Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

HowIsTheSargassum.com ("we," "our," or "us") operates the website located at www.howisthesargassum.com (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website.

By using our Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the site.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain information about your device and usage, including:

• Your IP address (anonymized)
• Browser type and version
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Referring website addresses
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
• Geographic region (country/city level only)

2.2 Information You Provide

We do not currently operate any account registration, contact forms, or email subscription systems. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information directly from users.

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our Service and hold certain information. Cookies are files with a small amount of data which may include an anonymous unique identifier.

Types of cookies we use:

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Service.

4. How We Use Your Information

The information we collect is used solely to:

• Monitor and analyze website traffic and usage patterns
• Improve the functionality and content of our Service
• Display relevant advertisements (if AdSense is enabled)
• Ensure the technical performance and security of our website
• Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal data. We do not share your personal data with third parties for their marketing purposes.

5. Google AdSense & Third-Party Advertising

We may use Google AdSense to serve advertisements on our website. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to our website or other websites on the Internet.

Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to our users based on their visit to our site and/or other sites on the Internet. Users may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.

For more information on how Google uses data from sites that use its services, visit Google's Privacy & Terms.

6. Third-Party Services

Our Service may contain links to third-party websites and uses the following third-party services:

• Google Analytics — website analytics (Privacy Policy)
• Google AdSense — advertising (Privacy Policy)
• OpenStreetMap / Leaflet — interactive beach maps (Privacy Policy)
• Unsplash — photography (Privacy Policy)

We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites or services.

7. Data Retention

We retain anonymized analytics data for a maximum of 26 months, in line with Google Analytics default settings. We do not retain personally identifiable information beyond what is strictly necessary for the purposes outlined in this policy.

8. Children's Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13 ("Children"). We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so that we can take necessary action.

9. Your Rights (GDPR & CCPA)

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

• The right to access the personal data we hold about you
• The right to rectification of inaccurate data
• The right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• The right to restrict processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to object to processing

California residents (CCPA): You have the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to delete personal information, 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 at contact@howisthesargassum.com.

10. Security

The security of your data is important to us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect any information processed through our Service, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us: