Privacy Policy

The short version: this website collects your email address only if you give it to us, uses it to send what you asked for, and uses Google Analytics to see how the site is used. It doesn't run advertising trackers. We don't sell your information. The details are below.

Who we are

This policy covers the MyCookingList website at mycookinglist.com, including its guides, blog, and download forms. MyCookingList (“we” or “us”) is based in the United States. For any privacy question or request, email nick@mycookinglist.com.

When you create an account in the MyCookingList app at app.mycookinglist.com, the app stores the account and recipe information it needs to work. Questions about that data go to the same address.

What we collect

Information you give us

When you request The Starter Rotation, our free printable meal plan, we collect:

• Your email address
• The page you signed up from
• The date you signed up

The form also contains a hidden field that people never see. If it's filled in, we treat the submission as spam and discard it.

Information collected automatically

• Spam protection. When you submit a form, the site stores a one-way hash of your IP address for up to one hour to limit repeated submissions. The hash can't be turned back into your IP address, and it's deleted automatically after the hour.
• Server logs. Our hosting provider, Kinsta, keeps standard web server logs, including IP address, browser type, the pages requested, and the time of each request, to deliver the site and keep it secure.
• One security cookie. Kinsta's network, provided by Cloudflare, sets a cookie named __cf_bm that helps tell people apart from bots. It doesn't identify you and expires after 30 minutes.
• Analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how people use the site: which pages are visited, how visitors arrived (for example, from a search or an ad), the type of device and browser, and approximate location, down to city level. Google Analytics sets cookies named _ga and _ga_ followed by an ID to recognize returning visits; they last up to two years. Google Analytics 4 doesn't store IP addresses. You can opt out with Google's browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout, or by blocking cookies in your browser.
• Fonts. The site loads its fonts from Google Fonts, so your browser sends your IP address to Google when it downloads them. Google's privacy policy covers that request.

What we don't collect

The website doesn't use advertising pixels or advertising cookies, and we don't turn on Google Analytics' advertising features or Google Signals. We don't build a profile of you, and we don't connect analytics data to your email address.

How we use it

• To email you The Starter Rotation you requested
• To send you the occasional meal planning guide, as the signup form describes. You can opt out at any time.
• To see which pages bring in signups, so we know which guides are useful
• To understand how the site is used, through Google Analytics, so we can improve it
• To protect the site from spam and abuse

Who we share it with

We don't sell your personal information, and we don't share it for advertising. We share it only with the service providers that run the site for us:

• Kinsta hosts the website and the database where signups are stored, and sends our email.
• Cloudflare provides security and delivery for Kinsta's network.
• Google serves the site's fonts and provides Google Analytics, which processes site usage data on our behalf.

If we start using an email service to send guides, it will process your email address on our behalf, and we'll add it to this list. We may also disclose information when the law requires it.

How long we keep it

• Your email address stays on our list until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it.
• The IP address hash used for spam protection is deleted after one hour.
• The security cookie expires after 30 minutes.
• Google Analytics keeps usage data for the retention period set in our Analytics account, which is 14 months at most.
• Server logs are kept according to Kinsta's retention schedule.

Your choices and rights

You can ask us to:

• Tell you what information we have about you
• Correct it
• Delete it
• Stop sending you email

Email nick@mycookinglist.com from the address you signed up with, and we'll respond within 45 days. We won't treat you differently for making a request.

California residents have these rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, along with the right to know the categories of information we collect (listed under “What we collect”) and the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We don't sell or share personal information, so there's nothing to opt out of. Residents of other states with privacy laws, including Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and Texas, have similar rights, and we honor them the same way.

Children

This website isn't directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information. If you believe a child has given us an email address, contact us and we'll delete it.

Security

The site is served over HTTPS, and only the site administrator can see signup information. No way of storing data online is perfectly secure, so we limit what we collect: there's less to protect.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle your information, we'll update this page and the date at the top. If a change is significant, we'll also let the people on our email list know.

Contact

MyCookingList
Email: nick@mycookinglist.com