Privacy Policy
We respect your privacy. This policy explains exactly what data AutoGuruz.com collects, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over your personal information.
1 Who We Are
AutoGuruz.com (“AutoGuruz,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is an independent automotive review and DIY guide website based in the United States. We publish buying guides, product reviews, how-to installation articles, and comparison content focused on automotive accessories, tools, dash cameras, truck accessories, and car care products.
AutoGuruz.com is the data controller for personal information collected through this website. This Privacy Policy applies to all pages, blog posts, and features available at autoguruz.com and any subdomains.
Website
AutoGuruz.com
Country of Operation
United States
Governing Law
United States Federal Law; applicable state laws including California CCPA/CPRA
2 Information We Collect
We collect information in two ways: information you give us directly, and information collected automatically when you visit the site.
📝 Information You Provide Directly
- Email address — when you subscribe to our newsletter or download a free guide/checklist.
- Name — optionally provided when subscribing or using a contact form.
- Message content — when you use our contact form to send us a query.
- Any other information you voluntarily include in a contact form submission.
🤖 Information Collected Automatically
- IP address — collected by web servers, Google Analytics, and Cloudflare (if used).
- Browser type and version — used for analytics and site optimisation.
- Device type and operating system — mobile, desktop, tablet.
- Pages visited and time spent — via Google Analytics 4.
- Referring URL — the website or search engine that sent you to our site.
- Search terms — if you arrived via a search engine.
- Clicks on affiliate links — tracked by Amazon Associates and other affiliate platforms.
- Ad impressions and clicks — tracked by Google AdSense when ads are active.
- Cookie identifiers — see the full cookies table in Section 5.
We do not collect: payment card details, Social Security numbers, government ID numbers, health information, or any sensitive personal data categories as defined by GDPR Article 9.
3 How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
Site Analytics & Improvement
Understanding which content is most useful, how visitors navigate the site, and where we can improve. Powered by Google Analytics 4.
Email Newsletter
Sending weekly automotive guides, product reviews, and DIY tips to subscribers who have explicitly opted in. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Monetisation
Affiliate link tracking (Amazon Associates) and display advertising (Google AdSense) that helps fund the operation of this free site.
Security & Fraud Prevention
Identifying and blocking malicious traffic, spam form submissions, and bot activity to protect the site and its readers.
Responding to Enquiries
Using contact form submissions to reply to your questions, correction requests, DMCA notices, or other communications.
Legal Compliance
Meeting our obligations under US law including FTC guidelines, CCPA, COPPA, and any applicable state privacy regulations.
5 Cookies & Tracking
AutoGuruz.com uses cookies and similar tracking technologies. A cookie is a small text file stored on your device. The table below lists every category of cookie used on this site.
| Cookie / Tracker | Provider | Category | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wordpress_* wp-settings-* |
WordPress | Essential | WordPress login session, admin preferences | Session / 1 year |
| PHPSESSID | PHP / Server | Essential | Server-side session management | Session |
| cookielawinfo-* | Cookie Consent Plugin (▶ EDIT: e.g. CookieYes) |
Essential | Stores user’s cookie consent preferences | 1 year |
| _ga | Google Analytics 4 | Analytics | Distinguishes unique users; generates statistical data about site usage | 2 years |
| _ga_XXXXXXXX | Google Analytics 4 | Analytics | Persists session state for GA4 measurement ID | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics 4 | Analytics | Distinguishes users; stores and updates a unique value for each page visited | 24 hours |
| _gat | Google Analytics | Analytics | Throttles request rate to limit data collection on high-traffic sites | 1 minute |
| IDE | Google AdSense (doubleclick.net) |
Advertising | Used by Google to register and report actions after viewing or clicking an ad | 13 months |
| DSID | Google AdSense | Advertising | Used to identify a signed-in Google user when serving ads across non-Google sites | 2 weeks |
| test_cookie | Google AdSense (doubleclick.net) |
Advertising | Checks whether the user’s browser supports cookies | 15 minutes |
| session-id ubid-main ad-id |
Amazon Associates (amazon.com) |
Advertising | Tracks affiliate referral clicks; attributes qualifying purchases to AutoGuruz for commission; stores Amazon session and advertising ID | 24 hrs / 90-day cart |
| ESP cookies (▶ EDIT: e.g. mc_cid, mc_eid) |
▶ EDIT: Your ESP name | Functional | Tracks email campaign source for subscribers who click through from emails | Varies |
| __cf_bm | Cloudflare (if used) | Essential | Bot management — distinguishes humans from bots | 30 minutes |
🍪 Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You can control and/or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of this and other websites. Most modern browsers allow you to:
- View cookies stored on your device and delete them individually
- Block third-party cookies from being set
- Block cookies from specific sites
- Block all cookies from being set (note: this will break most websites)
- Delete all cookies when you close the browser
Cookie Consent: Where required by law (e.g. for EU visitors), we display a cookie consent banner that allows you to accept or decline non-essential cookies before they are set. You can update your preferences at any time.
