This policy explains what information Simulator Hardware (simulatorhardware.com, "we") collects when you use the site, why, and what you can do about it. We keep it short because we collect very little: there are no accounts, no logins and no ad networks on this site.
What we collect and why
Analytics (Google Analytics 4)
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand which pages help people and which don't. It records the pages you view, how you arrived (for example a search engine or another site), your device and browser type, your approximate location (country and city level), and clicks on outbound links, including which product's Amazon button was clicked. Google Analytics sets first-party cookies (such as _ga) to tell visits apart. We don't use it to identify you, and we don't combine it with other data about you. Event data is kept for 14 months, then deleted automatically.
You can block these cookies in your browser settings or install Google's Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The site works the same without them.
Messages you send us
When you use the contact form, we receive the name, email address and message you enter. The form is processed by our hosting provider, Netlify. We use it only to answer you, and we delete messages once they're no longer needed. We never add you to a mailing list.
Comments and owner reviews
You can comment on a buyer's guide or review a product you own. Both forms are processed by Netlify, which also filters spam. We read each one before anything is published:
- What we publish: your comment (with our reply, if we write one) or your review and star rating, together with the name you chose to show (or "A reader" / "An owner" if you left it blank) and the date.
- What we never publish: your email address, if you gave one with a comment. We use it only to reply to you.
- What we don't publish at all: spam, off-topic messages, and anything with links or personal details.
Until it's published, your own comment or review is shown back to you from your browser's local storage, so you can see it arrived. It never leaves your browser, and it's removed once the published version is on the page or after 60 days.
To have your comment or review removed, email us with the page and the date you sent it.
Asking how a product worked out
When you click a product's Amazon button, your browser remembers which product and when, in its local storage. If you come back 7 to 120 days later, we ask once whether you'd like to rate it. This information never leaves your browser and isn't linked to you; "I didn't buy it" stops the question for that product, and clearing your browser's data for this site removes it all.
Server logs (Netlify)
The site is hosted by Netlify, which processes standard request data such as your IP address, browser user agent and the page requested, so it can deliver pages and protect the site from abuse.
Fonts (Google Fonts)
The site's typeface loads from Google Fonts, so your browser sends a request, including your IP address, to Google's servers when a page loads.
Amazon and other links
Product buttons link to Amazon. When you click one, Amazon may set its own cookies to credit the purchase to us as an Amazon Associate. We receive reports of items ordered and commissions earned, but never your name, address or payment details. Amazon's own privacy notice applies on Amazon. The same is true of any other site we link to.
What we don't do
- We don't sell or rent personal information, and we don't share it for advertising.
- We don't run advertising networks, retargeting pixels or social media trackers.
- We don't knowingly collect information from children under 13.
Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR in the EU and UK, or the CCPA in California), you can ask us to access, correct or delete personal information we hold about you, or object to how we use it. In practice, the only personal information we hold directly is what you sent us: a message, a comment or a review. Email us and we'll respond within 30 days. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.
Where data is processed
Google and Netlify are based in the United States, so information they process may be stored there.
Changes to this policy
If we change what we collect, we'll update this page and its date above.
Contact
Questions about privacy: contact@simulatorhardware.com, or use the contact page.