Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We collect two types of information:

• Information you provide directly: When you register an account, subscribe to our newsletter, submit a comment, or use our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and any content you submit voluntarily.
• Information collected automatically: When you visit our site, we automatically collect certain technical information including your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, time and date of your visit, and time spent on pages. This is collected via cookies and similar tracking technologies.

2. Cookies

We use cookies — small text files stored on your device — for the following purposes:

• Essential cookies: Required for core site functionality (e.g., keeping you logged in, remembering your preferences).
• Analytics cookies: We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our site. Google Analytics collects anonymised usage data. You can opt out via Google's opt-out tool.
• Advertising cookies: We participate in the Google AdSense advertising program. Google uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our site or other websites on the internet. For more information, see the section on third-party advertising below.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality.

3. Use of Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve the Helafood platform
• Process newsletter subscriptions and send editorial updates
• Respond to comments, queries, and support requests
• Analyse site usage to improve user experience
• Serve contextually relevant advertisements via Google AdSense
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents
• Comply with legal obligations

4. Google AdSense & Third-Party Advertising

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on our site. Google AdSense uses cookies and web beacons to serve ads based on your prior visits to our site and other sites on the internet. This is known as interest-based or behavioural advertising.

What Google collects: Google may use the DoubleClick cookie and other technologies to collect information about your online activity, including the pages you visit on Helafood, to show you relevant advertisements.

Opting out: You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings or aboutads.info. You can also opt out using the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on.

For more information about how Google uses data when you use Google partner sites, please visit: How Google uses data from sites that use Google services.

5. Data Sharing & Third Parties

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• Service providers: We share data with trusted third-party providers who assist us in operating our website, including hosting providers, email services, and analytics platforms. These providers are contractually obligated to keep your information confidential and use it only for the purposes we specify.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to comply with legal process, protect our rights, or ensure the safety of our users.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. Our site uses HTTPS encryption for all data transmission. Passwords are hashed using industry-standard algorithms and are never stored in plain text.

However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Newsletter subscribers may unsubscribe at any time via the unsubscribe link in any email we send. Upon unsubscribing, your email address will be removed from our mailing list within 14 days.

8. Your Rights (GDPR & CCPA)

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure: You have the right to request that we delete your personal data (the "right to be forgotten"), subject to certain legal exceptions.
• Right to restrict processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: You have the right to receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Right to object: You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
• California residents (CCPA): California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected, sold, or disclosed, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us via our Contact Page.

9. Children's Privacy

Our service is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately, and we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new policy on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us via our Contact Page. We are committed to resolving any privacy concerns you may have.