The short version
SideBySide Gold is a free, independent education site about buying and storing precious metals. We don't sell metals, we don't run accounts, and we never ask for payment details. We collect very little: basic, aggregated analytics about how pages are used, and whatever you choose to send through our contact form.
We don't sell your personal information, and we don't share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
Information we collect
When you contact us
If you use the contact form, we receive the name, email address, message, topic, and optional page link you enter, plus the page you sent it from and a timestamp. Submissions are stored in a private Google Sheet through a Google Apps Script endpoint and forwarded to us by email so we can reply.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand which guides are useful: pages viewed, approximate location (country/region level), device and browser type, referring site, and similar usage data. Google sets cookies to do this. You can opt out with Google's browser add-on or by blocking cookies in your browser.
Server logs
Like nearly every website, our web server automatically records technical request data (IP address, browser user agent, the page requested, and the time). We use these logs for security, troubleshooting, and abuse prevention, and keep them only as long as they're useful for that.
Affiliate links and cookies
Some links on this site are affiliate links, including links to Bullion.com through the MaxBounty network and to other dealers through affiliate networks such as CJ. When you click one, the network or merchant may set its own cookie to record that the visit came from us, so we can be credited if you buy. That data is collected and governed by the network and the merchant under their privacy policies, not ours. We never see what you buy or your payment details; at most we see aggregated reports that a sale occurred.
Read more about how affiliate relationships work on this site in our terms and disclosures.
How we use information
- To answer your messages and follow up on corrections you report.
- To understand which pages help readers and improve them.
- To keep the site secure and working.
- To comply with legal obligations.
Sharing
We share information only with the service providers that run the site and its features (our hosting provider, Google for analytics and form storage, and our email provider), and only as needed to provide those services. We may disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights and safety of our readers or the site. We do not sell personal information.
Retention
Contact-form messages are kept for as long as needed to handle your request and any follow-up, then deleted in periodic clean-ups. Analytics data is retained according to our Google Analytics retention settings. You can ask us to delete your messages at any time.
Your choices and rights
Depending on where you live, including California and other US states with consumer privacy laws, and the EU/UK, you may have the right to know what personal information we hold about you, to get a copy, to correct it, and to have it deleted, and to opt out of any sale or sharing (we don't do either).
To make a request, use our contact form and choose “Something else.” We'll respond within the timeframe your local law requires. We won't treat you differently for exercising your rights.
Children
This site is written for adults. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has sent us information, contact us and we'll delete it.
Security
The site is served over HTTPS, and form submissions go to an access-restricted Google account. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so please don't send sensitive financial details, account numbers, or ID documents through the contact form. We will never ask for them.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle information, we'll update this page and the “Last updated” date above.