6 Google Analytics & AdSense
📊 Google Analytics 4
AutoGuruz.com uses Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a web analytics service provided by Google LLC. GA4 uses cookies to collect anonymised information about how visitors use this site — including pages visited, time on site, traffic sources, and device type. This data helps us understand what content is most useful and improve the site for all readers.
We have enabled IP anonymisation in GA4, meaning your full IP address is never stored by Google on our behalf. Google may use this data in accordance with its own privacy policy.
📢 Google AdSense
AutoGuruz.com participates in (or intends to participate in) Google AdSense, an advertising service provided by Google LLC. AdSense uses cookies and web beacons to serve personalised advertisements based on your browsing history across websites that use Google’s advertising services. All display ads on this site are clearly labelled “Advertisement” or “Sponsored.”
Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the internet. You may opt out of personalised advertising at any time using the links below.
Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on to prevent GA4 from collecting data about your visits.
Install GA Opt-Out Add-on →Opt out of Google personalised advertising across all participating websites via Google’s Ads Settings.
Google Ads Settings →Opt out of interest-based advertising from all participating ad network members via the NAI opt-out tool.
NAI Opt-Out Tool →Use the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out tool to manage interest-based advertising preferences.
AboutAds Opt-Out →7 Amazon Associates Tracking
AutoGuruz.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you click an Amazon affiliate link on this site, Amazon places a cookie on your device that identifies AutoGuruz as the referrer. If you make a qualifying purchase within 24 hours (or within 90 days if you added the item to your cart via our link), Amazon pays us a small referral commission.
Tracking Tag
Our Amazon Associates tag is autoguruz-20, embedded in affiliate link URLs.
Cookie Duration
Amazon’s standard affiliate cookie lasts 24 hours from click. Cart items extend this to 90 days.
No Extra Cost to You
The commission is paid entirely by Amazon. You pay exactly the same price whether or not you use our affiliate link.
Amazon’s Privacy Policy
Amazon is an independent data controller. View Amazon’s Privacy Notice for full details on how Amazon uses data from affiliate referrals.
Required Amazon Associates Statement: AutoGuruz.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
8 Email Marketing
We operate an optional email newsletter for readers who want to receive DIY automotive guides, product reviews, and tips. Subscription is entirely voluntary.
- What we collect: Your email address, and optionally your first name.
- How it’s stored: Your details are stored securely with our email service provider (▶ EDIT: e.g. Mailchimp / ConvertKit).
- What you’ll receive: Weekly automotive guides, product reviews, DIY tips, and occasional product recommendations (which may include affiliate links).
- Unsubscribe: Every email contains an unsubscribe link. You can opt out at any time, immediately and without question.
- No third-party sharing: We never sell or share your email address with third parties for their marketing purposes.
- Open & click tracking: Our ESP tracks whether you open emails and click links within them. This helps us understand what content is most valuable. You can disable image loading in your email client to prevent open tracking.
CAN-SPAM Act compliance: All marketing emails from AutoGuruz include our identifying information, a clear subject line, and a one-click unsubscribe link in compliance with the US CAN-SPAM Act.
9 Third-Party Links
AutoGuruz.com contains links to external websites including Amazon.com, manufacturer sites, retailer pages, and reference publications. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those external sites. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or data practices of any third-party site linked from AutoGuruz.com.
We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of every third-party website you visit before submitting any personal data. The presence of a link on AutoGuruz.com does not constitute an endorsement of that site’s privacy or data practices.
10 Children’s Privacy (COPPA)
AutoGuruz.com complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Our content — automotive product reviews and DIY guides — is intended for adults and older teenagers. We do not knowingly market to or collect data from children under 13 years of age.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at [email protected]. We will promptly delete any such information from our records.
11 Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you have some or all of the following rights over your personal data. To exercise any right, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days (or sooner where required by law).
Right to Access
You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, including what data we have, how we use it, and who we share it with.
Right to Rectification
If any personal data we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to request that we correct or update it.
Right to Erasure
Also known as the “right to be forgotten.” You can request that we delete all personal data we hold about you, subject to legal retention obligations.
Right to Restrict Processing
You can ask us to limit how we use your data — for example, while we investigate an accuracy complaint — without requiring full deletion.
Right to Data Portability
Where technically feasible, you can request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format to transfer to another service.
Right to Object
You have the right to object to processing of your data based on legitimate interests, including for direct marketing. We will stop unless we have compelling grounds to continue.
12 California Privacy Rights (CCPA / CPRA)
If you are a California resident, the CCPA/CPRA provides you with the following specific rights in addition to those listed in Section 11:
- Right to Know: You have the right to request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you in the past 12 months, the sources of that information, our business purposes for collecting it, and the categories of third parties we have shared it with.
- Right to Delete: You have the right to request deletion of personal information we have collected about you, subject to certain exceptions.
- Right to Correct: You have the right to request correction of inaccurate personal information we hold about you.
- Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing: AutoGuruz.com does not sell your personal information. We do share certain data with Google (Analytics, AdSense) and Amazon (Associates) as described in this policy, which may qualify as “sharing” under CPRA. You can opt out of this via the links in Section 6.
- Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: We do not collect sensitive personal information as defined under CPRA.
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA/CPRA rights.
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information: To opt out of data sharing with our advertising partners (Google AdSense), use the opt-out links in Section 6, or contact us at [email protected] with the subject “CCPA Opt-Out Request.” We will respond within 45 days as required by CCPA.
Categories Collected (12 months)
Identifiers (email, IP address); Internet activity (pages visited, clicks); Geolocation (country/region level only); Inferences (browsing preferences from Google AdSense).
Categories Disclosed to Third Parties
Internet activity data shared with Google Analytics & AdSense; click data shared with Amazon Associates. See Section 4 for full details.
13 EU & UK Visitors (GDPR)
AutoGuruz.com is based in the United States. If you access this site from the European Union or United Kingdom, please be aware that your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States, which may not have equivalent data protection laws to those in your home country.
Legal Bases for Processing
Consent: Email marketing, non-essential cookies.
Legitimate Interests: Analytics, site security, fraud prevention.
Contract: Responding to contact form queries.
International Data Transfers
Data may be transferred to the US via Google (Analytics, AdSense) and Amazon (Associates). Google and Amazon participate in EU-US Data Privacy Framework programs.
Right to Lodge a Complaint
EU/UK residents have the right to lodge a complaint with their local data protection authority if they believe we have mishandled their personal data.
Response Timeframe
We respond to GDPR data subject requests within 30 days. Complex requests may be extended to 60 days with notice.
14 Data Security & Retention
🔒 Security Measures
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include:
- HTTPS / TLS encryption on all pages across AutoGuruz.com
- Secure hosting with a reputable managed WordPress host
- Access controls — wp-admin access restricted; strong passwords required
- Regular WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates
- Cloudflare protection (if enabled) against DDoS and malicious traffic
📅 Data Retention Periods
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected:
Google Analytics 4 default retention (anonymised; can be deleted via GA opt-out)
Retained while subscribed + 30 days after unsubscribe. Fully deleted on request.
Contact form submissions retained for 12 months then deleted unless ongoing correspondence requires longer retention.
Standard server access logs retained by hosting provider per their retention policy.
Amazon affiliate cookies. 24 hours standard; 90 days if item added to cart. Controlled by Amazon.
Google IDE advertising cookie. Controlled entirely by Google. Clear via browser or Google Ads Settings.
15 Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will update the “Effective” date at the top of this page.
We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of AutoGuruz.com after any change constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. We do not provide personal email notifications for policy updates (except where required by law).
| Date | Change Summary |
|---|---|
| June 2026 | Initial publication of AutoGuruz-specific Privacy Policy. Covers: data collection, Google Analytics & AdSense, Amazon Associates, email marketing, COPPA, CCPA/CPRA, GDPR, 6 user rights, cookie table, data retention, and contact information. |
✉ Contact & Data Controller
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise any of your rights, or need to report a data concern, please contact us. We review all privacy queries personally and respond within 30 days (45 days for CCPA requests).
Privacy & Data Enquiries
Data access requests, deletion requests, CCPA opt-outs, GDPR enquiries, cookie questions, or general privacy concerns.
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