposes or as required by law.

3. Cookies & Similar Technologies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device to help us improve your browsing experience. We use both session cookies (which expire when you close your browser) and persistent cookies (which remain for a defined period). The categories of cookies we employ are:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the Site to function, such as maintaining your login session.
• Analytics Cookies: Used to collect data about how visitors use the Site, enabling us to improve content and navigation.
• Advertising Cookies: Set by our advertising partners (including Ezoic) to deliver personalized ads.
• Social Media Cookies: Placed by Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook when you interact with embedded content or share pages.

You can manage your cookie preferences at any time through the cookie consent banner that appears when you first visit the Site. Disabling certain cookies may affect functionality, such as preventing you from staying logged in.

4. Analytics (Google Analytics)

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our content. Google Analytics collects information such as your IP address (anonymized), device information, referral source, and pages viewed. This data helps us:

• Identify popular recipes and topics.
• Improve site navigation and load times.
• Measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

Google may use the information collected to provide its own analytics services. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt‑Out Browser Add‑on or by configuring your browser’s Do Not Track settings.

5. Email Subscriptions

When you subscribe to our newsletter, we store your email address and any optional preferences you select (e.g., frequency of updates, topics of interest). We use this information solely to send you the requested communications. We do not sell or share your email address with third parties, except as required to deliver the email (e.g., through our email service provider).

Every email includes an unsubscribe link that allows you to remove yourself from the mailing list instantly. You may also contact us directly at contact@cookingbiteshub.com to request removal.

6. Third‑Party Services

Our Site integrates with several social platforms to enhance user experience. When you interact with these services (e.g., clicking a “Pin it” button, viewing an Instagram post, or sharing a recipe on Facebook), the respective platform may collect data about your interaction, including your IP address and account information if you are logged in.

The third‑party services we use are:

• Pinterest: Enables you to save recipes to your boards. Pinterest’s privacy practices are described in its Privacy Policy.
• Instagram: Allows you to view our Instagram feed and share content. Instagram’s data handling is detailed in the Data Policy.
• Facebook: Provides social sharing buttons and a Facebook Page plugin. Facebook’s privacy information can be found in its Data Policy.

We do not control the data practices of these platforms, and you should review their respective privacy policies if you have concerns.

7. Advertising & Ezoic

We partner with Ezoic to display and optimize advertisements on cookingbiteshub. Ezoic uses a combination of machine learning and real‑time testing to serve ads that are relevant to you. In order to do this, Ezoic may collect the following types of data:

• IP address
• Device information (e.g., type, operating system)
• Pages viewed and time spent on each page
• Browser and language settings

This information is used to personalize the advertisements you see, improve ad performance, and enhance your overall browsing experience. Ezoic does not share your personal data with advertisers; instead, it uses aggregated, non‑identifiable data to match ads to relevant audience segments.

For a detailed description of how Ezoic handles your data, please review their privacy policy: https://www.ezoic.com/privacy-policy/. You can manage your advertising preferences through the cookie consent banner on our Site, where you may opt out of personalized advertising if you wish.

8. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit using HTTPS.
• Secure storage of passwords with salted hashing.
• Regular security audits and vulnerability scans.
• Limited access to personal data for staff members who need it to perform their job duties.

While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100 % secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data, including:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: Request that inaccurate or incomplete data be corrected.
• Deletion: Request that we delete your personal data, subject to legal exceptions.
• Restriction: Request that we limit the processing of your data.
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Objection: Object to the processing of your data for direct marketing purposes.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@cookingbiteshub.com. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law.